Carnifism

Carnifist: an umbrella term for anyone involved with carnifism.

Carnifex: Latin for torturer, executioner; the one who tortures.

Carniduo, carnuter: The word(s) for someone who is both a carnifex and carnifee, depending on the partner and situation. The carnifism equivalent of "switch."

Carnibrat: a word for a carnifex who pretends to be a small, helpless child to entice carnifees, but is really a prodigal, skilled carnifex. May or may not also behave like a brat.

Carnitutor: an experienced carnifex who trains a less experienced carnifex pupil.

Carnipupil: a less experienced carnifex who is being trained by a more experienced carnifex.

Carnihunter, carnipredator/carnipred: a carnifex who hunts their carnifee.

Carnifex Attraction: the type of attraction you feel for someone whom you wish to be hurt by. Can be romantic, platonic, alterous, etc.

Carnifee Attraction: the type of attraction you feel for someone whom you wish to consentually hurt. Again, it can be romantic, platonic, alterous, etc.

Carnimonstrum Attraction: when you want to hurt or be hurt by a monster/cryptid/nonhuman carnifist.

Carnivexation: the overwhelming feeling you get when faced with or thinking about carnifous situations. The feeling can vary person to person. Similar to subspace.

Carnifixation: when you obsess, strongly focus on, or daydream about your carnifex/carnifee or whump scenarios for yourself.

Carnifous: an adjective to describe carnifism scenarios or things with similar elements.

Cupitor: a combination of the Latin words cupio, which translates to “wish”, “desire”, or “crave”, and tortor, which translates to “torture”. Thus, one who craves torture.

Carnifee: the same logic as the word “whumpee.”

Carnifae, carnaling: no specific extra meanings, but the suffixes imply being smaller or fragile, and this can be appealing to many.

Carnifawn: a carnifee who has a fawning response to their carnifex.

Carnimet: a combination of the Latin words carnifex and amet, with amet translating to “owned by”; one who is owned by a carnifex. This term can be appealing to those who crave degradation or being seen as simply something that is owned by another.

Carnipet: a carnifee who is a pet to their carnifex.

Carnipium: a combination of the Latin words carnifex and mancipium, which translates to “slave.” Similar to carnimet in that those who use it want to be owned, but more specifically as a slave, by their carnifex.

Carniboy, carnigirl, carnikid, carnichild: a name for those who want to be viewed/treated as a child by their carnifex. [IMPORTANT NOTE: carnifism does not condone or encourage child harm, as children are too young to consent. This refers strictly to instances of age play, and when the carnikid is certain they will not be traumatized by it.]

Carnifiant: a carnifee who is defiant/bratty/disobedient.

Carnipest: a carnifee who is generally annoying, or who likes to annoy their carnifex.

Carniprey: a carnifee who is hunted by their carnifex.

Carnitendant: a carnifee who's been conditioned by a carnifex into the role of a caretaker for another carnifee or individual.

Carnimutt: a carnifex or carnifee who prefers to be treated as a dog; they may enjoy consensual dehumanization, being trained & given orders, & other things associated with wild or domesticated dogs.

Medieval carnifism: a type of carnifism roleplay that takes place in a medieval setting, i.e in a torture dungeon in a castle.

Paingry: when you're hungry for pain.

Whump: a genre of fiction where the story heavily focuses on the main character being hurt, whether they're hurt by someone physically, emotionally or mentally, or they experience pain through other means. [Important note: whump tends to be very different from carnifism, because whump often includes severe emotional/mental abuse, and carnifism generally does not. Whump is often about traumatizing the whumpee, whereas carnifism is about consent, desire and catharsis. The only reason the whump definitions are included here is because stories written about carnifous interactions could be placed in the whump category.]

Whumper: the character in a whump story that hurts the other character(s).

Whumpee: the character in a whump story that is hurt, whether by a whumper or other causes.

Caretaker: the character in a whump story that looks after the whumpee. Can also be a role in carnifism.

Masochist: in the context of BDSM/sadomasochism, someone who consentually wants to receive pain from a sadist/carnifex, and is usually sexually aroused by it.

Sadist: in the context of BDSM/sadomasochism, someone who consentually wants to hurt a masochist for sexual pleasure.

Isn't this unhealthy/too dangerous? No one involved with carnifism is suggesting you go out and get yourself seriously injured or killed willy-nilly. Safety is of the utmost priority, and any carnifous experiences in real life should always have a low risk of fatal injury and proper safety precautions. There's also a huge difference between fantasizing about fatal injury, and actually wanting and seeking it out in real life.

Is this normalizing/encouraging abuse? No; the difference between carnifism and abuse is consent. It's not abusive to hurt someone when they actively want and consent to it soundly. Abusers are never allowed in carnifism, just like how they have no place in BDSM spaces.

This sounds similar to BDSM; why not just stay in that community, instead of making a different, smaller one? There are many differences between carnifism and BDSM, with the main ones being that carnifism is a primarily nonsexual experience, and the fantasies tend to be more extreme and violent than those common for BDSM scenes. Although BDSM isn't sexual 100% of the time, sexual and erotic themes are common in most BDSM spaces, which can make those who are sex-repulsed, not interested in sex, or generally uncomfortable in sexual spaces feel alienated. Carnifism was created as a haven for those who feel like they don't quite fit in with BDSM spaces, whatever reason that may be, sexual or not. However, BDSM and carnifism do have their similarities, and so have areas of overlap.

Isn't this just Stockholm Syndrome? Stockholm Syndrome is often defined as coming to love or have sympathy for an abuser, while the abuser doesn't return those feelings. This starkly contrasts carnifism; carnifous relationships are characterized as being mutual, as in, the carnifex cares just as much about the carnifee as the carnifee cares about the carnifex. So no, it isn't the same, because Stockholm Syndrome is about being manipulated into a one-sided relationship, which isn't similar to carnifism at all.

Is this a mental illness? Carnifism doesn't cause unwanted stress or negatively affect the lives of those involved, so no. In fact, people into carnifism often find themselves to be much happier and healthier after finding a healthy way to share and express their desires. It often does much more mental damage for carnifists to keep their desires to themselves, rather than finding a healthy outlet to express themselves safely. Additionally, there is no diagnosis in the DSM-5 that shows any similarity to carnifism.

Do you actually like being hurt by people? How could this possibly be appealing? Why do people hike Mt. Everest, despite the risk of frostbite and suffocation? Why do some people like extremely spicy foods, or why does a friend like a movie that you thought was insufferable to watch? The human experience is so wide and varied, that it would be unusual to not find a subgroup of people with "strange" interests. Everyone has a different perspective on things; carnifists may not view pain and intimacy in the same way you do. To many, intimacy might mean never hurting someone, or having sex, while to many carnifists, intimacy can be found under a weapon; when you're vulnerable to the control of another. Trusting someone with your safety, and knowing they have the ability to kill you, but won't, and will instead test your limits. And for other carnifists, intimacy may not be a factor at all; perhaps some carnifees just want to study their own pain tolerance, and some carnifexes may just want to practice careful control. Each carnifist may have a different reason for being into carnifism, and just because you may not understand it, it doesn't make it bad or unhealthy.

Consent can only go so far. Can you really consent to serious injury and/or death? This is a bit of a grey area for many. Personally, I believe that if you fully, knowingly consent to something, then it is your right to experience it (as long as it doesn't hurt others without their consent). As long as it doesn't hurt anyone else, why should people be punished for doing things they like to do? DISCLAIMER: We do not endorse or condone murder or consensual homicide; any discussion of the supposed morality of killing someone consentually is not meant to be taken literally, it is all purely discussion.

Why have I never heard of this before? This community is fairly new; before this space was made, everything was lumped into sadomasochism, and that community is 9 times out of 10 viewed as sexual. Even though this is a pretty rare phenomenon, there was still a need to create a separate space for it, so people could distinguish between consensual pain involving sexual arousal, and consensual pain without that factor.

Is carnifism inappropriate/unsafe/exclusive to minors? This is a hotly debated topic within the community, for good reason. Just like with BDSM, carnifism is rated 18+ when it comes to participation. But just as teens have kinks & sex fantasies, they also have carnifous fantasies as well. They should never be shamed or made to feel alienated for it, however, with how the internet works, it is currently unsafe to host a community inclusive or aimed at minors regarding mature subjects such as BDSM or carnifism, as it allows too much opportunity for situations of grooming.