Rope Podcast

When does a tie become suspension-worthy? Is it a binary "Yes/No," or is there a grey area where physics and risk collide?
This week, we’re answering a brilliant listener question from @TangledNTwisted: “What actually makes a tie suspension-worthy?”
Fox and Mya break down the "Suspendability Spectrum," moving away from rigid rules and moving toward a framework of Data, Mechanics, and Risk Management.
What We’re Breaking Down:
- The Risk Profile: How to evaluate the "cost of failure" before the feet leave the floor.
- The Mechanics of Injury: Identifying the specific anatomical stressors (nerves, circulation, and soft tissue) that change when gravity enters the chat.
- Surface Area & Distribution: The physics of why "more rope" isn't always the simple answer.
- The "Bottom’s Tax": How much are we actually asking of the person in the ropes?
- Science-ing It: How to gather data through incremental testing and low-air experimentation.

The Takeaway:
Suspendability isn't a checkbox; it’s a conversation between the rigger, the bottom, and the laws of physics. We’re here to help you move from "I think this is safe" to "I have the data to know why this works."

Mya is stepping out of the studio and into the heart of the action. This week, we’re bringing you a special field report from “She Ties”, an event dedicated exclusively to female riggers and male bottoms.
Since Fox (male rigger) and Mya (female bottom) can’t speak to this dynamic from personal experience, we’re passing the mic to the community. Featuring atmospheric audio recorded on-site, we hear from a global roster of voices—hailing from Thailand and Taiwan to the UK and Russia.
What’s inside:
- The Nuance: Why individual connection always trumps the binary.
- The Physicality: Practical tips for navigating different body types and mechanics.
- The Social Shift: Breaking down the "big spoon/little spoon" stigma in the rope scene.

The Interview Guest List:
- Riggers: HuaHua, Yada Kinabalu, Noir_fix, May, Sasha
- Bottoms: Pang, Co, Ratta
- Spectators: Gorgone and Sawyer
A quick note: The audio is live and "in the wild"—forgive the background noise, but enjoy the energy!

The Agura tie shows up again and again in shibari - but what makes it so enduring, and how can you work with it more intentionally?
In this Rope Focus episode, Fox and Mya break the Agura tie down piece by piece: how it’s built, how it feels, and how small choices in structure, orientation, and intent can dramatically change the experience.
They dive into:
• What the Agura position actually is - including easier and more demanding variations (and what Fox affectionately calls the leg pretzel)
• Different ways to construct the tie, and how those choices affect comfort and control
• More sustainable versus less sustainable versions, and when each might make sense
• How to increase the strength of the tie to reduce deformation and slippage
• Mya’s perspective on what it feels like to be in Agura, and what she enjoys about it as a bottom
• Practical tips for helping bottoms relax into the position, and bottoming skills that support the tie
• How Agura feels in different orientations, on the floor and in suspension
• The five distinct suspension orientations and what each one brings
• The overall vibe of the position, physically and psychologically
• How Fox enforces the position, and what that adds to the dynamic
• Managing safety, risk, and responsibility in this classic tie
Whether you’re meeting Agura for the first time or refining a tie you already love, this episode offers both technical insight and experiential depth.

Matija Vid Pecek Black (she/he/they, aka Nikki Lapore) has been exploring shibari for nearly a decade-but this isn’t just about knots. For Nikki, rope is a way to connect with energy, nature, and the soul itself. Think flowers, forests, and the freedom of tying yourself as a ritual of release and self-discovery.
In this episode, Mya and Fox dive into Nikki’s unique world, covering:
• How rope becomes self-expression and boosts confidence
• The art and ritual of self-tying
• Connecting with nature through rope
• Their creative rope process—from choosing the perfect organic rope to dying it with natural pigments (yes, including bones—gloves required!)
• What makes rope art—and whether it even needs an audience
• Rope’s place in their life, work, and Croatian culture
• And their vision for future druidic-goth-art adventures
Plus, hear Mya’s mind completely blown when she realizes she totally misunderstood one of Nikki’s offerings.

Listener Bethany asks Fox and Mya a deceptively simple question: after nine years of making the Rope Podcast, what’s actually changed about their rope - and the way they think about it?
The answer turns into a wide-ranging, honest reflection on how rope evolves over time: through experimentation, relationships, community, aging, and life doing what life does.
In this episode, they talk about:
• How their intents in rope have shifted - and why that matters
• Using experimentation to uncover what truly sits at the core of their rope practice
• How the ties in Fox’s rope system have changed over the years
• How changes in relationship style reshaped how they think about and position rope partners
• Mya’s journey from early innocence into a deeper engagement with safety, consent, and responsibility as a bottom
• What’s changed in the rope scene around them - and how that’s influenced their choices
• A key lesson from doing rope cross-culturally, and how it transformed their approach to consent
• Some of the biggest shifts in how they approach rope, and what prompted them
• The tying styles they’ve explored, abandoned, or kept
• How age and changing lives have altered what rope looks like now
• How tying outside their rope partnership has evolved for each of them
• Ways they try to live their values in rope, even when it’s uncomfortable
• What hasn’t changed - and why those constants still matter
• And yes… cuddly rope and TV rope
This conversation feels like sitting down with old friends who’ve carried rope through some of life’s biggest transitions and come out with deeper curiosity and clearer priorities. Part reflection, part history, and part check-in, it’s a look at what it really means to grow with rope over the long term.
Click to listen, and consider: what’s changed in your rope over the years - and what’s stayed the same?