Your Gorean Story

Do you have a gorean story?

Have you created a history, to go along with your roleplay, or did you simply drop yourself in the midst of others, hoping something will develop?

Some are luckier then others, some have been around for a length of time, and have had a 'story' develop over years.  My personal 'story' has developed with time, and included every Gorean chat I have ever been in.  I don't 'reboot' it with each interface, or community I join.  I take what went before, and build upon it.

From telnet chat, to irc, to Second Life, its one cohersive story, spotty perhaps, with wholes and gaps perhaps, but one story, one character, one roleplay which builds upon what came before.

Some, are not so lucky, some roleplayers drop themselves into a environment and have no idea to some extent what they are doing.  I believe, its time for everyone to stop, and consider their characters roleplay history.  In short it doesn't really matter if you make it up, get someone else to help you fabricate it, or wing it, but you should, have at least a beginning to it, so it can be built on as you travel through the roleplay environment.  This of course works regardless of what community, or theme your apart of.

One of my goals, over the years has been, to require of slaves to formulate their history, where did they come from, where they bred to be a slave, where they a free woman of fabulous wealth, where they a peasant girl, or a daughter sold to cover family debts.  Your imagination, and the books are your only limits.  John Norman's books on Gor are your guidelines, your imagination, takes you from there, who are you real life?  Who do you wish you were?  Do you want to be something different, or do you wish to mix who you are now, with who you might be if you where dropped on Gor?

Sit down, and summarize who you are, then, if you know the books,  you can formulate who you might be on Gor, make small adjustments for the society and its rules, how you might have been treated, or might have treated others.  Would you have had more patience, or less patience, would you have been enslaved into debt service, or would you be a noble warrior, who is on the front lines with many memories of brothers lost in battle.

Are you a peasant, who watches from afar, while men of noble birth battle in your fields, destroying your crop, defending only your homestead, and family from those who wander from the battlefield.  Are you a man, or woman transplanted from earth, to find your fortune, your future on Gor.

In my ten plus years, sadly I have only come across a very select few who have taken the challenge to heart, and been able to create a cohesive storyline which flowed, and indeed, allowed you to escape into the honest, and in depth journey.

If in doubt, find someone in one of the groups, to help with putting together your character.  Use some dice to randomize some facts if you need to, put some things to chance, and then build upon that.  I'd love to see what some of you might come up with, and see it role played to its richest.

There is however one other thing I see, sadly, in day to day Gor, that makes me wonder, if we will ever be able to truly enjoy a rich, diverse environment inside the virtual world of cyberspace, and this doesn't matter if its Second Life, irc, telnet chat, or any other 'virtual world' construct that might exist out there.

When your role playing, or in a role play environment, leave Real life behind, and unless your STORY involves a history that would include EARTH, then you should, in my opinion, leave it behind.  It does little to advance your storyline, or the role play you are attempting to create.  It does however, put people on edge, especially those who have read the books in depth and are trying to recreate a role play environment based on them.  You need to be able to suspend reality, to suspend your real life, earth based beliefs. Not completely but enough to realize, and role play effectively with enjoyment.

A second thing I find disturbing, is the never ending need to 'add on'.  I have seen the requests 'seeking daughter', 'seeking companion', 'seeking father' and so on, and so on.  I hope, that these people are doing at the very least what I did, when someone asked if they might become 'family' to me.

I literally make these people jump through hoops, see what I wrote above?  Yea, that's right, that's a NECESSITY for them. You best HOPE you can come up with some sort of storyline, showing our paths crossed, or met, or intersected to some degree to cause you to exist and mean something to me.

My sister, Anthea, had to create a storyline, telling about our childhood, and how we got seperated, sure, this was cheating a bit, it helped ME fill in blanks, and consider for a moment, that not EVERYTHING should be under your control.  Anthea, having created a storyline of value, and something I found creative enough, filled in some of my history, some of my culture, that she was allowed in.

My daughter, Sylvia, had to create a storyline.  I shared with her some small details, surrounding a possible 'history' for her character, and through discussion, I assisted her in creating something that fit with my previous roleplay.  Something that felt right, and something that would give her an understanding for how Gor worked.  Something I would feel good about, when it was introduced into roleplay.

My companion, everyone that decided they wanted to try to connect to her, as family, I required of them the same thing.  With my companion taking time out for real life, it enables a deeper storyline to continue, and develop as opportunities arise.

Take some time, take some care, and do yourself a favour, require of yourself a storyline, require of those around you a fulfilling storyline.  Free, or slave, man or woman, require it of everyone.  Make sure they know, and understand the extreme environment of Gor that we role play in.  Use the opportunity to mentor, and enhance our Gor.

Are you a 'Retired Gorean' ?

Don't bother me, Im retired.

Wait, what?

You do realize your doing the community a major disservice, right?

If you're truely retired, then you have no right to complain about how Gor used to be. You have no right to wax poetic for how things where, and how things will never be that way again.

Do you know why?

You just became part of the problem.

I've come across a few 'retired Goreans' in the last few years.

In fact, when I first came to Gor, back in 2000(ish) I heard stories about how the 'old Goreans' did things online, and how they have 'left' cause of how things are 'now'.

My first Gorean chat? A spod, talker, Moo, or whatever you wish to call it. I learned about how some of the old style Goreans used to keep the standards up, how things used to be, how things became so bad after they disappeared.

Fast forward, IRC.

Again more of the same, with how I wanted to explore the depths of Gor, I found that I would be regaled more, and more with old stories of the 'Old Gorean' and how I would have fit so well in with them. 'Where are they now' I'd ask. The answer I always got was pretty much the same 'left Gor' 'retired' 'just stopped showing up'. These people, these pioneers who came 'before' while some passed away, the vast majority just got tired of trying, I am sure, in mentoring the 'new gorean'. To be fair, that can be a hard task, that can be a job one can experience heavy burn out from, especially seeing todays community.

I did luck out, a couple of the 'old Goreans' where still around. This presented a challenge to me, as the way they acted, the way they presented themselves, was drastically different from what seemed 'common'. Even to the point of almost a bad taste in my own mouth. Was it me? or them? and which 'them' ?

Fast Forward, Second Life.

I feel like Im living a bad reboot of a tv sitcom. Almost worst then trying to relive my childhood cartoons, where things ever this bad? Really, where they?

I see, almost on a daily basis, people give up on Gor, new individuals, as well as old, the old Goreans are especially high on the burn out list. I know, cause I've felt it myself. However the more we leave 'Gor' to the vast masses that come flooding in, without trying to mentor, to guide, to assist those who are coming in to explore **OUR WORLD** as it was created by JOHN NORMAN, the more we are to blame.

Yes, thats right, every OLD GOREAN who leaves Gor to its own devices, in online ROLEPLAY community, is to blame for the state of how things are. EVERY OLD GOREAN who says they are retired, and are there only to be in contact with old friends, each one hurts the current roleplay community a little bit more.

Sure, some of the old Goreans will argue 'Im not roleplay, Im lifestyle'. It doesnt matter in my view, whether your roleplay, or lifestyle, you have something to contribute. Every lifestyle is a roleplay in some fashion, and being a lifestyle Gorean, while you can-not practice everything practical wise, you do bring a new fresh perspective to those who are new to the idea.

I challenge you. It doesnt matter if your character 'dies' or just gets 'tired'. I caution you. If your not partaking in 'Gor' but still 'hanging around' or 'moving on' to 'greener pastures' then your doing nothing to improve the situation with Gor, your doing more harm then good.

Stick around, mentor, guide, show the young whipper snaps WHY Gor is sooooo Great, show them WHAT makes it sooo Great.