The characters I usually play in school scenes tend to be harsh but fair. Yet that most certainly wasn’t the case when EJ and I ‘christened’ the study in our new place with a school roleplay shortly after moving in. The events that unfolded followed on from a scene she’d played a few days before, in which her character, Emily, had been treated unreasonably severely by the prefect for whom she was fagging.
She’d been sent to her housemaster for being up after lights-out. Her excuse? That she’d wanted a bath, but hadn’t been able to take one earlier as she’d been too busy cleaning the prefect’s study to his over-exacting standards. I was unsympathetic: girls knew that being up too late was a caneable offence, and I wasn’t willing to make an exception. Six hard strokes, stoically taken, duly followed.
Emily, however, wanted – needed – to protest. She outlined some of the methods he was using, the beatings he was administering. Being caned by me was par for the unfair course at the school, given the mistreatment that Groves, the prefect, was doling out.
Did she get a sympathetic ear? I confess not. I was outraged – the fagging system was long-established; Groves was an excellent chap; girls like her needed to learn to respect authority and accept discipline where it was deemed due. I made her bend over the desk again; caned her hard, repeatedly, before sending her (defiantly) on her way.
Now, that was how the scene needed to work. And work it did: we both played our parts with aplomb. And yet I felt a deep-down unease all the way through: realistically, my character was being unfair; she had a valid case; her housemaster ought to have intervened rather than punishing her further.
It was a strange place to be – beating a girl who didn’t deserve it, and who was forthright and articulate in making that clear. Not being cruel to be kind: just being cruel. It was a different play mindset than I’m used to in that context- and one I’m rather looking forward to revisiting!
I just love this blog
II think the backtalking made it deserved. After a spanking naughty girls should act respectful of the punishment….whether it was truly deserved or not. If you CONTINUE to argue further another spanking is required. And if she went “defiantly” back to her room she should’ve been followed in their and bent over your knee, then sent to bed! 😉 😉 then again in MY caseits always deserved so my arguments are mostl
Whether the punishment was fair or not by the standards of a school where being up after lights-out is a caning offense is arguable.
What’s more interesting in this scene that it was not perceived as fair by Emily. It is hard enough to take a caning well when you can tell yourself “I deserve this”. It takes a heroine to take it stoically when she feels being treated unfairly. Still protesting afterwards was obviously not a smart move, but it was heroic: nothing in it for her except more pain and the knowledge that she had taken a stand in the face of injustice. Since the account is written from the teacher’s angle, we do not know whether she had a sense of that heroism or whether she just felt resentful or bitter as she walked a way defiantly. She certainly will not know about small victory she achieved inside her defeat by giving her housemaster a “deep-down unease” behind his outrage.
While “harsh but fair” punishment is captivating enough, the emotions that come with the real or perceived unfairness of a harsh punishment are at least as thought-provoking. It is rare enough to see them explored in fiction and fascinating to seem them explored in a roleplay where the pain and maybe the emotions are real enough. I’m impressed.
P.S.: Speaking of school stories, the link for the “Lowewood Academy” does not work. Is it gone or has it moved elsewhere?
Gone:(
Thanks Macy, :(indeed.