The spectrum of BDSM roles and fetish personalities is almost endless and many overlap. Be it in motivation, behavior or kinks carried out. In order to bring some order to the chaos, here is an overview with a short description of the around 50 roles that are available to you on Deviance are available to choose from.
TOP
“Top” refers to the dominant BDSM roles, also known as D-type. Individuals who play the top role consensually take physical, emotional, or mental control over others. This can be for the duration of a session, a play relationship, or ideally a romantic relationship. It sounds like fun, but it also entails a lot of responsibility for the well-being of the submissive.
| A person who consensually controls the activities in BDSM. Top is more of an umbrella term for a variety of dominant roles. | |
| Short for “Dominant,” referring to a person who consensually takes on power, authority, or control in a relationship, session, or other activity. | |
A dominant person who is actually a submissive but rebellious or even rebellious person disciplined and sees this as a challenge. | |
A person who works within a relationship dynamic and within the framework of ageplay takes on a fatherly or motherly caring role. | |
| A person who consensually takes ownership of another person with whom they are in a relationship. | |
A person who enjoys consensually inflicting humiliation or pain on someone, whether it be emotional, mental, or physical. | |
The active role in rope bondage, who consensually ties up one or more persons while taking safety risks into account. | |
A woman who has sexual relationships with people other than her partner. Often, she is sexually dominant towards her partner, and her play with others serves to reinforce her dominance. Her partner is fully aware of her activities and derives pleasure from them. | |
Feminizer | A person who enjoys transforming men into feminine beings by altering their appearance, behavior, and mindset. |
| A person who engages in sexual activity with someone whose partner enjoys the cuckold dynamic. Typically, this person is similar to the sex partner in being dominant over the third person, the cuckold or cuckquean. | |
| A person who enjoys animalistic play and behaves like a primal creature, often engaging in hunting and attempting to capture prey. | |
Handler | The dominant role of the human pet owner in a pet role-play scenario. |
Maker | A person who has control over a human doll and generally sets the rules and commands for how they act and respond. |
Trainer | They can take on a variety of dominant roles, but their main purpose is to impart their knowledge to others and train individuals toward a specific goal. |
Disciplinarian | A person who establishes strict disciplinary rules that another person must follow. |
Protector | A person who engages in protective activities for another individual, accompanying them to activities to ensure their safety. |
A person who derives pleasure from consensual humiliation and degradation of others. | |
| They enjoy spanking others on their buttocks or other parts of the body. |
BOTTOM
By “bottom” we mean the submissive or submissive BDSM roles, also called s-type. In forums and BDSM literature they are often written with a lowercase initial to emphasize status. People who play below submit to other people physically, emotionally, psychologically, or even financially. This can be for the duration of a session or as part of a gaming or romantic relationship. However, giving up control does not mean giving up responsibility, but rather being clear about your wishes and limits and not being afraid to formulate them clearly at any time to be able to.
A person who willingly agrees to relinquish control or receives stimulation during kinky activities that may involve submission, but not necessarily. | |
| A person who willingly agrees to submit or relinquish control in a relationship, session, or activity. | |
| A person who enjoys exhibiting one or more of the following behaviors to challenge a dominant counterpart: teasing, playful, mischievous, sly, stubborn, rebellious, disrespectful, or disobedient. | |
A person who feels like a toddler or enjoys adopting toddler-like behaviors and seeks a relationship with a parental or caregiving figure. See also ageplay. | |
A person who identifies with a younger mindset, typically in the teenage years, or exhibits corresponding behavior and seeks a relationship with a caring yet strict parental figure. See also ageplay. | |
A person who willingly agrees to relinquish total control to someone they are in a relationship with. Note: “Serf” is a new term from the USA for the role commonly understood as “Slave.” Due to the problematic historical connotations and the triggers it can still cause for some people, we no longer support the use of this term in public. Instead, we now prefer the term “serf,” meaning “servant” or “bondservant.” | |
| A person who enjoys receiving pain or humiliation that is consensually inflicted upon them, whether it be emotional, mental, or physical. | |
A person who consensually allows themselves to be tied up with ropes by others, while taking safety risks into account. | |
| A person who enjoys the humiliation or voyeuristic experience of watching or knowing that their partner is having sex with another person. | |
| A male-identified person who undergoes feminization and sometimes the accompanying humiliation. | |
| A person who enjoys animalistic play and behaves like a primal creature that is being hunted by another. | |
A person who identifies as or behaves like a specific animal, usually a pet, and wants to be treated as such in a caring, affectionate, and sometimes strict manner. | |
Doll | A person who enjoys being objectified and wants to be transformed into a kind of living doll, either through their own or someone else’s actions. |
| A person who desires to be treated like a toy or object, used for playful purposes rather than as a human being. | |
| A person who loves to be humiliated or degraded because they derive pleasure or arousal from it. | |
| A person who enjoys receiving spankings on their buttocks or other parts of their body. |
OTHER
There are also BDSM roles that do not fit into a strict “top” and “bottom” categorization, such as Switches. These individuals exhibit both dominant and submissive traits and may switch roles depending on the kink, whether in classic D/s dynamics, bondage, or impact play.
Besides Switches, there are other roles within the kinky spectrum where power dynamics are not necessarily centered but can still be recognized.
| A person who can be dominant or submissive depending on their partner, mood, or situation. Some switch with one partner, while others have multiple partners with whom they explore each side. | |
| A person who is interested in kinky activities involving power dynamics, role-playing, sadomasochism, or fetishes, but prefers not to define their role specifically. | |
| A person who is aroused by objects or non-sexual body parts. | |
A person who has a preference for the shiny material and enjoys sharing this with others. | |
| A person who participates in role-playing games where one or more participants adopt and behave as if they have a different mental age. | |
Adult Baby / Diaper Lover | A person who derives pleasure, often of a sexual nature, from wearing or using a diaper. Some people enjoy wetting a diaper, some enjoy playing in a diaper, and some love both. |
| A person whose focus is on the consensual infliction and reception of pain. | |
A person who disregards societal conventions and lives out their sexuality according to their desires with their partners. | |
| A person who enjoys displaying themselves in a public or semi-public manner to attract attention, but not in a way that involves non-consenting bystanders in these activities. | |
| A person who enjoys watching others, usually in a sexual context, without directly interacting with them. However, this is done in a way that does not involve non-consenting bystanders in these activities. | |
| A person who enjoys animal play, behaves like a primal animal, rejects rules, traditions, and protocols, and prefers to define their role themselves. | |
Furry | A person who identifies as an animal or creature with human characteristics, wearing costumes or symbols that represent the animal. |
| A person who loves spanking or being spanked on the buttocks or other body parts. | |
Exploring | Someone who is exploring the world of kink and prefers not to commit to a specific role or identity. |
Evolving | Someone who is in the process of changing or redefining their kink identity or personality. |
Not sure | You’re still new? No worries, no one has to commit right from the start. Often, people discover their kink personality through exchanging ideas with others. |
The list of BDSM types presented here is not exhaustive, nor is it intended to be. We have intentionally focused on the most common play personalities that at least in part exhibit characteristics of power dynamics, in order to complement them with other BDSM roles.
But of course, if you believe that your favorite role absolutely needs to be included and is matchable with others, you can write to us via the contact form and we’ll have a look!
