Rope Podcast

One of our - and your - favourite episodes of the year is here! Get comfortable and listen to four of our fabulous guests telling us about one of their favourite rope scenes. Understand what matters to them in a scene, and what they remember - and get ideas for your own play. The podcast hosts also include a review of their own rope year, with some personal reflections on what changed in rope for them in 2023. The episode includes scenes from: Midori -Fuoco- Assistant The silence

Rope Podcast hosts Fox and Mya talk to rope podcast host Wicked Wren, in this second part of their interview with her. The conversation also includes an interesting discussion where all three hosts share some ‘hot takes’ on some more nuanced rope topics, like implied power dynamics. While none of us felt like we representing this complex topic perfectly, perhaps it can start some discussion among your rope family and friends to explore the ideas further! Listen to the episode now to hear more about: •How Wren got involved with the @Shibari_Study podcast •How her ideas for the podcast evolved, and why •How she chooses her guests •What she’s learned through the podcast •Her goals for the podcast •Tips on managing implied power dynamics •Types of questions to ask in negotiations •The place of agency in rope consent

Wren (she/her) is a rope switch and artist, as well as being the host of the Shibari Study podcast and The Corn Corner podcast. She joined us from Los Angeles, California, USA. Mya and Fox have a lot of love for the Shibari Study podcast and Wren’s energy and interviewing style, and enjoyed reflecting that back to her and finding out the story behind her journey with rope. Listen to the episode now to hear more about: •How she discovered rope bondage through NRE •The challenges of not joining a scene when she started rope •The benefits of seeing a lot of role models of all shapes, sizes and abilities in rope •Her journey to switching and why these days she is mainly a bottom •What she likes about rope now and its space in her life •Her favorite rope intent and what she gets out of it •What she wants to hear when she’s in rope •Performing and what she gets out of it •Her engagement with rope education (including how she prepares for bottoming for a class)

Ep160: Together in the Dark - Creating an erotic rope bondage book: an interview with Fox The one where Fox makes a book… Fox’s latest creative project is a book of erotic rope bondage, called ‘Together in the Dark’. Here Mya interviews him about the background to this gorgeous artefact, and tries not to blush when talking about the subject matter. Mya and Fox even get to surprise each other with some of their questions and answers! Listen to the episode now to hear more about: •The ‘why’ behind the book •What the exploration of the physical medium brings over digital photos •The focus of the book and what makes it unique •Why those ties? Why those pictures? Why that order? •Which is Fox’s favourite photo? •How the creation process worked •The inspiration behind the erotic art in the book •How to go from no book to a book! •What Fox learned about himself through the rope book’s creation •The beliefs he challenged with the book - of his own, and those he hopes to challenge of others •His learnings and what surprised him when making the book

This is a rope focus episode, chosen by our lovely Patrons! In this episode, Fox and Mya discuss a tie that Fox created, that involves a lot of bamboo, and a sense of entombment…perfect for Halloween! Listen to the episode and discover plenty of information about this innovative tie, and even enter a competition to win a copy of Fox’s new rope erotica photo book, which is in (very) limited run right in its current format. Hear the podcast hosts discuss: •What this tie actually is •Risks and safety considerations to be aware of •Where the bamboo comes in and alternatives you could use •What it feels like to experience as a bottom •Who might enjoy this kind of tie •Thoughts on suspending a Hitsugi

Listener gggwolverine asks on behalf of a friend, what do rope bottoms do while the rope is going on, especially if the person is naturally a little self-conscious. To someone new to rope, the rope top has a more ‘obvious’ role in terms of the scene, but it can be intimidating as the bottom in the scene to know what to do. The most important thing is ‘there is no should’ - it’s very personal as to what works for one rope bottom, one rope top, and also that specific combination of rope bottom and top, on any particular day. However, in this episode the hosts give some suggestions to choose from, and discuss: • The pros and cons of watching others for ideas on how to behave • How what you see outside (‘rope face’!) might differ from what’s happening inside the bottom • The importance of context in terms of influencing behaviour • Intent and scene purpose • Active bottoming and anticipating • Changing your behaviour according to different types of scene or people • Examples of how you *could* behave in rope • Outcome versus process orientated tying • Managing anxiety in rope As ever there are plenty of ideas and practical tips for bottoms and tops, so listen now!

In this episode, Fox and Mya discuss mummification with rope - the Mummy Tie! The podcast hosts discuss what it means to mummify a (live!) person and how you can do it with rope. They offer tips and tricks from their experience. Listen to the episode to hear them discuss: •Body placement •Characteristics and aesthetics of a Mummification Tie •How it feels to be in a Mummy Tie •Safety and risk considerations of this tie •Different positions of the bottom while tying and how these work •Pros and cons of forward versus reverse tension •Likely pain points in the tie and possible adjustments to help •Ways for the top to avoid RSI •What kind of top and bottom might enjoy this kind of tie •How to (or not to) include sexytimes in this tie •Extra considerations if you want to suspend the Mummy Tie

Rope bondage can be thrilling, and part of that thrill comes from the risk. However, we all have different risk profiles, and it’s best to go into a scene really understanding what the risks might be. In this episode, fox and Mya consider some of the risks of rope bondage, and ways one could mitigate these. They also discuss: • Definitions of key terms like Risk, Risk:Reward ratio, mitigation • The two dimensions along which one can classify risk to understand it better • Exploring and understanding risk and how something like the ‘Five Why’s game can help • Key areas of knowledge that help us mitigate risk in rope bondage • Planning for risk, and using ‘if this, then this’ in your plans • The critical role of trusted or validated resources in considering risk • Fox’s big five risks in rope bondage and suggestions on how you might mitigate for them

A ‘value’ is simply something that is important to those within a context - for example, we might have individual values, couple values, organisational values, community values or, in the case of this episode, rope values! So how might we apply this concept of values in rope? How can they be useful to us and how we make decisions or chose our behaviours? The podcast hosts discuss this interesting topic, including: • How many values might be useful to focus on at a time? • What might you use values for? • The Rope Podcast’s values, what they mean and why we chose them • Aspirational values, implicit values, expliciti values, lived values • Practical applications of values in rope • fox and Mya talk through our personal rope values and what they mean to us • How our personal rope values might inform whether someone is a good match to tie together

Mel, known as the Accidental Rigger, is a rope switch with a lot of experience handling and maintaining large amounts of rope. A neurodiverse, queer, rope customisation professional from the Middle East who laid down roots in London, she began by treating ropes for Anatomie’s Shibari Store, modelling for classes, and as a teaching assistant for rope bottoms. In this second part of our interview with her, focusing more on the practicalities of looking after your rope and making sure it’s as safe as possible for as long as possible, she shares: •Her preferences for the types and customisation of rope she uses as a bottom and as a top •How should we store regularly-used-rope v rarely-used-rope •Can you clean rope that’s been in contact with bodily fluids, including blood? •The challenges you need to handle when rope gets wet and risk implications •Keeping an eye on your rope for potential breakages •The secret behind her name, the Accidental Rigger! After dedicating years to learning from a variety of practitioners, Mel has become a teacher for both riggers and bottoms. She has been offering rope customisations services and education, and rigging services for productions and events since 2021. As a teacher, she finds joy in introducing people to rope, working with them to encourage curiosity and to teach them in the best way possible for them as individuals. Mel’s style is often described as ‘meeting bottom’s where they’re at and seeking to give them what they need”. She is committed to her growth in her rope practice and developing her style.