I became aware of various acronyms regarding how to play safely when I joined Fetlife. The accompanying video can be found here.
The first I encountered was “SSC,” which stands for Safe, Sane, and Consensual. Even then I laughed at that acronym because so much of what I do and what I’ve seen, the vanilla (non-kink) population would NOT call sane. Not to mention most of what we do isn’t completely safe. I’ll give you some examples of play that can be done safely, but is never entirely safe: fire play (we were raised to not play with fire for a reason. It can burn you or someone else, not to mention burn a building down), wax play (if the wax temperature is too hot, it will burn skin), knife play (accidents can happen and someone may actually get cut), needle play (infections are a possible risk and, yes, there likely will be blood which may carry risks of its own), breath play (if done improperly may cause brain damage or even death), electric play (shocking someone with too high a voltage can cause nerve damage). These are just a few examples off the top of my head. I’ve never used SSC to describe how I play. I’ll add everything I do is consensual, so that word has never been a problem for me to use and adhere to. If I do, I add it with the other acronyms discussed below.
I searched for other ways to indicate I was a safe person to play with. I came across the acronym “PRICK,” which stands for Personal Responsibility in Consensual Kink. I like PRICK because it says I take personal responsibility for knowing the risks involved in what I may do to someone. I prefer to play with others who are aware of PRICK because I cannot solely be responsible for someone else knowing what risks they may, or may not, face. Also, a person may think of a risk I’m unaware of. For example, if someone asks me to do breath play with them, I know the risks from my standpoint. However, if the person has asthma, they have a higher risk than I’m aware of, especially if they don’t disclose that condition. I do ask medical questions of potential play partners, so in this case, I would ask if they have breathing problems in general, have been diagnosed with asthma, or are prone to panic attacks.
In my continued search, I found the acronym “RACK,” which stands for Risk Aware Consensual Kink. This means a person is generally aware of the possible risks involved. I’m not satisfied with knowing the general risks, so I prefer PRICK for myself and others.
For me the bottom line is to negotiate scenes or sessions, discuss possible risks, have medical supplies on-hand in case something goes wrong, have medical and mental health information disclosed to me beforehand, and have full consent for the actual scene or session.
Regarding consent, it can be revoked at any time even after a scene or session has begun. I do make sure the person I’m playing with knows this. Simply because they agreed, once we get started, they may change their mind or I may change mine. It’s always best to play as safe as possible and to listen to your inner feelings about continuing a scene.
Urethral sounding, CBT, flogging, sensation play, percussion play, wax play, breath play, rough body play, and spanking are some types of play I enjoy doing. They each come with possible risks to myself or my partner. Learning from others through workshops and skill shares are important to hone a craft. Even though it’s called “play,” it’s a very serious thing to engage in and it should never be taken lightly. Along with learning and practicing a skill, one should also learn how to medically care for a person if something does go wrong.
I’d love to hear your comments, and experiences with BDSM play and what your thoughts are regarding PRICK, RACK, and SSC.
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