What really does it mean to you? (All tags)

[JennyTied]

Does TUG/Bondage mean:

A) Fun (esp for under 18)

B) Fetish

C) A way to relax and improve mental health

D) Just curious not really into it

[abcdefsmith3]

B

[tiedinbluetights]

A very good question, and one that requires more choices! For me it would be both A (Fun) and C (A way to relax and ...). But it is also so much more. For example, both my wife and I prefer it when I'm tied-up wearing tights and spandex leotards, so there is some fetish elements at play as well. Also, TUG/Bondage has always been an integral part of who I am at the core. Since the earliest times I can remember, I've wanted to be tied-up. If i go more than a couple of months without being just tied-up or tied-down to some furniture, for at least 30 minutes, I become very anxious and stress, grumpy even, to the point that I become less effective at everything I do (work, play, etc.).

While I mostly do self-bondage, I'm also fortunate enough to have a lovely and caring wife who understands me and helps me whenever I get stressed-out (there is nothing more enjoyable for me than to have her apply the final ties that make my bondage inescapable by myself--30 minutes as my wife's captive, even if that's all that is done, with no additional kinks/fetishes, is enough for me to be over-joyed for days). Once secured, I can relax and just let go. That does not mean that sometimes there isn't the occasional fun, be it platonic games or more adult flavoured. But for the most part, I can just relax into the TUG/bondage, and let my mind relax and melt my fears, anxieties, and other stressors away.

So to me, it means everything! It a a core aspect of who I am. Without me being tied-up from time to time, I'd just be a constant bundle of nerves!

[OlderJ]

B - an arousing urge that builds to a peak 3 or 4 weeks after the most recent time.

[Red86]

To me A, B and C apply.

A, is really how this all started for me and still how I enjoy it today. Nothing sexual, I just like tying up others!

B, because there's a few items I may incorporate into bondage play beyond just tying someone up, there's definitely some fetish involved, even if it's mostly for my subs sake.

C, there's something calming just watching a sub relax while tied up. Even in my rare moments of switching, I've even found it very relaxing!

[Terry]

Mix of A and B but mostly A

[shyguy92]

A and C for me.
Halfway starting to explore B, but a lot of it seems to turn me off.

[Dpsiic]

Definitely A with a little B

[Flyingvulture]

B and possibly C, haven't "studied it enough"

[Captive-Monica98]

It's both B and C. Bondage is a great way for me to relax but there's certainly a fetish/sexual aspect to it for me that's difficult to ignore.

[sami200456boyfriend]

A and B

[captured_prize]

B and C for sure. I definitely get turned on being in bondage, but I also find it very relaxing and it's a great way to recharge my batteries. It's like an escape from everyday life for me.

[rafeylovesbonds]

B.

This is a really good question to have been raised, as it makes users of this Board actually think about why we are!

[ExcessivelyCurious]

A and B, which seems fairly common here. I enjoy being tied up, and to a lesser extent tying other people up. I enjoy the physical sensation, and the... dynamics? interactions? when I do it with the right person. That definitely can be sexual for me, but it also absolutely doesn't have to be.

Perhaps a shade of C as well, but for me that requires specific conditions I very rarely get to fulfil (i.e. somebody who is both willing and trusted to tie me up and leave me tied for a while).

[Trammel]

I would say all 3, although I am well over 18. Another choice for me would be the challenge of it. Trying to figure out how to escape, although I just like the feeling of being tied up and unable to escape.

[Monty]

A basically. I don't view it in the same way as sex, I can't really

[copperfox]

Wow, @tiedinbluetights, you summed up a lot about what bondage means to me as well!

For me, bondage is:

A (fun): I enjoy engaging in bondage just like I have fun with my other hobbies—a couple of which include running and scuba diving. Interestingly, love the feeling that comes after engaging in all three activities. I can be incredibly sore from running (both right after as well as the next day)—and the same is true after being tied up for a couple hours…especially if I’ve been struggling quite a bit. I love the sense of accomplishment I get from a long run or after surfacing from a particularly adventurous dive. I often get the same kind of “high” from an intense bondage session. I’m going to take a wild guess and say that, in all three instances, it’s the release of the same endorphins that gives this wonderful high.

Bondage is also just an interesting subject for me. I enjoy talking about it, buying new gear, and testing my limits (trying out new positions, for instance). I’m not a particularly artsy or creative guy—but I can get extremely creative with my bondage. So, in that capacity, it’s a really fun way of expressing myself through a unique and truly personal form of art.

B (fetish): Yep! Bondage is absolutely a kink for me, and has been ever since I discovered its connection to sex as a teen (thanks, Internet). Being tied up is a huge turn-on, to the point that my wife (of almost 20 years now) still doesn’t believe that bondage is anything but a kink. By that, I mean that if I tell her that I just need to be tied up to de-stress—she just thinks I’m horny and will want sex later. I understand why she feels this way, however. Even though I might initially have completely non-sexual reasons for wanting to be tied up—I’m usually completely and totally turned on within a few minutes of being bound and gagged. I can’t help it. It is what it is.

C (a way to relax and improve mental health): Absolutely also this! For me, being in tight and completely inescapable bondage is the best way for me to relax or unwind after a stressful day—or when I just need to deal with stress in general. It’s relaxing and comfortable. I can let go and simply enjoy the moment for what it is. It’s extremely paradoxical and there’s no way to explain it—I can be extremely sore (often finding it hard to walk) after a couple hours of being bound spread eagle or in a hogtie, but my body and mind feel totally relaxed and are completely refreshed. Do I find this weird and unexplainable? You bet.

But, there’s something else. I absolutely share @tiedinbluetights’s sentiment that “Bondage has always been an integral part of who I am at the core.” I couldn’t have said it any better. So, given that—what else does bondage really mean to me? Simply put—it’s a fundamental need for me. And interestingly—and I’ve thought a lot about it—the word “need” is absolutely the best and most fitting term that I can come up with here. And why does being tied matter to me so much? Short answer is this—I don’t know, and I don’t care! This is who I am, and that’s all that matters. (Sure, it would be nice to know exactly how and why my wires got crossed one day…but I’m not holding out hope that a discovery will be made anytime soon.)

Thanks for posting this question, it was fun to answer!

[Dickanddominthe]

A+B

Having someone under my control. Seeing how well I can restrain them
I enjoy seeing women tied.. Dunno why

[BoundSuperhero17]

Does TUG/Bondage mean:

A) Fun (esp for under 18)

B) Fetish

C) A way to relax and improve mental health

D) Just curious not really into it

Definitely C

Sometimes it can be B but I honestly just find it very relaxing

[RotiferTape]

C!! Definitely C. Sometimes I’ll just hang out and watch tv while bound and gagged. Or sleep while tied up.

[BoundSuperhero17]

C!! Definitely C. Sometimes I’ll just hang out and watch tv while bound and gagged. Or sleep while tied up.

I think we’re very similar!

[tiedinbluetights]

Thanks @copperfox for the mentions. I couldn't agree more with you and what you wrote! It is great to know that one is not alone in the way one's wires got crossed. And now that I'm past my mid-fifties, and experimentation with new positions to be tied-up in is becoming more difficult for me (let alone being bound for as long I used to like), I can look back at all those years of experiences, and finally say "although it would have been nice to know the why and how of my 'crossed-wires', it no longer matters for knowing would not have me want to change." Bondage is part of who i am.

We are both very fortunate to have wives who understand!

[Dpsiic]

@copperfox great answer, really sums up the way most of us here feel in my opinion.