Who are We?

Who are We?

We call ourselves a community. Within that community, we stand uneasily in the company of others of our kind. There is an awareness of presence, that within those we associate with something outside of what is considered normal exists. That abnormality has lain across our own shoulders for the entirety of our lives, reminding us that we have never quite fit into the acceptable patterns of society.

It would be easy to call ourselves a community of outcasts, except this would be a mistake. While we are not wholly 'like' the majority of the society that surrounds us, we are indelibly a part of it. In seeking to understand ourselves, we sometimes create groups of separation, claiming apartness. Yet, we are the community of man; we stand not on the 'edge' of mankind but within the very 'center' of mankind.

Perhaps the defining marker of a member of this inner community is his or her discomfort and unwillingness to accept the overt rules and controls imposed by external governing bodies such as governments, religions, or anyone attempting to dictate and control their personal beliefs and actions. There is also an ability to step across that line, to take action. Fear keeps the majority of humankind under control. Fear of retribution. Fear of punishment. Fear of being cast out. If you remove the element of fear from a person, then that person instantly becomes dangerous, for they are immediately capable of independent action. Independence is the removal of control.

Facing the tools of control is what this inner community we call BDSM does. We actively seek out and grasp the very things that are supposed to control us. Many of us limit our viewpoint of BDSM to its sexual gratification image; this, too, is a mistake. By actively seeking to become a part of any community, you identify yourself within the whole of its meaning. If you ignore this, then the lessons of history will turn on you and devour you. This is no different than becoming associated with any group that any other group finds distasteful, uncomfortable, or frightening. Being a minority means that at any point, the larger community can become frightened enough to turn on those they cannot control and attempt to destroy them.

So who are we to step into the ring of fire and face the demons within? Why do we seek these things out? Why do we need them? What are we, and who are we? Who is the maverick? The risk taker? The answer is simple enough. It is the Dominant. That person is willing to face the tiger, willing to face their own terror and pain.

We walk among each other with masked, anonymous faces, hiding our identity from most. Many people walk among us; some are like us, and some only see the exposed visual displays, missing the potentials and depths entirely. We note those who 'feel' like us and nod passively to those we know instinctively are visiting. We are not an inner society of outcasts or rejects. If you manage to look under the mask, you are more likely to find the cool, calm, direct eyes of a powerhouse intellect. The predatory evaluation of the roaming beast. Always watching. Always thinking. There is an element of detached emotional response. Seldom will you find a Dominant that is driven to an easy response or a raging temper. Outbursts of violent emotion are an indicator of a flaw or weakness. The Dominant knows that control is fundamental to survival.

If you want to top your world or realm, then you must be able to take action through thought and not impulse. If you look far enough under the mask, you will find the unmistakable identity of those within this community. That identity can be seen in the litany of names that march backward behind each of us into history. Most of us ignore our lineage beyond the third generation. Few of us know or care where we came from. Yet, this is the blood we carry in our bodies. That blood is the condensed experiences of all who have come before us. Every minute, a mutation occurs. That blood made us who we are. Our tendencies are the culmination of thousands of years of breeding. Selective breeding.

Within the registry, you will find the evidence of identity. Dominant's breed Dominant's. Like for like. Strength to strength. The secrets lay within the DNA itself, sometimes dormant for generations...until one child is born with the correct combination of genes. Then the beast rises to look outward and see what is within the reach and grasp of its mind.

This constant inbreeding across countless centuries strengthens peculiar mutations. Nature has a tendency to combine things that work, patterns, or habits of success. Adaptation to overcome! It is within these mutations that our identity lingers. It is a simple fact that Dominants and submissives come from families of Dominants and submissives. The traits will be stronger within the lines of the most successful of these historically. The traits will be weaker within lines of those who carry only the occasional Dominant in the hereditary line.

We have forgotten who we are...

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Archivist Note: Email links (steeibtrfl@aol.com, steelbfl@sonic.net) are no longer valid and have been omitted from this archive. The bookstore link was for a heritage site that is no longer active and has been omitted from this archive. OP's works were not found on the successor live site. Also, the discussion group on Yahoo Groups is no longer available and was not found on archive.org.

To purchase books by the OP, please search your preferred bookseller by title or by the OP's noms de plume: "Mistress Steel" and "F.R.R. Mallory".

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