Well ok for starters this is just my personal view on things.....not necessarily trying to force anything here....

i think the varying levels, such as submissive or slave, is just the varying levels of the bdsm relationship.....

you start out as a submissive.....you must be willing to submit to your Dom....to a certain extent. this allows you to get to know your Dom, as a Dom. to see if He knows what He's about, if Y/ya'll have good chemistry, if Y/ya'll both want the same things from the bdsm lifestyle....so on. this is also where you'd find out if He's just some sadistic fuck looking for a torture toy.....course that could be right up your alley! :P

i think when you decide to move to that "owned" part of the relationship, it's when it becomes Master and slave. if you think He's good enough to own you, then you should be comfortable enough to give up control as a slave does. you should have that trust and knowledge of each other.

and my defintions are as follows....

Dom- a Dominant person, who controls set aspects of another person's life.

Submissive- the counter part to a Dom.....to "submit" to someone is to give up certain amounts of control....to be determined by the parties involved.

Master- a Dominant person who completely "owns" a person

Slave- one that is completely owned....and yes a slave is property. but if you have a cherished pet or even a car, your going to love and take care of those things. you enjoy those things so you want to keep them in perfect condition. it goes the same for a slave.