Bunny Brain Boiler

“I hate the term Rope Bunny.”

“Really?” I said.

One of the fun things with any hobby is getting a slightly mixed up and new vocabulary, words that roll off the tongue like a secret code; packed with meaning for insiders but baffling to whoever’s sitting behind you on the DLR.

At an early rope event I recall one person, whilst being brought down from a suspension gabbling at the rigger, “I can’t put that one down yet it’s still in a futu-momo!”

One of the terms frequently used is “Bunny” to refer to the person being tied (alternatives are sub, bottom, rope bottom, victim etc but all having their own connotations). I quite liked it because in my mind it conjured images of something light cheerful and bouncy, which is something that speaks to the playful side that I see demonstrated so regularly in rope play. Combine that with the fact that it didn’t automatically come with connotations of D/s or S&M it seemed a good specific tool.

“Bunnies are what a magician pulls out of his hat; something placid, limp and unresisting,” said the other half of this conversation.

“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that,” I said.

And here si the trouble of words. Language is communication and it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that it’s like an encrypted signal, you cipher your thoughts or feelings into a word, communicate that and assume the recipient will decipher it the same way. I’m reliably informed that most people who study linguistics get to the point of shaking their heads in despair and wondering how anyone ever manages to get anything across to anyone else… ever!

So what could I use instead? What single word sums up something playful, lively and bouncy? What word embodies agency, independence and life?

Rope Hare?

Rope Kitten?

Rope Gazelle?

Rope Meerkat?

…

…

“Rope dolphin?”