(11-03-2014, 01:09 PM)PkThunda Wrote: [quote=UltraFennec pid=120346 dateline=1415007803]
There have been actual cases in real history where men have taken up the title of courtesan and/or "mistress".
It is generally a female term, but can easily be taken by men, trans, fluid, or non-binary characters!
Though, we ought to think up a title for cis-male characters in regards to "mistress". "Lover" is too generic, and "Mister" just doesn't hold the same weight- suggestions are most welcome!
Considering the sorts that would think a male "courtesan" something desirable, it strikes me that such men might often be referred to as being part of some separate profession - a butler, or messenger, or musician, or masseur, or the like. There are fewer traditional roles for males in the traditional sense of being a courtesan, so it might behoove such a male to take on a more sociably acceptable role to mask what he did for his clients. A music teacher, combat instructor, professional speaker, or dance instructor would make excellent cover for a male whose primary income came from entertaining clients, and since there may be more potential humiliating social stigma in seeking a male "courtesan" than a female one ("What, a good-looking one like you can't find some big, muscled brute for a free romp? What's wrong with you?"), a man who has skills, social standing and a very advanced sense of discretion may meld these roles smoothly into anything else he might offer.
In other words, lacking a social structure that sees men used as frequently as women as temporary compensated company, the need for a male-specific title may not even be WANTED by the clientele, for reasons of discretion. I haven't yet seen in Eorzean lore a setting in which such a different social structure exists in force, but I'd be happy to be corrected.
However, it amuses me to think that Patrick Swayze's character from DIRTY DANCING was pretty much one good epiphany from being the very sort of male "courtesan" that would be in demand.
"But in the laugh there was another voice. A clearer laugh, an ironic laugh. A laugh which laughs because it chooses not to weep."
![[Image: 3610850.jpg]](http://assets-cloud.enjin.com/users/1266293/pics/original/3610850.jpg)
