MasterMarc: There is bondage and bondage. To be honest, mostly I use bondage to immobilize my boys, to restrain them, to make them ready for use. The bondage is just means for the purpose. But there are other bondage tops, for who bondage is much more than just a tool they use. One of them is Myfroghashat. What is bondage for you?
Myfroghashat: For me, bondage is everything you say it is, and yet so much more. Certainly I’m there to “restrain” as well, but the concept of restraint is very broad, and the means of achieving it numerous. So I view bondage as a means to an end, but also as a pursuit and an end in itself. For me, the act of bondage is just as important to the scene as what follows once bound.
When I am appraoching a scene, I try and visualize the scene I want to have and how to position the sub appropriately, and from there I certainly aim to restrain. But I equally seek to constrain, and constrict. I think that trifecta of “restrain, constrain, constrict” is what gives the sub the “uh oh, I’m really screwed” feeling that only comes from tight, immobilizing bondage, and is part of what makes the bondage fun on its own, even without further play.
For me bondage is also deeply aesthetic, and I absolutely strive to craft visually appealing bondage because it is the kind of work to which I respond to most. Aesthetic roping is what I sought to emulate from when I first began teaching myself how to tie six years ago. For me the act of bondage is artistic, expressive, challenging… Those are some of the biggest reasons I love rope, the possibilities are nearly endless, limited only by your own imagination, and occasionally the laws of physics.
Myfroghashat
Chicago (U.S.)
MasterMarc: We will of course talk about the aesthetics of bondage and about your love for ropes and how far it goes. But you have mentioned the feelings a bondage sub is searching for. As top you have had a lot of subs at your place. What do you think are the feelings and sensations bondage bottoms are mostly looking for?
Myfroghashat: Well that varies greatly from sub to sub, but certain general themes do emerge. For instance, a loss of control, a desire to submit, a feeling of helplessness, a lack of freedom. The redistribution of power to me drives head space, and that is crucial in allowing subs to just melt into the scene. And because my style of bondage takes time, subs are increasingly restricted and the power exchange is of a gradual, creeping variety until suddenly the subs are fully helpless. It’s delightful 🙂
MasterMarc: How has a bondage session to be, so that you would say it is a good one?
Myfroghashat: I jokingly refer to myself as a service dom because as much as I am in control of a scene, I love producing play sessions that are entirely mutually enjoyable. So, the easiest answer is a good session is one the sub enjoys, because I enjoy providing a desired experience. Sometimes that takes the form of simply doing some satisfyingly snug bondage and giving the sub a chance to relax and enjoy the experience. Sometimes that takes the form of using bondage as a vehicle for a teasing and edging scene. Sometimes it involves pain play and frustration. There is no rubric or roadmap that I would say results in a good session, but rather the union of two consenting adults engaging in safe, sane play. I’m really easy to please!
MasterMarc: There are no standards in SM & fetish. That’s the reason why the desires and needs of all involved people and their satisfaction is defining good SM/fetish. Let’s talk about the aesthetic and artistic sides of bondage you’ve mentioned. What is the aesthetic goal you have while doing bondage and what is in your artistic approach?
Myfroghashat: Well my aesthetic goal is to make subs look pretty, haha. I wish I could say it was something more sophisticated or interesting, but being bluntly honest, I just want to make something that looks good! One thing I try and do is to pick rope designs that complement or enhance a sub’s naturally beautiful features, and to use design tricks to help draw the eye favorably. But generally, I’m just trying to do something that looks good and looks interesting.
I like to think of my style as needlessly-yet-deliciously ornate or intricate. To steal a great description from a friend and fellow roper, my style is high frequency roping, where crossing ropes almost always interact in complex, visually appealing ways. Really maybe only 20-25% of my bondage is actually doing the technical work of restraining. The rest is all about constraint, constriction, and (frankly) visual appeal. It’s having fun with it and doing unique, custom, fitted, snug, secure work. Lately I have been trying a few newer ideas that are much more clean, sturdy, refined, and minimal, but still decidedly secure and appealing concepts.
As for my artistic approach, dare I say I don’t really have one? I’m a bit of a mad scientist, trying this or that, ropes flying every which way, as I try and settle in on a concept. I usually let the forms dictate themselves and allow a concept to emerge, and take my cues from where the rope lands. It is a process, for sure.
One rule I set for myself early on when I was first teaching myself how to rope, so as to encourage developing new skills and techniques, is that I never do the exact same design twice. So I am always innovating, conceptualizing, and trying new things. Worst thing that happens is an idea doesn’t pan out, I undo some rope, and try something else. I really have to give a shout out to my subs, who get and appreciate what I’m trying to do and love the experience, the patience, the skill, and the results. They get it when something doesn’t work out, and are super supportive and understanding as I either fix, or completely scrap and reboot rope projects. Bondage is a collaborative process with a sub, and I’m hugely thankful for having worked with such awesome folks so far. I look forward to many more quality scenes too!
MasterMarc: That sounds like a lot of thoughts and work. But do you really just want to make the boys look pretty? As Master I am missing a little bit the sexual aspect of it. Isn’t it a goal to make them look bitchy, ready to use, exposed and of course also vulnerable and delivered to you?
Myfroghashat: Oh, well, I mean, it is bondage after all… I want them to look pretty and awesome within the context of bondage. Of course the goal is to restrain, constrain, constrict. Of course the goal is to get them bound and ready for play and use. I just kind of assumed that as a base line!
MasterMarc: Ropes are for you something very special. Can you tell us a little about your relationship to ropes?
Myfroghashat: So I first stumbled into the world of BDSM as a teenager exploring online porn for the first time, and I hit upon some rope bondage. It couldn’t have been more than a basic chest harness and wrist cuffs, but I was transfixed. It is through rope that I began exploring kink, and when I was finally ready to experience kink, my first ever sesseions were rope bondage scenes. Back then I thought I wanted to sub, be the guy in the pictures. It only took 3 or 4 scenes for me to switch sides and to begin to find my stride as a roper.
Given where I was living at the time I made that transition, I did not have access to other doms or classes to learn from, so I taught myself. I would study the images from amazing rope doms (some of whom have been featured in this very magazine), trace the ropes from the front picture to the back, build a mental image of my head of the design, and then practice on myself. And as I started playing with my first subs, I would translate those designs onto their bodies and continue to learn and develop.
As for my rope itself, as a university student on a budget, leather and rubber and other gear was out of my reach. Rope, however, was well within my financial grasp, which was super convenient given my fixation with rope bondage. I also realized that I could save a TON of money if instead of buying bondage rope, I bought raw rope and processed/finished it myself. To this day I continue to make my own bondage hemp; every foot I use I have personally worked on and finished custom. It’s an amazing connection to have with my rope, to design it and then use it in my designs.
MasterMarc: Can you explain us, how you finished the rope by yourself and what kind of special ropes you’re producing?
Myfroghashat: I do all of my roping in 6mm hemp rope. I don’t produce the rope itself (yet! I’d love to be able to actually spin my own rope, stay tuned perhaps?), but I take raw hemp rope, straight from the factory and onto a spool, and I turn that into hemp usable in bondage. Raw hemp rope is very dirty, very stiff, and very scratchy. So I start by boiling all of the rope to soften it somewhat, and wash it thoroughly to get rid of all of the dirt, factory oils, and natural compounds that might go rancid. I then let the hemp drip dry, and pull to stretch it out.
At this point I decide what lengths I am going to make, and I use what’s called a “sailmaker’s whipping” to fasten the ends where I am cutting to produce individual rope segments. Most of my hemp is in 30-foot pieces, but I have some lengths as short as 10 feet, and some as long as 60 feet.
Then, I break in the rope by pulling it against itself, which helps sand the exterior, break up any harder bits, soften the rope, and make it more pliable. This produces a *lot* of dust and fuzzies, so the next step is to singe all of that off by moving the rope through a flame. Then it’s just wiping off the soot from the burnt fuzzies and conditioning the rope. I use a mix of mineral oil and beeswax, which gives it a nice bite and a pleasant aroma. As I play with more and more subs, the natural body oils are actually good for the hemp and help keep the rope conditioned.
If I am dying the rope, I insert a dye process between wiping off the soot and conditioning. I do all of my dying myself, and currently have nine colors in circulation. I have red, pink, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and black. I also have gradient rainbow rope where the color shifts from red to purple through the rainbow, which is really beautiful stuff and my newest creation. I’m currently working on preparing more of it.
I think, if you have the time, preparing your own bondage hemp is an amazing way to learn about rope, and to really customize your own gear. I have walked multiuple other ropers through processing hemp and/or dying hemp and am always thrilled to see people getting invested in their hemp!
MasterMarc: A guy like you, who seems to be a bondage perfectionist has of course always new ideas, new pictures and new techniques in mind. Will you share one or two of your upcoming projects and tell us, what makes them so interesting for you?
Myfroghashat: There’s always something new on the horizon! Mosrt immeidately, it’s working on producing more rope, specifically more rainbow hemp. With a taste of it, I definitely want more, and am looking to explore what other kinds of color blends and dye strategies I can exploit in crafting beautiful rope.
Beyond that, there’s always room for aesthetic growth and development. Lately I have been exploring a heftier, more strict form of roping with spaced, wrapped bars, definitely a bit of an aesthetic leap for me. I also recently began incorporating a new knot, the friendship knot, into some of my bondage. I am always on the lookout for cool new inspirations, and ways to incorporate novel approaches into my roping.
I’m currently in communication with a number of other kinksters around the globe with whom I have developed friendships, mentorships, and collaborations, and I’m excited to see some of those endeavors bear fruit. Also, I love teaching, and am a strong believer in supporting and nurturing emerging talent.
Lastly, I hope to soon have access to sufficient anchor points to do some really fun and exciting suspension work.
In the mean time, you can always find me on Recon, Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter, and from time to time out and about at a demo, workshop, or convention. Say hi!
