The Tribes of SL

It's human nature to want to gather together with others. To feel part of something bigger. To belong. As with most things, this form of real life human interaction can be seen in
too. Only whereas in
, people wear a badge, or a necklace or T-shirt to show they allegiance, in Secondlife everything is a little bigger and flamboyant. Below are some brief explanations as to the origins and traits of four of the biggest groups in SL:

Goreans

Goreans are role-players, basing their inworld role play on the “Chronicles of Gor” books by John Norman the pen-name of Dr. John Lange, a professor of Philosophy and a classical scholar. They tend to dress in the style of ancient cultures, such as Romans and Greeks. The term Gor, refers to the fictional world that the books are placed in, and the reason for these stylings and style of the people, is that the people were brought from earth by space-craft through the behind the scenes rulers of Gor, the Priest-Kings, an extra-terrestrial species insect-like in appearance. Goreans adhere very strictly to the codes of conduct set out in the books (where men are largely masters and women are mostly slaves), and also try to make their SIMs as true to the worlds of the books as they can. Because of this, they are largely unaccepting of any SL residents who are styled in such a way that does not fit with that. Non-human, futuristic, and sometimes plain clothed avatars are not welcome. This obviously can create frictions between the communities, along with many people’s objection to the male/female relationships within the Gorean system. For more on the social relationships of Gor, read my previous article here (http://sl-newspaper-pnw.blogspot.com/2007/04/gor-whats-that-all-about-then.html)Furries

Furries is the term used to describe those who have styled their avatars into anthropomorphic animal characters. These avatars have less to do with wanting to be animals, and more to do with wanting to be like other anthropomorphic characters in popular culture, such as the Warner Bros Looney Toons, or the Disney characters (although the origins of these fictional characters can be traced right back to ancient Egypt). It should be noted that although the inspiration for these forms come from largely children’s fiction, the SL take on them can take a much more adult perspective. And because of the fact sex is never shown in the source material, there is an element of “anything goes” when furries get it on (e.g. a cat furry with 6 breasts, a vaginal and two studded penises, for example). The most common furry form is the fox type, but there are various animal types, most based on the small cute animals (i.e. cats, rabbits, dogs, mice…). Furries have no over-riding philosophy, as turn up in all aspects of SL culture, leading to furry Jedi’s, furry vampires (largely bat-types) and even furries who get involved in relationships with Goreans, even though they are not welcome in the Gor Sims. There is also a rapidly growing offshoot of the Furry family, known as the Tiny. These are basically Furries, only smaller, resembling either Furry children, or SD (Superdeformed) anime character style Furries.

Nekos

Nekos are inspired by Japanese anime characters, and the term is short for nekomimi (which literally translates as "cat ears"). Nekos usually have minimal feline characteristics, such as eyes with vertical pupils, tails, and ears (with different color ear-fur than their hair). Some have furry and/or fur patterned skin, and occasionally feline hands and claws. The majority of Nekos tend to be female, which makes sense, as the anime characters are pretty much exclusively “catgirls”, but there are a growing number of male nekos in SL. Neko’s differ from Furries largely because of the fact that they still have humanoid heads, rather than the large animal heads on human bodies that you see on furries. However, as the Neko is somewhere between normal human, and the animal based furry, it is common that the girlfriends of many furries who do not want to give up their humanoid avatars will adapt themselves into Nekos, to feel closer to their partner, while staying true to themselves.

Vampires

Probably the most widely known of the tribe types to have entered into SL, vampires are beings (largely human, with pale skin and fangs) who feed on the blood of others, live in darkness due to a vulnerability to light, hate crosses, and can be killed by beheading or a stake thought the heart. Vampires have been made famous through various books and films, such as Dracula, and the books of Anne Rice. In SL, there is a wide variety of vampires, from the traditional Dracula-esque vamp, complete in 19th century clothing (who can be found in the Transylvania SIM), to a much more modern urban take on vampires (as can be found in the City of Lost Angels). Amongst the vampires in SL, there is one group more widespread that any other: The Malkavians. These take their inspiration from the Malkavian vampire clan, from the books and role-playing games of “Vampire: The Masquerade” (by White Wolf Game Studios). As with all the vampire clans in the World of Darkness setting, Malkavians suffer from a specific flaw. In the case of the Malks, they are connected to every other Malkavian by a hive mind, through which their deceased founder, Malkav, also speaks, giving them countless minds in each vampire’s head, making each vampire insane. Many Malkavians in Secondlife do not roleplay this insanity, and yet still call themselves Malkavian, acknowledging the inspiration for their desire to roleplay as vampires inworld.

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