The latter, because that's how it is in the vanilla world too. Do you ride a motorcycle, a horse, rollercoasters? Ever take a drink? (alcohol is afterall, a poison.)

All life has risk.

And kink? One *man's normal is another *man's kink. Just because our particular brand of kink is old and venerable (and first described in the classical era by DeSade and Masoch) makes it no more normal than those who prefer the more modern kinks.


(*man: short for humanoid, regardless of gender.)