I have been in the Dead End (and Crack Den) world for a long time, many years in fact, with various characters. I've played both innocents and deviants. Kidnapping is of course a big part of what the sim is all about. It's in the name after all. Yet I always find it astonishing how sloppy it often is performed and how little attention for detail there is. The kidnapping part of the sim should really be improved in my opinion and that's why I am going to write down what I have learned from my many experiences over the years, both from the perspective of the victim and of the perpetrator. I hope this will help create more interesting kidnapping stories to be played out.
General guidelines for kidnapping roleplay
A. Make a commitment to it - If you are not committed to the kidnapping roleplay scene, it becomes sloppy, boring and can have dire consequences for further roleplay.
B. Communicate OOC in IM about it - If you don't communicate with each other, things will go wrong and that is often the reason for drama, ooc quarrels and disputes after the fact and can even lead to voiding scenes that took up a lot of time.
C. Don't step into it blindly - Sometimes you really long for a good kidnapping, either to be the victim of it or the one committing the crime. However, once the opportunity appears to be there, don't jump into it, but look at it from multiple angles, deliberate and think how it will fit into your story. Not doing that can cause serious after effects, disappointments and I've even seen people leave because of this.
D. Check time zones and make appointments - Avoid being stuck in a scene while waiting for the other to come back online. This is annoying for both the victim and the perpetrator. So be honest and open about available time and make appointments. Stick to those appointments! If you can't stick to them, don't make them. Prepare for a scene and don't start it when you know you will have a busy schedule in real life. Take at least a couple of hours to get the kidnap done and then reserve the next two days to play it out. Also keep in mind that the after-play will take time.
E. Set a time limit to the scene - Closely connected to D, if you don't set a time limit it might drag on forever or one of the players is suddenly immersed in some other roleplay.
F. Keep rewards in mind - Both the victim and the perpetrator want something. And it's just as in a fight, the scene should have some form of reciprocity, where you reward each other.
G. Be cooperative - You may be IC adversaries, OOC you are co-writers, working on a common story that will have effect on future roleplay.
H. Involve others - If you want to be private about it, just go to a place outside the sim. When on sim others can and will react to it. The more people get involved at some point, the more rewarding it gets.
I. Accept the consequences - The perpetrator becomes a villain and will be chased. The victim becomes tainted and will be regarded by many as possible humping meat. If these consequences are unacceptable, don't play kidnapping scenes. Be on the sim for those consequences and don't hide in obscurity and unavailability. After all, it's not a separate scene you are playing, it's a part of a bigger story.
Guidelines for the Victim
1. Don't be hasty or greedy - It's difficult sometimes to resist the temptation of accepting anything to find that kick of playing the victim, but if you don't you will probably end up with a huge hangover. For instance, try to roleplay with the counterpart before the actual kidnapping occurs to see which style the other layer has. Is that a style you are comfortable with? You don't want to end up in a poseball humping orgy without proper emotes.
2. Get your limits in order and updated and post them in your picks. That way a potential perpetrator can select beforehand and also keep those limits in mind at all times. Of course there must also be discussion about limits during a kidnapping scene, but for the most part a limits-list should cover the necessary do's and don'ts.
3. Communicate with friends and rescuers about the time you are available to be rescued. Nothing can kill a scene more than being rescued too early or too late.
4. Try to fight back or escape - you are a victim after all, not some hump doll. Which means you also don't have to like everything done to you. Don't get orgasms when somebody cuts a finger off, it's unrealistic and can only lead to self-destructive behavior of your character.
5. Fit the scene into the whole picture - Stockholm syndrome is an option, yet there must be a reason why a victim falls in love with the perpetrator of tries to defend them. Also think about possible connections to other experiences your character might have had. How do previous rapes affect your stance? How does an orgasm affect your opinion of the perpetrator?
6. Be creative - Don't just 'oh' and 'ah' through a scene, but describe how your character experiences it, responds to it and try to connect to the other character by reactions, interactions and emotions.
Guidelines for the Perpetrator
1. Be someone else - Don't be yourself as you're probably not a rapist in real life.
2. Don't be someone else - Once your character has a name and identity, don't hide in fits of anger or multiple personalities, just as an excuse for being terrible. Instead try to come up with a good reason why your character is such a terrible person and face that. That gives the scene much more depth and chance of continuation. There can be inner conflicts about it or acceptance and both are great starting points for in depth roleplay.
3. Don't be hasty or greedy - Think about who it is that becomes available and for what reason. Observe your victim, just like a perpetrator would do in real life. And don't let your character be manipulated into doing something he or she wouldn't be likely of doing.
4. Be violent - You are the villain after all. But there can be many sorts of violence, both physical and psychological. Think beforehand about your methods and purposes and use the strategy that fits your character's profile.
5. Sex is an option - Just make sure the victim knows beforehand if it will be an option and in which capacity. Is the kidnapping revolving entirely around sex? Or is sex going to be a part of a torturing method? Be certain about what the purpose of the kidnapping is.
6. Be creative - Carving your name into your victim's body is not hot and neither is it original. If you want to be remembered, become an artist and try to be as creative in your posts as you possibly can and make a story that will be remembered. In other words, get into the minds of the victims, not just in their body's.
Now of course there can be many more things added to this list and I would like to work on that. These are just my first ideas inspired on good and bad experiences I have had in the past. If you want to add your own observations, please do. I think it would be good if we can work on this document and turn it into a more extensive kidnapping writers guide, which will hopefully improve kidnap roleplay and our wonderful sim-experience.
Cheers,
Xelan Morgath
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