First off, trust and communication are the two bases in an SM relationship. I think many, many people will agree with that.

I don't have anything else positive to say about that first post.

Secondly, I'm not missing the point of the Story of O and I haven't even read it. Someone that will submit to anyone and do anything her lover/dominant/master insists she do is not the epitome of submission, she is a dumbass, plain and simple.

Should we just start lobotomizing all of our submissives so all they can say is a monotone "Yes Sir" and "No Sir?" I think that would be desperately, distinctly and frighteningly boring. I, personally, like an intelligent submissive that can carry on a conversation. One that has a mind of her own and has enough respect for herself to say no, but also to explain why. If I just wanted someone I can turn on and have them do whatever I want them to and then give them away, I would simply log into any adult chat room and say "Hey baby, let's go fuck." and then wait for the twits to respond. It's brainless and insulting.

Emotion can be experienced by anyone at anytime in any medium. I met my wife online. We didn't physically ever meet or see each other for seven months, but we chatted on the internet, talked on the phone and were very emotional toward each other. That emotion GREW when we were together, but I feel insulted when I think my realtionship meant nothing just because it was online.

As I said, I have not read the Story of O and I probably won't. My wife has read it and written a book report on it. We have discussed it more than once and, just based on her impressions of the story, I don't think it's something I would find very interesting at all. Now, that doesn't mean that others of you are not entitled to your own opinions, nor does it mean that others of you shouldn't enjoy the story, but it does mean that my wife and I will disagree with you. Which is our right. If everyone had the same opinion of everything, then the world would be quite sullen and dull.

I look at the Story of O as I do any "Remotely-BDSM-related" work of fiction. It's a fantasy, it's a fiction, and it's a good story, but it should be taken just as that: a story. Just from what I have been told of it, it lacks any solid basis in reality and what happens to the characters in the story could probably never happen in real life. At least not without charges being filed.

I look at the Gor books in a similar way. Sure, they're great fiction, they're great reads, they're a bit chauvanistic for my tastes, but I wouldn't ever try to make my lifestyle mimic one of a Gorean one, because it's not possible. If my "slave" tells me she's not going to do something, I can't just trade her off. If she is especially displeasing, I cannot just drive a sword into her chest. It's not legal and it show a complete lack of any morals and conscience. Like I said, the books are great works of fiction, but they don't have much basis in reality. I would dare to say that 99.9% of all "Gorean" BDSM-lifestylers are online only, because I doubt seriuosly that most real-timers would take them terribly seriously.

Anyway, I'll put the soapbox away now and move on. And remember, this is just my opinion, I could be wrong.