Fighting The Never-ending Battle With Con Drop

If you’ve been to a convention of any type, then you’ve probably heard of the infamous “con drop”. That cruddy feeling that comes along when you’ve come down from an event and, through either emotional shifts or that cold you got cause you weren’t taking care of yourself, feel like absolute shit. Usually, fighting con drop is a difficult thing. And after an event like Shibaricon, the largest rope event in the country, I’m pretty much wasted. But this time, I had a little help.

When we got home from the event, I could feel the sadness already hitting me. I had just gotten to see so many of my favorite people, and it would be another year before I saw most of them again. But the thing that connects us is our love of rope, and how we all share that passion amongst each other. Not too long before the event, my friend Hammer gifted me with a lot of his hemp. He had fallen in love with jute, and didn’t want it to not be used. I love hemp, so I was glad to give it a home. Another person who is quite fond of hemp rope is Kytten. It’s her favorite, and she is a sweetheart to tolerate my jute when we have to tie. But we both had a day off and I thought I could battle this drop with a little rope time.

The mix of the rope given in friendship, the surrender of Kytten given out of love, and the new ring I got from the event worked like a balm to soothe a lot of my sad away. Remembering the people who I missed, and enjoying the person who was with me. The ties was slow, fun, and in the end, beautiful. 

In the end, the true cure for con drop is not letting the past have too much of a hold on you. You need to enjoy memories for what they were, and not want them so much the present suffers.  And sometimes making the present as memorable as that past can help. It was good to have friends there, both physically and in through rope, to make that easier… and better.

Later

Rope: The Breakfast of Champions

 I was at the second GRUEPitt, which was a pretty epic event, and it was now time for our brave facilitator, Graydancer, to make all the participants yummy pancakes… in a kilt. This silliness is the perfect end to a powerful event full of controlled randomness and finding what you need, even if you weren’t sure you needed it. Well, Annie Sky and I had helped out at the event, and were starving our butts off. And while I was thinking about pancakes at that moment, Annie hand another hunger on her mind: rope. She wanted to have her pancake and eat it too… while tied up.  Now what kind of rope guy would I be if I didn’t help her get that?

After asking Gray if it was okay if I started tying while he was making breakfast (of course he was all “Hell yea!” about it) I got to tying the saucy Brit up. She is quite flexible, and capable of handling all types of interesting ties. So we tried something a bit unique.  She would need a hand to eat, but only one. An the rest of her, we could just make art in the air with.  Annie gave her all to the tie, and we got something fun, and something beautiful.

In the end we inspired some other folks to pull out some rope and get to suspending as well.  But the true test was: could she eat in that position? As Annie began to chow down on that pancake, we all smiled. She could now say that she could get suspended and eat pancakes, all with one hand tied behind her back.

Later.

Some Housewarming Presents Are Better Than Others…

My wonderful and sexy friend Piper had just moved into a swanky new apartment. We hadn’t caught up much since I was on the road and she was handling the transition of addresses, so we hung out for breakfast and so I could get a tour of this badass place. It was very cool and fancy and all, but it was missing one thing: a hot woman and a lot of rope. Well Piper was willing to fix that oversight in short order.

It’s nice to put Piper in a situation where she can let her sexuality shine through. It’s one of her more dominant qualities. Almost every non-Rope Bomb tie, her heat drips through the ropes and deep into the lens. That hunger to moan, that willingness to give it up to the rope, to the rigger… I makes you just tie a little tighter, make the lines touch just the right spots. In the end you had a beautiful woman doing nothing short of making you wonder if you look at art or porn. With Piper, it’s usually straddling the line… in a very provocative way.

Great ties like that is the best way to christen a kinky household. And while Piper and company will have their official housewarming party this week, it’s nice to know that I got the rope cherry on that place. And what a sweet cheery it was.

 Later

Waiting for Shibaricon to Return…

 Shibaricon, the largest international rope convention, inspires me in multiple ways. Sometimes that inspiration takes the form of pictures. And while most times those pics are taken after the event, on the rare occasion we shoot them while still in Chicago.  Diamond appears to always be my muse for my Shibaricon shoot. Whenever the tie takes form, it’s her beautiful form that it wants to attach herself to. So with a kimono gifted to us by Lee Harrington, off we scooted to find a place to shoot.

As a facilitator for the now legendary Ropenspace that happened at Shibaricon, I had access to the coveted “Ropenspace Headquarters“ suite.  In the corner, we found a spot facing the slowly creeping dawn. It was the last day of the event, and we were reveling in the amazing things that happened. But I was also looking forward to the next years event. A part of me was already counting down to Shibaricon 2013. With that tugging at my heart, Diamond and I crafted a tie and picture filled with longing for a date just too far away to wait comfortably for.  We will be at the next Shibaricon, just gotta hold on till then. I think I’ll tie folks up to pass the time :)

Later.

“Dropping Double Bombs in New York City”

The NYC RopeBombSquad unit 22402 is the first and one of the best guerilla bondage units in the world today. Many others started because they follow what we do.  One of the things we do is, well… crazy ass shit. And when it comes to doing that, we’re the best in the business.

Part of the reason we’re that nutballs is because three of the most daring members of the Squad are also it’s Co-Captains. There’s Bombergrl, who’s always “Ready to go if you are.” And then there’s Cannonball, whom I have to warn before each new weird idea that, “This will probably hurt”. We look at different ties and concepts, and see what we can bring to the Big Apple to make Lady Liberty’s jaw drop.  One of our more recent Bombs may have just did that.

The girls had been looking at pics for a single point chest suspension. It’s a bit intense for outside clandestine speedy rope, but Bombergrl wasn’t going to let that stop her. And if she was going to do it, there was no way Cannonball wasn’t going to pull it off as well.  At that point it come to the last crazy person to make a call… me. And my call was: “Fuck it, lets do a double.”

Lets talk about doing doubles. They aren’t easy on their best days, and double one-point chest suspensions are a bit daunting. Oh, did I mention the reduced time so we wouldn’t be there when the NYPD did their patrol? But this wasn’t stopping us. So I whipped into high gear and the girls gave me everything we had to get them up and tied in record time. And we scored a pretty choice picture.

 In our Squad, a fistbump is a sign of high accolade. It lets you know your Squadmates saw what you did and admired it. We earned our bumps that trip. Maybe one day when you come to NYC, you might take some time and run with the 22402 and earn yours. 

Later.

“Having What She Is Having”

I keep my cell phone on and near me at all times. I seriously think it has to do with being part of the beeper generation (yes, I know I aged myself there). Another part of it is that I have been blessed with the kind of friends that call me at random hours to do things. Luckily, this model of Blue comes with the endurance to figure out the how 20 seconds after I said yes (and 3 minutes after I walked out the door).

 It was a surprise that Anthelian called me when he did. Not really because he called me randomly; he always does that. But that it had been so long. The amazing photographer was always travelling around taking stellar pictures of some of the most phenomenal people and locations. It had been almost a year since we had been in the same place to hang out. So I wasn’t as used to his call to action, which never disappoints. So, after finishing out work, I was off to a bar to meet a friend, and make a new one. 

I run into Anthelian and we take a few to catch up before he introduces me to the lovely woman next to him: Lavella.  She was very smart, flexible and willing to take a few chances.  She was only in town for one more night and had a soft spot for rope. Anthelian brought me out there to see if I could oblige her.  That part was the easy one. The hard one was where. I suggested bombing locations, but it was a bit cold. It was Anthelian who came up with the crazy idea to talk to some bar owners, and see who would let us shoot. I thought he was being a little too risky, but it was in very short order, he got us a place to shoot in the back of a active bar.

Lavella seemed to be nothing but happy to be in rope.  And that’s something to say for New Yorkers: they don’t get fazed by much. Some random person seeing us set up asked their friend: “Is that girl getting tied up?” The friend said, “Yea”. And that was all the conversation I heard about it for the hour or so we tied and shot her. Lavella was fine once the tie was on, and Anthelian never lost a stride. So I just relaxed, rolled with the moment and got a great shot of my art.

I tipped the bartender quite a bit, and headed out with my friends. It was nice to shoot outside of my element. It’s a different kind of edgy. And a different kind of fun. Just like Anthelian and Lavella. And I cant wait for the next call like that… whenever it come in.

Later.

“This one time at Rope Camp, I bound a beauty at Sunrise”

 So the circus was a success, the ties were epic and good times were had by all. But there was one more story to be told. One more experience to have.

 Annie Sky, the silly mind that came up with the idea for the circus in the first place, was actually busy during it’s happening. And I happened to have a sunrise rope date fall through, due to partying hard the night before. So, I made a deal with her: she gets up at sunrise, she gets rope.

 We had tried to do this earlier in the weekend, but it didn’t work out due to lack of food. And, to be honest, I was afraid that the night’s excitement was just gonna wipe her out. So when I woke up and took my shower to the rising sun to find no one in her bed, I wasn’t surprised.  When I came out however, she was just laying down. I asked her if she was still game, and, as she stated, she was, “Born ready.”

 We went to a structure in the middle of the camp space, and I just fell into the tie. It was a quiet tie, with the fog, and the slow warmth of the sun, and Annie all happy in the middle. In the end, she looked stellar in the rope, and happy to rise with the sun, in more ways than one.

 That tie was the last rope I did at Rope Camp. And what a way to end the experience. I’ve already been asked to return this year, And trust me, I’ll be there with rope and energy aplenty, ready to make some more stories happen.

Later.

“This one time at Rope Camp, I ran a 3-Rig Circus”

So yea about this circus… 

My awesome friend Ammre tapped me before Rope Camp about a very very large ring. The bad boy had to be about 3 ft in diameter. When you consider that in general rope folks use rings roughly 8 inches across… well this was a monster. So when she said she didn’t want to bring it unless it was going to be used, I promised I’d figure out something awesome for it.

I had just picked it up and was heading back to the NYR cabin as a hot scene with Graydancer, Poetic Desires, and Annie Sky. Annie sees the giant ring and asks what it’s for. I admit that I’m not sure yet, but I’m positive it will rock. She says that it looks like something used in a circus…. And then it hits her.

“You guys should have a circus!” I first I dismissed the idea, thinking a circus on this short notice was just impossible.  Then I started to figure it out, seeing the possible fun of our cabin running a circus in the middle of rope camp. But I couldn’t plan it alone. So I told Annie and an excited Poetic if they could convince Gray and Dov to help me out, we’d bring the circus to town. Poetic tells that tale better than I do, but long story short, they were in and the Three Rig Circus was on.

I decided to do an aerial act with a girl sitting in the ring. But who was I going to get on such short notice to get in this thingie? Never let it be said that the Rope Gods don’t provide, for it wasn’t 10 minute after asking my self this question that the beautiful and spontaneous Janice Stine came over to say hello and harass me for making her get in the pool naked (another story for another time). When I told her what I was thinking, she said, “Well, I’ll do it.” I was shocked. I was amazed. I was… not so speechless to forget to say thank you and take her up on her offer.

One of the things that Janice brings to a tie is a wonderful balance of grace and fun. Tied within the ring, she was a sky bound ballerina one moment, and a kid in a tire swing at the park the next. It was nothing but fun. People cheered. And Poetic got this pic of us making the art.

Folks enjoyed the circus so much, that we’ve already been asked to come back and do another one. It’s a good thing Annie had that idea. And a better thing that she wakes up early so I was able to properly thank her in the morning. But that’s a story for, well next time. Come back this way so I can share it with you.

 Later.

“This one time at Rope Camp, I got to rig a Rope Savant”

So, I told you about breakfast. And so you know, the meals just kept getting better at this event.

It couldn’t have been very long after I scarfed down lunch did the beautiful Celeste poke me about rope.  The young rope savant was amassing skill as a capable rope top at a phenomenal rate. As skilled as she was becoming, she still had a passion to be bound. We did rope once before this, and had things get in the way before round two. I had rope and camera (thanks to afore mentioned Cabin Bitch), and there was no way I was going to let lighting miss twice.

The tie was open and soft at points, but intense and technical at others. Al the while I could feel her exploring the shape of the kinbaku with her limbs, her spirit. And then there was the moment where she just fell into it, and enjoyed the way the wind spun her. That afternoon she was bathed in sun, sky, and jute. She repaid me with bliss in front of the camera.

The time ended for our adventure together, with the hope that a next time would come, and soon.  Celeste wandered off to go and explore herself on both sides of the rope the rest of that weekend.  I went to revel in the memory of the tie, and rest. After all, I had a circus to plan…

Yup, I said circus.  Come on back later and find out how the circus came to Rope Camp.

Later.