I'll Do Anything!

The Scene: A Sweet Baby Seal is having a discussion with an Uber DomlyDom in some vauge form of preparation to play.

Uber DomlyDom (with a supremely soulful, burning, and Domly gaze): So, my sweet, nubile baby seal... If I were to claim you as my own, in a most Domly and Manly fashion, what would you be willing to do for me?

Baby Seal: O! My most revered Lord and Master! I would do ANYTHING for you, because I am just that submissive and the idea is just that HAWT!

Uber DomlyDom: (leers): Anything?

Baby Seal: (whimpers): Well, anything but poop and kids and you can't kill me I guess. But other than that, yes, anything! Please, take me now! (swoons and twitterpates)

Uber DomlyDom: Muah-hahahahahaha!

Sigh.

"I'll do anything" is a great plot devise for fantasy wank-fodder, isn't it? It one neat stroke it gets rid of the learning curve that most rational, sane folks might require before that jump into the deep end of kink. It gets us right to the "good stuff" in the story without making us wait through the less interesting (and less titillating) real life crap like education, negotiation, limits, blah, blah, blah... It's always Zero to "Anything" in the stories and it's like that for a reason- Because it's a STORY. It's NOT REAL.

Why? Because nobody is willing to do absolutely anything. Nobody. Everybody has a limit, every single person has at least one thing they will never do or that they'll never be willing to try- Most people have quite a few things on their No-Go list. Some of those thing might not even be thought of as a limit- Like someone with a nut allergy might not say, "Eating pecans is a hard limit" but you can bet if their Dom told them to eat a great big slice of pecan pie they'd probably tap out right quick.

"ANYTHING" covers a whole lot of territory, it's not just the common fun sexy-times games that a newbie is most likely to have heard or read about, it's also the really obscure niche stuff that perhaps 1 in 1,000 people would actually be willing to do. It's the stuff in the list that will not be cool with everybody out there, and may only be cool with a few people out there.

"Anything" could mean spending the rest of your life naked in a bare basement in Idaho fed nothing but potatoes and rutabagas, allowed to bathe once a month in cold water, and used in a most disagreeable sexual fashion whenever the mood strikes who ever you told that "Anything" was cool (and maybe his unbathed, unattractive buddies might get in on the action too).

It's the more vanilla parts of a dynamic, like being required to hand over your bank account information and social security card number- It's the stuff that can have a really horrible impact on your life if you're not absolutely certain that your D-type is 100% trust-worthy. It's things that can effect your future employment opportunities. It's being told who you're allowed to socialize with and when- Your friends, your family, your kids? Are you cool with that?

It's your health decisions and your future health... Like, say he wants to have an open relationship and he's not willing to wear condoms with any of his partners including you- Is that part of "anything"? Are you willing to get pregnant when he says so or have an abortion on his say-so? Is he allowed to make your medical decisions for you? Decide what doctor you go to or when you're allowed to see the doctor?

"Anything" can include choices about your housing, where you'll live, what pets you can keep, and taking care of pets you might not want. It can mean handing over your driver's license, passport, or other forms of identification, maybe handing over any ways you would have to access your money.

So are you really willing to do "Anything" or is this concept perhaps something that could require a bit more thought and learning so that you can clearly define the things you will do and the things you won't do?

Because I can garentee you, you will not do "Anything."

And here's a great place to start:
http://www.cepemo.com/checklist.html

This is a handy-dandy list of the more common forms of play people engage it. It's not all of them, but it's a good start. Google is a helpful too for looking up things you're unsure of, and there is also an excellent glossary of terms on fet (just type "glossary" into the groups' search box).

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As an aside: What does that phrase "I'll do anything" mean to you when you hear it? I have a few ideas, but I'd like to see what other folks think to compare.

And another quick Q: Why do you think people say it?