The Thomas Silk 15-Minute Rule of Bondage

There have been a couple of models that have told us about a 15 minute rule...if you are strictly bound and uncomfortable, the producer must release you within 15 minutes (or less) or something like that.  We have no issues with that.  Our bondage, while secure, was rarely so uncomfortable that models complain.  We often had models bound for much longer than 15 minutes.  But there is another 15 minute rule...one that I developed.  If your heroine is bound for 15 minutes and can not get free herself or get her gag off, she will never get free or get her gag off (assuming her situation stays the same)!  This is one of the Thomas Silk Rules of Bondage.

What I mean by that is if there is a flaw in the bondage, the heroine will discover it within 15 minutes of struggling or less.  If she can't find a flaw in the bondage, she will remain bound and gagged until her situation changes. Why would she be able to get free or get her gag off after hours of being securely bound and gagged?  It just doesn't happen, although it makes for great TV!  

What do I mean by her situation?  The heroine's situation is generally the location where she is bound.  One assumes that the villain would leave her where he or she feels the heroine can't find something to help her get free.  If she can move to another location by rolling on the floor, by inching across the floor, by moving the chair she is bound to, etc., she can change her situation and perhaps get to something that might help her to get free.  

Flaws in her bondage could be ropes (or tape) that are not tight enough.  It could be ropes that are not anchored properly so they move from the desired position on the body.  It could be a granny knot instead of a square knot.  It could be gag not tied tightly enough.  It is easy to make a mistake when tying someone, particularly when they are struggling.  If you do make an error, the heroine will probably discover it just by desperation struggling.  That is,  random struggling without a specific purpose.  Something will loosen or a cord will give away or the gag will slip.

Flaws in a heroine's bondage also include omission.  By that I mean the villain has not secured the heroine sufficiently for the situation.  Perhaps the most common flaw we see on TV and the movies is the hands tied in front.  This is certainly more comfortable for the heroine, but it provides the least amount of restraint.  Even if anchored with cords around the body or to the knees, it is much easier for the heroine to reach her gag.  Many young women are amazingly flexible.  I have seen our models reach their gags with their hand under their knees.  [Remember, she can bend her head down in many cases.]  Hands tied behind her back?   Better anchor them so she can't bring them around in front.

Gags, any type of gag, can be problematic.  Another one of Thomas Silk's Rules of Bondage...The Bondage is only as good as the heroine's gag!  By that I mean, you can tie the heroine up so she can't even squirm, but if she can be heard by someone, she can be rescued.  So a gag is, of course, an extremely important part of the heroine's bondage.   I hear the tape or the ballgag lover's saying...a heroine could work an OTM cloth gag off of her mouth over time or the cloth stuffing could become wet and be easier to push past a cleave gag.   Perhaps, but I would argue that the flaw was there to begin with.  The gag was not tight enough.  The cleave was too small or the stuffing was too small.  Within 15 minutes, the heroine would have worked her gag moving her mouth every possible way.  Any slippage of an OTM gag would start by then.  As for stuffing, a lot of the shrinkage should happen within the first 15 minutes.  It would be obvious (if the damsel isn't too scared to think about it) as to whether the stuffing could be pushed past a cleave.

As for tape, I have seen models work tape off of their mouths, particularly the single piece slapped over the mouth without stuffing.  I have also seen ballgags popped out of a model's mouth when not secured tightly enough...it sure looked tight when it was put on!  In fact, one of our models, Kimberly Marvel claims that she can get out of any gag put on her...I think she can dislocate her jaw or something.

What about the villain?  He or she should check their captive frequently the first 15 minutes.  Most flaws in their bondage will be obvious to the villain by then and difficult for the damsel to hide.  In fact, leaving the heroine alone to struggle for a few minutes after she is bound is an excellent idea (for the villain, but not if you are role playing in real life).  The natural instinct for the heroine would be to try to get free.  Returning, the villain would discover if his or her bondage is really secure.

There is an interesting show on TV called Once Upon a Time and in one episode a major character was given a drugged drink in a cup.  She woke up to find her wrists taped behind her back and her ankles also taped.  A scarf was cleave gagged in her mouth.  [Okay, TV bondage.]  She looked around, put a pillow over the cup, stomped on it with shoes (Really?  I doubt that would work in real life!) and used the broken cup to cut the tape.  With a bit of TV editing, she was free in less than 30 seconds.  The flaw in her bondage...this is a tough one.  Did she change her situation by finding the cup and stomping on it?  Perhaps.  She would't have gotten free (as soon) without the cup being there.  The fact is that she was securely bound, as far as it went.  She wouldn't have easily gotten free by just struggling.  However, I would probably argue that given her situation, the flaw in her bondage was one of technique (what was used) or omission (not tying her sufficiently).  For instance, it is unlikely that she would have sawed through rope or cord with a piece of the cup...sorry tape lovers.  Or if she had been hogtied, she couldn't have stomped on the cup in the first place.  

As a side note...The character in that TV show then walks down the hall and discovers another woman bound to a chair (with rope) and cleave gagged.  She wasn't able to escape because there were no flaws in her bondage, one assumes.

The 15 minute rule comes from the old saying that if you do the same thing over and over again, you will always get the same results.  That is also is true of heroine's struggling in bondage.  If they can't get free in 15 minutes, their bondage will keep them secure until they are rescued, untied by the villain, or figure our a way to change their situation.


Comments, as always, are welcome.

Copyright 2012 Knotty Silk Scarf Productions