You might recall a year or so ago solipsist and I
went to Moreton Island with friends in the
4WD BDSM Getaway! group:
4WD BDSM Getaway! is the brilliant idea of
NotExcessive, who writes on the website:
"I thought it would be a good idea to combine two of my "interests": BDSM and four-wheel driving. I've been to many play parties over the years, but they were all in an urban setting. To my knowledge nobody had ever done an outdoors trip of this type before, so I figured, why not? "So in November of 2002, I put together the concept of the 4WD BDSM Getaway! Weekend tours.
"The first trek was held in February of 2003. The idea behind this is that we gather kinksters together who are into 4-wheel driving, and go somewhere to play in the Great Australian Outdoors. Needless to say, the 4WD BDSM Getaway! Weekend tours aren't going to appeal to everybody, and nor are they meant to. You'll need a love of Australia's stunning natural beauty to go on one of these treks...".
As I wrote on that earlier post, this all sounded wonderful to me. The groups' trip reports always sounded a lot of fun, and I also greatly admired NotExcessive's photography, which really brought his trip reports alive for online readers.
It was fucking
tsunami weather that week we were on Moreton.
But sol and I had a magical time. Now
we were heading back, with a smaller group this time but with people I was really looking forward to getting to know better. As NotExcessive points out on the group's website:
"The 4WD BDSM Getaway! Weekends aren't just about play, however. You bond with others in the group (pardon the pun) on many levels. Sure, there's the BDSM element that we have in common, but you also form friendships. Being away out in the bush with a small group of people, you get to know them a little bit better than you would in the crowded environment of a suburban play party, especially if you're together for a couple of days rather than just for a few hours"
Unfortunately sol and I had to pull out at the last minute because of his new PhD thesis deadline. About the only thing that stopped me being totally miserable about this cancellation was that everyone who was going was stopping in Brisbane for the weekend, while NotExcessive gave
some caning workshops. If we were not able to spend five days on an island, at least we could learn more about caning ... always a good thing :)
On Saturday, NotExcessive's demo bottom was
Ex Dolore Fortitudo, who certainly lived up to the meaning of her name that afternoon:
On Sunday, the demo bottom duties were split between NotExcessive's partner
bella-donna and sol. As bella-donna is on Moreton Island at the moment I can't double check which photos she's happy with me reproducing, so until we've discussed things this is all you get *grin*:
NotExcessive didn't have an easy job with these workshops. On both days his audience ranged from kinksters who'd never picked up a cane to several of us who adored corporal punishment. He needed to reach both groups, and I think he did this very well.
The first half of the workshop was the theory part. NotExcessive ran through all the different types of canes available. He's a convert of synthetic canes, but explained the good and bad points of all types. He showed how many excellent canes can be made cheaply at home. He then went through safety issues - what parts of the body were safe to hit, etc.
When it was time to explain various techniques he worked his way through these on his demo bottom, but then it was the practical part of the workshop - time to pick up our own canes and have a go, either on a partner or on a cushion. On Saturday our friend
Avika attended, so we lent her sol's backside:
She started very lightly, until sol was able to convince her that harder was fine:
End result: these lovely elegant and symmetrical cane strokes:
I think she was pleased!:
We didn't lend sol but we did lend our canes to new friends
MsPolyDomme and
iicx who were sitting nearby on Sunday, and suggested a few fiendish additions to their new repertoire. Sol took some photos of them on their mobile, which see
here and
here :)
NotExcessive likes to finish his workshops with some serious corporal punishment. On Saturday,
MissEvilGen provided support for ExDoloreFortitudo:
NotExcessive mostly used two canes. In the photo below you can see him demonstrating a particularly vicious stroke with one cane held vertically against the buttock and the other striking it:
Once, when NotExcessive paused for a moment to check that all is well, MissEvilGen relayed a cheeky remark from EDF:
So NotExcessive went a little harder ... I wish you could see the enormous smiles on everyone's faces in these photos. I love this photo, look at the bend in the cane:
End result:
When it was over NotExcessive turned back to the audience to explain how only a very special type of person could take this type of pain, while MissEvilGen and
georgia_63 provided aftercare praise and hugs:
Final comment made by EDF and
relayed via MissEvilGen
: "that was fucking awesome".Sol and I had exchanged delighted looks during EDF's caning ... it's always wonderful to meet another masochist. A day later, there was sol positioned in EDF's place ... and me trotting around like a good Domme assembling personal aftercare supplies for a heavy scene (a clean blanket, cold Coke, large bottle of water etc) and saying my goodbyes to friends in case they left while I was helping sol after the scene.
Then it was time for sol and I to tune out the rest of the world:
Sol ... my fearless sol ... was actually nervous (NotExcessive is going to grin if he reads this). The day before during EDF's scene sol had been full of anticipation but as Sunday afternoon drew on he:
"starting to feel scared .... the adrenaline was definitely pumping ... I was feeling like when I start a rock climb. When I first lay across bench I started to concentrate on my breathing and put everything else out of my mind"
I breathed with him, hands on his shoulders. The latter was more for me than him, because sol prefers not to be touched during scenes. I should clarify that ... he prefers not to be touched tentatively and asked if he's okay, which of course I did a lot when we started out. So this means when I lend sol out to another dominant I provide support usually without touching.
We have played with NotExcessive before, and so little was needed in the way of negotiating, especially for a short scene like this for a workshop. NotExcessive asked whether we'd prefer our canes or his, to be used. I chose his, which he knew I'd do, because you can hit harder with synthetics :)
As MissEvilGen had done the day before, I remained sitting near sol's head so I could judge how sol was taking the caning, and signal to NotExcessive if a break was required, as well as when sol had had enough. Due to time limits and the location sol was not restrained. He prefers to be restrained for heavy play, he can take more that way. So we knew the caning would not be probably as heavy as sol wanted ... but it was still (as EDF could confirm) going to be severe.
When sol was ready, I nodded to NotExcessive. He began:
I soon moved the chair aside and sat on the ground, where it was easier to see sol's face. I communicated to NotExcessive with my right hand and by nodding my head. At first NotExcessive spoke to the attendees a bit, but - as with EDF the day before - gradually the whole audience became quiet, the only sound being the swish and crack of the two canes:
He worked through all the different techniques he'd taught the workshop attendees that afternoon: tipping, tapping, etc. It wasn't long before he did that same cross stroke as on EDF, where one cane lies vertically and is struck with the other cane. I don't have a photo of that, though. I've not done that technique and I'm so looking forward to trying it.
I knew some of these strokes would be driving sol mad - NotExcessive has an evil reputation for working over and over on the one spot!
Sol later said:
"there was one stop that was really really angry and painful and he kept coming back to that ... just full blooded strokes on that one spot ... although there could have been several spots ... it was just ... well ... enough to make me move ... but I came back"
Sol certainly did, but it was fun watching him try and hold position. First one foot came off the ground:
Then a few strokes later, both (crossed at the ankles) feet LOL:
Look at the canes flying here:
And here:
After those strokes sol's feet were not only up of the ground, his legs were completely curled up:
Watching the effort as he uncurled himself and put himself back in position for the next strike was a powerful turn on for me:
Just as he'd get himself back, NotExcessive would strike:
And sol would nearly fall off again ... now it's not just his ankles crossed, it's his entire legs!:
Sol later said:
"each time he landed a stroke that got me out of position there was a definite mental effort to get back in position ... and it became more and more of an effort ..."
What if he was restrained?
"I don't know but think possibly more "
I'm pretty sure he could have taken more. We then discussed places where such a scene might go next, if left unrestrained:
"there are interesting possibilities ... for example, applying psychological pressure ... like being ordered back into position .... playing mind games. There are all sorts of sadistic games that could be played ...
"you are in a simpler mind set at the climax of the caning, it's just pain and not much else, so adding a verbal interaction would add another dimension. One might be told the number of remaining strokes ... only to find the dominant has lied and and continues the caning ... or what if I was told to count the strokes, then broke position and the entire numbering sequence started again ... interesting to see where that might go..."
Oh, indeed.
All too soon this wonderful caning was over. Sol could have continued but would have needed to be restrained ... and also the workshop time was nearly up. While Bella Donna gently put the blanket over sol I gave him a glass a cold Coke, for an aftercare sugar hit. He gulped it down, then blissfully drifted off again:
As I held sol I listened to the conversation amongst the attendees, which included some good points made by
Master_Peterau's jilly00 that we don't all need to be pain bunnies, that all forms of submission are equally valid and important in the scene. Although it's strange for sol and I to hear that, because we've never felt masochists are understood much either.
Sol did try and go around and reassure attendees a little bit later but he got side tracked talking with MsPolyDomme and iicx, who both really loved the scene. iicx's
"thank you" post later on Fet summed up the event:
"we certainly enjoyed ourselves at the caning workshop today. Firstly, thank you to @bella_donna_ for being the Sunday workshop Demo Bottom Extraordinaire, and thank you to @solipsist for sharing an intense caning scene with us. Of course it wouldn't have been possible without @NotExcessive's talent at caning, irreverent humour, and workshopping, so a big thank you to him. Thank you to @Mistress160 for allowing us to use her multitude of canes; we appreciate the personal advice she imparted regarding her collection"
As for sol, here's the end result:
I am so proud of him. EDF later
wrote on this photo's Fet page:
"I have a lot of empathy for Sol right now :D"
I asked sol later how he rated the pain from this caning on our 1 to 10 scale:
"might have to redraw our scale ... LOL ... only thing I can say was it was all consuming "
Anything else he'd like to share about the experience?
"surprised by how quickly I recovered ... although sitting down is still difficult"
Want to do again soon?
"absolutely ... I echo EDF's remark relayed via MissEvilGen: "that was fucking awesome""
That's my boy :)
REFERENCES AND ONLINE RESOURCESWORKSHOPS
I'm always surprised how few caning workshops seem to be advertised worldwide, especially since caning really is an art form that needs to be learned from experts. Keep an eye out for caning workshops at BDSM conventions etc, as well as kinky education organizations.
Caning workshops are actually quite rare in Australia, which is a great shame. If one is on near you, I recommend attending, especially if NotExcessive is presenting it. He's done a few now, including Uber in Sydney. I'm sure he'd be happy to present this workshop all around Australia. Drop him a line via his Fet profile for further details.
GENERAL
- You'll find the References and Online Resources list for caning at the bottom of this post.
