60 Days of Little Introspection, Day 9: What are the 11 subpaths of submission?
Good Evening Friends!
Tonight I’m sitting here nestled up with a cup of tea. The heat of the California sun has burned longer and longer as we finally push into Spring. All day long I’ve waited for the evening to cool down so I can savor this cup of tea, and take time to write to you. In the meantime I’ve been reflecting on today’s topic. If I were to ask you to describe yourself you might give me attributes that describe your personality: funny, polite, kind, caring, hard-working, etc. Perhaps you might tell me physical features that best describe your outer being: tall, short, slim, curvy, curly hair, straight hair, no hair, etc. When we enter the BDSM lifestyle it usually is initiated by a piqued interest in one aspect of this vast, diverse community. BDSM is an umbrella term and beneath this term are dozens of labels that people can dabble in, explore, and adopt (should they wish to do so). In today’s post I want to focus on the various subpaths of submission, because just as you continue to explore who you are as an adult little, there are other parts of you that might wish to explore the other types of submission. So, tonight I want to give you the “amuse bouche” to each path. Are you ready? Then, let’s dive in!
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General submissives: is the term applied to anyone who voluntarily surrenders some or all of their power to a dominant partner. This might be on a part-time or full-time basis. This is the most general term for subs in the lifestyle and is the most well-known term by the greater society.
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For further reading on General Submission please read this article by Kayla Lords, a 24/7 submissive to her husband and Dominant, John Brownstone.
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Voluntary Slavery: is a form of the Master/slave relationship dynamic. Generally slaves are in total power exchange agreements where a contract is used and agreed upon by both parties. Slaves are often misconstrued as sex slaves, but in fact slaves have a wide variety of roles depending upon the Master’s needs. It gives the slave the greatest pleasure to be of help to their Master and to serve their needs completely.
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For further reading please see:
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Pleasure Slaves: is a consensual slave who defines their submission and total power exchange based upon whatever their Master desires. Like a voluntary slave they surrender total power. However, pleasure slaves are usually kept at home naked in nothing but their collar and cuffs so that when their Master desires to touch any part of their body they have access to do so. The pleasure slave often thrives on a strict routine where every decision is made for them and they crave nothing more than to hear the praise of their Master.
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For further reading please see:
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Kajira: is a form of submission that falls under the Owner/property relationship dynamic. This subculture was created after John Normal wrote the sci-fi book series “Chronicles of Counter-Earth” and fans adopted the rules and practices of the Gor society to bring them into real-life. Goreans, as the practitioners are called, are people devoted to adhering to the many rules and hierarchy involved in the lifestyle. Kajira are fully owned by their Master and must learn various poses, dances, hand commands, etc. While the learning curve for kajira is steep, this tight-knit community thrives on the people dedicated to living this lifestyle and who love doing so immensely.
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For further reading on the Gorean lifestyle, and becoming a kajira please see:
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Ponygirls/Ponyboys: is a submissive who derives pleasure from embodying and acting like a horse. They wear tack, or lifestyle hoods, hooves, etc. that allow them to feel more like a horse. While it can be considered a form of pet play, a ponygirl/boy often performs for their handler/dominant, and runs through an open space. It is a very high stamina role that these submissives take on, and enjoy immensely.
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For further reading on the Pony lifestyle please see:
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Pets: is a submissive who engages in animal role-play with their Owner/Dominant or another play partner. This can range from part-time pet play to full-time pet play where the pet sleeps in a kennel. Pets often feel a deep kinship with the animal they embody and there are a wide variety of animal accessories for purchase to help subs get into the mindset for pet play. This kink is widely popular because it allows a safe space for trust, communication, and playfulness to form between the sub and Dominant.
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For further reading on Pet Play please see:
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Furries: a person who engages in fandom about their favorite animal in a movie, TV show, etc. by anthropomorphizing or imagining adventures with their “fursona” and depicting it through art or drawings. Not all furries wear full-body costumes, and sadly this community has been bullied by the vanilla society for years. Now, media is trying to spread the word to the greater masses that furries are not all about sex, and they don’t want to be labeled as a fetish. Instead, these are individuals who are deeply connected to their favorite animal character and wish to come together with other people who also have fursonas. While there are some sexual aspects to the furry lifestyle, major conventions often put a ban on any sexual behavior of any kind.
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For further reading about furries please see:
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Taken-In-Hand: is a form of submission that is usually connected to couples who are married, Christian, and practice Christian Domestic Discipline (or CDD). This means that the Dominant is viewed as the head of household (HoH) and utilizes over the knee spankings or paddling on his wife as a form of punishment. The submissive often stays at home to give domestic service and care for the home as the Dominant sees fit. This subpath is not technically a part of BDSM but is often spoken about within our community because of the discipline being a part of the relationship dynamic.
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For further reading on Taken In Hand please see:
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Domestic Servant: is a submissive who focuses on lending their service through domestic chores, tasks, and errands that aid the Dominant. This can be on a part or full time basis, but the submissive feels deep joy at being a useful part of their Master/Mistresses life. The domestic servant knows that their service allows their Master to worry less and not stress about things involving the home, transportation, etc. They serve selflessly from a place of love, joy, and a need to give to their dominant. It’s a beautiful form of submission that (in my humble opinion) is often overlooked in the lifestyle.
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For further reading on Domestic Service please see:
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Littles, Middles, and Adult Babies: That’s us! I just published a post on the different types of age players/submissives in the Little Space League welcome area. So, please take a look if you haven’t read it already! 🙂
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For further reading on the Cg/l Lifestyle and Little Space see:
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Masochists/ Pain Pig: is a part of the BDSM community and in its simplest form is a person who derives pleasure from some form of pain. That definition is quite watered down, but that’s because masochists may or may not be in a D/s relationship with a Sadist or Dominant. Also, the form of pain that they receive isn’t always physical. There are four main types of masochists, but (like anything in our lifestyle) how each masochist lives their lifestyle and experiences their kink is entirely different to the individual. The four main types of masochism include: sexual masochism, mental masochism, physical masochism, and emotional masochism.
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For further reading on Masochism please see:
Alright friends, that’s it from me for this post. I hope you all enjoyed it. If you did, please scroll down and join us here on the Little Space League by entering your email to get these posts delivered right to your inbox! It’s FREE and we’d love to have you! Until then, have a wonderful rest of the night and I will see you back here tomorrow! 🙂
Much love,
~Penny x