Usually_Lurking
Virgin
- Joined
- May 20, 2023
- Posts
- 14
So my questions boils down to: What do others think of BDSM stories, where SSC/RACK is not adhered to?
Do you read them or do you seek them or do you skip them? (I hate them)
I read them, leaning towards seeking them rather than skipping them. I think BDSM in real life is often something we do while pursuing a fantasy, and we adhere to SSC/RACK in order to bridge the gap and allow ourselves to approach that fantasy while ensuring the real life safety of all involved. But that doesn't mean that the fantasy is about a safe situation. NC play, which is common in BDSM play whether we care to overlap them or not, is very much about acting out an unsafe fantasy. Likewise, true slavery is illegal for good reason, but collaring plays with that fantasy of ownership.
It is therefore not shocking to me at all that stories in the BDSM sphere are not written in line with SSC/RACK practices. If the characters are all imaginary and the sequence of events is entirely within the control of the author, then we can dispense with the safety net because none of this is real. The story can be exactly as 'safe' or 'unsafe' as we like, because it's a story. NC can be about true NC. Collaring can be about true ownership. Here is an opportunity to indulge the fantasy to its fullest extent.
Which is not to say that you should like it. I can understand why many would find it distasteful, because most BDSM stories are inherently about transgressing societal norms. I think we all draw our line somewhere. There are certainly many BDSM stories I don't care to read because I find them savage or disgusting. Other people would read the stories I enjoy (or write) and call them savage or disgusting. BDSM as a category is like that. The best we can do as authors is pay close attention to correctly tagging our works and including clear warnings at the beginning. I think that readers in this category should likewise inspect the tags and warnings to avoid a nasty surprise.