What's in a name (again) for him?

So, I’ve written two posts recently about pet names, and how I react to them.

I figured, in the interest of fairness and all, that I should turn the tables a little and talk about pet names for men.

Let’s start with the dominants, shall we? (I’m sure they’ll all appreciate being first on the list, because of course, then think they are /wink)

C. was my first dominant. C preferred ‘Master’. It took me quite awhile to move from Sir to Master with him, just because of my own newbie hang-ups. I did eventually get past it, and used it as easily as I did his name.

M. was my second serious dominant. M didn’t mind Master, but he preferred M’lord. Now, writing or typing M’lord is a lot easier than saying it, but after a short period of time, I did find myself saying it easily. I still think it’s a mouthful, but hey – who am I to argue, right? M also had ‘Daddy’ on occasion. And because we switched, he also had ‘boy’. (You think *you’re confused? Try living it.)

Between M. and C again, there was my friend R, who sort of adopted me while I was ‘looking’ for a new dominant. I just called R ‘Sir’ most of the time. I may have called him Master a time or two, but it wasn’t really the dynamic between us.

I played a lot in San Jose and San Francisco during that time. I never called anyone anything but ‘Sir’ during those two years.

Enter C. again, and ‘Master’ again.

Typically, Sir works for me. It’s something I use in every-day language anyway, and while it does mean something quite different when I say it to someone I feel submissive to, it rolls easily off the tongue and it works. I think most dominants are all right with that, too.

But if they aren’t, and they don’t directly tell you what they like to be called, what do you call them? Or do you ask?

I didn’t ask M or C. They told me what they preferred. I didn’t ask R; it was just a natural thing with us (still is to some extent).

So with someone new, who doesn’t offer up an option, I wonder occasionally what to do.

I do see a very strong distinction between ‘Sir’ and ‘Master’. ‘Master’ denotes at least an agreement of some sort of ‘relationship’, be it a casual thing or otherwise. ‘Sir’ is pretty generic, and while I wouldn’t call half the dominants I’ve met in this life ‘Sir’, the ones I respect I certainly would.

There are times for formal, and times for not formal. And in those formal times, if ‘Sir’ is appropriate, is something else *more appropriate?

I guess you ask. Or wait to be told. Or just smile and nod a lot *grin