Why would you need this?
Rope is one of the most basic yet versatile things the kinky world has to offer. Accordingly, expectations of it and ideas of what you want to feel, experience and get out of a session can also be very versatile.
In many cases it is so that both the receiving and the giving part know relatively well what they can and may expect from each other. Often, however, it is also the case that you do not know exactly what you or your partner is looking for. Due to lack of experience, the current form of the day or the partner you want to play with in this moment. Or you just can’t immediately think of everything the rope is capable of giving, because you’ve been biased by the way you’re used to approach a session. Or maybe you just want to learn a bit better about yourself and what you’re looking for and what else there is in rope that can be discovered.
How it was created
In exchange with many people I tie with, I’ve tried to find out what there is that they might be looking for in a session and to somehow present and use this in an understandable and helpful way.
The aim was not to capture specific technical practices, but to map sensations, emotions, and dynamics and to place them in a way where they correlate with each other, if possible. What the terms mean to one personally can of course vary. But the point is not to make some scientifically exact claim, but to create the foundation for a conversation about what one hopes to get out of a session. So what the individual points mean to you and your partner personally is part of the conversation about it.
Writing down, shortening and summarizing lists, creating drafts, trying it out and adapting to feedback eventually lead to the Rope Radar as it is published on this website.
Limitations
Of course, the Rope Radar does not replace other components of proper negotiation, such as vetting your partner before aiming for a session, checking the both of you vibe, picking up on the partner’s mood and state of mind or discussing physical limitations and general boundaries. It really focusses on opening up a space to discuss what connecting through rope can and should provide or not, in order to give opportunities to discuss how these things can and should be provided or avoided.