Glossary

A bit of terms:

• M/s - Master or Mistress / slave or submissive. Can include protocol. Can be part of one's identity. Most engage in M/s as a kind of lifestyle.
• D/s - Dominant/slave or submissive. Can include protocol. Can be part of one's identity and be a lifestyle, tho not usually.
• T/b - Top/bottom. People who are T/b play for the course of a scene. Not usually part of one's identity. Not usually lifestyle-oriented.
• BDSM - bondage, discipline, sadism, masochism
• Scene - people, usually two, playing together, usually someone is a Top, Dominant, Master or Mistress and the other is the slave, submissive or bottom. However, neither have to have roles or titles...people can just use their names. A scene can be two people who are both players. 
• SSC - Safe, Sane, Consensual
• RACK - Risk Aware Consensual Kink. While all scenes are risk aware....RISK scenes tend to be more daring physical or psychological toward actual harm  then SCC. Note the approach of harm is an agreed to event.
• Restraints - rubber, metal or leather cuffs for wrists and ankles. Rope can be used.
• Protocol - Sir, Master, Mistress, Lady, Ma'am, Mister, Miss. These are used to address the Top. Sometimes the bottom, slave or submissive will have titles given them to be addressed by.
• Bondage - usually rope is used to bind a person. 
• Discipline - reprimand for a violation of taught behavior. Often given out physically: spanking, slapping, whipping, paddling, caning. Sometimes carried out with guidance. Trivial or minor violations....the discipline is one of guidance and if physical then not too painful. If the violation is great then the discipline can be more hurtful. Discipline can also include that certain privileges are taken away. It can also mean confinement or a menial task given. The effort of discipline is to correct a behavior. 
• Sadism - the enjoyment of giving pain, a sadistic gives pain upon another....meant to hurt, irritate, surprise ie.: throw cold water on bare skin, controlled agony. 
• Masochism - the enjoyment of pain, the masochist feels a bit of pain or discomfort from tight or awkward bondage, a discipline or use from a sadistic person. Most masochists don't know when to stop....they love it that much....so it's very important to the one working on a masochist to know when to stop. 
• Negotiation -  a discussion between two people who would like to do a scene (sometimes between more than two people)....it's a discussion about what to allow in the scene, what to be careful about, what physically is ok to do, what health issues to consider and respect, what safewords to use if any, if aftercare is needed after the scene. It's a time to agree on certain aspects about the scene to carry out. 
• Safewords - these are words that help to people communicate with each other - yes, both can say a safeword....not just the bottom. Typical safewords are: Red - to stop, Yellow - to slow or reduce the intensity of the play or to switch to some other kind of play, Green - to continue, liking it, Blue - suggest that part of the scene is triggering a point of past baggage or is emerging, a bad memory, a time when the person was abused or harmed. Safewords can be any group of words to use....or just one used. It should be defined. 
• Aftercare - this is done after a scene....to hold the bottom (slave or sub or player), to comfort, to speak low volume words of comfort and compliment to the bottom, to help bring the bottom through the after-experience of the scene to reality. To use a sheet or cover to keep the bottom warm. To remove the restraints and massage the body parts.