RLV – Direct Communication

Welcome back, this’ll be a much shorter post (I hope).  I class Direct communication as:

• IM
• Notecards
• Photos (textures)

The reasons for restricting these methods of communication are varied, contextual and much more contentious.  Why are they contentious?  Well for many notecards, photos and especially IM are Out Of Character ((OOC)).  Except for very specific types of play, I concur with this view as I tend to play with an audience and for both the sake of me and my top/bottom, it’s better if any OOC stuff happens in private.

Consider the following in front of a half dozen people:

Top takes out a large butt plug which has a hollowed out middle with medical tubing fitted in to it.

Top: You need a good cleaning out, slut.

Bottom:((actually I don’t do anal, much less enemas))

Having been on the receiving end and the giving end it’s really not a comfortable feeling to inform or be informed that you’re trespassing a limit in front of others.  I can roll with it but it doesn’t look that good to others and puts both in an uncomfortable position.  I know some bottoms who’d rather log than fess up in public that a limit’s being approached, which is sad but there we go.  For some tops, especially inexperienced ones, it can end the scene as well; not because that a limit’s been identified but due to being flustered.

Same scenario:

Top takes out a large butt plug which is has a hollowed out middle with medical tubing fitted in to it.

Top: You need a good cleaning out, slut.

IM Bottom:((actually I don’t do anal, much less fluids))

IM Top: ((Okay, I’ve heard you.  I’ll RP it away if you can roll with it for a couple of poses?))

IM Bottom: ((Okay))

Top examines your rosebud thoughtfully, weighing the large butt plug in her hand.

Bottom looks at the butt plug with wide, horrified eyes

Top:  You’re an anal virgin, aren’t you slut?

Bottom nods slowly, blushing a bit

Top frowns

Top: Pity, I don’t have a virgin’s butt plug to hand.  We’ll have to rectify that sometime.

Now isn’t that much more appealing?  It’s for this reason, mainly because I do play with strangers quite a bit, that I much prefer to leave IM unblocked or at the very least with me as an exception (I’ll get to that).

So where does that leave notecards and pictures?  This is something I’ve played with a little bit but not much, let’s say for one reason or another you’ve been left gagged and the gag blocks IM.  You’re otherwise unrestrained, you could do something like this:

Friend: Oh, gagged.  Why are you gagged?

Bottom gets out her notepad and scribbles quickly, showing the pad to her friend

Let’s pause here a minute, Friend gets the note and there are other people around, this gives Friend some options, she can do one of a few things.

Friend reads the note and chuckles, motioning to Bottom that she’s read it.

or

Friend theatrically reads from the note, “Because someone gagged me, stupid!”

Friend sighs as she hunts around for her crop, “Not having much effect on your manners, maybe I can fix that…”

and so on.  The point I’m making is that Bottom still has a way to IC communicate and that’s something that can be taken away; an opening for further interaction.  Now let’s say that’s the path friend’s going down and she manages to overpower bottom, binding her hands.  How’s she going to write?

That’s the sort of scenario where blocking notecards would make sense.  Now of course you could do that by RP but remember the fundamental thing about RLV is making the bottom feel controlled: that’s the reason Bottoms install RLV.  Unless there’s something in the profile saying don’t do this kind of restriction, go for it!  Worst that will happen is an OOC communication not to block and you can change it.

Banning photos essentially means blocking inventory.  In an RP context there are usually few good reasons for banning photos as many in SL like to take snapshots of their encounters as souvenirs .  If you’re going for a prison type scenario and the like, it’s appropriate then but in the main it’s one of my less favoured restrictions.

As is probably apparent by now, there are few occasions where  I apply these restrictions; however when I do there’s one thing I do like to do; make myself an exception.  This means that the bottom is still able to communicate with me in IM and me alone.  That in itself can be quite the head trip.  The only occasions I can think of where I’d consider a complete lockdown is banishment, MD Pod Prison and other similar activities.

Next up: Environment.