Closing thoughts
So, now that there is all that information on different types of courtesans in history and how they might be implemented in game, it’s time to talk a bit more seriously and go over OOC concerns that come with playing a courtesan.
First, a lot of people will assume courtesan=hooker.
If you feel inclined, you’re free to just throw this guide at those people and flounce away. That can’t always be the case, and my ego might explode if it were.
You can either tell everyone who makes such a comment, or asks, the truth about your own interpretation. You can also simply ignore those who think that your character an ERP toon, which actually brings me to my second bit.
You do not have to ERP to play a courtesan.
As you may have read above, not all courtesans sold sex.
They sold their skills in music, dance, poetry, and conversation, and so can your character.
If you want to play the type of courtesan that does sleep with her clients but are not comfortable (or of legal age, 18+) with ERP, you always have the choice of ‘fading to black’. Not doing the thing but saying you did is perfectly acceptable. Tell your RP partners that this is what you prefer, and do not let people try and coax you into going beyond your boundaries just because you play a courtesan.
Regarding gil and payment- you can very well charge actual gil for your characters services. Perhaps your character might be hired for a party to liven it up, to be someone’s date, to dance, or yes even sleep with- you can charge for anything you feel is reasonable.
If you are not comfortable in taking actual gil for RP services, you can simply play pretend and say that gil changed hands while saving someone from actual bankruptcy.
Another thing to stress, even if I said it before, is the absolute need for consent from all players when playing a mistress.
Make sure that both married/bonded character players know and want you to be playing as another in their RP relationship.
Polyamory and triad relationships are cool - cheating and hurting another player’s feelings is not.
Brothel FC’s can adopt the style of tiered ranks, like in the case of Tayuu/Oiran, events for courtesans to meet and greet one another (and size each other up), performing groups of courtesans who work together for public shows, and even training new courtesan characters that want to IC learn how it’s done.
And finally, I will broach the idea of courtesans working together-
Courtesans, which technically competing with one another, still must at least have a vague notion of who are their rivals, how they are doing, who is new to the profession, and if there are any dangerous clients that have been blacklisted from seeing others.
I have a Linkshell (The Courtesan Coalition, on Balmung) that I hope to use should other courtesan players want to deal with the RP possibilities above, but there are other means as well.
And there you have it.
Hopefully you have learned something, become inspired, or have at least scratched that curious itch in regards to the world of courtesans.
I hope to see more courtesans of various kinds and see their players love the viewpoint that their characters create.
Go forth, be merry, and have fun.
