Originally posted by Faibhar
Surprisingly, few if any (dis)credited organized religion for giving them a head start on bdsm. I wonder, can I possibly be the only one?

Visions of martydom ... /
I second that notion. As a youngster I was regaled with any number of horrific tales of the martyrdom of 'Catholic' saints. Needless to say, the iniquities of the Inquisition were barely mentioned.

But a fascination with the idea of physical fortitude, which I believe was described as one of the cardinal virtues, has stuck with me all these years.

A secondary influence, I think, may have been the sword and sandals films that were popular in my formative years. Most of them were rather chaste by modern standards, but there's something about a scantily-clad barbarian princess ...

I suspect that most of us have read tales of martyrdom and war-time heroism under questioning, and wondered how well we might have measured up against the brave martyr/hero.

I don't suppose I'll ever find out about myself (I certainly hope not!) but I take considerable pleasure in testing the heroines of my stories in the fearsome forge of torture.

And I'm happy to say that they all have conducted themselves admirably under the most difficult circumstances imaginable.

Here's to the ladies!

Boccaccio