I ran across this in a web search. It's from a website called Planet Out, which I'm assuming is primarily for Gay Men. Though the article is geared in that direction, I though it might be something everyone would get a buzz out of reading. I get a kick out of the term "T-Zone" to describe ticklish areas. Might be something I adopt to describe my own tickle spots or those of my Lees.
Joby
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Sex Talk
by Simon Sheppard
Speaking of Erotic Tickling
Three muscular, naked guys are pinning a fourth guy to a bed. They reach out to the bottom's vulnerable, squirming body, and ... start tickling him till he breaks down in hysterical laughter.
Yes, it's a tickle-porn video -- maybe not everyone's cup of erotic tea, but part of a growing scene. There are tickling Web sites, Tickle Master Magazine, and even Ticklefest, a yearly get-together of tickling devotees from all over the country. For most of us, it may seem a bit of a giggle, but guys who are into tickle-torture love it -- a lot.
Tickling enthusiast Ken Ludden, one of the organizers of the 1999 Ticklefest, praises the boyish spontaneity of the whole thing. Indeed, there's a sense of fun about the scene that harks back to boyhood moments when you got tickled till you just couldn't take any more. Though tickle-play often incorporates aspects of bondage and domination, many -- perhaps most -- tickle scenes don't include any genital sex, or even genital contact. Perhaps that's why a surprising number of straight-identified guys are eager to engage in a good sensual bout of man-to-man tickling.
Feet are, of course, ticklish spots for many of us, so there's a sizable overlap between tickling and the foot fetish scene. But not every bottom's feet are a major laugh-producing zone, or "T-spot". For some, it's the armpits, the sides or tummy, or the inner thighs. Part of the challenge to tickle-tops is discovering just which buttons to push, and how hard. The feather may be the symbol of the tickle scene, but many guys respond better to fingertips. Some get off on soft stroking, while others may need a rougher touch.
However they're produced, helpless shrieks of laughter are a hallmark of a successful scene. Unlike SM scenes, where bottoms can often process pain using breath control and concentration, a well-tickled bottom is pretty much past control, and the torture can be excruciating. Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, tickling seems to be one of the few scenes where tops outnumber bottoms.
Tickle scenes lend themselves to all sorts of role-play. Ticklefest '99, for example, was themed around fraternity initiation. A dozen "pledges," blindfolded and stripped down to their boxer shorts, were led through a dungeon with a variety of bondage apparatuses and brought from one play station to another, where they were restrained and tickled by a succession of tops with varying techniques and equipment. Gales of laughter filled the air as tops hit the "pledge"'s sweet spots. Finally, all the bottoms lay side-by-side and were gang-tickled for 10 solid minutes, until they were gasping for air (and the hard-working tops were about to collapse from overwork).
Sound like fun? In some ways, it's a form of S/M Lite, a way to explore bondage and domination without any dark, threatening overtones of pain. There is, more than one person told me, a certain amount of embarrassment and shame for some participants, who, unlike big, butch leather guys, get off on such "childish," "unmanly" play. But the concept of "play" is key. Good tickling scenes, with or without sex, can be deeply enjoyable and satisfactory for all concerned, a sensual, erotic experience.
For a fetish that's only been around in an organized scene for some 20 years, tickling has gained a core group of fervent ticklers and ticklees. For them, sexuality really is a laughing matter.
Joby
--------------------
Sex Talk
by Simon Sheppard
Speaking of Erotic Tickling
Three muscular, naked guys are pinning a fourth guy to a bed. They reach out to the bottom's vulnerable, squirming body, and ... start tickling him till he breaks down in hysterical laughter.
Yes, it's a tickle-porn video -- maybe not everyone's cup of erotic tea, but part of a growing scene. There are tickling Web sites, Tickle Master Magazine, and even Ticklefest, a yearly get-together of tickling devotees from all over the country. For most of us, it may seem a bit of a giggle, but guys who are into tickle-torture love it -- a lot.
Tickling enthusiast Ken Ludden, one of the organizers of the 1999 Ticklefest, praises the boyish spontaneity of the whole thing. Indeed, there's a sense of fun about the scene that harks back to boyhood moments when you got tickled till you just couldn't take any more. Though tickle-play often incorporates aspects of bondage and domination, many -- perhaps most -- tickle scenes don't include any genital sex, or even genital contact. Perhaps that's why a surprising number of straight-identified guys are eager to engage in a good sensual bout of man-to-man tickling.
Feet are, of course, ticklish spots for many of us, so there's a sizable overlap between tickling and the foot fetish scene. But not every bottom's feet are a major laugh-producing zone, or "T-spot". For some, it's the armpits, the sides or tummy, or the inner thighs. Part of the challenge to tickle-tops is discovering just which buttons to push, and how hard. The feather may be the symbol of the tickle scene, but many guys respond better to fingertips. Some get off on soft stroking, while others may need a rougher touch.
However they're produced, helpless shrieks of laughter are a hallmark of a successful scene. Unlike SM scenes, where bottoms can often process pain using breath control and concentration, a well-tickled bottom is pretty much past control, and the torture can be excruciating. Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, tickling seems to be one of the few scenes where tops outnumber bottoms.
Tickle scenes lend themselves to all sorts of role-play. Ticklefest '99, for example, was themed around fraternity initiation. A dozen "pledges," blindfolded and stripped down to their boxer shorts, were led through a dungeon with a variety of bondage apparatuses and brought from one play station to another, where they were restrained and tickled by a succession of tops with varying techniques and equipment. Gales of laughter filled the air as tops hit the "pledge"'s sweet spots. Finally, all the bottoms lay side-by-side and were gang-tickled for 10 solid minutes, until they were gasping for air (and the hard-working tops were about to collapse from overwork).
Sound like fun? In some ways, it's a form of S/M Lite, a way to explore bondage and domination without any dark, threatening overtones of pain. There is, more than one person told me, a certain amount of embarrassment and shame for some participants, who, unlike big, butch leather guys, get off on such "childish," "unmanly" play. But the concept of "play" is key. Good tickling scenes, with or without sex, can be deeply enjoyable and satisfactory for all concerned, a sensual, erotic experience.
For a fetish that's only been around in an organized scene for some 20 years, tickling has gained a core group of fervent ticklers and ticklees. For them, sexuality really is a laughing matter.
