Congrats go to Lochai, my brother-in-arms, for his acquisition of the dream job: lead rigger & director at Hogtied.com. I would be jealous of him if I didn’t like him so damn much; as it is, I’m just really looking forward to seeing more of his work. Plus, maybe now I’ll finally get my interview with Peter Acworth for the Ropecast…

The thing about Lochai is, he’s a natural-born perverted sadist. He doesn’t have to work at it - it just comes naturally to him, and that’s why he can seem like such a genuinely nice guy even as he’s causing beautiful people incredible pain. He is a genuinely nice guy…who also happens to get off on doing things like this. In the end, though, he ends up with this expression…and that’s why I admire him so.

I just got done uploading the edited audio file of Audible Rope Theatre: The ART of Rita. This was a pleasurable fundraising/long term scene between Rita Seagrave and I, where we offered sponsorships to people in exchange for access to (and influence over) a rope scene between the two of us.

The scene is entertaining, hot, and was great fun and satisfying on many levels. Thanks to her friend Zuchtiger, we have over 399 images of the scene in the Sponsors-only gallery. But you can listen to the whole thing yourself, if you’d like:

The ART of Rita on the Ropecast

And here’s a few images from the scene, just to give you some context:

I’m safe and sound here in Denver at Thunder in the Mountains, of which I’ll write more later. But as I was weeding through my email box I came across the latest galleries from the Bondage Bank, specifically Fucked and Bound.

Maria Bellucci (ah, such an evocative name) was getting thoroughly put through her paces in the most recent shoot. Among the images - most of which are really hot, but really sexual, which means I don’t talk as much about them here on the Rope Central Blog - was this one, which is one of the best and most succinct examples of rope for sex that I’ve seen.

Four, maybe two pieces of rope. Two column ties. And she’s ready for fucking. And as you’ll see in the gallery, much more (the pics of her on the horse are also good examples of efficient ropework).

Just more examples of why Chanta is the one who literally wrote the book on Bondage for Sex.

last night Ms. Behavin’ and I tried out a new rope act with Foxy Veronica’s Peach Pies. I don’t consider my own performance stellar - too involved with the rope, not the model, and I fucked up the tie on the left leg. But in the realm of “was the audience entertained?” it was a tremendous success, due in huge part to the shenanigans of Ms. Behavin’ and Moxie Rhodes.

Enjoy until YouTube takes it down…then you can get it from my server.

A funny clip from a Japanese radio show featuring Arisue Go.

(sigh) It’s happening again.

It happened the first time when I was just starting to really study rope bondage. I studied it from the photography and rigging of Ian Rath of Fetish Nation, and occasionally through the bondage sets by Kelly Lind. I paid for membership to both sites, for as long as I could afford it, and looked at them over and over.

Really, I did. No, I was not wanking; while I can appreciate a good visual as much as the next lover-of-female-forms, I don’t - can’t - get off on visual porn, photographic or video. I am entertained by them, but when I want to get off, I head straight for literotica, click on the “nonconsent-reluctance” tab, and away I go…

But I digress. I was looking and looking - I think the particular model was in purple latex, in a very harsh arm-binder lifting up in strappado - and suddenly I realize that I was not seeing the model at all. I was focusing so much on the ropes that I didn’t see the beautiful woman.

It happened again. Via Catalina Loves I found my way to January Seraph. Fine, independent fetish model, and kudos to her for also having the toughest alternafetish model around, Apnea, on her site too. While going through the preview (you should, too, you might run into some old friends) I came to the preview pic you see here, and clicked through (kind of like the people who say “Oooh! Shiny!” I said “Oooh! Rope!”

I looked at the picture, and thought “Why would she put this up as a preview? It’s such a basic chest harness, and just a two column tie…there’s hardly any bondage there at all!”

I hang my head as I write this, because it took a full five seconds before my libido came roaring up out of my lizard brain and said “THERE’S A FUCKING INCREDIBLY HOT WOMAN LYING ON THAT TABLE, WHO LOOKS LIKE SHE’S EAGER FOR YOU TO FUCK HER BRAINS OUT, YOU OVERANALYTICAL SHIT!”

Yes. Almost five seconds to remember that. I’ve been working too hard, I think, on classes for Shibaricon and Spankfestival and my other jobs…and suddenly the rope and knots have hidden the true purpose of What It Is We Do: beauty, connection, intent.

Let’s all try and remember that, ok? And remind each other, on occasion?

This morning I had the privilege of a visit from N, a bondage model who wanted an inverted suspension - not, as you might expect, for the kinky pleasure of it, but actually because it would stretch out her back. I put her in the most comfortable inverted harness I know - the famous “drum tie” harness, a modified swiss seat.

And yes, she did in fact need to be naked, why do you ask? We also took some time to check out the possible positive effects of my new electrosex toy from Extreme Restraints - we found that putting the pads on her inner thighs and lower buttocks didn’t do much for her back, but made other things very, very interesting. Speaking of ER, they are also giving me a suspension frame (spider-style) to bring with me to Shibaricon, so if you’ve ever wanted to try one out, let me know.

Enjoy the new gallery, and yes, I’m aware that I need a better camera - feel free to donate one!

Updates on travel, etc.: I am going to be presenting at TESFest the weekend of July 4th, and also will be attending Thunder in the Mountains July 25-27th (actually as a tourist, believe it or not!). If you’re going to be at either and would like to meet up, let me know!

The pics from the Dr. Sketchy’s that Phaedra and I did are up, and I’ve decided I need to work on my “scary” face. I just look like I’m having a lot of fun. Still, I’m pretty happy with the way the images came out - the rope work for the most part looked the way I’d hoped, and the drawings were loads of fun.

Phaedra deserves special kudos - she stayed up in the takate-kote suspension for a solid 15 minutes. Let’s keep in mind this is designed to be a torture position, and is very much not designed for comfort. But for the sake of art she took one for the team…a lovelier rope model could not be asked for.

At a recent Sabbat de Sade (not the last one, the time before) I got to put Joanna, a lovely rope enthusiast (and big fan of the Burlesque) into a couple of suspensions. This one is the inversion, and there’s several in the gallery, courtesy of the fine photographic eye of Charles (the man also responsible for capturing the Smile).

Joanna is an interesting person to play with - notice I didn’t call her a “ropeslut”? While I’m fairly certain she does derive physical pleasure from the ropes, what we have is more of a collaboration than a scene. There’s not an intimate power exchange, but rather a calm joining of wills to accomplish a piece of kinetic art with fiber and flesh. Even with nothing on but a few pieces of electrical tape and a thong, she has a quiet dignity as the ropes are laid in her. When she goes up, she goes somewhere I can’t follow - my job at that point is just to be there when she gets back and get her down safely.

It’s a different kind of rope dynamic. Try it sometime; I can’t say that I would be happy if I never got the kinds of rough-and-tumble sweaty desire and dominance expressed that I get with the Ropesluts, but there is a place for quiet art, as well, in this world of rope.

While in Minneapolis for Mark Yu’s recent workshop, a friend of mine, L of the Bodacious Boobs, asked me to show her and her play partner W how to make her boobs stand out. While I was able to show her (and along the way give her a nice stretch of Twisted Monk 4mm hemp rope) Chanta’s recent “Fucked & Bound” gallery illustrates the technique even better.

It’s not a difficult process - basically, take any standard box tie and then bring up two single tails of the 4mm and begin winding them around each breast, winding back towards the chest and keeping the line very, very tight. Tie it off with whatever works - in this case, with some center knotting.

As you’ll note in the gallery, there is some discoloration of the breasts as they are left in the bondage. To the best of my knowledge, this is something that almost always happens, and is not damaging to the breasts in any way. I could be wrong - Jay Wiseman may be rolling his eyes at my ignorance.

Personally, I don’t care for the look too much - it’s a modification of two of my favorite shapes that just doesn’t do anything for me. But if you’re looking for even more step-by-step instructions, I can also refer you to pages 73-77 of Lee Harrington’s “Shibari You Can Use“, conveniently available in my Amazon store…