Seems like everyone’s talking about kink these days.
We were, too, last fall when we set the theme for this issue. It wasn’t until we were well into gathering content that we realized something we probably should have anticipated: kink is, well, kinky because of the conventional boundaries it pushes. To push boundaries, you have to set boundaries. And setting – and understanding – boundaries is actually a very complex and personal thing. There’s a reason why there are both hard and soft limits.
We came to the realization that, not having talked aloud about our kinks and fantasies with one another in any great detail, we had been thinking only in terms of presenting kink or fetishism and fantasy in a sex positive way–and with our own common hard limits. We wanted to embrace everything editorially, thinking that if it wasn’t in the hard limit list then it would all be cool. But let’s be realistic, boundary pushing most often begins in the soft limit world. It’s where seeds of suggestion are sown, where conversations take root, where experimentation blossoms. It can happen overnight or over the course of years, but it’s a process nonetheless.
You can only imagine how varied the well-honed soft limits of four women and one man can be. And we ended up going through our own gardening/growth metaphor within the Pique team this issue. Some limits got harder, others softened with understanding. After a lot of conversation and introspection (which are still ongoing), we learned the real fantasy was thinking we could curate a comprehensive kink issue.
All of us, whether we admit to it or not, have fantasies, and some include kink. For many of us, fantasies are just that, chapters in a mental playbook—things we would never actually act upon. (Though, some people, as you’ll read in our Real Life Sex column this issue, actually go out and make them happen.) So, we ended up broadening our content view for this issue, and slightly adjusted the theme to: Finding your kink and exploring your fantasies… In the end, we have ourselves a selection of exceedingly sexy, kinky stories that we think will push the envelope for some readers and, for others, sit right in their comfort zone.
And speaking of comfort zones, if our theory that pushing limits is sexy is right, then so is respecting them. As much as kink is a definable thing, we also think it’s a personal thing. Different stuff turns different people on (or off as the case may be), and what’s completely out there for one person is completely normal or bland to another. There’s no omniscient kink-o-meter capable of judging whether you’re kinky enough or too kinky. There is only respect. And the legal system.
With all this said – grab your AAs or your partner, and your favorite water- and/or silicone-based assistant. Happy exploring!
–Lee Ransom & Leigh Oslen, Co-founders, Pique
P.S. Just because of its nature, there may be content in this issue that is miles outside your own boundaries, and we happily invite you to skip it. (Or try it. You never know, you might like it!) Each story is labeled with a Heads Up description at the top, which provides warnings for any potentially sensitive content contained within. Just click on the red Heads Up button to read what we think you might want to know.
Photo: Es—>Ego—>SuperEgo, The Yele
Hi. I’ve only read two of your stories and they both had mistakes. “Taut” spelt as “taught”, and “luscious” spelt as “lushes”, for example. Perhaps your proof-reader could double-check before stories are posted?
Hi there! Thanks for the heads up and your eagle-eyes. We’ve happily made the first correction, but the only place we can find an occurrence of the second is in the winning #5minutefiction entry. Since that’s a time-limited, flashfiction competition we don’t require a spell check. However, if you found “lushes” somewhere else—that didn’t refer to people that have consumed too much alcohol—please let us know so we can fix it. And we’ll be sure to crack the whip on our unpaid editors, too.