Subspace:
The World Within
A Webmaster's Glimpse into the Real World of BDSM
by
Old Tom
It's been a heck of a week.
At Jojasa's party, something which has been developing over a period of three years, came to fruition. Several of us have spent the ensuing week, trying to assimilate what happened.
Part of it is completely normal "party crash." It's a great weekend, everybody's having a wonderful time among friends, and endorphins are flying everywhere. Returning to the Real World is difficult for everyone.
There's also something called "sub-crash" or "sub-drop". It's a more severe form of the party crash which happens to everyone... tears, depression, the shakes, etc. Again, it's a reaction to the high. It has a physical basis, something like the crash after a sugar rush. But there's an emotional basis as well.
But... there was more.
More people than expected, found a headspace they had never before encountered. The cane is one of the most terrifying implements of the kinky world. Few punishments are more feared than a true Victorian cane stroke.
For a woman to discover how to enjoy it... and come back for more... can be very disconcerting. Much of it is nonverbal, and leaves her wondering what in the world happened. It's called "subspace," and it's okay.
It also means you're a Masochist. To discover that you can truly enjoy serious endorphin-producing pain, is a mind-blowing concept. This has no hint of punishment or coercion; it is a true embracing of the pain. The weirdness is indeed disconcerting.
I call it painplay. It produces a high like no other. To the best of my limited knowledge, it requires a refined pain to get there. The cane, which lays on a line of fire with an aftershock. Or, the singletail whip, with which I am not familiar, but Jojasa is. Or, the body punches of a martial arts expert. Those are the three routes of which I have any knowledge. (And all three have been documented for years at The Old Tom Archive!)
Thanks to Jojasa, over a period of years, I have developed expertise in one of those routes. My route is with the cane. This level of play does require expertise - in a number of areas. Jojasa taught me about subspace, and I developed that expertise to please her.
So what happened this time? By observing over a period of years, various people have developed a trust in my ability. They have enough trust to allow themselves to participate in a scene with me. They have watched, and watched, and watched; they have talked with others. They have developed the curiosity while not believing that subspace actually exists.
