The Lost Patrol

 

01

 A group of dejected, captured soldiers are being led through the jungle.
Their hands are tied behind their backs. Their shirts and boots have been taken from them.

 

 

02

As they march, their captor beats them on the shoulders with a riding crop.  

 

 

03

Deeper and deeper into the forest they trek, urged on by their masked escort's blows.

 

04

Their army comrades and the life they knew are left further and further behind.

 

 

05

Eventually, the cruel guard stops for a rest.

The exhausted men sink down onto the ground.
 

 

06

But there's no respite from punishment for the captives. 

The soldier who asked for the rest receives special attention for his insolence,

 and for lagging behind at the end of the file, as they marched.

 

 

07

His burly comrade protests and is given the same treatment.

The other two lie on the ground, hands tied, looking on helplessly.

 

 

 

08

The guard takes them through the gate, into a farm building which seems to be abandoned.

Inside, he strings them up and begins to brutally interrogate them. 

 

 

09

After many hours questioning and punishment, they are let down.

Hog-tied on the floor, sleep finally brings a merciful respite to the exhausted men. 

 

 

10

But all too soon it's daybreak again.

The sound of suffering wakes them from bad dreams. 

 

 

11

The captives are taken outside and forced to kneel submissively.

They are not alone, other captives can be heard grunting and protesting.

 

12

'The Complainer' is taken away, tied to a yoke, that exposes his back.

His captors lead him past an elegant, swimming pool.

This isn't an old, abandoned farm, but a rich man's villa. 

13

His comrades hear the sound of the whip, but cannot intervene to help him. 

Their feet are tied together so they cannot rise off their knees.

After an hour of kneeling in bondage, their own bodies begin to suffer.

 

 

 

14

Complaining to their captors only hastens their first acquaintance with the flogger.

They are still unaware that they have become a rich man's playthings.

 

 

15

In the days that follow, punishment becomes a familiar routine.

Their captors now seem more interested in tormenting, rather than questioning them.

That and inventing new ways to tie them up. 

 

16

The restraints change, but the pain remains the same.

 

 

17

 

The men get brief periods of rest when others are selected for maltreatment.

But there's a steady stream of fresh tormentors arriving every day.

They never seem to tire of their sport.

 

 

 

18

Seeing other members of their unit, who have also been brought to this terrible place,

makes the men increasingly despair of ever being rescued.  

 

19

Those who manage to escape are brought back in chains.

Only hastily grabbed sleep allows them any relief from the ordeal

 

 

20

 

But all too soon, there's someone else who wants them.

 

 

21

In the midst of endless, frenzied activity.

The men learn the true meaning of loneliness.

 

 ~

 

These splendid images of military bondage have been sent to me by a group of Mexican bodybuilders who are exploring the making of videos with themes of captivity and punishment, rather like the storyettes of Royale Studio in the 50s. They say "we all are straight men but willing to offer attractive scenes to a gay audience". I should add that the grim story line I have used for this montage is mine not theirs. 

 

You can view a trailer at Mission in Jeopardy

More about the group's founder on Instagram @velamusclebuilding

Under The Lash

The Wooden Horse

 

An illustration from 'Under The Lash', a book about corporal punishment in the UK armed forces in years gone by. This punishment device was called 'The Wooden Horse', but effectively was a narrow or pointed board on which the offender was compelled to sit for long periods. It was not only painful, but ultimately could be medically damaging, so don't try it at home chaps. The idea has now become part of the vocabulary of S&M and is documented extensively here at mitchmen through the series called 'Riding The Wedge'. Contributions include various artists interpretations of the ordeal and some real life attempts to recreate it (sanely). Click on the link or the label at the foot of the post to see them all.

The author of  'Under the Lash' was Basil Clavering, the creator behind the famed Royale and Hussar Studios in the 1950s and 60s. He was assisted (improbably) by another luminary of that era, John Barrington, who helped to edit the book for publication. The book describes a range of military punishments in excruciating detail, and there are a number of illustrations like that above. Clavering actually recreated some of these arcane practices in his storyettes which are still treasured for their spanking and CP content. There's an illustrated review of the book and its Royale legacy at the Royale blog.

 

See Under the Lash reviewed at the mitchmen Royale Studio blog

Diplomatic Language

AI image generated by 'muscle and boots'

caption by mitchmen

The King's Mount

 The inspiring original is by muscleandboots @tumblr

For more captions click on the mitchmods label below

After The Parade

 

It had become a weekly ritual. After the Parade, the Colonel would summon a selection of his Officers for a debriefing on how he thought it had gone. One or two of them would be commended for the way his men had turned out and then dismissed. The remainder would have the faults in their Divisions laid out in excoriating detail. The worst would suffer a spanking in front of their colleagues. 

In pursuit of this method of instilling excellence, the Colonel had introduced a new Parade Dress Uniform for the Officers only. It looked wonderful, but the tight pants that replaced the normal riding breeches were made of the thinnest material imaginable. It was true that tough seats were not required for riding in a parade, but it ensured that any punishment afterwards would be much more painful. So thin was the material that the officers riding astride their horses could feel their butts tingling under the stares of the men riding behind them. When mistakes started to happen, they would buzz in anticipation of the inevitable retribution.

 The inspiring original by muscleandboots @tumblr

For more captions click on the mitchmods label below

Morning Ride

1

 

The Prince's stable-boy has earned privileged access to the seat of power. The prince loves his stallion.

2

 

He knows he must maintain the dignity of his position.

Fortunately, the boy responds well to a stern hand.

 

 Original image by muscleandboots

Jero Taster - Military Life

Jero - Stars or Stripes (mod by mitchmen)

 Etienne graphically portrayed the arbitrary demands of service life with a GI providing sexual service to Sergeant Storm in order gain a pass to see his girlfriend. This take on the subject by Jero is much less orthodox. His scenario involves a sergeant being on the receiving end of arbitrary duties, being forced to wear an embarrassingly skimpy, bikini brief. 

I have invented an arbitrary bed-time inspection procedure to account for this request, with the 'Crazy Colonel' inspecting the Sergeant's pouch as closely as the state of his bed. Probably putting both of them to the test before turning in himself. It's demeaning for a man of the Sergeant's standing to be treated in this way but he seems have already succumbed to wearing the 'Stars' brief, which is more accommodating but still backless. Presumably he wears it under his normal uniform, so that the Colonel can casually communicate his interest in his ass on the parade ground, without arousing the other ranks. Suspicions that is.

An alternative scenario is for the poor man to be detailed to provide table service in the Officer's mess, where his pouch is progressively presented at face level to all those seated round the table, with his hands otherwise engaged of course. Meanwhile his bare backside is offered up to the adjacent diner as he bends to serve. However it seems even more of an improbable assignment for a Sergeant.

This picture is a derivative of an earlier image by Jero in which the muscle hunk is non-military and simply pondering two, equally sized garments with no-one else present.

More Jero art

Recent additions to the Royale Studio Archive

A Scene From Royale Studio's 'Whip Duel' (AI-Idealised)

The dramatic 'Whip Duel' storyette by Royale Studio has now been added to the Archive.

There's an interesting background to this set which is described at the Whip Duel index page

It was inspired by a whip fight in the 1948 film 'Song of Scheherazade'.

Also new at the Royale Studio Gallery, a curio featuring the German Army helmet seen earlier modelled by Brian Lamprill, it looks somewhat less flattering on Ray Bridges head.

Roman Prisoners of War

Roman Prisoners of War To Become Slaves.

A fine body of men with all the hallmarks of AI perfect beauty.
A great picture by 'Gay-Roman-Fantasy'.

However, without the benefit of the title you'd struggle to make out the meaning of this picture. It looks like men filing through a welcoming committee. The artist has managed to generate an interaction between two of the characters, which isn't easy with present AI tools  - it seems to be a consoling, 'well done' or 'be strong' handshake/fist bump as the defeated captives gather. But if these are POW's, there don't seem to be any guards or escorts, just a couple of spectators on the left, maybe one half hidden on the right. There's quite a commotion going on behind them but it doesn't seem to be directly linked to them. This is not the artist's fault, necessarily, AI tools grant limited control to them and do whatever they want to do most of the time. Which I suppose is the most chilling sign of intelligence imaginable.

I just want to ask where the auction is and what time it starts!

See also Defeated Romans Enslaved 
or search the mitchmen blog on 'Roman'

At The Market

This is a nice, sexy image, but again it isn't obvious that this is a market. I love the loincloths but how come everyone is nearly naked and dressed the same? Where are the guards? The market traders?

It's reminiscent of those Hollywood movies where the top gangster, arrogantly strolling through his domain is disrupted by a young upstart who gets in his way. As his minions look on, reflecting his menace, the gangster looks the newcomer up and down, perhaps bandies words with him, then moves on. The absence of contact between the figures makes for a rather loose composition, but it helps create a sense of hovering menace in my imaginary scenario.

This doesn't look like Ancient Rome Toto! No Togas and dubious architecture.
To be fair though, it does say Roman 'Fantasy'.

Cruising

Another great image with another hunk arrogantly strutting his stuff. I suppose his up-market loin cloth and belt are symbolic of wealth and status compared with the wretches around him. We probably all know a street or two like this, though rarely with crowds of men quite as wonderfully undressed as this - or standing without drinks.  The scene does appear to be a market, fruit on the left, bananas on the right but there isn't much trade going on and why is everyone walking in the same direction?

Mercy or Not?

This is closer to what you would expect in a Roman fantasy. An attacker has been disarmed and blood has been shed. He kneels defenceless but uncowed. There's a significant disparity of dress between the two protagonists, perhaps the loser has just been forced to take off his armour by the victor. 

However, why they were fighting in the first place is a mystery. This isn't an Arena. There is a watching crowd but they are dressed like an ill-disciplined army, who have just arrived after a long march. Perhaps this man was the only citizen prepared to make a stand against them, but on the other hand perhaps he was just a (not very good) sneak thief. The juxtaposition of knife point and nose looks very odd, a good example of AI's inability to replicate human judgement which would adjust this detail.

An amazing image nevertheless

Young Soldier at Sunrise (41)

AI is very good at creating portraits of hunks who are the height of perfection and although this man would be near the top of most lust-lists there is something about him that is different, he has character. He's not looking directly at us or courting our admiration. Instead his expression suggests he thinking about something important. Something he must do on this new day, brought closer by the rising sun.
(His armoured 'pouch' with subtle contours glimpsed underneath is very sexy).

I like this picture.

If you follow the link to Gay-Roman-Fantasy at Deviant Art you'll find lots of images like this on Roman themes - battles, gladiators, bath houses etc. And I mean lots, you may end up with indigestion.

Punishment Art by 'G'

This remarkable image seems to show an athlete being punished by man who is semi-formally dressed in clothes that have a military cut. The T-shirt suggests he might be his coach or it might simply be a military undershirt. The athlete's hands are tied together and his feet, though not tied, are also close together, as if in obedience to a demand for military neatness. 

He is suspended, stretched out across his mentor's feet and a low table in a beautiful arching pose that accentuates his buttocks and conveys an impression of extreme defencelessness. The instrument of punishment is a ferocious-looking multi-tailed whip which flails in the air above them suggesting extreme anger and pain lies in store for him. In reality, the wielder is standing much too close to use it effectively, but this close positioning suggests intense, personal emotions are in play. 

The style of the image is strikingly artistic and modern with a slightly fuzzy appearance that belies the level of detail where it matters and there's a similarly loose approach to perspective. Compare with the Art of Vern Dufford

This picture is simply signed 'G' but the artist was identified as 'Greg' when it appeared in 'Mandate' magazine in 1985. Tim in Vermont website attributes it to Greg Maskwa (aka 'greg') who was certainly a contemporary. Maskwa (not previously featured here at mitchmen) was a prolific artist in the leather-rich 1980's and is probably best known for his image below called 'The Oasis'.

'greg' - The Oasis

 These two images are quite different in style but they both have been created using very distinctive, professional 'studio'  techniques. Greg did not always use his distinctive logo on his images but I've not found one that does have it with a similar style to 'G' Greg. You can draw your own conclusions about the source of the liquid spilling from the boot.

Greg - The Olympians

I haven't found any other fetish images by 'G' but this shower scene shows a similar mini-drama unfolding in the contrasting halves of a diptych. On the left two (swimmers?) are showering in a perfectly normal way with a nicely muscled, broad back on view. On the right the blond has actually removed his trunks and has attracted the attention of the third man, seemingly drawing him away from that glorious back. He spans both halves of the image with an air that suggests he is not a man to be dallied with. The faces are stylised but rather sexy.

~

for similar posts at mitchmen, click on the labels below

Defeated Army Enslaved

Charles Gleyre - Romans Under The Yoke (1858, detail)

This image depicts the subjugation of an entire, defeated army. 

The muscular soldiers have been stripped of their uniforms and armour.

Reduced to loincloths, their hands are tied behind their backs 

and noose collars of enslavement have been put round their necks.

The entire army was forced to pass under a yoke,

 symbolically bending their heads to acknowledge their failure

and the superiority of their captors,

 who flogged them as they ducked to pass through the arch.

In the full size image of this picture, the artist sought to heap further embarrassment

on the captives by surrounding them with jeering children and choirs of celebrating women.

It's an 19th century work but those sullen, masculine faces and muscular physiques 

still reach out to us across the chasm of time. 

Sadly that homoerotic tang is absent from other, grand works by Gleyre, 

but some have an unexpectedly modern, surreal quality,

Look for 'Egyptian Temple' and the fantasy world of 'Lost Illusions'.

In this image of the scene the captives are tethered together, like oxen. 

This illustrator seems to have heavily based his work on Gleyre's compelling image

But, he's accorded the captives more modest attire, Victorian style.

Another image of the scene shows a captive stripped completely naked

and his clothes and possessions being looted by the captors.

Other artists have imagined a less graphic format to the humiliating submission

with the 'yoke' merely symbolic, the arch actually made from the captor's spears.

However, the flimsy shifts worn by the captives here are scarcely better than full nudity

The depiction is highly sensual and the 'horns' of the aggressive captors

add a threatening tang of sexual domination to the army's subjugation.

~

The event that inspired these images was the ancient battle of Caudine Forks (321 BC)

It wasn't really a battle at all.

The entire Roman army was decoyed into a trap by the Samnites.

Bottled up in a canyon, they surrendered without a fight.

That's humiliation enough for any seasoned soldier.

Samnite Re-enactment Fan

I doubt that the Samnite warriors ever looked quite like this!

But that short tunic and bag dangling from his belt

might have been a useful distraction during close combat!

'The Cheat' punishment added to Royale Gallery

The Cheat 02 by Royale Studio

Popular classic spanking images are included in 'The Cheat' storyette

which has just been added to the Royale Studio Archive.

This image shows the unsuspecting target.

Vintage Bondage - Fred Halstead

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.