Shibari: Craftmanship vs IKEA ropes

"Let’s do this TK! Let’s do that TK! No, I prefer this guy’s version!"... That is didactic. Masters of tension don't deliver a someone's TK; they tailor it based on the person, the situation, and the relationship.

Are we flirting, capturing, or is the model going to focus inward? Is the TK meant to induce submission or to offer the body with pride? Is it an instrument of torture now and a cocoon of comfort later, or the other way around? Are we taking the breath away or performing acrobatics? Which detail will make them twitch? The questions could go on.

That's for harness, but the experience is also defined by delivery and space.

When it comes to delivery, Professional Dominants often hold an advantage because their submissives are seeking a rope fetish, unbiased by community ideals of beauty. If the submissive has a genuine fetish for rope, then the delivery must focus on the rope itself, rather than on cuddles, just putting together an harness, or ample movements signaling some form of abstract connection.

We can master delivery as much as we master tension.

Space is a silent and powerful partner, yet so few consider it part of a TK. Often, a session begins with anticipation and the "vibe" of the room. Scent, color, noise, observers, distance, and the decision of when and where to allow conversation, all of these matter.

We can master space as much as we master tension.

Some personal and emotional questions I have to ask myself before every TK are: How far do I want my heart to be from your heart? Where should my eyes go? How and when do you breathe? How fast and far do I want to get close to your nipples?

Our desires, emotional distance, physical joints, and the environments and psychologies we choose all offer us the opportunity to develop unique gestures and ropes placing. These can be taught and understood, but they cannot simply be replicated.

If a TK is merely a harness, then leather bondage is far superior in safety and efficiency to shibari. But if a TK is the personal convergence of people, placement, tension, delivery, and space, then each master must be unique.