Well, first off let be be clear in what I'm NOT about to post....and that being about how slaves should act, or their masters, or how they should be treated by others. The following simply basics about society, slavery real life as it is so refined and established there truly are NO others ways it is done, slaves in TLI, and finally Stormbringers guideline discussion points.
Direct Master/Slave Interaction:None of the following aspects in this section apply to SB's discussion. Yet should be remembered before pertinent aspects are discussed.......
"How an owner interacts with their slave is 100% up to them, period.".....Past that however there are IC and OOC aspects relating to that that does not mean it is ignorred.
An owner may grovel at the slave's feet all day, may beat the slave to within an inch of its life, may lend it out to all "cummers", may never let it have any sex, etc.....ALL interaction between a slave and their owner IC is their business 100%..........The only aspect of that the two must remember however is that "IC another character may have very strong opinions to it"....yet that is just play, and such disagreements are what makes the game better. OOC other players may have their opinions on the subject....yet they are nothing more then that, opinions, take them or leave em for what you will...yet is nothing more.
However, think of master & slave interactions in r/l terms.....If someone is cruel to their dog, beats their dog, lets their dog hump everyones leg, lets their dog run wild, lets their dog crap on everyones lawn.....Well, the dog may be viewed as a bad dog....Yet in the end it is really a bad owner and everyone will see it as such and demand the owner get their dog under control. So a Masters control of their slave will determine the IC opinions of bothe the slave and owner....and OOC will inspire others to voice their opinions about acceptable IC behavior.
In Kind...If your dog r/l tries to hump my leg, I'm going to push it off. If it craps in my yard I'm going to chase it off. If it attacks me, I'm going to beat it till it stops. If it barks at me I'm going to tell it to be quiet, etc. etc........More so, I'm then going to confront you to get control of your dog....and if you don't do it, then simply to control my little bit of time and space then I will be it by my own hand, or via the authorities. Lastly, if I harm your dog, I risk that owners wrath. Might be via the police, might be them beatting the hell out of me.
In the end however........An owner is responsible for their dog/slave. They may do anything with their dog/slave they wish between them, yet each other person will have an opinion on it, and in some cases intervene or broach the subject with the owner even though it is just between them (like you see someone harming a dog).....Lastly, how your dog/slave interacts with the outside world will result in others either directly or through the authorities interacting and will tailor my responses to either the dog/slave or owner how "I" choose...so in kind risk their response to me.
Be it children, your pets, how you drive your car, keep up your yard, do your job, act as a neighbor......All of the above is simply how life works in a society......and there is no reasonable way to do it otherwise so to do different IC would simply be ridiculous..........Yet what you do with your slave for the most part is up to you, right to the point it affects me, or my sensibilities at which point IC my character will deal with it as they see fit, knowing their may be ramifications to come.
Basic Slavery Concepts:(all of the following are r/l, and pertain to real forced slavery (fs), or true BDSM master/slave relationships (m/s) none are based off of some RPG, book, ideal, etc.).
Though everyone may have their opinion as to how a master/slave relationship "should be", fact of the matter is it really boils down to some basic aspects that are so common they are the norm world wide, anything out of that vast sphere a very small minority either way.
People who own (fs) slaves do so in that they can 1. afford it, and 2. view other people as less then themselves. In fact, view most others as actually expendable, those forced into slavery even more so. The expense to purchase and maintain them MUCH LESS then buying a car, and therefor viewed as an "thing" of much less valuable and all that much more expendable. Be absolutly sure of this......Everyone who owns a (fs) slave real life is ultimately willing to kill that slave, and most make no bones about impressing that upon them constantly.......To that end, there is nothing they are not willing to inflict upon said slaves, as whether voiced or not they are considered less then "people".
People who own lifestyle choice slaves (m/s), do so because they can maintain that relationship be it through cost (housing them), time and the ability to explore it, whatever. The slave is also clearly there by their choice, and may be very willing to help bear that burdon seeking that life to extreme degrees (as I know (m/s) slaves that support their masters in very lavish lifestyles, and do so almost as part of that lifestyle "choice")........Choice is paramount there, each having chosen how they wish to live or interact. However, it may be with a single other, or it may be to all other people........To that end ALL aspects of the relationship are decided by both. Granted one may press for this aspect or that, yet in all cases it is a merging of the two's wants and needs. Finally, it is therefor obvious that a slave in such circumstances is NOT expendable (except by the most twisted), it is a relationship, a partnership.
In TLI we have both types, though clearly the lions share due to OOC consent, probably a good 99% are the later option (m/s) slaves...........However, that is NOT what slavery is in a world that allows it/has it. It is not a negotiation or up for discussion......The moment it is up for discussion it is now a matter of "choice", and the second it is a matter of choice no matter the reason be it to survive or to play then it is dictated to by the slave......Do NOT get me wrong, there are those r/l with (fs) that give people the choice of slavery or not with the clear understanding that once a slave all choice even to live is lost, and then make circumstances so absolutly unbearable and impossible it boils down to death or slavery. Yet if it is not (fs) with all that comes with it then it is (m/s) and a game of options.
(m/s) slavery by choice is NOT slavery......It is a game played by consenting adults no matter how thoroughly they live it.
(fs) is very real, and no matter how much this owner may love their slaves, treat them well, even pamper and baby them under it all is the aspect of expendability in that they are property. ALWAYS without exceptions......The slave will ALWAYS be less then all others, especially those free, and ALWAYS one of the more expendable things an owner has.
Slaves and Concubines:Slaves r/l are either (fs) or (m/s) above....No exceptions. Naturally here on the most basic levels they are all (m/s) due to ooc consent, yet when played they should be played as either (fs) or (m/s).
(fs) are slaves, the end, and subject to no choices ever with their owner, and being less then those free as even viewed deep down by their owner are and should be viewed as property, less then by all others free in a society that believes in such......They are equal to a cup, a horse, a knife, a shirt, perhaps even less then the value of the slave in "cost and expense" determining it's ranking with all other things that person owns.
(m/s) are concubines.....all aspects of the relationship determined and prearranged by the master and slave/concubine. They are people though owned. Protected and taken care of as one would any lover or family member yet within the "chosen" restrictions of the relationship.
There is no blending of the two.......
Stormbringers Guidelines:Stormbringer wrote:1. Owners have a lot of freedom in how they treat their slaves in public but there are limits.
An owner imltho can treat their slave how they want without restriction....It's their choice recognizing that they may be IC chastized for how they are doing so to match the IC characters concepts of slavery and the degree they would care.
Stormbringer wrote:2. Slaves are extremely limited in how they can behave in public when interacting with others
They may act however they want.......Realizing that an IC character may respond to whatever degree their character would without limitation. The IC character might yell, order them about, hit, even kill them....Knowing there may be IC ramifications from the IC master or authorities (ISA). More so, the slaves actions will directly reflect upon the owner, and how the IC character deals with them for having an out of control slave is up to that IC characters personality realizing their again may be ramifications, yet NOT from the ISA, only the laws of the land regarding interaction between two free peoples.
The trick there being....a slave needs to act to the standards accepted by all except the most extreme variances. So if the slave acts out of accepted norms (be it addressing those free, serving others, submitting to others whatever) then the slave and owner risk the vast possible ramifications above.
Past that I'll only say slaves need to remember that......consider the worst they may encounter, act to suit it, and let others soften the demands on a case by case basis.
Stormbringer wrote:3. An owner is equally responsible with his slave when that slave breaks the rules
The owner is MORE responsible, in fact the only one responsible (though ramifications may happen to the slave).....The slave will do what it does within the linitations set down by the owner. So it is a direct statement from the owner to all others as to his actions toward them.......The slave simply the tool, not the hand that wields it.
Stormbringer wrote:4. An established set of responses is defined by society towards slaves who break the rules and the owner who fails to train them properly.
An IC character should respond to slaves and their masters as they normally would......What that character should however have as a building block to that response would be that slavery is normal, slaves are a common part of the world, slaves are a mandatory way of life, and slaves are others property that the other may have more then a cold callus opinion of even caring for them like one might a pet and even more so in that they can interact unlike any dog or cat can.
So with that said, as individuals IC characters should respond to slaves to an equal degree they would free people, and very probably worse (where they would yell at a free person, might slap a slave or might not).
The government or powers at be should view slaves much like r/l it does dogs....People can have them and do with them what they will, it also expected that others will deal with them like a person might with anothers dog, yet in the end the government will have limits, and if a slave exceeds those limits will deal with the OWNER and perhaps also the slave.
However.......How an IC character deals with a slave or even anothers slave should be roughly how you would treat anothers property. At the very best how you would treat anothers pet. However, not anothers child, spouse, friend, etc.. The government/ISA should treat slave issues as though dealing with a matter of property, not a person, and that may mean ignorring it if minor (why should they care if a slave backtalks a free person, that for that person to take up with their owner), and in the most extreme cases severely punish the owner (fines, jail, revocation of rights to own a slave), even up to demanding that the ownership terminate (normally that would mean killing the slave, yet here in TLI i'd think revoking the ownership and possibly insisting the slave character and future characters no longer allowed to be slaves).
Summation:Well, that's a LOT of talk to say "do what you want". More so no doubt seeming hypocritical considering how I speak of slavery IC and play it out there..........Fact of the matter it is not, bear with me a tad longer.
First off, my characters culture is one where a slave is not only viewed as much less then one of the clan, even less then others who are free and not of the clan. A dog to the Hamr will be considered as more important and more respected, even a sword. As a slave proves its worth both in service, and in simply being able to endure (as the cruelty has a point), the slave will be regarded as even higher in station, even though a second class citizen, one of the community. Slaves can eventually even live as "almost free"....and at the very far end of the spectrum are the ONLY others that can become true clan members, in fact viewed as BETTER then those naturally born when they have proven they embrace Hamr ways.
All the harsh treatment is due and just in that the person has willfully given up their freedom, or is not fighting the enslavement. It is also done to make them tougher, stronger. Another IMPORTANT aspect is the Hamr believe a slave should NOT be pidgeon holed into serving a particular way, yet should find their place of greatest worth, on their own, and may even find in VERY rare cases a particular master to serve, yet for the most part are there to serve ALL people of the clan. Even if with a particular master, it is simply assumed they still serve all, and that master would infact see any reasonable actions taken against the slave (beatings, rape and so on) as helping them....as they are only a specific master to that slave because the slave cose to be with them.
To that end.....If Kaytoo will slap a free person for backtalking her...Why would she not someone who is less then in her view? In fact, why would she not do worse as in the end it helps that slave to be a better slave, and for right or wrong believes it helps them to become stonger...Hopefully strong enough that they will eventually be able to demand and take their freedom ONLY THEN becoming a person once more.
That is how my character deals with slaves, there is extensive written background on it......and naturally believes her way, the Hamr way, is the right way the civilized savages simply doing harm to slaves.
IMLTHO......Though it seems as though i'm simply saying "play how you want"....In reality I'm saying that but ALSO expect others to as well and if they conflict there will naturally be clashes.
So I believe slaves should act in a way that protects themselves, and their masters....If they do not the master should be harsh as it will come back on them 10x. I also believe masters here need to remember the mindset of the TLI world. Slaves are not lovers, pets, girlfriends, long paid servents there by choice. They are a thing, a commodity, an expendable that can be just as esily replaced by one that serves better and causes no problems for them......It still blows my mind OOC to see IC a master trying to convince a slave to be nice to them, as we have loads of "topping from the bottom".
That's actually natural. People "play" most often what they desire to be. Those submissive want to be dominant, and visa versa. The trouble is they're not playing the character, yet instead playing their own natural selves out in a character contrary to who they are..........PLAY the character! Not how you would be in that situation if it is contradictory.........If you want to play a slave, play a slave how you would want a slave to act toward you not you trapped as a slave.
If a slave backtalks a free person, just like if someones dog pees on anothers leg....Then the master should be appologizing, not backing it up. The master should prove out once and for all they are sorry their slave offended the masters "peer", prove they will take action to correct that activity, and do all they can to prove they are a responsible citizen and will do all they can to insure it won't happen again..............NOT be running around letting in fact encouraging your slave to do the wrong thing.
When a slave does the wrong thing the owner should be correcting it and insuring it won't happen again. More so, they should consider others free as peers, not less then their "thing/slave" property. It's a rediculous scenario we have had here for a long time, as people treat their slaves better then those of their community.
If a slave is being abused by an owner, the ISA should be contacted to determine if it is abuse. If a free person attacks and harms your slave, the ISA with the might of the IG and empire should be able to go after that free person just like would happen if say I burned anothers home down.
If you own a dog that bites you don't let him loose on the community to attack your neighbors. So why would a dangerous slave at risk of harming your neighbors through word or deed be loosed in the TLI community? If they run off, leash them. Backtalk, muzzle them......Get them trained and want them really protected? Then walk them through the community and introduce them to your neighbors as YOUR slave, and then point out to the slave which neighbors to avoid.
IC a slave and master can play absolutly any way they want...........Just know on a person by person basis just like r/l there will be consequences based on the OTHER free characters value set........So you should consider that and if wanting all to run smooth, then adjust those characters to suit what they will run into as if you plan for the worst, all the rest will praise your handling of your fine slave.
K2