The Playroom - Leather Collar

My apologies for this post being late. I had it scheduled to post on Sunday, but blogger is obviously not with the program.


July is finally here. Slave will be released in just a couple of weeks. I can't wait. Hopefully, neither can you. :)

So I mentioned that starting this month I would be adding a new piece of equipment to The Playroom. For the month of July, I selected a leather collar.

 

Collars are important in BDSM relationships for several reasons. There are many different types and some are cuffs or bracelets rather than a traditional collar. I'll be exploring some of those in later posts, but no matter what it physically is, the meaning is the same.

For Dominants, collars are a symbol of possession, ownership, and commitment. Giving a collar to a submissive is not something they take lightly. By presenting a collar to a submissive, by marking them as theirs, they are taking a vow to be that persons Dominant, to look after their needs. There are good Dominants and bad ones. The good ones take this commitment very seriously and do not enter into it flippantly.

For submissives, collars are also symbols of ownership, possession, of safety. A collared submissive always has someone they can go to, they are never truly alone. Their Dominant has committed to always be there for them whenever they need them. Submissives take comfort in knowing that someone accepts them for who they truly are and will help them to achieve their maximum potential.

There are so many different types of collars, even leather collars. The one I choose this month is an inch and a half wide. It happens to be a fairly simple design with a d-ring at the front. There is also a place for attachment at the back according to the retailer. 

I like the simplicity of this collar. It isn't flashy or overly cumbersome, but you know it's there. 

This is what I have in mind that Brianna is wearing the first time Stephan meets her in chapter 2.   

Research

I received this question from Ena via formspring...

I was wondering if you would post some of your research on  your blog. I know you did a lot of research for the series and how much would you say had to be 'trimmed off' because there was too much--or the opposite, expanded.

This is an excellent question, Ena. Thank you. :)

When I first started doing research for this story, I was somewhat frustrated. I would type in BDSM and most of what would come up were porn sites. It wasn't exactly what I was looking for.

Finally I stumbled onto a few websites and blogs of submissives/slaves, which helped a great deal. One of them was about collars and their meanings.  That site is where I got the idea of a collar of protection for Brianna. I was going to post the link here, but apparently the website is no longer active.

At the beginning, I really just tried to think back to some of the other BDSM stories I'd read while taking in the personalities of my two characters. I was also reading a story written by a switch in Germany, so I sent her a few e-mails asking questions regarding the lifestyle in general. She was very helpful in getting the wheels turning in my head and pointing me in the right direction.

It wasn't until I befriended a slave on-line, however, that my access to knowledge began to expand. My friend, pointed me to a great informational website.

http://www.seekers.org.uk/home.htm

I found this website extremely helpful. It breaks the lifestyle down for those who are interested in knowing the basics of submission, Dominance, play, clubs, etc.

As I continued writing, I also met more of those who live the lifestyle and was able to get some real life answers to my questions. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent picking the brains of both Dominants and submissives. There is one chapter that will be in the second book of this series that I spent eight hours hashing out with my friend's Master to get the correct level of realism and what I wanted. We finally called it 'done' at three o'clock in the morning.

I would have to say that I've done more expanding than trimming off, but both have occurred at one point and time; it's just a natural part of the editing process. For example with the chapter I was referencing above, I cut about 1,000 words from that chapter, however, I add almost that much in its place. In Slave, I've definitely done more adding than trimming. In fact, the entire third chapter is new material. I've also added some content throughout for various reasons.

To say that my research for this series is completely would be a total lie. I learn more about D/s every day through my research, through talking to those in the lifestyle, and just through casual observations. It has been a rewarding experience for me where I've met some wonderful friends and gotten to know more about myself as well as my relationship with others in the process.