Edge Play
Thursday Nov 15, 2007 4:38 pm
a previous post entitled "edge play" by another community member:
(quote) "...I am officially confused... When I first entered the scene, I thought of edge play as knife play - playing with things with edges. That's what made sense to me. Very quickly, I realized that most people had a broader definition. However, I recently met someone who has been around for years, but he really seems to only be referring to the sharp, pointy things when he says "edge play".
Don't most people generally use the broader definiton or am I nuts?..." (unquote)
(Barak's response)
I frequently say "We are all "Edge" Players" - It is interesting to know that is one of the things that hit you positively of our workshop. I say it like that because in one way or another, everyone in the scene is most likely pushing at or finding an "edge".
I believe that whether we like to admit it or not, each of us has a "box of limitations". A frame of reference where we may look at ideas, actions, plans, or something in the future, then judge it as beyond or within our scope. That is where we start.
We start from the middle, at a place where we are comfortable with what doing. We have done or seen these things before, and there is not much challenge. However, as we come nearer the walls or edges of our box, this is where a little discomfort comes in. These are things we are not sure about, things we have not done before, where there is challenge. Many of us start looking beyond - facing the fears, excited by the idea. When we make the decision to engage in those things that are past where our current box is, that is when we are "stretching the edges" or "thinking outside the box"
Think back, even a few months ago, when you said, "I don't know if I can do that." Now look at it, and realize, you have gone beyond and have new "edges." Which will stretch as you come to fathom new and different things.
Back to reality, one of my definitions of "Edge Play" is playing beyond where we have played before. It might be as simple as having never been to a public BDSM Meeting. Or as simple as lifting someone by needles crossed though their nipples. Or as complex as being with 3 Doms, 2 submissives and a partridge in a pear tree. Who knows?
An edge normally is something that is both exciting and frightening at the same time. A thing that causes those butterflies to go into overdrive in your belly. And it is at a different level for almost everyone. So that is what I was saying when you heard that particular definition.
I view "Edge Play" as 2 other definitions also - kind of like A Scene, TO scene and THE Scene. As someone who does significant amounts of Knife play - I tend to not use the term "Edge play" to delineate knives only. While it can and is used in that way, I tend not to - stating, "knife, or sharp and pointy play."
When I mean "more advanced and or dangerous play" I will say "Edgier Play" indicating play that is beyond the commonly referred to modes of flogging, whipping, spanking, caning, paddling, slapping, etc..
lol, I am way off course - I apologize, I almost started drooling when I started to go down that road of various forms of impact play. going into punching and rough body play, and thinking of fun things..
Anyway, I tend to use those definitions of "Edge Play" but knowing that everyone has their own ideas, I tend to ask what they mean when they say it. As we each have our own thoughts of what an edge is... at least if you can see the "edges" to your box.
Peace
Barak