Mercenary Nick - Part 2

Start reading at Part 1

 

Day 4

8

After a night of humiliation at the hands of the Guards, I had to face my torturers the next day clad only in underpants. Even they were not my own clothes, for my guards had either destroyed, or taken for souvenirs, every item of clothing that I had on. As a sop to my modesty, they gave me a pair of underpants taken from another prisoner. He had no further need of them, they said and out of spite, they told me his name. It was one of my comrades who had disappeared some 3 months earlier, while on the same mission as myself. I was trained not to react to barbs like this or dwell on the truth of them, but the symbolism of losing the last of my possessions did hit me hard. 

I felt like I had been condemned to extinction.

Having been suspended by my wrists during those long, cruel hours of darkness, it was a perverse pleasure to be taken down and spread-eagled on an X-cross instead. I was still tied up and defenceless, but able to stand on my feet again. It was obvious that this restraint would enable the interrogator to attack all parts of my body, if I continued to deny him the information that he wanted. However, he surprised me by producing, not some ferocious flesh destroyer, but an incongruous, small batten of wood. It looked like it was fresh from a DIY shop, an unwelcome reminder of the normal world that was carrying on outside the walls of my prison, oblivious of my plight. 

The Interrogator complimented me on my physique, running his hands over my abs and acknowledging that I had been well-trained. Then he proceeded to apply his stick to my torso, landing vicious blows on it from all angles. That batten might have been small, but by heavens it stung! As time went by, the cumulative effect of hundreds of blows from it, switching between the flat sides and the sharper edges, generated a fiery furnace of pain all over my body. He beat me with it patiently, conserving his energy, so my agony might last as long as possible.

 

 

9

After a while he stopped, looked at my bruised body and sighed, as if in regret. Then he went to his bench and returned with a second batten. He used them simultaneously to beat both sides of my body. The effect of the wood smacking my abs had dulled by them, but when he switched to my ribs, the pain was excruciating. I'm ashamed to say that I gasped, quite loudly. My torturer smiled, then hit me again. I managed better control of my responses the second time, but it was difficult. My struggle to remain silent was obvious. That made him smile again, for it was a sign, a small one, that I was losing, and he was winning. We both knew that, and I trembled inside. 

Before he left to take his lunch, he signed off with the battens by rasping their rough cut edges across my body like a saw. My bruised skin was repeatedly pricked and punctured by splinters, with many of them breaking off and sticking in me. He was playing a childish game, but left me with widespread soreness that returned every time I stretched to relieve the stress of the prolonged restraint.

After he had gone, to my surprise, the Guards took me down and gave me a small but nourishing meal. I ate it appreciatively, imagining that someone, at least, wanted to keep me alive. But for what? As soon as I had finished, they tied me up again.

 

10

When the torturer returned, the games continued. It was clear he was beginning to enjoy the task of wearing me down, waiting for me to crack. He was relying on time and repeated attacks to persuade me, rather than extreme wounding. This time he took up a wooden paddle with which to torment me. 

I'd experienced the paddle before. It looks slightly comical, but its flat surface produces a wider spread of pain. The holes in it ensure that air making way for its delivery do not impair the impact. It is most effective on large muscle groups and so is widely used for buttock spanking. Naturally, my Trainers hadn't spared me that experience and humiliation, although they claimed to think it beneath them. I wasn't convinced about that after experiencing their efforts, but my torturer seemed to share their view, he made no move to turn me round to feel its sting on my behind. Instead, he applied it to my pecs and thighs, two areas which had largely escaped his attention in the morning.  

Vast new areas of fiery pain erupted to torment me.

 

11

 It was a long, long day and it left me raw, bruised and physically exhausted. My borrowed underpants were sopping wet from profuse perspiration, but thankfully, the relatively low level of brutality had spared me the humiliation of losing all control of my organs. I was glad it was over, but, tomorrow would be another day of torment and before that, I faced another night at the mercy of the Guards.

 

 Day 5

 

 

12

 

My Guards must have lost interest in me that night, for I slept right through. There had been visitors, I could tell, for when I awoke, my underwear was round my ankles and there were deposits on my skin. But I hadn't been treated badly enough to wake me up. Perhaps some other unfortunate soul had claimed the attention of the brutalisers. 

 

As usual, the Guards took me straight from my cell to the interrogation room after I had eaten. This time, however, instead of tying me to the cross or a post, they simply shackled my ankles, tethered my wrists to a dangling chain and left me standing in the middle of the room. I stood like that for about an hour, puzzling over this turn of events. Had something happened? Was my torture ended?

 

These foolish thoughts were immediately extinguished when my tormentor returned to resume his painstaking exploration of my inner reserves. To my horror, he was brandishing a bull-whip which made the reason for the changed restraints perfectly clear - he was going to work all over my body and wanted no obstacles to impair his lashes. The ploy of keeping me waiting had softened me up nicely, for I immediately began to tremble with fear. He gleefully used the stock of the whip to lift my chin and make his usual request, was I going to talk?

 

13

 

It took all my courage to refuse once again. 

Seconds later, the whip fell across my body and all the previous bruises re-erupted.

It was just the start of a slow-paced barrage of lashes that spared no part of my body. 

14

 

Before long, I was on my knees blubbering. 

But I had the strength to refuse to give in and tell them what I knew.

 

15

 

My reward was a barrage of kicking and whiplashes which sent me sprawling. 

I lost consciousness.

 

16

 

I can recall very little of what happened after that. I woke up in a primitive, wooden shack with 3 other prisoners. They nursed me back to some semblance of health, until my captors decided I was fit to work in the quarry, which was just outside our hut. This is the place I now call home.

As soon as I was able, I searched for my missing comrade, the man whose underpants I still wore, but I did not find him, only more strangers, most of whom did not speak my language. As I became better acquainted with my new companions, I was able to join in their secret, nightly intimacies, which were unexpectedly tender and comforting. Necessarily so, because of the patrolling guards who might otherwise hear us. 

In reality, though, my only real bond with them is our experience of the Orange Room, of which none of us ever speak. Whether I broke and talked or kept my silence until they gave up trying, I cannot say. It doesn't matter, because I know for sure that my mission ended in failure. It gives me no comfort to have escaped death when my other comrades may well have perished, for I have still paid a terrible price for my failure.

 

17

It's hard work, breaking the stones and carrying them to the collection point where the lorries come to pick them up. I soon discovered that slackers quickly feel the whip, and that invoked such terrible memories for me that I take care not to provoke the overseers if I can help it.

I think about escaping sometimes, but the fire in my belly has gone out. The fear of more, remorseless punishment has finally quenched my spirit. My comrades seem to feel the same, although none of us talk of our past lives or what we endured to get to here. I am one of the lucky ones, supposedly. 

So I wield my sledgehammer and count the hours 'til the next meal, which is usually quite nourishing and designed to keep us alive and working. The alternative would be starvation rations until we die. 

I'm not sure which is the worse fate of the two. 

 ~

Imagery for this story is from 'Mercenary Nick' at Real Chained Heroes.

The star is 'Robert' flaunting his fabulous physique. 

Go to Part 1

 

Beautifully Bound - Guy

A man with arms and wrists firmly bound sits on a stool.

His head is bowed as if in despair as he awaits his fate.

A day ago he was a free man, working on a building construction site.

The captive turns as someone approaches, 

his face is a mixture of anger and helpless anguish.

He strains at the rope that binds him.

His pecs bulge out through the strands constricting his chest.

Such spirit is greatly appreciated.

He probably does not appreciate his captor's flair for bondage

It is both artistic and satisfying - and materially enhances

 the monetary value of his unique selling points.

His whining complaints are silenced with  a stuffed rag.

While the bidders assess his finely muscled body.

There's no need to remove his jeans for the auction.

Someone will pay handsomely to have this man as he is.

Those pecs are irresistible.

A small chastisement is called for.

A demonstration for the bidders.

The results are gratifying.

Stoic endurance of pain is an admirable quality

But expressive responders usually fetch better prices.

The personal touch cannot be bettered in such matters.

And for this man there is more to come..... much more.

~

Pictures of Guy by the legendary Captured Guys site

(pay site, some free samples, about £13 pm)

There's also lots of samples at Captured Guys on Deviant

see also Captured Guy

For more beautifully bound men at mitchmen blog click on the label below

101 Uses For A Belt - No 11 Crotch Enhancer

 

A workman typically can divert unwanted comments about his man bag by hanging it from a second belt slung across the hips where it serves to accentuate the bulge of his personal toolbox and tease his workmates. Those with a liking for men and restraint situations might find this doubly alluring. Particularly when it complements such an alluring torso with well-managed chest hair.

Perhaps a colleague has just pointed out to him how sexy he looks but in a lustful rather than an admiring way and that's why he's sweating. Of course, that response only intensifies his erotic attraction.  

On the other hand, this might easily be a picture of another builder learning that he's going to have to strip down to his man bag and work naked up on the roof (see previous post). It's that and not the heat that's brought him out in a sweat

~

For other belt uses, click on the 'Belts' label below

101 Uses For A Belt - No 10 Man Bag Holder

  Of course, butch workmen don't like to advertise the fact, but a man bag is an essential accessory for holding their tools. For example, when they have to work in difficult-to-access places leaving their toolboxes behind.

It is particularly useful for working at heights but becomes essential where their clothes with their handy pockets have been removed. This happens more often than you might think. On very hot summer days stripping off is natural and hunky blokes like to show off their physiques - but only the half above the waist usually.

Jeans removal is the domain of extreme show-offs, but when a builder has to work, out in the open, totally naked it can only mean one of the following things:

1. He lost a drunken bet

2. He's a victim of some practical jokers on the site

3. The disgruntled foreman is demonstrating his authority.

(Perhaps to stop him disappearing to place a bet or grab a pint)

4. A client with perverse interests has spotted him doing wrong 

or secretly frequenting a gay bar or has some other hold over him.

His resentful look suggests his naked state has been forced on him.

At least his man bag can come to his rescue as a modesty device - in some positions - if he's lucky.

But, to be fair, taking photographs of the poor man's humiliation is really rubbing it in.

For other belt uses, click on the label below

The Power of Wet

 This image, called 'Men of the Road' is a fascinating mixture of technical skill and miscalculation. One is immediately struck by the convincing sense of men being caught in a downpour at night. The wet, clinging clothing and hair of the one on the right is marvellously captured. 

The scene itself, showing the two men changing the wheel of an articulated truck in a rainstorm, draws on powerful themes of masculinity - truckers working with huge machines. The glimpses of the broken-down truck rig in the background reinforce this with realistic detail, as do the faces of both men, mature and handsome, manly. It has a similar quality to the heterosexual art we see on the covers of Men's Action magazines.

The impromptu strip therefore seems in keeping, a typical laddish response to the downpour, but the eyes of the wheel-changer, staring at his buddy's sexy midriff, and his grip on the nut removal tool speak for themselves and suddenly homoerotic overtones creep in, hardly needing the elaboration provided by the huge boner in his pants. It's as though he never really looked at him before and now he sees the light.

So far, so sexy. However, closer inspection reveals all sorts of inconsistencies in the drawing. The proportions of their bodies, for example, their bottom halves don't seem to match the top and there's a subtle alteration in toning and style with the bottom half more typical of erotic fare. It's almost as if two different pictures have been merged together or perhaps that an 'innocent' straight image has been adapted for nefarious purposes. A 'might have been' classic.

The artist is Bart West

I found this image in a gay beefcake magazine Sir G (ca 1960). 

The Art of Amalaric, Part 8b - Lord Chatterley's Forester

 This story is one of Amalaric's most satisfying reads with a neat compactness that qualifies it for the 'Lollipops' section of this mitchmen survey (Part 9) but it also contains a substantial section describing the nature of life as a slave, making it slightly more suitable for Part 8, 'A Slaves Life', so I've effectively designated it as a 'Part 8 and a half'

819 Amalaric - The Chatterley Estate

Builders and workmen form a major source of grist for Amalaric's stern mill, but hunky, gardening types are almost equally popular. In this story, Jim Oliver arrives in the UK, fresh out of Aussie horticultural college and lands a job on the Chatterley Estate. These are ancient, hereditary lands centred on an imposing Gothic pile with a somewhat sinister appearance, evident in the image above. Amalaric revives the equally ancient job of 'Forester' for Jim, which is about as near as you can get in the UK to being one of those homoerotic lumberjacks so revered by Tom of Finland. 

Amalaric's picture gives a sense of how impressed and pleased Jim is with his new situation. He throws himself into his duties with enthusiasm and his readiness to expose his torso to the summer sun soon catches the eye of Lady Chatterly. She is the sister of the Lord of the Manor and proves to be another Amalaric femme fatale. She duly makes advances and Jim reciprocates, adding her to his own, considerable list of conquests in a nearby barn. The earthy experience so impresses the cultured Lady C that she can't resist bragging about it and disparaging the sex life of her brother, who is gay.

Lord C's explicit characterisation as a gay man is unusual for Amalaric (Bobby and his accomplice in 24 hours are the only other characters I can recall who are described in that way, see Part 3, image 312 et seq). Amalaric's other predators usually seem to have gay leanings, but it's implied and not entirely confirmed by their actions. It's often quite hard to say whether their interest in manipulating other men is really about sex at all or simply a way of wielding power over them.

Having sown the seeds of discord, Lady C leaves on a 3 months holiday to escape the English winter. No sooner has she departed than Lord C accuses Jim of raping her. There are many echoes of the story of Steve Delgado here – a man isolated in an unfamiliar jurisdiction and falsely accused of rape with the key witness conveniently absent (see Part 6, Cruel Justice). However, the motives are different here, putting Jim in prison and out of reach of his sister is the last thing on Lord C's mind.

English aristocrats no longer enjoy the possibilities of cruel, unbridled power available to the ruthless Arizona Sheriff in 'Steve Delgado', (in fact since 'Pride and Prejudice', they've become soft stereotypes for aspirational romance in the manner of Mills & Boon and Disney). Nevertheless Lord C's money and position enables him to threaten the spunky, defiant Aussie with considerable unpleasantness and brutality. 

It's a ploy of course, to cajole him into submitting to a private, off-the-record, punishment arrangement (in the manner of Todd Sanders and Ryan in 'Bobby' - see Part 3- Hunks and their Manipulators). In these circumstances, a three month contract of unpaid work, to compensate the Chatterley family for his insult, seems to offer Jim an easy way out. 

This is similar to the arrangement Dave McGuinness makes with the banker in '24 hours' in order to pay off his parents' debts. Amalaric's refinement and intertwining of themes familiar from other stories is a pleasing and satisfying feature of this yarn (fans of Wagner's complex music will understand the effect).

820 Amalaric - Jim Waiting For The Master

Having thus signed away his freedom, Jim reports to the big house next day to begin his reparations with a summary punishment. He is taken down into the basement, forced to strip down to his underwear and humiliatingly groped. Then he's left to stew for seven hours with a flail ominously hanging in plain sight on the wall. Jim's isolation and realisation that he faces an unimaginable, barbaric punishment is nicely captured in the image above. His fears are realised when the lackeys return and chain him to a post. Lord C arrives to cut off his underpants and personally administers a lengthy punishment with the flail.

821 Amalaric - Jim Leads Them To The Scene Of The Crime

The flogging is just the beginning of Jim's ordeal. Next, he is forced to lead them, still stark naked and raw with pain, to the barn where his lust led him into this trap. The strange procession is joined by curious servants and estate workers as they pass by. Jim shows them all where he had sex with Lady C. Having thus apparently confessed to the 'crime', he is tied down over bales of hay in the same spot and subjected to a rather different sexual invasion by first the Lord himself and then a succession of burly estate workers. Although Lord C is gay, Amalaric gives us no reason to suppose his men are, their participation in Jim's deflowering seems to have more to do with laddishness opportunism and loyalty to the Lord than sexual desire

This scene and Jim's preceding sexual encounter with Lady C are explicitly described which is unusual for Amalaric. All his stories are infused with erotically loaded events but sex does not usually go beyond forced milking, though more is sometimes hinted at.

822 Amalaric - Jim Is Fitted With A Chastity Device

As a final insult and fitting punishment for his supposed misdeeds, Jim is forcibly fitted with a chastity device (which I think is the only example of such a gadget being employed in Amalaric's stories). He is told that it will only be taken off when he is under supervision - at work, for example. This curious blend of sexual sadism and pragmatism is typical of Amalaric's enslavement arrangements.

In this picture we see that Jim's new appendage seems to be something of a wonder for the estate workers who linger and ogle the embarrassed young Aussie. The nephew character who tormented Tanner in his enslavement story (seen in image 815 from Part 8) also drops in to enjoy Jim's humiliation, hovering with characteristic furtiveness in the background (second left in the grubby vest). This connection gives a hint of Jim's vulnerability to opportunists in his new subservient position.

The long-standing Anglo-Aussie tradition of fierce sporting rivalry and ruthless one-upmanship will give a pleasing twist to Jim's plight for many Brits.

823 Jim Is Put To Work In The Fields

If Jim imagined he would simply return to his old job after this traumatic punishment he soon finds he is mistaken. He is transferred to new quarters - a secure, bare prison cell where his most intimate routines are closely monitored and the food is frugal. He is put to work on unskilled, labour-intensive tasks like tending the windswept fields (above). This one looks like it's going to need a lot of weeding and he's not been given any tools to do it with. As a concession, he is allowed to wear underpants for work but is shacked with leg irons to prevent escape. In the weeks that follow, the estate men prove to be enthusiastic enforcers of Jim's servitude, an authentic if anachronistic adaptation of the British Estate tradition of loyalty to the Lord.

 

824 Jim Is Put To Work In The Quarry

We also see Jim working in a quarry, manually shifting stones. It's back-breaking work and he hates it as much as the muddy, quarry slave illustrated in picture 817 (from Part 8). The other estate workers delight in 'supervising' him, reminding him of his slave status and administering corporal punishment from time to time. They make sure he's denied any pleasure and given no opportunity for private, sexual relief when he's out of the chastity device. He stumbles across a copy of the original 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' while clearing a barn, but it is taken away from him, an interesting irony.

 

825 Jim Oliver Milked

Any worries Jim might have had about the estate workers wanting to molest him or repeat his treatment in the barn prove to be groundless and after a month he discovers why. Like Tanner (in Part 8, image 808 onwards), he discovers that there is to be a formal process for relieving the sexual frustration arising from his enforced chastity and it is conducted at monthly intervals.

Lord C performs the task personally in the salubrious surroundings of the Ballroom of the Big House. It's something of an honour for Jim, since a humble barn or cellar serves for most slaves. Chained to a pillar (above) Jim faces this latest humiliation with manly dignity. Lord C brings in his pals and cronies to watch as he forcibly milks his frustrated slave. Inevitably there's a spillage onto the carpet which necessitates an immediate punishment for Jim. There's no shortage of volunteers amongst these public school types to carry it out.

As they discuss the forthcoming Garden Party, Jim realises that his duties as Lord C's slave will not be limited to hard, physical field work. Other tasks, intimate in nature and no less humiliating are coming his way. Still, at least there are only two more months to go........well, that's what he agreed to anyway.......

~

The Garden Party is described in an appendix to Lord Chatterley's Forester at Gay Bondage Fiction. It's by a different author, Red1skin, but has more pictures by Amalaric  (first chapter of both parts free but it's a subscription site).

This mitchmen series on the 'Art of Amalaric' continues in Part 9a 'Lollipops' and you can also read the entire series starting from Part 1 - 'A Slave To Passion'

Hanging Around, Waiting For Approval

Muscle-Morph Art by Bigbergman - blue jeans and huge pecs

 

I have been on restricted access to the net for a couple of weeks due to a house move, so approval of new memberships to the mitchmen Google Group and the mitchmen archive at Adonis Male  have been delayed. 

Apologies to those affected, I've now approved all outstanding requests. 

Mitchell

(I'll let you know how I get on with the Big Man!)

The Art of Roa 4 Jim & Leon

Roa - Jim & Leon - Image 28a

The opening of Roa's story of woodcutter Jim shows him remonstrating with his brother Leon, who is a soldier. It seems to be a classic theme of the peace-lover vs the action man approach to life. These roles contrast with the visual characterisations, however, Jim is big and strong (and rather sexy in his tights), Leon is distinctly boyish, an improbable fighter. Roa seems to be exaggerating his youthfulness here to show how dominated he feels by his older brother, because he matures dramatically in the next image where their rivalries and disagreements suddenly become unimportant.

Roa - Jim & Leon - Image 28b Brothers For Sale

Both brothers are taken as war booty and sold into slavery (as a pair). Manacled and naked on the auction rostrum, their anger and confusion at this turn of events is well captured by Roa. I also like the figure of the Roman-esque auctioneer in this image. With his suave, salesman's looks and smooth manner it's not that hard to imagine him selling his own mother.

 

Roa - Jim & Leon - Image 30 Two New Slaves

Jim and Leon, still totally naked and manacled meet their new, noble master. Their longish hair is an indicator of their rustic background, suggestive of rough manners and toughness, that contrasts with the refinement of the nobleman.

Making inferiors stand while you sit is a basic control device. The two young men tower over him and that effect is increased by a slight distortion of size and perspective, but they both seem to look younger than ever which serves to emphasise just how much they are intimidated by his status and unseen power, deferring to him even though he is unarmed and puny in comparison to their physiques. Astonishingly Roa even contrives to make their posture seem to somehow convey their confusion and fear. The nobleman revels in his power over these two fine specimens. He lounges back, legs spread provocatively with a hand hovering over his crotch, hinting at a simmering sexual interest.

The room is an interesting combination of refined elegance and crudeness, with fine furniture, artworks and carpets to one side but transitioning to bare boards and exposed brickwork in the area where the brothers are standing. It seems to underline the chasm between their previous positions in life but it also hints that the room has a dual purpose. As though confirming this, in the background we glimpse a table surmounted by a curious key-hole like device suggestive of sophisticated, perverted pleasures.

 

Roa - Jim & Leon - Image 37 Leon Groped

 

Leon has now been given a haircut to suit his new master's taste and (no doubt) to 'civilise' him. It's a rather nice demonstration of the absolute power that the nobleman has over him. Less subtle is the collar and dangling chain, a badge of his subservience which is so complete that he doesn't need to actually be restrained.

He is forced to kneel on a table while the nobleman and his cronies savour his beautiful flesh, touching and groping him and thrilled no doubt by his involuntary, virile response to this humiliation. Roa doesn't characterise them as evil, old lechers but as rich, desirable men in their own right (on the face of it). Leon grits his teeth but there's a resigned sadness alongside his anger. That only serves to add to the pleasure of his cruel master of course.

 

Roa - Jim & Leon - Image 40 Jim's Pony Duty

 

Jim's fate seems to be that of a more traditional slave, fulfilling his master's pleasure in a more physical but equally humiliating way. I'm glad that Roa allows him to 'pony' like the natural beast he is, without the usual horsey trappings which often tend to feminise (as in Leo's story, 'The Estate', but see also MCarcel's pony interpretation). Jim's heavy collar and chain serves as a makeshift rein, which is only needed to command his obedience since he can understand spoken directions perfectly well (in mitchmen-speak, this is known as keeping him in his place). The weight attached to his balls indicates there's also an element of punishment in this particular chore, it's because Jim has shown he is a rebellious character, resisting attempts to 'breed' him.

Can you spot the mistake in this image?

 

Roa - Jim & Leon - Image 44 Leon Suspended

 

 Leon meanwhile suffers the same suspension torture as Eric in Part 3. My own name for it is the Backwards Crab. Whether this is a gratuitous example of the nobleman's sadism or if it's a punishment for non-cooperation I do not know. Either way, his lordship takes advantage of another opportunity to enjoy Leon's body, this time licking his nipple and grasping his cock as he writhes in the agony of the chains.

Roa gives us another splendid torso here with notably well-developed thighs, posed in a sexy backwards arch. Leon's masculinity bursts out of this picture. It's an ambitious, 3-dimensional pose but one that is a difficult image to integrate realistically into a complex composition. The out-flung arms and the slight angling of the body towards us are highly suggestive of movement, say of falling or a struggle, but the vertical chains imply he is simply hanging.

Compare with Eric, getting the same treatment in Part 3, this is a safer sideways-on view and his body is more relaxed, but his chains are angled towards a central suspension point, a more believable arrangement that also brings out the stressing of his back and makes clear the difficulty of movement.

In his image Leon dwarfs his admirer both in size and more subtly in sheer presence. The depiction of the nobleman seems flat compared with Leon's 3D trajectory creating the effect that he's pushed aside and diminished, grabbing at morsels rather than directly involved in Leon's psychodrama. By contrast Eric and his tormentor are fully aligned with each other, which creates a strong sense of direct interaction between them.

 

Roa - Jim & Leon - Image 48 Jim Rebels

 Having been consigned to work in a quarry, Jim shows his virtuous nature and his rebellious spirit when he protects a boy captive from the cruel overseer's whip. It's a relatively unpolished picture but Roa's knack for expressive imagery makes up for that, bringing out Jim's protective strength in a most impressive, almost biblical way.

Roa - Jim & Leon - Image 53 Jim's Punishment

Needless to say, Jim's intervention does not go unpunished, the ball weight returns and he's given all the biggest blocks to carry (there's obviously a big building project in hand). The angry overseer pays close attention to him, to the relief of the other slaves. The fantasy of enslavement where abducted men are forced to do physical work has the virtue that it showcases their physiques and manly characteristics and that has a special resonance for me.

 

Roa - Jim & Leon - Image

 There's a satisfying symmetry in the fates of these two brothers. Whilst Jim's occupation as a woodcutter leads him into a role of physical labour, Leon the former soldier is forced to train as a gladiator. He shows the same rebellious spirit as his brother and suffers the same uncompromising punishments. One senses that their paths may ultimately be destined to converge in the arena, when their rivalry and different attitudes towards fighting (implied in the opening scene) will factor in the ultimate test of brotherly love. As with other Roa stories, however, I have no information on how it all ends, except that there is an Image 58 which shows Jim back at his woodcutting. 

This mitchmen series on the Art of Roa concludes in Part 5  

Read this series from Part 1

The Art of Amalaric, Part 9a - White Collar Perks

 In Part 9 of the mitchmen 'Art of Amalaric' series, I review some Amalaric 'bonbons', small, sweet pieces that delight the taste buds for a variety of reasons – the plot, the writing, the images or their pure inventiveness. The slick mass-abduction of the Raytown Softball Team from Modern Slavery (see Part 1) is one of these little gems, so too the ultimate S&M sex toy Amalaric invented for 'The Cube' (Part 8).

White Collar Perks

901

This amazing torso by itself immediately distinguishes 'White Collar Perks' as a special story and it belongs to one of Amalaric's most memorable victims - Jimmy Ruisdale, who is a landscape gardener at the offices of a large corporation. There he attracts the lustful interest of one of the Company Executives when he innocently shucks off his shirt to work out front in the hot sun. But it's not a dastardly management plot that ultimately delivers him into the arms of his secret admirer, but his own foolishness in wrecking the the company's lawn tractor during a joyride.

Summoned to a disciplinary hearing, Jimmy is forced to put on shackles before it even starts. His guilt is taken for granted and the enquiry is all about how he is going to pay for it and whether he should keep his job. Persuading him to lift his shirt is just the start of the negotiation of one of Amalaric's classic, creeping 'reductions'. Jimmy resigned resentment as he starts to comply (above) shows his bravado is not yet extinguished, but it's contradicted by the sheen of worry juice on his skin.

Amalaric juxtaposes the executive's hand and a (stroking?) finger in the vicinity of Jimmy's crotch. Having got Jimmy by the balls, he is preparing to enjoy them.

I was tempted to include this image in 'The Ritual Of Undress' post (in Part 4a of this mitchmen series on Amalaric's art). It's possibly Amalaric's best example of a 'Stage 3' pose, but I felt this story and Jimmy deserved their own slot in the series.

902

The simple disciplinary hearing rapidly escalates into a nightmare. Jimmy is badgered into avoiding legal penalties and the loss of his job by accepting instead a summary punishment on the spot plus compensation payments to be paid in instalments out of his wages. It's rather like the open-ended contract Dave McGuiness makes with his Devil to stave off repossession of his parent's house in '24 Hours' (see Part 3). Jimmy's agreement is encouraged by the prods of the intimidating Security Officer posted behind him to prevent trouble, but pretty soon he makes sure Jimmy is in no position to cause it anyway, nor even to protect his modesty for that matter.

Amalaric's underwear moments have rarely seemed quite so exquisitely 'exposing' as this, with the eyes of everyone focussed on that private garment and it's intriguing contents. Jimmy struggles to comprehend how this sudden nudity can happen to him in the formal surroundings of his employer's office. The undisguised interest shown in his white pants by the executive's (female) secretary compounds his embarrassment, it's a red-face treat Amalaric serves up for straight men sometimes.

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Jimmy's penance commences immediately with a simple spanking bent over the executive's desk. It is pure, schoolboy humiliation but Jimmy's indignity is a moment of supreme gratification for his long-frustrated admirer. Conventional spanking is a relatively unusual punishment in Amalaric's lexicon (shared only by Todd Sanders, I think, see Part 3). However, as you can see from the picture above, Jimmy experiences more manly torments on top.

Eventually, inevitably, Jimmy's spirit is beaten out of him and he is reduced to begging for the pain to end. Amalaric's picture neatly captures his abject submission, a vision of masculine bulk stripped of everything, including his self-respect. The hunky buck's bowed head acknowledges of the totality of the executive's power over him. His tormentor glories in the moment, he doesn't even need to look at the object of his lust any more, Jimmy is his. He dismissively tells him it is finished.

This is one of Amalaric's 'Oklahoma!' moments, You know, that point where the show finally reaches the glorious title song and you think it's the end, they've done all the big numbers. Then you discover as the stage excitement subsides that there is still another hour to go.

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Amalaric's 'Phase 2's are much more exciting than Oklahoma! and usually involve an adjournment to a private, dungeon-like space. Thus it was with Todd Sanders, Part 3 , with Pete Devereux (Academy Thugs, Part 4b) and to some extent with the Raytown Sports Team, whose story seemed to be ending with the abductees progressively disappearing to an unseen fate (like the condemned nuns in 'The Carmelites') but then we do see what happens to the final, 'trophy' member of the team, transferred to a bleak, tiled cell for his rather unpleasant processing (see Part 1).

Thanks to Amalaric's deceptive words, Jimmy's Phase 2 comes as a surprise to us and it's a terrible shock to him of course. The unexpected treat of a bondage/abduction sequence acts as a transition into one of Amalaric's best X-frame scenes. It's tightly structured, economically written and features some truly evil villains who for once go all the way. The eventual ending is slightly predictable but has a thought-provoking, exotic twist.

Read 'White Collar Perks' @Telemachus
(it includes more servings of Jimmy's delectable torso!).

This post continues in Part 9b (Abducted)

Read the whole 'Art of Amalaric' series from Part 1 - A Slave To Passion