What is a Slave?
You want the structure to be real, and you want it to last.
In this context slave describes someone in a negotiated, ongoing authority dynamic that continues outside scenes. The agreements are explicit, often written, and always revocable, whatever the language inside them says.
People are drawn to it for the continuity: not an evening of handing over control, but a structure they live inside that makes the rest of life quieter.
The other half of the pair is Master / Mistress. You want structure that holds when nobody's watching, not just during a scene.
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Commonly confused with
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Related terms
Common questions
What is a slave?
In this context slave describes someone in a negotiated, ongoing authority dynamic that continues outside scenes. The agreements are explicit, often written, and always revocable, whatever the language inside them says.
What is a slave not?
The word is heavy and the community knows it. What it describes is a voluntary agreement between adults that either person can end.
Which roles pair with a slave?
The natural pair is a master / mistress. You want structure that holds when nobody's watching, not just during a scene. That is a starting point rather than a rule: most people describe themselves with several roles at once, and what fits changes with the partner.
How do I know if I'm a slave?
You want the structure to be real, and you want it to last. If that reads as familiar, the free BDSM test scores it in thirty-two plain questions, in your browser, with nothing sent to us. After that, the best place to find out for real is in person: leather organizations and long-running clubs are where this is understood and discussed properly.
This is a plain-language guide, not a psychological assessment, and no term here is better than another. People describe themselves with several of these at once, and what fits changes over time.