Rope Podcast

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 v

Mel, known as the Accidental Rigger, has a great deal of hands on practice in rope - rigging, bottoming and handling and maintaining large quantities 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. After dedicating years to learning from a variety of practitioners, she 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. In this interview, she

Both fox (as a rope top) and Mya (as a rope bottom) live with chronic pain in different ways, and exploring the topic in rope bondage is very important to them. In this episode, they address the idea that the activity of rope bondage can impact physical chronic pain, and some of the ways it might do this. They note they’re not Doctors, and pain is *always* a subjective experience, but however you manage it - with props or processing - pain is something in rope bondage you are almost certain to have to deal with in some sense, both as a top and a bottom. The episode focuses on the importance of a more nuanced conversation about pain in rope bondage, and the hosts would love to hear about your experiences in the area. The team discuss: • The difference between chronic pain and acute pain • Where chronic pain comes from and what is it • ‘Good pain’ versus ‘bad pain’ and when these concepts are and aren’t helpful • Variability in humans of altered headspace in rope and how they might impact on

In our last episode we enjoyed the first part of our lovely interview with JP the Pope (find the first part of the conversation at Ep:150). With 20+ years in professional rope bondage adult videos, he has a wealth of interesting experiences to talk about, plus his shoots are some of the most interesting and creative rope bondage positions for sex the podcast team has seen. In this episode discover: • When he’s gotten it wrong, accidents and injuries he’s been involved with in rope bondage and how he’s dealt with them • Discussing limits and consent before starting to shoot • How ego kills talent • The benefits of working with an empowered, trusted crew • Continuous improvement and learning, and how he does this • How he comes up with positions for his shoots • Aftercare off-camera (and the critical place of hugs!) • Working with his wife on set and the roles they take • Blooper moments over the years The Pope has been practicing bondage professionally since 2004. He is a bondage rigger, but a

The Pope has been practicing bondage professionally since 2004. He is a bondage rigger, but also a director and performer. The Pope recently has been added to the AVN Hall of Fame, which is the first bondage director/performer ever recognized in that capacity.  Hopefully this paves the way for future bondage/fetish performers and directors to be more accepted and recognized by mainstream media.  fox’s rope has been heavily influenced by JP’s work over the years, and the podcast team have watched many of his videos (for research! ;)), so they were thrilled to talk to him here. In this episode discover: • His journey to discovering rope bondage • How he got into the adult entertainment industry • Taking inspiration from other rope practitioners around him • Rope’s place in his life personally and professionally now • His influences from Western freestyle to Shibari (via Midori’s book!) • Using rope bondage in a personal versus a professional context • Sadism versus sustainability • Tips for sust

What is a ritual, and why might it be something we include in our rope? fox and Mya discuss the topic and how it might add magic and sparkle to our rope practice, including some examples of what it might look like. They also discuss: • A definition of what a ritual is, and how we might apply that to our rope • Pros and cons of ritual • The importance of education and accessibility in creating your rituals • Common elements of ritual in rope • Different levers to create more ritual in rope • Why ‘intention’ is critical in creating ritual • Concrete examples of ritual from the rope world • Aspects of ritual and how you might play with them in your scenes **What’s your favourite rope ritual?**

The Silence is a California based photographer who specializes in boudoir and kink photography, including shibari and kinbaku. When he started, everyone was photographing their rope work with flip phones - and the he thought to himself, why not learn to take better pictures. Five years of practice later, he has discovered a deep love of photography, enjoying experimenting with lighting and posing to create striking images. In developing his art and passion he’s shot with people around the world, and here at the podcast we find his work very inspiring, and him talented - yet in person he’s humble and genuine. We loved hearing about his passion for photography and behind the scenes experiences. In this episode he shares: • His rope origin story • How he got into rope photography • His 3Ps in rope • The background to his kink name • The rope he likes for a scene versus a photoshoot • His negotiation process • How he collaborates with models for photoshoots • His postproduction process • Tips he

There’s no such thing as perfect, there’s always things we can improve, no matter who we are, and what level, type and role in rope we are at. Feedback can help us with that - but it’s a delicate topic that we need to approach with kindness and a gentle touch. The podcast hosts firmly believe in feedback (outside and inside the world of rope!) for us to be better not just in terms of rope, but also as rope partners, people, and just as a life skill in general. In this episode, Mya brings some of her professional experience as a psychologist to the episode, and the podcast hosts discuss: • What feedback is, and why it might be important in rope • A guide to how you might structure feedback • Warm feedback versus cold feedback • Why ego kills talent • The difference between criticism and talent • More and less effective ways to give feedback in rope • Why it’s important to focus on the behaviour not the person when sharing feedback • “I” versus “you” statements • Non-Violent Commun

Assistant is a large language model trained by OpenAI, and fox and Mya were interested to see how they could help provide information and insights on rope bondage, and how accurate it might be. The results surprised them both… In this episode hear Assistant’s thoughts on: • What rope bondage is, and if shibari and rope bondage are the same thing • How AI can be useful to those interested in rope bondage • The risks of rope bondage, and what people like about it • How we can improve our rope bondage skills • Advice for newcomers in rope bondage • How to find a partner to do rope bondage with • Some creative writing from Assistant - a William-Gibson-style cyberpunk novel with a central theme of rope bondage and a poem about rope bondage in the style of Byron! Finally, we checked with Assistant that they were ok with publishing their answers and this is what they said: You are welcome to use some of my answers as quotes in your podcast episode. However, please be aware that I am a large language mod

There are a SURPRISING number of labels people use in rope, some of which have leaked over from other aspects of BDSM, and some of which are unique to rope bondage. In this episode, fox and Mya explore - and sometimes disagree on! - what these can mean, sharing some of the different meanings that can be associated with these labels. This discussion provides a starting point for you to have with the people you do rope with about their labels, and is definitely NOT the definitive guide - we know communities, cultures, individuals all bring different perspectives, and we encourage you to talk to others about their labels, why they chose them (if they did!) and making sure you’re both using the label that suits them, and you understand what they mean by chasing it. It’s a helpful way to discover more about each other! Also learn in the episode: • 12+ labels that the podcast hosts can think of that people use in rope • fox and Mya’s preferred labels • Whether you can have more than one label • A littl

Listen for breaking news! Rope Podcast organizing a rope photo contest!

fox and Mya don’t tie TKs, and rarely tie a box tie because of their risk profile - but they understand a lot of listeners do. So when they saw educator fuoco had put out a book about box ties, they were excited to get her perspective. fuoco also shares more about her Zine ‘Cut the Leash’, the audience for that and the notion of kinky community - as well as their issue on ‘Witchiness and rope’. Might you be a contributor? Get in touch with fuoco on her website below. In the meantime, listen to this engaging discussion to hear about: • The origin of the fuoco’s new book, Put Me In A Box • Pros and cons of box tie • What she loves about box tie • How she manages the risks of a box tie as a rope bottom • Ways bottoms and tops can work together to adjust the box tie to different bodies • The concepts of a sustainability and stability and optimising both • What can rope bottoms do to have longevity in rope • Switching up patterns to avoid cumulative nerve damage • Optimising rope fun! • And plenty mo

fuoco began her rope journey as a bottom in Phoenix ten years ago and shortly thereafter moved to London, where much of her early rope learning happened. Upon moving back to the US, she began presenting at cons and intensives around the country sharing her love of rope. As an educator, she's decidedly non-dogmatic in her approach to teaching. Her classes aim to help bottoms to better understand their bodies in movement, and to offer riggers the knowledge to adapt their tying to the unique needs of their partners. When she’s not doing rope, fuoco is a professional acrobat. Her dedicated study of the mechanics of the body make her especially interested in developing more comprehensive education for bottoms informed by these practices. She's also a leftist who believes that kink is inherently political. She strives to bring her politics, her values, and an accountability for those values into her teaching spaces. Listen to this engaging discussion to hear about: • How she discovered rope bondage • Her early

In this episode fox shares some of his experience and knowledge around how rope tops and bottoms might optimize their physical strength for rope. The podcast hosts remind you they’re not medical doctors or trainers and you should get some professional input before starting. Aimed at novices (though those who are more experienced are welcome to listen and share their advice in the comments on Fetlife and Instagram) list now to hear them discuss these areas: • The kinds of movement you might want to improve your strength on as a rigger • Injuries in rope strength training might be able to prevent • What are dead lifts, lateral raises, upward rows, and what muscles do they work? • Where pain and discomfort figures in weight lifting • Different types of physical strength that bottoms might need • The possible cons of strength training for rope bondage • How you might strengthen your back and your core • Compound versus isolation movements • Reps and sets and how best to use them • Expl

‘Auntie’ Midori has a lot of scenes behind her (and in front of her!) and her depth of experience in play means she has huge resources to draw on for ideas. Her interest in rope developed alongside her experience in other kinks, and in this episode, fox and Mya explore some of her more unusual ideas on ‘how to play’. This is a great episode to help enhance your scenes, beginner or advanced, whatever your level. Listen to the discussion to hear about: • Intent in rope bondage, what it means, and making sure both (all) parties’ intents match • Food as a metaphor for scening • Why she doesn’t start negotiations by discussing the type of tie she wants • How intent can help you if you get stuck progressing your scene • The need to be flexible even when you’ve planned our your intent in advance • Rituals, what they are, from the simplest to the most complicated • Her personal rope rituals • Insights into her rope playlists • How you can draw on mindfulness to create deeper, more intense rope scenes •

Midori literally ‘wrote the book’ on rope bondage, with the first English instruction manual on Shibari: ‘Seductive Art of Japanese Rope Bondage’. With her first hand perspectives on both American and Japanese rope culture, fox and Mya were able to discuss with her a depth of understanding of Japanese Rope culture that may be at odds with some of the myths out there. Listen to the discussion to hear about: • Midori’s slow burn entry into rope, and where she learned both the skills of making rope (3rd grade!) and tying (a lot later…) • How not to be a culture vampire in Japanese rope bondage • The sex ways of ordinary people and ensuring we don’t erase these • The extent to which rope bondage is actually practised in Japan • A new perspective on the Tengu tie • The themes in her erotic short story in ‘Silk Threads’ • The connection - or not - between Japanese rope and Japanese rope martial arts Trailblazing educator, sexologist, artist, and irritant to banality, Midori founded Rope Dojo and ForteF

In this episode the rope pair Mya and fox speculate on what rope might look like in the future, given some of the technological advances and futurist predications around. They throw ideas around and have a lot of fun with it! Listen now to hear them discuss what these topics might mean for the future of rope bondage: • Extended reality • Medicine • Datification • The Quantified Human • Software • Privacy • Work • Communication • Sustainability • Sex • Material science There’s no way to predict what the future will bring in terms of technological and social advances, but the podcast hosts explored a great variety in terms of the potential of rope to evolve.

The second part of the well-loved favourite episode of ‘rope memories’ from the podcast interviewees this year. Mya and fox love this episode and are excited to share these funny, poignant, explicit and delightful stories with you. Enjoy! The episode includes stories from: HuaHua Graydancer Ropunawa Lief+Icky

Time for one of our favourite episodes of the year - and one you love. Settle down and listen to four of our wonderful guests telling us about their most memorable rope scenes - what inspiration or ideas does it spark for you in your rope practice? The episode includes memories from: Addie Tifereth Marceline VQ Renee Robyn

In this episode, listener Your_Dapper_Dom asks fox and Mya a question about envy and imposter syndrome - something which the rope duo have interestingly differing views about, but both offer an intimate and vulnerable perspective on the topics. Listen now to hear them talk about: • Discussion of envy versus jealousy and how the same emotion word might be interpreted differently by different people • How fox and Mya do and don’t feel envious • The ways each of them try and manage feelings of envy when they arise • More practical techniques everyone can try • What imposter syndrome is • How it relates to rope • Perfectionsm, self-criticism and imposter syndrome links • Some ways to manage or handle feelings of imposter syndrome