211 is very responsive during play and that is something TOIL and I really enjoy in a sub. Check out the video and see for yourself.
Every day each of us classifies things based upon our unique set of experiences. The majority of these classifications are generally accepted by other human beings but, based upon our experiences, there may be some grey areas. For example, a chair is a chair…but what if someone uses the chair as a table – then is it a chair or a table?
There are many benefits to classifying items in our world and they are easy to figure out so I will not dwell much on the benefits. Classification, in context of one’s limits in a scene, is important because it helps to efficiently communicate what is (not) acceptable with a play partner. Each person will have his own perspective on what these limits mean because we each have different experiences which we use to put these limits into context. Our different perspectives may lead us to misunderstand or miscommunicate each other’s limits.
Limits are great because they help one to feel less vulnerable physically and emotionally. They are generally set so certain things are not done in a scene. Some limits are set to protect us from physical harm and some are set to prevent us from being pushed over a psychological ledge that we do not wish to be near. In my opinion, many inexperienced subs go about setting limits in an inefficient manner. This inefficiency occurs when their limits are defined in too broad (or narrow) of terms. Maximizing the efficiency of the limits means having them focused so they only limit what should be limited.
Let’s take two real world examples I have encountered:
When setting your limits I have a few suggestions:
When you encounter a play partner with vague, unusual, or incomplete limits I recommend you ask questions. Asking targeted questions of your play partner should help you get at the reasoning behind the limit. If something that was not listed may be borderline OK based upon the given limits – ask some additional questions. Why is the limit listed? What experience does the person have with the limit? It is amazing what we can learn asking a few questions.