R.A.C.K. 'em up!

R.A.C.K. is a common term used to describe TTWD (this thing we do) but do people really know what it means? It stands for Risk Aware Consentual Kink.
Do you know the risks that go along with things like breath play or water sports? Do you engage in said activities?
With every activity one engages, there is an element of risk, and BDSM is no different. When one gives their consent to activities in an alternative lifestyle such as this one, they imply they understand the risk. Your consent is given until you take it away by using a safe word or ending the relationship.
By accepting the terms and the risks, a Dom and sub are both accepting responsibility for the risks and the possible outcomes. To engage in any activity in TTWD, you must be fully aware of any possible risk. With normal, vanilla sex, the risk is that of pregnancy and STD transmission, and those risks are there with kink, but there are also more risks. There is the risk of perminant damage to your body, taking breath play too far, or countless other risks.
If the risks are so great, why would anyone engage in BDSM? If you are with a partner you can trust and you trust yourself, there will be no problems.
Problems arise when the consent is withdrawn or the safe word used and the activity does not stop. They arise when a submissive does not know their own limits or does not want to admit the limits for fear of dissapointing the Dominant or ridicule within the community.
When one is aware of the risk, the main word in that phrase is consentual. This is a word you will hear over and over again when exploring anythign to do with the lifestyle. The consent is what makes TTWD different from abuse or rape. There is a fine line between TTWD and abuse, the line of consent.