Manna Stoneshield

Tal and salutations Goreans! Now I guess you could say that every once in a while we strive for something a little more. So far my last two articles have been on relatively small players in the GE sims, but tonight I wanted to write about someone that most of you should either know of or at least heard of. If you don’t know her, you’ve never raided against or with Unknown where she hailed from for some time or Vestvagoy, or more currently Einar of Skerry and you really haven’t had a good fight. Tonight we’ll be showcasing Manna Stoneshield. That’s right the Blonde Devil herself, but after talking with her today your idea of her may change.

Manna Stoneshield

For some odd reason when I think of Manna this song comes to mind, it just seems like her kind of attitude and style. 

When I first approached Manna about being featured in my blog she wasn’t even sure why. It seemed to go right over her head that she  is a known name and character around the Northern GE Sims. She was quite humble about it and didn’t seem to realize how well known her name is. Manna has been terrorizing the inhabitants of Northern GE Gor for about two years now, having joined SL in June of 2010. Manna had been pretty lucky to simply fall into Gor after being shown by a friend. She doesn’t really have any other SL experience. Manna was introduced to the idea of Gor simply by the game having no prior knowledge of the books or lifestyle.

She actually joined Gor as a slave, as it seems more women do join the world of Gor as such, but she found after about a month that even though she has a submissive personality that the life of a slave was simply not what she wanted for her character. She was released and started her life over as a free woman of Gor. Manna went on to explain that “it takes a big man to bring [her] to [her] knees.”. I can see this being quite true considering Manna’s very strong yet feminine qualities. It is said that in the Gor books by John Norman that every female, especially the Free, have a slave inside, seeking to find their Master. To maintain the role of a Free Woman, many rules must be followed, adhering to all laws set down by men and holding to a high code of modesty and cold distant affection. The Free Womans life is one of serious business and deliberate shrewdness.

It was not surprising to have Manna describe just this when asked to talk about her character. Manna went on to list the main qualities she possess’ inside the game “knows her position as a free but more so as a women, is thankful for her freedom, living simple with basic needs and wants,  she works hard to make a life and she has come very far.” That being said it was not hard to see why the Blacksmith of Einar; Dorian Aesirfrayr (Maforis Resident) has been courting and seeking to claim the able woman.

When asked further about her roleplay Manna brought up the idea of Gor once being a place of good roleplay and had to say this; “Well I hear many speak of Old Gor…OLD GOR? I’m still new and don’t know what they are talking about but I try to keep it realistic. I’m not a super hero and try to place myself within the situation at hand.“. It’s easy to see that this would help make for appropriate reactions to different scenarios. In our world of continuous battle and striving for quality roleplay there are still those that still amaze me with overzealous, over the top skill sets and strengths. Perfect characters are no fun people, flaws make for interesting and colorful roleplay, please keep this in mind.

Manna, being the person she is, and being known has gained the reputation being be a bitch, a cheater, and a godmodder. When I asked her about these claims to the infamous titles she agreed that she was considered a bitch but being that she’d been a leader and a head figure for a few groups it’s not hard to see why. It is my personal opinion that any leader or anyone capable of being in charge has to make decisions based on whats best for the group, instead of just one person, and this sometimes leads to them being labeled as such. Like many other leaders Manna had to say this about groups in Gor; “ Things need to be run like a machine, you know? When one or two act out or not follow direction well I tend to get angry.” Sounds like we should take a note and treat group leaders like mechanics, they try to build something that works and a few snags can be a real pain in the ass.

Manna and I talked a little more about her opinion about cheating and godmodding “Well like I said before I try to keep things as realistic as possible. As for cheating, well its pretty sad if you need to cheat in a game like SL, you must be pretty desperate. The idea that I cheat is laughable; the people whom I have been in groups with or even lead can tell you I’m a stickler for the rules.” It is a pretty true statement. Manna has overruled her groups against their wishes to adhere to the rules, even losing raids and fights in order to maintain a fair and equal game for everyone.

In closing I always ask if there are any last words or bits of advice for my small circle of readers. Manna had this to say; “There are many people you will come upon in this game. Some stay a bit longer in your mind than others, some mold themselves around you and well  that alone is something I charish and bring to my RL. So kinda like many acquaintances but few friends; real friends…Hold those ones near.” Coming from someone almost everyone labels a bitch and blonde devil, she’s got a big heart and if you are lucky enough I bet she’s just nice enough to talk to and make a friend out of.

→I will now be taking recommendations for future HOODENIMO VIP’s. If you know someone interesting please send me an email or comment to hoodwink33@gmail.com or contact me inworld with Hoodwink Enimo.

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