Kink 101 establishes as a foundation that this is sexual improv, and if that makes you feel cringe or whatever then get over it. Essentially these are agreed upon bits with certain understood risks that we all take on together because we want to. "The Heel is pretending to be a bad guy, but it's for show, see?" is ultimately true.
But Kink 202 recognizes that most people often feel as if the actor's sorrow and joy are real, even if we cognitively know we're watching a play. That's why drama and theater remain compelling since the invention of language. So, when you play-pretend the heel or slaughtered lamb or naughty child or whatever, you are borrowing the story's psyche. Not totally, not forever, not because you agree, but because the performance serves us. Often it gets us off, but it also might provide catharsis, validation, closure, etc. In that way it is "real" the way tears and laughter in response to a story are real.
Critical thinking checkpoint: how real do you think "tears and laughter in response to a story" actually are? In your experience, do you get totally absorbed in stories or is that rather difficult for you? How does that compare to your peers? How might the variation in this "realness" inform someone's risks and benefits in partaking in sexual drama?
This is all to say that at the 202 level, I don't have a prescribed answer or rule to recommend. You have to identify what works for you, what is or isn't good or safe for you, what level of damage is actually okay. Humans have the right to do things that aren't great for them! But more than that, sexual drama can be transformative and "real" if you want to make that a part of it for you.
kianamaiart
theartofmadeline
turnnoffyourmind
