The Role of "role play" in OWK sim

People come to Second Life for many reasons: escapism, entertainment, social networking, business, education and just plain fun are among these reasons. Those who come to OWK are no different but among all these different reasons remains one basic fact - there is a real person behind the avatar.

In OWK as in other BDSM themed sims people come together who are simply curious or "lifestylers" wanting to meet with like minded people and broaden their social network, or experienced role players who enjoy all types of character interaction, as well as those who find in SL the only opportunity to explore deeply felt fantasies of Dominance and submission; and of course sprinkled among all these are the pretenders and casual "it's just a video game" fly by nights.

With so many different needs and personalities coming together it is only natural there will be misunderstandings and upsets. Your own level of "reality" in your second life character is totally up to you. Perhaps you like to be exactly as you are in 1st life and happy to share your real name, voice and picture or at the other end of the scale you are keeping 1st life completely separate and are a mature family man playing a 22 year old slave girl. This is where understanding the role of "role play" helps us all. Role play allows these opposite ends of the scale to come together on an equal basis.

At OWK we follow some strict rules on male and Female status. Our inspiration is a place in the real world which is completely ruled by Dominant Women with the motto "Women over men" and the goal of getting as many males in slavery to Women as possible. Woman is unquestionably the superior being and a male is no more than a slave to Our wishes. The penalties for males (and females who desire slave status) who breach these principles and rules can be severe. Therefore, this is the theme of all role play on our sim.

We do not use meters or huds to track our "characters" but there are some general role play basics that are useful.

**Use "emotes" to indicate actions by typing /me at the beginning. Eg:
"/me drags the whip slowly across the slaves quivering buttocks before flicking the thick leather cord sharply across them.",
"/me bites into his gag to muffle the screams he can barely control, his eyes beg for mercy"

**Use double brackets to speak Out Of Character or OOC. Eg:
((brb somebody at the door)), ((I would love to continue but I need go to work, maybe we can meet later?))

**Use safewords. Eg:
((green)) I am loving this!, ((orange)) we need to slow things down, ((red!)) stop play so we can discuss the scene.

Social areas such as the Courtyard are often used for general chit-chat both Out Of Character and in character. However, generally it is expected that we speak in character in open chat and use IM for conversation of a more personal nature. Sometimes both types of interaction can be taking place between two people simultaneously. Sometimes Dommes who are friends greet and chat and are always in character because they don't keep 1st and 2nd life separate and therefore rarely use OOC while others will use a lot of emotes and some OOC. These social spaces can be confusing but it will help you if you keep the theme of the sim in mind, read AND follow the rules and be clear about communicating OOC when necessary.

Above all have fun, delve into your kinks in a safe, sane and consensual way and if in doubt seek the help of a staff member.