Knockout, Fight or Surrender?

[banshee]

When it comes to parts of a story when one character has to be captured and tied up by its enemies/rivals/antagonists, there are generally three ways in which this is done.

a. The character is knocked out and wakes up to find themselves restrained.

b. The character puts up a fight but is subdued and tied up.

c. The character decides to surrender and allow themselves to be bound and maybe even gagged too.

Do you prefer any of the above in particular? Do you think there's an option I'm missing? If so comment about it, I'm interested in knowing what people think about this.

[wrathofcon]

I really like scenarios A and B. Lately Ive been leaning towards knockouts (be it via force or a more subdued method like chloroform), but a good struggle is very nice to watch.

I think it comes to medium. In writing, a knockout is more appealing to hear the internal thoughts of the victim-to-be. But in visual format like a video, a struggle is better for me.

[Kyle]

A struggle and capture is usually my favorite, though sometimes, one of the others is better and makes more sense for a scene. I'd rather have a good surrender scene than a bad fight/subdue one any day.

[ExcessivelyCurious]

Ultimately whatever makes sense for the scene.

I think my favourite is probably fight/struggle. Maybe the victim even manages to get a hit in on the captor and angers them, making them tie them up tighter as payback.

Knockouts can be a good "simple" solution. As people have pointed out elsewhere they're generally quite unrealistic, but then realism doesn't tend to matter much in these stories.

[puddy300]

I think the fight/struggle is my favorite as well. It's great when someone is trying their hardest to avoid being tied up, but it's not enough, and they end up bound in spite of their struggles. Gives the captor a great opportunity to tie them tighter/more uncomfortably, too, which is good in a story.

There is some appeal to someone who realizes the situation and allows themselves to be tied up though. I'm always a fan of someone voluntarily submitting and giving up their freedom.

[Terry]

B mostly but also C but never A.

[PilotDrew]

I find the whole knocked-out idea a little overplayed, it can be good at times but I personally think it's an easy way out. Subdued allows a little more room for the imagination, but I really love the surrender type of submission, especially when the person surrendering is in some sort of authority position. The idea of a captive surrendering themselves leaves a lot to be explored!

[DeeperThanRed]

I'll admit, I tend to go for A mostly because it makes it easier to write any type of restraint you want without thinking too much about how to force the victim into it.

Option B is great for writing a defiant captive and C is my favorite for humiliation-focused stories. All of them have their advantages.

[Treville]

I prefer fight and surrender but I tend to lean towards surrender. It is something very humiliating when the captive gives in that really appeals to me. Knowing that there is nothing to do but to get tied up.

[sami200456boyfriend]

Fight!

[Lara]

They all have their advantages.

A fight means there's a lot of action, greating more tension when reading. Maybe the victim escapes at first but the attackers catch up a bit later and eventually win. A fight can also turn the table, setting the previous victims on a revenge path as they are now in charge over their previous captors and make them taste their own medicine.

A knockout can be useful if you don't want to set the focus on the process of capturing and tying somebody, but on what comes afterwards. Might be the best option if you want to create a concise story. Also being knocked-out is a fetish for some and if enriched with details can be enjoyable by those. For example, you could describe how they get a substance injected and how it burns as it travels through the veins, etc.

A surrender allows for more complex and neat bondage or can be the setup for some light-hearted fun between friends. Or you make it comical by creating an over-cooperative character. Imagine for example, that a first-time robber accidentally meets the home-owner (the robber thought they were gone) and now has to improvise. The victim becomes so frustrated with the robber's feeble bondage attempts that they start to give hints, like "no, don't try to gag me with just a single strip of tape. I could get rid of it too easily using my tongue. No, first you have to stuff some cloth in my mouth to prevent that, then wrap the tape all around my head." and the victim maybe even graps the tape does it themselves to the astonishment of the robber...

Also a special sub type of surrender is a game setting, were all contests agree to get tied up. Another subtype is coercion, e.g. they need to submit to cruel bondage games in order to become a member of a sorority.

As a reader I enjoy all of such scenarios.

[AlexUSA3]

A surrender allows for more complex and neat bondage or can be the setup for some light-hearted fun between friends. Or you make it comical by creating an over-cooperative character. Imagine for example, that a first-time robber accidentally meets the home-owner (the robber thought they were gone) and now has to improvise. The victim becomes so frustrated with the robber's feeble bondage attempts that they start to give hints, like "no, don't try to gag me with just a single strip of tape. I could get rid of it too easily using my tongue. No, first you have to stuff some cloth in my mouth to prevent that, then wrap the tape all around my head." and the victim maybe even graps the tape does it themselves to the astonishment of the robber...

I am actually imagining a very goofy story that could be written around this concept.

[KidnappedNatalieCD]

Voted for C. Besides reading about it, that is something I would like to happen to me.

[Fandango]

I think I'll go with D. Other.

Of the three provided I find that I prefer C. But I think that there is actually a fourth option that I prefer more. I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for when you ask if there is an option missing. But I think that "tricking" people into being tied up is by far my favorite. This oftentimes requires a more elaborate set-up, but I love the outcomes it provides. Depending upon the nature of the deception and the scheme it allows the captive to simultaneously be mad at their enemy / nemesis / betrayer for tricking them AND they can be mad at themselves for falling for it. I think it often creates an interesting dichotomy.

[tiedjay]

A combination of b and c for me. I like the idea of a resistence to slow realisation and submition. But I equally like the captor getting the drop on the hero and the resignation of having to surrender. Both are humiliating ends and so are fun elements

[RopeBunny]

Don't think I've ever written A?

B, I do, and can, go for some unwillingness, like a struggle but they lose. That's fun to both read and write, to daydream up . I think sometimes I go B but instead of an actual fight the character gets talked or tricked into the tie.

C, I do this often too. Can be easier to write, makes the tie up simpler too as there's nothing to write except the tie, no fighting. Plus surrendering lends an extra twist to the whole thing.

Good question, thanks for posting this.

[Ianc1980]

I like the combo of resistance and surrender.

The resistance shows the damsel is not keen to being bound and is going to do their best to prevent it from happening.

The surrender is great because they realize there is no use fighting and that soon they will find themselves bound.

I also love the dialogue that can take place at this moment…

“You have me, I surrender.”

“Ok, ok, I’m your prisoner.”

Placing their hands up or being seized by the villains are also fun instances in my opinion.

I can say that I dislike when the damsel is fully compliant to getting tied up.

[illest]

I like C, but I mainly like it in a blackmail scenario. Not only is it effective, but it leads the way to more humiliation and more blackmail. Like if someone has a bunch of humiliating pictures of you and unless you give in they'll be released to your friends and family. It pretty much makes you subservient to the captor and brings with it a sense of humiliation and defeat before acceptance.

[SweetDamsel]

I like C. I fantasize I’m a melodrama damsel in distress and they aren’t good at resisting the moustache-twirling villain. I know I’m weak, frail, helpless, and defenseless so once the villain grabs me by the wrist I’m in his clutches and I know I need a man to rescue me so I pretty much accept that he’s going to tie me to the railroad tracks and watch with wide eyes fluttering my eyelashes fearfully as he wraps the rope around my wrists, arms, knees, and ankles. I pretty much let him do it and just cry out for my brave hero to come to my rescue and await my gallant protector. If I do attempt to resist I just batter him prettily with my dainty fists which does nothing and he laughs at my feeble attempts to resist.

[Kyman2tieu]

When it comes to parts of a story when one character has to be captured and tied up by its enemies/rivals/antagonists, there are generally three ways in which this is done.

a. The character is knocked out and wakes up to find themselves restrained.

b. The character puts up a fight but is subdued and tied up.

c. The character decides to surrender and allow themselves to be bound and maybe even gagged too.

Do you prefer any of the above in particular? Do you think there's an option I'm missing? If so comment about it, I'm interested in knowing what people think about this.

I’ll take options B and C. Not into excessive violence in B

[Bunnyo]

When it comes to parts of a story when one character has to be captured and tied up by its enemies/rivals/antagonists, there are generally three ways in which this is done.

a. The character is knocked out and wakes up to find themselves restrained.

b. The character puts up a fight but is subdued and tied up.

c. The character decides to surrender and allow themselves to be bound and maybe even gagged too.

Do you prefer any of the above in particular? Do you think there's an option I'm missing? If so comment about it, I'm interested in knowing what people think about this.

I’ll take options B and C. Not into excessive violence in B

I agree on this one too. Whats the point of all the rough play if the captive is willing...

[lanadelgagged]

From a storytelling perspective I believe both A) and B) are the most compelling. It depends on the delivery of course, but the build-up to the moment a character becomes captive is very satisfying. For visual media option B appeals to me as the most stimulating, while less effective than A it gives the viewers a glimpse into the captive's struggle before the bonds are applied. Option C is the hardest to write and justify in my humble opinion, but given the appropriate context it can blend as well into the story as the other options.