"It's just that no-one else seems puzzled..." I'm not sure I know what you mean... If you mean puzzled by SM in this story, then you are not right! :-)
Yeah, I think the negative response to the SM has been more about disliking the pain aspect of it (and perhaps the humiliation, too), whereas I can't understand (and I'm repeating myself again) why someone would want to do something like stick a ball into their mouth or why someone else would want them to, I'm finding it hard seeing any connection between that act and the other acts of S&M (which I'm not criticising in any way). But what's the difference between the leather ball bit and donning a silly hat or a clown's mask? It just seems a ludicrous thing to do! Everyone to their own but I don't understand the sexual turn-on which the ball seems to have on Bodie. Giving yourself over to someone and allowing them to whip you, yes, I can get that, but standing there with your face bulging and eyes probably popping seems more like a good recipe for a sexual turn-*off*...
(But I think I've just spied a fuller response to my question further down from lysimache in that there *is* a physcial response, so that helps me to understand the whole thing a bit more!).
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2009-04-18 08:41 am (UTC)I'm not sure I know what you mean... If you mean puzzled by SM in this story, then you are not right! :-)
Yeah, I think the negative response to the SM has been more about disliking the pain aspect of it (and perhaps the humiliation, too), whereas I can't understand (and I'm repeating myself again) why someone would want to do something like stick a ball into their mouth or why someone else would want them to, I'm finding it hard seeing any connection between that act and the other acts of S&M (which I'm not criticising in any way). But what's the difference between the leather ball bit and donning a silly hat or a clown's mask? It just seems a ludicrous thing to do! Everyone to their own but I don't understand the sexual turn-on which the ball seems to have on Bodie. Giving yourself over to someone and allowing them to whip you, yes, I can get that, but standing there with your face bulging and eyes probably popping seems more like a good recipe for a sexual turn-*off*...
(But I think I've just spied a fuller response to my question further down from lysimache in that there *is* a physcial response, so that helps me to understand the whole thing a bit more!).