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On their feet

Standing, spread, at a pole or in a doorway. Upright leaves somebody open on every side and keeps their own legs doing work, so time in it costs them something. It is also the shape that ends worst if they faint — never leave a standing tie alone, and take it down at the first sign of grey.

Doorway spread Spread in a doorway, wrists and ankles to the frame. Turns a doorway into a St Andrew’s cross for the price of a pair of anchors. EasyNot past 12 min
Hobbled with a belt It takes the stride rather than the limbs, so somebody can still walk, kneel, fetch and serve — a whole evening of ordinary tasks made visibly difficult, with one belt. EasyNot past 20 minNothing to buy
Shoulder yoke A shoulder yoke holding the wrists out from the body. The arms cannot come together and cannot come down, so nothing can be shielded. EasyNot past 10 min
Standing damsel, legs bound in three places Standing, legs bound at three heights, wrists in front. The picture-book tie: it looks like the movies, it is easy to do, and it is easy to get out of. EasyNot past 15 minWorks alone
Standing hobble, wrists behind the back Wrists behind and the legs bound in three places so the stride is short. They can still walk, badly, which makes it the tie for being led somewhere. EasyNot past 18 minWorks alone
Arms drawn in behind the back Arms drawn in behind the back, standing or high-kneeling. The entry rung of the strappado family — the shape without the load, and the one to learn first. MediumNot past 7 min
Back-to-pole tie Back to a pole, wrists behind it. Nothing to lean on and nowhere to go — the shape for questioning, waiting and being looked at. MediumNot past 15 minWorks alone
Face-to-pole embrace Facing the pole with the arms around it. The mirror image, and it changes the whole scene: the back and the ass are what is offered now. MediumNot past 15 minWorks alone
Standing spreader bar at the ankles A bar between the ankles, standing. The legs cannot close and the stance cannot narrow, so everything between them stays available without a single strap on the body. MediumNot past 16 minWorks alone
Up, against something solid Wrists up against something solid — a frame, a bedpost, a door. The upright default: everything is reachable and their own legs are doing the work. MediumNot past 15 min
Bent through the pillory Head and wrists through a pillory. Fixes the person at exactly one height, facing exactly one way — theatrical, and genuinely useful for anything done from behind. HardNot past 10 min
Spreader bar between the elbows, then lifted A spreader bar between the elbows, then lifted. The bar decides the geometry, so the shape is identical every time, which makes it repeatable rather than improvised. HardNot past 5 min
Strappado with a spreader bar at the ankles A strappado with the ankles on a bar. Arms behind and legs open at once: nothing can be closed, at either end. HardNot past 5 min
Anal hook linked to head harness An anal hook linked up to a head harness. Standing tall is the only comfortable option, and it is not comfortable. Minutes only, and never unattended. ExtremeNot past 5 min
Armbinder lifted toward the door anchor An armbinder lifted toward an anchor. The sleeve spreads the load along the arms rather than the wrists — severe, elegant, and short. ExtremeNot past 5 min
Arms overhead, lowering them pulls the crotch rope Arms overhead with a crotch line through the same ring. Arms up hurts the shoulders, arms down hurts elsewhere — they pick, continuously. ExtremeNot past 5 min
Partial strappado with feet grounded A strappado with the feet still flat on the floor. They carry their own weight, so the lift is only ever as hard as their own legs allow. ExtremeNot past 5 min
Partial suspension, arms overhead Arms overhead on suspension cuffs with the feet still down. Fully open on every side; the shoulders, not the rope, are the limit. ExtremeNot past 7 min
Partial suspension, one heel raised behind One heel drawn up behind with the wrists behind the back. Balance becomes the whole problem, and balance is a thing that fails suddenly — stay within reach. ExtremeNot past 5 min
Squatting strappado, collar short to the knees A squatting strappado with the collar drawn short to the knees. A predicament, not a pose — standing up pulls the collar, so they choose which part hurts. ExtremeNot past 5 min
Strappado through a ring, lowering the arms pulls the crotch Arms through an overhead ring with a crotch line on the same rope. Lowering the tired arms pulls the crotch — the pure form of a predicament. ExtremeNot past 5 min
Strappado with nipple clamps joined to the legs Nipple clamps chained down to the legs from a strappado. Straighten up and the clamps pull; stay folded and the shoulders pay. Both directions cost something. ExtremeNot past 5 min
Strappado, anal hook on the same overhead line An anal hook on the same overhead line as the wrists. The most demanding thing in this family — one line, two consequences, and a very short clock. ExtremeNot past 5 min
Strappado, balls joined to the ankles Arms behind, balls joined by a line to the ankles. Every straightening of the legs is felt somewhere else entirely; the person sets their own dose. ExtremeNot past 5 min