That's not 'softcore', that's being realistic, sensible, and gentlemanly. And I am sure your fingers stay far busier than the ones who want to torture their ticklees for hours.
You have got this spot on in terms of what kind of am approach is ideal towards tickling. If the ler is considerate, most ticklees would love to experiment more with tickling and be willing to take more of it.
Can so totally relate to this. It's a major challenge to even keep the hands away from the body around someone who knows how ticklish my underarms are. And if I am tied that helplessly and teased so badly, I'd be going crazy in my mind well before the tickling starts.