I’m on the record in past posts of disliking the fake stone dungeon effect that often crops up as a background for BDSM scenes. It’s particularly galling in American, as this is not a country that has ever possessed a castle with a dungeon. Anything built in Las Vegas or Disney World really doesn’t count. Not to mention some of the monstrosities that a realtor over here would claim as a castle.
I actually grew up a couple of miles from this place. That’s the still occupied Maxstoke castle in Warwickshire (home of other great castles). I am prepared to concede that if your house has a moat, was built in 1345 and once garrisoned troops during the English Civil War, then a dungeon setting would be perfectly fitting for a scene. I’ll be the first onto the rack in that situation. Until then, can we not find some more interesting settings to use?
Aside from the silly setting, I do like this shot. Kneeling on someone’s chest is an interesting position. You can create pain with the knees, or restrict breathing with weight, and maintain a strong psychological edge by looking directly down on the submissive. I found this on the forBABALON tumblr. It’s originally from Men in Pain.
Hmmm…. Let’s see. Moat? Check. Built in 1345? Judging by the amount of money I’ve spent on repairs I would say probably. I wish that garrison of troops would keep it down when I’m trying to sleep. I’m feeling a bit stiff this morning. A little time on the rack might be just the thing…
Moat? Are you sure that’s not a leak in your basement hmp? 🙂
As for the troops, you should quote the 3rd amendment at them. I think you’re allowed to kick them out thanks to your constitution!
-paltego
It cracks me up that we spent 50 years breaking away from the Mother country, and the next 250 years fawning over titles, and emulating the nobility.
The Femdom world is notorious for this, with all of the Ladies, Countessas, and Queens that hail from New Jersey. And men that have never worn a school uniform who yearn for a spanking from a governess.
Here’s an interesting thought experiment: what would Femdom look like without the trappings of dungeons and nobility?
The lady/countess/queen thing does make some kind of sense to me. After all being an aristocrat is all about claiming your superior based on no actual evidence other than the luck of birth. D/s relationships are a bit like that. Nobody sits down to figure out who the smarter/stronger/richer/prettier one is before they hand out the D and the s roles :).
That is an interesting thought experiment however. It’d probably just up the incidence of other female authority figures (teachers, nurses, military, etc.). However, I wonder if there’d be another style that became the ‘main’ one as a replacement. Perhaps there’s a need for a common theme.
-paltego
This reminds me I forgot to restock the moat with piranha. 😉
I’m not sure piranha’s are great respecters of safewords. You might want to be careful there 🙂
The dungeon has been a bit overdone. However, to Men In Pain’s credit — the series is filmed by Kink.com, which owns a castle in San Francisco.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Armory
So in this case, most of the dungeon scenes are filmed in below-ground rooms of a century-old imitation-moor castle that’s previous owner was the US Army.
While the building is certainly real, many of the sets are stages. In one room I’ve been in, the floors are gymnasium mat painted to look like dirty wood!
I’d say technically the armory is castle-like rather than an actual castle. As you say it’s an imitation rather than an actual fortified house. However, you’re right that kink have more of a justification of shooting dungeon-esque scenes given the resources they have available.
I just wish they’d use the natural look of the armory rather than the horribly fake stone effect they’ve got here. They’ve even got a shield and sword ornament up on the wall! Every time I see this kind of image I just imagine sticking my finger into the wall and seeing it collapse like cheap plaster 🙂
-paltego