Rope Podcast

Diabetes is a chronic condition in which the ability of your body to regulate the level of sugar in your blood is compromised. In this episode, listener absinthe-minded asks for any advice or safety precautions to mitigate risks from one partner in rope bondage having diabetes. Fox and Mya explore some of the potential issues that might come up and make suggestions about how you might work with this condition to have a great rope life. They discuss: • Why this episode might be relevant to you even if you don’t have diabetes, or tie with someone with diabetes • How to talk to medical professionals about rope (even if you don’t want to talk about rope) • Tips on including it in your negotiation • Some of the impact of diabetes on the body, and how to mitigate those issues • Handling some of the emotions that can come up around rope when you have a chronic health condition • Places to find more kinky research, as well as kinky researchers. NB: fox and Mya aren’t medical professionals, and always recommend talking to a qualified medical practitioner about any health condition and risks as much as is safe for you. We really welcome comments from listeners on instagram and fetlife if they have further links or resources that might be useful for others with diabetes who want to get the most from rope, in the safest way possible.

RopuNawa first encountered Shibari and Kinbaku in 2008 at a performance in Australia with Arisue Go. This experience stayed with him, and he began his own journey with rope back in his home of Switzerland, first learning Osada Steve’s style with local teachers. Rather than stay with one style, however, he has been inspired by many, as he feels that there is not one way to tie - rather, the heart of his style lies in the needs of his model. Through the diversity within his approach, he can best respond to his partner’s needs and wants, focusing and appreciating the non-verbal connection that he creates with each tying partner. He currently teaches fulltime in his Studio in Basel (Switzerland), while travelling and teaching internationally with his muse @FreyaHellesdim. Fox has had an interest in Ropeunawa’s online classes for a while, and the podcast team were pleased to be able to talk to him about: ◦ His early inspirations from rope-related Manga and Hentai ◦ How he balances his desire to please his bottoms with his own needs and desires as a top ◦ The way in which becoming a full time rope teacher affected his feelings about rope ◦ Visiting Japan for rope connections and education ◦ Some of his thoughts on the Japanese rope scene ◦ The joys and challenges of travelling to different countries for rope ◦ How the Swiss rope scene tries to stay healthy ◦ Ways to create healthier rope communities from his experience ◦ Whether rope is s3x work for him or not ◦ The benefits of his adaptive rope style ◦ And as ever, so much more!

‘Intent’ in rope is mentioned a lot in rope circles, but can feel a bit ethereal and hard to pin down. The podcast hosts think it’s pretty important to be on the same page about your intent in rope when you go into a scene - but what, then, IS intent in rope? And why, exactly, is it important? In this episode, Fox and Mya try to make the topic more practical and explore: * A definition of intent in rope and its possible consequences * Practical implications of not being on the same page about intent * The 12 types of possible intent that we could think of (so far!) * Questions to ask to try and understand each others’ intent better * When/whether you ‘should’ always share your intent with your scene partner * Can you have more than one intent during a scene? * The importance of agreeing not to play if your intents are incompatible (and why) * Ways to get over different intents (assuming you have overlap in your ‘venn diagram of intent’) * When and how intent can vary even between the same two partners

In episode 127, the podcast hosts explored with queer and trans rope educators and performance artists Lief Bound and Icarus how they fell for rope, and each other. In this second part of the interview, they open up about: ◦ How the pair keep their inspiration alive in rope ◦ A great rope dinner party question ◦ Transitioning rope from a passion to a profession ◦ The ups and downs of making a living with rope ◦ Whether being paid for doing rope is s3x work or not ◦ Exploding myths about ‘the perfect rope bottom’ ◦ How Lief sets boundaries with rope clients ◦ Handling mental health challenges in rope ◦ Allowing their rope practice to shift and change Lief Bound and Icarus currently reside in Los Angeles, California. Lief Bound is a rope switch who found their love of rope nine years ago and believes that rope can be the most honest way that we can connect with each other. Icarus is a switchy pain enthusiast who started their rope bottoming exploration nine years ago and is most passionate about exploring intersectionality and positionality in consent. Their teaching styles bring the best of both worlds combining crucial perspectives of the top and the bottom. They value consent and safety in every topic they teach, bringing an inclusive and trauma-informed approach to learning rope bondage. Lief and Icarus are most passionate about using multi-media process art to share their vision with the world and push the boundaries of what defines rope.

Lief Bound and Icarus are queer and trans rope educators and performance artists currently residing in Los Angeles, California. Having enjoyed attending a number of their online classes, and their inclusive but practical style, fox and Mya were excited to explore a wide ranging set of topics with them. In this first episode with them, hear us discuss: ◦ Where Icky fell in love with rope - despite the fact there was no rope ◦ How the pair met each other and fell in rope-love ◦ Their passion for teaching and being educators and how they work together ◦ The delightful chaotic switchiness of their relationship and who does what when how ◦ How they create trauma-informed classrooms (and what that means) ◦ The types of rope they do together, along with other play ◦ Breaking down with exposure and then building your partner back up in rope ◦ Inspiration in rope Lief Bound is a rope switch who found their love of rope nine years ago and believes that rope can be the most honest way that we can connect with each other. Icarus is a switchy pain enthusiast who started their rope bottoming exploration nine years ago and is most passionate about exploring intersectionality and positionality in consent. Their teaching styles bring the best of both worlds combining crucial perspectives of the top and the bottom. They value consent and safety in every topic they teach, bringing an inclusive and trauma-informed approach to learning rope bondage.  Lief and Icarus are most passionate about using multi-media process art to share their vision with the world and push the boundaries of what defines rope.  Continue the aural journey in episode 128!

To music or not to music? Music can be a hot debate in rope bondage - when to use it, what to use - whether to use it at all! Mya and fox love music and often include in in their scenes. In this conversation, they talk about: * Where and when music can be used * When you might not want to use music * At what points during a scene you might change your soundtrack up * How different tops and bottoms might use music * The benefits or effects of music that we can draw on for scenes * Some of the challenges or downsides of using music * Music and ableism * Should you include music in your negotiations? * Pros and cons of lyrically themed playlists * Popular examples that *could* work * Fox and Mya’s seal of approval for the official soundtrack of rope bondage ;)

Renee is a Canadian photographer and digital artist, whose kink journey started in the late 90's. Shibari photography for her became a visual expression of shapes in defiance of gravity, a delicate display of sadomasochism. Working with talented riggers, bottoms and self tying artists, she aims to create strong, clean kink images that respect the community and the artists. Mya and fox are big fans of her striking and distinct imagery, and in this episode, you can hear them discuss a wide range of fascinating topics, including: ◦ Her start as a rope bottom and the motorbike accident that changed her relationship with pain ◦ How she became a photographer of rope and used her experiences to inform her photographs ◦ The kinds of images she loves to create ◦ How she decides what to shoot ◦ The ways she collaborates and the teams she has for photoshoots ◦ Safety measures she uses to mitigate the risk of her shots ◦ What she looks for in rope photos she falls in love with ◦ How she got into composites and digital painting ◦ She talks us through the before, during and after of her ‘Icarus shoot’ ◦ And more!

In this episode, Fox and Mya discuss how you might use rope bondage with water, something they like a lot! Listen to them chat through the joys and challenges including: * All the safety, all the time: This is edge play within edge play! * Many of the risks and how you might mitigate them to some degree * The importance and support of how one (or more) spotters can support * Different types of water from baths to waterfalls and their unique challenges * Some of the gear you can involve * Three of their favourite scenes that have involved water

Tifareth is one of the Rope Podcast hosts’ favourite performers. In this episode, which continues the interview from part one (see Ep.122), we explore this topic with her, and discuss: ◦ How she developed her graceful rope handling style ◦ The drills she does and her attention to detail ◦ How she crafts her (amazing) rope performances ◦ How she works with her rope model during performances ◦ How she memorises her performances ◦ The critical role music plays in her performance and why ◦ Her new rope-photography space (Birdhouse, Toronto, Canada) and how it came to be Tifereth's introduction to rope bondage came in 2011 in the form of a surprisingly enjoyable futomomo tsuri. Since then she's drawn on her dual background in high-performance athletics and figurative arts to push herself physically and aesthetically on both ends of the rope. Known for her dynamic style of sadism, performative rope and creative approach to harness construction, she loves conveying her passion through engaging hands-on methods of instruction. A veteran educator and performer with credits including Prague Shibari Festival, Bondage Expo Dallas, Eurix, Helsinki Shibari, Shibaricon, as well as weekend workshops and performances all over the globe, she is most often found wherever the weird stuff is.

Tifereth's introduction to rope bondage came in 2011 in the form of a surprisingly enjoyable futomomo tsuri. Since then she's drawn on her dual background in high-performance athletics and figurative arts to push herself physically and aesthetically on both ends of the rope. Known for her dynamic style of sadism, performative rope and creative approach to harness construction, she loves conveying her passion through engaging hands-on methods of instruction. A veteran educator and performer with credits including Prague Shibari Festival, Bondage Expo Dallas, Eurix, Helsinki Shibari, Shibaricon, as well as weekend workshops and performances all over the globe, she is most often found wherever the weird stuff is. In this intimate episode, she discusses: ◦ Being banned from entering the USA, and how that changed her rope career ◦ Opening a venue and event space ◦ Her bottoming history and the injuries she was left with ◦ The challenges of being an early female rigger and how she had dealt with that ◦ How the scene has changed for female riggers over time ◦ The unique perspective she brings as a rope educator