((....like it says, don'tcha know)))

These days, I have no faith in my ability to play Inara well, or even averagely, which is why I haven't been. Nor do I have any idea how to fix this problem, short of dropping her and letting someone else pick her up. I really hate to do that before having made any kind of real effort to FIX the problems, though.

So I'm throwing myself on the mercy (and creativity) of you guys. Does anybody have any ideas for posts or threads or I don't even know what the hell to help rejuvenate her? My mind is a total blank.*








*Not that you didn't already know that.

Edit to add the following explanation about where I am with her right now:
When I started playing her I struck a very poor balance between her relationship with Mal and her relationships in the rest of camp. I also probably pushed too hard too fast with her relationship with Mal because I thought (rightly or wrongly) that the movie had left them in a place where they'd take the next step. I knew this was a problem and was trying to remedy it, although I wasn't doing a very good job. So I was struggling already and then Mal died, which Inara didn't take well, and I didn't roleplay well. During this time, I received some anonymous crit that told me what I already knew, that I'd made her weak and dependent and that, basically, she was almost nothing like she'd been in canon. Which left me wondering if I'd ever played her well at all.

Ever since then, I've basically been struggling with deciding whether I want to fix her or whether I've damaged her so much that it would be kinder to stop playing her. I still don't know, but I feel that I should make some effort to fix her before dropping her, otherwise that's simply giving up. But I can't quite shake the feeling that if I do try to fix her, I'll simply repeat my mistakes and that really, it would be better to turn her over to someone who can do her justice.

*stops by Mal's area of the cabin, ostensibly on her way to bed* Mal?

Stability results were moderately high which suggests you are relaxed, calm, secure, and optimistic.

Orderliness results were moderately high which suggests you are, at times, overly organized, reliable, neat, and hard working at the expense of flexibility, efficiency, spontaneity, and fun.

Extraversion results were moderately high which suggests you are, at times, overly talkative, outgoing, sociable and interacting at the expense of developing your own individual interests and internally based identity.

Trait snapshot: clean, self revealing, open, organized, outgoing, social, enjoys leadership and managing others, dominant, makes friends easily, does not like to be alone, assertive, hard working, finisher, optimistic, positive, likes to stand out, likes large parties, respects authority, practical, high self esteem, perfectionist, dislikes chaos, busy, not familiar with the dark side of life, controlling, high self control, traditional, tough, likes to fit in, conforming, brutally honest, takes precautions

Note the high sexuality rating and the high avoidance rating. Also note the large streak of anti-authoritarianism and adventure-seeking under the traditionalist exterior. (She likes authority fine. When it's somewhere else.)

Also, "female cliche" can bite me. Don't see male cliche on there. :P

Okay! Ask me Inara's, Wednesday's or Death's top five whatevers and I'll try to answer them. In good time, even.

Joss has given us almost no information about the backgrounds of... well, any of the characters, really. Mal and the Tams are really the most detailed; everybody else, not so much.

( What We Know About Inara's Past and My Conjecture )

( What We Don't Know )

Okay, I figured I'd start out with a couple of paragraphs on Simon and Wash and then start on with the ESSAY that is Mal.

( Simon and Wash )

And then there's ( Mal. )

In the Firefly 'verse, Companions choose their own clients. Although Companions can and almost always do sleep with their clients (something Inara clearly can't do at camp), a Companion may also serve as an escort to a highly publicized function or even as simple company at a tea ceremony. There's theoretically no shame in being a Companion; they're legalized by the Alliance and their guild takes care to make sure that all Companions are in good health and are well paid.

Inara's primary role in camp is to teach etiquette and deportment, but she's well-educated beyond that in the arts of dance, conversation, and psychology. She can read a person's body language and to some degree, intuit what he or she may be thinking. She might be willing to teach someone these skills if she feels he or she can be trusted with the knowledge.

I would like to know if your characters are comfortable with Inara flirting with them and to what degree. I would also like to know what, exactly, you think she'd be able to pick up on, keeping in mind that she's only an extremely observant human, and not a Reader. She'll gladly sit down to tea and conversation with just about anybody, and will keep notes on your character's preferences and habits, so you always get just the experience you want. Historically most of her clients have been male, but she does make exceptions for fascinating women, so everybody's welcome. If you are a raging psychopath, she'll make a note and refuse to ever serve you again. So, let me know!