The Time And Effort She Deserves...

There are a lot of different facets to this lifestyle.  There are many ways to go about carrying out the power exchange dynamics we all enjoy, and none of them are wrong.  We all go about doing things a little different and in ways that work best for us and our relationships.  Yet, there are some similarities across all of the dynamics in how a Dominant needs to conduct himself.  There are certain behaviors that I see as being mandatory and not up for discussion.

Anyone can cause pain and create marks on someone else.  Anyone can be aggressive and controlling.  Anyone can spend a little time in a scene with someone and push their limits.  The pain will go away.  The bruises will go away.  The marks will eventually fade and go away.  As a Dominant, it's the way you treat your submissive outside of these times that will stay with her and will last.

A Dominant has to give his submissive care and support throughout their relationship.  He has to offer reassurance and encouragement.  He has to make her feel appreciated for her submission, what she is willing to endure for him, and even as the woman she is in being his partner.  This sin't something that is only part of a scene together.  It has to be part of the entire relationship, every single day.  It is this being there for her, and helping support her in being who she is for you, that will last and stick in her mind.  It is being treated like she is important and that you care that will stay with her most.

It never ceases to amaze me how so many "Dominants" think being Dominant is just about the scene, using her sexually, or making her suffer pain.  They just want the action and fun and then are on their way.  They don't understand aftercare and the importance of it.  They don't understand continual ongoing care and the importance of it.  They don't understand that it's the time between your scenes that are most important.  This time is what helps her process what happened, gives her constant reassurance, and makes her want and need more from you.

A Dominant cannot just be  part of the scene and then disappear or not put forth any effort.  It's this effort that solidifies and reinforces who she is and what she gives.  She cannot be left floundering on her own to deal with everything.  As a Dominant, you have asked for her submission and she has given it to you, so you have to be willing and able to take her on.  Her submission is not just about the actual physical acts, but helping her learn and grow in addition to that as well.  If left to herself she will not be getting what she needs from you.  She will withdraw.  She will lose trust in you as her Dominant.  She will lose respect for you as her Dominant.  Ultimately this will mean you lose her submission to you.  Once this happens, it will be very difficult to regain, if not impossible.

A power exchange relationship, of whatever dynamic you choose, is a constant ongoing process and exchange.  It's not just for the fun aspects and when it's convenient.  When you invest yourself and your time into your partner, you can find more than you ever dreamed and get more from your partner than you ever knew you could have.  If you don't give the time and effort, you are doomed to fail.  She is worth and deserves that effort from you as her Dominant.  Don't be that guy that just uses her for your own enjoyment and pushes her aside.  Be the Dominant she needs all the time.  I promise you will get more in return than you ever imagined, and it will continue to only get better.

~DV~

Handing Over The Belt...

One of the things I love about pictures is there is no right or wrong way to look at them.  We each see something different within the same image.  This is one reason I have always enjoyed using pictures with my submissives.  I can send a picture, or a link to a picture, and ask her to tell me what she sees, to tell me what she feels within the picture, or even to put herself in the picture and tell me what she feels about being in that situation.

This is a great tool for learning about her and how she sees things.  Maybe how she sees herself in this lifestyle.  How she sees different aspects of the lifestyle.  What her wants, needs and desires may be for herself as a submissive or from me as a Dominant. The information that can be gathered from a discussion about a picture can be so valuable.  It is being able to get inside her head and know more of how she thinks and feels.  About what drives her.  Once she shares her view, feelings, and thoughts, then I can do the same.  Sometimes our views may match, and other times it may be an opportunity to look at a situation or scene different than we had before.

Recently I was presented a picture and asked to give my view about it.  It was of a woman with a belt in her outstretched hand, as if she was offering it to her Dominant to use on her.  I think it's one thing to use a belt on a woman and make her submit to it.  Yet, it comes from a totally different place when she is bringing you the belt and asking for it.  My comment went like this:

Bringing me the belt.  Needing to be beaten so badly that you would ask for it.  Needing me to help you clear your mind and make you feel your place.  Needing to feel my possession, the force, and my control over you.  Needing to feel your own submission to it.  And knowing once I start, you don't get to decide when I'm done or you have had enough.  That is up to me and only me!

That was my initial view and what I saw in the picture when I looked at it.  I know it takes a very strong and secure woman, with a lot of trust for her partner, to be able to come to him and ask for a spanking or a beating.  That is where my viewpoint was based.  What I got back in response to my viewpoint really caught me off guard and made me think.

I have to admit, there is an appeal or maybe curiosity in everything about this.  I know how the belt feels and I can't exactly lie and say I don't enjoy it.  But how it can clear ones mind, give them the reset or release they need is very intriguing to me.  I do love the thought of coming to him on my knees, handing him the belt and asking for help.  Feeling safe in asking to be beaten.  Trusting that there's not judgement, only understanding.  Then feeling his total possession and control as I put myself in his hands, trusting that he will give me what I need.  And yes, knowing that only he decide when I've had enough and it's done.  I think that this could possible go both ways though.  There has to be a great feeling for him during this too.  Feeling and expressing Dominance and power.  Maybe not the same sort of reset or release, but similar.  So maybe the scenario is 

​that he had some long days at work with traveling and one thing after another.  I can see and feel the stress weighing on him when he gets home.  So I come to him, hand him his belt, strip, and offer my ass (head down ass up) to beat.  Clearing his mind and giving him the release he needs.  Submitting to and taking the pain because that's what Master needs.  The amount of love, respect, and trust it entails (for both of us) is simply beautiful to me!

Hmmmm... I hadn't looked at it that way before.  I tend to look at so much of what I am and do as a Dominant revolving around my submissive.  Having it revolve around her needs and her desires and what she needs from me.  Yes, I may talk about what I get from her and what I can take from her because she is mine, but that still fits within her needs as well.  But this...this was different.  This was the point of view of a submissive offering and giving herself, maybe even to her own detriment and suffering, for the betterment and happiness of her Dominant.  Not being asked to take it or endure it for him.  Not being made to withstand the lashes from the belt.  But rather offering herself and her body to be his release, his stress relief, to help ease what he has build up inside.

To me, this is the ultimate essence and goal of what Dominance and submission are about.  This is about as deep as it gets and comes from a place of love and devotion.  This is putting your partners needs and well being above and beyond your own.  This is being willing to give all you have to give, and suffer in doing so, not necessarily for pleasure but for the betterment of your partner and caring enough to need to do that.  

This really did make me think and look at the picture in a different light.  It made me look at what submission really can be and how precious it is when you have that from someone as a Dominant.  Just how far your submissive may be willing to go for your happiness.  Just what she may be willing to endure for you to help you feel better and relive your stress.  This is the beauty of what this lifestyle really can behold.

~DV~

The Duality of Domination...

Certainly there are many ways to go about participating in this lifestyle.  We all have our own way of doing it.  We all need different things from it.  Yet, the common core of it is Domination by one person and submission by the other within a relationship together.  This aspect is something that both people need for their respective roles.  It's a part of who they are and they don't feel complete without it.

There are two sides, or a duality, to the roles we choose to adhere to within this lifestyle.  There is an active side and passive side.  Meaning, you can actively Dominate or submit, or you can passively Dominate or submit.  As a Dominant, submission from your partner is gained over time.  It is earned.  You become respected in your role as a Dominant by your actions and being the person the submissive has come to need, desire, and crave.  You didn't get that submission by just sitting around, beating your chest, roaring, and calling yourself a Dominant.  You didn't get that submission by just demanding submission.  You gained it over time by actively being the Dominant you claim to be.  You got it by your actions reinforcing your words.  You got it by assuming and taking on that Dominant role and the submissive being able to see and believe in you as that leader.

The problem that can arise in many relationships is the Dominant not maintaining the active role in Dominating.  Once he has a submissive he becomes more passive in his approach.  He doesn't feel as though he has to actively Dominate and the the submissive should just submit, obey and serve in belonging to him.  To a degree, this can be acceptable.  He has earned his place as her Dominant and she should submit because of that.  She should submit because he is the Dominant and in charge.  She should submit and serve because she needs to do that for him.  Yet, being constantly passive and just expecting submission without putting forth effort will lead down a path of destruction in the relationship.

The active Domination is what gained her submission in the first place.  It is what earned her trust and respect in how you Dominate and show yourself as a leader.  It is what fills her needs as a submissive by having you be that Dominant she desires.  Throughout the relationship you must continue to actively be Dominant with her.  This is what she needs to feel from and with you.  This is where she really feels her submission, which is what she needs.  She needs to see and be reminded that you are that person she fell for, cares for, and the one she gave her submission.

Domination and this lifestyle is not about doing all the work on the front end so you can sit back and coast later.  It's not about just being able to always sit back and have someone serve you.  If a Dominant doesn't continue to fuel the submissive fire within his submissive, then that fire will begin to fade.  Problems will arise if she doesn't continue to have more fuel put on the fire, as the old fuel burns away.  It is a constant effort to maintain any relationship, and one that has the aspects of Domination is no different just because there is some power exchange involved.  Her submission is never to be taken for granted, and you must continue to earn it to keep it.

In an established relationship, there does not have to be a constant level of active overt Domination.  Her submission has been earned, and that comes with a certain level of being able to Dominate just because of your role, or passively Dominating.  Yet, there is a balance that must be maintained and kept to keep the relationship in order and on track.  A balance between being able to use your Dominance based on what you already earned versus what you have to continue to earn.  A Dominant, although maybe not as much as early on, has to keep actively Dominating his submissive to enable her to feel what she needs from you and keep that fire burning.

Don't just sit back and expect your submissive to be at your beck and call with no effort on your part.   Continue to physically Dominate her through the  relationship.  Continue to push and test her submission.  Continue to show her where her place is with you.  Continue to use and enjoy her.  Continue to make her submit to you and give her no other option.  Or at least do this enough to maintain the balance of the relationship.  After all, it's who you both are and what you both need from each other.  Any relationship takes work, and this is no exception.  Yet the rewards an be great and help you keep a strong, lasting, and close relationship that fulfills the needs of you both.

~DV~