I wonder...

...how people decide their character motivations.

I think most people create backgrounds and stories that help them shape and design their characters. I've done this on occasion: I have a general idea in my head and then I try to flesh it out with specific characteristics and tendencies that would result from that particular idea. I imagine most people do the same thing.

When roleplaying in Gor, I hear so many people say, "Well, my character is proud so she'd never do such and such." Or some guy will say, "My character's a real Gorean man and he'd refuse to take a collar out of principle. His sense of honor precludes him from doing that."

But...the interesting question is HOW does someone decide what characteristics naturally flow from that idea? What makes something natural as opposed to forced? How does someone connect a particular trait to particular actions? I can easily construct a scenario where it might sense for a Gorean man, even the most stereotypical by-the-codes Gorean Warrior, to submit completely and unstintingly to a woman. I can easily construct a situation where the most elite, proud, spoiled brat of a Free Woman would be so humbled beyond words that escape into a collar might be the most obvious solution for her. And yet...people might disagree with my assessments. So how do people draw the line between natural and unnatural reactions of their characters?

The reason this thought occurred to me dealt with the roleplay between one of my Gorean characters and a slave. I had a chance to converse with this person outside of roleplay for a while. She was commenting about how proud and spirited her character was, despite being a slave. She also mentioned that, at one point, there was a man who truly made her character understand her submission, but he disappeared from the roleplay universe...and because of that experience, her character is motivated to avoid giving away her heart again. It was very interesting to learn and I thought quite sensible. This person has thought about this situation enough to take concrete and identifiable traits to transform an idea into a genuine character.

By chance, our characters got to roleplay for a while. True to her initial explanation, her slave character was bratty, opinionated and irreverent to her station in life. So my character responded in ways I thought a Gorean man would respond: force her to recognize her reality. And not with long-winded speeches about how kajirae do this and act like that. It was quick, swift and brutal. Along the way, I tried to drop subtle hints and clues as to why my character was doing the things he was doing. He wasn't trying to devastate her character by attempting to kill her; it was a series of calculated actions and carefully constructed sentences in order to push her character into being what she's supposed to be: a submissive kajira. Or at least, what I understand a submissive kajira to be.

By the end of the scene, it was clear that the person roleplaying the kajira either completely missed all my hints and subtext, or flat out ignored it. Similarly, I also fear that I missed a lot of the hints and subtext (assuming she was sending them out) that she was giving out.

Some of the hints and subtext I tried to insert (there were more, but these were the two big ones):
*Trying to get the slave to stop using the words "I" and "beg." This is a standard crutch for slaves when they get into trouble. The first thing they say is, "I beg forgiveness." Now, while that's all well and good, I simply don't think that the right response for a true submissive. I think the better response is "I am sorry for displeasing you, Master." What's the difference between the two? The first one is inherently selfish- the tone and subject of the sentence make it all about the kajira and what she did. In the second sentence, the same message is sent but it creates a power dynamic: by being sorry, she is placing herself in an inferior position and the sentence is about the obligation that she owes him. While most slaves intuitively understand the concept of apologizing and why it's important, I don't think they ever really think about how to properly convey that sorrow. A slave is supposed to eat, live and breathe for others. Even apologies.

In this situation, the slave begged for her life. Again, that is the phrasing of a person that has not embraced her submission. Had she phrased it, "Spare me your mercy" or "I am nothing without you, Master," her answer would have been received much more favorably.

This may be too subtle and even a nitpicky thing...but I think it's important in properly conveying a submissive demeanor. A proper slave never thinks in terms of "I" or "me," but always in relation to those that are superior to her. The way she phrases things is a good measure to figure out whether she is actually submissive or just paying lip service to the concept.

*Constantly referring to her as a whore and a slut. Over and over again, the slave was referred to as a "worthless slut," "stupid whore," and on and on. I assume most people think that those are just attempts at insulting and degrading a person. That's very true. But it also serves a deeper purpose. Breaking someone for shits and giggles is generally a counterproductive idea. While every slave needs to be broken from her self-centered "Earth" perspective, the idea is that she's being broken so that she can be reconstituted to fully embrace her submissiveness. The breaking is a part of a process to create something new.

So...a beat down because someone mouthed off seems rather extreme and harsh. It really does nothing but emphasize that minor infractions result in extreme consequences. That's discouraging because it encourages the slave to do nothing...it's the only way she can ensure that she'll never get beaten. So if someone is going to resort to such an extreme measure, there needs to be a payoff.

Enter the constant stream of degrading insults like "whore" and "slut." Now, on Gor- these aren't necessarily bad words...but it's clear that in this particular context, they were. Moreover, I took great pains to use these words over and over. These weren't casual uses of a particular insult.

There's a basic concept of psychology on how people deal with failure. If someone is told that they suck over and over again, there's a good chance they will give up completely. But if someone is told that they can't accomplish a certain task, that person builds an incredible amount of will and determination to prove their doubter wrong. It's the seminal act of defiance that is deeply ingrained in every human. So, in this context, the kajira is not being sent the message that she sucks. The constant use of "worthless whore" is meant as a challenge to her: her existence and her worth hinges on the display and use of her body. If she can please men sexually, then she is NOT worthless. But if she cannot succeed in this area...truly, she is beyond worthless.

So the idea is to damage her psyche at the same time as giving her direction on how she can validate her existence. Breaking while building.

* * *

That's what prompted this blog post. Almost always, no one really ever understands the subtlety of those clues in roleplay. I don't blame them either- it's hard to pick up such meanings in a real-time interaction.

But to properly evolve a character, you have to have pretty much 100% understanding of their state of mind and motivations...even in the unconscious parts. On any given day, if I used these particular techniques and tricks on someone in RL, they would instantly respond to them...whether they were aware they were being manipulated or not. However, in SL and online environments, these tricks and methods, which are so vital to make characters into people, are pretty much useless.

There is no answer to this particular issue. There shouldn't be one. But it is interesting food for thought: how much can you really know about your character? How deeply are you thinking about what makes your character tick?

Blogroll

I don't have one. Then again, I don't really have a readership (still cruising at 2 hits a day) so I suppose having a blogroll is sort of a moot point.

That being said, I don't read many SL Gorean blogs. It's not that I don't want to...it's just that I don't actively search them out like I do my general interest blogs I read in my "normal" life.

If there are any interesting blogs or sites I should be reading relating to the Gorean experience, drop a note in the comments and/or e-mail and I'll make sure to look it over and add to a blogroll.