THIS SEMINAR CONTAINS TOPICS THAT MAY BE DISTURBING. AS WELL, IT CONTAINS DISCUSSIONS OF THINGS THAT MAY BE DANGEROUS IN REAL LIFE. THIS SEMINAR IS A DISCUSSION OF ROLEPLAYING IN AN ONLINE ENVIRONMENT AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A GUIDE FOR REAL LIFE PLAY



The room darkens a little as the conch takes on the power of voice.

Peitho smiles, "If everyone is ready, I will begin. This is the second in the series of discussions on Domination. The first is available on the website - www.akashat.com under the 101's section. I'm not going to - unless someone asks - cover most of that material here."

You say, "Feel free to page me if you'd like me to cover that material, at least in brief, or if you'd like me to cover something in particular. If not, I will do a quick review of consent issues, since I consider them extremely important"

Announcement: Peitho shouts, "Domming Seminar beginning now in the Seminar Room. +ooc, sr to join"

Peitho smiles, "Topics in this lecture may deal with things that are quite disturbing - blood, painplay, bondage, humiliation, torture, etc. Please let me know if there is a problem with the topic, but be warned up front that we are talking about these things, at least in a clinical fashion. If there are requests for me to do so, I'll do a demonstration of some of the techniques I use, as well."

You say, "First, consent. I'll do this issue quickly because I did cover it in the last course, but I do want to mention it. Rule number one is that there is a real person behind the screen, behind the words on it. You /must/ respect that person and their rights and their comfort. If you cannot do that, you do not belong in a D/s environment and in particular do not belong here. You have to understand that OOCly, each person on Akashat, each player, is just as important as you are. Even (especially!) if you are playing a powerful Master/Mistress and they are playing a slave""

You say, "That means that if someone calls a halt to a scene or needs a moment or needs to talk or requests something not be done - you listen. That's not negotiable on Akashat - Akashat is designed, first and foremost, as a /safe/ place for you to explore."

You say, "People playing Dom(me) characters need that safety, too. I, for instance, want to know that the RL person behind the characters that my characters interact with are consenting to that interaction. It is important to me that the play I do is consentual - I wouldn't do it otherwise."

You say, "It is a good idea to talk about these issues, at least briefly, before you play a BDSM scene with a person. At the same time, you can gain consent for things you will be doing. For instance, it is nice to be able to have consent to strike or touch or feel the submissive character without having to ask permission each time."

You say, "Comments, questions on consent before I continue to new topics for this seminar?"

You say, "I've been asked about the non_consent flag. Yes, the non_consent flag does mean that you can initiate actions without asking, though it does not mean they can not say no AFTER you initiate them (Akashat does /not/ have a flag or anything else to indicate /that/ - players of all characters can /always/ say no - Akashat is 100% consent based)"

You say, "I /personally/ talk to them, because I personally wish to. That is my decision, because it makes me more comfortable"

Peitho nods, "Someone asked : if a player doesn't want their slave to be broken, but wishes to explore something that could potentially, in real life, break someone, how would you go about that?"

You say, "(referring to having their spirit broken)"

You say, "Please note that we do not require any sort of continuity between scenes on Akashat. Yes, things in public tend to be acting on as if there is time and yes we have plots. But there is nothing to prevent people from acting out 'what ifs' and then deciding whether or not to continue with that story line. In other words, if you decide you didn't like the outcome, you can rewind and do it over :)"

Peitho smiles, "Ok. If there are no other questions on consent?"

You say, "Alright, then. I was asked to address how to establish and maintain a dominant relationship with a minimum or no violence."

Peitho smiles, "This is useful in a number of situations - women dominating men, men dominating magical creatures, etc." she chuckles, "I have a fair bit of experience with both, so I'll do my best to address the issue. First, of course, with /any/ D/s relationship, both /players/ must want their characters to enter that relationship. It doesn't work being dominant to a character whose player is resisting - this is a consentual mush. And it doesn't work being submissive to a character whose player doesn't want to dominate, either. Some players like playing 'rebellious' slaves. That's fine. Just note that the dominant character will not truly be able to dominate unless the submissive character's player allows him or her to. Regardless of any IC difference in force or strength - a player can, after, pose their character laughing through 100 whip strokes"

Peitho notes, "From now on, I will use 'dom' to refer to the player of the dominant character, sub to refer to the player of the submissive character. Please be very clear that I am not inferring anything about the players by using this term, nor should you."

You say, "However, assuming that the sub is /interested/ in a D/s relationship and the dom is as well, the dom must be able to bring his or her message across using that amount of force that he or she wishes to. He or she /must/ be able to convince the other player that it would be IC for their character to be submissive.. or they won't in many cases. Which is, of course, just fine."

Peitho notes as well, "I will be picking 'he' or 'she' randomly, as well as 'Master' or 'Mistress' rather then doing the he or she nonsense throughout"

You say, "In some cases, whether by personality or circumstance, the dom does not want to use much (or any) physical force. For instance, I play a character Samael. For all intents and purposes, he is a physically normal human - strong, yes, but human. He is dominant over UberCutie," she pauses to point her out, "Who happens to be a magical, shapeshifting creature who /physically/ is far more powerful then Samael. How is this possible? By careful, studious play and then exploiting every possible advantage he can." She smiles, "Uber's player was nice enough to give her character some flaws to exploit. That's pretty essential - every character should have some, but submissive characters /have/ to give their dominants /some/ sort of handle on them.""

You say, "D/s play is /not/ just the responsibility of the dominant. We set the scenes, often. We sometimes seem to control or run the scene. But, truly, the submissive must give us things to play off of. We need information. As a player of a dominant character, that's what you should be trying to do if you are trying to dominate another character, search for weaknesses, information, secrets, frailties. And as a player of a submissive character, you need to give us some - whether that be physical, mental, emotional, social, whatever.""

Peitho smiles, "Love is a frailty - if the submissive loves her dominant, that's a hold. Blackmail, also one. Magic can be one. Maybe just a /need/ to be dominated - that can be a powerful advantage. If the character has a need to be controlled, if he gets excited from it, that can be all the dominant character needs. But there has to be something."

You say, "Of course, on Akashat, often, there's a built in handle - many (most?) submissive characters are slaves. They are bought, sold, rented. Of course, when you get them home, you still have to manage to dominate them. That they can be in irons, already, can help - that may be enough. But still, especially for long term play, the more complex the relationship, the more handles the dominant character can use, the better."

You say, "Thoughts, questions?"

You say, "As well, any other particular topics people want me to hit? If not, I'll randomly mumble until I hit one people react to..."

You say, "Someone asks, "What do you do with a slave that is so submissive they are boring""

You say, "First of all, you have to realize that you can /always/ step back out of the IC relationship and talk about things OOCly. YOUR enjoyment is important, too. Sometimes, it can seem as if Dominants are there as service for the submissives - an odd turn of events if you look at it that way. However, it can seem that way if you don't take care to protect your own enjoyment. That's a /bit/ off topic, but really, you need to talk, OOCly. You need to let him or her know what you want to see, what you will enjoy. I can't speak for every player of a domme, but I play for the reactions and if I don't get them, I get disappointed and perhaps frustrated. If that's happening, it is time to talk OOCly. I've done it on a number of occasions and have been gratified by the results. I have more fun.. and because I am having more fun, so does the person I am playing with, I think."

You say, "Does that cover it? Anyone like me to expand on that? Have a different point of view or a problem with what I said?"

You say, "Someone asks : The same would go for perhaps, one thats so resistent ICly"

You say, "that it just well, pisses you off?"

You say, "And that is tied to :"

You say, "What happens if you allow your character to be bought, and then later decide that you don't like the person you're rping with. Are you allowed by right to end the relationship and return your character to the market? Or are there other options?"

You say, "The answer to both is YES. I would recommend that you OOCly talk to the person first, in both cases, saying 'Look, this isn't what I expected, this isn't working out, what can we do?' - if that doesn't give you satisfaction, then you ALWAYS have the right to go play with someone else. We don't require ANYONE to play with ANYONE here. You can not play with someone for no good reason at all :)"

You say, "Similarly to the second question, if you 'buy' a slave ICly and it doesn't work out, you are well within your OOC rights to sever the relationship."

You say, "Questions or comments on that bit?"

You say, "Ok, the next topic requested is the difference between punishment and pain.. and methods of punishment for people who are not into pain play."

Peitho smiles, "BDSM always brings up images of dungeons and whips and chains. That's the stereotype. But it certainly isn't necessary. There can be long, wonderful, interesting relationships without a single chain nor whip in sight. So, that being said.. what /is/ the difference between punishment and pain?"

Peitho notes for newcomers, "Questions, comments to me in page at any time"

You say, "Punishment is done to /correct/ a slave's behaviour. It can be many things - pain being an obvious one - and I will discuss what they can be later. The principle idea is that is something that, ICly at least, the submissive character DOES NOT WANT."

Peitho underlines that, "Punishment can be used for a number of purposes. To punish for bad behaviour. To establish the dominant relationship. To establish 'proper' attitudes. It can be a number of things besides pain, however." She smiles, "Confinement. Removal of privileges - if your sub has those. In some relationships, particularly those emotionally based, it can be the withdrawal of favours, a change in title. From 'dear' to 'girl', from 'girl' to 'slave', from 'slave' to 'dog', from 'dog' to 'worm'." She smiles, "You can have quite a progression.. and if the sub has to work her way up.. it is that more devastating when they fall down that ladder."

You say, "As well, simply ignoring a slave can be punishment for some - though reward to others. Humiliation can be a great punishment - requiring a proud submissive to stand in public appologizing for their sins or requiring them to announce them to the world... red faces can be terribly erotic, too." She grins, "To me at least. I love blushes."

You say, "Humiliation basically works by creating an image of the submissive contrary to the one they believe in - or want to believe in - and forcing them to confront that negative image. Slut. Wanton. Needy. Stupid. Crass. Ugly. All can be lovely humiliation words, words that can hurt a submissive without ever raising a hand."

Peitho notes, "These can also be /hurtful/ words OOCly - please make sure this is a direction that the person you are playing with /wants/ to go in. Some do, some don't. Take the time to find out and you will all be happier"

You say, "Pain, as is obvious, can be used for punishment, but it doesn't /have/ to be. If you want to do pain play, there are many ways pain can be encorporated. It can even be a reward - a harsh nipple tweak after a long period of ignoring a slave can be a signal that you have forgiven them their transgression. It can be incorporated in erotic play - spankings are certainly pain play and can be very erotic, though even more harsh things - biting, scratching and more. Pleasure and pain can be close together for some people and pain can be part of many aspects - if you and the submissive wish it to be."

You say, "Comments or questions on that?"

You say, "Other topics, as well?"

Peitho chuckles, "I guess not. I will continue then, with my favorite dead horse. Realism." she smiles, "I brought up realism a lot in my last lecture and I'll bring it up in this lecture. too. You should do what you can to make things /realistic/. By realistic, I don't mean 'could happen here' - though I do tend to prefer that. I mean realistic in the universe we are in - magic, etc might be real, but so are physical laws."

You say, "I'll let you in on a secret :) The way I RP, I've got a video camera rolling at all times. What I'm doing is posing a snippet of that. Sometimes, the camera is panned out, sometimes it is zoomed in tight. But always, always, the camera is rolling, the scene is a living, breathing thing. When someone does something that violates that, like poses something that physically couldn't happen, that shatters that. So, I'd like to urge the technique on people... and encourage people to give enough details in their poses so the /same/ scene is going on in everyone's head."

You say, "As well, please be at least somewhat aware of how things work. I'm perfectly aware that there are people here with different RL experiences. However, there are often people you can ask... and, honestly, erotica can be a great teaching tool.. as can google. The BDSM community likes writing stuff down. On the web, I've found instructions for using floggers - for constructing them even. For suspending people, for tying japanese rope bondage. Use some of the resources that are out there, for free. It truly does add to the scene to know that what you are talking about /could/ be happening."

Peitho grins, "At least in a world with magic and strange slavery laws"

You say, "Questions or comments on that?"

You say, "Someone asks : When you say you have a video camera rolling, you don't mean you are recording the scene, do you?"

You say, "No, I mean I have a mental video camera going. I'm seeing the scene as if it were a movie."

You say, "Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?"

Peitho smiles, "Ok. Trundling right along, we'll head to Sensation. The senses - all of them - are incredibly important in a scene. As a dominant, you can focus on certain senses, bring them alive for the player of the submissive character. That bringing alive of the senses can truly create a reaction - and, after all, reactions are what we are looking for. At least I am.

You say, "YOU can decide to bring that focus in, by emphasizing a smell, for instance, the stink of disinfectant can immediately pull in a frightening hospital atmosphere, the small of mown grass a more peaceful one. Incense can bring to mind lots of things.. but it starts the mind working. Caresses, you can describe them. Describe a hand gentle, barely brushing over the hairs on an arm, or possesive, stroking as if there is no question of permission. A breath, cool or hot on a cheek, on an ear. Whispers, voices, wind, bells, screams, all sorts of sounds to add, in the background or the foreground. Tastes - coppery blood, smoke in the air. Of course, things you see. Force their sight to zoom in close by looming large."

Peitho smiles, "And, of course, you can focus a sense by taking away others. Stripping senses can heighten effects. Sight is a great one to take away. People are so /used/ to sight online. Blindfold them. And then, when you pose, use @emit. Don't put your name in it. Describe the sounds, the smells, the feels, the tastes. But no sights, no names. If the other senses stop, the person could be alone.. or you could still be there. It is hard for them to know.. and it starts their mind going. That reaction again...

You say, "Ears are another good one. Suddenly, they are down to smell and taste and touch. They lose track of where you are.. then you are there. Then you are not. They become much more aware of every touch and you can reinforce that in each pose, lingering over the touch, how it feels, where it is."

You say, "Noseplugs can be fun, too - particularly if you are playing with someone with heightened senses who are used to having those advantages.. you are focussing the attention where you want it, by removing others."

You say, "I'll pause there for questions or comments before segueing gracefully into my next topic..."

You say, "A comment : Couldn't that also be used as a punishment? Take the sight for example.. make the slave dependent on the dominant characteR?"

You say, "Yes, that's very true. Again, as I discussed earlier, you are creating a handle for yourself to use"

You say, "And another comment, just as valid : Speaking of senses, I'd like to add that for specific types of characters, more animalistic ones that rely on specific senses more than most would. Some are more effected by some then others."

You say, "Immersion/submission can be very effective - taking away, perhaps, all five senses. They can be hard to RP online, but potentially very effective"

Peitho idles a few moments - phone. My appologies

You say, "Ok, from senses to sense stimulation. Two of my favorite topics : Fire and Ice and, closely related, electroplay."

Peitho smiles, a little slow since still on the phone, but forging ahead

You say, "Fire and Ice are, pretty much, just that. Hot and cold, ice and fire, wet and dry.. extremes that you can use to stimulate - or hurt - a body. Again, there are many, many varieties, extremes to it. From a match to a hot iron - big extremes. From an icecube to freezing weather. You can push sensations in extreme ways."

You say, "These are especially useful combined with other techniques. Fear can be greatly increased, for instance, if a branding iron can be seen coming but something prevents the submissive from reacting - training and fear of worse punishment, for instance. Or bondage."

You say, "As well, milder sensations can be increased in effect by sensory deprivation - the shock of an icecube on the breast is far increased if they /can't/ see it coming, if blindfolded for instance."

You say, "After ice, for instance, simple things, too, become extreme. A warm mouth or hand on a chilled part - that much more again..."

You say, "Electricity can be fun :) In Akashat's theme, technology only works where people believe it to - in private - but magic can do many of the same effects."

Peitho notes, "THIS IS NOT A GUIDE FOR RL PLAY. DO NOT TAKE IT AS SUCH!"

You say, "Electricity is basically a shorthand for providing sharp, intense sensation or pain to an isolated area. It can be a huge force multiplier - a cattleprod in the hand of a woman can make a man very co-operative :)"

You say, "Electricity is, obviously, dangerous, too. There are toys called 'Purple Wands' which deliver, because of their design, surface sensation only and do not allow the electricity to effect the internal organs, like the heart. These (or magical equivalents) can be fun toys. With the right tools, you can use them to even 'tattoo' a submissive, burning their skin with the electricity"

Peitho pauses again for the phone and to invite comments or questions

Peitho smiles, "A great comment : Forcing a sub to subject themselves to fire and ice treatments, such as to lay in snow over time or to maintain a pose on a metal seat as it heats, can be fun as well - furthermore, it customarily inflicts more anguish, as they're doing it to themselves. If the CIA is any authority, it helps bond punished to punisher, as opposed to distance them, while still reinforcing the punisher's authority."

You say, "I was asked if a purple wand was a IC item or a RL item. It is a RL item.. except that my wiring is crossed and it is actually called a 'violet wand'. Sorry - my head isn't great :)"

You say, "If you want information, well, on Akashat we don't give URLs to things, just as public policy. However, you can find out more by going to google and typing in : violet wand bdsm learning""

Peitho smiles, "As well, another comment : And electricity can also be used to cause muscles to fail to function, all with proper placement of a dermal wire. Another way to restrict a slave's movement or cause them distress."

Peitho smiles, "Any other questions, comments, or preferences for new topics?"

Peitho notes that the 'Kinks 101' has a great deal of information on various kinks, but she's always happy to expand. I'm not a certified (perhaps certifiable) expert or anything, but I read and experiment a lot. PLEASE don't take this as advice for RL - seek a real expert for information."

You say, "I was asked about Gor. Unfortunately, I cannot give a great deal of information about it. I borrow precisely one thing from it - a certain kneeling position that I tend to require submissive characters I play with to use - but other then that, I am afraid, I am quite ignorant. I'd have to suggest that you google or read the books."

You say, "Neviantsev has volunteered to give info on Gor to anyone who pages :)"

You say, "And yes, there is a local Gorean tavern, Brothers of the Wind - someone can correct me if I got that wrong"

Peitho smiles, "Clothing is a /vast/ topic and I'm not going to be able to more then touch it, but please don't neglect it. Clothing is a /powerful/ BDSM tool. You can have clothing that sends a message, clothing that teaches itself, clothing that hurts, clothing that reinforces, clothing that changes body shapes, clothing that limits, clothing that expands. Clothing is so powerful."

You say, "Consider the basic collar. It is a symbol, of course. It can mean a lot, it can mean a heart willingly given in submission or it can mean a person dragged down into slavery. It can be beautiful.. or it can be ugly and hateful. It can be kind.. or it can be spiked, hooked, cruel. I've given subs collars that are beautiful, black leather and silver. Shiny chokers. I've also given submissives barbed wire curved into a choker. The message that those give is distinct..."

You say, "Corsetry, too, crosses the line between bondage and clothing. Consider, not just an item of clothing that bends the will, but actually bends the body to confirm. You can stress how it makes them feel, how it pulls in their chest, how it limits their breath. You can make them /feel/ it constrict about them,"

You say, "Or clothing can be simple, reinforcing messages. Humiliation play? Consider getting them up in cheap makeup, short skirt and a tight top. Take /away/ clothing - take away the panties. /Cut/ the clothing - let people see their breasts or their penis. There is much you can do in that department. When you clothe a slave, you are pushing them into an image that you want them to fill.. or at least, pushing a worldview on them"

Peitho smiles, "And, of course, you can feed your own fetishes. Stockings? Garter belts? Shoes? Whatever turns you on, well... in some cases, a submissive can be your very own dressup doll." She smiles, "Of course, this all assumes OOC consent, but it can be an exciting and interesting way to play. I've had people waiting anxiously for their next costume"

Peitho smiles, "Questions, comments, expansions on clothing?"

You say, "Ok, from clothing to a particular type of play that has very particular clothing. Pony play. In fact, I will expand on this to cover bestialism in general. I define bestialism (as opposed to bestiality) as 'making animals out of people'. I've done 'pony play', 'puppy play', 'catgirl play'. I've heard of 'piggirl play', too" She smiles, "All work equally well with male or female, uh, recipients. And, like almost everything, there are a lot of varieties of play. Ponygirls can be everything from a simple bridle and harness, being made to pull a cart, to a constricting costume that prevents them from using their hands or speaking, forcing them to hands and knees. It can be as extreme or as light as you want. The Wildlife Complex - and my alt Samael - does some of this play."

You say, "Puppygirl (or boy) play is basically cuddling, silly animal play. It can be a great deal of fun - don't get me wrong - but it tends to be obedience work, caresses, simple things. Eating from a dog dish, drinking from a bowl on the floor. Licks - lots of licks tend to be involved :). Curling up on laps or at the feet of the Mistress. Catboy (or girl) play tends to be similar, with, perhaps, more of the submissive rubbing himself against you :)"

You say, "With magic (or bizarre science) the lines between animal and human can get blurry. On Akashat, we do not allow new 'furry' characters, simply because there are mushes out there /for/ that purpose. You will see some around, because we didn't force existing characters to change, but there are no new ones allowed. We do, however, allow fully animal characters and shapeshifting characters, with the understanding that bestiality will be kept out of the public areas (as it is a 'hard' kink) and that animal characters who are out in public will get harassed by authority - there are animal areas, such as the Wildlife Complex, where they won't be"

You say, "With those furry characters that remain - and potentially shapeshifting and animal characters - the play tends to be a little harder and less silly, though that's not necessary. Real animals or animallikes tend to have teeth and claws, for instance."

You say, "Bestiality is a kink that the animal complex is also good for. I, personally, don't engage in this kink, but that doesn't make it any less valid. It certainly has some useful characteristics for domination play - being made to play with animals can be /very/ humiliating for a submissive. Again, a hard kink - talk before you do."

You say, "Comments, questions?"

Peitho errs, "Please note, I don't mean to insult anyone's RP by the word 'silly'... it is just the word that comes to mind. I /enjoy/ the lightheartedness, it is often a wonderful change of pace. Lighthearted is perhaps a better word and I appologize to anyone I offended"

You say, "Anyone have any comments before I go on?"

You say, "I guess not - deafening silence all around."

Peitho smiles, "Ok. So, let's say you've successfully managed to get INTO a dominant position. What do you do then?" She smiles, "I'll let you know some of my favorite games to play. Some in this room may well recognize some of them." She chuckles, "In some of the harder play, I truly prefer the sub naked and down on her belly. Flat on the ground is a great position to start from - it amplifies the power of the dominant tremendously. Kicks are easy, insults obvious. 'Worm' is a great starting point."

Peitho smiles, "Crawling is a great way to reinforce low position. You can remind them of how the grass - or stone or gravel - feels under them. How rocks cut them. How dirt smears on them. Dust covers them. Again, it reinforces that relationship."

Peitho smiles, "Feet come in very handy in these situations, too. Not only is it a pretty common fetish, but feet are also pretty humiliating. Somebody putting a foot on your back or belly, well, that symbolism just shrieks at you. It goes alll the way back millions of years ago before we involved up to this point. Look at dogs - the submissive one rolls on his back and exposes himself." She smiles, "You can make your sub do that too. Again, the reinforcement of the position, the reminder of the physical discomfort. And then the foot, coming down on the chest or the belly or the face."

You say, "And digging in, rocking, controlling the body of the sub, just so."

Peitho smiles, "And feet again - you can make the sub crawl to you - it can be great fun if they almost get to you and you walk away. Or better yet, walk over them - stepping on them of course, to the other side of the room and get them to continue. And when they /do/ reach you, when you allow it, well, then they can kiss your feet in appology for being so slow. Grovelling at someone's feet is a powerful image. Tears, lips and hair on a foot is also one."

You say, "Comments and questions on that particular game?"

Peitho smiles, "A comment : I'd have them clean my feet." A nod, "A very popular choice :) I often do, as well, though you need to make sure that's somewhere they want to go, again. Dirt and so forth can be a real turn off for some." she nods to another comment, "Making them fetch things can also be lots of fun. And a dildo, yes, is a nice choice :)"

You say, "Alright, I'll continue. The next game is probably my favorite. It is also the one that the submissive characters in question (though not, I hope, their players) grow to loathe. It is four simple words. 'Pain or more pain?' A lovely, simple question that can lead to a great deal of fun and games."

Peitho smiles, "What this gives you is all sorts of opportunity for them to plead for pain. You can make them grovel for.. pain. You can make them beg and plead and scream and holler for.. pain." She grins, "For those sadists among us, this can be a lot of fun. It is a simple little game, but I, at least, never quite get tired of it. And it makes an easy little ritual.. and rituals are wonderful part of IC relationships. Patterns are good, provided they don't get dull."

You say, "Thoughts or comments on that one?"

Peitho chuckles, "One of the people in the room who has experienced me playing this game says : I have to say Thalis has come to truly hate those words although the player thinks it's always fun" She grins, "Which makes that hardly anonymous at all, but oh, well, I got permission to quote :)"

Peitho smiles, "Those are both Samael tricks, though Alice uses variants of the first one. She's a little more refined then our Samael. One of the things she /does/ use is darkness and unexpectedness. There's a slave quarters in her house, of course, and she has, on occasion, entered it while her slave(s) were sleeping. In darkness, in costume. One of my favorite things with her is a glove with iron nails. It can be terribly effective, especially if the other hand is ungloved and soft and caressing. The contrast can be quite delicious.

Peitho hmmmms, "I'm running out of random topics, though, of course, there are many, many aspects of BDSM we haven't even touched. My perspectives are warped, of course, by my interests and my play, Any other questions, comments, or topic requests?"

Peitho taps her fingers on the desk, waiting :)

Peitho smiles, "Ah! A delicious question. Dominating people who aren't slaves." She smiles, "Of course, this can only be done with people who /want/ to be dominated and it is up to them to drop some hints - either in their kink notes or in their rp - or to straight out say so. Uber, for instance, is Samael's slave, though she is a citizen still. She's only submissive to him - and getting her to that point took a lot of play - and not a little OOC talking between her player and myself. I've dommed citizens - and masters and mistresses, too - from time to time." she grins, "If I was an egotist, I'd say it was my sheer personality, but really, it was what they wanted"

You say, "Again! Talk, talk, talk OOCly. Five minutes of talk OOC can lead to hours and hours of fun IC play."

You say, "There are those who are 'switches' - who like both dominating and being dominated. In certain instances, they can get both in one character. In many cases, players who like both end up with a character of each type."

You say, "Another question, related to a much earlier one : How, if this has occurred, have you dealt with a slave whose loyalties and ardor become just robotic obedience after sessions of particular pain or fear being inflicted on them? How do you bring that sparkle back, so to speak?"

You say, "There's two ways of dealing with it and you'll probably have to use both."

You say, "First, you will almost certainly have to change some IC techniques. You'll need to offer some IC hope or IC affection or IC attention or IC /something/ to get them moving again. After a particularly brutal session, rough affection can often be surprisingly effective. Give them a /reason/ to take it and continue rather then just to break down. Second, you'll probably have to talk with the player OOCly, because if the IC behaviour stays the same, you'll both get bored and you probably don't want that."

You say, "Anymore thoughts, questions, comments?"

You say, "Ah, yes, one I missed - sorry! :)"

You say, "I would like to say that there are many, many, many different styles of play in the BDSM universe. Many ideas of submission, many of dominance. None are more valid then any others. I know what /I/ like to do, I know what reactions interest and excite me. This lecture has been necessarily tinted by my own perceptions and wants and beliefs, so it is geared that way, but if you disagree, that's just fine too. It is my experiences talking, you may have your own."

Peitho smiles, "Well, if you disagree on anything but the consent part - you're required to agree with that to play on Akashat."

Peitho smiles, "Alright. If there's nothing else anyone would like me to add, I'll being this to a close. One minute to leap in... :)"

Conch has left.

The room brightens and speech is allowed.

Peitho smiles, "And that is it. You are all free to move about and speak, thank you all for coming and for your comments and questions. It would have been a short seminar without them :)"

Michiko claps.

Chadwick thanks Pei again :)

Schatten says, "I'd like to encourage all of you who attended to read the logs of the first seminar, and also of the RP seminar."

Lime says, "Interesting seminar, Pei, thanks for having us ^_^"

UberCutie smooches Pei in thanks. "Thank you for a great seminar."

Janie smiles and claps too, "Thatks, Peitho." :)

Peitho smiles, "No problem at all. This seminar will be available on the web along with the previous two. www.akashat.com under 101's. If you don't want your name to appear under attendees, please say so now"

Vashti thanks Peitho for all the advice.

You say, "There will be others, so if you think of any questions, please feel free to page or @mail."