BLUE SUN ROOM

The Guild, Serenity, Mal, and Inara

POSTED BY: BYTEMITE
UPDATED: Sunday, January 14, 2024 14:21
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Tuesday, August 11, 2009 7:10 AM

BYTEMITE


What I'm hearing though, is that people are seeing Mal's mindset, behaviour, and/or lifestyle as being improved in a positive manner after the movie.

And aside maybe from the brief positivity we get from Mal at Inara's non-decision, I'm with AR, I see him as very much status quo.

I realize that it's bothersome to think that Mal might not be inspired to pull himself together and be better after what Book told him, and what Book told him WAS powerful, but I have to say what I see, and ultimately, Mal was affected more by Book's DEATH I think than Book's final (and very good) advice.

I think Mal has yet to find that thing that he believes in, that will help him to improve his life, and to see that his life CAN be improved like Book was trying to point out to him.

I do think he'll find it. But I don't think Miranda was it.

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Tuesday, August 11, 2009 7:23 AM

MAL4PREZ


Quote:

Originally posted by Bytemite:
Hmm, perhaps, but I think in the future, preachers are still performing marriages as much as county/moon magistrates. If that is so, and we can also view a priestess of the guild as a priestess as we define it today, as having some religious authority...

I don't see the connection. Preachers of one faith perform marriages, sure. That has no bearing on the role played by the people the Guide chooses to call Priestesses.

And I still fail to see why the Guild has to be involved in either the business or religion of marriage.


Quote:

Well, it seems to me like the guild might want to make sure that some of it's men and women are legally certified to perform the guild version of certain rituals or ceremonies. Prevent charlatans from posing as guild members and damaging the guild image or using the guild image to hurt people, you know?
Not sure how defining many levels of Priestesses prevents fakes. Inara is a Registered Companion. She has papers that can be checked (Train Job) to make sure she's not a fake. Nothing more complicated is needed.


Quote:

I meant the whorehouse, actually. Nandi as the good caring head of household, the whores as the settler family. Nandi had to fight that time, I imagine on the Rim that yes, you do have to know how to fight, but like I said I don't think they were always in a drawn-gun standoff with Rance Burgess every day, or even every month.
Ah - makes sense! But here I have to wonder, as much as I'm into women's freedom to choose their careers, would all these women choose to be whores if they had a nice green ranch they could be working at?


Quote:

Like I was saying, I guess I can't see how someone can feel good about a personal milestone if someone they know and care about dies in the process. And if the person in question would undoubtedly feel responsible for the death.
I don't know where you get this notion that Mal has to feel good about it. Again - no one is saying that!

Haven't you ever had an experience that you grew from, even though you'd never ever want to go through it again? Doesn't mean that you wanted it and you're glad it happened. Just means that you can see how it made you stronger. Good lord, if we only had growing experiences because we chose them, we'd all be emotional 12 year olds for our entire lives!


NCBrowncoat - and I was thinking you said it the way I meant to LOL! Nice and clear. That's a perfect example, with your mom. Heavens no, you're not glad it happened. But you learned from your hard knocks. (And I'm sorry to hear about it, BTW. It must have been a nightmare!)


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Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:07 AM

MAL4PREZ


AR: I know this’ll be an annoying long post. I’ll try to be concise!

OK, so in the series, we do get signs a’plenty that Mal is a good man inside. But this is at constant war with the bitterness and anger and even apathy he carries from the war. This is what I see him starting to shed in the movie – the stuff the war gave him. He wasn’t just defeated by the Alliance, he was betrayed by those he put faith in: the Independents and God. And so he was set against getting involved in anything like that again. Just wanted to stay on his ship and do his own business.

He tried to keep on with staying hidden in the movie, but outside events and his own inner heroic nature wouldn’t allow it. The fact that he had no choice but to make a big move is exactly my point – he’d have never made such a stand if he’d had a choice, but these horrible events drove him past the blocks the war had given him. He didn’t enjoy it, he’ll never be happy about what happened, but afterward, somewhere in his brain, he knows it’s possible to do something besides live day-to-day.

Does that mean he’s an upstanding, un-angry, cheerful guy now? Good lord, of course not! I’ve tried to be clear that I’m not saying that. Of course he doesn’t have a stamp of: All Better Now! on his forehead. But he’s made a step toward being able to say – I want *this* – and going for it. Whatever *this* is. Again, as Book says: it’s not what you believe, it’s that you believe it. Commit to it. Go for it. Mal had lost the ability to do that, but maybe now he can make progress toward getting his own will and sense of direction back.

BTW, the whole point of all this, way back up the thread, was to illustrate to Bytemite that the kind of storytelling I like will have Mal continue to grow and change as outside influences in the `verse force him to. Ditto with Inara. To me, it’s not about him leaving the ship or not. It’s about what motivates him to do either one, and the journey he takes to get to the decision.

Bytemite – thank you *so* much for this “I mean, I GUESS being with Inara could heal him, but that's soooo cliche.” Worse than cliché – unrealistic. Wouldn’t live up to Joss’s verse. It would be bad in so many ways, I don’t know where to start!

"What I'm hearing though, is that people are seeing Mal's mindset, behaviour, and/or lifestyle as being improved in a positive manner after the movie." May be what you're hearing, but it's not what quite I'm saying LOL! I think his mindset will be improved - given time for the grief of his losses to fade - but changes in his behavior and lifestyle would have to follow from what he does or doesn't do with the changes in his mindset.

Someone as messed up as Mal surely isn’t going to get better in one fell swoop. It’s going to take many many steps to get him there. So I think it’s a bit silly to allow for only two extremes as outcomes of the Miranda business: either he’s all better, or not changed at all. There is middle ground, you now!


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Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:11 AM

AGENTROUKA


Quote:

Originally posted by mal4prez:

Haven't you ever had an experience that you grew from, even though you'd never ever want to go through it again? Doesn't mean that you wanted it and you're glad it happened. Just means that you can see how it made you stronger. Good lord, if we only had growing experiences because we chose them, we'd all be emotional 12 year olds for our entire lives!




I have to point out here that not all bad experiences make us stronger. Some we just overcome to retake a place that we occupied before, some just make us weaker, some just make us different.

And it is entirely possible to grow and mature without the trauma of bad experiences.

It's great when we can emerge from bad experiences with growth and strength, but it's not a rule, and I don't really see it being the case with Miranda. Actually, I see as much potential for negative change in it as I can imagine good change maybe coming from it.

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Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:22 AM

BYTEMITE


Okay, let's look at a non-religious example of an aspect of companion training that might require legal certification outside the guild. In a number of places, I've seen that Inara is said to have received extensive training in psychology. But I don't think that makes her qualified to treat someone who should really go see a psychiatrist or for her to prescribe and administer medicine (beyond the medicine she would use in her career, like impotence treatment, or maybe comfort drugs). There are many, many schools of psychology, and I imagine every companion might receive slightly different training depending on which courses they took at the Academy. So shouldn't there be certifications that each companion has, that says what they have the training to treat and what they don't?

Quote:

Ah - makes sense! But here I have to wonder, as much as I'm into women's freedom to choose their careers, would all these women choose to be whores if they had a nice green ranch they could be working at?


Not sure. Nandi at least seems to have made it bearable, she appears to be running the house like a companion house might be run, and she's apparently helped some of the girls get over drug addictions. We don't know if Chari had any specific objection that made her betray the house to Rance, but it seemed to me like she was just scared of Rance's retaliation. In any case, I was mostly just commenting on the intact nature of the family unit Nandi seems to have constructed, and if the whorehouse could be considered analogous to a Rim world family and subject to some of the same general dangers, then we might get an idea of how dangerous a family might feel their lives are by looking at their example. I see nervousness about the situation with Rance, but in general my impression is that they seem to feel their lifestyle is fairly safe. None of them seem scared about Rance's men coming back for business after the fight.

Quote:

I don't know where you get this notion that Mal has to feel good about it. Again - no one is saying that!


I heard Mal's post-Miranda state described as "improved self-confidence" and Miranda itself as "a personal triumph."

How can you become more self confident and not feel better about yourself or the world in general?

I'm pretty sure I'm just not getting what people are saying. And I'd still like to discuss the issue of what Mal could do with Serenity for work that could help him heal from war and violence related PTSD... <_<

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Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:44 AM

BYTEMITE


Directed to AR, but feel like responding myself...

Quote:

Originally posted by mal4prez:

OK, so in the series, we do get signs a’plenty that Mal is a good man inside. But this is at constant war with the bitterness and anger and even apathy he carries from the war. This is what I see him starting to shed in the movie – the stuff the war gave him. He wasn’t just defeated by the Alliance, he was betrayed by those he put faith in: the Independents and God. And so he was set against getting involved in anything like that again. Just wanted to stay on his ship and do his own business.

He tried to keep on with staying hidden in the movie, but outside events and his own inner heroic nature wouldn’t allow it. The fact that he had no choice but to make a big move is exactly my point – he’d have never made such a stand if he’d had a choice, but these horrible events drove him past the blocks the war had given him.



I like and agree with all of this.

Quote:

He didn’t enjoy it, he’ll never be happy about what happened, but afterward, somewhere in his brain, he knows it’s possible to do something besides live day-to-day.


Not so sure about this, though. Mal in the movie at Miranda and Mr. Universe's moon feels very much survival mode to me. Or maybe, since they're going to in send the broadwave and all of them seem to think they'll probably be killed, maybe a little bit of "Screw you Alliance bastards, I'm taking you down with me."


Quote:

BTW, the whole point of all this, way back up the thread, was to illustrate to Bytemite that the kind of storytelling I like will have Mal continue to grow and change as outside influences in the `verse force him to. Ditto with Inara. To me, it’s not about him leaving the ship or not. It’s about what motivates him to do either one, and the journey he takes to get to the decision.


Also like that, and it's made me think a little bit about perspective and angles for my own story. :)


Quote:

Someone as messed up as Mal surely isn’t going to get better in one fell swoop. It’s going to take many many steps to get him there. So I think it’s a bit silly to allow for only two extremes as outcomes of the Miranda business: either he’s all better, or not changed at all. There is middle ground, you now!



Aaaand I like that too. So I don't think we disagree all that much, just about the degree and manner of impact that Miranda had on Mal.

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Tuesday, August 11, 2009 9:03 AM

AGENTROUKA


Quote:

Originally posted by mal4prez:
AR: I know this’ll be an annoying long post. I’ll try to be concise!

OK, so in the series, we do get signs a’plenty that Mal is a good man inside. But this is at constant war with the bitterness and anger and even apathy he carries from the war. This is what I see him starting to shed in the movie – the stuff the war gave him. He wasn’t just defeated by the Alliance, he was betrayed by those he put faith in: the Independents and God. And so he was set against getting involved in anything like that again. Just wanted to stay on his ship and do his own business.



More or less, yes.

Quote:


He tried to keep on with staying hidden in the movie, but outside events and his own inner heroic nature wouldn’t allow it. The fact that he had no choice but to make a big move is exactly my point – he’d have never made such a stand if he’d had a choice, but these horrible events drove him past the blocks the war had given him. He didn’t enjoy it, he’ll never be happy about what happened, but afterward, somewhere in his brain, he knows it’s possible to do something besides live day-to-day.



That doesn't make sense to me. Mal doesn't run away from choices in general, as I pointed out before, he already takes on causes outside of his day-to-day. It's just from big political causes he avoids, and being forced into a spot of desperation and certain death where doing the only right thing is really the only thing left to do beside being hunted and killed isn't a revelation of personal options. That he doesn't choose trying to run is already in Mal's nature before: he'd rather stay on a broken Serenity than leave her for an empty hope of rescue, he insists on fighting a duel for Inara, he doesn't abandon the Tams at the hospital, again Nandi.

I don't think Mal is as ignorant of his own options as you make him out to be, it's his view of the 'verse that's in the way and I honestly don't think that the movie changed that for the better.

Quote:


But he’s made a step toward being able to say – I want *this* – and going for it. Whatever *this* is. Again, as Book says: it’s not what you believe, it’s that you believe it. Commit to it. Go for it. Mal had lost the ability to do that, but maybe now he can make progress toward getting his own will and sense of direction back.



I disagree with that. I don't think that Mal's inability to think deeply and make choices is his main problem. His main problem is a sense of distrust in humanity and hope, along with perhaps guilt. He doesn't avoid committing to a direction in life because he can't commit, he avoids it because he doesn't see any viable directions. And I don't think they suddenly spring into existence after the movie, so being forced into choosing how to end his life at that particular point really doesn't impact Mal's deeper underlying problems at all. Thus I don't see this a presenting a form of growth.

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Tuesday, August 11, 2009 9:06 AM

MAL4PREZ


Quote:

Originally posted by AgentRouka:
I have to point out here that not all bad experiences make us stronger. Some we just overcome to retake a place that we occupied before, some just make us weaker, some just make us different.

True. The war was surely a bad experience that did nothing but bad to Mal.

But, given the theme of "belief found" that Joss wove into the movie, I have to conclude that this was one dark cloud with a bit of silver lining. Especially given how Mal's character is pretty much founded in the loss of a different kind of belief. I think Joss built that arc into the movie to allow for some amount of closure, just in case he never had a chance to tell more of his story.

I'm glad we agree on many things Bytemite! I think I'm finding that when you and I disagree, it comes down to just a few definitions and the general degree of things. That makes me happy!

And now I think I should shut up and let someone once talk for a while. I'm a little embarrassed at how much I'm posted here! (But I also brewed a beer during all this, so it's been a pretty good day. )



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Tuesday, August 11, 2009 9:17 AM

MAL4PREZ


Shoot. One more. Really, just one!

Quote:

Originally posted by AgentRouka:
Quote:

Originally posted by mal4prez:
That doesn't make sense to me. Mal doesn't run away from choices in general, as I pointed out before, he already takes on causes outside of his day-to-day.


He's not hiding from choices, and he's not ignorant of them (I never said that!) He's hiding from involvement in anyone else's bullshit. He runs away from being involved, whenever he has the option. Except when that damned fool inner instinct kicks in, because hey - he is really a hero inside, no matter that he tries to deny it.

And he does choose to hide. He goes to hide on Haven. He tells Nandi to run rather than fight. He bought Serenity so he could live his own way, make his own choices free of other people's stuff. Sure, all that hiding doesn't fit his nature, but that's part of what I see as his screw up from the war.

And then there's that speech he gave the crew after Miranda. There was no: we're gonna die anyway, so let's die getting those bastards back! The message he gave his crew was: there's something right that needs to be done, and I'm gonna do it. He was doing something right, not doing something vengeful.

I don't see fatalistic in any part of his speech. I see a cause found, a belief formed. Joss put all that in the script. Pretty clearly, I think.

OK. Done now. Going to mow the lawn.


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Tuesday, August 11, 2009 9:25 AM

BYTEMITE


Beer brewing! We're running moonshine on these here boards! :D

Back in college, there was a point when I could have taken a brewing class, but they required everyone to be twenty one.

Oh well. I took a hiking geology class instead, and that's what helped me decide which field to go into.

I should talk to you about brewing sometime. It interests me, all the different ways, the different cultures and methods used, even regional differences. And the funny thing is, I don't drink a drop of alcohol. Go figure.

You know what I think? I keep going back to that little moment in Serenity at the end when he talks to Inara, and walks onto the bridge and starts telling River about how love keeps her in the air and that they'll get through the storm. I may not think that Mal has found the belief he needs yet for a positive change in his life, but maybe he IS moving in that direction of thinking maybe he can find it.

I also think maybe I know what that belief might be. Love keeps her in the air. I think that may be foreshadowing. Does this reflect on the upcoming leaked Inara story twist?

A belief Mal gains that perhaps Inara and his crew are not only worth dying for, but also living for, THAT could be a positive lifestyle altering belief. :)

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Tuesday, August 11, 2009 9:52 AM

AGENTROUKA


Quote:

Originally posted by mal4prez:
And then there's that speech he gave the crew after Miranda. There was no: we're gonna die anyway, so let's die getting those bastards back! The message he gave his crew was: there's something right that needs to be done, and I'm gonna do it. He was doing something right, not doing something vengeful.

I don't see fatalistic in any part of his speech. I see a cause found, a belief formed. Joss put all that in the script. Pretty clearly, I think.




I don't disagree with that. Out of the two choices (running and likely dying vs. being heroes and likely dying) he picks the latter because he believes in that particular cause.

Doesn't mean that I feel he regains any meaningful sense of belief for anything else, though.

We seem to be pretty set on disagreeing about this.

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Wednesday, August 12, 2009 4:12 AM

MAL4PREZ


Quote:

Originally posted by Bytemite:
Beer brewing! We're running moonshine on these here boards! :D

Back in college, there was a point when I could have taken a brewing class, but they required everyone to be twenty one.

Bummer! You don't need a class though. All you need to know is to keep everything really clean. Well, and as my brewing bible book says: Relax and have a homebrew LOL! But I guess you wouldn't have that option. :(

I learned to brew from a boyfriend. I started with mead, which I still brew now and then. Meads are fun because you can't really buy good ones, and they last a long time. My oldest are 4-5 years old and quite tasty.

Beer is simpler. I've brewed without kits a few times, but the kits are just so simple and always come out good. Yesterday I started an Irish stout, and it's a bubbling away like mad now!


Quote:

I also think maybe I know what that belief might be. Love keeps her in the air. I think that may be foreshadowing. Does this reflect on the upcoming leaked Inara story twist?
Hmm... interesting thought. I hope *something* happens! I really don't want that plot twist going where it could go...



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Wednesday, August 12, 2009 4:13 AM

MAL4PREZ


Quote:

Originally posted by AgentRouka:
Quote:

Originally posted by mal4prez:
And then there's that speech he gave the crew after Miranda. There was no: we're gonna die anyway, so let's die getting those bastards back! The message he gave his crew was: there's something right that needs to be done, and I'm gonna do it. He was doing something right, not doing something vengeful.

I don't see fatalistic in any part of his speech. I see a cause found, a belief formed. Joss put all that in the script. Pretty clearly, I think.




I don't disagree with that. Out of the two choices (running and likely dying vs. being heroes and likely dying) he picks the latter because he believes in that particular cause.

Doesn't mean that I feel he regains any meaningful sense of belief for anything else, though.

We seem to be pretty set on disagreeing about this.

Yep - certainly seems we've hit that point!

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Wednesday, August 12, 2009 6:01 AM

BYTEMITE


Platonist was telling me she heard Joss said some Very Scary Things at one of the conventions, something about

Select to view spoiler:


"Dying with a capital 'D'"


But I haven't heard the exact soundbite yet, so I'm holding out hope. I mean, so long as he doesn't say, definitively, that she's GOING TO, there's still wiggle room, I say.

And if the end of the Serenity movie, with Inara and then that speak following one after the other and seeming related, if that's foreshadowing, there may yet be a happy ending. Or, happy-ish at any rate, this is Joss.

...At least we'll always have fanfic.

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Wednesday, August 12, 2009 12:26 PM

PLATONIST


I've got to stay off of You Tube and stay away from San Diego,


Word Of God Inara's Secret spoiler ahead:




SPOILERS!




SPOILERS!





SPOILERS!



at 6:00



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Wednesday, August 12, 2009 12:49 PM

BYTEMITE


Uh oh.

Well, I don't have the plug-in to watch videos at work, but I'll check it out when I get home. Maybe it's not so bad... *crosses fingers*

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Wednesday, August 12, 2009 12:53 PM

AGENTROUKA


He just confirms that

Select to view spoiler:


dying-with-an-ing

is her secret. I call that a hopeful choice of words.

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Wednesday, August 12, 2009 1:01 PM

BYTEMITE


I hope so. :) That's kind of been my take on this the whole time, you know, kind of my position to hold up my internal mantra of "please don't do it, please don't do it..."

It seems to me, if a writer has a leak for their story to the general public, their reaction would have to be to find a way to misdirect and mislead so they can still have the same impact when they get to the reveal, you know? It doesn't seem like Joss would be confirming a major plot twist just because someone got Morena to spill.

In fact, I also wonder if this wasn't a ploy, and the original questioner wasn't a plant. Mal and Inara had always been my favourite part of Firefly (their banter, too funny!), but when this came out, I have to admit, it really made me a lot more interested in Inara and her characterization.

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Wednesday, August 12, 2009 2:55 PM

PLATONIST


What I like is the use of the finger quotations for the “ing” part, so I agree, there is hope for her.

Doesn’t Joss sound irritated over the whole spoiler? Yeah, he’s clearly irritated.

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Wednesday, August 12, 2009 3:17 PM

BYTEMITE


Well, that's fans for you. We sniff and ferret. Frustrating, but he's probably used to it.

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Monday, June 16, 2014 6:57 PM

BYTEMITE


Well, he technically can't use Harrow because he utterly botched that job and got the contacts killed. I think it sounds like in Leaves on the Wind Mal and the crew have been pretty desperate for any jobs. Probably taking crappy jobs and really stringing out their supplies.

And I note that Mal went into hiding after Miranda and refused to become involved anything political until absolutely necessary. Mal has grown from when he was a sergeant in the war, he doesn't just trust blind idealism to be able to accomplish anything anymore.

I was wrong (maybe) about Miranda not having much real verse-wide impact, except maybe in the end result where all effort seems to have gone for mostly nothing. And I also get the feeling like Miranda might have been like a combination of Benghazi/Edward Snowden, where it's a scandal but only a select few factions really care about it.

Agreed about Blue Sun, though the Alliance seems to be equally pissed about everything too, and assassins like the Operative don't scream to me that the Alliance has much respect for their own laws either. I think it's that twofer that really has Mal and co on the run.

It's interesting to reread my thoughts and see where I was right or wrong.

I never expected Inara to just get kicked out of the Guild. That seemed like too convenient a solution, and also something Inara would resent Mal for, but then I also never expected Zoe's pregnancy for the same reason (too easy closure for Zoe and Wash).

Maybe there is some resentment about the Guild (she seems pretty angry about it when she brings it up in the first issue), but they're just not addressing that right then because of all the other issues they have to deal with.

Or maybe Inara has suggested to Mal that she's been kicked out but it's actually more that she's chosen to leave or that she's been given leave because of things going on with her. Decommissioned doesn't sound so ominous as the shunning that Nandi supposedly got.

I did actually predict Inara would go "native" on Serenity so to speak. I always saw Inara as more adventurous than people gave her credit for. I always thought Nandi wasn't so much a contrast but a foreshadowing.

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Monday, June 16, 2014 7:43 PM

THGRRI


Quote:

Originally posted by KiMbEr:
If Mal gave up his ship, I would think he'd live on a ranch =) As for the guild, I think it frowns upon dating because that means less clients...but I think if Inara made her mind up, no guild would keep her from being with Mal.

Kim



Inara says to Kaylee in Ariel before going to get her yearly check up having a boyfriend is complicated.

si shen



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Sunday, January 14, 2024 2:21 PM

THG


Quote:

Originally posted by Bytemite:
So after digesting some of the "More about Sex and Inara" thread that Mal4Prez posted (here: http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.asp?b=12&t=38801), I've been trying to sort through some ideas I have about Mal, Inara, and their lifestyles/careers.

I thought I'd throw some of these ideas out into the ring and see which ones survive and which ones get torn apart by tigers.

So, houses of the guild. Obviously they'll all have some things in common, like no forced prostitution and the rules on subscription fees and client payments. But do they all same policy on relationships, or might there some that might be more traditional and strict than others? And by traditional and strict, I mean geisha-like, having to retire to marry, versus the opposite end, French courtesans who could have spouses AND practice. Could individual Guild Houses have their own culture (more Christian, more Buddhist, less strict, more strict, etc.)? Could differences among Houses lead to widespread confusion over whether Companions can have relationships, as is suggested in the scene cut from War Stories?

I believe I've heard that Joss describes Companions as being like Greek Hetaerae, who upon marrying had to give up their privileged status. But it could be he was just using Hetaerae as an analogy to the privilege they enjoy.

Priestesses. What might being a Guild Priestess entail? To me, it sounds like the Priestess may put more emphasis on the spiritual and counsel side of the profession than on the money-making, and likely act as the administrators and diplomats of the guild. If Inara were to fulfill her dream of becoming a Priestess, and if a priestess has the option of not maintaining a client database, would this disenfranchise Inara as much as teaching, choosing to leave the guild, or being kicked out would?

Finally, Serenity. Both Mal and Inara love the ship, but I really think that as beneficial as the ship has been to him reconstructing himself, it's also become a destructive factor in his life. Out of Gas shows that it's a risk just flying in her, let alone the kind of jobs they have to take to keep her flying.

I've said before, that I think Mal needs to give up Serenity before he gets himself killed, and that Joss would write Mal giving up Serenity as symbolic of Mal finally healing from Serenity Valley. And, in starting a relationship with Inara, there would likely have to be some compromise in regards to career/lifestyle that both would need to make. Serenity is the biggest one I can see.

The only problem is, neat as that sounds, if Mal becomes landlocked, even if he's healed enough that he doesn't drive himself crazy with restlessness, how can this be balanced with the travel requirements of Inara's career? As a Rim-traveling companion, or even as a Guild ambassador to the Rim, she would need to travel.

That's all I can think of for now, but as things are discussed, I may come up with more.

EDIT: Another reference thread. http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.asp?b=2&t=37626]



T

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