This post is part of an effort to provide a glossary for novice submissives of words commonly seen across this site and in the BDSM community.

Using a check in during a scene is a responsibility of the Dominant to make sure things are going as they should. Often times this is a simple, "are you okay?" or "What is your safeword?"

Checking in

  - Asking the submissive how they are feeling during a scene, if they wish to continue or stop, how the level of pain is etc. By analyzing the inflection and wording of the response and comparing it to visual clues, the top can determine wether or not the submissive is in fact giving a coherent answer, and if play should continue, slow down, or stop.

I've talked about using check ins on this site before. Here's a review of those posts:

• Using Play Time Check Ins Wisely
• Your Place in BDSM Play