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So recently, inside our Dominic Living community, I asked a very simple question. What's something dominants do that drives submissives absolutely nuts? And let me just say, you all did not hold back. We got over 60 responses inside the community. Some of them were hilarious, some of them were painfully relatable, and a few of them were the kind of comments where you read it and immediately think, oh, somebody definitely had a fight after that. So today we're reading them. It's going to be a lot of fun. Welcome to the Dom Sub Living podcast. Hey, it's Alessandra, and before we dive in, I want to say something important. This episode is not about attacking dominance. In fact, if you're a dominant listening to this, this episode is actually for you because strong leaders want feedback. Strong leaders want data. Strong leaders want to know what is actually happening in their dynamic, not just what they think is happening. And like I said, these responses came from actual people inside my community. And you can join for free at domsubliving.com/slash community. I'll put a link to the actual thread too in the description in case you want to peek and see what other people had to say, or if you want to add your own comments as well. But when I asked submissives what breaks their headspace, what frustrates them, what pulls them out of their submissive mindset, I started to see patterns. Some of these are funny, some of these are small things, and some of them are surprisingly big. In fact, one of the pet peeves that came up again and again was nothing to do with what goes on in the bedroom. It had nothing to do with kink skills and nothing to do with intensity. And if you're a dominant, it might be quietly undermining your authority without you even realizing it. But we'll get to that in a few minutes. First, let's start with one that made me laugh out loud. So this is pet peeve number one. This is Alexa. She's actually a Dom Subtraining member. And she said, getting my hopes up for a spanking and it doesn't happen. I mean, don't threaten me with a good time and not follow through, please, sir. So yeah, I think a lot of us have been there. I know a lot of submissives are probably listening to that and nodding their head. And I've been there too. Because anticipation is a huge part of kink. When my dominant says something like, we'll deal with that later, or you're going to get a spanking for that, or you're in trouble, that creates anticipation. It creates tension, it creates a sensation of, well, what's coming next? And that anticipation can be incredibly erotic. But here's the thing: if you build anticipation and then nothing happens, that tension doesn't just disappear. It collapses. And when it collapses, it can feel deflating, almost like emotional whiplash. Have you ever had that happen in your own dynamic where a dominant kind of hints at something, maybe even promises something, and then the moment just kind of fades away. Maybe they forgot, maybe they got distracted, maybe they just didn't follow through. But the effect is the same. The submissive was emotionally preparing for something that never came. And the interesting thing here is that this isn't just about spanking, it's about credibility. Because every time a dominant says something and then doesn't follow through, a small crack forms in the frame of the dynamic. And if those cracks add up over time, that's when submissives start to feel uncertain. Not unsafe, but just uncertain. And uncertainty is one of the fastest ways to pull someone out of their submissive mindset. Now that brings us to another comment that builds on this same idea. So submissive pet peeve number two comes from June. She's a Dom Sum training member as well. And she says, I don't like it when I don't get the spankings I anticipate for behavior or lack of doing something. He knows I have an issue with my memory, so he just says, That's okay, don't let it happen again. Not that I want spankings all the time, but I do like being spanked. So see, it's not just me and Alexa who gets it. A lot of submissives actually like correction, not constantly and not excessively, but correction can reinforce structure. It can reinforce accountability. It can reinforce the dynamic itself. So when something happens that normally would lead to a correction, and instead the dominant just waves it away, sometimes the submissive is kind of left thinking, like, wait, what just happened? Was that a rule? Was it not a rule? Does it even matter? And here's where this gets interesting. So a lot of dominants think that being lenient is being kind. I know my dominant has felt that way before. He's told me, like, well, I knew you weren't feeling good, or I knew you were stressed on that day. And sometimes those things are true, but sometimes leniency actually creates confusion because if there are expectations but no consequences, are they really expectations or were they just suggestions? Think about that for a moment. If a dominant sets a rule and the rule gets broken and nothing happens, what message does that send? Now this next comment takes the idea even further. So this is submissive pet peeve number three. So this is Emily, another Dom sub training member, and she says, When he sets routines for me but doesn't punish or correct me when I get off track, I get frustrated. So we're starting to see a pattern here. It's not about punishment, it's not about harshness, it's about consistency. Because routines, rituals, and protocols, those are all incredible, powerful tools in a DS relationship. So things like morning check-ins, daily rituals, service tasks, rules, these things create structure, and structure creates emotional safety. But that structure only works if it's consistent. Imagine if you had a routine where every night your submissive kneels for a check-in, and some days you take it seriously, other days you're scrolling on your phone, some days you engage deeply, other days you're distracted. So over time, what happens to that ritual? Well, it loses its importance and it loses its meaning, and eventually it just stops happening. That's the subtle danger of inconsistency. It doesn't destroy a dynamic overnight, it slowly erodes it one moment at a time. Now, in a minute, we're going to talk about another pet peeve that reveals something surprising about brat behavior because some submissives actually want a reaction. But before we get to that, I want to share one comment that made me laugh and also made a really important point about attention. So this next one is from Willow, and they say, When we do our morning check-in, I'm on my knees in front of him, and he gives his attention to the dog who is sitting outside on the deck, giving him sad eyes. I'm here and this is important. For these three minutes, can you please ignore the dog? Like, yeah, ignore the dog. Obviously, that's funny, but it's also incredibly revealing because rituals matter. If you created a moment where your submissive kneels in front of you for a check-in, that moment carries emotional weight. It's not just logistics, it's symbolic, it's about connection, it's about presence, and presence is one of the most underrated aspects of dominance. A lot of people think dominance is about intensity or confidence or authority. But sometimes the most powerful thing a dominant can do is simply be fully present, to look at their submissive, to focus on them, to treat that moment as meaningful. But what I love about Willow's comment is that she later added something else. She added, I didn't realize how much that bothered me until I wrote it here. I told him, problem solved. So that's just such a beautiful reminder of something important. Sometimes these pet peeves reveal something deeper. They reveal needs, they reveal expectations. And sometimes just talking about them fixes the issue immediately. That's why I'm such a huge fan of journaling as a submissive. Sometimes I'll be dealing with an issue and I'll write it out and get it all out there. And then I don't even need to bring it up with my dominant. Other times I still choose to talk to him about it, but because I wrote it all out, I'm more clear about what it is I didn't like and what I'd rather him do. But that's not to say it will always fix the issue, because some pet peeves go a little deeper than that. And the next one involves something a lot of dominants struggle with, brats. Now let's talk about brats for a minute because one of the responses we got reveals something that a lot of dominants misunderstand about brat behavior. Now, this next comment came from Angela. She is an All Excess Pass member, and she wrote, When Sir uses that quiet, reasonable tone instead of rising to my brat energy, it's rude. I want the reaction, it drives me crazy, but also keeps me grounded. Same, Angela, same. Now, if you're dominant though, you might read that and think, well, wait a second, I thought I was doing the right thing by staying calm. And sometimes you are, but brat behavior is really interesting because bratting is often about provoking energy. It's about testing, it's about pushing the dynamic a little bit. It's about seeing what happens when the submissive pokes the dominant, not maliciously, but consensually and playfully or strategically or sometimes just emotionally. And when that brat energy gets absolutely no reaction at all, it can feel strangely unsatisfying. Think about it like this: if someone tosses a ball to you and you just stand there and let it fall to the ground, that interaction kind of dies, right? Bradding often works the same way. The submissive throws the ball, they push a little, they tease, they challenge, and they're waiting to see what happens next. Now, sometimes the correct response is calm authority. Sometimes the dominant staying composed is exactly what brings the submissive back into alignment. But the key question is, is that calm response intentional or is it like disengagement? Because those two things feel very different. If a dominant calmly redirects the dynamic while staying fully present, that can feel incredibly powerful. But if the dominant simply withdraws or emotionally checks out or refuses to engage at all, that can feel really frustrating and sometimes like crushing. Now, this actually connects to something another submissive mentioned in the thread, and it reveals a deeper issue that shows up in a lot of dynamics. This comment came from Sinead, and it's something that comes up a lot in coaching sessions with my members. She said, a dom who is inconsistent, one minute grabbing you and wanting you to give yourself in, and the next, it's like you have to make decisions and plans and think of solutions. So yeah, I see that happen a lot. Because dominance is not just about moments of intensity, it's about consistency. A submissive can't fully relax into their role if the dynamic constantly changes tone. If one moment the dominant is fully in control, and the next moment the submissive is suddenly expected to take over all the planning and decision making, that can feel disorientating. It's like the rules of the game keep changing. And when the rules keep changing, it becomes harder to trust the structure of the dynamic. Now, this doesn't mean a dominant has to control every detail of life. That's not realistic for most relationships, but the emotional tone of the dynamic should feel stable. It should be predictable, grounded. A submissive should have a sense of where the dominant stands, like what they expect, what matters, and what doesn't. Without that kind of consistency, the dynamic starts to feel shaky. And now this next comment touches on the same idea, but it does it in a way that made me laugh out loud. So this comment came from Kimberly, and she's an all access past member. She said, I'm not a rules guy. Sir, structure is literally the job. Consistency is hotter than intensity. So oh my gosh, that line deserves to be framed and hanged up somewhere because it's such a perfect summary of what many submissives actually crave in a DS relationship. A lot of people assume that dominance is about intensity, big gestures, extreme scenes, dramatic power exchanges. But for many submissives, what actually creates the deepest sense of submission is something much simpler. It's structure, its consistency and predictability, knowing what the expectations are, knowing that those expectations matter, and knowing that the dominant will follow through. That doesn't mean every dynamic needs a long list of roles. Some dynamics are very minimal and that's okay. Others are very structured. But if a dominant openly says, I'm not a rules guy, that can sometimes signal something else. It can signal a reluctance to take responsibility because structure requires effort. It requires attention, it requires follow-through. And it requires the dominant to actually be dominant and actually lead. Now, leadership doesn't mean control over everything. You don't have to be 24-7 total power exchange if you don't want to, but it does mean owning the structure of the dynamic. Now, the next comment takes us into a totally different category altogether because this one has to do with skill. So this comment came from Doreen, another All Access Pass member. And they say, we'll be in the middle of a scene and I'm close to climax, and then my DOM decides to change how I'm tied down, it interrupts my mindset. Oh man, I think that would literally kill me. And my DOM knows better. But this is a really important issue because scenes rely heavily on momentum. When someone is deep in headspace, and I'm I'm not just talking about climaxes here, but I'm talking about if they're deep in a headspace. So it can be emotionally, physically, psychologically, but that moment is incredibly fragile. The the brain is focused, the the body is responding, and the dynamic is following. And if that flow gets interrupted unexpectedly, it can pull the submissive completely out of that mindset. Now, sometimes adjustments are necessary. Rope might need to be, you know, moved, something might not feel right, and safety always comes first. But the key lesson here is preparation. A well-planned scene usually flows more smoothly, and that preparation can make a huge difference in the experience for both partners. Because when the dominant is prepared, when the structure is clear, when the pacing is intentional, the submissive can relax more deeply into the experience. Now, the next pet pee I want to share is one that speaks directly to growth. And this one might make some people a little uncomfortable. So this comment came from Lil' Rabbit, and she wrote, when they won't accept resources or education materials to better themselves and their skills and think they must know it all. Spoiler, they don't know it all. No DOM does. But this one gets to the heart of something that affects not just BDSM dynamics, but leadership in general. The moment someone thinks they already know everything, growth stops. And dominance is a skill, just like communication is a skill, just like emotional intelligence is a skill, just like scene building is a skill. No one is born knowing all of this. Everyone learns, everyone grows, and everyone improves. And the dominants who tend to command the most respect are often the ones who are still learning, they're still exploring, they're still refining their approach. Because that mindset communicates something powerful. It communicates humility and it communicates dedication to the dynamic itself. I mean, my Dom is still learning and educating himself, and he's been doing this for over a decade. So if you're a Dom and you need resources and help, definitely check out our free resource library at Domsobliving.comslash free. I'll put a link for that in the description too. But when we zoom out and look at all of the responses from the community, something really interesting appears. So most of these pet peeves are not about extreme behaviors. They're not about elaborate kink techniques, they're they're not about dramatic scenes, they're about something much simpler. Follow-through, consistency, attention, preparation, and growth. Those five things showed up again and again in the responses. And that tells us something important. For many submissives, the foundation of a satisfying DS dynamic isn't intensity, it's reliability. Knowing the dominant means what they say, knowing the structure of the dynamic is real, knowing their role is recognized, and knowing the dominant is present and engaged. And remember, we had over 60 responses to that one question. And what I love about reading through them is seeing how thoughtful people are about their dynamics. These are people who are actively thinking about their relationships and reflecting on what works, communicating about what doesn't, and learning together. If you'd like to be a part of conversations like this and maybe even have your comment featured in the next Ask the Audience episode, you can join the Dom Subliving community. It's free. You can find it at DomSubliving.comslash community. The link is in the description too. And if you enjoyed this episode, I'd love to hear from you what's a dominant behavior that drives you absolutely nuts. Let me know in the comments or come join the conversation inside our community. Just remember consistency is Is hotter than intensity. And when your submissive is kneeling in front of you, the dog can wait. Until next time, keep embracing your power and pleasure through Dom Sub-Living.