Gags and Bits

Rope has many uses, and in the kink world, we’re well aware that they are invaluable. But we forget that they can be used for more than just tying up your partner, or keeping someone captive. They can also be used to silence the chatty submissive, or to remind another why talking back is a bad idea. 

Mister K and I have been following along with a bi-weekly meme from MLSlavepuppet called Tie Me Up Tuesday. The prompt this time around was Silence your Subs. Needless to say, Mister K was all over keeping me gagged and tied. And I’m not sure I minded so much either. 

In our usual fashion, we took the idea and ran with it. Mister K’s first thought was, “It’s nice to have her quiet, but how do I know she’ll be where I left her, and that she won’t just untie the gag when I leave?” So after a little research, he found the Immobilizing gag. This picture tutorial from Monkey Fetish is quite easy to follow and it was a really quick tie, which is great for Shibari.

I found it to be quite effective at performing according to it’s name.

I won’t lie, my left arm went numb after about 30 minutes of being tied in this position and my elbows protested the straightening of my arms afterwards, although I felt fine the next day. I do recommend a good stretch before attempting this (if you can) and using a muscle or aftercare cream for fatigued muscles. My arms were tired.

Once that was all undone, Mister K and I talked about a gag that may have another purpose. We hummed and hawed, there’s a lot of ties and accessories that can be made with rope. Eventually we remembered the Monkey Fist.

The Monkey Fist is not technically a Shibari Knot or a bondage piece. It’s a sailors knot and used to heave a line as it weighted at one end. It’s also been used as a weapon called “a slungshot” by sailors in hand-to-hand combat with pirates. No wonder it became a staple in many riggers toolboxes.

While it’s quite simple to tie, it takes a bit of work to make it all symmetrical and tight, but once it’s tied it’ll hold it’s position until you untie it. So if you wanted to make one for everyday use, it would be easy to do.

We used a 3/8″ rope in vinyl. It’s easy to wipe off and the type we have is fairly soft, so it doesn’t dig into the skin. I find that ball gags are usually too big for my mouth, so it was nice to be able to make a gag that was custom made to my size. Definitely a better experience.

It leaves delicious bruises when used as an impact tool. Pictures of that on another day.

And since ML gave us this prompt, it would be rude not to try it. The Gag Bit is super simple, and doesn’t require a lot of rope, but the great thing is that the extras can be used for more bondage. We used the tutorial from the book Two Knotty Boys :Back on the Ropes.

This picture is just the bit, but Mister K was talking about how he wished he had a chair handy. I’m not sure where that idea will lead, but I’m sure it’ll be fun!

Please remember to keep scissors handy at all times when playing with rope, and that it should be snug, not tight. And most importantly, have fun!

(Oct 2020) Edited as per reader question: I have a question: how is the safe word communicated when tied and gagged?

This is a great questions and I apologize for not doing my due diligence and including it in my post.

In the event a partner is bound and gaged, you could use a small bell or a coloured hankerchief or other type of cloth placed in the bottoms hand. If a safe word is needed, the article is dropped, alerting the top that something is amiss. All play ends in this event, just as it would if a safeword is called.

Extra care should be taken by the top in the event that the bottom is immobile, gagged and bound. Please do not try bondage like this with new partners.

To see who else participated in #TieMeUpTuesday #6, click on the badge.

For other Naughty Knots posts, have a look at Mermaid Tail or All Dressed Up.

Looking for Something else? Give Fiction by MrsK a try.