Rope Podcast

Fox and Mya discuss face rope - which is essentially - rope on the face! The podcast hosts are big fans of face rope, and use it in a variety of ways, and when the Rope Podcast Patreon community voted this episode as their next suggestion, Mya and Fox were excited. They discuss in the episode: * What it looks like and how you might do it * The kind of scenes face rope can contribute to * Safety and risks of the tie * Mya explains her feels about being in this kind of tie, and aspects she enjoys and dislikes * Scenes they’ve used it in * And as a bonus, find out how many times Fox has broken his nose :)

EbiMcKnotty is a rope lover based in Quebec City, Canada. She has been self-tying since 2006, and started modelling as a tied-up person in 2007. She started tying others and self-suspending in 2011 when she learned with the Ichinawa-Kai and Kazami Ranki in London. She travels all over the world to learn and share her discoveries with her community. Grounded in the Japanese style, her ropes have been described as experimental, sweet, sensual and sadistic; usually all at the same time. She got into rope before fetlife existed, and partly because of this has always been a great energiser, curator and creator of rope communities, as well as visiting communities all over the world. We wanted to talk to her about her personal journey, and how that has linked with the creation of the many rope events and rope learning experiences she has been a part of. Listen to hear about: ◦ Her rope journey, which started before fetlife existed ◦ The pitfalls of the idea that all tops should bottom ◦ What draws her to the idea of rope bondage ◦ How she ties with a range of bodies ◦ The pros and surprising cons of running rope events ◦ Knowing when to step down and how to stay psychologically healthy in the world of running rope events ◦ Rope as a hobby versus rope as a job ◦ Creating the amazing rope365.com website ◦ How her video game design career influenced her design of the site ◦ How YOU can use rope365.com to help you on your journey, whatever your level

Fox and Mya discuss the Teppou/Teppo or Rifle (possibly Musket!) tie, an asymmetrical tie with arms behind the back, one elbow pointing up(ish) one pointing down (ish). They discuss in the episode: * What it looks like * When you would and wouldn’t want to use it * Safety and risks of the tie * How it feels to be in this type of tie * Scenes they’ve used it in Click the links below to listen now!

Subay is a Shibari artist and founder of Kokoro Studio based in Hong Kong. She was first introduced to Shibari eight years ago and spent the first few years exploring and learning the different styles from several well-respected nawashi in Japan.  In 2014, she met and was deeply inspired by Yukimura Haruki, and from then on she dedicated herself to the study of the traditional Japanese style.  In 2015, Subay met Naka Akira and chose to focus her study on his style of semenawa.  She continues to explore her own style of semenawa which she describes as both feminine and inclusive. She teaches and performs internationally. Fox and Mya attended one of Subay’s classes on empathy and rope, and loved her focus on the feelings and emotions in rope, and in this interview explore these topics, along with: ◦ Some of the feelings Shibari brings out in Subay herself ◦ How a challenging experience with a Rigger led her to start tying herself ◦ Body image and stereotypes and generalisations in rope bondage ◦ What drew her to her teacher, @NakaAkira ◦ The signs she looks for to tell her more about the feelings of the person in her rope ◦ How she knows whether her students are ready to move onto the next class ◦ Some of the limits of our ability to explore emotions in rope ◦ How rope bottoms can express and communicate their emotions better ◦ Why rope tops need to be as vulnerable as rope bottoms ◦ Fascinating cultural differences in rope communities around the countries she has visited

As part of our Patreon perks, our wonderful supporters are now able to vote on topics they want to hear (see below for how you can join them!). The first topic our supporters chose was ‘Rope Jam Etiquette’, so in this episode, Fox and Mya discuss the many facets of how you can ensure your first jam in a community goes well. They follow the journey of imaginary rope people, Penelope the rope top and Bradley the rope bottom, and consider the challenges these two might face, and what they might want to consider. Hear: ◦ What is a rope jam anyway…?! ◦ How to prepare for a jam ◦ What to be aware of when you go, including ideas on how not to be creepy! ◦ How to understand what’s okay at a jam and what isn’t ◦ How to find play at a jam - and how not to ◦ What to do when you do find a play partner at a jam ◦ And how to finish a rope jam strong

Marc (akuaku) has been living in Japan for sixteen years. In 2006, he ventured into the underground world and encountered traditional Japanese bondage, and from 2010, he began studying under Hajime Kinoko, one of the the most prolific Japanese rope artists. Marc graduated to become a rope instructor in 2012 and has been practicing, teaching, performing, and helping Kinoko in various projects ever since. Fox and Mya met Marc last year when he and some other Japanese rope visitors came to our Thai BDSM community. When, at the end of 2020, he launched a kickstarter along with two friends for ‘The Japanese Rope Kama Sutra’ we were excited - and impressed when it was funded at three times its goal. We thought he’d be a great person to talk to about how rope and sex interact, and to hear more about his book. Our discussion covers: ◦ How Marc went from visiting Kinoko’s bar, to being an instructor with him ◦ Insights into the Japanese rope scene ◦ Cultural and practical differences between rope in Japan and rope in other places ◦ How communication can differ in English versus Japanese and the implications for rope ◦ Some of the many ways Marc feels rope can enhance sex ◦ How the book came about, and background to the design and content choices ◦ Marc’s view of the three elements that rope can be ◦ How they came up with the lovely names (and the surprising link to Sumo!) ◦ How to use the book ◦ Marc’s favourite position from the book PS from Mya - this is a TWO FRENCH ACCENT episode, so given all the feedback we get about how much people love Fox’s accent, get ready for some aural pleasure <3

Fox and Mya share bonus material from this year’s interviewees, who talk about their favourite rope scenes - a special Christmas present for our listeners! Mya and Fox share thoughts on ideas, learnings, themes and other aspects of the scenes that the rest of us might be able to pull into our own real-life rope play, whatever experience-level we have. Fox and Mya also share one of their own scenes from both top and bottom perspective where they created a new tie, the Hitsugi, an intense and restrictive tie they both loved. The episode includes: @clover talking about one of the most meaningful rope scenes of her rope life @Wykd_Dave reviews a number of his favourite rope scenes - including one with carpet burn for clover @Miranda- describes the scene where her mindset flipped @Zero-Gi - some of the most playful rope we’ve heard about: ‘The floor is lava” @Samjay - Hot sauce Hashira, and introducing your work colleagues to rope! @Hey_LittleOne - a delightfully dirty story with a Game of Thrones surprise @RopeDaddy_AJ - simple yet satisfying bedroom bondage @EbiBex - A sadomasochistic rope scene that was not what she expected at all

@Bravo_Juliet, a rope bottom and listener from the UK, asks the Rope Podcast whether a top can experience some of the feelings and headspace that are more traditionally associated with bottoms as she asks: “Can rope be relaxing for tops too?” Fox and Mya explore this topic, touching on: * What ‘bottom space’ in rope might look like * Cathartic triggers for bottoms * Pros and cons of altered headspace in rope * The importance of not pressuring yourself to feel a certain way in rope * The influence of the bottom’s emotions on the top * Barriers to a top relaxing in rope * How a bottom can support a top to a different headspace in rope * The limited research on altered mindstates in tops and bottoms in BDSM * Fox’s experience of a different headspace as a rigger * Conditions to achieve ‘flow state’

Fox and Mya go to the beach! Living in Thailand, the rope podcast hosts have more opportunity than some to go to the seaside, and when it’s appropriate, they tie there. They share their very practical experiences here on the podcast, so you can get all prepared for your next visit. They discuss: * Why go to the beach to do rope? * Concerns about doing rope in public * Privacy concerns * Taking photos on the beach * Environmental factors (so many!) * Nature to look out for and things Mya is afraid of on the beach (it’s another long list) * Tying at night * Preparation and equipment - a useful list * What they love about tying on the beach * Things that have fallen on Fox’s head And mostly importantly, sand management!

Fox and Mya interview the lovely rope couple, @WykD_Dave and @clover for the second time - these two just have so much amazing rope knowledge and experience to share! In this episode, Fox and Mya discuss with them their experience with Japanese rope, including Ichinawa, Semenawa, and helping to sort out some useful sources for those of us who can’t visit Japan or get relevant in-person teaching. In the episode, hear them discuss: * What is semenawa and how does it feel to the top and bottom * What cherry blossoms have to do with rope! * How Dave and Clover built their education and training in Japanese rope * The importance of learning and development in rope, even when you’re experienced * How they’ve developed their own ties * How to start with Japanese rope and some of the difference between Japanese practitioners * What do people get wrong about Japanese rope bondage in the West * Emotions and rope * Ichinawa and Dave’s seminal influence on the technique