Parallels between Companies and Ajahs
Author: Atane Valthon
Submitted for raising to Soldier
At first glance, someone who is new to the site, or even one who is a member of TarValon.net might be curious as to how one might draw parallels between the Ajahs and the Companies. I will be drawing parallels in this, some might be obvious as to why at first glance, but some might be more subtle. I will strive to parallel San d'ma Shadar with the Red and Green Ajahs, Val'Cueran with Yellow and Brown, and Dai M'hael with Gray, Blue, and White.
San d'ma Shadar, Slayers of the Shadow, are a very social bunch at the site, well-known for their love of Beer and Women. They are extremely outgoing and welcoming, thus they are the company that I would say is known the best. Beer and Women isn't what they are all about though, they have an extremely strong bond between each of them, the bond of a huge brotherhood. Now, I'm not saying that the bond of brotherhood doesn't exist in the other companies, because I know it does, however within SDS, it's extremely strong. They know that should one of them get in a bad situation, that their brothers will do anything and everything in their power to help out. There is a similar bond, of sisterhood of course, between the members of the Red Ajah. Now this isn't because they aren't allowed to bond, however, they know fully well that that was going to be the deal when they join. For whatever reason they chose, whether it be because they're fiercely independent, they don't really think the bond is necessary, etc. No matter what the reason, it becomes unimportant, because the strength of their sisterhood is amazing, they know that no matter what, Hell or High Water, they will come through when needed. Again, there are sisterly bonds within all the Ajahs, however this one is more intense, more focused than others in my opinion. They are also the "police" of the site, who go around making sure that everyone is having a good time, and not bashing anybody, trying to preserve the attitude of "fun seriousness" at the site. The Greens are probably the most mirrored within SDS, they love their men, and they love to party. They don't want to keep the party to themselves though, they try to make sure that everyone is having their fun, and that no one is down. Many of the Greens are the ones you see posting when you first come to the site, they are also extremely welcoming and will be the ones "protecting" the citizens if trouble comes to the site. If the citizens are having RL trouble, the Greens are most likely to try and help out with whatever is needed.
Now for Val'Cueran, the Heart Guard, in the English tongue. VC warders are intensely dedicated to not having anyone injured, or hurting at the site. They were also the ones in charge of the Making Real for the 3rd Anniversary Party, making sure that everyone was "safe" to come. The Yellows are the parallel of that for the Ajahs, they are the "healers" of the site, the ones that will make sure that everyone is doing alright and screening . Now one might ask, how are the Browns and VC even remotely similar, you should have put Browns and DM together, because of books and items like that. Well the Browns are the most solitary at the site of all the Ajahs, they have what might be singular interests at times, books and cheese. However, many times people forget to put the third factor in, the Warders, like the other Ajahs, the Browns are very reliant on their warders, and not just to carry the books and cheese. Since I do consider them the most solitary bunch on the site, occasionally they need their warders to tell them what's going on, I'm not saying they exclude themselves on purpose, but they are the most obviously scholarly ones.
Finally for Dai M'hael, The Battle Leaders, the "scholarly" ones at the site, or rather, the ones that are reputed to be the most scholarly. DM is actually a very flexible company, one that doesn't really have a specific niche. I'd say it fills whatever niche needs to be filled at the time, the jack of all trades if you will. You'll find them helping out with the Constitution, helping with tutoring if needed, just a very malleable company. That makes sense considering the name, the best plans only last until the first blow is struck, so you need people that can and are willing to fill any niche possible. That's alot like the Blue Ajah, very malleable, very flexible, they fill any niche needed. They make some good brownies as well, they're also very well known at the site for their plots, all which make a positive influence on the site, whether it be just for fun, or whether it's very important. I mentioned the Constitution earlier, and that's one of the things that the Gray Ajah helps with, they modify what needs modifying, and update, they're also the mediators at the site. If there is trouble within the site between members, they are the ones that would be called in to help with it, they are very impartial, and make the correct decisions, or at least the decisions that they can stand by with good consciouses. They're not only called in when there is trouble though, they are the ones that observe two people who want to bond, watch how they interact, and decide whether it would be beneficial for the two, and for the site as a whole. Then you have the Whites, the ones known for their logic, they are the Ajah that I would go to for helping out with schoolwork, and problems that require a more distanced approach. They are the ones in charge of the library, and are there to answer any question for you.
Those are just some of the similarities that can be drawn between the Companies and Ajahs. Some of them might not have been obvious at first glance, but with thought, can be easily made. Parallels between Companies and Ajahs will always be important, because without some similarity the site would be worse off in my opinion.
