Are one's likes linked to identity?

I think it is obvious that one's preferred role in a real life spanking or even in one's own fantasies, would be reflected in one's preferences in stories or vids.

Of course, there may be those who like to experiment in their reading, watching or IRL but to find out how many, it would be necessary to carry out a proper and representative survey--not just ask those who read LSF comments. They are probably more likely to be experimental than those who don't engage with the comments.

What would be interesting would be to hear from readers who enjoy stories that don't reflect their usual preferences and find out if that is intellectual interest on their part or whether they find off-piste stories exciting. For my part, although I don't want to do it, I can find F/m stories exciting even though they do not feature in my fantasy or real life and I would never look for such vids.

This theme is fascinating. My stories certainly focus on what kdpierre suggests might be 'toppish' themes: justice (or inmy case, rule breaking) but in real life I am not a very convincing top. I see myself as a switch, but basically submissive. When I write Doms I basically let the hypercritical voice in my head runriot.

As to Geoffrey's question: I don't seek out FM stories , but back in the days of the challenges I would certainly find some I enjoyed. As I become more elderly I find, despite being hetero, that I am more and more drawn to M/M stories perhaps because they are mostly school/Judicial. I wish there were more on this site. I like Charles Hamilton's caning headmasters tales

Geoffrey
I don't find this to be personally true. In real life, I've given spanked quite a few women, quite a few times. I've only seen a few F/F spankings up close but I'd much prefer to be the M in a M/F scenario than to be a voyeur to an F/F scene.

In stories, I write almost exclusively Ff/F tales.

Identity and preference are linked but perhaps not in a linear fashion that we can wrap up in a neat thesis. For myself, I know that I prefer my spanking fiction to be different from my spanking reality. That's just one shade on what I'm sure is a very diverse spectrum of preference vs personality.

I mostly read M/F. For me, when I first found out about my interest and started to look for stories online, I much preferred more historical themes, such as naughty English schoolgirls being sent to the headmaster/mistress, or ladies in Victorian or medieval times getting a spanking from their (future) husbands. Because, as I used to reason, CP was normal back then and people didn't know any better. Women being expected to follow a man's lead was normal back then. I had trouble enjoying stories set in modern times because it felt wrong to do so. Being born in the 80s, in the Netherlands, as a woman you're supposed to be a man's equal.
It took more exploring to realise that being a bottom or submissive in a relationship doesn't mean you're somehow below your husband, nor does it mean that his decision is final in every aspect of life. So, nowadays I do enjoy M/F set in modern times, as long as it's clear the dynamic follows from the choices the couple made, what works for them, and not from either the author of the male character in the story being a misogynist pig who feels entitled to authority for the sole reason of having been born with a penis. Somehow that doesn't bother me as much when it's historical fiction, but in modern times, just no.

I enjoy F/F too, but I'm less into the mother or aunt spanking a younger family member thing. Not that I entirely avoid those stories, but I mostly read those from authors I consider to be very good writers, because I know I'll enjoy the story even though the dynamic doesn't excite me.

As for F/M and M/M, I do enjoy such stories and have written a few, but it's not the idea of spanking a man I find exciting. I like to pretend I'm a witness, or I'm the man on the recieving end