are extremely important. Strip away an individual's name and you are taking away part of her self-identity. Control over another is demonstrated by how one uses names.

The military reduces you to a nameless rank, government often to a faceless number. Power over another.

I select names for my subs according to her personality. panda, rosebud, princess, babybird ... each reflects a quality I see in the individual, a quality that attracts me and helps define her. When I address her, it is always as "My _____", denoting possession and dominance: she is Named by Me, according to My whim.

For example:
"My princess" is a mischievous submissive lady who will gloriously submit for her Knight in Shining Armour ... and who will cheerfully take a can opener to him if he fails to meet her expectations. She has a strong dominant streak, and requires much training and taming. And like a princess, she always wants more.

"My panda" on the other hand, is playful, cute, cuddly, with very sharp teeth. She likes to switch - the real-life panda is quite aggressive - and from time to time, I find my own panda is anything but a "teddybear" ...

I rarely use terms like "slut", "cunt", etc ... some of the terms used so casually today are highly offensive and insulting to my generation. If I were to refer to my wife as a slut, even in play, I would quickly be converted from a baritone to a tenor castrati.

By the way, to my subbies, I am Sire or Master. Titles, for I have no need of any name other than my own.