So I thought it might be fun to examine some of the tropes in the ballbusting and testicle torture story genre. What is a trope, you ask? A trope is a truism or cliché used in some media genre type over and over again. Take for example the "noble savage" trope (Westerns, explorer stories, Avatar) used so frequently in novels and in movies. Or the "hero-must-fight-the-big-bad-at-the-end-of-the-story-alone" trope (Harry Potter series, Star Wars, classic myths) used in literature and other media. They are plot devices, descriptions or dialogue that are used (and over used) to make the viewer identify with that which is familiar. And while tropes aren't necessarily bad, they are usually noticeable (sometimes annoyingly so) in any media genre that uses them. So here are mine for the ballbusting/testicle torture genre:
1. Ballbusting is a sexual activity even though in real life it's most definitely not. Erections indicate the degree to which the bustee enjoys BB in lieu of sex.
2. At least one of the characters has to like ballbusting and the story is usually seen through his/her eyes.
3. There are three basic types of bustees in the genre - the ones who want it, the ones who are too submissive to stop it, and those who resent it but have no choice.
4. Testicles can take way more abuse in stories than in real life and they only are destroyed when it's sexually convenient for them to be.
5. As with most sex stories everyone is beautiful, well endowed and sexually available.
6. Classic characters like femme fatals, super butch men and servile males are common
7. Ballbusting only happens to males who have reached puberty. Children are never disciplined with nut pain.
8. There are three main divisions of the genre - ballbusting, testicle torture and cutting.
9. Lots of other fetishes are commonly seen in BB, often relating to feet (foot fetish, trampling, socks, etc.).
10. Ballbusting represents a sacrifice of some kind on the part of the bustee and a power role of some kind of the buster. Power differentials are at the heart of the genre.
Alex of Ballbusting Boys blog adds these:
1. Psychological humiliation is as important as physical humiliation. The buster(s) mock and humiliate the bustee(s), hurting both their egos and their balls.
2. Rarely does the genitalia of the bustee(s) fall into the standard size. It's either very big or very small, both of which can result in humiliation (see 1).
3. Most BB stories are a variation on one (or more) of the following themes: smug asshole gets what he deserves; devoted husband/son/father/partner/friend makes an extreme sacrifice; sexual experiment goes wrong; innocent character gets treated badly.
4. M/M ballbusting fiction is fundamentally different from F/M ballbusting fiction insofar as the latter usually includes some sort of sexual attraction between the characters. M/M ballbusting fiction frequently works in a "male bonding" context in which the characters within the story do not associate ballbusting with sex (even though the reader might...)
If you can think of any others, add them in the comments section so we can all learn.
cheers,
n.
