Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Outlaw Life, (Yet More) Thoughts Gor

Tele resigned Sais, his former city, and went looking for what is called a GE, Gorean Evolved, or NON BTB Gor. A friend recommended an outlaw sim, I found a very old and good friend there in an alt, and for now it looks like that is my rp life. Tele used to hate, despise Outlaws; now he is beginning to see the wisdom in it.

For one thing, the GE sims raid all day long. Almost too much, really, but still: raids and rescues, back and forth, every day. I like the extra fun. Also, they seem less serious so far about all things Gorean. There are many women fighters, even the slaves can wield a frying pan or blow dart or slingshot whenever they feel like it. These sims are about equality and fun.

The group I joined, Ghost, is huge. The raids I've been on so far have been massacres, Ghost moving in with huge numbers and taking everyone down by the numbers. I don't know if they keep fighter ratios in GE, hope so, but so far it has been easy. This is good for me as my 3.5 year old vid card lags pretty good in those massive combats.

Now, a few thoughts on Gor to wrap up: maybe I am repeating myself.

***

I respect those who want "BTB" or "By the Book" Gor. But a few things must be said. The Gorean books are a blend of John Carter romanticism (big he men and lovely ladies in distress) and bdsm. I know women and men who enjoy the Gorean fantasies in the novels. This is fine. I liked John Carter when I was a teenager myself. But the books are meant to be enjoyed. The problem with sl Gor is it results in a repressive chauvinism in my opinion, or can. The fact that slaves have no rights in the novels turns on submissive (and I guess dom) readers; the fact that slave role players in sl Gor have no rights, or can have no rights, is simply ridiculous. The entire female gender, objects of desire and willing submission in the novels, are often subjugated in SL Gor and that marginalization is defended as "by the books."

When I first joined SL Gor (all about playing in the Arena in those days) I wondered to myself: I am a living Stanford Prison Experiment. Will I change how I act towards the "slaves" in the rp? For a long time, for years, I don't think I did. Recently, very recently, I believe I began to. Only a little, but a little is enough. I think of Mrs. Auld in Frederick Douglass' Narrative...

The fact is the fantasies of the novels cannot be directly transposed into SL or RL on a sim wide scale without issues. As someone long ago said to me: the books are not about real feelings. I agree. They are far from psychologically realistic (raped women, hauled off in conquest, do not beg for more sex, etc.) So moving that fantasy into a world full of ACTUAL PEOPLE role playing through avatars is bound to have some complications. For me, the GE sims, at least so far, seem to work much better, are much less rigid, less formal...simply outside Gorean "law." And I love all the Emma Peel looking ass kicking women.

I never ever though I'd go outlaw, but here I go. When I have time that is! My career will pick up again soon and I will have little time.

Oh, someone asked to be my mother today in the GE rp, make me one of her twins or triplets or something. She said I can begin as a grown up with the entire back story I already have...I said cool :) Kind of an honor to bring me into Ghost with that much connection.

Love to all. I would spend more time writing about Gor but I don't think it would change a bloody thing. In the meantime, I hope everyone engages in rp that they find fun, constructive, enjoyable, not distressing or demeaning.

Love to all. We an surely use it.

Tele