2 Questions , One Story

“Why do you include shears with your kits? I won’t need them.”
“Why don’t you always finish your ends with knots? Isn’t that the traditional way?”

About once a week, with out fail, I get a variant of these two questions. I can answer both of them with one story.

A few years back Tambo and I were playing at a house party. At the time it seemed like forever since we last played, must have been in the run up to a big show, so I wanted to do something different for her. Rather than the spinning and giggle fest that is our suspension play, the plan was to take advantage of a cool bondage chair tucked in the corner of the space.

I am hard on my rope and like any responsible top, I make a point to replace my worn pieces before they fail. That morning I cut myself a new rope kit, too backlogged from whipping customer orders, these ends were still unwhipped. Instead, I opted for small, tight overhand knots at the end. Not my desired end, but for many this is the “traditional” and only way hemp rope ends should be finished.

Things started off wonderfully as I began wrapping rope around her and the body of the chair so that she was firmly affixed in place. In between giggles and low moans my Tambo, the ever responsible and good bottom, was sure to communicate with me as to the state of her well being, where the ropes were pinching and what might need shifting. We spoke in soft, loving tones to each other as I worked, both reveling in the warm and intimate cocoon that is often the hallmark of good SM play.

Then, as if a light switch was flipped, it all started to go suddenly wrong.

Tambo, even in the toughest bondage situations, can always give me a “two minute warning” when she’s nearing her limit and I need to start bringing her back down to earth. This time all I got was, “I think I’m gonna….”

Then she went slack. Pale and limp, her body starts to list to one side and pull hard against the ropes holding her in place.

The first thing to do in these situations is to not panic. I quickly start to untie the major pieces of bondage holding her to the chair so that I can get her on the floor and back among the conscious. I pull rope for what seems like an eternity, in truth it was probably a few seconds, till I’m down to the last wrap of rope when it happened.

The knots on the end of my rope jammed.

Franticly reaching around her slack body I could feel where they were wedged against the other ropes. Her shifting form locking them in place, turning the bondage into a tangled, mangled mass. A few seconds of tugging might make them come free, might being the operative term, but when it comes to your love even a few seconds is too long.
“fuck this” I mutter and pull the shears from their holster and start cutting. I reduce several hundred dollars of rope to scrap in a matter of seconds. No sooner is she down on the floor when she looks up at me with that sudden, embarrassed look of, “I didn’t just do what I think I did?”

That was the scariest minute of my life. Why do I give shears away with every kit? Because I pray to the gods that my customers never have to experience the terror of seeing their love go slack and not have the tools on hand to get them out. Already have a pair? Then give the set I send you to that new couple just starting out and tell them this story.

To those “traditionalists” who turn their noses up at the whipped ends of my rope (you laugh, but it actually happened to one of my customers in the UK) I say a big, hearty “fuck you”. I’d rather my customers be safe and come back for more than ever be “traditional”.