Demystifying RLV

I've heard many people over the years in SL who have been fairly frightened by the prospect of even turning on their RLV functionality. My hope with this article is to help demystify at least some of the claims I've heard to put those fears at ease.

Claim: "That collar is pretty, but I don't want to buy it because someone can control me if I wear it."

Truth: Most all collars come packaged with a non-RLV option, and even then, you can make a copy of an RLV collar in order to remove the scripts if you're worried about being controlled. The important part to know about all of this, is that a freshly unpackaged collar is impossible to control unless RLV functionality is enabled, and you give someone ownership of your collar either through an Access/Ownership menu or by turning on Public collar functionality.

Claim: "I'm afraid to download this Third Party Viewer because I hear it comes with RLV."

Truth: Just because a third party viewer supports RLV, doesn't mean that it comes pre-enabled. As of this publication, I know of only two official Third Party Viewers (TPV) that come pre-enabled with RLV on and that is the Restrained Love Viewer by Marine Kelley, and Kokua FTRLV (Full-Time RLV) viewer. As a further caveat, those two viewers mentioned, have no function to disable RLV.

Claim: "If I turn on RLV, can't someone just come and capture me and do whatever they want?"

Truth: Turning on RLV functionality alone can NOT allow you to be captured by an RLV device. You need to be wearing an object with a properly scripted RLV Relay that is active. Furthermore, a properly scripted RLV Relay will give you levels of engagement, typically: Off, Ask, and Auto which as you might glean from the names turns the relay off to any requests, asks you for each RLV request, or automatically captures you.

Claim: "If I get captured by something, I won't be able to escape."

Truth: Every creator is a little bit different in how they create their RLV objects. Some do extensive testing, and others barely test their product. If an object has a bad script, it could cause a situation where you're unable to be released while RLV is active. With the exception of the Restrained Love Viewer and the Kokua FTRLV viewer, any other viewer can have RLV disabled so you can safely get away from whatever has captured you in the event you no longer consent to being captured. Once you are free and away from the offending object, you should be able to re-enable RLV safely. Also, certain collar systems allow you to free yourself from a misbehaving RLV object without disabling RLV.

Claim: "I'm not wearing a collar, so there's no reason for me to turn RLV on."

Truth: There are several products that utilize RLV functionality to help enhance your experience in the world. Ever been sailing? Universal Sailing Buddy and WindCompass utilize RLV to set your next map marker as you sail a charted course. CTS Wardrobe uses RLV and a website to help you dress yourself with a visual catalog. There's also several products that use the no detach functionality of RLV to help keep important HUDs or items like wedding rings attached through outfit changes.

The TLDR conclusion

• RLV only exists on Third Party Viewers (TPVs)
• You can't be "Captured" by RLV Objects without an active RLV Relay worn on your avatar.
• A collar doesn't do anything with RLV.
• With the exception of two TPVs, RLV can be turned off and on at will.
• RLV has more uses than just BDSM or Kinky stuff, it can be used for many other useful things.
• While there may be objects out there that have bugs, most things are set up to follow rules that are built into the RLV system.

I hope this helps to demystify RLV a bit for any who read this. In upcoming articles, we'll dive into collar systems and explain the pro's and con's of each.