“Predicament play” refers to a variety of sadomasochistic/kinky activities in which there is a particular set of physical parameters (such as rope, other restraints, other painful or pleasurable stimuli) which simultaneously encourage different and mutually exclusive responses in the bottom/recipient. The person who is in the predicament is faced with the dilemma of choosing among–and leaning into or away from–various painful or pleasurable or unusual sensations. Seeking and finding the ideal balancing point among these subtly shifts of one’s body and trying to maintain one’s balance in that preferred position can be an exciting struggle for both bottoms and tops. Predicaments often involve a slow-burn, building up of intensity, from something that initially seems fine but then becomes more difficult/painful/overwhelming over the ensuing seconds and minutes. Predicament play appeals to the more creative, quirky, and even ridiculous sides of SM play, bringing out our inner mad-scientist sadists & James Bond escape artist masochists. A predicament could be as complex as a Rube Goldberg machine—or as simple as being forced to stand on one leg until that becomes unbearably painful.