Beginner BDSM

B: Bondage

Bondage: The act of restricting or restraining a partner.

D: Discipline / Dominance

Discipline: The act of setting rules with punishments for breaking them.

Dominance: The act of taking control or holding the power in a sexual scene or fantasy.

S: Submission / Sadism

Submission: The act of yielding control or giving up the power in a sexual scene or fantasy.

Sadism: The act of inflicting pain, humiliation, or intense sensation for erotic pleasure.

M: Masochism

Masochism: The act of enjoying pain, humiliation, or intense sensation for erotic pleasure.

Read more here - Babe Blog: How to start exploring BDSM

S&M - AKA sadomasochism - is the act of playing with pain for pleasure. Sadism is where someone enjoys inflicting pain, humiliation, or intense sensation on their partner for erotic pleasure, while masochism is where someone enjoys being on the receiving end of it - with sadomasochism being the exchange of these acts during partnered play. If you're a person who loves it when it hurts so good, or you love seeing your partner squirm in pleasurable pain, S&M play is worth exploring! Try experimenting with some impact play like spanking, or using sensory play tools to engage your senses in new ways.

A safeword is a word that conveys that someone needs something to stop. During a scene (aka the sexual encounter) a safeword acts like the words "no" or "stop" - to let a partner know that a boundary has been reached or crossed, or that the person calling it needs a pause or break. Using a safe word acts as a way to let everyone in the scene know that play needs to be paused or stopped completely.

The words "no" and "stop" are default safewords, but sometimes in BDSM or kinky play, these words may come up as part of the roleplay within the scene (like saying "oh no! don't spank me!" in character, where you actually want to be spanked). Setting a safeword allows the scene to include these words as a part of the roleplay.

If a safeword is used, whatever is going on must immediately stop. Remember, consent always has the ability to be retracted, and using a safeword does just that. Any play that continues after a safeword / safe action has been used is no longer consensual.

To learn more about safewords and how to pick a good safe word - Babe Blog: Scene Negotiation + Safewords 101