A. BACKGROUND
Blackwater Farms is a D/s-based, BDSM-based, RP-based Second Life community specializing in pony play. Centuries ago, the Blackwaters were English nobles who began kidnapping and enslaving townspeople, converting them to human livestock. The Blackwaters relocated to America, where they formed the present Blackwater Farm. The farm is now centuries old. It is set in the modern present day. It is located on the coast where the landscape and weather are temperate, seasonal and marshy.
Blackwater Farms is comprised of three in-world locations: (1) Blackwater Farms, a private region where the village is located and day-to-day life happens, (2) Blackwater Point, a private region dedicated primarily to competitive events, and (3) Blackwater Landing, a mainland parcel in the Concinna region. Collectively, these three locations are “Blackwater.” Blackwater is also comprised of several SL groups and a Discord channel.
All residents and guests of Blackwater are required to wear group tags to identify their roles to each other. When at Blackwater, please remember to wear the appropriate tag. If you are not wearing a tag, you will be (politely) reminded to wear one. Repeated failure to wear a group tag is a violation of these rules. Guests of Blackwater can obtain a “Blackwater Guest” tag by joining the “Blackwater Farms” group (open to the public and free to join).
1. Miss Winnifred. The matriarch of the Blackwater family is Lady Winnifred Sweetwater. Like her ancestors, Lady Blackwater is skilled in the art of subjugating humans to livestock and chattel. She is a Mistress and disrespecting her in any way is a serious offense. Miss Winnifred’s subjects seek her love and approval which is given in regulated doses. She satisfies her cruel and sadistic streak with her ruthless experiments and strict punishments for disrespect or disobedience. She maintains discipline and order on the farm at all times Miss Winnifred is the final judge of what she deems to be respectful behavior.
2. Blackwater Mistress and Mule. Mistress and Mule are Miss Winnifred’s peers. Each contribute their unique talents to creating the farm and its content; events, activities, and environments. They are to be respected and obeyed at all times. They have the full range of authority, and power to manage the farm, residents and visitors. They hold important roles on the farm head trainer and head course architect respectively. Both are accomplished in all Pony Competitive events and long time members of the SL pony community. Each has the latitude to express and satisfy their sadistic desires and needs on our livestock as they see fit. The Farm is fortunate to have them.
3. Trainers. Trainers are experienced in training ponies in the disciplines of steeple, slalom, carting, barrels, polo and dressage. Trainers will be shown respect at all times by ponies and submissives, including visiting and guest ponies. Trainers have the right to train, handle, leash and escort all Blackwater Ponies, including engaging in sexual activity. Prior to working with a visiting pony who is not a Blackwater Pony, trainers will obtain consent from the visiting pony. Trainers from other farms are welcome to visit and train at Blackwater. However, guest trainers are not at liberty to train, handle, leash or escort any pony at Blackwater (including visiting and guest ponies) without first obtaining the consent of that pony. To become a Blackwater Trainer, a person must first complete a training program to be outlined in a separate document.
4. Grooms. Grooms and experienced in caring for a pony’s needs. Grooms will be shown respect at all times by ponies and submissives, including visiting and guest ponies. Grooms have the right to care for, attend to, handle, leash and escort all Blackwater Ponies, including engaging in sexual activity. Prior to handling or attending to visiting pony who is not a Blackwater Pony, grooms will obtain consent from the visiting pony. Grooms from other farms and welcome to visit and handle ponies at Blackwater. However, guest grooms are not at liberty to handle, leash or escort any pony at Blackwater (including visiting and guest ponies) without first obtaining the consent of that pony. To become a Blackwater Groom, a person must first complete a training program to be outlined in a separate document.
5. Ponygirls and Ponyboys. Blackwater Ponies are given tags (ponygirls and ponyboys). Ponies may be owned by the farm itself, or may be owned by other doms/dommes, or may be unowned. Blackwater ponies have consented to be trained, handled, leashed, escorted and cared for by trainers and grooms at the farm. Ponies also generate power, make ice cream, and deliver milk with farm hands for the dairy.
6. Cows and Bulls. Cows and bulls are the backbone of our dairy operation. They provide milk, seed and breeding services that make the dairy tick. Cows and bulls may join the dairy and the farm and be stabled here if they desire. Cows and bulls consent to be handled, leashed, hand milked, placed for breeding by Blackwater Dairy Farm Hands.
7. Farm Hands Farm hands are responsible for the care, feeding and well being of cows and bulls to optimize production . They also can arrange for bull and cow breeding combinations. They are responsible for delivering milk on their own or with the assistance of a pony.
C. GENERAL RULES OF CONDUCT APPLICABLE TO ALL RESIDENTS AND GUESTS
The following rules support the good order and operation of Blackwater Farm. The owners have invested and continue to invest significant time, money and effort to create a place to explore our desires, enjoy a shared community of interest around kink and Ponyplay and to have fun. These rules protect and preserve our community so we can have gratifying fun. If you have concerns regarding these rules please discuss them with Miss Winnifred
1. No child avatars. Miss Winnifred is the sole judge of what is too young. Size, body shape, skin, AO and behavior are all factors.
2. No findomming, escorting, or prostitution.
3. No discrimination based on color, national origin, religion, sexual preference, gender, gender identity, disability or other characteristics.
4. Everyone here is an adult. Please act like it.
5. Be nice. If you can’t do that, be polite.
6. No harassing or griefing. Griefing means using or rezzing objects, sounds, particles or attachments to diminish the experience of other residents. Harassing means to subject persistently and wrongfully to annoying, offensive, or troubling behavior. For example pestering someone to “play” with you, ridiculing someone to elicit a response, interfering with their lives on the farm.
7. No hunting including meters and vampire HUDs.
8. We are an English-speaking sim. Please use a translator if necessary. English speakers, please be gracious and thankful that others are attempting to speak your language.
9. No promoting or advertising (or badmouthing) other sims or events.
10. Disagreements – In a perfect world everyone agrees to and lives by the forgoing rules 1 through 10. Our world is imperfect. When disagreements arise and cannot be resolved with a polite conversation, do not take it upon yourself to resolve the matter. Bring it to the attention of Miss Winnifred if she is not available the to Miss Alli or Mule. Behaviors such as retribution, fighting, and generally making the situation worse will be subject to discipline.
D. CONSENT AND ROLE PLAY
Blackwater is a D/s, BDSM, Kink, Pony role play sim. We ask that all visitors wear the visitor tag and respect the role play activities going on around the sim. You may see scenes where players are “forced” into submission, servitude, punishment and sexual activity. Please do not interfere.
We adhere to the principles of Safe Sane and Consensual (SSC), Risk Aware Consensual Kink (RACK), and Personally Responsible Informed Consensual Kink (PRICK). Consent matters. Any consent violations should be brought to the attention of Lady Blackwater or, if she is not available, one of the Blackwater Heirs. However, many dynamics are in the frame of Consensual Non-Consent. This means that the participants have agreed to a set of longer-term conditions that allow for a wider range of play while respecting defined limits. Please be aware of this and respect the players to know how to advocate for themselves.
E. APPEARANCE AND DRESS
Blackwater is set in the modern day. However, it is a rural coastal farm. The environment is temperate and seasonal. Please dress accordingly. Avatars of all shapes, sizes and colors are accepted at Blackwater so long as they are consistent with our story line and do not unreasonably interfere with the experience of other residents.
In pony play competitions, Blackwater observes the Pony Info Group (PIG) rules as follows: Ponygirls and ponyboys should look like such. At a minimum, contestants must wear a bridle or gag, a harness, a tail or plug, and have bound arms/hands.
F. RULES FOR SUBMISSIVES
1. Be aware of who “ranks” above you in the chain of command. Submissives, including ponies and slave, are submissive to others in the following order of authority: Guests, Visiting Grooms, Grooms, Visiting Trainers, Trainers, Visiting Stable Masters and Mistresses, and Lady Blackwater.
2. Submissives must address those in authority as Miss, Sir, or other selected honorific. If in doubt, check profiles or simply ask.
3. Before private messaging a person in authority, ask first in local if it is OK to do so.
4. Show respect to authorities with a kneel, a bow or a curtsy. (But do not kneel, bow or curtsy *directly* in front of an authority unless requested.)
5. Submissives may *politely* decline a request from an authority. Don’t be an ass about it.
G. RULES FOR DOMINANTS
1. Obtain consent before playing with a submissive. Submissives may politely decline your request.
2. Do not humiliate, boss, bully, belittle, push or harass a submissive without his or her consent.
3. Heed safe words. If you do not know a submissive’s safe word, find out before you play.
4. Do not play with an owned submissive without the consent of its owner.
5. All submissives, including you and your owned submissives, must follow these rules when at Blackwater and in the Blackwater group chats.
6. If you are unhappy with a submissive’s behavior, feel free to tell the submissive but do not try to dominate someone who is unlikely to obey; that’s just embarrassing.
H. PRIVATE AREAS
Blackwater is generally open to the public. However, there are certain areas that are private and should be respected as such. These areas include private homes, and stalls/cages within the stables and dungeon. Private areas should be clearly marked. Be respectful of these areas and do not go in areas that are private.
I. COMPETITION RULES
1. The host of an event has the absolute right to determine, in his or her sole discretion, how an event is conducted and whether a participant in the event is following the rules of competition. All participants in any competitive event, including spectators, shall immediately comply with all requests and instructions of the event host.
2. Competitors shall comply with the dress code for competitions. (See above the section called “Appearance and Dress”.) Ask questions if you are in doubt as to whether you are compliant.
3. The use of speed-boosting or speed-adjusting scripts is strictly prohibited.
4. The use of “quickjump,” disabling the pre-jump and/or post-animations, and the use of scripts that do the same, is strictly prohibited.
5. Flying is strictly prohibited.
6. It is not a violation of these rules to test race courses, to run race courses in a manner other than which they are clearly intended, or to look for unintended advantages or “shortcuts” in a race course. However, if you discover that a race course clearly has an unintended flaw or “shortcut” that provides you with a significant advantage over others, you are required to inform the event host of the flaw or shortcut.
7. During an asynchronous race (e.g., a 24-hour race when the host is not present), be respectful of other competitors. Do not cross the sim border, or TP in/out of the competition sim, while other racers are on the course. Take turns with other racers. At all times, be courteous of other racers.
8. When practicing for a race, be courteous of other racers who are practicing. Take turns. Do not hog the course to yourself. If another racer is present, suspend your practice and ask if the other racer would like to take a turn. Work cooperatively with others to ensure a smooth practice for yourself and them.
9. With regard to polo, all of the rules above apply plus: (a) the use of hitbox-enhancing attachments is prohibited (i.e., attachments which increase the size of an avatar hitbox beyond the standard limitations of SL), (b) attachments which cause or prohibit the movement of other avatars (i.e., blocking attachments) are prohibited, and (c) at Blackwater, the use of of spacebar-blocking is permitted.
J. PROCEDURE FOR RULES VIOLATIONS
1. Any violation of these rules shall be reported to Miss Winnifred or any other owner of Blackwater. In extreme emergency situations, a resident may be immediately banned subject to a subsequent review of the incident by the owners of Blackwater. Emergency situations including griefing/harassment, underage sexual play and other activity that would violate the Second Life TOS.
2. Every effort will be made to resolve and settle a rules violation amicably. This may include a simple apology. It may also include a warning or a censure.
3. When a rules violation cannot be resolved amicably, the incident will be reviewed by the owners of Blackwater. The owners will then decide: (a) whether the incident was actually a violation of the rules, and (b) if so, how to admonish the person who violated the rules. Admonishment may include a warning, a temporary ban, or a permanent ban. All such decisions will made by owners consensus.