You
must submit to supreme suffering in order to discover the completion of joy.
John
Calvin
It’s been a while since I’ve gone clubbing in the
BDSM scene in Second Life (SL). After an
earlier story on BDSM clubs, Marine Kelley, creator and developer of the RLV viewer and collar, had sent me a list
of new BDSM clubs to visit inworld on my next night out. So, I decided to check some of these out.
I check in with my naturist friend, Ilse Runo, to see
if she’d be interested in a night out and she agrees readily. (After our last escapade
together, I think she’s just curious to see what mayhem I cause next.)
Our first stop is the Heavy Bondage
Club. Ilse and I arrive in front of
a large building with a few residents about.
We’re standing next to an enclosure for pony play and stables are nearby. We enter the building and find various pieces
of BDSM devices scattered across the floor. A bar is in a far corner. Unfortunately, most of the devices appear to
require a collar to use (or is it enjoy?)
Since I don’t wear one, I can’t check out any. Ilse, on the other hand, rummages through her
inventory and finds a collar and begins to try some of the equipment. BDSM
artwork hangs on the walls.
We go downstairs to visit the dungeon and cells, finding
the usual offerings of restraints and bondage devices. Ilse doesn’t appear to like the cages. (Probably fearful that I’ll get us locked in
without a key.) A rubber room is available
for those who like that sort of thing. Several
couples are involved in their own private sessions and ignore as we pass
through. (Amazing people’s focus as they
go about their business oblivious to others around them, another intriguing aspect
of SL I believe.)
After wandering around for a bit, Ilse and I decide to move
onto our next destination, Bondage Ranch. We TP into a large arrival area dominated by
a map offering TP’s to just about every type of BDSM imaginable. This area overlooks a shopping mall dedicated
to BDSM.
Unfortunately, Ilse is now experiencing some pretty horrendous
lag and we have to make a quick decision to visit a shibari (Japanese rope bondage) sim to try and avoid
the problem. But Ilse’s lag problems
continue to deteriorate and we have to go back.
A quick discussion leads us to the conclusion that we have
to move on in hopes of finding a more receptive sim. Ilse and I TP to Dark Wishes.
Dark
Wishes meets my expectation of what a BDSM club/sim should be like.
A large, dark, brooding castle looms over the arrival zone
as we rezz in. A courtyard with various
pieces of BDSM equipment can be seen in front of us. Behind us, a small village, a harbor, and an
interesting looking pathway leads into a woods which seems to have promise. I do know that there is a maze inside the
castle.
Sadly, Ilse’s lag problems are getting worse. She is immobile (this is a technical issue
and not a bondage one) and has to leave and relog back in. By the time Ilse’s back, Real Life (RL)
commitments take her away again.
Ilse’s and my BDSM clubbing expedition brought us to
several interesting clubs.
Unfortunately, Ilse’s lag issues prevented us from seeing as much as we
wanted and checking out the sims’ features. Oddly, I didn’t experience anything
like the lag that she did. I’m still not
sure how Linden Lab (LL) is maintaining the grid but after this experience and
a recent gaff when the US set the clocks back for Daylight Savings Time (DST) and
the whole grid seemed to be knocked offline I think I’ve got an opportunity for
a story series on the quality of the resident experience inworld. Stay tuned for more.
I was able to make a
few observations from this brief trip.
First, there are many BDSM clubs/sims inworld offering a variety of
devices to enhance practitioners’ experiences.
Next, I’m not seeing communities in these clubs. I see individuals or couples but not the
group dynamic I’ve encountered in other journeys. In fairness, maybe I haven’t visited enough
or have arrived at the wrong times. Finally,
I haven’t seen many visitors which makes me wonder how long these sims may
remain open.
I’d like to thank Ilse for taking the time to join me on my
journey and her patience in enduring her lag issues to stay with me as long as
she did. I hope to see her with me on
future journeys.
Below are links to a few pictures from the sims we
visited. They give a sense of what they’re
like. But you really have to see and
experience them for yourselves.
As always, I’m grateful to
all for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was
passing through their lives.
I welcome feedback from
readers, please either comment on my blog or
e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com
.
If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.
If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.
Photo No. 1 Ilse
Runo
Photo No. 2 Heavy
Bondage Club Entrance
Photo No. 3 Heavy
Bondage Club Pony Play Area
Photo No. 4 Heavy
Bondage Club Dungeon Entrance
Photo No. 5 Heavy
Bondage Club Dungeon Cages
Photo No. 6 Bondage
Ranch Map
Photo No. 7 Bondage
Ranch – View from Arrival Area
Photo No. 8 Dark
Wishes Arrival Area
Photo No. 9 Dark
Wishes Village and Harbor
Photo No. 10 Dark
Wishes Castle Main Hall
Photo No. 11 Dark
Wishes Maze Entrance
Photo
No. 12 Dark
Wishes Covered Bridge into the Woods
3 comments:
There are "communities" within the BDSM world. I have seen discussion groups going, with twenty or more participants. And most of the BDSM clubs have a core of "regulars". Often such groups will get together for parties or events. But the actual *practice* of BDSM is a one-on-one (or one-on-few) activity. While people are actually engaged in this, they won't be found interacting socially with a larger group, even if they are members of one or more of them.
Lindal,
TYVM for your insights! They help me understand what I'm seeing as I go out.
Many thanks!
TC
web
Dark Wishes is one of my favourite places in SL. I've found that if you remain in the main castle room for long enough, you get to know the main players in that particularly community, although many people do TP in just to use the great equipment. The Pixie Trap is rather amusing for those with RLV activated. :D
That said, I am trapped in a RP at the moment [considering getting an alt] as my collar is locked and I am not an owner [foolish mistake - I didn't realise the settings until it was too late]. Makes me think back to Dark Wishes fondly though lol!
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