I’m putting the finishing touches on a tickling-oriented novella. Entitled “Tickled Troth,” it currently weighs in at 18,500 words. This of course is too long to post here, so I expect I’ll self-publish using Kindle Direct Publishing and/or Smashworks/Dash2Digital. (I’ve never self-published before.) I don’t want to make money with it, just to get it out there.
The story isn’t for everybody. It’s F/M. It’s very dark and coercive. But as they say, those who like this sort of thing will find that this is the sort of thing they like. If I say so myself, I think it's really good.
I offer here a summary of the story along with some excerpts. I’d be interested in people commenting with their feedback/suggestions/reactions. Thanks in advance.
Summary:
Nikki is a woman driven by a singular, dark desire: she fantasizes obsessively about tickle-torturing a man of whose ticklishness is so extreme as to be overwhelming.
Her quest finds its target when her friend Sarah casually mentions an ex-boyfriend, Al, who suffers from hypergargalesthesia, a rare medical condition rendering him pathologically ticklish. Nikki immediately recognizes Al as her 'ultimate subject.'
As she fantasizes about Al, Nikki meticulously researches hypergargalesthesia. She orchestrates a date with Al, feigning empathy for his condition while surreptitiously learning the details of his vulnerability.
Nikki lures him to her apartment. After they make love, Nikki waits for Al to fall asleep. She then binds him to the bed. When Al awakens, Nikki reveals her true, terrifying nature and begins her tickle-assault. Al erupts into uncontrollable laughter. His pleas for mercy dissolve into hysterical shrieks. Nikki, in ecstatic delight, extracts a marriage proposal from him. But once he proposes, she keeps on tickling. This continues for a long time, with Al finding the tickling unbearable and Nikki in ecstasy. She does not stop even when he has a seizure, but only when he shows the first signs of oxygen deprivation.
In the aftermath, a traumatized Al asserts that he will leave. Nikki swiftly demonstrates the escalating tickle-horrors she can inflict, making it clear that any attempt to escape will result in far worse. Al, broken, understands he has no choice.
A coerced wedding ceremony follows.
Three months later, even Al’s dreams are infiltrated by Nikki’s tickling presence, where she appears as a multi-limbed siren in an infinite void, tormenting his dream-self. He awakens from one such nightmare to find Nikki already tickling him in real life, her wedding band glinting. Nikki’s dark desires now are perpetually fulfilled, as she promises 'till death do us part.'
An appendix contains a full-length (3,000 word) scientific article entitled, “Hypergargalesthesia (Pathological Ticklishness)”
Excerpts from the story:
Cover image – see uploaded image.
"Let me change the subject,” she said. "Sarah mentioned something intriguing about you, Al. That you're incredibly... ticklish?"….
"Oh. It's... yeah, it's pretty extreme."
Nikki leaned in, letting concern paint her features while inside, she throbbed with excitement. "Define 'extreme.' Sarah made it sound... almost legendary."
"It's way beyond normal ticklishness." His fingers found the edge of the table, gripping just hard enough to anchor himself. "It's... a medical thing, actually. Hypergargalesthesia."
The word hit her like a physical blow. She'd found references to it in her research, but hearing him say it made her thighs tighten beneath the table.
"Basically, my nervous system ridiculously overreacts to being tickled. Like, a nuclear overreaction."
Confirmation.
Nikki kept her face a mask of sympathetic concern while inside, every nerve sang. "Wow. That sounds incredibly difficult to live with. Especially when most people just think of tickling as... you know... playful fun."
"Exactly." Al relaxed marginally….
"Are there... particular spots? Places that trigger it worse than others?"
"Yeah. Definitely. Underarms... instant meltdown if someone tickles me there. Even brushing against them wrong can set it off. Sides of my waist—same thing. And my feet..." He actually shuddered. "A feather-light touch there and I just... lose it completely."
Underarms. Waist. Feet.
Nikki catalogued each revelation like a jewel thief noting the location of precious gems.
"That sounds like something that could be easily... misunderstood. Or even exploited? People wanting to 'test' how ticklish you really are?"
Al flinched. "You have no idea”….
Nikki leaned in further, letting her hair fall forward. "They know it affects you that strongly, and they still tickle you?"
"Yeah." The word came out hard. "They think because I'm laughing, I must be enjoying it. But it's... it's the opposite. It's..."
He paused, then met her eyes directly.
"It's torture when someone tickles me."
There it is.
The word hung between them. Nikki felt it resonate through her entire body—bones, blood, the heated space between her legs. She had to bite her tongue to keep from gasping.
Torture. From tickling.
She kept her voice low, sympathetic, while her nails dug crescents into her palms beneath the table. "Torture. That's... God, Al, I'm so sorry. It sounds like... like you'd do anything to make it stop when someone's tickling you?"
Al met her eyes directly, deadly serious now.
"Anything. And I mean that literally. Sell out my best friend, sign a blank check, confess to crimes I didn't commit. When someone's tickling me, nothing else exists or matters in the entire universe except making it stop”
Nikki couldn't suppress the small gasp that escaped her. Her whole body felt electric, alive. This, she thought, is too good to be true….
“I understand completely," Nikki reassured him, her eyes holding his. "I do."
And she did understand completely. Oh, did she ever.
***
The ticklish sensations didn't merely continue—they intensified, each wave more potent than the last. His nervous system, already hypercharged, seemed to sensitize further under the assault. Spots that had made him giggle now made him shriek. Areas that had drawn chuckles now produced primal howls.
And Nikki's excitement escalated in perfect correlation, her technique evolving to match each new height of his hysteria.
"A—aaaahaHAHA—nohohoHO—p-p-pleheeHEEHEEzE—staahahahHAP!"
The sounds ripped from him barely qualified as words—shredded fragments forced between explosive bursts of cackling.
Nikki's eyes glittered with savage delight. "You keep saying 'Stop,' but you sound so happy!"
"REE-HEE-HEELY!"
His body bucked violently against the restraints—spine arching, muscles straining.
"CAN'T! TAY-HAY-HAYKE IT! HAHAHA! I'M SE-HEE-HEE-RIOUS!"
"You seriously can't take it?"
“NOHOHOHOHO!”
"Tickletickletickletickletickle!"
"nohoHOHO—NiHIHIHI—g-gahaahahA—c-can't—s-staaahaha—!"
The attempt at words dissolved into pure vocal chaos—squeals mixing with guffaws mixing with sounds that had no name.
But of course, the certainty that he truly couldn't endure his ordeal—that knowledge constituted her ecstasy's molten core. She drank in every violent jerk, every helpless wriggle, as his laughter grew progressively more hysterical. She remained transfixed, each involuntary spasm feeding the dark current coursing through her veins.
Every mangled "STAHAHAHAP!" was a trophy. Every broken "PLEEHEEHEEHEEZE!" was a prize. Every unintelligible shriek was a love song written just for her.
Al's body was her instrument—tuned to the highest pitch of sensitivity - and she played it with virtuosic skill. The harder he laughed, the more violently he thrashed, the deeper her savage delight grew.
Each tickling touch pushed Al further into an abyss that seemed to have no bottom. Individual tickles blurred into one continuous field of torment. His consciousness crystallized into a single imperative:
STOP!
The thought hammered against his skull with physical force—a mantra, a prayer, a scream that never reached his lips because they were too busy producing the endless guffaws and howls that Nikki orchestrated.
But there was no stopping.
Only her relentless fingers—now stroking, now squeezing, now poking. Only the endless laughter that seemed to tear him apart from within.
His laughter transformed. What had begun as recognizable human giggles and guffaws devolved into something primal. It erupted from his core in great, uncontrollable surges that shook his entire frame. Each burst seemed more powerful than the last.
His muscles spasmed uncontrollably beneath Nikki’s touch, trying to escape the ticklish sensations He thrashed violently. His laughter poured forth in an unstoppable deluge. The very room seemed to pulse with the sound of it.
***
HYPERGARGALESTHESIA (Pathological Ticklishness)
Abstract
Hypergargalesthesia is a poorly understood yet profoundly debilitating condition characterized by an extreme sensitivity to ticklish stimuli. This comprehensive review explores the nature of this disorder: its clinical presentation, epidemiology, etiology, and the current limitations in management strategies. Individuals with hypergargalesthesia experience disproportionately intense reactions to even the mildest ticklish sensations, universally describing the sensation as unbearable or torturous despite accompanying laughter. The condition can significantly impact daily functioning, interpersonal relationships, and mental health, with intense reactions regardless of context. While the exact prevalence is unknown, it is considered a rare condition. Hypergargalesthesia appears to develop innately at a young age, suggesting possible genetic factors. Current treatment options are frustratingly limited, primarily focusing on environmental modifications and management of comorbid conditions. This review highlights the urgent need for further research to elucidate the neurological basis of the disorder and develop effective interventions, while emphasizing the importance of a compassionate, patient-centered approach for those living with this distressing condition.
Introduction
Hypergargalesthesia represents the extreme end of the ticklishness spectrum. It belongs to a family of disorders known as hyperesthesia, defined as increased sensitivity to sensory stimulation of all kinds. Hypergargalesthesia is a variant of tactile hyperesthesia, focused specifically on ticklish stimuli.
The contrast between hypergargalesthesia and normal ticklishness is stark. Compared to ordinary ticklish reactions, those of the hypergargalesthetic individual can be extremely dramatic. And while most individuals experience tickling as mildly unpleasant to enjoyable, those with hypergargalesthesia invariably report it as an overwhelming, traumatic experience. This profound difference underscores the pathological nature of the condition and highlights the need for increased awareness and understanding among medical professionals and the general public.
Definition and Context
Hyperesthesia encompasses both a diminished threshold to stimuli and an increased response to normal stimuli. In individuals with hyperesthesia, even sensations that most people would find ordinary and easy to tolerate can be experienced as intense or even overwhelming. And stimuli that would ordinarily elicit a normal response, in patients with hyperesthesia cause overwhelming responses.
To fully appreciate the nature of hypergargalesthesia, it is crucial to understand the two distinct types of tickle: knismesis and gargalesis. Knismesis refers to the light, feather-like touch that typically causes a mildly uneasy sensation and often triggers an itching or tingling feeling. This type of tickle can be self-induced and is not usually associated with laughter. Gargalesis, by contrast, involves applying greater pressure to particular sensitive areas of the body, resulting in an intense sensation accompanied by laughter and violent bodily movements. Unlike knismesis, gargalesis cannot be self-induced and generally requires the involvement of another person. Hypergargalesthesia, as its name implies, refers to pathological sensitivity to gargaletic stimuli.
Ticklishness exists on a spectrum within the general population. Some individuals exhibit no ticklish reactions even when stimulated vigorously in typically sensitive areas, while others respond readily to tactile triggers. Hypergargalesthesia lies at the far extreme of this spectrum, representing a truly pathological condition that can significantly impair quality of life.
Clinical Presentation
The symptoms of hypergargalesthesia are as severe as they are consistent, setting this condition apart from normal ticklishness in several key respects:
Extreme Sensitivity
In individuals with hypergargalesthesia, even minimal stimulation of ticklish areas can trigger intense laughter and loss of bodily control.
Anticipatory Responses
The mere suggestion or anticipation of tickling may elicit a Pavlovian reflex of ticklish reactions.
Cataclysmic Reactions
When subjected to deliberate tickling that most people would consider mildly annoying at worst, or even pleasurable, findividuals with hypergargalesthesia experience cataclysmic reactions. These may include:
While typical ticklish responses can be influenced by factors such as mood, context, or familiarity with the tickler, individuals with hypergargalesthesia report consistently extreme reactions regardless of external factors. This invariability is a hallmark of the condition.
Incongruence Between Laughter and Distress
It is crucial to note that despite the presence of laughter that is apt to be extreme, individuals with hypergargalesthesia uniformly report the experience of being tickled as intensely unpleasant, frequently using the word "torture" to describe their ordeal. This disconnect between the outward appearance of mirth and the internal experience of distress can lead to significant misunderstandings and interpersonal complications.
The story isn’t for everybody. It’s F/M. It’s very dark and coercive. But as they say, those who like this sort of thing will find that this is the sort of thing they like. If I say so myself, I think it's really good.
I offer here a summary of the story along with some excerpts. I’d be interested in people commenting with their feedback/suggestions/reactions. Thanks in advance.
Summary:
Nikki is a woman driven by a singular, dark desire: she fantasizes obsessively about tickle-torturing a man of whose ticklishness is so extreme as to be overwhelming.
Her quest finds its target when her friend Sarah casually mentions an ex-boyfriend, Al, who suffers from hypergargalesthesia, a rare medical condition rendering him pathologically ticklish. Nikki immediately recognizes Al as her 'ultimate subject.'
As she fantasizes about Al, Nikki meticulously researches hypergargalesthesia. She orchestrates a date with Al, feigning empathy for his condition while surreptitiously learning the details of his vulnerability.
Nikki lures him to her apartment. After they make love, Nikki waits for Al to fall asleep. She then binds him to the bed. When Al awakens, Nikki reveals her true, terrifying nature and begins her tickle-assault. Al erupts into uncontrollable laughter. His pleas for mercy dissolve into hysterical shrieks. Nikki, in ecstatic delight, extracts a marriage proposal from him. But once he proposes, she keeps on tickling. This continues for a long time, with Al finding the tickling unbearable and Nikki in ecstasy. She does not stop even when he has a seizure, but only when he shows the first signs of oxygen deprivation.
In the aftermath, a traumatized Al asserts that he will leave. Nikki swiftly demonstrates the escalating tickle-horrors she can inflict, making it clear that any attempt to escape will result in far worse. Al, broken, understands he has no choice.
A coerced wedding ceremony follows.
Three months later, even Al’s dreams are infiltrated by Nikki’s tickling presence, where she appears as a multi-limbed siren in an infinite void, tormenting his dream-self. He awakens from one such nightmare to find Nikki already tickling him in real life, her wedding band glinting. Nikki’s dark desires now are perpetually fulfilled, as she promises 'till death do us part.'
An appendix contains a full-length (3,000 word) scientific article entitled, “Hypergargalesthesia (Pathological Ticklishness)”
Excerpts from the story:
Cover image – see uploaded image.
"Let me change the subject,” she said. "Sarah mentioned something intriguing about you, Al. That you're incredibly... ticklish?"….
"Oh. It's... yeah, it's pretty extreme."
Nikki leaned in, letting concern paint her features while inside, she throbbed with excitement. "Define 'extreme.' Sarah made it sound... almost legendary."
"It's way beyond normal ticklishness." His fingers found the edge of the table, gripping just hard enough to anchor himself. "It's... a medical thing, actually. Hypergargalesthesia."
The word hit her like a physical blow. She'd found references to it in her research, but hearing him say it made her thighs tighten beneath the table.
"Basically, my nervous system ridiculously overreacts to being tickled. Like, a nuclear overreaction."
Confirmation.
Nikki kept her face a mask of sympathetic concern while inside, every nerve sang. "Wow. That sounds incredibly difficult to live with. Especially when most people just think of tickling as... you know... playful fun."
"Exactly." Al relaxed marginally….
"Are there... particular spots? Places that trigger it worse than others?"
"Yeah. Definitely. Underarms... instant meltdown if someone tickles me there. Even brushing against them wrong can set it off. Sides of my waist—same thing. And my feet..." He actually shuddered. "A feather-light touch there and I just... lose it completely."
Underarms. Waist. Feet.
Nikki catalogued each revelation like a jewel thief noting the location of precious gems.
"That sounds like something that could be easily... misunderstood. Or even exploited? People wanting to 'test' how ticklish you really are?"
Al flinched. "You have no idea”….
Nikki leaned in further, letting her hair fall forward. "They know it affects you that strongly, and they still tickle you?"
"Yeah." The word came out hard. "They think because I'm laughing, I must be enjoying it. But it's... it's the opposite. It's..."
He paused, then met her eyes directly.
"It's torture when someone tickles me."
There it is.
The word hung between them. Nikki felt it resonate through her entire body—bones, blood, the heated space between her legs. She had to bite her tongue to keep from gasping.
Torture. From tickling.
She kept her voice low, sympathetic, while her nails dug crescents into her palms beneath the table. "Torture. That's... God, Al, I'm so sorry. It sounds like... like you'd do anything to make it stop when someone's tickling you?"
Al met her eyes directly, deadly serious now.
"Anything. And I mean that literally. Sell out my best friend, sign a blank check, confess to crimes I didn't commit. When someone's tickling me, nothing else exists or matters in the entire universe except making it stop”
Nikki couldn't suppress the small gasp that escaped her. Her whole body felt electric, alive. This, she thought, is too good to be true….
“I understand completely," Nikki reassured him, her eyes holding his. "I do."
And she did understand completely. Oh, did she ever.
***
The ticklish sensations didn't merely continue—they intensified, each wave more potent than the last. His nervous system, already hypercharged, seemed to sensitize further under the assault. Spots that had made him giggle now made him shriek. Areas that had drawn chuckles now produced primal howls.
And Nikki's excitement escalated in perfect correlation, her technique evolving to match each new height of his hysteria.
"A—aaaahaHAHA—nohohoHO—p-p-pleheeHEEHEEzE—staahahahHAP!"
The sounds ripped from him barely qualified as words—shredded fragments forced between explosive bursts of cackling.
Nikki's eyes glittered with savage delight. "You keep saying 'Stop,' but you sound so happy!"
"REE-HEE-HEELY!"
His body bucked violently against the restraints—spine arching, muscles straining.
"CAN'T! TAY-HAY-HAYKE IT! HAHAHA! I'M SE-HEE-HEE-RIOUS!"
"You seriously can't take it?"
“NOHOHOHOHO!”
"Tickletickletickletickletickle!"
"nohoHOHO—NiHIHIHI—g-gahaahahA—c-can't—s-staaahaha—!"
The attempt at words dissolved into pure vocal chaos—squeals mixing with guffaws mixing with sounds that had no name.
But of course, the certainty that he truly couldn't endure his ordeal—that knowledge constituted her ecstasy's molten core. She drank in every violent jerk, every helpless wriggle, as his laughter grew progressively more hysterical. She remained transfixed, each involuntary spasm feeding the dark current coursing through her veins.
Every mangled "STAHAHAHAP!" was a trophy. Every broken "PLEEHEEHEEHEEZE!" was a prize. Every unintelligible shriek was a love song written just for her.
Al's body was her instrument—tuned to the highest pitch of sensitivity - and she played it with virtuosic skill. The harder he laughed, the more violently he thrashed, the deeper her savage delight grew.
Each tickling touch pushed Al further into an abyss that seemed to have no bottom. Individual tickles blurred into one continuous field of torment. His consciousness crystallized into a single imperative:
STOP!
The thought hammered against his skull with physical force—a mantra, a prayer, a scream that never reached his lips because they were too busy producing the endless guffaws and howls that Nikki orchestrated.
But there was no stopping.
Only her relentless fingers—now stroking, now squeezing, now poking. Only the endless laughter that seemed to tear him apart from within.
His laughter transformed. What had begun as recognizable human giggles and guffaws devolved into something primal. It erupted from his core in great, uncontrollable surges that shook his entire frame. Each burst seemed more powerful than the last.
His muscles spasmed uncontrollably beneath Nikki’s touch, trying to escape the ticklish sensations He thrashed violently. His laughter poured forth in an unstoppable deluge. The very room seemed to pulse with the sound of it.
***
HYPERGARGALESTHESIA (Pathological Ticklishness)
Abstract
Hypergargalesthesia is a poorly understood yet profoundly debilitating condition characterized by an extreme sensitivity to ticklish stimuli. This comprehensive review explores the nature of this disorder: its clinical presentation, epidemiology, etiology, and the current limitations in management strategies. Individuals with hypergargalesthesia experience disproportionately intense reactions to even the mildest ticklish sensations, universally describing the sensation as unbearable or torturous despite accompanying laughter. The condition can significantly impact daily functioning, interpersonal relationships, and mental health, with intense reactions regardless of context. While the exact prevalence is unknown, it is considered a rare condition. Hypergargalesthesia appears to develop innately at a young age, suggesting possible genetic factors. Current treatment options are frustratingly limited, primarily focusing on environmental modifications and management of comorbid conditions. This review highlights the urgent need for further research to elucidate the neurological basis of the disorder and develop effective interventions, while emphasizing the importance of a compassionate, patient-centered approach for those living with this distressing condition.
Introduction
Hypergargalesthesia represents the extreme end of the ticklishness spectrum. It belongs to a family of disorders known as hyperesthesia, defined as increased sensitivity to sensory stimulation of all kinds. Hypergargalesthesia is a variant of tactile hyperesthesia, focused specifically on ticklish stimuli.
The contrast between hypergargalesthesia and normal ticklishness is stark. Compared to ordinary ticklish reactions, those of the hypergargalesthetic individual can be extremely dramatic. And while most individuals experience tickling as mildly unpleasant to enjoyable, those with hypergargalesthesia invariably report it as an overwhelming, traumatic experience. This profound difference underscores the pathological nature of the condition and highlights the need for increased awareness and understanding among medical professionals and the general public.
Definition and Context
Hyperesthesia encompasses both a diminished threshold to stimuli and an increased response to normal stimuli. In individuals with hyperesthesia, even sensations that most people would find ordinary and easy to tolerate can be experienced as intense or even overwhelming. And stimuli that would ordinarily elicit a normal response, in patients with hyperesthesia cause overwhelming responses.
To fully appreciate the nature of hypergargalesthesia, it is crucial to understand the two distinct types of tickle: knismesis and gargalesis. Knismesis refers to the light, feather-like touch that typically causes a mildly uneasy sensation and often triggers an itching or tingling feeling. This type of tickle can be self-induced and is not usually associated with laughter. Gargalesis, by contrast, involves applying greater pressure to particular sensitive areas of the body, resulting in an intense sensation accompanied by laughter and violent bodily movements. Unlike knismesis, gargalesis cannot be self-induced and generally requires the involvement of another person. Hypergargalesthesia, as its name implies, refers to pathological sensitivity to gargaletic stimuli.
Ticklishness exists on a spectrum within the general population. Some individuals exhibit no ticklish reactions even when stimulated vigorously in typically sensitive areas, while others respond readily to tactile triggers. Hypergargalesthesia lies at the far extreme of this spectrum, representing a truly pathological condition that can significantly impair quality of life.
Clinical Presentation
The symptoms of hypergargalesthesia are as severe as they are consistent, setting this condition apart from normal ticklishness in several key respects:
Extreme Sensitivity
In individuals with hypergargalesthesia, even minimal stimulation of ticklish areas can trigger intense laughter and loss of bodily control.
Anticipatory Responses
The mere suggestion or anticipation of tickling may elicit a Pavlovian reflex of ticklish reactions.
Cataclysmic Reactions
When subjected to deliberate tickling that most people would consider mildly annoying at worst, or even pleasurable, findividuals with hypergargalesthesia experience cataclysmic reactions. These may include:
- Uncontrollable, explosive laughter
- Violent thrashing and muscle spasms
- Feeling of unbearable, overwhelming torture
While typical ticklish responses can be influenced by factors such as mood, context, or familiarity with the tickler, individuals with hypergargalesthesia report consistently extreme reactions regardless of external factors. This invariability is a hallmark of the condition.
Incongruence Between Laughter and Distress
It is crucial to note that despite the presence of laughter that is apt to be extreme, individuals with hypergargalesthesia uniformly report the experience of being tickled as intensely unpleasant, frequently using the word "torture" to describe their ordeal. This disconnect between the outward appearance of mirth and the internal experience of distress can lead to significant misunderstandings and interpersonal complications.
