Overview

Consensual Slave Play

Code d' Odalisque is a genre or style of non-violent consensual slave play engaged in by willing adult men and women. It is a modern revival of aspects of the historical institution of odalisque (female sexual servant) in a consensual form. Play is guided by a written code of rules, etiquette and protocols. The genre or style is an alternative sub-culture within the broader BDSM community; play includes aspects of bondage and discipline, dominance and submission but not sado-masochism. The use of pain and degradation is forbidden under the Code. The values of the Code are hedonistic and pleasure-oriented combining exotic elements from Turkish, Persian, Arabic and related erotic cultures with modern, Western hardcore tastes. The structure of play is based upon the relationship between a male Slavekeeper and a female slave. Play is essentially heterosexual in character.

History

The beginnings of this form of consensual slave play are uncertain. Many couples play games of sexual submission or “bedroom slavery” where the woman submits to the man saying “Take me! Do what you want to me!” Code d' Odalisque is a formalisation and development of that common adult game.

By the best account the written codifications of Code d' Odalisque began as a series of written documents used by a small circle of people in Adelaide, Australia, in the 1990s. These people were unhappy with the emphasis on pain and sado-masochism in the BDSM community and began to develop new rules to cater to their needs. In this they drew loosely upon the idea of the 'odalisque' from Near Eastern and old Turkish (Ottoman) erotic culture and especially from romantic depictions of the female pleasure slave in the Ottoman Empire such as those found in nineteenth century Orientalist paintings. That is, they turned to different historical models than those usually found in BDSM where it is more common to allude back to elements from the French Revolution period (especially from the works of the Marquis de Sade.)

The earliest versions of Code d' Odalisque bore a copyright notice to Steven and Victoria Rose, probably pseudonyms. It seems likely that many people made a contribution to the original concept. The idea then seems to have lapsed for a few years before it was taken up by others, revised and promoted through the World Wide Web. There it was greeted with widespread approval by men, women and couples who also felt a need for a non sado-masochistic flavour in the over-all spectrum of BDSM alternative lifestyles. Once in the public domain, the “Code” – popularly known as Code d’ Ode – spread quickly among interested groups and individuals. There is now a growing global community of both serious and casual players.

Guardianship of the Code, along with copyright, belongs to an organisation of Slavekeepers called 'The Guild of the Black Pearl' which consists of a small inner circle of Code d' Ode enthusiasts headed by Mr Charles Molyneux who is listed as the current Guild Syndic.

The Code

The written Code d' Odalisque is a comprehensive document divided into short articles in a quasi-legal manner. It is clear that the Code began as a series of separate documents that have since been consolidated and revised. In some places the editing process is still patchy and incomplete. There are still sections of the Code that await further refining, but the fifth edition, now in the public domain, is relatively polished and a consistent and coherent codification, certainly when compared to earlier drafts and versions.

The Code begins with some preliminary descriptions of slave play and is then divided into parts under the following headings: General, The Odalisque, Principles of Contract, Discalcing, Contract of Submission, Assessment and Grading, The Plea for Mercy, Alms, The Master/Slave bond, The Nature of the Odalisque, The Rights and Duties of the Slavekeeper, Types of Play, Guests, The Odella, Training, The Slavetrainer, Positions, Gestures and Commands, Ordeals, Punishment, Sojourn, Overmistress, Qoola, Hareems, Etiquette and Decorum, Conduct during Orgia, Speech and Discourse, Written Etiquette, Auctions, Masques, Safe Words and End Game, Sub Rosa.

The Code serves many purposes. It contains a system of contract, a complete code of etiquette, a charter of rights and responsibilities, a system of grading and various devices to ensure safe, legal and consensual play. It is a voluntary Code founded upon the free consent of adults.

Versions

There are several versions of the Code in circulation, all freely available in the public domain. The third edition was widely distributed. A fourth edition seems to have never appeared. Instead, revisions went directly to a fifth edition which has been made available as a MSWord document, a PDF file and in a HTML format. It is distributed via the internet and shared among practitioners. The fifth edition of the Code runs to over 50,000 words in length – the size of a small book.


Non-violent

Code d' Odalisque was developed by people interested in Master/slave relationships but who were not interested in the sado-masochistic elements common in the BDSM world. The Code provides for sexual submission and explores such themes as bondage, restraint and obedience but without such elements as spanking, whipping, nipple torture, hot wax etc. The premise of this system of Master/slave play is that there are many women who are, by nature, sexually submissive and who enjoy being used sexually and enjoy sexual obedience, but who do not want to be subject to the more violent aspects of BDSM culture. Non-violent sexual submission is the cornerstone of Code d' Odalisque and is the main reason that people are attracted to it.

Sexually submissive women very often fall into violent or abusive relationships. That is a hazard inherent in the very nature of the submissive psychology. The Code is designed to protect sexually submissive women from this and to offer them an alternative to sado-masochistic relationships. The Code promotes a culture of respect, chivalry and elegance in which the female slave (odalisque) is regarded as a rare treasure to be cherished, protected and nurtured. Although the Code is male dom/fem sub it is strongly pro-feminine.

The Odalisque

An odalisque is a sexual slave. She is kept by a Slavekeeper for the purposes of providing sexual service. She is often referred to as a “cockslave” because she is dedicated to serving the sexual needs of males and because the hedonism of this style of slave play is phallocentric. Odalisque slavery is a mode of phallic worship. The Code defines the cockslave's role and provides a full account of her rights and responsibilities.

Importantly, she is not to be treated as a work slave or as a domestic servant. This is one of the things that distinguishes an odalisque from an ordinary slave as often found in BDSM Master/slave play. An odalisque is not to be used for labour. She is protected from toil. Her only duties are erotic. In this respect she is often called a “luxury slave” because she is kept in a state of leisure and is not required to cook or clean for her Master. The Code refers to work slaves by the word “memlook”. An odalisque is not a memlook. She is also referred to as a “pleasure slave” because her one task is to provide pleasure to her Master, and she is protected from pain and harm and all forms of sado-masochism.

The Code draws careful boundaries between an odalisque, a whore and a slut. An odalisque is not a whore who sells her sex nor a slut who sleeps around as a free agent. Many aspects of the Code are constructed upon these distinctions. A Slavekeeper cannot treat his odalisque as a whore or a slut.

Culture

Code d' Odalisque has an implicit philosophy of enlightened hedonism and erotic sophistication. There is an internal logic to the Code developed from historical and contemporary principles.

This style of consensual sex slavery alludes to historical models in the Near East, especially the institution of odalisque in Ottoman Turkey but also further back to the Biblical King Solomon and solomonic sensuality. In olden days, of course, slaves were captured, not consensual. The role play aspects of Code d' Odalisque often refer back to these historical models. There are many references back to the era of piracy and slave-trading by Turkish pirates on the Barbary Coast. For instance, the symbol of the Slavekeeper's authority is the cutlass sword, the typical sword of the pirate. Players are to imagine a sophisticated culture of slavery that might have evolved from a pirate-based institution. Code d' Ode evokes a world of pirates, white slaves, hareems, silks, woven rugs, hashish, sultry perfumes, baths, that is, classical oriental sensuality.

Phallic Worship

The odalisque is devoted to providing sexual pleasure to the men who are put over her. Accordingly, she is devoted to cock worship and loves nothing more than serving cock. Her passions are phallocentric. The odalisque role is only suited to women who have a deep love of the male phallus and who feel a vocation to serve the phallus. In some respects, therefore, Code d' Odalisque develops quasi-religious devotions or a religious-like intensity. It is not, however, a religion or a cult. The motto of the cockslave (in French) is “ J'adore le phallus” – I adore the phallus!

The odalisque is devoted to the adoration of the male organ. It is important to note that, in this, she is not fixed upon the personality of her Master. Another motto used in the Code is: “Man is her Master. Cock is her god.” A Slavekeeper is not a god. An odalisque worships cock, not man. Man is her Master. Cock is her god. This motto explains the Code's approach to phallic worship. In other forms of consensual slavery the Master might require the slave to worship him and to give him a religious-like devotion. The Slavekeeper in Code d' Odalisque cannot establish an ego-cult. The slave is devoted to phallic adoration, not the blind adoration of her Master's personality. This is an important psychological distinction.

Contract

Slave play in Code d' Ode is governed by a system of contract. The first principle of contract is consent. All players must be legal, sane adults and must be fully consenting. The system of contract is designed to protect all parties, especially the female slave. In the first instance, a slave must draft and sign a Contract of Submission which sets out the shape and limits of her submission to slavery. This can then be modified as required by a further contract called a 'Plea for Mercy'. This system is very flexible.

All contracts must be signed by three persons. The contractual provisions of the Code were developed in consultation with legal professionals and in view of the best advice regarding the legal issues inherent in Master/slave relationships, but no claims are made for the legal integrity of Code contracts. Such contracts have no actual legal status but are quasi-legal and are designed to ensure strict adherence to the principle of consent above all. Many legal cases have demonstrated that consent is a problematic matter in Master/slave dominant/submissive relationships. The Code is carefully crafted to provide as much protection to players as possible.

Alms

One of the unique features of Code d' Odalisque is a system of almsgiving or charity that takes the place of slave purchase. Slaves are purchased, but of course this is highly illegal in the modern world. In Code d' Ode the (nominal) slave price is commuted into alms whereby the Slavekeeper must make a donation to an appropriate charity in lieu of the cost of the slave. The charities which are appropriate for such purposes are those dedicated to eradicating forced prostitution, child prostitution and female genital mutilation. In this way, Code d' Odalisque has a simulated slave economy which is, in effect, directed to the end of eradicating the vestiges of non-consensual slavery and violence against women.

Safety

All the detailed provisions of the Code are calculated to provide an arena of safety, legality and consent in which sexual slave play can be conducted. Safe play, legal play and consensual play come before all other considerations. Code d' Odalisque is far more comprehensive than other systems of consensual slavery in this respect. There are in-built safeguards and checks and balances at every level. A deep concern for the principles of safety, legality and consent, enshrined in a clear and comprehensive written code, is one of the main characteristics of Code d' Odalisque.

The Code includes a system of safe words and provides ways in which slaves can avoid and escape from abuses. For example, an odalisque is entitled to have her own 'Overmistress', a female mentor who looks over her and to whom she can turn if she is ever unhappy about the treatment to which her Keeper subjects her.

Fantasy

The purpose of Code d’ Odalisque is to provide a safe, legal, consensual arena for a heightened intensity of sexual enjoyment and exploration. A gentleman owns an odalisque in order to ornament his life and to facilitate the sustained exploration of his fantasies and the delights of sexual pleasure. Play is not based upon “power exchange” but upon “fantasy projection.” An odalisque is a fantasy and a vehicle of fantasy. Her submission is to the fantasies of her Master. She makes herself into the compliant, cockloving female of his dreams. An odalisque finds her own fulfillment in this role.

Aesthetics

Code d' Odalisque is based on different historical models to other styles of consensual slave play, and indeed is based on a different erotic culture than that which is now predominant in the BDSM world. The dominant models are based in the French Revolution and in the inspiration of Marquis de Sade. De Sade has given Western civilization an enduring erotic and aesthetic culture, but it is one characterized by sado-masochism. The dungeon, whips, chains, leather, black clothing - these familiar features of alternative sexuality are all part of the erotic culture created by de Sade. By extension it is a grungy, industrial aesthetic. Typically, for example, a woman will be bound and whipped in an old factory. That is de Sade's idea of sexy.

Code d' Odalisque is a departure from this whole tradition. Not only does it offer an alternative style of play to those that are current in BDSM, but it also offers a different aesthetic. It is a refined and sensual aesthetic - not the dark, grungy aesthetic of de Sade. It draws upon the sensuality (and rich erotic heritage) of the Turks, Arabs, Persians, Berbers etc - all very sensual (and sexual) people. This oriental aesthetic is combined with a modern hardcore sensibility.

In the current aesthetic order sensuality tends to be equated with softcore. Hardcore tends to mean rough, ugly, harsh, violent. But in Code d' Ode, hardcore sexual play and sexual exploration is placed within a context of refinement and sensuality. An odalisque is a thing of beauty. Code d' Odalisque is a celebration of that beauty. But at the same time the odalisque is an object to be enjoyed and explored. Code d' Ode is about hardcore sexual exploration. The sensuality of the aesthetic does not mean "softcore".

There is no sado-masochism in Code d' Odalisque. And by extension there is no cult of ugliness. There is beauty, fantasy, mystery and there is excess, obsession, oblivion - the aesthetic context is sensual and sumptuous, drawing upon the rich traditions of the old orient. Code d' Odalisque revives odalisque slavery from the Ottoman empire. Accordingly, it draws upon the sensuality of that world, especially as it was *imagined* by Europeans in the Victorian and Edwardian eras.