GIRLISHNESS, SPANKINGS AND AN INNOCENT CHASTITY. WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF ARISTASIA A RETRO- LESBIAN ESCAPE FROM THE MODERN WORLD. DAVID1 girl with ginger heir who was sitting at a deck aking netice of what | say, 1'm going to give you somothing to get you You may nav tention” continues Mies Bake, tacing a thick leatner strap from Beneath tre bl put cown your penciy” she commanded, The young sil did so “Right. Stand up. Held out Blake. She popred on her spectacle your leit end The girl obeyed, but risked a smirk at her ates the etrap to shoulder neignt, 2a rou snap. The git winced, “Sit down, Bioko a6 the stinging subsices. “Th iss" sivetieg the lr. ana ale ass Now, youd be forgiven for thin stumbled across a story trom Girls" Bunty, School Friend or some other ‘eroughly British 1950s alts in fact, Mice Blake is ral. Well, as Clarke, maidservant; end Hilary Wins choclgiel-o¢ any other ef the m: personae belonging to Her Excell Imperial Ampassedress, Miss Mara called Avistasia whore identitioe are changes tte pante-girdles, and less tis take place on a regular besis, fo Twenty yeors 999, ie recoding standards ofthe modern = Marianne Martingale decided to opt out ‘he joined @ couple of tke-mindes ving in Oxtord, and they began t F ciundering au tne quatties 2h B com tne frst nat of tne century Astana wes born street on the outskirts of Longo fing the Aristesien Embassy ~ the headquarter ofthis fanciful alls near and far come to immerse in the antiquatee pursuits of g deportmant and decline. Yo rite, an aom and offre an impeccably her 408/'80s garb, but, espite hae nating te do with the practical while blondes are 1 and fregle.Althouoh they 1 the easiest way to‘Amish community have chosen to reect the excesses of the madera world Arietasiane often cefor to a peried in tho ‘early "608 they call The Eclipse ~ a time | when moral favesion® took nokt of socety, leaving in its woke o cultural and spiritual ‘oid. For them, cvlestion ondod with The elise, and everything post~60s Is nele in ‘contempt, or lnored by the empire, which now boasts small colories all over Ortsin, and one in France. Aristasians ive fu-time in this semi | reclusive, pseudo-spinitual lifestyle. That means no ty no newspapers, no radi | music patt!960. Indeed tho only | concession te modern living is when they | pop down to the shops to tuy provisions. But even this is undertaken like grand expedition, and passengers in Miss Martindale's ancient car may well be Dind- folded to prevent them being poisoned by the things they might see on the way. Lifein Avstasia is a simple ritual of rules and reoroval,crtish kisses, motherly hugs ‘and vintage film fantasy. Arstasians ave ‘alse devoutly celibate, and any overtly ‘saxual responses to the aforementioned ‘activities are swiftly selected, Acceraing to Miss Martindale “If ive agi a smack, and she's over my la, | can usually pick up any hot sluggy felings. I agit has a smack ana she's feting quite meity about that’s perfectly all sight ut If she's not under the about itn 9 may thats not very nce, then | always recirect these feetings because | cat allow that. In Aristesia we negate sox completely, but there is 2 sensual side t life which is missed by those of You wa Indigo in what | eal animal activity Tha Is 2 sensuaity to being smactec. of course, but it can be very pure ana innocent.” Sof sex Isnt It, whet exactly Is Miss Martindale offering these young levies? “Femininity innocence, purty, enthusiasm, and being able to be excited about Ile things she ‘oxplains. “One gil sai, i she wore here and was suddenly struck by the beauty ofa tiny | lower, she brew she could go and get every lin the embassy and sow ner this toy floner end nobody would sy, "Whet on eerth are you doing that for?" That chilke immediately” Despite ner natural blonde hal, embassy resident Nisiress Helena is known here as & ing we can share. And gets feel zafe here, they sence the eanctusry brunette She stumbled across Aristasia on the world wide web twe years ago while ving South Afric spd after numarous letters and visits moves in. So what wae it that appeaios| oer about Arietacia? Gort like the uainess of the modern wort,” she saic. "I never lhed i | was very hardened end encrusted living out there, but since Ive been in Arstasia Ive been able to | be whe | would nave been, had I not been born since the “60. Te me fom ‘gone from the modern worl, but hers we regain our innocence: ‘And what do ner ‘amily make of it al? "My family Ive In africa and | vst them ‘occasionally, Because they'te abi older they're net so poisoned by the modern work inty ie virtusly they'e lite ordinary civilised poop | Imave ne contact with a all My ‘The parte of my family that arert ~cousine of my soe fonts have always known that hated the modern | marie, so thay were pleased t's found somewnere that | was nappy and could fit in. Tey new I hede't really found ay place until | found Arlstasia Aristasians have many persenae, and many situstions sro staged to accommodate them. Nise Mactindale coule bo a strict govsrness ono minut she's 2 pital Hilary Winsaran, schoo photograph of a “ravishing” young ectress in an old copy of Picture Post, or even Miss Heather Welden, teenager, off te Aristatia’s Roxy Cinema with hor giririond. “IF I GIVE A GIRL A SMACK, AND SHE’S | OVER MY LAP, I CAN USUALLY PICK UP ANY HOT SLUGGY FEELINGS ... I CAN’T ALLOW THAT.” thon with a quick change of cutie ‘laating with ner schoo! chums over a Girls may visit Aratasia fer many reasons and although American Amy Lame Usually only attenos the philosoony tonight she's been invited for a night oat ith the gine st the Roxy. The avering starts off pleasant, with sweet sherry the young ledes are impeccably dresses tox ate, fulsome fur coats and, in Amy's case, a cistinctam with white gloves pil pair of normeimmes spectacles. When they've drained their lasses, Se iris uniaten the front oon, an file out Into te orivenay. Giggting. ney cicie tre back gardenParadoxically for a bunch of techno hobes, the empire supports itself by ling litereture, reproduction “S03 ‘clothing and fantasy audio tapes to In The Pit (the outside world) by mail o land Elektraspace (the internet 10 you a me). Their catalogues and web sites advertise books on feminine discipline anc Philosophy such as Happy Tears and [Feminine Universe; erotic audio fantasies fice Short Shirts, Hot Knickers: plus canes straps, paddies, nylons, regulation schoo knickers and maids! uniforms. its 2 necessary evil, as it's often through this Jcommorcial arm of the empire that BR cisattected young ladies from around the world first become aware of Aristasia, With expansion of the realm fiemiy in Jminc, miss Martincate and ner young ladies have recently begun thelr own lesbia night, Sweethearts, once a menth at London's canay Bar. On the first Sunda leach month, women are invited to oress in sophisticated "20s, "20s and "40s gerb (or white tle and tats), drink cocktails an listen to music ofthat era, Aristasians call the procedure “fching in rhe Pit", and the general igea Is tnet interested parties can at least get 2 Jolimese of this remarkable world before Phopetully deciding to explove it turtner Perhaps you'll drop by if you'r in L Otherwise vou can uncover mere abo: purposes, the dining roomis serving as the Roxy. Cne of the girls assumes the Aristasia by accessing their web site. Atte - tte, and issues tickets in exchange {or @ few old shilings, while the rest of all, it could be the beginning of a whole . le Inte armchairs which have been arranged two-abreast in rows. The Roxy new you. Giet of vintage films, and toniaht's bill includes same ‘SOs sci-fi, ané an old stir Aristesia can be found at http://www aristasiaorg‘Throughout the evening, the girls munch on vanilla choc-ices and chatter excitedly, but ‘when the film is over they're approached by the thunder-faced usherette. “Young ladies, before you leave, | must say that was one of the most disgraceful exhibitions of rowdy and unladylike behaviour | have seen in this cinema. You appear to be the ringleader young lady," she levels at Heather, “and by the power of authority Invested in me, I'm entitled to punish you. You must come with me, please. Your friends can wait for you, though I don’t know what they find so amusing." Heather is duly bent over a table. “I shall give you four strokes of the strap in the hope that it will teach you how to behave in a proper and appropriate manner,” says the usherette. Amy and the girls look on helplessly as the punishment is metered out. Later, when | bring up the Roxy, and walking out of the front door and in through the back, Amy says: "In Aristasia, you have to use your imagination quite a lot. It's a bit like being a child again.” And it occurs to me that maybe that's its secret. In this helter-skelter world of fast living and high-pressure jobs, who wouldn't relish switching into a lower gear ‘and escaping to a time when life was simpler, manners were everything, someone else was in charge and you were free to release that inner child?