Administrating Gor

Second life Gor.

Its a huge beast, you might compare it to turning a thalarion around, compared to a urt, or even a kaiila.  You can not change its direction easily, its a huge behemoth that just keeps going and runs over anyone who decides its direction is not right, that something needs to be changed.

So much so that some beautiful builds of Second Life Gor,  From Ar, to the more recent Thermae, to other builds such as incarnations of Cos, Tyros, Treve, even my old home Verr Fjord where I administered on behalf of Lyndal Homewood, they get cut down before their time.  They end up a distant memory until someone tries again, or tries something new.

Each and every one of us, who visit, or choose to live in a town, paid for by the generousity of others, need to pause, and take stock of our own contributions.  The least each and everyone of us can do, is determine to give the best possible role play that we can find within ourselves.

While I write this, the Jarl of Thermae has released notices to his group, about the sims closure, I stand here talking to him about the difficulties he has experienced, and to be honest, I know something about some of these, as I myself administrated Verr Fjord for nearly two years.

There will always be troubles from an administrative angle, you will always have at least a couple who make a circus out of how things are handled, or tended to, there will always be one, or two who will take exception to some act, large, or small by another, just for the sake of creating drama, and creating hardship for someone else.  You would think, that if its just one, or two difficult citizens, or visitors, the administration of a town, or camp should not be such a huge issue, it should not take alot of time out of the administrators hands, you would think that they would be able to be out, and about, enjoying their sim, taking part in roleplay, instead of 'putting out fires' or dealing with drama.

I was relatively lucky I guess, back when I administered Verr Fjord, I had a sim owner, who simply handed me the town reigns and said 'go with it'.  Of course, my name itself might have had a large part to play in that decision,  he wanted to fade to the background, and enjoy himself, he needed time away, which we all get from time to time, where second life events, storylines, drama can just get to much for each of us.  The story can just as easily be a polar opposite for another.  Especially if the sim owner himself administers the town.

When I come to Gor, I come to roleplay, yes, those who know me, know that I push lines, lines blur, and yes, I do bring a huge part of who I am in real life, to the role I take on within the Second Life grid we use to reconstruct John Normans Gor.  I take pride in knowing what I know from the books, a knowledge that while its far from perfect, is well earned, and hard LEARNED.

I also do something else when I come into Gor, and that applies every time I open a second life group, every time I open a IM, every time I step on a sim to roleplay.  I do a fact check on myself, every interaction, every word I say, its carefully measured against ONE standard.  That standard is the collection of John Normans Gor novels.

I suspend the truth we all know, that exists on earth, in how I was raised, to some extent, I align myself in the heritage of what is found in the culture, and ramblings of John Norman's Gor.  

Settlements like Thermae, like Tyros, like, well, each and every sim anyone has ever tried to build, have to survive not only financial burden, and the burdens that real life puts on us.  The time we spend in secondlife, should be enjoyable, should allow us to escape the pressures of our first lives, and explore, escape into something while fictional, and recreational, but perhaps even much more enjoyable.

The largest problem, it seems, that most of these sims, these settlements have to battle however, is something far different from financial.  Its far far worse.

Drama

Thats right, Drama, and its not even the good kind, that is roleplayed, and allows everyone to play off of each other for their own enjoyment.

I have seen this in person, however I was relatively lucky with the people that frequented Verr Fjord.  Turn that around however after I left, and in another settlement, another sim, different people, and suddenly I can see a bit more clearly why a city can be the best build in Second Life, it can be low lag, it can be perfect, and yet, when you add people, when you add the very life of a town to it, you risk destroying the hopes and dreams of what could have been.

In the end all it takes is one, one person, one role player, to destroy it.  Do you know your role?  Do you know how your character, played, would react? would grow?  would evolve?  Do you take what would be natural, as per the books, and integrate that into who you are when you put on your character inside Gor?  if you don't you would probly do alot of people, a huge favour by either not staying long, or staying out entirely.  Don't get me wrong, you'll most likely be welcomed.  You will likely be invited, you will get some roleplay, they will try to guide you, as long as you can be guided, and helped.

However.

What truely destroys these sims, these cities, is the fact that the drama queens, and kings of second life, they come in, they integrate themselves into a sim, to be part of it, either on an occassional basis, or as a key role basis, and then they take exception to an event, or a small bit of roleplay, or they toss a hard worked storyline in the garbage because they cant give up the least bit of control over their roleplay.  Every person who enters these chat areas, these roleplay areas, and it goes the same for second life, irc, or any other environment used to replicate, reproduce what we desire to roleplay in, needs to know how much damage they risk imparting on the community as a whole when they suddenly break from story, from culture, from what their role would be.

The problem is in Second life the financial strain is higher, and so when it comes down to a decision, a sim ends up being lost.

I can not stress how badly, its needed for each and everyone of us to throw down, and be what we came here, Gor, albeit Second Life Gor, to be.  Don't get hung up on the legalities, dont get hung up on the technicals, do not get hung up on every small detail, the books are varied for a reason, the books stretch over a huge mass of time, and across vast distances, so unless there is something in the books, that says something is 'unlikely' or 'did not happen', dont restrict your roleplay by it.

Remember, the strength of the sword shall set your limits; It also would not hurt, to let your sim owner, or sim administrator know, how much you appreciate them, and lend them your loyalty, they might have earned it.  Just a little.

Wind and Steel.

Random Thoughts, Real life vs Fantasy of Gor

This post, I dont think will be to long.  Some things came to thought last night, and the night before, and it seems to be a recurring theme among us.

To many, far to many mix real life expectations with the online fantasy.

Do not get me wrong, it is possible, its even probable some will do so successfully, but to rush headlong into such a relationship between a Master, and slave, is a thousand times more questionable then it is for a vanilla relationship.  You have so many more levels to work through, trust being only but ONE of those.

There must be clear, precise, and defined lines that seperate our real lives, and that of the roleplay life within Second Life, or, other online community forum.  Have you set yours?  Have you sat down and decided what lines are permissible to 'muddy' and what lines are strict 'no go' lines?  If you have not, then when you start role playing, then you will quickly find out how fast those lines can merge, and cross over.

In my view, this is one of the most common reasons drama is introduced into roleplay.  We as humans, in roleplay, or out of, invest feelings to some extent in each other, love, hate, among others creep in, if we do not keep them in check, they will slowly create issues between us, and can drive us, as Goreans, as HUMANS with a common interest, apart. As much as some might enjoy seeing us driven apart, through unnescessary drama, it is not something that helps the community, it harms it, it harms every sim, every city, every camp, every attempt to create a decent, recreated Gorean environment that anyone ever attempts to place on the Second Life grid.

We need to draw together.  One of the MANY steps we need to start with is defining such things as our lines, those lines we might cross, and those lines we will not cross.  Everyone, you, me, the she-urt on your docks has them.

Some of the conditions I place on the slaves, upon my chain, are really very simple.

• You will not cam without my permission
• You will not voice without my permission
• You will not telephone without my permission
• You will not share real life details or contact information without my permission.
• You will not cross any part of gorean roleplay into real life, without my 'permission'.
• You are up for sale, rent, lease, or trade, any roleplay, or act that will help enhance your feeling of 'slavery' within the roleplay environment.  
• You will not make real life purchases, for any man, or master or person without my permission.  Especially if it puts your real life financial position at risk

Now, do they really need my permission?  Of course not, however they wouldn't be very good slaves if they did disregard them, these are put in place for their protection, most, understand this, and some, if not all of them seem relieved.  They know they are protected, they know that a line has been drawn for them.  That I would need to do this at all kinda makes me disappointed in the type of men, or boys that play at games in second life, especially in the gorean environments that we try to duplicate closely, and attempt to savour.

Do my commands, upon my chain slave, cross into real life? Maybe it does, Do my commands, cross a line, that you might argue have no place in a gorean roleplay environment?  I would argue, yes, you might be correct.  The problem lays in when I do not do this.  The problem lays in when one of the girls on my slave chain, are subject to use, unrestricted, to some of the 'less gorean' men in secondlife, who like to take advantage of the girls being so eager to be pleasing, and might fear being told, well you are not a slave if you dont obey; In fearing, being told, they will be known as a displeasing slave to others in SL-Gor.  This I can not tolerate, stomach, or allow with my girls.  You see, yes, I am jealous, I am protective, and I am very much angered by some of the stuff I see purported to be done 'in the name of Gor' or 'in the name of mastery' when its something very much different.

The next time you 'command' a slave, to give you something on my list above, those things that I restrict of my slaves.  Consider what your asking, consider carefully what your crossing into.

The only protection a slave has, on Gor, according to the books, is her owner, her Master, only he might save her from the perils of what she might find herself up against.  In exchange, she offers every bit of who she is.  Her body, mind, heart, and even her soul.  Then again, she has no choice, for she is his, and these girls, those on my chain, in my collar, are mine.

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.