The Lure of the Unwilling Victim

Through fiction, we can explore the dark sides of human character without condoning or encouraging such traits.

In spanking fiction, we have a head start in that pleasure from pain is pretty much seen to be on the dark side of our personalities.   But it goes deeper than that for most spankos.

In real life, I would hazard a guess that all participants in all adult spankings are willing volunteers.   Some may be suppressing a natural aversion to the activity, but are willing to undergo the ordeal because it gives their partner so much pleasure.   The willingness is not because of a liking of spankings per se, but the liking of a person who does.

And yet in fiction, over and again the person who gets spanked is very much against the idea.   Blackmail, duty or some newly invented disciplinary regimen makes the hapless lady (sometimes a gent, but usually a lady) accept a non-consensual beating that in real life would surely lead to very serious consequences for the person dishing out the good hiding.  But because she wants to keep her job, or has maxed out her credit cared, or what other non-consensual set up is in play - she reluctantly allows her bottom to be given a good thrashing.

Not only do authors turn to such devices as a standard plotting technique, when the author has the ability to track how many readers read his or her tales - the non-consensual ones have a far higher number of reads.

Which, I think, reveals a well kept secret for those who are tops, doms or whatever name we use to describe a person who enjoys delivering the spanking.    Knowing that the victim, willing or otherwise, is not enjoying the pain their bottom is feeling gives the scene a tighter "edge".   The top lives off the echo of the pain felt by the partner:  the sharper the pain, the stronger the echo.   Unwelcome pain is far sharper than one that is acting as a turn on.  

So - in real life, we strive to make the spanking to be exactly the one that our partner wishes to receive.   But when between book covers rather than bed covers - the more she hates it, the more satisfactory we find it.

After all, it is only pretend.   Except that sometimes our partner may try to act as if she really is not enjoying herself, just to add to our buzz.   We humans are very complex people.