Rope Podcast

There’s a surprising amount of communication required in rope, and that can be done in a huge number of ways. In this episode, Fox and Mya discuss when and how communication happens before, during and after a rope scene, and make suggestions about how to do this effectively. They also discuss: * Methods of communication and when they might be more or less helpful * Pros and cons of using different methods of expressing yourself * Possible goals of communication at different times * Who and why you might need to communicate with * Drawing on scuba diving and the military to create your own communication methods * Communication about communication!

When Fox and Mya met, they weren’t living in the same city, and so rope getaways - opportunities to go stay somewhere different, usually at least overnight, and do rope there - have been part of their history together from the start. In this episode they discuss what to plan for when thinking about a rope getaway, and some useful tips to think about when you get there. They also discuss: * How you might assess your potential rope get away location * Factors for suspension versus floor rope * Research to do before you get there * Safety and risk * Creative ways to use your new environment * Gear to bring with you - including stuff you really don’t want to forget * Rope-only getaways versus a getaway-with-rope * And a lot more They also share a couple of examples of scenes from their own rope getaways of times that have been especially memorable.

Fox and Mya discuss the Bunny Ears tie in this episode - also sometimes called the Duck Tie or Pillow Tie. This is a tie they use quite a lot in floor rope, and they share their experiences with this tie, including: ◦ What it looks like ◦ How it feels to be in ◦ Potential risks and safety ◦ Hair management issues that go along with the tie! ◦ Versions Fox has tied, and why he is tying his current, perhaps unusual, version ◦ When you might use this tie ◦ Scenes we’ve used the Bunny Ears tie in and how it added to our play

Addie is a rope switch in all the ways - she ties, is tied, self-ties, teaches and performs, some of this with her equally well-known partner rope partner Barkas. There was so much good stuff when talking to Addie we had to split the content split into two episodes! In this episode, part 2, you can find out: ◦ How to create your own narrative in rope ◦ Ways you can investigate your strengths as a rope bottom ◦ How to connect with a rope partner after a scene ◦ The negative physical consequences versus emotional consequences in rope ◦ How Addie discovered her strengths in rope ◦ Her personal definition of ‘good rope’ ◦ The next steps in her rope journey ◦ Teachers, education and community in rope and some of the challenges the field of rope faces

Addie is a rope switch in all the ways - she ties, is tied, self-ties, teaches and performs, some of this with her equally well-known partner rope partner Barkas. A very popular request as an interviewee, Mya and Fox were super excited to interview her for the podcast. In the episode, learn: - How she developed her experiences in the different realms of rope - How she and her partner experimented for a year before they found the right TK she could suspend in - Phases of developing your own style in rope - as a top and bottom - Where bratting fits in rope for her - Metaphors for rope that can help us understand our experiences better - What’s important to her in rope - How rope and her day job as a nurse have influenced each other Mental health conditions and her experiences of their interaction with those in rope

As is now the tradition at end of year festivities time, Fox and Mya revisit all the interviews on the Rope Podcast during the year and ask their guests what their favorite rope scene was. Discover how they do rope in their personal life, what touches them, and what stays with them. Happy New Year!

As is now the tradition at Christmas time, Fox and Mya revisit all the interviews on the Rope Podcast during the year and ask their guests what their favorite rope scene was. Discover how they do rope in their personal life, what touches them, and what stays with them. Merry Christmas!

“My main motivation is to improve the literature. People need to know what we do is okay…. hearing all the ways people experience pleasure in rope, whether it’s athletic, or meditation, or grounding, or that complicated pain-pleasure, I just love that.” @-Ropeology- Fox and Mya love to deepen their understanding of rope. When they came across Zoey (@-Ropeology-), a BDSM researcher who also does rope, they knew they wanted to talk to her. Zoey is keen for rope and BDSM to be understood better by those who do academic research on it, and in this interview, Fox and Mya talk to her about her findings, particularly around rope bondage practice and community, and the sociology of rope, as well as getting to know more about Zoey’s personal rope journey. In the episode, discover: ◦ Zoey’s personal rope practice as a switch ◦ What the current academic literature says about rope ◦ How rope sub-culture is experienced and how people feel about rope ◦ Zoey’s research on community and how rope connects people beyond their local physical city and country ◦ How Fetlife is used by the rope community versus other platforms like Instagram ◦ How members of the rope community often go through a change cycle in their experience of rope ◦ The pros and cons of practicing rope in public community spaces versus private spaces ◦ The way that people talk about the “complicated pleasure of rope” ◦ Her ideas on future research

In this vulnerable episode, Fox and Mya discuss the challenge of chronic pain in rope, inspired by a listener - a rope bottom with fibromyalgia. Both Mya and Fox have some chronic health issues which include the symptom of chronic pain, and they share some of their own challenges as a rope top and rope bottom in this context, as well as some ideas for handling this. In the episode hear them discuss: * The challenge of trying to understand where pain is coming from when in rope * Spoon Theory and how it relates to rope * How chronic pain might impact you as a rope top or rope bottom * How chronic pain impacts your body image * How the dichotomy of ‘good’ versus ‘bad’ pain might not be helpful, and a better question to ask * Practical things to help you do rope when you are handling chronic pain * How the constraints of chronic pain can support creativity * Scene negotiation when you have chronic pain * And a lot more!

“I can’t emphasise enough how good of a learning tool I think self-suspension is. Of course you learn tying techniques, but also skills relating to the experience of being in rope. As a person in rope, self-suspension is an invaluable tool: to lab your preferences, to learn to differentiate between warning signs of damage and sensations that are intense, but not harmful.” Shay Tiziano CW: Mentions self-harm, domestic abuse. Shay is the author of Tying and Flying: Bondage for Self-suspension, BDSM and sexuality educator, medical professional and host and facilitator of many kink events. One of our most-asked for interviews, Mya and Fox are also big fans of her online performances and classes, and were thrilled when Shay agreed to come on the podcast. Though the podcast focuses on self-suspension, as Mya and Fox will attest, there’s plenty of useful ideas for ropes bottoms and tops too In the episode, discover: - How Shay got into self-suspending initially - The role of intention in self-suspending and how it makes a difference to your practice - Flow, self-suspension and different feeling states it can create - How Shay works self-tying into partnered play - The skills self-suspenders might need before going in the air - How to mitigate the risks of self-suspension, especially some that are less well-known - What can rope tops and bottoms learn from self-suspending? - Why she thinks a spotter is critical for self-suspenders, and great practical tips to help spotters - Circus rope - what is it, and how the BDSM scene needs to embrace it more