Pet Peeves

Bold, italicized or neon fonts. My computer mutilates these fonts for some reason and either I am forced to endure a headache or ignore. Guess which I choose?

Limited imagination. Any room that gives indication that it is outside (Gardens, Falls, etc) and people treat it as an 8x10 room, can overhear and see everything and everyone. Do yourself a favor, go to a large public park and try to listen to the conversation across the way. Then take a good look around and see what you can see. Can you see everyone? Can you hear every conversation clearly? It's impossible, which is precisely my point.

Panthers and taluna. Hunting, capturing and bearing weapons while wearing skins in any place other than the forest or jungle. Not happening. Public parks bear a city designation and guards would be the first ones to capture, strip and sell them. You made the character, now make a room called, "Northern Forests" or "Schendi Jungles."

Men that act anything but. For example, a man and his companion are idly passing the time in the falls. Along comes a barbarian man, the woman (wearing leathers) proceeds to capture, strip and force him to bathe in the lake. Then comments that the water must be cold after ogling his genitalia. Meanwhile, the man chuckles and sips his blackwine while continuing to call her varied terms of endearment. Yes, this really happened in the falls. Enough said.

Insta-slaves. Yes, gorean free women grew up exposed to slavery, were taught what they needed to know if they were ever captured, including the love dances of their cities. Does this mean that every free woman would embrace their captor with open arms and become the best damned slave on Gor without alot of work? No, probably not.

The use of english. Yes, barbarians were captured and brought to Gor. Yes, some people had to know english, but they were mainly slavers and physicians, not common every day people. Slaves were forced to learn the language and were not permitted their native tongue. They endure intensive training to break them of who they were.

Side note: Playing a barbarian character? Please, enough "crashed slaveships" already!

Blackwine. Find the quotes. It's rare and expensive. The general populace would not have access to it nor be able to afford it.

"Lazy slaves." The thoughts in the public rooms and comments about lazy slaves have grown to an all time extreme. Scroll back up, read the section on Imagination and consider for one minute that most of the slaves lounging about in the falls or wherever have spent the day in chores, serving, etc. They are permitted to relax if their masters allow it.

Sidenote: I know of no slave character that would not serve, if called by a free person. Take the time to look at a slave and call her to your feet. Most of us don't run for general calls knowing that your character is going to get swamped with three girls at once.

Tal and Greetings. They mean the same thing. It's redundant to use both. Also, the common call of "Tal, et al" is simply silly in public, although greeting in a smaller setting is more than acceptable. Seriously, do you walk into a park and call out to everyone in hearing distance "Hi, Earthlings!"? Thought not.

Sidenote: While some people cling to the idea that because certain characters do not run into the falls, screaming out greetings and begging to serve that they are ill trained, you might want to take a moment and consider who is actually more realistic. The character that would Have to scream to be heard by all, or the one that simply walks in, kneels and makes herself available to someone that called her specifically to serve?

"Tis, twas, ye, yea, nay, etc. ad nauseum" Nowhere in the books do they use what is considered "Old English." RhyDin would be more than happy to find you a corner in the Medieval Tavern if you prefer to have characters that speak in this manner.

"Mating" and "Claiming" "Claiming" and "mating," found all too regularly, are AOL'isms and nothing more. Goreans contracted for a free companion. They did not "life mate." This is not to say that most companionships did not last for a life time, but they were renewed on an annual basis.