Emma Florentino's Posts - The Firefly Companion's Guild2024-03-29T08:13:10ZEmma Florentinohttp://fireflycompanions.ning.com/profile/EmmaFlorentinohttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2990918930?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://fireflycompanions.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=3pgad31qwe7z8&xn_auth=noOn Being Transgender: My Advantage as a Companion in Second Lifetag:fireflycompanions.ning.com,2017-05-02:4588580:BlogPost:431562017-05-02T02:02:57.000ZEmma Florentinohttp://fireflycompanions.ning.com/profile/EmmaFlorentino
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<p>“…I <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiresias" target="_blank"><strong>Tiresias</strong></a>, though blind, throbbing between two lives,<br></br>Old man with wrinkled female breasts…”<br></br>T.S. Eliot, <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/47311" target="_blank"><strong>“The Waste Land”</strong></a></p>
<div class="entry-content"><p>“I’ve looked at life from both sides now <br></br>From up and down, and still somehow <br></br>It’s life’s illusions I recall…</p>
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<p>“…I <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiresias" target="_blank"><strong>Tiresias</strong></a>, though blind, throbbing between two lives,<br/>Old man with wrinkled female breasts…”<br/>T.S. Eliot, <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/47311" target="_blank"><strong>“The Waste Land”</strong></a></p>
<div class="entry-content"><p>“I’ve looked at life from both sides now <br/>From up and down, and still somehow <br/>It’s life’s illusions I recall <br/>I really don’t know life at all.”<br/>Joni Mitchell, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=joni+mitchell+both+sides+now&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8" target="_blank"><strong>“Both Sides Now”</strong></a></p>
<p align="center"><a href="https://dirakinafirewiablog.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/tiresias.png"><img title="tiresias" style="background-image: none; padding-top: 0; padding-left: 0; display: inline; padding-right: 0; border-width: 0;" alt="tiresias" src="https://dirakinafirewiablog.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/tiresias_thumb.png?w=684&h=551" width="456" height="367" border="0"/></a><br/><em>Tiresias strikes two snakes with a stick, and is transformed into a woman<br/>by Hera. Engraving by Johann Ulrich Kraus c. 1690. Taken from<br/>Die Verwandlungen des Ovidii (The Metamorphoses of Ovid).</em></p>
<p>I have lived most of my life in a disguise. I suppose that’s the polite way of saying it. The harsh truth is that for the first 50+ years of my life, I was living a lie. But no matter: I’m living my truth now, living the life I was always meant to live, and being the person I was all along. I didn’t <em>become</em> a woman; I simply decided to live openly as who I always was.</p>
<p>But that’s just background. The point I wish to make is that having experienced life from both a male and a female point of view,<sup>1</sup> I am in a unique position to understand and counsel both men and women. This, I believe, gives me a certain advantage as a Companion: the ability to see life, love,and emotions from, as Joni Mitchell put it, “both sides now.”</p>
<p><sup>1</sup>– This is a simplified view of a complex issue: for the longest time I experienced life from the view of someone who was <em>socialized</em> male. Since my transition, I now am treated as one who <em>is</em> female.</p>
</div>On Being a Companion: One Woman's Reasonstag:fireflycompanions.ning.com,2017-04-28:4588580:BlogPost:431532017-04-28T16:35:47.000ZEmma Florentinohttp://fireflycompanions.ning.com/profile/EmmaFlorentino
<p>My thoughts on being a companion are complex, and sometimes self-contradicting. For example, when someone in SL asks me why I chose to become a companion, I’m often tempted to say, “If you’ve never seen Firefly or Serenity, you wouldn’t understand. And if you have seen either of them, there’s no need for explanation.”</p>
<p><br></br>Still, much like vampires, gays, or lesbians(1), we in the Firefly ‘Verse are always looking to recruit new members. And so I offer my own reasons—reasons which are…</p>
<p>My thoughts on being a companion are complex, and sometimes self-contradicting. For example, when someone in SL asks me why I chose to become a companion, I’m often tempted to say, “If you’ve never seen Firefly or Serenity, you wouldn’t understand. And if you have seen either of them, there’s no need for explanation.”</p>
<p><br/>Still, much like vampires, gays, or lesbians(1), we in the Firefly ‘Verse are always looking to recruit new members. And so I offer my own reasons—reasons which are constantly evolving as my own understanding deepens.</p>
<p><br/>Similar to the Japanese Geisha, Companions are, first and foremost, entertainers and hostesses. But also like Geishas, we are often far more than that. We are often psychiatrists, therapists, sounding boards, and politicians: we listen, we advise, and, when necessary, we act. At the same time, we remain neutral; that is, a good Companion always tries to act in such a manner that brings no dishonor to either herself or her House.</p>
<p><br/>I am a companion because I have seen and experienced enough of life to understand that whoever you are—prince or pauper, baron or bin collector—sometimes you just need a listening ear, a sounding board, and someone just to comfort you.</p>
<p>(1) - That's a joke, people, one that I as a RL lesbian am allowed to make.</p>Please Allow Me To Introduce Myself...tag:fireflycompanions.ning.com,2017-04-27:4588580:BlogPost:430492017-04-27T10:43:46.000ZEmma Florentinohttp://fireflycompanions.ning.com/profile/EmmaFlorentino
<p>I'm a man of wealth and taste. No, scratch that. I have NO sympathy for the devil. So let me start over.<br></br> <br></br> I have spent most of my life exploring the 'Verse. I have spent time on Earth, where I learned of the existence of racism, xenophobia, and several other unpleasant social traits. I have always been a peacemaker, as are most of my race, but even the most dedicated diplomat knows when it is time to move on.<br></br> <br></br> I have visited countless planetary systems, and have learned…</p>
<p>I'm a man of wealth and taste. No, scratch that. I have NO sympathy for the devil. So let me start over.<br/> <br/> I have spent most of my life exploring the 'Verse. I have spent time on Earth, where I learned of the existence of racism, xenophobia, and several other unpleasant social traits. I have always been a peacemaker, as are most of my race, but even the most dedicated diplomat knows when it is time to move on.<br/> <br/> I have visited countless planetary systems, and have learned how to get along in almost any society.<br/> <br/> My home planet is Zarthian, located in the Mensa system. My true name is Dirakin Afirewia. I am currently an Acolyte Companion at House Byodo.</p>