Dominant

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A close-up of a dominant dripping hot wax on a female's nipple

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Female dominant flogging a female submissive

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A female dominant using two floggers simultaneously on a male submissive

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A male dominant on a cart being pulled by a pony girl

While a top and bottom tend to engage BDSM-wise only for specific scenes, a dominant and a submissive commonly have a longer-term agreement regarding authority given by the submissive to their dominant. In other words, a top must seek permission from their partner for each engagement. A dominant has long-standing authority to engage in a range of activities with their partner without needing to seek permission each time.

Thus, if a dominant feels inclined to---say---tie up and flog his partner, all he needs to do is order her into the dungeon or bedroom and get started. A top would need to discuss this and get agreement beforehand from his partner.

See also

• Submissive
• Understanding Submission