Writing About BDSM Crucifixions—A Few Observations

[Datom]

Writing About BDSM Crucifixion—A Few Observations

I'm seeing a few more BDSM stories here in which some form of crucifixion is an element. I've done a couple myself, and recently a writer even has had the effrontery to crucify me in one of her stories! (See "Datom's Plight" https://www.girlspns.com/viewtopic.php?t=5344) So, I'm going to contribute a few of my observations. Take them for what you think they're worth.

First off, a disclaimer. This is an article about writing stories about BDSM crucifixion. It is NOT an article about how to actually do a crucifixion. If you or a friend are interested in trying this sort of BDSM, please find several reputable articles, either in print or online, and read them carefully. Crucifixion, any kind of crucifixion, can be very painful, and if not done properly, can be dangerous. It can lead to permanent injury or disfiguration or even death. No one wants that. So do it carefully, and, above all, research it carefully beforehand.

1. Clothing

Ultimately, the victim of a crucifixion should be naked. One of the best features of crucifixion is the humiliation element, and this can be best felt when the victim is up on a cross, in front of spectators, with every private part of his or her body on public display for their enjoyment.

There are several ways to do this. The victim may be stripped entirely naked before being mounted on the cross. This gives the victim a sense of helplessness right away, and again while the cross is being erected. It also is easier to do, since it can be awkward to remove clothing from a victim who is already tied up and mounted.

The other way is to undress the victim almost completely before mounting him or her to the cross, but leave one article of clothing on, normally panties or underpants. When the cross is erected, the victim will still feel most of the sudden shame of being put on display. But the victim also knows that those undies are going to be coming off before too long. It can be fun to play with the victim’s fear by making him or her wait a little bit for the dreaded moment when the private parts of his or her body are no longer going to be so private.

If underpants are being left on, the executor can remove them once the victim is up. They may be pulled down to the victim’s feet. Or, they can be removed from the victim by the use of scissors or a knife. This isn’t hard—underwear is usually pretty cheap, so damaging a pair of underpants isn’t too big a deal.

(By the way, I’m using the term “executor” to mean a person who’s in charge of the crucifixion, be that person male or female. Except in a gay situation, the executor will normally be of the opposite gender of the victim.)

2. Fastening the Victim to the Cross

There are a number of ways to suspend a victim onto a cross, not all of them realistic. First of all—no nails! (I hope no one is planning that, even in a story!) This leaves a variety of ropes, cords, straps, and cuffs, of varying effectiveness.

On the Internet, if you look enough, you can see victims, usually female, who are suspended from the cross by a single rope around their wrists. This is tantalizing, but unrealistic. A single rope around the wrist cannot hold the weight of a body for very long without injuring the wrist. Don’t forget that the pictures you see on the Internet are taken quickly, before the victim can be hurt. And the 30-minute videos you see are often the same thirty seconds of writhing victim, played over and over.

Actually, the feet are the part that really support the victim. The wrists can be bound, but only for a short period. If the victim is entirely bound while lying on the ground, then there is no real problem---the feet are already in place when the victim is erected. Even so, the victim’s arms are going to support his or her weight for short periods, as will be seen, so they should be bound properly.

Perhaps the safest way for an executor to suspend a victim is by using leather cuffs on the arms and feet. These cuffs restrain the victim, securing him or her firmly to the cross, and usually also have fasteners on the side, which can easily be hooked to hardware that is pre-mounted to the cross.

The victim’s arms may hang from the cross, or in some cases may be draped across the back. The feet should be up slightly, so that the victim’s legs are bent somewhat. The feet may be placed on the front of the cross upright and tied into place, providing the necessary bent knees. Or they can be allowed to stand on a small platform fastened low (but not too low) on the upright. One interesting possibility, one that I like, is to fasten the victim’s legs to the side of the upright, rather than the front. The victim’s feet may rest on small horizontal pegs sticking out of the sides of the upright. This forces the victim to keep his or her legs spread while on display, allowing the onlookers easy access to the victim’s genitals.

3. Mounting the Cross

There are two ways of mounting the cross. The victim’s hands may be tied to the crossbeam, often with his or her arms wrapped around it, then the crossbeam may be placed up on the upright and secured. This is handy if using a tree or other preexisting item as an upright. Or, the entire cross may be assembled lying on the ground, and the victim tied to it, then, several strong attendants raise the cross into a standing position and place it into a pre-made hole in the ground, usually about twelve to sixteen inches deep. The second is my personal favorite for several reasons. For one thing, there is a particular onset of extreme humiliation for the victim as the cross comes off the ground and assumes a conspicuous position with the victim publicly displayed on it—the victim was previously lying down, somewhat inconspicuously to anyone not nearby, but is suddenly being seen by one and all in naked or near naked state. Also, there is a rather special moment as the upright drops into the hole, jarring the victim, and making him or her begin to feel suspended in plain sight. Moving the cross with the victim on it will drive home to the victim that he or she is helpless, and now has absolutely no control over his or her bare body.

A suggestion about the hole—I like to make the hole very slightly too wide, so that the upright fits into it only a bit loosely. This will cause the cross to rock back and forth slightly as the victim’s naked body squirms and wiggles on it, amplifying the victim’s movements, while contributing to the victim’s sense of helplessness.

4. Height

Crucifixion video enthusiasts have probably seen all sorts of heights at which the victim is mounted on the cross. Some views go as far as having the victim up ten or fifteen feet off the ground. This seems ineffective, as the victim is then safely out of reach of the onlookers. On the other hand, there are a few in which the victim is simply standing on the ground. This reduces the scenario to a simple tie-up bondage—fun in its own way, but lacking a lot of the thrill of a good crucifixion.

There are two basic schools of thought on the height at which the victim should be, while being displayed on the cross. One way is to have the victim up high enough that his or her nipples are at face level for the onlookers. This makes it simple for the onlookers to reach, touch, tickle, squeeze, and otherwise tease the victim’s nipples. The victim’s belly and sexual area are lower, easily accessed by the onlookers by simply reaching down. The one drawback is that this really doesn’t elevate the victim high enough to evoke the proper feel of humiliation. A relatively small part of the victim’s body is visible beyond the closest row of onlookers.

The other alternative is to position the victim so that the genitals are at face level for the onlookers. This makes the victim’s genitals easy to reach, and even allows the onlookers some mouth action (i.e. blowing on the victim’s genitals, licking, etc.) It also gives the victim the humiliating sensation that his/her genitalia are the focus of the onlookers (which is probably true at this point).

My own preference is midway between the two. I like to position the victim high enough that his/her bellybutton is about at the level of the onlookers’ mouths. This makes the breasts a relatively easy reach, and does not require much reaching down to manipulate the genitals. At the same time, it exposes the victim’s chest enough to bring on the proper degree of humiliation. And, as we will see in the next section, the victim’s height will be constantly shifting anyway.

If the victim’s underpants have been left on, one of the dramatic moments is the point at which these are removed. Something about that last stitch of clothing coming off, revealing the victim’s genitals to the audience, makes it one of the most exciting moments of the whole process. Therefore, it should be prolonged as much as possible. The victim’s underpants should be grasped slowly, with much teasing of the elastic, so that the victim has all the more time to realize the horror of having his or her last shred of protection removed. Once pulled down, the underpants may be pushed down to the knees. Or, they may be cut off with a knife or scissors. I prefer the latter, since the total removal of the underpants removes all hope that they might be pulled back up.

A few people like to go one step further, and after de-pantsing the victim, remove the victim’s public hair. The executor is equipped with a razor, and either some shaving cream or plenty of saliva. The executor can remove the victim’s pubic hair in a couple of swipes. This can heighten the victim’s sensation of nakedness. If desired, the executor may hold up the razor, with the hairs, as sort of an exhibit for the onlookers.

5. The “Dance”

If the victim is properly mounted on the cross, he/she will be, at first, mostly suspended by the arms, and supported by the feet. The feet may be positioned turned flat against the upright, or may be allowed to stand on a small platform or on pegs on either side of the upright. This will allow the victim to be securely supported. However, it also makes it difficult for the victim to breathe, because of the outstretched arms. The victim remedies this by pushing up with the feet, while pulling up with the arms. This raises the victim’s body as much as a foot. Breathing is easier for the victim, but there is a lot of stress on the arms. Also, if the feet are on a peg-style footrest, the victim experiences pain on the soles of the feet. Thus, the victim can only stay in the “up” position for a minute before having to let himself or herself down. It can be amusing to watch the victim’s body working up and down, up and down, for the enjoyment of the audience. If the upright is in a slightly loose hole, the up-and-down movement will result in more rocking back and forth, making the victim feel even more helpless.

Also, if the victim has been mounted at the level suggested above—onlookers’ faces in front of the victim’s bellybutton—then, when the victim has to push into the “up” position, it will force the victim’s belly to thrust forward, bringing the victim’s genitals right up to the onlooker’s faces.

6. Onlookers

If the victim’s humiliation is to be as complete as possible, there must be onlookers. In crucifixion videos and photos, one of the saddest things I’ve noticed is that the victim is hanging alone in the woods, or at best, with just the executor present. A really good mortifying crucifixion should involve onlookers.

Also, it’s important that the victim can look down and see the onlookers. I know that sensory deprivation is fun, but I think a crucifixion scene is the exception. The victim should be able to look down from his/her exposed position and see several faces of onlookers staring at the victim’s body and grinning lewdly.

The onlookers should not talk directly to the victim. However, they should talk to each other about the victim, particularly about the victim’s body. Comments about the victim’s chest, nipples, belly, thighs, buttocks, and especially genitals can devastate a victim’s dignity very effectively.

At some point, the onlookers should be able to touch the victim. The immediate impulse is to reach straight for the victim’s exposed genitalia. Don’t. Remember that teasing the victim prolongs the horror of being touched in the most sensitive places. So onlookers should start by stroking the victim’s inner thighs, sliding closer and closer to the victim’s crotch without touching it until just the right moment. Or a hand can stroke the victim’s breast, touching and pinching the victim’s nipple, then sliding down across the victim’s bellybutton, down to the abdomen, and then onward down to the genitalia. And don’t forget the victim’s butt cheeks—these are tantalizingly close to the genital area.

Even when the onlooker’s hands reach the victim’s genitals, there is much opportunity for slow teasing. Instead of just grabbing the penis, an onlooker can tickle it (especially the underside!) and rub it with one or two fingers, then grasp it. If the victim is female, some gentle teasing of the labia and some not-too-rough play with the victim’s clitoris can tease the victim, even before a finger actually penetrates.

If the onlookers want, they can use other items on the victim. If it’s being done outside, a tree branch, with or without leaves, can be used to tickle or prod the victim. Watching the victim’s naked body squirm from a good prod can be fun. Or the onlookers might have equipped themselves with nipple clips, shock wants, or a vibrator, which will produce more interesting reactions from the victim.

At some point, someone should conspicuously hold up a camera and take a picture of the victim in his/her naked glory. When the victim sees him/herself being photographed, it will increase the humiliation a lot --the victim will be terrified that the picture is going to be shared with any number of people, possibly including people that the victim knows. It’s one more element that’s out of the victim’s control.

7. The Cornu

“Cornu” is Latin for “horn” (in case you were wondering). A cornu is a wooden peg with one end rounded smooth. It is a particularly fiendish device, and is not used for all crucifixions.

If a cornu is to be used, the upright must be prepared by having several holes drilled in it from back to front, of exactly the diameter of the peg. These holes should be at about the level of the victim’s crotch.

Once the victim is mounted upright, he/she will begin the up-and-down movement described above. The executor selects the hole that will match the level of the victim’s genitalia when the victim is in the “down” position. Then, next time the victim goes “up,” the executor forces the cornu through the hole, using a hammer or mallet. The cornu will fit snugly in the hole, and will stick out the front enough to penetrate the victim’s anus as he/she comes down.

This all adds an embarrassing and uncomfortable element to the victim’s experience—much like being forced to have anal sex. Onlookers have reported that, in the case of a male victim, the anal penetration of the cornu forces the penis to swell up. Female victims have sometimes leaned and taken the cornu in the vagina rather than the anus.

8. Climax

The moment when the victim reaches orgasm is controlled by the executor—not the victim.

Again, a bit of final teasing of the sexual organs is appropriate. If the victim is male, the executor might run her finger along the underside of his penis several times before grabbing and squeezing.

Or, if the victim is female, the executor might slide his finger up and down her inner lips several times and pressure her clitoris before his finger penetrates her body.

As the victim reaches climax, it is not inappropriate for one of the onlookers to pull out a phone and create a video of the victim’s writhing body in the throes of orgasm. This video can be shown to the victim afterward, and, if necessary, to the victim’s friends and co-workers or fellow students.

In the case of a male victim, the moment of climax is evident. The executor and any onlookers might want to stand where the victim’s semen does not squirt all over them—unless, of course they like that sort of thing.

After the climax, the victim should be allowed to recover his/her breath. This, of course is hard on a cross. At this point, the event is nearing its end.

9. Conclusion

The easiest way to end the event is to remove the cross from its hole, and lay it on its back, then unstrap the victim. In other words, the reverse of mounting.

10. Some Re-iterative Cautions

As I said at the beginning, this is NOT an article on how to do a BDSM crucifixion. If you actually want to try one, please ensure the following:

a. Like any BDSM activity, you should do this only with a person you know and trust. BDSM crucifixion is NOT a first-date activity.

b. Make sure you have read every article you can find, in print or (mostly) online, on how to do this safely. I can’t emphasize this enough.

c. Be sure to agree on a safe-word ahead of time, and don’t be afraid to use it, if necessary.

d. The bindings while being strong enough to hold the victim to the cross securely, should also be of a type that can easily be undone in case things go wrong. For this reason, leather cuffs, which are fastened by straps or Velcro, are probably the best option.

e. A real crucifxion should not go on too long. Ten or fifteen minutes is plenty; twenty minutes is stretching things.

f. Crucifixion is a very stressful activity, physically and emotionally. Once it’s done, make sure to prepare the victim a safe, comfortable place to rest, preferably away from onlookers.