Blackwater Rules & Background

A. BACKGROUND

Centuries ago, the noble Blackwater family settled a wilderness of rolling hills and quiet streams. Blackwater Castle still looms today over the quaint village steeped in history and tradition. However, behind the charming facade of the village, Blackwater’s mistresses are sadistic overlords who demand obedience and delight in the torment and suffering of the residents — who are all too willing to serve and submit to the torment.

Blackwater is a BDSM, D/s, kink community in Second Life. 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 is comprised of multiple locations:

(1) Blackwater Farm, a private region where the village is located and day-to-day life happens
(2) Blackwater Point, a private region dedicated primarily to natural beauty and competitive events
(3) Blackwater Landing, a mainland parcel in the Concinna region of Second Life

Collectively, these locations are all “Blackwater.” In addition to the in-world locations, Blackwater has several Second Life Groups and a Discord channel.

WARNING
Blackwater is a BDSM, D/s experience. We engage in consensual, sexual roleplay. If you are offended by sexual roleplay, you should absolutely not visit Blackwater or participate in Blackwater events.

WARNING
Blackwater is created by adults for adults. Blackwater contains explicit adult content. If you are a minor, you should absolutely not visit Blackwater or participate in Blackwater events.

B. HOW TO PARTICIPATE

First, we invite you to visit us in Second Life. Explore Blackwater, including this website, and decide for yourself whether this is a place for you.

Blackwater, and our events, are open to the public with minor exceptions. You are invited to visit Blackwater, and to come and go from our events, as you please. However, you will quickly find that the best and richest experience at Blackwater involves becoming a resident.

The best way to participate in Blackwater is to attend our events, which are published in various locations:

Our events are listed here on our website
You can subscribe to our Google Calendar
You can join our Second Life Group

To become a resident, speak with either Mistress Alli (alli.eberdene) or Mistress Winnie (winnie.sweetwater). We will guide you through the process of becoming a resident.

Like any other experience in life, you will find that the more time and energy you invest in Blackwater, the more you get out of the experience.

We have different types of events:

D/s Roleplay: a “lifestyle” experience in which residents roleplay as a top or a bottom, usually involving themes of dominance and submission
BDSM Play: an explicit, graphic experience involving sadomasochism for mutual sexual gratification
Social Events: a purely social activity for community and relaxation
Educational Events: an instructive, teaching event for educational enrichment
Ponyplay Events: an experience in which a bottom is treated like an animal or livestock by a dominant

C. ROLES AND TAGS

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 Farm” group (open to the public and free to join).

To obtain any of the tags described below, please speak with either Mistress Alli (alli.eberdene) or Mistress Winnie (winnie.sweetwater):

Mistresses. The matriarchs and owners of Blackwater. They are dominants and their authority is absolute.
Dominants. Residents of Blackwater who serve as dominants/tops in the context of a D/s, BDSM roleplay. They answer only to the Mistresses. Dominants can be part-time or full-time residents of Blackwater.
Slaves. Residents of Blackwater who submit to the whims of the Mistresses and Dominants on a permanent, full-time basis. They are owned chattel who experience Blackwater as their exclusive lifestyle.
Submissives. Residents of Blackwater who submit to the whims of the Mistresses and Dominants on a part-time basis.
Ponygirls/Ponyboys. Residents of Blackwater who have been fully trained as ponygirls and ponyboys. They are livestock who serve as human animals and are treated like animals by the Mistresses and Dominants. Ponies can be part-time or full-time residents of Blackwater.
Trainees. Residents of Blackwater who are currently in training to become a slave, ponygirl or ponyboy. They are learning how to submit and obey.
Guests. People who are visiting, passing through, exploring or otherwise participating in Blackwater on a part-time basis.

In addition to the roles above, we have a “Blackwater Dairy” group containing additional roles that are specific to the Blackwater Dairy: (1) Cow, (2) Ponygirl, (3) Ponyboy, (4) Bull, and (5) Farm Hand. If you would like to work at the Blackwater Dairy in one of these roles, please speak with Mistress Alli (alli.eberdene) or Mistress Winnie (winnie.sweetwater).

D. RULES OF CONDUCT

The following rules support the good order and operation of Blackwater. 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 and to have fun. These rules protect and preserve our community so we can have gratifying fun.

By visiting Blackwater or participating in a Blackwater event, you have agreed to follow these rules. Read them. They are not complicated.

No child avatars. The Mistresses are the sole judges of what is too young. Size, body shape, skin, AO and behavior are all factors.
No findomming, escorting, or prostitution.
No discrimination based on color, national origin, religion, sexual preference, gender, gender identity, disability or other characteristics.
Everyone here is an adult. Please act like it.
Be nice. If you can’t do that, be polite.
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.
No hunting including meters and vampire HUDs.
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.
No promoting or advertising (or badmouthing) other sims or events.
Disagreements – In a perfect world everyone agrees to and lives by the forgoing rules 1 through 9. 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 Mistress Alli (alli.eberdene) and/or Mistress Winnie (winnie.sweetwater). Behaviors such as retribution, fighting, and generally making the situation worse will be subject to discipline.

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 a Mistress. 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.

F. 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.

G. RULES FOR SUBMISSIVES

Be aware of who “ranks” above you in the chain of command. Submissive individuals, including ponies, pets, human submissive and slaves, are submissive to others in the following order of authority (ranked from least to most): Guests, Visiting Trainers/Grooms, Visiting Stable Masters and Mistresses, Blackwater Dominants, Blackwater Mistresses.
Submissives must address those in authority as Miss, Sir, or other selected honorific. If in doubt, check profiles or simply ask.
Before private messaging a person in authority, ask first in local if it is OK to do so.
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.)
Submissives may *politely* decline a request from an authority. Don’t be an ass about it.

H. RULES FOR DOMINANTS

Obtain consent before playing with a submissive. Submissives may politely decline your request.
Do not humiliate, boss, bully, belittle, push or harass a submissive without his or her consent.
Heed safe words. If you do not know a submissive’s safe word, find out before you play.
Do not play with an owned submissive without the consent of its owner.
All submissives, including you and your owned submissives, must follow these rules when at Blackwater and in the Blackwater group chats.
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.

I. 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 stable and dungeon. Private areas should be clearly marked. Be respectful of these areas and do not go in areas that are private.

J. COMPETITION RULES

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.
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.
The use of speed-boosting or speed-adjusting scripts is strictly prohibited.
The use of “quickjump,” disabling the pre-jump and/or post-animations, and the use of scripts that do the same, is strictly prohibited.
Flying is strictly prohibited.
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.
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.
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.
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.

K. PROCEDURE FOR RULES VIOLATIONS

Any violation of these rules shall be reported to a Mistress. In extreme or emergent 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.
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.
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 consensus of the owners of Blackwater.