Blonde in the Basement

It is useful to know that, in part, Code d’ Odalisque is a development of the adult sex game sometimes called ‘Blonde in the Basement’. Among the circle of people who first conceived of Code d’ Odalisque – a new codification of odalisque slavery on consensual principles – this was a well-known game. It is an abduction fantasy for consenting couples. To play, take your wife and lock her in the basement (or equivalent). Strip her naked and tie her up. Tell friends and neighbors that she's gone to visit her Aunt Gladys for a few days. During this time keep her as a secret naked sexual captive and have your wicked way with her as you like – your secret “blonde in the basement.”

It is a transgressive fantasy. The scenario is: the male player appears to his neighbors as a normal, middle-class guy when in fact he is a perverse sex fiend who is keeping some poor girl locked in his basement and is using her as his captive sex slave. It is a scenario that invites bondage play and various flavors of BDSM. The game appeals to women who enjoy the role of captive slave.

Code d’ Odalisque extends this and revives the oriental institution of odalisque but in all essentials is not too different than this simple game. An odalisque is a sex slave who is kept in “occlusion”, which is to say hidden from the world. Her Master keeps her locked away until he wants to use her. She is, in effect, his “blonde in the basement.” He keeps her naked and captive in order to use her for his sexual excesses. When all is said and done, that’s all there is to Code d’ Odalisque. Everything else – the code of etiquette, the slave positions, the rules of contract, and so on – are elaborations upon this basic game.