Characterization issues - Inara by AgentRouka

BLUE SUN ROOM

Characterization issues - Inara

POSTED BY: AGENTROUKA
UPDATED: Friday, January 2, 2009 18:37
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Tuesday, October 16, 2007 9:18 PM

I know it's all been said before, but fic continues to be written and we love to rehash things.

So.

Inara in fanfic, what common problems do you see? Do you often cringe, or are you at peace with the majority of the writing?

Do you read for Inara, or do you focus on others, and how much do you care about characterization in that case?

Or, what common issues of disagreement are there, and how important are they to you?

I especially encourage, if anyone cares, diverse opinions. So, if you know why you are making certain choices that others may disagree with, please share! :)

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Tuesday, October 16, 2007 9:50 PM

WYTCHCROFT

As a writer i find her very hard!

i had to put a whole story on the shelf because i couldn't get the tone of her right -
(and to Morena's credit - just like Fillion she can switch from drama to comedy REAL fast)

she can be very cultivated one minute - then slang it and swear with the best of 'em.

And she's tough - but we never really see that toughness... i mean physically as well as emotionally (atleast BDM has her show a karate move) judging from Yo/Saff in Trash and how easy SHE drops Mr Lassiter.

In other fics??? time was when Inara was becoming Yoda - this seems to have passed which is great.... but i don't buy her settling all cosy up to mal*. (Not for a LONG whiles atleast). There's a lot of INSTINCTUAl understanding there though - ehich means, when they talk, they can cut to the chase just as easily as beat around the goram bush - and that is HARD to write.

my favourite fics feat Inara are those that explore her home, or the guild etc and there is great freedom there for a writer and i'll be willing to suspend a lot of disbelief.

As to choices - well, i see Inara as very Independent... she may enjoy the family of firefly - but she has 'sisters' on Sihnon and no-one crackin wise (ie dumb) about 'Whores'... yet there are pressures there too - that she may run from sometimes... (though the BDM's Sihnon scenes hint that this may have lessened - she is very queenly these days! i... aint sure.)

I see her personality as complex - and she herself may wonder on occasion how much of who she is comes from Guild indoctrination and how much is really HER.

I think her 'qualities' are obvious - patience (despite her temper!), empathy, sensitivity etc. I think she feels warmth in the company of women - but i don't see her as man-hating or some cliche of the hard bitten.

Oh god - she's a tricky customer already...
don't know as i can do her justice.

*and what about Mal/Saff eh? That was one HELL of a smootch...

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 7:01 AM

CHARLOTTE

One problem that I see with Inara's portrayal in fanfic is the lack of it. It seems as if the majority of post-BDM fics don't know how to deal with her other than Mal's love interest or his former love interest (after he has moved on to someone else).

Now, I am an ardent M/I shipper so I love reading any fics that deal with them but I would like to see more Inara character development for her own self.

And, yes, I do read fics for Inara. I am interested in any kind of exploration into her character's motivations, her past, as well as her future with Serenity.

I am curious why she seems to be the least favorite of the Firefly characters. Maybe because people are uncomfortable with her profession?

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 7:15 AM

WYTCHCROFT

Quote:
Originally posted by Charlotte:

I am curious why she seems to be the least favorite of the Firefly characters. Maybe because people are uncomfortable with her profession?

Are you kidding??? I fracking LOVE Inara! She's just a Tah Mah De to write!!

It's doing her justice that's difficult.

And i got no trouble with her profession - believe me...

ps - i just read one of your fics Charlotte = and it was bloody brilliant!

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 7:38 AM

RIVERFLAN

I argee with most of these issues- except from the "tough" quality you say she has. Yes, in the BDM she showed a karate move, but it didn't work now did it? Also, the room was littered with weapons, she didn't have to attack the operative bodily and get put out of the action. Just throw sharp stuff at him while he's distracted by Mal. Yes, the flash-bomb bit was clever, but the way she attacked the operative really bugs me.

And I think that the way she droped the Lassiter was just good acting on her part (I mean the character of Inara was acting, if that makes any sense).

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 7:40 AM

AGENTROUKA

Tough doesn't have to mean physically.

Inara is willing to make tough decisions, she tends to keep a cool head, and she doesn't back down from what is right. She doesn't let herself be intimidated.

She also doesn't apologize for her choices.

That's toughness, right there.

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 7:47 AM

MAL4PREZ

Quote:
Originally posted by Charlotte:
I am curious why she seems to be the least favorite of the Firefly characters. Maybe because people are uncomfortable with her profession?

I didn't like her much at all when I first got fannish, even though I really liked the concept of her profession. It was once I got into writing fic and thought more about her that I formed my own little theory.

Most of what we see of Inara in the series amnd movie is rather bland and dull. She's all smooth and even tempered and always smiling. But there were two spots that made me start to like her: the crying in HoG showed she does feel, deeply, and the little bit in OMR when she's half-woken up from the kiss thing. "I'm just fine. I'll just sit here..." (or something like that)

So, my theory is that those two little bits are the real Inara. She was going to stay bottled up for the first season or two, stuck inside the proper and (I think) boring Companion. But she obviously had some story behind her, and when that came out we'd get more of the fun Inara.

Um, yeah, so copy what Wytchcroft said here. The woman's got a lot of character and entertainment value, we just never got to see it fully unleashed.

I should finish every post with CURSES FOX!

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 7:56 AM

AGENTROUKA

To join back in..

Inara comes to me very easily, in terms of characterization. I just get her, things are logical, though, of course, in large parts it is personal interpretation of canon.

For that reason, it's very difficult for me to enjoy fic that deviates too far from my own version of Inara.

One big issue there is often the writer's view of the Guild, or with Inara's self-image.

Those are the main issues, to me, because it's central to Inara and every relationship she has with others is shaped by that. If those things don't fit, it's usually over.

Do others have different priorities?

Quote:
Originally posted by wytchcroft:

As to choices - well, i see Inara as very Independent... she may enjoy the family of firefly - but she has 'sisters' on Sihnon and no-one crackin wise (ie dumb) about 'Whores'... yet there are pressures there too - that she may run from sometimes... (though the BDM's Sihnon scenes hint that this may have lessened - she is very queenly these days! i... aint sure.)

I very much agree with that.

People writing, say, the Guild as oppressive, tend to compensate for Inara's positive remarks about it with a measure of denial in her personality.

Those who do, if they are reading, is that a conscious choice, an avenue of exploration? Or just a writerly twist toward a different goal?

Quote:

I see her personality as complex - and she herself may wonder on occasion how much of who she is comes from Guild indoctrination and how much is really HER.

That I personally agree less with, as my view of Inara is one of great self-awareness.

When you say "indoctrination", does that mean you give the Guild a brain-washing character, is that something very thought-through or some assumed, or intuited?

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 7:59 AM

AGENTROUKA

Quote:
Originally posted by mal4prez:

Most of what we see of Inara in the series amnd movie is rather bland and dull. She's all smooth and even tempered and always smiling. But there were two spots that made me start to like her: the crying in HoG showed she does feel, deeply, and the little bit in OMR when she's half-woken up from the kiss thing. "I'm just fine. I'll just sit here..." (or something like that)

So, my theory is that those two little bits are the real Inara. She was going to stay bottled up for the first season or two, stuck inside the proper and (I think) boring Companion. But she obviously had some story behind her, and when that came out we'd get more of the fun Inara.

Oh, hi! *G*

Just to that bit there: How much, do you think, does her Buddhist faith figure into that reserved, calm behavior? Does it, at all?

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 9:42 AM

WYTCHCROFT

just some sundries:

- tough physically as in endurance mainly, anyone who has training to the level of high companion would need endurance... but yeh FIGHTING too, she knows how to use a gun and YO/SAff has had the same trainig so that probably includes fighting - the novelisation (take it or leave it) states that the Operative is surprised by the power in her attack - and Shindig has her giving Mal sword lessons. So you can angle out according to taste - she had the training but is she any good?

- inara ever smiling... "or more directly as in NOT" to quote the lady. so i don't agree that she's bland. The pilot shows complex sides of her - even down to a little Magdelanic heresy with characters 'coming to her for confession' to quote the commentary.

as for the guild - well you can paint them however you please but -
we know that companions start young - yet Sihnon (the temple that is) is a very quiet place
(hard to imagine young tearaways 'Worst Witch'ing it down the hallowed corridors!)
and the 'Budhist'-looking nature of the place hints at discipline too... (And if it IS Budhist then definitely since Samsara would be be an issue and even Tantra is meant to be private and contained - and in anycase would seem to go against the notion of sex for payment.) though its Space Budha / Future Budha (!)- so feel free to make it up!:)

There was to be a more sensual scene with the girls - since Joss states that the guild encourage physical exploration - but again, all in a very proscribed manner.
And although i ignored this for my fics, some of the tutors are clearly male and monkish looking - despite only grrrls being companions (It would be nice to think the boys could be comps too - but the commentary seems to rule this out) which sets up some interesting potential issues...

wild planet of the wiccans it aint!
Both Saffron and Nandi seem to have felt the need of something more real.

I tried to explore a little of the training in my fic 'Words On The Wing' but it was kinda impressionistic (HA HA HA!) - and i haven't dealt with THE GUILD as a potential organisation of Power in the 'verse and which i feel Joss would have tackled later... same as with that pesky priory and the enigmatic (yet handily trained) shepherds.

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 9:52 AM

DEEPGIRL187

My biggest problem with Inara's characterization is when people feel compelled to turn her into a wailing fish-wife (a point I'm sure has been brought up millions of times). I've seen this usually take place in fics where Mal is paired with another crew member. Inara was a strong character, IMO, and it does her a huge disservice to portray her in this way.

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"This is my timey-wimey detector. It goes ding when there's stuff. Also, it can boil an egg at 30 paces, whether you want it to or not, actually, so I've learned to stay away from hens. It's not pretty when they blow."

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 10:16 AM

MAL4PREZ

Quote:
Originally posted by AgentRouka:
Oh, hi! *G*

Hi! *waves*

Quote:
Just to that bit there: How much, do you think, does her Buddhist faith figure into that reserved, calm behavior? Does it, at all?

Hmmm... I know nothing of Buddhism, and I'm not a religious person myself. I guess I've assumed that her faith just gives the Guild an exotic flavor and makes for pretty sets and stuff. I hadn't thought about how Inara's traits could be based in religious beliefs...

Someone should write a fic about that. It seems reasonable, and I'd like to learn something about Buddhism.

As for my take, I see her reserve as something intentionally designed to appeal to clients. I mean, the thing I like about this whole idea of the Guild and Companions is that they aren't just selling sex, and they are truly proud of what they do. (Which is why I, like others above, don't like the Inara is secretly ashamed and just waiting for Mal to love her and take her away from all this storyline.) A Companion serves as almost a sage, a guide, a therapist even. Inara brings a boy to manhood and comforts a woman who feels trapped in a man's world. (Ath doesn't really count - he was clearly a bad choice!)

So I think of Inara as someone who's always had a kind of maternal skill with people, but didn't want or couldn't have a family of her own. Joining the Guild enabled her to play the role of nurturer, to have deeply personal interactions with people in a controlled, safe way. And it comes with a pretty swank lifestyle, which I don't think she minds. She's not stupid.

Honestly, I can't divide how much of this is canon and how much I've made up for myself. Like you, AR, I've created my own image of Inara. I suppose we have to, since we know so little about her.

EDIT: Wytchcroft - I agree that there just has to be male Companions. I don't like gender un-balance in Joss's world!

Re the bland - NOW I don't think she's bland, but the first few times watching the series I did. I mean only to explain why people who aren't as obsessed as us writers might not like her. Well... I do still find her character less entertaining than the rest, but I think that would have changed when her depth was put out there for us, instead of hinted at. And I think Morena has a whole lotta range that she never got to show us.

CURSE FOX!!!

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hmm-burble-blah, blah-blah-blah, take a left

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 10:52 AM

CHARLOTTE

Quote:
Originally posted by mal4prez:

...A Companion serves as almost a sage, a guide, a therapist even. Inara brings a boy to manhood and comforts a woman who feels trapped in a man's world. (Ath doesn't really count - he was clearly a bad choice!)

I completely agree with your assessment of the Companion profession. To me, being a Companion is about art, beauty, and pleasure. Companions are not prostitutes in the sense that they fulfill sexual urges but they provide a beautiful pleasurable experience that satisfies the mind as well as the body.

The Core planets are the height of enlightenment. It seems to me that attitudes toward sex would have progressed to the point that Inara probably never even heard the word "whore" until she left Sihnon. BTW, I HATE that word and I cringe every time Mal says it. (Yet I still love him!)

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 11:26 AM

WYTCHCROFT

Quote:
Originally posted by Charlotte:

To me, being a Companion is about art, beauty, and pleasure. Companions are not prostitutes in the sense that they fulfill sexual urges but they provide a beautiful pleasurable experience that satisfies the mind as well as the body.

agreed in principle - certainly we have evidence of Inara's refinements but i think it would depend very much on the client as to the nature of the experience. And those we see with inara (in firefly) are poles apart from each other.

Quote:
The Core planets are the height of enlightenment.

this can be argued against - see the 'actually - yes... where are the women in the Alliance? i could've sworn i saw some but when i looked at firefly again....' posts of a while ago!:)

Quote:
It seems to me that attitudes toward sex would have progressed to the point that Inara probably never even heard the word "whore" until she left Sihnon.

or had been taught to reclaim it???

BTW, I HATE that word and I cringe every time Mal says it. (Yet I still love him!)

Absofrackinglutely!:)

And coming from he who was Caleb... shudders...

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 2:14 PM

EMPIREX

Coming back to the issue of... Is the Guild completely good or is it (potentially) an oppressive institution...

I enjoy seeing it portrayed both ways - depending on the fic.

We really don't know enough about it to say either way. Like any large, powerful institution, I think the Guild could be realistically portrayed as both.

Inara is obviously a shining example of everything good about the Guild. But the whole implied "shunning" of ex-Companions leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

Also, while I understand that intensive training might be necessary, the idea of a child being put through rigorous training like that makes me sad. I wonder about all the things Inara might have missed out on.

Now onto the sex for money issue...

I should state that I believe a person's body is her own to do with what she pleases, and I am intrigued with the notion of Inara's role as a therapist. I found the Fess Higgins storyline in "Jaynestown" to be sweet and uplifting.

But in contrast, let's look at "Shindig" and Atherton Wing. I have a sneaking suspicion that many of Inara's clients are like him. Perhaps they don't resort to the violence and overt chauvenistic attitude that he does - but men are men.

Some things to discuss:

Can one pay or receive payment for something intimate like sex and not cheapen it or devalue it in the process?

Does the sex mean the same thing to Inara as it does to her clients?

If Inara continued to take clients while she was with Mal, would that devalue the intimacy that they share? Would it be a betrayal?

While I admire the ideas behind "Companioning", I keep coming back to what Mal said in "Our Mrs. Reynolds": "She's a human woman. She's not to be borrowed, nor lent, nor bartered." Or... something like that.

The issue confuzzles me. But it is fascinating.

So. Um... back to the main topic - if it's well-written, if it's plausible, if Inara sounds like a grown-up and not a moony teenager, there's room to explore. It's all about the ability of the writer to pull it off and make it believable.

"Can you, for a moment, imagine how depressing it is to teach one thousand years of masculine ineptitude? Why do you think there are so few women historians? I'll tell you why. Because history is not such a frolic for women as it is for men... History is a commentary on the various and continuing incapabilities of men. History is women following behind with a bucket and a mop." - Alan Bennett, "The History Boys"

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 2:25 PM

WYTCHCROFT

Quote:
Originally posted by EmpireX:

Some things to discuss:

Can one pay or receive payment for something intimate like sex and not cheapen it or devalue it in the process?

everything of value can be exchanged...
and every exchange can have value.

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 2:48 PM

EMPIREX

Quote:
Originally posted by mal4prez:
I guess I've assumed that her faith just gives the Guild an exotic flavor and makes for pretty sets and stuff. I hadn't thought about how Inara's traits could be based in religious beliefs...

Someone should write a fic about that. It seems reasonable, and I'd like to learn something about Buddhism.

I don't know much about Buddhism, but I am really interested in religious studies and women's roles in various religions. I've read about "sacred prostitution" in which men would bring an offering to a goddess' temple and sleep with the priestess in order to achieve a religious experience or obtain elightenment. I think it would have made more sense for Joss to have written Inara as a devotee of one of these ancient goddesses rather than as a Buddhist.

"Can you, for a moment, imagine how depressing it is to teach one thousand years of masculine ineptitude? Why do you think there are so few women historians? I'll tell you why. Because history is not such a frolic for women as it is for men... History is a commentary on the various and continuing incapabilities of men. History is women following behind with a bucket and a mop." - Alan Bennett, "The History Boys"

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 3:16 PM

STINKINGROSE

Buddhist nuns are not prostitutes, but many prostitutes are Buddhists (and Catholics, and...).
Buddhism fits nicely into the 'Verse because of the Chinese influence in the series. It was not ever an integral part of Buddhism, so far as I am aware. Christians would have a little more trouble with the whorin' and whatnot. Inara is Buddhist because it makes sense for her to be so. Companions are heavily based on the Geisha (Japan also had just plain old prostitutes, Geisha are special)... again, from a culture that is heavily influenced by Buddhism.

The sacred prostitutes we are most familiar with today are more the Graeco-Roman pantheists. The Vestal Virgins are sort of the antithesis of this.

Women would serve for a time in the temples of the fertility/mother goddesses. If a man wanted to pray for his wife to concieve, or flocks to have a good lambing, or anything else that fell under Her auspices, he could try a special appeal (so to speak). The union was an act of piety, men would bring offerings to the goddesses, any children conceived during such a visit would be cherished as special by the mother and welcomed as a blessing into her family.
Or so I have read hither, thither and yon.

Inara is a shrewd businesswoman, an accomplished individual in many areas, and not liable to back down from anyone or anything unless it is expedient or will suit her purposes. She is a master of manipulation of others and not to be underestimated.
Oh, those wiles!

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Thursday, October 18, 2007 7:17 AM

KIMBER

What I always liked in Inara is that she's got that sense of mystery in her which makes you curious about her past and gives you the feeling that she only found freedom in Serenity. I think she worries about that because she hasn’t got used to show her true feelings and that frightens her... Not to mention that the tension with Mal hasn't made it any easier for her, I also noticed that she only gives out she's alone and nobody could see her (ref. to HoG among others). I try to take those things out in my fics as much as possible.

Also about fics... Personally, I find Inara's characterization a bit difficult and often soften her up a bit to bug the reader then show him the reason to that so that he/she understands.

Then again, as you all know I'm an M/I shipper so... I’m really fond of her =)

Keep flying ;)

Kim

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Thursday, October 18, 2007 4:45 PM

CHARLOTTE

Quote:

this can be argued against - see the 'actually - yes... where are the women in the Alliance? i could've sworn i saw some but when i looked at firefly again....' posts of a while ago!:)

Good point. Where are the women? I can't help but feel that they are certainly there. If only %#$% Fox hadn't rudely cancelled our show we'd get to see the women in power. Both good and evil.

I really would have liked to have seen more about the Guild and Inara's past. Maybe in the sequel? (fingers crossed)

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Thursday, October 18, 2007 6:31 PM

PLATONIST

I'm with you Kimber, what's not there to like about Inara. She's beautiful, smart, confident, and a complete mystery, especially about her desires and feelings that are dictated by her heart, but her actions are ruled by logic.

And my very favorite thing about Inara is that she royally mucks up the works for Mal and spins him about so his actions defy logic, because there is no right or wrong in matters of the heart.

A wrongful portrayal of Inara can turn me off to reading a fic, also. Unfortunately, Inara's character was undeveloped because of the short life of the series. Joss had to reconstruct her character for the comic book and the movie (which personally I think created some inconsistencies) because he had to rely on familiar romantic formulas, i.e. "Mal can't tell Inara how he feels" which equals, "men are inept at personal relationships", which we know as series viewers not to be the case. To his credit, Mal tried to tell her at the end of HOG. Duh, everyone knows that, except for those new to the verse, via the movie.

Lack of development, inconsistencies in behavior, and convoluted motives have lead to misinterpretations of her character. I think Joss's attempt at making Mal's and Inara's "love story" more believable to a wider audience, he had to sacrifice her complexity and individuality. The movie has no real shuttle scenes, no clients, and no Guild. They live in the DVD deletes.

Joss is not going back, he is only going forward in this story, so to me, the Inara that loved her independence, her little decorated shuttle, and her fights with Mal, dwells only in the
series. She is as lost to us as Book and Wash.

It is thoroughly understandable why you and other fic writers have a difficult time writing her. She was originally overly complex (which led to love complications) and then portrayed as predictably simple (she wants love and acceptance). Talk about a hard character to wrap your writing pen around, Geez!

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Friday, October 19, 2007 6:40 AM

CHARLOTTE

Quote:
Originally posted by Platonist:

Joss is not going back, he is only going forward in this story, so to me, the Inara that loved her independence, her little decorated shuttle, and her fights with Mal, dwells only in the
series. She is as lost to us as Book and Wash.

That is so sad. But true.

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Friday, October 19, 2007 11:35 AM

WYTCHCROFT

Quote:
Originally posted by Platonist:

Joss had to reconstruct her character for the comic book (which personally I think created some inconsistencies)

i really enjoy Those Left Behind - but agree about Inara's scene within it - they feel very hokey/pastiche-y and artifical and bug me consequently - despite some of the best artwork going into mal's reactions there.

Quote:
so to me, the Inara that loved her independence, her little decorated shuttle, and her fights with Mal, dwells only in the
series. She is as lost to us as Book and Wash.

she may feel lost to herself as well...

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Wednesday, October 24, 2007 11:11 PM

WYTCHCROFT

just bumping this for second thoughts and i'll link to t'other thread....

see also: http://fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=4&t=31075

and

http://fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=4&t=30044

for more Inara...

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Friday, November 9, 2007 6:42 AM

SPACEANJL

As one of the people AgentRouka would like to poke with a stick

I shall sidle in, fire off a few quick rounds then run away again.

Inara was a hard one for me to write, until I found my take on her world. She is all about control. A degree of self-discipline and dedication to a life of service that few people could match or understand. The only folk on Serenity who might come close are the Doctor and the Shepherd. She tries to maintain that standard for the same reason that Simon does; it is her way of carrying home with her in the chaos.

Personally, I think House Madrassa would look like the Forbidden City, with perhaps just a twist of Yoshiwara. And that Oriental vibe carries through in the culture - a great sense of dignity and calm.

So she is a woman of integrity, compassion and quiet strength. Not someone who would walk away from her career on a whim. Something made her leave. (I have my own idea on the what, but I don't want to spoil my latest fic.) I also don't think she's going to ditch a lifetime of hard work and a sense of vocation just because she fancies Mal.

Of course, I have my own take on the Guild, which is what occassions the brickbats and abuse, but I stand by my view, which is that a very large organisation made up of a great many different people, is going to have a few morally questionable types in it, particularly if it rises to a postion of power and intends to stay there.

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Friday, November 9, 2007 7:39 AM

EMPIREX

ITA. Of course I'm always a bit suspicious of large organizations. It's all those years of watching The X-Files. LOL!

"Can you, for a moment, imagine how depressing it is to teach one thousand years of masculine ineptitude? Why do you think there are so few women historians? I'll tell you why. Because history is not such a frolic for women as it is for men... History is a commentary on the various and continuing incapabilities of men. History is women following behind with a bucket and a mop." - Alan Bennett, "The History Boys"

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Friday, November 9, 2007 4:29 PM

PLATONIST

Well, I'm always suspicious of large "service orientated" bureaucratic organizations because I work for one. And our survival rests on credibility and member dedication to preserve the illusion of accountability and efficiency.

From the series and movie I always assumed that the Guild was essentially created to promote a safer and organized answer to the lawless or shall we say taxless sex trade. Which in it's inception (Alliance created, by the way) sounds idealistic and effective, but over time, like any well intended organization, in order to preserve the public illusion of "respectability" they've had to resort to harboring secretes and weed out undesirables like Nandi, because such behavior becomes a liability to preserve the status quo and ultimately their political power. Otherwise corruption would grow unchecked (the Middle Age Church).

And I do agree that Inara, being a card carrying member (doesn't she have official papers or something?), has been, in the past and now, especially after Miranda, under careful scrutiny from the Guild's hierarchy. She does not return to Shinon when she leaves Serenity. She goes to a new Training House that Mal describes as a crap ass part of space, with no work, that he never goes to, which is hilarious because, in the movie, he is "just a few hours out", where they offer her a teaching position. Does "Siberia" ring a bell, at this point?

The writers had always planned on sending Inara to a Guild facility during the series. I think the plan was to create an avenue to explore her world and essentially flesh out her character and give the viewers insights into her changed (after being on Serenity for a year) personhood.
And it would have made a great storyline juxapointed with the crew's experiences on board Serenity because at the Training House things were planned to go from BAD to NASTY (read the 190 page script).

After, Miranda? It is my opinion that Inara will continue to be problematic. That girl has a bull’s eye velcroed on her lovely behind. She racks up enemies as fast as Mal does. She is a powder keg. Isn't it sweet they're alike in that way? If she returns to the Guild, she will have to prove allegiance by doing their biding, never really to be trusted again, and that will just suck. Nobody likes to have to pay their dues, again. They will use and or discard her ASAP. If she stays on Serenity and chooses to leave the Guild, she still has Ath, Ninska, Yosaff, the Reavers (we've all heard that storyline, Yikes!) and a probable second rebellion to navigate through. She is the perennial "Damsel in Distress", and will always need her gun hand (Mal). Similar to Lois Lane, who used brains and intuition, instead of physical impowerment (River)to get the scoop.

Loads of storylines there which I would love to read if anyone is up to writing.

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Friday, January 2, 2009 6:37 PM

WYTCHCROFT

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