Being between two fires, between hammer and anvil, choosing the best of two evils … Predicament bondage is all about making choices. A predicament is a ‘thorny issue’ and when we talk about predicament bondage, it refers to a specific form of kink.

What is predicament bondage?

In this psychological game, someone has to make choices between two inconveniences, either in which someone is not allowed to move while the other is teasing that person, making it virtually impossible not to move. Or in which someone holds a tray with drinks and is not allowed to spill, while that person is teased.

The fun thing about predicament bondage is the endless creativity you can create with it. A dildo or an ice cube, tickling or flogging, sitting still or being in pain? The psychological aspect of predicament bondage really appeals to some lovers of kink and BDSM.

In predicament bondage, the submissive is forced to be consciously involved through interactions and choices and the sensations those choices bring.

Mental bondage

Predicament bondage does not always involve physically tying someone up with rope or shackles. It can also involve mental or psychological bondage. And sometimes the dynamics of mental bondage can be much more horny (or interesting) than ropes or chains.

If you tie someone up with rope or other means, you take away many of their choices. But if you simply tell someone to stay still, he will do so because you say so and because he wants to please you.

For example, put a sticker on the wall and tell the submissive to hold his or her nose to it, otherwise you will be very disappointed. The longer they have to stand in this position, the harder it becomes. And eventually it will become physically or mentally impossible. Although that person is not physically tied to this position, they will want to obey.

Creativitity

Because you don’t use ropes or cuffs in predicament bondage, on the one hand it is much more accessible (you don’t need to get anything special for it), but on the other hand it does appeal to your creativity.

In regular bondage, the submissive has little choice. Rope is rope and a knot is a knot. You are stuck in the position you are lying in. And that in itself is exciting, but in predicament bondage, the dominant person gives choices. And those choices have emotional consequences (please or disappoint).

So you can have the submissive sit in a squat position, or hold a candle without spilling candle wax, or nipple clamps with weights, …. While she sits like that, you encourage that person and say how proud you are. And you tell what you plan to do if she doesn’t disappoint you.

Or you tell the submissive not to watch while you prepare toys, or masturbate, or have sex with a third person, or … The trick is to choose a torment that perfectly suits the submissive’s deep desires.

Reward and consequences

The result of the choice the submissive makes can be different, depending on the kind of game you are playing. But in a well-crafted scene, there is a choice between pleasure and discomfort.

For example, imagine someone is tied up in such a way that he or she just barely makes contact with a vibrator. By touching the vibrator though, the person has to experience discomfort (e.g. muscle pain, pulling the hair, pulling the nipples, …). So the choice is between experiencing pleasure and pain, or no pain but also no pleasure.

A reward can be an erotic reward, but also something else. I remember a story of someone who had to sort of cookie-cutter for a favourite donut hanging on a string (and that was accompanied by pain to the nipples). The reward can also be affirmation or pride from the dominant partner.

To know what works, you need to know your partner well. Is a slap on the buttocks a punishment or a reward? Sometimes a reward turns into a consequence. Suppose your favourite wand vibrator is strapped against her clitoris and she can’t reach it. At first it is edging towards pleasure, then a reward when she cums, and after a while the sensation overwhelms and it becomes a ‘forced’ orgasm; a consensual consequence.

Inspiration

On various websites and forums like Fetlife, you can get ideas for predicament bondage. By getting in touch with other enthusiasts, you can inspire each other. Below I have listed some suggestions of my own for you:

1. Crotchrope: Tie a rope around the submissive’s waist (crotchrope is most effective on someone with a vulva). Get the rope between the legs and tie it at an anchor point at eye level. Make sure the bound person cannot reach the anchor point (e.g. by tying their hands behind their back). Pull the rope so tight that the person has to stand on their toes to relieve the pressure. At some point, that person will get tired, but if she sinks through the toe, the rope will start to hurt. The dominant can add to the situation by tickling, pushing the person off balance, applying nipple clamps, playing with the rope, …
2. Nipple clamps: You can do something similar by applying nipple clamps and tying them together. Now attach the nipple clamps to an anchor point above the tied-up person’s head, again such that the pain is relieved by standing on the toes. A variation on this is to put the rope or chain that ties the nipple clamps together into the submissive’s mouth.
3. Mechanic: Combine the nipple clamps with the chain in the mouth once with an anal hook tied to the hair. If the tied-up person bends the head forward, the pressure on the nipples decreases, but the pressure on the anal hook increases. And vice versa.
4. Kneeling: Have your sub crouch with the arms forward and palms up. Put something in the hands, such as a full glass of water, or a lit candle. If the person moves, or spills, hit the person with and flogger, or a paddle. In the case of the candle, the sub will probably spill candle wax all over the hands.
5. Take a coin and put it between the sub’s nose and the wall. The coin should not fall. Or instead of a coin, take a belt that you can use to give slaps every time the belt falls. You can make it more challenging by making sure the sub has to stand on tiptoe, or at a distance from the wall.
6. Wand vibrator: Place a wand vibrator a few inches from the submissive’s sex and tie it by the hair or with nipple clamps in such a way that in order to experience pleasure from the wand vibrator, she gets pain in the hair or nipples.

Sex toys you can use with predicament bondage

Although you can do predicament bondage entirely without aids, you can make it even more interesting and intense with sex toys. With different toys, you can give a scene unexpected twists and turns.

The anal hook is ideally suited as a toy for predicament bondage. You can read more about it in this blog post. Furthermore, think about a wand vibrator, to tease the sub with, while they are in a precarious situation. You can also think of nipple clamps, gags, collars, hogtie cuffs, spreader bars, candles and tickle feathers.

Safety and aftercare

Keep experiments realistic and safe. How long is it possible and safe to keep someone in a certain position? Be wary of injury, muscle pain, or dehydration. As sexy as it is to push someone to the limit, it is essential to do so safely and be aware of risks.