Tickling: A normal fetish (true story, explicit content)

[Snail Shell]

The following story is true. I'm posting it here to initiate a conversation about tickling as a fetish when compared to other fetishes. The names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent and my own unique voice of common sense has been inserted (in brackets) for comedic effect. That being said, I proudly present:

MY SINFUL SATURDAY: A Comedy of Errors, or maybe a Tragedy of Triumphs
by Snail Shell

Most people I've seen on these forums aren't particularly happy about how ticklephiles are seen in society. This point of view along with my anticipation of the next tk gathering lead me to Sinful Saturday (sounds friendly enough). Sinful Saturday is apparently an annual underground fetish party in downtown Toronto which welcomes fetishists of all kinds to a safe, open forum (makes me wonder why I have to sign a waiver to get in.) The rule that everyone tends to go by is ‘I'll indulge your fetish if you indulge mine'. Fair enough.

Of course, I'm sitting here thinking ‘what could possibly be stranger than a special interest in tickling?' (I never said I was bright).

I head into the club not knowing exactly what to expect but still thinking of finding a tk victim for some of the evening. I think I caught more attention upon my arrival than I expected seeing as how I was the only person NOT wearing all black. (So much for singing The Rainbow Connection for karaoke).

I walk around, mostly keeping to myself as I usually do in these situations. I got a drink at the bar and smiled quietly to myself. I would have been totally at ease in this place if it hadn't been for the screaming pain in my left arm. I spin around and there's this short little redhead there smiling who says her name is Brittany. Still a little more shocked than anything else, I ask ‘what was that?'. She says, ‘that was a little introduction. I'm a biter.' (To hell with first impressions, this is a first permanent mark.) We continued the conversation from there as she told me about how teeth are sexual organs and how I have a good solid tooth colour, but my tooth pattern could use work. (Orthodontist in the making?)

I decided to keep my skin intact and move on. A little while later, in a small group conversation, a girl named Amy starts chatting with me and we got onto the topic of the evening. It turns out she wasn't ticklish which she thought was really too bad. (I thought so too). Why? Here's one for the historic book of quotes. She says to me, "You seem like a really nice guy and I was really looking forward to having your abortion." Yep, her fetish was the idea of getting pregnant and doing away with the embryo. (I'm guessing she's Pro-Choice).

A few hours and several bizarre conversations later about licking, tattoos, piercings, metal, sunburns, furry costumes and more types of bondage than I knew could possibly exist (what the hell's an ‘Uncle Sam's Corkscrew'?), I take a seat on a vacant couch to realize I'm in over my head here (I'm somewhere in between ‘I need a drink', ‘I need a shower' and ‘I need a revolver'.) I probably would have given up and left had it not been for the girl on the next couch sitting alone reading a book. I figure one last try and then I'll pack it in (Rocky didn't go down, why should I?)

Upon talking to this girl, Vanessa, she actually acted more nervous about being there than I did. We chatted aimlessly for a while and got the awkward small talk out of the way. Turns out it was her first time at the party too. (It's of note that at this time, someone across the room yelled ‘OW! YOU BIT ME!').

I started the ball on the fetish talk. She actually thought tickling might be fun, so I asked if she wanted to try it. She was interested, but she didn't think I'd be interested in hers. (All power to shields Mr. Worf. Brace for impact). She has what she called a medical fetish (any specific virus or will any one do?). I asked her to enlighten me.

After almost 24 years of a rather interesting life, not to mention the previous four hours or so, I thought I was ready for just about anything. But nothing really prepares you for a shy, sweet Lisa-Loeb-looking bookworm saying, "I can't have an orgasm unless my partner is actively bleeding." (Check please. Sloop John B wants to go home.)

Instead of acting like I'd been struck by lightening, which may well have been wise, I instead asked, "But, don't most guys need their blood to perform in bed?". We both had a really good laugh about that one, after which she acted all shy and embarrassed again.

I don't know why I did what I did, but it's too late now I guess. I asked her, "is there anywhere specific your partner needs to be bleeding?" Never in my life have I ever seen a girls face light up with hope so fast as Vanessa's did when I asked this. She says it helps if she can see it. (Which, during sex, narrows it down to THE FACE. :S). Something deep down inside said ‘I've bled for worse'. We went off to find a private room.

Counting breaks to catch her breath, I tickled her for about an hour and a half. She wasn't horribly ticklish (like some others I could name. You know who you are.), but it was still lots of fun and I got some good giggles out of her.

As for what happened next, I won't go into the gory (no pun intended) details, but suffice it to say I held up my end of the bargain. (If I pass out during, don't take it personally. In fact, call an ambulance.)

Afterwards, we determined that a relationship isn't what either of us want and we've decided on ‘good friends with occasional privileges'. We're keeping in touch and soforth.

I bring this story up because while most ‘normal' people would think the tk community is weird, those in the fetish community think of it as totally acceptable and, to be honest, rather tame. What do you think of THAT?

1st moral of the story: The next time someone calls you a weirdo, freak or worse remember, you're totally not.

2nd moral of the story: It's always the quiet ones...

Snail Shell

PS - I don't think me and Vanessa qualify as ‘love' per sey, but I still think this song applies. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRDi67G0Siw&search=white stripes

 

[chi_tickler_jon]

Hey that was a good story. You're right, we aren't really all THAT weird, comparatively speaking. There are a lot of different interests out there. Funny thing is, I didn't know that tickling fetishes existed until ten years ago when I walked into an adult store and saw the videos in the bondage section. I then knew that what I felt was not exclusive to myself but out there and enjoyed by some others as well. I finally started to understand that what the hell I was feeling was somewhat OK lol. Much later, when I had started attending parties designed for foot lovers I got to some some of our own ilk and could relate. I like our fetish! Take care.

Jon

 

[lk70]

Snail Shell, that was a highly interesting and enteraining read. Thank you! I was chatting with some full-time, lifestyle, S&M folks yesterday, as well as with one "normal" tk person like myself and we were commenting on how many S&M folks have a disdain for tickling or even a fear of it. It's been discussed many times here before so I won't go into it again, but I'm pleased to see you found a fetish place that accepted it.

I will say this though- no matter how "normal" your fetish is, you, my friend, will never be normal....

 

[milagros317]

Thanks for posting your experience, Snail Shell. 😀

I've been going to professional dungeons for 7 years now. I have heard of many fetishes that are obscure and bizarre. I must admit I never heard of two of the fetishes you describe: The one you indulged for the quiet woman, and the fetish of having an abortion.

 

[Rastafarian]

HA HA HA HA HA HA!

That was an awesome story - thank you so much for posting that.

I didn't know we were that "normal" either, but even that point is secondary to the sheer hilarity in your story.

Someone just walked up to you and BIT you? Then immediately commented on your tooth color and tooth makeup? Priceless!

 

[DannyMc]

That was quite an experience you went through , to come across so many peoples fetishes in one place , don't blame you for being nervous . Well you stuck in there and did meet someone that liked tickling , good for you and a few lessons on the side as well .

 

[Capnmad]

That must have been an interesting affair... Certainly educational. I wish I knew of something like that down here, simply for curiosity's sake.

An abortion fetish? Um... Pardon my inability to understand/appreciate that particular practice, but... Ew. That I've never heard of. And I could have lived my life happily never having done so. I wonder what the attraction could possibly be? I would have also imagined most fetishes to be of an immediate payoff variety: tickling, sadism, torture, bleeding, any variety of things sensual or simply visible usually involve immediate or near immediate gratification... An abortion fetish strikes me as unusually long-term... Though I imagine some gamblers purchase powerball tickets or somesuch to fantasize about the payoff for days -- maybe that's analogous to the reward -- the notion -- but, well... Ew.

The medical/bleeding fetish I've heard of, as with the biter, though I think I would have refrained from giving myself much more than a rough dry shave for the Lisa Loeb-esque girl -- though I rather doubt that'd be enough to do it for her. Though, depending on the circumstances... Hm... I don't know. I suppose I'm not opposed to giving blood in more traditional, clinical settings... And in a round about way, both parties would be the beneficiaries... ...What an unusual proposal to have to weigh.

Be careful, though -- even minor facial wounds tend to bleed heavily.

Play safe, and take care.

Thanks for posting this, though... Very interesting.

 

[Vae]

I just read this story aloud to my fiance. He has his own quirks too and we both nodded in agreement (and got a good laugh) on how good this story was. Such a great way to put it!

I've talked this over with a friend of mine. I'm becoming less and less closerted about my fetish. The more people I tell, the more I realize that people don't think I'm weird. Some (more often than not, actually) people have gone, "Wow, that is so neat!" Or "man... I gotta try it." They may not have the fetish, but the activity sounds fun anyway. My favorite reaction is, "Bah, you're a vanilla." Yes. Someone has called me a vanilla because they thought my fetish was so "soft."

Either way, we've got nothing on some of these other types. Tickling is really not a big deal. 🙂

 

[Snail Shell]

Well, I'm glad everyone enjoyed the story. I just think it's really cool that among fetishes, tk is seen as pretty normal. There was one guy there who, when I told him about tk, laughed and said 'that's not a fetish'. We all though it was pretty funny.

I've always been of the opinion that everyone has SOMETHING that interests them outside of the sexual side of a relationship, be something as simple as blue eyes or red hair. It was pretty interesting to hear about some of the more radical sides of this funny little muddle called 'play'.

I will say this though- no matter how "normal" your fetish is, you, my friend, will never be normal....

I will take that as a compliment! 😀 Thanks Lynn!

Snail Shell

 

[KittenToes]

Tickling as Seen by BDSMers

That was hilarious, SnailShell. I totally lost it when you described the biter.
I have read about the abortion fetish, but never personally encountered it.

Anyhow, on the topic of how the BDSM community at large sees tickling, there are basically two camps, in my experience. One that sees it as borderline vanilla, and the other that considers it an absolute hard limit. I've got a few funny anecdotes on the latter topic.

There is a young lady of Jon's and my acquaintance who is what would be classified as an extreme masochist. We aren't talking a bit of flogging, spanking or caning here- she enjoys having large metal spikes put through her neck and chest, loves knifeplay, and is often suspended from the ceiling by large hooks inserted into her back and legs.
However... she said that when her boyfriend tickled her once, just for fun, she chased him around the kitchen with a large chef's knife and did not put it down for the next 5 hours. I enjoy teasing her by asking her if she is ready to try tickling yet. The answer is always no and that this is a very hard limit. Her only limit, it seems.

Another one was a girl I met at an all women's BDSM munch. She proudly informed me of how sexually adventurous she was and that she was willing to try anything. She was willing to top, to bottom, with men, or women, threesomes, moresomes, pain play, asphyxiation, you name it, she said she'd give it a go at least once. I said " How are you with tickling?" She let out an unearthly shriek, followed by a loud "NO!!! That is my ONLY limit!" She looked at me with shock and awe and asked if I allowed myself to be tickled. "Yes, of course" I said."It's quite fun". She then informed me that I was far braver than she. Huh???

3rd anecdote. Last night, I was at a huge fetish all day event with Jon. I met a friend there and was checking out a particularly elaborate piece of bondage furniture with her. I commented how useful it could be for tickle torture. I have never seen a look of purer terror in my life. She didn't even want to hear the word. And she also is quite "adventurous".

On the topic of that party, since I have heard in the past that many women avoid large events because of worries about uninvited touching: said groping does happen on occasion, but rarely. Well, J. had asked me to inform him if it ever happened to me, assuming I could pinpoint the offender. Last night it did. The first touch could have been an accidental brush, but the second time when the fellow passed by and gave my bottom a definite squeeze, I knew it was no accident. I pointed him out as requested. The next thing I knew J. had disappeared. I assumed he'd gone to find the guy and request an apology. I asked a terrified looking female sub and her even more frightened-looking (and much smaller) dom if they had seen where he had gone. As the bodacious collared lady pointed a shaky finger in the correct direction, I heard 2 sickeningly loud whipcracks from the next room. I guess the groper had not complied quickly enough with the request for apologies. Quite a novelty, that, as one of J's hard limits is whipping men.

My apologies for that digression. The point I'm trying to make is while many might view this kink as quite vanilla, and I myself see it as one of the more benign of my kinks, there are "hardcore" BDSMers who are filled with terror by its mere mention.

To each his own. They can have their asphyxiations and fishhooks. I'll keep my tickling.

 

[DannyMc]

Kitten Toes , why are they affraid , just curious .

 

[Snail Shell]

That's a very interesting point KT. I think it's also about what you're into and what you can take physically and mentally. All the things I heard at the party were a little unnerving to me because, while I've lived my whole life as a ticklephile, I've never explored it in person. It's totally something else when you hear these things in real life.

Almost makes you wonder what would happen if you got one of those people who were terrified of being tickled into a session eh? 😉

Snail Shell

 

[KittenToes]

Kitten Toes , why are they affraid , just curious .

My guess is a fear of complete loss of control. It is possible to maintain mental control through quite a bit of pain, if your tolerance is high, but tickling is something that completely takes away your control of a situation if you are ticklish enough. It is the only thing that can make me completely "lose it". Which is why, although I do consider it one of the most innocent of my kinks, I never allowed previous boyfriends to tickle me, and do not let anyone besides J. tickle me now. It's a trust thing.

Almost makes you wonder what would happen if you got one of those people who were terrified of being tickled into a session eh?

It is quite an interesting question. I know I'd like to find out. Logistically, it is difficult because one must respect limits. However, if it was possible to find someone for whom tickling was a hard limit, but who had forgotten to inform me of the fact in advance, I know for a fact that Jon would be quite keen to watch me experiment on some hapless creature. Who knows. Perhaps converts can be made.

 

[sole seeker]

A great post, SnailShell. I like your writing style. Good humor.

So you opted for the bleeder, huh? ... Personally, I'd have been tempted to go with the abortion seeker. I figure this isn't something I'm gonna have to witness - assuming she wasn't talking D and C that same evening!

In my imagination, I can see this going down something like this:
Il tickle you now... (oh boy!)
We have sex now... (hot damn!)
For the next three weeks you can be thrilled that you might need an abortion.
Hey knock yourself out!

 

[Mz Chaos]

Highly entertaining and pretty darned amusing to one who wasn't there.

I have a MySpace and those on my friends list can vouch for the fact that they get some pretty strange and more often than not funny comment graphics from me.

In my search for these tidbits, I have come across many that say "spank me" or "spank dat azz" but I have found only two that can apply to tickling. For a person who is an admitted wuss when it comes to pain of ANY kind, it amazes me that society accepts spanking but either doesn't give a thought to tickling or just doesn't accept it.

Of course, for me... It still doesn't compute when it comes to folks who are ticklish but don't like to be tickled, or folks who just aren't ticklish at all. I kinda feel sorry for them. As far as I'm concerned... they're missing out on something great.

But... to get back on track... I appreciate your enlightenment of other fetishes out there, ones I never would have imagined existed. Abortion??? Kinda makes me feel like this love of tickling I have is pretty darned mild. At least it doesn't require my 'Ler to be dripping gore while we have our session.

I also think you deserve a medal for going above and beyond the call of duty for the sake of the cause.

 

[alchemy]

That was funny man! Yeah, that reminds me of similar experiences I've had at bdsm gatherings. I usually leave them saying something to the tune of "you know what, ticking is ok. Shit, I'm damn near normal."

 

[Mastertank1]

I've run into all KINDS of kinks;

When I bouncered at BDSM clubs in NYC.
I think the two oddest were
1-the guy whose fetish was to be a chicken or turkey bound for roasting, with his Domme periodically basting and pounding him with one of those serrated surface meat tenderizing hammers while she roasted him. Whew
2-the small group of NecroPsittacophiles. They get off on dead parrots. Seriously. No joke. Straaaaaaaaaaaange!

At those clubs I ran into many many subs who were into recieving hard pain or even severe damage, but the threat of tickling reduced them to gibbering terror.

I agree that it's a control thing, and a trust thing.

Just BTW; at any club where I was the bouncer, no one ever touched any woman without her explicit permission. Jonmath's reaction was very much like my own.

 

[Snail Shell]

Oh, it's totally a trust thing. If you can't the person who's going to tie you to something solid and tickle the living crap out of you, who can you trust right? 😉 And yeah, you gotta respect the rules. Some of the people who attend these gatherings have 5th degree black belts in 'big'. Jonmath's reaction sounds pretty reasonable in a gathering sort of way.

And thanks again to everyone who likes my writing ability. 😀

I also gotta say, those are pretty far out there MasterTank. I didn't run into anything that extreme at the gathering, but then, I didn't talk to everyone there. Ah well, next time! 🙂

Snail Shell

 

[Capnmad]

2-the small group of NecroPsittacophiles. They get off on dead parrots. Seriously. No joke. Straaaaaaaaaaaange!

Are you sure they weren't just really passionate Monty Python fans?

Mr. Praline: "'E's not pinin'! 'E's passed on! This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed 'im to the perch 'e'd be pushing up the daisies! 'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!!"

 

[Bagelfather]

club fetish

I have heard of most of the stuff in your story, but the lady randomly biting you is wrong in the "non-consentual" sense. For starters its a bad idea because of potential disease factors. She may not try to break skin but it could happen accidentally.

Okay that part aside I have actually found more acceptance of tickling in the BDSM community than I first encountered. It is interesting to note that I am dating a sub of a sadist friend of mine. Tickling does NOT interest him in the least. In fact laughter of any kind during sex or a scene is an instant drop in sexual interest*.

You will have to find my thread on 'I made a convert' where I talked about this wonderful lady in my life. He doesn't understand tickling but now she does. She isn't a heavy laugher or anything like that but she squirms and begs, and cries out quite often. Our scenes do not go too long because of a few factors: 1) it becomes REALLY sexually charged fast and other things take place and 2) part of my negotition with her master is that she can only have ONE master, and so I cannot top her which includes no restraints. I am strong but I'm no Superman.

I have used the holding pennies between fingers bit with her as a mental challenge which she likes. She has gotten much better than her first time of 3 minutes to between 10 and 15 (I lost track of time).

Yes many of you are going to say that this is topping in a scene, but he doesn't see it that way when it comes to tickling so it is okay.

When I have been to the local scene I have heard of tickling talked of and seen it briefly in other scenes. I think more people avoid it because pain can be blocked and tickling cannot.

* Please do not put your judgments upon him and say he is wrong in this view. Everyone is different and has different likes and needs. Just because he doesn't like it doesn't mean he thinks it is bad in general. He doesn't get it but he is respectful of those who do.

 

[Mastertank1]

No, not Monty Python fans;

Are you sure they weren't just really passionate Monty Python fans?

Mr. Praline: "'E's not pinin'! 'E's passed on! This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed 'im to the perch 'e'd be pushing up the daisies! 'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!!"

These people used dead parrots as sexual fetish items. They were eventually banned from the club becausde the manager was afraid of Psittacosis (parrot fever) contagion. And again, no I'm not kidding.

 

[stripes226]

Snail, that was an awsome story! I needed a story like that to wake me up this morning, haha!

It's always SUCH a relief to hear that we're semi-normal 😉 Thanks for sharing!

 

[Oz_Monk]

your recoun of the experience with the biter was hilarity in a haversack, my man. the part about the abortion fetish was..... somewhere between and 😕 with a fairly large dollop of creepy thrown in, thus creating a very suspect sauce. as for the medical/bleeder lady: no thanks, i prefer keeping my red stuff on the inside. still, not the weirdest i have heard now, thanks to mastertanks dead parrot sketch: it's like the internet is an oil rig plumbing new depths of the deeply uncomfortable.

anyway, man thanks for the wonderfully entertaining account. you go through all that so we dont have to!

kudos, kudos.

 

[Ticklee1973]

Snail, that was flippin hilarious, you definitely have a way with words. I was practically on the floor laughing reading that. I guess you could say it was uh interesting to say the least.

Sandee

 

[Snail Shell]

Everyone likes my writing! Hooray! Thanks Sandee!

As far as 'normal' versus 'abnormal' for fetishes, I don't think it's that at all. Everyone's got something and as long as nobody's getting hurt (non-consentually I mean), I don't see any problem with it. I guess normal shouldn't be the word I used. Maybe 'less extreme'. My bad.

As for the dead parrot thing, I totally understand removing them from the club MT. You can never be too careful when handling stuff like that when you're working with your health. 🙂

Snail Shell