Here are my definitions, with an added two 😅

discipline Discipline is support in following the rules, rituals, and terms of a dynamic. It can be everything from rewards and soft reminders to brutal punishments; even just check ins on progress for a task counts. It's any action that assists the submissive with compliance.

punishment Something done to correct behavior or actions with the intent of deterring that behavior in the future. Usually this is something the submissive hates or despises and it is not done with any sadistic intent but the dominant. Ultimately the goal of conditioning behavior is the key element.

funishment An activity which the dominant knows the submissive enjoys, or at least finds fulfillment in experiencing. The goal here is to use playful, willful, negotiated, and desired non-compliance with a rule or order to start fun okay for both parties.

comeuppance Similar to a funishment but done with sadistic intent. The goal here isn't behavior correction; however, it is something designed to torment, torture, and possibly "break" the submissive into a state of enduring the consequence instead of enjoying it. This can be used in a dynamic for a few reasons, and it's a "choose at least one, maybe even all" kind of list:

• the dominant is a heavy sadist and they want to use the playful disobedience as a way to start a deeply sadistic scene so they can enjoy making their sub suffer
• the submissive is a heavy Masochist who genuinely loves being pushed that far
• the dominant wants to play into the submissives' desires to be pushed into a deeply masochistic state from their bratting
• the submissive enjoys the high risk game of bratting when they don't know if they'll get a playful funishment or a brutal comeuppance.
• something else about suffering through something they genuinely fear or hate as a form of play punishment appeals to the submissive.

penance This is an outlier in that it's requested by the submissive for an action they feel should be punished, and that they want help absolving themselves or internalized guilt or shame for. This could be an action they did in the dynamic, outside the dynamic, or even in their past. It's not meant to replace therapy it works through misplaced guilt there way but as a cathartic kind of play meant to quiet the bad feelings and aid in that process in a supportive way. The severity of the penance isn't meant to be proportionate to the actual offence but rather proportionate to the severity of the guilt the submissive feels about it. These are also meant to be very, very, very unpleasant and not enjoyable for the submissive. Completing a penance should result in a somber yet celebratory finish that ritualizes the absolution and releases the guilt for the actions and to help mark a point moving forward.

how I like to use them

I'd like to preface this with saying that I'm not currently in a dynamic and so this is more a mix of past dynamics and intentions as I cultivate future ones.

When I'm in a dynamic I tend to prefer polyamorous TPE 24/7. There're a lot of ways this can be done depending on who's in my dynamic at the moment. Generally when I include bratting, Punishment, funishment, comeuppance, or penance, they each apply more to the interests of done dominants than others. As a result I may have one dominant that loves brats but would never perform a comeuppance. On the other hand I may have a play dynamic with a pure sadist who loves to have an excuse to be extra sadistic and duck with me, but who can't stand bratting and doesn't want the 24/7 dynamic. So it may be that occasionally I get sent to the sadist to be used and played with as my comeuppance for bratting.

Pretty much all of the dynamics involve discipline in some form, and usually it's very gentle and motivational. I don't use punishment in my dynamics because I don't respond well to it psychologically. It's usually just reminders, stern but affectionate corrections, and rewards for remembering things and getting stuff done.

I am a brat however; I like to have rules that are meant to be broken sometimes. These are usually rules that have some part in the dynamic but we all agree aren't going to be bound to my respect for the dynamic. They should also be rules that are impossible to break unintentionally. Something like "don't prank mistress X," "serve dinner plated and well presented," or "follow orders as they're intended; no willful malicious compliance." These rules are therefore fun to play with and we all know I'll get a funishment when I do. That said I love to keep a few genuinely physically & psychologically sadistic dominants in my dynamics because I love the thrill of bratting knowing I might be given a brutal comeuppance instead of the funishment I'm seeking. It's even more fun if some of the other people I'm a sub to can use sending me to the sadistic dominants for my comeuppance when I know they aren't personally that kind of Sadist.

I also occasionally seek penance for things that I do or say that I don't mean; or things in my past I carry some guilt over. Usually they're things I've long since resolved with the people affected and yet my brain won't let me move on. When I ask for penance it will usually be up to those I ask for it from to decide the judgement. It's also, for me, drastically disproportionate to the offense and designed to be long in duration and to repeatedly break my spirit. It's a very sadistic thing but coming out of it with the idea that I've done enough to forgive myself is a good feeling. I don't do this often but it's something I find useful on occasion.