Thank you all for answering the questions ... I learned a lot ... Thank You !

I hope my questions weren't judgemental as they were just my way of trying to learn more about Gor and it's ways.

I love Laura ... and it is a great adventure to be a kajira ...

Raven

To clarify my previous post, I was speaking in general about the entire course of events for this scene and scenario. I'm not and didn't mention any names, I'm just presenting a general impression of the whole affair. Some people did great, some people didn't, and some people are upset. My post was about that.

As for why my character has instructed his slave not to serve someone, that's entirely IC. Rather than leap to an OOC conclusion for this, especially in the first instance and without investigation or prior roleplay, it would be nice if people addressed this IC in-world. There are reasons for the action that was taken. All of them are IC, and based on what and who my character is. That's the proper arena in which to address this.

In regard to protectors for slaves, I'm fully aware that's an onlinism. I'll not get Markos started on that one, though. But I will say that it would be nice if people didn't assume that retaining or using them isn't because they don't know better, but because they do so knowingly and with reason. In fact, it would be nice if people were less judgmental and more helpful, as a general rule. Second Life Gor is rife with debates that end up like this. Let's all work together to make Laura better than that.

Ah, here is the fun part about slaves though. You are her master, and if you order her not to serve someone, that's great. If you are not nearby though, and that someone orders them to serve, they have a choice to make. Get punished now, or get punished later. A slave is to obey ALL free.

If you tell her not to serve me, for instance, and I see her sitting in the square and tell her to go fetch me something, if she refuses, I am going to punish her. If she does it for me, you are going to punish her. It is, I suppose, one of the most difficult parts of being a slave.

And, just as a theoretical, what happens if she refuses the serve, and I whip her, and she still refuses the serve, and in a fit of rage at her defiance, I throw her off the pavilion to the tharlarions? I now owe you a tarn disk or something in recompense, and that's it. Now her decision becomes die by my hand, or be punished by you. Quite the quandary, no?

I agree though that we are all adults here, and no one needs to have their head explode over this. It was an issue that was addressed and dealt with. I have no doubt these incidents will crop up from time to time. We have some of the best RPers I have ever seen in Laura, and the really good RPers also tend to be the emotional RPers. They also tend to be invested in their RP, to the point that they have serious problems with anyone they feel 'cheapens" it. But we are Laurans, we are better than that, and we will perservere.

/me takes a deep breath.

I just want to say:

1) I apologize if I personally have been lacking in any way but beg you all to remember that Laura is currently the LARGEST Gorean city in SL, and with extremely limited staff and a RL too, we are doing the best we can.

2) I support Sage's decision, and I would have done the same.

3) I am very, very proud of my city.

Now.......

Quote:

As a fully trained healing slave for in Gor's time, over a year, *could* I perform some minor surgery. Possibly. Would I do it? It depends. If a slave laid on the table before me dying no I would not. If some random free person laid on the table before me dying, no I would not. If someone I consider very close to me laid on that table, Anya, Ari, Sage for example I have to put some serious thought into the matter and decided if my Mistress would prefer me to retain my life or theirs. Now if my Mistress or Gavin laid on the table before me, know this, yes I would do all I could to save them. Even if that meant surgery. But doing this I would know FULL well that within minutes of doing so I wil be killed. I would be making that choice to save my owners life as hers is FAR more important that I, a meager slave. So with all that said should you ever touch something like a scalpel to cut an arrow out? I say it depends but YOU MUST know the consequence of your actions.

/me cheers!

As Markos identified in his earlier restricted-from-serving-you quandary.... due to their obligation to be pleasing to all Free, and due to the unlikelihood of all Free to agree on what is pleasing, slaves are likely to be put into sticky situations on a semi-regular basis. Sometimes those will be life-or-death, gut-wrenching decisions. Gosh, isn't that exciting??

As I said last night to another, as the owner of a private slave I could order mine to refuse to kneel to any Free, drink paga in public, wear Robes of Concealment and perform surgery in my absence. But it would violate the social laws of the Gorean environment, and if I was not personally there to enforce and protect (actually, not me, I'm a woman, pretend I'm a man for a second)... what Free would tolerate a slave acting thusly?

Maddison (whom I do know and like quite a lot ooc, FYI) acted in a way which threatens my standing and my worth as a FW when she chose to practice as though she was a member of my Caste. ICly I am horribly offended by such an uppity slave. She would have been killed as an example to other slaves who forget their place.

Now, ICly you might be a brilliant surgeon transplanted from Earth. You might even really enjoy medical roleplay. But you do not get to roleplay as a Physician, just like you do not get to roleplay as a Warrior if we are suddenly raided and you do not get to roleplay as a Magistrate if a sudden issue arises. It is a limitation of your role, which you accepted when you chose that role. Much like I cannot put on silks, dance on tabletops and flirt shamelessly with men - that is a limitation I accepted when I chose my role. In Gor, you just don't get to have your cake and eat it, too.

To me, being a slave's protector isn't about protecting a slave from being a slave, but rather being someone who is trusted enough by a fellow free person to able to properly look after their pet. There're only a few people I would trust my dog with, for example. For those trusted, I would expect them to look after my dog when I'm not there. If my dog tears up their carpet, I would expect them to spank it. If my dog escapes from them, I would expect them to get it back. If someone stole my dog from them, I would expect them to call the police. But the dog is still treated like a dog, because it is a dog! Likewise, the slave I protect is still treated like a slave. My dog doesn't suddenly become the master of the house, have pizza and beers and watch TV, while the protectors and owners pee outside in the garden. You follow? Likewise, my slave isn't a princess, and my slave's player knows this well. That said, if I didn't like the player, I'd have never had her playing my slave. I hope that makes sense and is clear.

As for the issue on what someone will do to my slave if she refuses to serve them, I fully expect them to punish her for it. In this case, she is not to serve one particular person. A person who, I have been told IC, didn't punish a slave personally before. To catch a mouse, you put down cheese. See where I'm going with this? And yes, I'm well aware that a mousetrap can't target a specific mouse in a mouse infestation. But you can't make an omelet without braking a few eggs. If I need to go through this in intimate detail, I will. But I'd rather see it played out IC, where the whole thing was meant to stay. And I'd also have preferred the second-guessing to have been done there as well, because I'm fast running out of analogies.

pfft, analogy slacker