Did we watch a relationship?

[Linda]

I like BnB's villians because they are not deserving of sympathy! I WANTED their heads to end up on the dining room table on dinner plates. Very satisfying, BnB! Cause I could imagine they were my exlandlords and wage slave employers from the days of my mispent youth.

[Distracted]

It WAS a compliment!

[blacknblue]

Since the thread is about relationships, and a lot of us try to write the things, I would like to explore this a little more if anyone is willing to keep chewing the fat with me. Specifically this Firefly thing.

A logistical difficulty occurs to me. If Mal and Inara were to attempt to form a relationship, I can see two possible ways it might be made to work.

One would be as part of a polygamous marriage. Either polyandry (multiple husbands) or more likely (and less likely to get someone killed) a group marriage ala Phlox. In a case like that I can imagine that they might be able to get along well enough. Not my cup of tea, but it might be made to work.

Has anyone ever tried to write a story with that kind of relationship arrangement? I wouldn't know how to begin. All I have ever attempted is monogamous arrangements. I can't even write a believable triangle. Any ideas on how one would approach such a thing?

The other way I could see would be for Mal,whenever Inara accepted a client, to have the option of sowing whatever wild oats pleased him. In other words, by taking a client Inara would in effect be checking out of the marriage temporarily - taking a vacation from being Mal's wife in order to be someone else's temporary wife. In that case, Mal would have the right to do anything he pleased during the length of her contract with anyone he pleased and Inara would have no right or authority to complain about it.

To me, that would be no more than fair. But would it work? I never watched Firefly. Would Inara conceivably agree to such terms? Wold Mal?

[leslina]

Since the thread is about relationships, and a lot of us try to write the things, I would like to explore this a little more if anyone is willing to keep chewing the fat with me. Specifically this Firefly thing.

A logistical difficulty occurs to me. If Mal and Inara were to attempt to form a relationship, I can see two possible ways it might be made to work.

One would be as part of a polygamous marriage. Either polyandry (multiple husbands) or more likely (and less likely to get someone killed) a group marriage ala Phlox. In a case like that I can imagine that they might be able to get along well enough. Not my cup of tea, but it might be made to work.

Has anyone ever tried to write a story with that kind of relationship arrangement? I wouldn't know how to begin. All I have ever attempted is monogamous arrangements. I can't even write a believable triangle. Any ideas on how one would approach such a thing?

The other way I could see would be for Mal,whenever Inara accepted a client, to have the option of sowing whatever wild oats pleased him. In other words, by taking a client Inara would in effect be checking out of the marriage temporarily - taking a vacation from being Mal's wife in order to be someone else's temporary wife. In that case, Mal would have the right to do anything he pleased during the length of her contract with anyone he pleased and Inara would have no right or authority to complain about it.

To me, that would be no more than fair. But would it work? I never watched Firefly. Would Inara conceivably agree to such terms? Wold Mal?

That would not fly with either of them. Both have shown extreme jealousy when the other had been involved with a rival. A polygamous arrangement would not work. Theirs is a tragic relationship for the ages.

[blacknblue]

That would not fly with either of them. Both have shown extreme jealousy when the other had been involved with a rival. A polygamous arrangement would not work. Theirs is a tragic relationship for the ages.

Say what?

How could Inara be jealous of him spending time with other people? This does not compute.

And no offense to anyone intendedregarding a favorite fic or ship, but to me it doesn't sound tragic. It sounds like two greedy mercenaries who are both too stubborn to surrender their personal desires in order to meet their beloved's desires.

Of course, being a chauvinist I am more in sympathy with Mal. But in fairness, if Inara's career path is socially approved in their culture then she might validly have a right to demand that her husband at least consider allowing her to keep it. She would have a hell of a time finding a man who possesses two functional gonads that would agree to do it, but theoretically it would not be absolutely out of the question.

In that case, if the polygamous option is absolutely not viable what about the second option I mentioned? The option that whenever Inara checked out of the marriage in order to be with a client, Mal would also be officially checked out of the marriage and free to do whatever he wanted? Or at least, that Mal would be constrained by the same limits (if any) that Inara is constrained by when she is with a client.

Would that be a possible option?

[CX]

Watch Firefly, dude. Trust me, because I'm pretty sure you'd like it. And it's only like 14 episodes long, so it won't take long to watch.

[leslina]

Watch Firefly, dude. Trust me, because I'm pretty sure you'd like it. And it's only like 14 episodes long, so it won't take long to watch.

Yeah, you can get the complete series for about $20.00. It's 4 thin discs.

[blacknblue]

I will give it a shot. But I am less concerned about this particular series or ship than i am about the craft of writing believable relationships.

[Distracted]

I personally think that the key to writing believable relationships is just like writing anything else. You've got to make your characters consistent. Think of them as individuals and have them react in a way that makes sense from THEIR point of view. To do that, you've got to get into their heads, so you'll be best at writing characters that think like you do. Characters with a very different view of the universe are harder to get your head around. I know I've had characters in my story do things that I personally would NEVER do, but while I was writing I was in the character's head and it seemed perfectly reasonable for them to behave that way at the time. And any changes in the characters should be as the result of a reasonable reaction to events that occur in the story and not occur right out of the blue just for the hell of it. JMO.

[Alelou]

I think this is why I have trouble with stories in which Trip and T'Pol declare their undying love for each other, then live happily ever after in mind-melded bliss having babies and never having a serious misunderstanding or conflict again. It just ain't them.

[Distracted]

I would have to agree with that.

[Asso]

Different perceptions.
Personally I don't have trouble with any story. Some of them are for my taste, some of them don't be for my taste. There are stories which don't be for my taste and that I enjoy. There are stories which are for my taste and that I don't enjoy.