They don't have to be paid, some people just enjoy doing them. It's really up to the participants, mostly whoever's setting up the occasion.

I think having some friends is a good idea, benefits or not, just so you have access to people to talk to who are in the know but with no pressure. Ideally a dom would also be able to help out but there are definitely times where other friends can fill a gap that a dom may not be able to. Whether Read more… or not to wait til you find a dom is a much more subjective question, really dependent on you.

Voyeurism is the word for enjoying watching others, if that's what you mean?

Unrelated to the thread but how common is this? I think it's a great idea to help hold people accountable and within the bounds of sanity, but it doesn't seem like something many people would be interested in doing? And when would you reckon it's necessary?

It's a constant communication right? The Dom is the one with authority, but they still have to listen to the sub as their partner just as the sub has to listen to the Dom as their partner, as well as perhaps their Master. So to say that either one has more control than the other is wrong. The Dom Read more… needs to be able to read the room and not go so far that the sub has to exert the control they DO have, but the sub should also be able to trust the Dom with the control they have given up - if any.

Yeah, I believe we were both part of a thread a while back with some guy who was... Very toxic to say the least