• Advice to new submissives
• Definitions of Terms
• A cynical look at Safety
• Finding your own way
• BDSM And the Law
• Some training rules
• Stages of an online relationship
• Some Suggested Readings

Throughout this site I use many different words and terms, and figured that it would be far easier to just explain it all once.

BDSM--Bondage & Discipline; Dominance & Submission; Sadism & Masochism
BDSM is all of these things and more. It includes role-play of power exchange roles - teacher-student, doctor-patient, officer-criminal, etc.

Scene-- Can be referring to "a scene" which is similar to a scene within a play in that there are characters (the dom(s) and the sub(s)), and that there is a rather defined beginning and end to it. It can also be used to refer to "the scene" which comes from the roots of the leather scene. In this instance it is refering to the entire body of people who are open about their involvement in BDSM.

Vanilla-- Is a term to refer to persons or activites not involved with BDSM. ie My slave and I were out with some vanilla friends the other night so we didn't get to do the scene we had planned.
Warning: Some people are offended at being referred to as vanilla, and feel it is somehow implying or suggesting that they (or their sexuality) is boring.

NBDE-- Non Bondage Dicipline, Equality based. A more PC way to refer to people or activities not involved with BDSM.

Submissive-- A submissive is one who enjoys giving control over themselves and their actions to someone else. They enjoy pleasing someone else. Many submissives are also bottoms, but not all. Ultimately the submissive retains a safeword and can easily end a scene with it.

Slave-- A slave is one who enjoys giving control over themselves and their actions to someone else. They enjoy pleasing and being used by someone else on the terms of the one whom they have given themselves to. Most slaves are also bottoms, but not all. Ultimately the slave retains a safeword and can easily end a scene with it.

Ok... those are VERY similar. What is the difference? To me, a slave is someone who's submission is expected. Not taken for granted, for submission is a gift that only the foolish do not cherish as the most precious gift of all, but expected. The easiest way I can explain it is this:
A submissive chooses constantly to submit once.
A slave chooses once to submit constantly

Bottom-- A bottom is a sensation player, they enjoy having things done to them, whether spanking, whipping, flogging or bondage. Being a bottom says nothing about one's dominance or submission preferences.