What is SSC and RACK?
Also known as: Safe, Sane and Consensual, Risk-Aware Consensual Kink
By Mara Vale · Reviewed by Elena Ward · Last updated
SSC (Safe, Sane and Consensual) and RACK (Risk-Aware Consensual Kink) are two widely used ethical frameworks for practising BDSM.
SSC and RACK in context
SSC stresses keeping play safe and clear-headed. RACK acknowledges that some play carries risk and requires everyone to understand and accept it.
Both rest on informed consent. Text roleplay removes physical risk, but consent to themes and intensity still matters.
Related terms
- BDSMBDSM is an umbrella term for Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission, and Sadism and Masochism: consensual adult play built on power exchange and intense sensation.
- Hard and Soft LimitsHard limits are activities that are never acceptable in a scene; soft limits are boundaries that may be approached carefully or only under certain conditions.
- Safe WordA safe word is a pre-agreed word that immediately pauses or ends a scene, regardless of what is happening in the roleplay.