Present (Command)

Present

Present is a command issued to and used by the submissive to formally present themselves to their Dominant. This command or the physical body position can take many different forms, often depending on the situation that exists when the command is issued by the Dominant.

Presentation can be fully clothed or fully naked, although if the submissive is clothed, then some of the notations below will obviously NOT apply. Proper or private presentation is usually naked, although this is determined by the choices of the Dominant when adopting any command structure. If the submissive is to respond in an unclothed state, there is usually an expectation that the submissive will enter the secure premises, halt, and quickly and efficiently remove their garments. These garments are to be straightened, folded, and placed in the manner directed by the Dominant (earlier in training). Sometimes, this includes a storage of garments 'spot', box, or container; sometimes, the submissive will simply place the neat pile atop their shoes. {The leaving of garments scattered or in an untidy pile on the floor is often considered to be disrespectful.} A submissive is expected to retain any collar, cuffs, or other apparatus which may be present under their garments (this may include plugs, strappings, and harnesses, etc.)

It is not necessarily required that the Dominant physically 'order' presentation. If the relationship is established, a submissive may 'know' that when they arrive 'home', they are to proceed into a presentation position. This type of established ritual is again dependent on the needs of the Dominant as well as the environment in which the Dominant and submissive are sharing or expressing their relationship. Presentation should NEVER occur before family, children, close vanilla friends, coworkers, or at any time where this presentation may harm the submissive's daily life.

Since there is no 'absolute directory' of positions, I will describe those that tend to be the most commonly used in presentations. Please note that the described position may be called different names in different areas of the country or among various groups. There is no right or wrong to these variations, and this text in no way suggests that there is only ONE TRUE WAY to any of the positions or descriptives.

Present:

This position is said to have emerged from some of the European 'Training Academies'. It is also sometimes called European Style, Classic, Formal, or English Classic. However, it should be noted that many of the European 'Houses' maintain and develop distinct and specific 'house styles' which may make any submissive trained within the facility easily identifiable by those of other 'Houses'. As such, the veracity of the above labeling is tenuous at best. This particular position is also closely similar to some of the described Gorean 'kajira' style positions, which are practiced by followers of 'Gor'. (Gor is a fictitious science fiction realm described by the author John Norman in his many Gor novels. The Gor novels have a strong cult following sufficient for some people to define their BDSM practices as being 'gorean' in nature. For more information on Gor, please visit one of the Gor websites or simply read some of John Norman's books. It should be noted that there is some 'contention' within the BDSM community related to 'Gor' issues primarily due to the 'nonconsensual' and strong fantasy element of the stories themselves.)

The submissive should enter the room where the Dominant is waiting. They are to walk toward the Dominant until they are within four strides of the Dominant's position. When walking, they should use good posture, chin up, and eyes ahead. It is generally considered bad form for a submissive to engage in direct eye contact with a Dominant. This may be particularly true for some of the French-trained submissives who, as a rule, never engage in direct eye contact with their Dominant or any other Dominant they are introduced to. This may go so far as the submissive never knowing the eye color of their Dominant. When the submissive is within four strides of the Dominant's position, they are to 'gracefully' descend to their knees. Please note that if you are a submissive with knee, back, spine, or other ambulatory problems, these medical issues should be clearly addressed, and the positions altered to prevent damage or injury to the submissive. The idea of the position is to offer the self, to allow the submissive to express this offering in an admirable fashion and in public venues to 'display' their personal skill, submission, and devotion of their Dominant to and before their Dominant's guests or friends. The practice of this position also allows the submissive to 'exit' their life activities and separate from the issues and events that may have been ongoing in their life. To some extent, it provides the submissive with a mental release mechanism for the relinquishment of their stresses and to allow them to find the center of themselves with, to, and for their Dominant.

Once they have descended to their knees, the submissive should crawl 'in a pleasing way' toward their Dominant. When they have reached approximately 18-24 inches in front of their Dominant (presuming the Dominant is stationary or even seated), then the submissive will sit 'up' on their knees. The heels may be 'tucked', although this can strain the ankles and cause numbness if the position is held, or 'untucked' with the toes holding the foot 'up'. The submissive should spread their knees until their kneecaps are 'shoulder width' apart. The idea of this 'spreading' is to display the genitalia. If your submissive is 'seated' or 'sidesaddle,' you can obtain the same 'idea' through a direct opening (scissoring) or parting of their legs in that position. The submissive should sit with their back slightly arched and upright. Again, good posture is a must. The head should rest comfortably atop the spine, shoulders upright and slightly back. Again, the submissive's chin should be up. The submissive's hands should rest atop their thighs. The most common position for the hands is palm up, fingers together, and hands straight. However, the hands may also fall 'comfortably' closer to the waist with the fingers naturally bent, relaxed, and waiting.

Some of the protocols include having the submissive verbally 'offer' their body to their Dominant at this point. If this occurs within virtually all of the positions I will describe, the order of this offering is consistent.

The submissive should wait until some 'motion' or signal from their Dominant as agreed upon or trained to, then say. ".................(Name) of Master/Mistress, Dominant or owner................." This submissive (slave) presents the (Name)'s body for his/her examination and inspection. Submissive (slave) offers {joyously offers} these breasts (may be further altered to be chest or nipples). (The submissive may sometimes be directed to 'cup' their breasts or nipples at this point.) This submissive (slave) presents the (Name)'s body for his/her examination and inspection. Submissive (slave) offers {joyously offers} this vagina (may be further altered to be a penis and scrotum). (The submissive may sometimes be directed to cup their 'penis/scrotum' or open their vagina with their hands at this point.) This submissive (slave) presents the (Name)'s body for his/her examination and inspection. Submissive (slave) offers {joyously offers} this anus. This submissive (slave) presents the (Name)'s body for his/her examination and inspection. Submissive (slave) offers {joyously offers} this mouth. (The submissive may sometimes be directed to open their mouth wide or otherwise display their mouth.)

The suggested response by the Dominant should include open or overt acknowledgment of each offering of the submissive toward them. At the juncture between each offering, the Dominant may inquire of the submissive. "What else do you offer?" During the presentation, the Dominant should observe if the submissive is clean, tidy, well kept. If the presentation is in any way rushed. If any area of the body is visibly injured, discolored, or otherwise reflective of possible damage. If the submissive appears anxious, uneasy, rushed, or in any other way 'out of focus', then the Dominant should inquire as to the reason for this. When within the 'presentation', casual or open conversation is often difficult or forbidden. If the submissive is sufficiently disturbed as to alert the Dominant that they are not 'mentally' within presentation, then the Dominant should consider dismissal of presentation or the nonacceptance of the 'offering' which the submissive has made. If this occurs, the Dominant should actively pursue the source of the disturbance and seek a resolution prior to reinitiating any form of 'scene' or engagement within 'role'.

(Due to the length of each of these position articles, I will separate most into individual articles, except for those that might group without going too long. There is no specific order or 'number' to these positions, although some groups identify positions by 'number'. These numbers may vary from group to group, and prior to using a 'number' or position with any submissive, the Dominant should clearly identify the position for the submissive, including a physical representation, so that the submissive understands what the command means to that specific Dominant. Also, learning positions takes practice and time. If a level of skill is desirable, then the Dominant should take the necessary time to work with their submissive to 'finish' the art of the presentation. A Dominant should not expect a submissive to 'know' after one cursory example exactly what is required of them. Since each human learns at a different rate, there is no set standard as to how long the perfection of any 'position' might take.)

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