Slave interaction

This topic was actually brought up on the Gorums and it made me reflect on one of my recent experiences.

For example the other day I was standing by the big tree in Telnus, studying the harbour & sketching down some details as that is the subject of Sahara’s next planned painting. A lone slave girl stopped by me and I was delighted, thinking I would have some interaction since the sim was rather quiet. She politely greeted me and asked if she could pass as she had a chore to do in the citadel. Now, not having been in SL Gor for long I was amused. I started thinking how slaves would never get their chores done in a city where they had to fall on their knees to every free on their way. So Sahara raised a brow and waved her hand dismissively and said she better hurry if she wished to complete her Master’s chore on time, telling her to avoid walking so close to free if she was required to stop and ask for permission each time.

Now, I could be wrong. Maybe in SL Gor this is a requirement for a slave? I simply don’t remember reading the free being hassled by slaves each time they passed one in the books. If Sahara was faced with that on a daily basis she would start to evil stare any slave that looked like she was about to stop in front of her.

If it was a way to start rp I would encourage it.. but this girl was simply wanting to be on her way and I believe, trying to be polite. So I am not blaming or judging this part of her behaviour at all, simply noting that I found such behaviour strange and amusing.

The girl did proceed with a /think emote, which is something I am not use to at all. In the other mmorpgs I played this was taboo and was surprised to see it. So I ignored it but I admit this part irritated me. It’s not like I can /think back without feeling…. dirty *laughs*

I’m thinking maybe next time I will not let her pass *smirks* then what would she do? Perhaps ask her to stand in as a model for my sketch.. or to fan some parchment in my direction so I have a cool breeze while I stand there? I think its in Sahara’s nature to do that.. it wouldn’t be out of spite, but if a girl interrupted her she was obviously not that busy with her own thing.. so then why not? If the girl’s Master became cranky with the slave for running late, well its not her concern. Besides, Sahara would tell him the girl was lazing about so she put her to work..remember freewomen are given the luxury of lying…
Yet at the end of the day I wonder.. Am I being too harsh? Should I acccept it as simply being another SL Gorean normality?

Interesting to think about anyway…

When is it no longer a game?

I’ve been reading quite a few blogs and I must say a few have unnerved me. I’ve roleplayed in numerous games before, and have actually made some amazing friends through it.. yet never have I gone through what some people describe in their blogs. It seems like kajira especially have the hardest time emotionally.

I suppose this is due to the sexual aspect, and all the emotions that go along when exploring such things. It also is beyond my understanding as I have never been in that position, and maybe SL slavery unavoidably effects the RL emotions of a person?

Maybe its coming from those that are called, “lifestylers”? Those that do not create that distinction and thus experience the negative side of things on a much deeper level. All speculation really on my part…

I guess to a degree I too blur OOC and IC. For one I have no problems with chatting with the people I roleplay with oocly (which some strict rpers I’ve met ingame never do). However to me it’s a different person I am talking to and having fun with.. and when we just back into rp my character will continue to like them, or despise them..whatever the case may be. I won’t be offended if they snub/insult me ingame etc, but Sahara damn will *grins*

Also OOCly, I see some truths in the Gorean philosophy… the social conditioning of men vs women on earth, how we strive to be the same when we are so very different, how we are working ourselves into extinction and how life was more fulfilling and perhaps easier to truly achieve happiness in a simpler (tech wise) world like Gor. Still I could not adopt this lifestyle in the RL as for one, I’m not on Gor. Few men are truly men, the world is not pristine and wild, there is no such thing as stabilising serum and people value money and cheap thrills to things such as honor. Till those things change I will just be a roleplayer immersing myself in a fictional world.

My goal is also not to become like some of the women in the blogs I’ve read. Not passing judgement, but that’s simply not for me. Furthermore, part of me reminds me not to worry… I’m not like that in real life so its highly unlikely I would have those traits while playing SL; I’ve dealt with people leaving, relationships falling apart and losing friends. Yet the core of me has remained untouched and I like to think I’m a confident, well adjusted and optimistic woman. *rolls eyes and nods* Okay okay.. or just a damn ice queen as some like to call me.

On an end note, I made the right choice being a freewoman that’s for sure if the blogs I’m reading are an accurate portrayal of the emotional rollercoaster slaves go through..

Homestone vs Timezone

The one thing I dislike about living in Australia is the timezone difference with the States. How I wish I could be back at university so I would have the mornings free to log into SL during peak time, instead now I’m sitting at an office desk from 7am sipping numerous cappuccinos.

In other games I got around this by playing on an Oceanic server, but in Second Life Gor there are no easy solutions. For example, after talking to a friend about a relatively new sim that was looking for lower caste roleplayers, and after reading the cities notecards and looking around I was keen to join up. I created an application, sent it off and received a prompt reply stated they were happy to have me onboard and I just had to meet with a Council member for the last of the formalities.

This is easier said then done.

I never seem to be online the same time the Council member is so I do the last steps of the application process. Honestly I had visited the sim previously and saw people around which is why I thought it would suit me, but now I realised they must not be Council members that can grant group membership etc.

Usually I am also available to play on weekends which allows me to play during peak hour, yet due to the holidays my real life has been filled with party after party… (not truly complaining) So now some time has lapsed since I submitted my application and now I’m worried how that will be perceived.

Also I’ve been wondering how to incorporate my villa in the Mountains of Cos into my roleplay. If she has a different homestone how can I roleplay people visiting my villa in Cos? Maybe I can say she has two residences.. one is a holiday home to speak? Or a summer and a winter house? Okay, I’m just teasing… I’m not seriously considering such an unrealistic idea.

See what happens when I get carried away and jump into things without thinking it through!

*sighs*

I wish I could borrow some of Sahara’s level-headedness…

I bought some land!

That’s a big step for me. At first it was just a fleeting thought.. thinking how nice it would be to have a house, especially after seeing Adamark’s place. For one I wasn’t sure whether I wanted the commitment or the cost; seeing how bad the Australian exchange rate is currently.

Still when I saw this particular lot all common sense went out the window. It is in the Mountains of Cos, a corner lot meaning no neighbours on one side, right on the edge so I have the view of the ocean and the entire sim is home to other Goreans which obviously appeals to me.

I placed my half-finished Villa on it and just sat on the roof admiring the sunset (as I have no furniture yet). The neighbours must have be wondering what crazy freewoman has just moved in next door *laughs*

So I’m excited, I get to go furniture shopping! I was quite pleased when I found a merchant on slexchange selling gorean caste specific furniture..as I picked up some nice Builder caste pieces and modified them to suit my arty needs. Still, I need cushions, a bed, stove, trees,shrubs… my oh my.. this is going to be expensive…

Just another morning..

The first morning rays appeared across the sky illuminating the cityscape in warm hues as the young freewoman attempted to capture the scene in her small sketchbook whilst leaning against the metalworker’s building wall. Her striking blue eyes moved rapidly, analysing every minute detail as she hurried to capture the peaceful scene before her in attempt to finish before the large crowds gathered for the morning market.

It was like the small piece of charcoal, wrapped in leather and adorned with a single feather, had a life of its own as it danced upon the page, lines swiftly turning into shapes and form and the delicate shading bringing depth and dimension to the otherwise flat piece of parchment. In Sahara’s eyes this was indeed the case, she was merely the tool that beauty used to manifest itself onto the page. A privilege she took great delight in, and took no credit for.

A few traders started to appear, yet Sahara remained oblivious to what was going on around her, so focused was she on her work. The next time she looked up she noted the sun had moved and the streets had become increasingly busy. Glancing down at her drawing a satisfied smile appeared on her lips. She would have liked more time but it was more then adequate.

She was keen to start painting, yet she knew she was low on supplies. Carefully she tucked the parchment into her journal and glanced around the market square. Bosk hair for her paintbrush and talender pigment.. as she was low on yellow paint, she reminded herself. Spotting the merchant she sought Sahara’s eye hardened remembering her previous shopping trip.

1 silver tarsk indeed! This time she wouldn’t accept such a high price. Her smirk was hidden beneath her veil as she plotted her course of action before moving in his direction. Her stride was casual as she approached him with a pleasant, “Tal” with all the feigned naivety she could muster…

Gorean quotations on Artists

I thought I would post the quotes that I discovered online about Gorean artists. Hopefully it will aid me in roleplaying Sahara and if others have a bit of info on them too that could only be an added bonus.

Artist’s mindset:

I might also mention, in passing, if only to make the controversy concerning the “Auborbion marbles” more understandable, that many Gorean artists do not sign or otherwise identify their works. The rationale for this seems to be a conviction that what is important is the art, its power, its beauty, and so on, and not who formed it. Indeed many Gorean artists seem to regard themselves as little more than vessels or instruments, the channels or means, the tools, say, the chisels or brushes, so to speak, by means of diversities, in its beauties and powers, its flowers and storms, its laughters and rages, its delicacy and awesomeness, its subtlety and grandeur, expresses itself, and rejoices. Accordingly the Gorean artist tends not so much to be proud of his work as, oddly enough perhaps, to be grateful to it, that it consented to speak through him.
As the hunters of the north, the singers of the ice pack and of the long night have it, “No one knows from whence songs come.” It is enough, and more than enough, that they come. They dispel the cold, they illuminate the darkness. They are welcomed, in the darkness and cold, like fire, and friendship and love.
The focus of the Gorean artist then, at least on the whole, tends to be on the work of art itself, not on himself as artist. Accordingly this attitude toward his art is less likely to be one of pride than one of gratitude. This makes sense as, in his view, it is not so much he who speaks as the world, in its many wonders, great and small, which speaks through him. He is thusly commonly more concerned to express the world, and truth, than himself.
~ Magicians

Murals:

“I looked about at the decor of the tavern. It suggested the plains of Turia, or the lands of the Wagon Peoples. There were scenes of hunting, of caravan raiding, of girl taming; scenes were fixed there of the great bosk herds and the strings of the wagons of the fierce plains nomads; in one place there was fixed a painting of the walls and towers of Turia, and riders of the Wagon Peoples on hills, looking toward the city.”
~ Slave Girl

“Decorative reliefs, in marble, have been removed from them,” I said. “As I recall the ones here, they celebrated the feats of Hesius, a perhaps legendary hero of Ar.”

<removed irrelevant dialogue>

“The wall seems very bare there,” said Marcus, as we passed a public edifice, a court building.
There were also numerous small holes in the wall, chipped at the edges.
“Surely you have noted similar walls,” I said.
“Yes,” he said.
“Decorative reliefs, in marble, have been removed from them,” I said. “As I recall the ones here, they celebrated the feats of Hesius, a perhaps legendary hero of Ar.”
“He for whom the month of Hesius is named,” said Marcus.
“I presume so,” I said. The month of Hesius is the second month of the year in Ar. It follows the first passage hand. In Ar, as in most cities in the northern hemisphere, the new year begins with the vernal equinox.
“Were the marbles here well done?” asked Marcus.
“Though I am scarcely a qualified judge of such things,” I said, “I would have thought so. They were very old, and reputed to be the work of the master, Aurobion, though some have suggested they were merely of his school.”
“I have heard of him,” said Marcus.
“Some think the major figures profited from his hand and that portions of the minor detail, and some of the supportive figures, were the work of students.”
“Why would the marbles be removed?” asked Marcus.
“They have antiquarian value, as well as aesthetic value,” I said. “I would suppose that they are now on their way to a museum in Cos.”
~ Magicians

Mentioning more then one artisan caste:

The second girl was tall, fragile and willowy, with slender ankles and large, hurt eyes; she had dark, curling hair that fell about her shoulders and stood out against the white of her garment; she may have been of High Caste; without speaking to her it would be hard to tell; even then it might be difficult to be sure, for the accents of some of the higher artisan castes approximate pure High Caste Gorean; she stood with her back against the far wall, the palms of her hands against it, her eyes fastened on me, frightened, scarcely breathing.
~ Priest Kings

Creating Sahara…

I’ve been a keen roleplayer in mmoprgs for years now, but that doesn’t make me any less nervous about jumping into a new roleplaying world or questioning if I my rp will be up to standard (from the IC posts I’ve seen on the forums). So I decided to approach creating Sahara the old fashioned way just so I feel more comfortable – creating a character bio sheet.

Name: Sahara Ashdene

Age: 24

Status: Freewoman

Caste: Artisan (okay, yes I know by public opinion ‘Artisan’ is a true caste.. but each Sim appears to have a different opinion which caste an artist would fall into. Besides, with castes such as ‘Saddlemakers’ ..*wry smile* my personal opinion is that a lower caste of ‘Artists’ or ‘Artisans’ is not stretching things too far)

Positive personality traits: Sahara is a spirited and creative young woman. She is proud of her independence, and treats others on their own merits rather then judging simply by caste. Her intelligence and quick wit means she rarely rushes into a situation head first, rather assesses it first to ensure she is approaching it the right way.

Negative personality traits: Aloof and socially withdrawn to an extent, she spends a lot of time in her head musing over new artistic ideas and prefers watching how the sunlight reflects over the ocean then discuss mundane topics that in her mind are without interest. This behaviour makes some believe she is arrogant or thinks herself superior. Manipulative at times, she sees nothing wrong with bending the truth slightly to get things to go her way. Similarly she can be hard to read, her emotions tend to be kept hidden by a cool deceiving façade.

Appearance: Her golden brown hair is usually worn in a casual upstyle with a few escaped strands framing her refined features. Her full lips are concealed by one modest veil and her cool blue eyes are unfathomable and readable as the ocean itself. Petite and slim framed she dresses in simple yet elegant clothing, though the sleeves usually have the tell-tale specks of paint or charcoal. Around her waist it is not uncommon to see a belt with an array of artist tools and a small sketchbook, so that she is ready to capture a moment at any time.

Basic Information: Sahara was born in the city of Jad, on the Isle of Cos, yet what few citizens know is that she was born into the Caste of Builders. Her father was one of the city’s architects and her brother followed in his footsteps. Yet young Sahara always found the work of the artisans and painters more intriguing; spending hours watching them create intricate mosaics and stunning frescos. From a young age her talent developed, showing skill in painting and sculpture which her family let flourish as they like all Goreans believe that artists are vessels for the beauty and spirit of the world, and such talent should not be denied.

Yet as she grew up her family’s opinion started to shift and she found herself at odds with their plans for her. While the details are unknown of the family feud, the result was that Sahara was left to fend for herself and cut off from the remaining family. For most women that would have been the end, yet position and wealth never interested Sahara and she knew with her skills she could make enough money to sustain herself.

She had made numerous friends and contacts within the lower castes when she had studied under the master painter’s of Jad, and thus she learnt of the work opportunities in various cities for someone of her skill level. Deciding that Jad was no longer the home she once thought it was, she travelled, from one commission to the next. No longer a high caste woman, but as a humble artist looking to start her life anew…

I don’t think I need to say it, but just in case: This is all OOC knowledge. You can not know that she was once of the builder caste, unless you rp finding it out. She keeps it secret. Same goes with everything else listed.

New Beginnings..

I thoroughly enjoy reading other Gorean blogs, therefore I decided to create my own to share my experiences in Second Life as well. It also serves as an outlet for my feelings and thoughts that I otherwise may not voice, so it will likely be a mixture of IC and OOC posting. If your wondering when will I have to write posts? Lets just say I have an absolutely brilliant work ethic.

The first question is what made me decide to become involved in Second Life Gor?

Not too long ago I decided that I was bored of my Second Life, Everquest II and the other array of games I had been playing and decided to finally give Second Life Gor a shot, as I had heard much about it. I’m twenty-four years of age, and I will admit something I have kept hidden for a while… I read my first Gorean novel at the age of fourteen. Public libraries are a marvellous thing for young deviant minds, and I remember seeing Slave Girl in the fantasy section.. the art on the front cover naturally peaking my interest. I was not brave enough to try and loan it. Instead I visited the library regularly and read the entire novel while hidden away in a corner. In all honesty, that is what probably sparked my sexual awakening and I don’t doubt it has had implications on the woman I am today, at least in the bedroom..

Since that time I have read most of the novels, and like many I cringe at times at how it has been written but for entertainment value I continue to find it intriguing. So when I became bored of Second Life, and heard there was a strong Gorean presence inworld I thought I would investigate.

Initially I was blown away by all the sims and how many people were interested in it. I visited many sims and started to see differences between them. Many of the ones I had initially visited, with the big populations, turned out to be combat sims with roleplaying coming second. Furthermore it appeared to be all about the captures and raids, which did not appeal to me at all.

Then I discovered goreanforums.com, and I am so glad I did. Mainly I just lurk but the information I have gathered from that site has been really helpful. I read so many posts in the various forums, trying to get as much information as I could before I started to roleplay.

What made me choose to be a Freewoman?

I knew the roles well from the novels – panther, freewoman and kajira. Initially my thoughts jumped at the chance at being a panther; after all I know from real life experience I can play the feisty, independent and cold-hearted bitch to perfection *smirks* still, I realised I wanted the opportunity of roleplaying in the cities and wasn’t keen on learning the combat side of things and getting shot at constantly.

So I had two choices left, Freewoman or slave girl. This one was easy and complex at the same time. For one I consider myself to be very feminine, I take pride in my looks and in real life I have a love for bellydancing. Not to mention I enjoy things of a sensual nature. Still it is not as clear cut as it initially appears.

I’m proud, enjoy my independence, take pleasure in verbally sparing with men.. and winning most of the time, and will not allow myself to be intimidated by them – and in the work I do that says a lot because I have no quarrels with putting a large, arrogant manager in his place. I have not met a man that truly challenges me, and I bore easily of unintelligent and witless people so the last thing I want to do in my spare time is to play a game where I’m kneeling and serving people that potentially have these traits.

So on a philosophical level I decided that despite my real life femininity and sexuality, I would rather suppress that in roleplay and retain that which I hold in greater esteem. Freedom, elegance… and my slight superiority complex. *laughs* After making this decision I realised that a Freewoman in the Gorean novels probably at some stage had weighed up the same decision as I had. I don’t believe that Freewomen despised sex or beauty… they just realised, that to them, sacrificing their freedom and status simply wasn’t worth it. To some it was and they would wander the high bridge… or others would change their minds later on in life… nothing is set in stone, I’m mature enough to understand that.

A matter of Caste…

I decided to play a lower-caste freewoman. As I said I enjoy a challenge, and furthermore I saw there were plenty of wealthy, cold, haughty scribes and physicians. So where was the fun in that? It would also mean a new interesting roleplay element for me, for once I would be the underdog so to speak; I wouldn’t have the allure of a slave girl, nor of a wealthy freewoman that would make a good companion. Though in all honesty this suits me just fine, it means I am less likely to capture the eye of some man.

So Sahara is a low-caste artist… but not without a few intriguing twists and secrets in her past. She works on commission and lives a modest lifestyle, but that’s all I have decided so far..