Submissive Guide

Luna, the creator of SubmissiveGuide.com has been an active member of the online adult blogging community for as long as we can remember. She has been a full time submissive since 2004 and because of this has a deep understanding of her own journey into submission and an insight into the path of others from the vanilla to D/s.

The design of the site is clean and easy to read. It has a magazine style feel which makes it friendly and presents the rapidly growing list of articles in a clear and accessible way.

If you’re interested in submission out of curiosity or feel that you may want to submit The Submissive Guide already has a wealth of information for you to read and references to external sources.

So where does all this information come from, Luna’s answer to that question was characteristically self-effacing “I do not intend to provide all the articles myself because I do not know everything and I would prefer to have experienced submissives write about things they know. As the site matures I will be asking for guest bloggers to donate articles to the Guide.”

Luna has a great deal of enthusiasm for the site, one of the reasons we can see it developing far beyond its current form. As she says “After the site matures and I have a decent following I will grow to my next step which is mentorship on a one on one basis about specific activities for a consultant fee. My grand intention is to create certification programs and training classes online as a weekly newsletter, with activities and exercises that they will need to turn into me to get credit. I will be a mentor to whomever wants to join one of the email-driven classes.”

One of the reasons for Luna’s vigour when it comes to developing and mentoring others venturing into a submissive lifestyle may be what she says about her own journey “Because of the knowledge of all the other submissives and Dominants that are online I have been able to develop my own opinions and open mind about a variety of subjects. Master has cultured my desire to learn a lot of different things, including different protocols and developing rituals. My blog has aided me in learning more about myself and has been a jumping off point for more growth.”

Finally I put it to Luna that sites seem to take on a life of their own as they develop and asked her how she saw The Submissive Guide developing through 2009. “Well it really depends on how much work I put into the content, if I can get advertisers, development of the consultant part of the site and then ultimately the online newsletter classes. I think 2009 will be about writing what I know, getting guest bloggers to write about what they know and also getting my name on other sites so that they can learn about my site.”

This is going to be a site to watch. Luna’s genuine insight and passion for the subject matter has to be a winning combination and we’d suggest that anyone who wants to contribute get in touch using the contact form here or the email address on it.

Watch out for people wearing purple tomorrow. They may just be a little kinky.

Following last January’s National Fetish Day the International Fetish Day aims to promote awareness of the fetish community itself and in so far as the UK is concerned the soon to be enacted legislation that makes possession of images deemed as “extreme” a criminal offence.

Here at A-Rouse we love to promote safe, sane and consenting sexual practises so give our wholehearted support to the day. Not that our endorsement means anything you understand but every voice that encourages and supports a person’s freedom to express themselves in a way that does not adversely impact on others helps prevent us slipping down a slippery slope to total censorship.

You can find out more about International Fetish Day and it’s associated issues on Wikipedia and from the Consenting Adult Action Network. If you want to read up on news about the new UK legislation you’d do worse than read the information available at backlash-uk.org.

This of course leads to a bit of a dilemma for all you kinky people out there. If you see someone in the street wearing purple, do you give them a knowing look or a crafty wink? If their as kinky as you they’ll know it. But if they don’t know about International Fetish day be prepared for some strange looks.

The Internet is full of equipment for BDSM play. This ranges from the faux fluffy handcuffs to seriously intense looking equipment. If your needs are at the latter end of that scale then you should try visiting Cage X-Press.

The company have a pedigree of supplying metal items to the BDSM community and their range is impressive. However I did notice that some of the items listed are discontinued. The equipment looks sturdy and as if it will take a lot of punishment. However as we haven`t visited their very authentic dungeon on the Holloway Road we can`t say we`ve had “hands-on” their products.

Cage X-Press are now supplying totally bespoke items. While this means that you get exactly what you want it also means lead times from date of order are quoted as 4-6 weeks. Not great if you`re the impatient type, but then again I suppose the anticipation of the arrival of your new industrial strength toys would more than make up for that.

Sensibly the cages Cage X-Press supply are collapsible, making transport to a munch-away-from-home easy. While I`m not an expert on cages the designs look innovative and intriguing.

What`s more the company have recently added a small range of wooden furniture to their online catalogue. You`ll have to visit their main page and click on the link on the left sidebar to get to it. The site is set out as a frames page and although I could embed a link to the appropriate section you wouldn`t be able to navigate away from it.

It makes me want to rekindle my woodworking skills.

Tags: Bondage, BDSM

We arrived at the Mansfield Dungeon at five minutes to two on an overcast Sunday afternoon. We`d arranged to meet our hosts there a few days earlier and managed to drive straight to the door without taking a wrong turning. The entrance is innocuous and discrete; I knocked, heard the sound of footsteps, a key turned in the lock and we were welcomed into the Mansfield Dungeon by Mistress Falstaff …

The Mansfield Dungeon is owned and run by Mistress Falstaff (aka Maria) and Roxanne (aka Ian). The dungeon is actually a product of Maria and Ian`s relationship, and having spoken to them on that Sunday we can categorically say it is a labour of love. Love between Maria and Ian and a love of the BDSM scene.

We had the opportunity to talk for several hours about their lives, the dungeon and their experiences of BDSM and the TV scene. There is a lot to tell and therefore we`re going to be splitting this feature over more than one post. To begin with we‘ll introduce you to the dungeon, then in subsequent posts to the people behind it, Maria and Ian.

The Mansfield dungeon is above all an intimate and welcoming place. The dungeon offers scheduled events (see the event calendar on the site for details) or can be hired for private parties of up to 15 people.

The dungeon`s ethos seems to be based around the concept of friendship rather than a commercial enterprise. Maria (Mistress Falstaff) is a pro Dom, but calling her that is too simplistic. Maria is a lifestyle Dom, she`s also pro because of the way in which she realised and developed the dominant side of her personality. More of that in the next part of this feature.

People travel from far and wide (literally) to attend parties at the Mansfield dungeon. When we arrived a couple had just popped back from their hotel to pick up bags they had left there after the party the night before. I can`t say exactly where they were from but they had a long drive home, and were regulars so obviously believe the experience is worth it.

The reason has to be the atmosphere. The dungeon is well appointed with equipment for play of various kinds (as a non-expert I`ll let the images speak for themselves). Whatever your preference from a simple flogging, to rope suspension, or an evening on the Queening Chair, or maybe attached to the imposing steel pyramid, the dungeon can cater for you.

What`s more Maria can arrange for you to be attended to by a Pro Dom, or for you to express your Dominant side over a pro sub. These are not just random people individuals plucked from a chat room, each pro invited into the Mansfield Dungeon is thoroughly vetted, both for their character in the Dungeon and outside.

As Ian explained ” … we wine and dine them, get to know them [before accepting them]”

Because Maria and Ian know the six pro Doms currently working with the Mansfield Dungeon so well you can be sure of the correct match between a submissive and Dom. Doms always work under the supervision of Maria to ensure things don`t get out of hand.

We were interested to find out where the equipment in the dungeon is sourced. Maria explained that one of the regular users of the Dungeon made both the suspension frame (with removable stocks) and the Queening Chair. This typifies the symbiotic relationship the Dungeon has with its clients.

Friendship is a word that kept coming up in the interview, and friendship can only come from trust. The clients who use the dungeon know that Maria and Ian want to ensure that they are safe at all times. On party nights they tend not to play with the clients, standing back and maintaining a sense of perspective. That way if the play gets out of hand they can, as caring responsible hosts, intervene to ensure that the experience is intense, but safe.

Mistress Falstaff is a true Dom, with a deep understanding of the BDSM scene. She derives evident enjoyment from her role as Mistress of the dungeon. This was illustrated several times during our visit in, for example, her description of the use of riding crops brought a wicked glint to her eye. Later she offered to introduce me to a butt plug of monstrous proportions, a kind offer that thought it best to decline.

The clientele of the Mansfield Dungeon includes people from all walks of life, all backgrounds. They all know that time spent in the capable hands of Maria and Ian is guaranteed to be memorable.

Some of the equipment is obviously popular the telltale rope marks on wood and polishing of steel rings tell you that. Other equipment is only used by a small number of people. Each to their own. The prime example of that is the cage (pictured) used only by one male client. Maria commented that he`s very responsive to touch, particularly tickling, he also enjoys being suspended and tickled.

Maria and Ian were at pains to point out that they offer a non-sexual service. The Mansfield Dungeon is about exploring the boundaries in a safe sane and consensual way. The pleasure to be derived from that is easily enough for their clients.

There`s an evident pride in what Maria and Ian have achieved with the Mansfield Dungeon that is evident when they describe the place, the parties and the people that play there. It is a pride without conceit, they take pleasure in giving pleasure, especially if that pleasure derives from pain LOL.

Suze now has a dilemma. Maria described how she has, on occasion, invited friends (unaware of her involvement in the BDSM scene) to take part in “A party with a difference”, and they have thoroughly enjoyed it. As we wound up the interview Maria offered (to us both but directed to Suze I noted) “Give me five minutes [to show you what a Dom can do for you]”

Suze has Maria`s number …

In the next part of this feature on the Mansfield Dungeon, Mistress Falstaff and Roxanne, we`ll explore their relationship and how they came to create the dungeon.

Tags: Mansfield Dungeon, Mistress Falstaff, Roxanne, BDSM, pro dom, lifestyle dom, xtc2xs, xtc2xs.com, rope bondage, suspension, domination, submission, flogging, tickle torture