Well, when I accepted my friend’s invitation to go along on her adventure into kinkiness, we both found ourselves in a pretty strange place. It was a dungeon scene. I went along because the things that people do fascinate me, and the variety of ways that people can connect with one another is astonishing.
I was totally weirded out for about the first 15 minutes, seeing things I’d never seen or even imagined before. But then I began to notice how things worked (the rules and contracts and precautions), to understand how much of it was about imagination and fantasy, to see how respect and tolerance were deeply entrenched in the experience, and above all to observe how happy everybody was—how people were truly enjoying themselves (doing things I just knew right away I would never be able to do). Spectators were treated kindly. I was ok with observing and even asking questions. There were some things I couldn’t watch. I worked at understanding these different ways of relating, and I came to some appreciation of them even though, again, it wasn’t for me.
My friend, though—she jumped right in. She had a blast, loved it, got totally caught up in it. Still is. This was years ago. I kept her company on 3 or 4 adventures, and then I’d had enough. She is still an enthusiast. And I am just about the only friend she can talk to about this side of her life.
Just be cautious, @madcapper, and don’t get into something you can’t get safely out of.