memes

Hi, I can answer a little. I'm not expert, but I have done some shibari/rope bondage. The appeal versus something simple like handcuffs (or whatever other restraint) is partly that getting bound is more intimate. With something like cuffs over a bed rail, sure, you can still make it intimate, but it's just click and that's that. With ropes it is a process. You go back and forth, back and forth, slowly getting more and more restricted, feeling more and more vulnerable. It's much much more intimate. (It's also very aesthetically pleasing.)

In short, the foreplay is baked into the restraining.

If you're interested in trying it yourself (and yes, there are some things you can easily do on yourself, mostly leg related) my suggestions are,

0. GET SCISSORS. PROPER BONDAGE SCISSORS ARE BEST but anything you know will cut the rope is okay. This is critical if you're doing stuff in yourself.
1. Go to Lowe's or Home Depot or whatever and buy 100 feet of, I think it's like ⅜ inch Paracord. Get something that doesn't feel itchy.
2. Cut it into, roughly, I think it's 2x 15 feet and 2x 30 feet (roughly) ropes. Longer is better because sometimes you run out, but it's worse because it's annoying to work with when you don't need the slack.
3. Lingo! The term you want to look up is beginner shibari "double column ties". The "column" will be things like an arm or a leg or whatever. Starting with your legs is best. Another one you can try later in yourself is a frog tie but it's harder.
4. Something simple like 2x of the double column ties on your legs will feel nice. One at your ankles and one around your knees. You can add a third if you want.

That's the extent of my knowledge and I haven't done too much more, but that's how you can get started with it on yourself if you're curious.

Bonus lingo: floor ties. These refer to things where nobody is suspended from something. So those are the things to look into if you want to go further.