Best Answer: D/s (dom/sub) relationships aren't that complicated at all. Like it sounds, one person is the Dominant meaning that they have been give control in the relationship by the second person, the submissive who agrees to obey and relinquish control. D/s couples are usually part of the BDSM community, but this does not mean that a sub is automatically masochistic, nor that the Dom is a sadist. This may be an added factor, but is not required. What Doms and subs in relationships practice is called power exchange meaning that one party is relinquishing power and the other party is accepting it.