This is a class for folks who are newer to BDSM. MxBliss will share their ‘new to kink’ mistakes in the hopes that you can avoid them!  In this class, we’ll provide a quick intro to the wonderful world of BDSM.  We will start with vocabulary and etiquette (including play party norms). Then we will cover ways to find play partners more safely including vetting and spotting red flags.  Finally, we will cover MxBliss’s favorite topic: consent and negotiation in BDSM. This is a whirlwind tour so while not specifically covered on the agenda, they are reserving time to address your questions about Fetetiquette (Fetlife etiquette), finding a mentor/mentee, pick up play, what to do if you are involved in a consent incident, or anything else you’d like to know about the curious, delightful, and potentially dangerous world of BDSM. Important Information: No late entry will be allowed due to the intimate nature of this workshop. Doors will be locked at 10 minutes after the start time. Water available. Please bring your own cup or bottle. Open to all 18+ Attendance is limited to 40 people. All sexes, genders, races, ethnicities, bodies, body types, sexual orientations, relationship orientations, abilities welcome and celebrated. Questions may be directed to: [email protected] Scholarships available. Please let us know by email if you have any access needs or things that would aid in your learning. About the Educator:  Mx Bliss (she/they) is a joyful sadomasochist, sensation empath, consent enthusiast, rope switch, self suspender, and lifestyle quinkster (queer kinkster). They identify as Daddy AF, on both sides of the slash.  Bliss is having the time of their life discovering all the ways to connect with BDSM and rope and is eager to share the joy. They co-facilitate AlternaRope, a celebration of diversity in rope and co-hosts the Friction pop-up events. She also produces the Jiffy Kink events. Both in vanilla and kink worlds, MxBliss frequently presents on negotiation, consent, and diversity/equity/inclusion. With some trepidation, she is starting to teach some rope classes. She loves all the feedback, especially the kind that will help her grow and have her intention better mirror the impact of her behavior/words. Fetlife: MxBliss IG: mx_bliss https://mxbliss.home.blog/ Provide Feedback: https://forms.gle/2NK6KMJNy4qregwb9

Explore dynamic movement with a minimalist and playful ‘circus bondage’-style 3- to 5- point-based rig. This class is hands-on and is self- or partnered-suspension friendly. The class will begin by showing foot cuffs, and optionally a Triskelion chest harness (attendees may also choose to tie whatever upper body harness they prefer). Next, we’ll do a tie-along of the 5-point, thigh-supported version of the rig. Finally, we will add hip support (a Butt Rainbow Thigh Tie of Doom will be demonstrated, but attendees can use their choice of harness) and demonstrate a suspension sequence that moves from a seated position, to a 3-point triangle rig (from which potential shapes to explore include running person, splits, pinwheel, lotus, birdcage, pike, and many more), to face up, to an inversion, and finally into a torsion-y side suspension and partial. The final portion of the class will provide attendees an opportunity to work through this sequence, and give the flyer time to learn methods for taking full advantage of the freedom & flow offered by this rig. Pre-requisites: Tops: This is a fast-moving class that assumes at least an intermediate level of suspension knowledge. Tops should know, at minimum, suspension-ready hip and chest harness (arms-free preferred, but arms-in may be used at the discretion of the tying pair), attaching support lines, and basics of negotiation for bondage. Bottoms: Body and health awareness to participate safely at a level that’s appropriate for your body. Experience with inversions and suspension ties that heavily load the chest. Self-suspenders: Same requirements as for tops AND bottoms. Supplies: Your basic suspension kit. Synthetic/rated rope for uplines and locking carabiners strongly recommended. Flyers should ideally wear snug leggings and ankle-height shoes that can be tied over. Important Information: Use of stairs is required to access the hard points for this class. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience. No late entry will be allowed due to the safety information given at the beginning of this workshop. Doors will be locked at 10 minutes after the start time. Water available. Please bring your own cup or bottle. Attendance is limited to 14 self-tyers/tying pairs and 5 auditors. All sexes, genders, races, ethnicities, bodies, body types, sexual orientations, relationship orientations, abilities welcome and celebrated. Questions may be directed to: [email protected] Scholarships available. Please let us know by email if you have any access needs or things that would aid in your learning. About the presenters: Shay Tiziano (she/her or they/them) is a dynamic bondage performer and renowned self-suspender known for their innovative, intense performances and friendly, attainable, and risk-awareness focused approach to kink education. She is the author of Tying & Flying, the first-ever book about self-suspension, and Creating Captivating Classes, the first-ever book specifically for kink, sexuality, and relationship educators. Based in San Francisco, Shay has over a decade of experience presenting across the US and internationally. She has produced events and showcases including acclaimed bondage and fetish performance event Twisted Windows, BENT, the Bay Area’s biggest play party, the Seattle Erotic Art Festival Bondage & Aerial stage, Self-Suspension Open Space, Rope Lab, Friction, and bondage and performances stages at the Folsom Street Fair and San Francisco Pride’s Leather Alley. Angel (he/him) is a self-suspender and rope switch who brings an extensive background in sailing, physics, and general shenanigans to his bondage practices. He is a durable human who loves to experiment. Mx Bliss (she/they) is a joyful sadomasochist, sensation empath, consent enthusiast, rope switch, self suspender, and lifestyle quinkster (queer kinkster). They identify as Daddy AF, on both sides of the slash.  Bliss is having the time of their life discovering all the ways to connect with BDSM and rope and is eager to share the joy. They co-facilitate AlternaRope, a celebration of diversity in rope and co-hosts the Friction pop-up events. She also produces the Jiffy Kink events. Both in vanilla and kink worlds, MxBliss frequently presents on negotiation, consent, and diversity/equity/inclusion. With some trepidation, she is starting to teach some rope classes. She loves all the feedback, especially the kind that will help her grow and have her intention better mirror the impact of her behavior/words.

Journey down the rabbit hole and kick off 2023 in a kinky Wonderland! Friction is a pop-up style event focused on bondage, kink, sensuality, and creating joy – together. Hosts MxBliss (of Jiffy Kink and Studio Bound) & Shay Tiziano (of BENT and Twisted Windows) are excited to bring the Friction party back to Gallery Erato in Seattle! Wonderland-themed attire is admired but not required – think risque royalty, horny Hatters, fantasy flamingos, racy rabbits, or whatever your divinely deviant mind can imagine! Join us early in the evening for a class and icebreaker designed to help you meet fellow attendees (and up your flirting game), followed by curated performances. Stay for the plentiful hardpoints and do all the pokey, stingy, and thuddy things in the dungeon area. At Friction, you can expect a friendly, inclusive environment with entertainment, games, and plenty of shenanigans to see and do. This event will sell out, so buy your advance tickets here! Friction Party Schedule: Doors: 7:30pm Party Primer and Flirting Class with Shay and MxBliss: 8pm – 8:30pm Icebreaker Game: 8:30pm – 9pm Wonderland-themed Spotlight Performance Showcase: 9pm Ambient Performances starting at 9:20pm Event ends: 1am *Note: The downstairs playspace is open from 7:30pm-1am We will provide some nibbles and juice. You are welcome to bring food and non-alcoholic beverages. Bring your water bottles. COVID Guidelines: We are monitoring local COVID infection rates and city/state/CDC guidance as well as the latest information about the variants in order to keep this event as safe and accessible as reasonable while protecting the health of attendees. Requirements may change and we will endeavor to notify ticket holders as soon as possible if they do. At present, we expect that attendees will need to provide proof of vaccination at the door. Sufficient proof of vaccinated status is a state/federally issued vaccine card or a photograph of your card (with a matching name on your ID) showing that you are two weeks past the complete vaccine course. Please note, a negative COVID test is not sufficient if you are not vaccinated – vaccination is required (and boosters are highly recommended). K/n95 masks are encouraged, but not required. Please write [email protected] with event questions, and [email protected] with venue or ticketing questions.

Join Lucie Fielding (therapist, sex educator, and author of Trans Sex), and somatic sex educator. Katie Spataro for an intimate, 3-hour deep dive into the practice of muffing! Muffing is a sexual activity that involves penetrating the inguinal canals of folks with external gonads (basically, fingerbanging someone with external gonads from the front). The term “muffing” was coined by Mira Bellwether in her foundational zine Fucking Trans Women (2010) and since then articles and zines have described this activity. But this is the first community workshop of its kind—an intensive, hands-on exploration of muffing. For folks with external gonads and for those who have sex with folks with external gonads, muffing can be a way of queering up sex, circumventing tremendously limiting culturally proscribed/prescribed understandings of the erotic, and opening a potential universe of pleasure! There will be instruction, a live demo and an optional hour dedicated to your own HANDS-ON (or fingers in!) play and exploration under the guidance of Katie and Lucie. Transfeminine bodies will be centered in this workshop but it is open to folks of all genders, sexualities, and experience levels. Come and play! COVID-19/Flu Transmission Harm Reduction Protocols Because the winter months have often seen spikes in cold, flu, and COVID-19 infection (exacerbated by the frigid temperatures forcing many to gather indoors in larger numbers) and in an effort to engage in harm reduction and extend care and solidarity with our most vulnerable community members, this event will take place under the following protocols: Masks are required for all participants and attendees. The facilitators, Katie and Lucie, will remove their masks during the demo, but only for the duration of said demo and in order to facilitate communication and ensure that participants can hear any exchanges between co-facilitators during the demo. Masks will be provided to any participants who need one. Proof of vaccination for COVID-19 is required. Participants are encouraged—to the extent that it is accessible for them—to have also taken the bivalent boosters approved under emergency use authorization. Both workshop facilitators received the bivalent booster in September/October 2022, and Lucie has also been the recipient of the Monkeypox, Flu (late September 2022), HPV, and Hep A/B vaccines. Participants are further encouraged to have tested and received a negative test result for COVID-19 no more than one hour before the start of the workshop. Participants are asked to stay home if they are experiencing any symptoms consonant with cold, flu, and/or COVID-19, including, but not limited to: fevers, chills, nausea/vomiting, sore throat, cough, sneezing. We invite you to consider these protocols and behaviors not as an imposition, but rather as acts of harm reduction, care, and solidarity with members of our communities who are at heightened risk of severe forms of respiratory illness, immunocompromised people, and caretakers of small children and older adults. Important Information: No late entry will be allowed due to the intimate nature of this workshop. Doors will be locked at 10 minutes after the start time. Water available. Please bring your own cup or bottle. Attendance is limited to 40 people. All sexes, genders, races, ethnicities, bodies, body types, sexual orientations, relationship orientations, abilities welcome and celebrated. Questions may be directed to: [email protected] Scholarship tickets are available for $25 for those who need them. If you need additional financial assistance, please email Leah at [email protected] Please let us know by email if you have any access needs or things that would aid in your learning. About the Educators: Lucie Fielding, PhD, MA, LMHCA, Resident in Counseling (she/they) is a white, neurodivergent, queer, trans misogyny affected (TMA) femme, and a therapist practicing in Virginia and Washington (on Monacan lands and unceded Duwamish territory, respectively). They specialize in sex therapy, kink-knowledgeable therapy, 2SLGBTQIA-knowledgeable therapy, sex work-affirming therapy; and they work from narrative, imaginal, and somatic frameworks that honor the (intergenerational) wisdom of the body, promote community-care, and support empowered embodied eroticism. She holds an MA in Counseling Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute (2018) and a PhD in French from Northwestern University (2008), specializing in erotic literature. Their background in literature attunes them to the ways that cultural scripts inscribe themselves on our bodies and inform our embodied erotic lives. In addition to being a therapist, Lucie is a sex educator who has facilitated workshops for a range of groups, organizations, universities, and agencies. They are the author of Trans Sex: Clinical Approaches to Trans Sexualities and Erotic Embodiments (2021), which was awarded an AASECT Book Award in 2022 (Sexuality Professionals Category) and named a finalist for a 2022 Lambda Literary Award (Lammy) in the Transgender-Nonfiction category. You can find out more about Lucie at https://luciefielding.com or follow them on Instagram (@sexbeyondbinaries). Katie Spataro, CSB (she/her) is a somatic sex educator, sexological bodyworker, holistic pelvic care provider and full spectrum doula who lives and works on the unceded lands of the Duwamish people known as South Seattle. Katie studies and practices at the intersections of birth work and sex work, drawing upon the embodied wisdom of these two lineages to support healing of the personal and collective cultural body. Katie blends various modalities of somatic practice and bodywork in her private practice, and facilitates classes on embodied consent, sexual wellbeing and erotic education through a trauma-informed and healing-centered lens. She is core faculty at the Institute for the Study of Somatic Sex Education and adjunct faculty at Antioch University’s Sex Therapy Certificate Program.

This full day intensive offers an introduction to suspension for intermediate rope tops and bottoms. Both tops and bottoms should be experienced with consent, negotiation and rope bondage. Specifically tops should be confident in tying structural harnesses ( specifically a suspension safe hip and chest harness). Bottoms should be experienced being tied in a variety of positions and able to verbally communicate while in rope.   Purchase tickets here! This class will cover: Negotiation Nerves and anatomy Uplines and lifting Bottoming skills Easy partial positions Prerequisites: Tops should be able to tie a chest harness, and non-collapsing single column tie. Required gear: 4 30-ft lengths of rope in hemp, jute, or nylon (5-8mm) 4 pear-shaped or oval carabiners rated for climbing 2 30ft lengths of POSH rope. ( Class bundle with student discount available from : https://www.etsy.com/shop/KinbakuStudio) Other Important Info: No late entry will be allowed due to the intimate nature of this workshop. Doors will be locked at 10 minutes after the start time. Water available. Please bring your own cup or bottle. Open to all 18+ Attendance is limited to 14 tying pairs. Limited audit-only spots are available. All sexes, genders, races, ethnicities, bodies, body types, sexual orientations, relationship orientations, abilities welcome and celebrated. Questions may be directed to: [email protected] Scholarships available. Please let us know by email if you have any access needs or things that would aid in your learning. Part of this class will take place in the basement, which is only accessible by stairs. We apologize for any inconvenience. About the Educators: Blaming_lilith (she/her) has been tying since 2016 and discovered her love for suspension in 2018. She ties as a creative outlet and a way to socialize with some of her favorite people. Once a month, she co-hosts the Witchy Rope Enthusiasts’ Group (WREG) in Seattle, where she demos simple ties and labs out more creative ideas with wonderfully collaborative bottoms. You can find her on fetlife (blaming_liltih) and instagram (blaminglilith). Megan (Mz_Magpie on instagram and Fetlife) joined the kink community in 2010. She identifies as a queer woman, switch and nerd. She runs Magpie Kink education (Magpiekink.com) She loves finding new ways to explain complex topics.