Dungeon Monitors
Most public play venues where you can practice shibari name a DMs, which stands for Dungeon Monitors. These figures volunteer to help monitor the space. The reason for this is that shibari can be a dangerous activity; it is one of the few BDSM practices that can actually kill or disable. Every year, in both Japanese and Western style shibari, bondage gets more and more complicated. The risk grows by doing more complex and powerful rope work and having more partial or full suspensions in the scene.
Because of this, dungeon monitors train and provide you with a list to examine and help the participants determine how closely they need to keep the watch.
Dungeon Monitors: the List
The list includes the following:
- Pre-interaction negotiation and on-going communication between partners. This verifies items and makes sure the partners are appropriate and in good condition for the planned interaction.
- Evaluation of the participants to see how confidently and competently they interact in rope.
- Assessment of the ropework to make sure ties look secure. These assessment includes any suspension-related work.
DMs: All About Safety
Dungeon monitors will be there to help keep all participants safe. They help you keep your scene without any interruptions. Additionally, they are always checking for safety issues. More importantly, they are there to solve them before they become an issue for you. DMs are also there to help you focus in the scene, checking lighting, noise, and other distractions that might concern you. These figures notice if you missed something due to those elements that might not let you focus fully on the scene.
The DMs are responsible for monitoring or ending a scene if they see that something is going wrong. Usually, they have some knowledge on basic first aid courses—at least. They are carrying a huge responsibility, as you can see. Sometimes it is not enough to just end the scene, so they might have to apply first aid to the rope bottom. They should be able to react properly and help solve the problem.
The Pocket of a Dungeon Monitor
There are two things that most DMs usually carry in their pocket in preparation for anything that might go wrong. Firstly, they usually carry a rescue hook. Secondly, they have a working telephone in the pocket. On the one hand, rescue hooks cut the rope on (or close) to the human body. It is much safer than using a knife. On the other, the telephone serves to make emergency calls if necessary.
Image: mytopspace
