128 Basic slave Rules

Latest Update: Saturday, November 20, 2004

by Johnathan Kay

(I am periodically making changes to this document and will eventually release to the web a third version. The following is current to Nov. 20, 2004. Please note that if you should choose to use this document for your life - it is totally at your own risk. The author cannot be held responsible. Should you have questions then do write me at the provided email address or leave your comments here for me to respond to. )

Should you wish to use this document on your website or that it inspired you to create your own set - you must include the following credit:

(128 Basic slave Rules, 126 Basic slave Rules, and Rules for the female slave are copyright 1992 by Johnathan Kay, also known as Master John, Master John K III or JK. For permissions contact the author by email at: tracejk@hotmail.com (the old email trace@icehouse.net and trace@trace.seanet.com are no longer available since I moved to another ISP.)

Please note: These rules have gone through several rewrites over the years, starting with 77 rules in 1992, expanding to 128 in 1996, and a complete rewrite again in Nov.-Dec. 1997 while maintaining the number of rules at 128 for which the set is well known. They seem to be as much a project for those who choose to work with them as they are for Me to rewrite them from time to time. I hope to release a book soon with commentary on each rule, and in so doing, would appreciate any feedback, comments and suggestions you have concerning this release of the 128 Basic slave Rules. Changes to this list may occur without notice as I move towards and work on the book, receive various pieces of feedback, or that I find necessary to change as time goes by. These rules are available, despite some minor differences given the updates I will be making until the book is released, from several websites to whom I have granted permission to the owners of those websites to post them. Contact Me at My email address above and I will give them to you. They are easily found as well by using search engines.

The following 128 rules are written in the context of a M/s (Master/slave) relationship, but could be used by those in a D/s (Dominant/submissive) relationship, and provide a good project for those submissive/slave males to adapt them towards their relationship with their Dominatrix/Mistress, respectively (double meaning intended).

They were created over the course of some twenty years of participating in various parts of the world of BDSM. At first I learned to 'play' as a slave for professional Dominatrixes in the San Francisco Bay Area for approximately five years with the goal of learning 'the ropes': the use of the equipment, the mindsets and internalization of submissive and slave roles, and of how complete scenes could be created within an hour, to experimenting with girlfriends in dominant and submissive roles: switching places, and dealing with and resolving issues of chosen preferences and of the results of the physical and psychological interactions.

Up until about 1987 my participation in BDSM had been private. I knew that it was more than a preference, so while living in the Seattle area I decided to make the effort, for at least one year, of going public to see if I wanted BDSM to be an active part in My life and if it was a part of My heterosexual orientation, a fully integrated component into what appeared to Me to be an emerging part of My lifestyle, something where I would feel 'at home'. I decided to join some groups in the area: The National Leather Association (headquartered in Seattle at that time) - that ran worldwide conferences in Seattle and Portland, C-Space - a weekly S/m educational venue (now defunct), and a BDSM couples play party group. I continued to read whatever I could get My hands on that appealed to My interests: Master/slave relationships and the techniques of play. I attended classes, seminars, workshops, discussion groups, conferences and play parties - from which to develop and refine the skills and responsibilities to become the Master I originally wanted to be and had felt was natural for Me to become. I applied what I had learned to the training sessions where I taught females to be well-behaved and disciplined slaves where, in addition, I had developed some of My own techniques to teach to others. I participated in monogamous and polyamourous relationships, enjoying M/s relationships for the short and long term, where I trained females and lived the lifestyle. I taught a two day class on how to train the female slave. I learned to accept and to embrace those of different sexual orientations and play styles while maintaining my own, realizing that I could, without feeling compelled to draw away from them - play, converse and learn in the same space. I branched to participating in events held in Portland, Oregon and in Vancouver, BC. Of course, all this took much more than just a year.

The result: I have been in it ever since and have found incredible people through it, many of whom have become lifelong friends and continued acquaintances through which to openly share lifestyles, explore and examine techniques of play, and spend time together in non-BDSM pursuits conversing and enjoying life. Being a Master was, indeed, a part of who I am. My involvement in BDSM helped Me to refine My abilities to communicate better with others and to have the M/s relationships where my greatest felt happiness could be realized in ways no vanilla relationship could provide. slaves I have trained kept asking for Me to give them a list of rules from which I had taught them to behave by and hence, those lists turned into the rules that eventually became what you see written here. Today, I continue to learn, to teach, to train, to play, to build relationships, and to share with others.

It is from these experiences that I offer these rules publicly, in magazines and newsletters, at events that I attend, over the Internet and personally, especially to females, who are sorting out who they are, finally putting together the mysterious pieces, fantasies and dreams of their past they didn't understand until now, learning to take whatever steps that are necessary to get to where they will feel more complete and whole, aware and alive inside and out, open and free, 'at home'. They are for those females who are transitioning from a submissive: a preference explored only in intervals of time outside of a lifestyle, common in a D/s relationship, to a slave: a fully integrated lifestyle where they can commit all of who they are through their submission to a Master, even everyday life, no longer having to repress who they are, but living their need to please Him in every facet of their lives realizing submission and pleasing is a part of their sexual orientation, and that without being able to do so, they would feel lost and without direction.

It is hoped that with these rules, and a good Master, females will get to where they want to be: fully sexual and sensualized, enlightened and empowered, cared for and loved at a depth no vanilla relationship could take them, taken through their fears where they will go again and again, pushed past their limitations, managed, controlled, respected, and owned by a Master, held accountable for their behavior, their boundaries set for them in which to perform their permitted desires and His, being punished and disciplined to set their paths straight after they have confessed their wrongdoings to their Master or have been caught by Him, seeking guidance through their surrender to Him to behave in the manner in which He knows and has learned of their potential is to their benefit as well as His - ultimately living a life where they can focus on pleasing and being found pleasing in all that they do, in all their decisions, whether their Master is present or not - knowing that their greatest pleasure can only be felt after their Master has first felt His by drawing it out from them.

Some notes for the female to take into consideration when using these rules and participating in a Master/slave relationship (or any part of the BDSM world out there):

1. The Master/slave relationship is a complex one requiring a serious commitment to honest and open communication, and the practice of learned responsibilities for the care and protection of each person's well being, psychological, physical, sexual, social, and emotional health. you can protect both you and your Master's participation through the use of selected safe words (like 'yellow' and 'red') and gestures (such as tight hand holds, wiggling of a limb, or opening of a hand). Don't ever be afraid to use them or think that you are not supposed to - especially if you are in your first experience. Expect to be tested by your Master so that you are made aware of your limitations for your sake and His.
2. There is a lot to learn, to develop and to discover in this type of lifestyle: its traditions, customs, fashion, speech, etiquette, play, and practices which may include bondage, discipline, punishment, sadism, masochism, guidance, surrender, control, pain, aftercare, sensation, sensuality, sexuality, spiritualism, respect, warmth, passion and love. It is recommended that each person learns as much as they can throughout whatever avenues are available (never being afraid to ask about anything you are even the slightest bit curious or concerned about): similarly interested friends, presenters and experts you get a chance to meet in the 'scene', books and magazines on related subjects including those who are against the lifestyle, groups in your area who offer educational classes, play parties, and conferences, any related fictional books of erotica and fantasy, academic books on theatre, scene play and props, Internet websites and FAQ's (frequently asked questions), first-aid classes, fetish fashion outlets and those who carry leather, BDSM toys and tools of the lifestyle. Failure to learn the proper use of the toys and tools of the lifestyle can result in serious injury - so be careful. It is recommended that a skilled person in edge play (activity, as mentioned in rule #128, requiring extensive knowledge and skill where physical and psychological injury can result if not done properly) and advanced first-aid be present should you be engaged in such activities by your Master.
3. Each rule involves a multitude of meanings and different styles for unique and personal application. Work with them. Read each one, ponder the possibilities, look seriously at the images they create inside you and allow what you feel from each one to come into full bloom, get away from them, and then come back and work on them again until you have put together the ones that will become your mindset from which to live by, to seek out the Master you crave to serve and to please and to love, or to become stronger and more committed to the one that you have and with whom to share of yourself through your creative application of them.
4. Consider these rules a part of what will become your crash course about the Master/slave relationship and lifestyle, but realize they are not conclusive, nor the only way to enter and to experience it, for there is more to learn then from the rules that are listed here.
5. Begin slowly and build trust of each other's responsibilities, knowledge and skills towards the level of control and the enslavement you crave. Spend time communicating and negotiating your first few sessions with your Master and especially before you commit yourself to a shared lifestyle. Take the time to experience trial periods of commitment to a Master: a weekend, a week, a month, a few months. Always have time periods where you can drop out of submission, as if a third person, to discuss what is occurring between you and your Master and how to move forward in meeting each other's needs. Know that you can always leave - for no slave should live in a lifestyle out of fear for one's life. The best of Masters will have an open door, unless you, by Him, is seen as one who is no longer wanted as His slave. If that should occur - know that there is always someone else out there who can take His place so that you may be able to find the One who will allow you the opportunity to submit. Know that you can also take a break from submitting to a Master and can do so until you feel ready to submit again. There will always be pleasure to draw from a slave - regardless of your age, your figure or your physical health.
6. Consider tests for blood and sexually transmitted diseases should you engage in usage where blood, urine and semen will be sexually or orally exchanged. Engage in your role-play or lifestyle safely using condoms, dental dams, and latex gloves wherever and whenever needed for protection. Your life may depend on these tests and practices. Don't be afraid to speak to your doctor, clinic or hospital about your need for these tests or about the results of your play from which you may suffer - they've seen and heard more than you might imagine. Keep in mind that what you communicate with your doctor is confidential (unless you live in those states where marks on your body may be mistaken for the results of acts of domestic violence), and that the more you can communicate about what you have received - the better of care they will be able to provide you. you do not have to explain exactly why the tests are necessary - just that you and a partner will be engaging in sex where you feel such tests are necessary for your safety.
7. It is highly recommended that the use of drugs including alcohol not be used during any part of a Master/slave relationship or at play parties where activity requires careful and well thought out planning and execution such as in bondage, being pierced, punished, disciplined, edge play, and other such activities. Both partners will need their full faculties to experience these activities safely and without reckless behavior. I would also caution the use of tobacco in such activities.
8. Keep a journal for yourself to work through what you are feeling as you progress towards and through the relationship you want and are in. Don't be afraid to hear yourself through your writing. Let it flow like the freedom you feel when you are in your slave space. Share only what you wish or what you are allowed. Expect to receive assignments on what you experience so that you both learn what to work on and how to progress. Don't be afraid to share your journal with your Master, but do ask if you can have a private one should you desire it.

   Begin working with these rules by making your selections in the following manner:

   1. Select a place in a household where you feel comfortable in a kneeling position while nude. The kneeling position should be performed as follows: kneel attentively, toes curled forward, ankles touching or at least as close together as possible, thighs touching, hands placed on top of the thighs with palms down and fingers spread apart, the inside of your arms pushing your breasts towards the middle of the chest with breasts in front of the arms, the back arched to push the breasts forward and to give the torso good curvature. If this position is difficult for you to achieve, then select a nude position of your choosing whereby you feel a sense of submission as if honorable to be in such a position whereby your form, as if secretly displayed, could induce the touch of a Master's eyes upon you and gain the envy of those females who may be present.
   2. Place the rules at a level where you can read them without having to change your position..
   3. Remain in your position for a few minutes and then begin reading the rules out loud in a kind of held back tone as if to do so quietly in a confessional manner. Read all the rules whether you agree with them or not. Try not to resist what you are feeling and let your thoughts run wild..
   4. Spend several days reading the rules, at least once a day, in this manner..
   5. When you are ready to make your selections, do so by positioning yourself comfortably. Have what you will need to begin the process of working with the rules: pens, pencils, plenty of paper, felt pens, a good writing surface, and if needed: any food or drink you prefer. Clear away any objects you feel will distract your from your thoughts. Add music to your environment if you wish to and be sure the room is at a comfortable temperature. you may also choose to work with the rules outside. But keep in mind that the selection process of the rules may take several days to a few weeks, so be sure to find the best environment for you to work in and to return to..
   6. Read each rule out loud, in whole or in part. Decide if the rule needs to be changed in any way and rewrite it. Work with it until you find you can identify with it, or that you have decided to eliminate it. Using a numbering system or coloring scheme (with felt pens) mark each rule, or to categorized them before you tear apart the rules, or thereafter, keeping in mind the following:
      • Will do. (without question)
      • Want to do. (but,... you have to be pushed or forced to do it because that is what works best for you. It is not to come easy.)
      • Won't do. (under any circumstances: role-play, lifestyle or otherwise)
      • Find questionable or problematic or troublesome, but possible if interpreted or rewritten.
      • Need to do. (must have, even to the point that the relationship could not work without it.)

        (Note: During your discussion with your Master you may find that more than half of those you decide are 3's and 4's will turn into 1's, 2's or 5's pending His interpretation and execution of those rules, no matter how you rewrite them or if you decide to eliminate them. Part of the process is to challenge how well you know your 'self' and your Master, and how your state of mind changes in His presence.)

   7. Keep in the mind the rules are not in any particular order. This is done on purpose since a slave must be able to adapt her behavior and creative spirit to fit the surprises, changes, and challenges that will occur in the lifestyle she has with her Master.
   8. When you have finished your selection process - read those you chose for 1, 2, 4 and 5, in your kneeling or other position. Read them out loud in the confessional tone about 1-2 times a day until the day comes when you can discuss your choices with your Master, with whom the final decisions will be made and for whom you may be required to display your creative application of those rules chosen.
   9. Remember: you are not required to memorize the rules you have selected, but you will be expected to know of their context when questioned by your Master. A hesitant response or an incorrect one could get you disciplined in part for not remembering, but more for not staying focused on how you are to behave. After you have been disciplined the correct and acceptable response in reference to the rule should be told to you so that you will remember it the next time.
   10. Once your discussion with your Master is complete, it is strongly suggested that you, with His permission, read your selections in an acceptable position, nude, at least once a day, for at least 10 days. Failure to do so without an acceptable cause or reason and you are likely to get punished upon your next meeting with your Master.
   11. You may record the rules you have selected for playback for use any place where you need to hear them. (I, the author, will allow one such tape per person, not to be sold in any electronic format (i.e..: tape, CD, removable HD, or floppy) in any quantity.)