Royale Studio is Top New Post of 2021 (MPP1)

Royale Studio - Sailor Flogged in the Rigging

Above:- One of Royale's incredibly sexy, military photos from the 1960's,
Part of the Royale Studio Open Archive currently being established at mitchmen

~

The table below lists the most popular of the new mitchmen posts published during 2021. I've abandoned the complex calculations I tried out last year and reverted to my old method of simply counting hits with a mention of anomalies in the notes following the table.

(Titles have links to the original posts, overall hits in third column, ranking position based on annualised rate of hits in column 4 ).

 

TABLE 1 - Top 20 New Posts of 2021 at mitchmen

 

Rank	Title (+link)	Total Hits	Hit Rate Rank	Pub Date	Note
1	Come and Get It! (Royale Studios Archive)	2304	6	July	1
2	The Art of Roa 1 – The Conquered Hero	2210	1	Oct	2
3	Control Room Violation	2122	11	Mar	4
4	The Mighty Foo 1 – Military Capture	1858	9	May	3a
5	Milking Factories 9	1664	21	Nov '20	3c
6	Bizarre Punishments No 7 – The Sequel	1566	12	May	5a
7	The Art of Roa 2 – The Captured Commando	1545	2	Oct	2
8	The Art of Roa 3 – Eric	1433	4	Oct	2
9	Military Punishment by Paul	1391	18	Mar	6
10	Milking Factories 11	1375	14	May	3c
11	Dungeon Art by Papa Con – The Abbey	1358	20	Mar	3b
12	The Art of Robby Cop	1350	13	May	6
13	The Art of Roa 5 – Jamie & Kayle	1313	3	Oct	2
14	Eddie's Pre-sale Nerves	1278	7	Sept	5b
15	The Art Of Absolutbleu 1 – Icons	1190	16	Jun	6
16	Assorted Fetish Art by Gabo	1097	27	Jan	6
17	The Art of Madeira DeSouza – 2	1075	23	Feb	6
18	Papa Con Postscript – Office Party	1026	22	Mar	3b
19	The Art of Christopher Furminger	1019	32	Nov '20	6
20	The Mighty Foo 2 – The Ancients	1012	19	May	3a

 

(Stats collected on 31st December 2021) 

 

1

 

The outright winner is 'Come and Get It!', the lead article for the new 'mitchmen' Open Archive of Royale Studios' military erotica from the 1960's. This victory is a bit of a cheat because I have been re-issuing this post every time I add a new folder to the Archive, so the total will include repeat visits picking up the updates. 

The score of 2304 for the top post is a lot less than Brosfate's record of 3407 last year and the 2019 winner 'Milking Factories 4' which scored 2820, but they were both exceptionally popular posts and it's a perfectly respectable winning score in a longer term context. 

 

Overall visits to the mitchmen blog rose by 21% in 2021 to a record 825K hits, restoring the recent pattern of growth after the small dip last year, apparently due to Covid. At this point I must thank all my visitors for continuing to show your interest in mitchmen blog!

2

 

The runner up is the lead article for 'The Art of Roa' series, helped no doubt by the outstanding crucifixion image that topped it. This post also gained 'bonus' hits because I always direct casual visitors to start reading any series at the first article. This article has a valid claim to be the true, top post of the year because it was only narrowly beaten to first place and, published in October, scored a phenomenal number of hits in a short space of time to comfortably top the 'hit rate' table (ave hits per year). It would have won outright given another month. This performance emulated that of the 'Art of Amalaric' articles last year. It's annualised hit rate of 10,775 beat the previous record of 9195 set by Wrestling Arsenal in 2018. Three other articles from the Roa series also made the top 20 (at 7, 8 and 13) all with equally impressive hit rates (see table above). 

 

These stats unequivocally install Roa as mitchmen 'Artist of the Year', underlining his wide popularity and the loss we have suffered as a result of his sudden disappearance from the erotic art scene when it seemed he was just getting going. His renders have some strikingly original moments and strikingly handsome stars too (Sir Graham - yum!). Like many, talented, modern artists, though, some of his characters are disturbingly young, requiring judicious sampling on my part. I too have memories of adolescent longing for an older partner, but unfortunately it's a taboo subject for blogging in this day and age.

3

 

Two other artists also secured multiple entries in the top 20 - TheMightyFoo and  Papa-Con. Both of these make unique contributions to the fetish genre. Foo's frank explorations of homosexual love and the threat of death in a military context are disturbing and understandably controversial, but his renders have a bewildering beauty and are thought-provoking - on both a political and a personal level. He took 4th place and 20th.

 

There's an undercurrent of drama and violence in Papa-Con's work too (at 11 and 18). His wrestling images vividly complete the bizarre, humiliation rituals that professional fighters tease us with and his Abbey series reworks a popular homoerotic theme of secret, ritual punishment, but it's his dramatic and bold, traditional style and inter-generational focus on mature men that makes his work exceptional and very welcome.

The other double entry this year was for the Milking Factory series, No 9 (at 5) and No 11 (at 10), a recurring feature of the table in recent years. No 9 was actually a 2020 post but published so late in the year (mid-Nov) and such a beautiful render, that I've allowed it into this year's table.

 

4.

 

The third placed article qualifies as 'Surprise of the Year'. 'Control Room Violation' is an image by an unknown artist (or more than one artist, I suspect) which I rediscovered by chance in my archives. It attracted viewings on a sustained basis across the year. It exploits the theme of the anonymous, lustful intruder which can be a tricky subject, but the futuristic, quasi-military setting leaves questions of context and consent unanswered, so viewers can imagine their own erotic scenarios.

5

Another surprise (for me at any rate), was the appearance of one of my own War Comic re-workings in 5th place. It involved the denudification of two POW's under torture in 'Bizarre Punishments No 7'. This  re-imagining of comic book scenes that were already tantalising erotic was what drew me into this area, but I've not been able to do as much as I originally hoped, so far. I'm glad this one struck a chord with my readers.

I also gained another entry for my fiction writing in with 'Eddie's Pre-sale Nerves' at 14, an enslavement story inspired by a gorgeous gif of a body-builder nervously flexing his pecs. It's a theme that has slightly obsessed me since I discovered Amalaric's well-developed world of conscripted slavery and much of the credit for this piece is owed to him.

6

Some well established and vintage artists appear in the rankings this year - Paul at No 9 (whose military prisoners in shorts turn me on, but also tread a fine line on age) also Absolutbleu at 15, an uncontroversial colossus, whose sexy, 'Pirate Booty' just missed the cut last year. The detailed review of his work at mitchmen this year was long overdue. Likewise Madeira DeSouza at 17 whose relatively basic style belies some exciting (and often challenging) man-on-man confrontations.

 

Added to these were Robby Cop (12) and Gabo (16) representing newer artists. Robby has a surprisingly original and sparkling erotic style of traditional cartooning. Gabo's 'fan art' fantasies feature the modern style of neat, simple realism.

Also joining this group was Christopher Furminger (19) whose conventional paintings are more true to the homoerotic part of homoerotic art than most 'straight' gay painters who tend to lean towards 'Art' with a capital A. This is another article from late 2020 that I granted a pass into this year's table on the grounds of hit rate and sheer artistic quality.

~

As usual there are a clutch of interesting articles which just failed to make the top 20 cut. They would have squeezed in if I had confined the multi-part articles to a single entry. They include Arsch (lab rat), Luxuris (the exclusion of his voluptuous packets from the top 20 surprised me), 'Spanking' Matt's humiliation scenarios , Ehrlik (another lab rat) and Amalaric's delicious 'Barbarian Prince' (part of the continuing mitchmen series on his work, but the only one that got close to emulating his sweeping success last year). 

This year's table features articles based on photographs, comics, cartoons, renders and 'fine' art, a cavalcade of gay, artistic talent which testifies to the wealth of sexy, expressive art available to us in the age of the internet. Long may it continue!

~

Next time - The most viewed out of all the mitchmen posts during 2021 (not just the new ones).

 

A big, big Thank You! to all my readers for your interest in my blog, 

I hope mitchmen has managed to divert you from the tribulations of the world in 2021

 

 

 

 HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

from mitchmen blog

 

Crazy Cop Caps 9

click to enlarge

 

 Read series from No 1

 

 Go to Crazy Cop Caps No 10 

Four Sportsmen in Bondage by Rai - 1

1. THE ATHLETE

A rare subject for bondage fantasy

Rai - Athlete A1

Great image, I love the sweep of the athlete's neck  in this submissive bow

Rai - Athlete A2

This traditional athletics kit, is refreshingly free of ads. 

The split side in the shorts has always been an erotic trigger.

The glimpse of inner lining a more subtle treat.

Rai - Athlete A3

Shibari-style leg bindings accentuate the thighs.

A rope harness shapes 'Linford's lunchbox'.

 

Rai - Athlete A4

 A classic tight hog-tie with cheeky embellishment.

Our captive athlete bites the pillow.

2. THE RUGBY PLAYER

 

One of my favourite sporting stereotypes

Rai - Rugby Player RB1

 

Rugby Players are a more common erotic uniform,

but usually young models are substituted for the real life hunks 

and they rarely look as chunky as this man!

His arms look great in the modern type of snug fitting top

(an innovation that has added pecography to the evergreen lust appeal of dinky shorts).

Rai - Rugby Player RB2

 

A roll-call of Rugby iconography

Muscular arms - tick! 

Thick thighs -tick!, 

Lumpy Jockstrap - tick!, 

Knee high socks - tick!

 

This open legged, chair restraint is a great fantasy feeder.

Rai - Rugby Player RB3

 This shot homes in on those fleshy thighs

3. THE SOCCER PLAYER

Rai - Soccer Player SCW1

 

Rai finds another pleasingly chunky man to model as a footballer captive.

 

The appeal of soccer players resided in sexy, truly brief shorts at one time

But the international playboy image has focussed attention on handsome faces.

Modern soccer styles have stubbornly refused to go down the tight, brief route,

but the flimsy clinging material does have it's moments front (above) and rear.

Rai - Soccer Player SCW2

 

We all know that footballers have well developed thighs from their explosive sprinting.

Rai gives us a rare treat by stripping the curtaining shorts away to reveal all

even to the reproductive parts, an equally elusive, legendary attribute of these men.

 

Rai - Soccer Player SCW3

 

We have a better idea of how soccer player's rear's are shaped by their training.

Rai makes the fantasy of stripping one bare a reality.

The captive's, submissive and receptive kneeling pose speaks for itself.

 

4. THE SWIMMER

Rai - Swimmer SWC1

A lean rangy body and skimpy, tight trunks are the essence of the swimmer's appeal.

We rarely get to see them packed out like this though.

 

 

Rai - Swimmer SWC2

 

In recent years, it seems to have dawned on media types
that swimmers look much more interesting when they are out of the water.

This has created something of a vogue for the diving branch of aquatics.

This shibari semi-suspension seems to pick up on the artistic shaping involved.

 

Rai - Swimmer SWC3

Swimmer's slender bodies seem an appropriate subject for contorted positions.

This one is very open and receptive in nature.

Something for the captive to ponder as he waits.

 

~

 

All these images supplied by Rai's Playroom where you will find more eplicit sequels

 

More Rai in the mitchmen Speedo Bondage post 

 

or click on the sport of your choice in the mitchmen label list below

The Fortunes of War

Bazz - Men At War 02

He's not the first and he won't be the last!

Bazz has a knack of finding sexy images to do his manips on.

Bazz - POW 21

I'd say the POW's wistful, 'little boy lost' act is ill-advised in this situation.

I like the way he's rubbing his ankle as though it feels there's something missing.
Like an iron manacle for instance.

 

Bazz - Soldier 05

 This is a very nice image and Bazz has added a well-thought caption (although I confess I have cropped off the last line which is a bit crude for my taste. View original).

 Other images by Bazz at mitchmen 

(some have links to his blog, some are examples included in a themed collection)

Vintage Bondage - Jeff Golden (Part 4)

1

 Jeff passes out during the night and wakes on Day 4 to find he has been lowered and seated on a bench.
The chafing cock tie has been removed and his libido is in sprightly 'morning wood' mode, 
apparently unimpaired by it's extended trauma (see end of Part 3).

This image will seem pretty tame to modern bondage afficionados but fans of the male body will enjoy Jeff's fleshy torso and the chunky thighs produced by his outstretched legs (and I dare say the impressive apparatus in-between as well).
 

2

In this final part of this story Jeff is subjected to further restraint, which is more imagined than real.
Thus these last two images seem to simulate the effects of diagonal racking and crucifixion without ever going there. Jeff's flexed feet are a particularly eloquent element. It's as if he's awoken to a nightmare of pain, which was set up while he slept.

3

The persistence of his erection suggests that the idea excites him.

But a sterner test is to follow.

4

Now he's laid upon a bench with his chained arms pulled upwards behind him.
Levering the shoulder joint, it forces the torso down and can become very painful.

 

5

Jeff's flailing feet signal the discomfort caused when the arms are tweaked upwards.

His ankles have been fettered like this throughout but this is a good close-up.

6

 

When the feet are restrained astride the bench the leverage on the arms cannot be moderated by adjusting the body. In addition Jeff's ass is fully displayed and his cock has been pulled down, so it too is fully visible in a position that is unnatural and uncomfortable. Once again Jeff's raging erection is used to punish him. But he is also well aware that this area is an open target should his interrogator wish to attack it - so too the fleshy backs of his thighs and even the soles of his feet.

7

 

As his tormentor circles behind him, Jeff can only brace himself,
fearing there may be interference of the crudest kind,
or painful beating of his lower body
or further agonising leverage of his arms.

 

 

8

 

Pain duly manifests itself.

Jeff's resistance is starting to crumble.

 

 

 

9

 

 

Next Jeff is moved to a position tethered, facing downwards, between the uprights of the frame.

It's a minimal restraint really, notionally resembling the in-line racking position.

There's no stretching, but Jeff's movement is sufficiently restricted to allow his tormentor free access.

He can administer punishing strokes to the whole of the back of Jeff's body, 

from his shoulders right down to the soles of his feet.

 

10

 

Which producing deliciously clenched buttocks with a sheen of nervous sweat

trembling in anticipation - or searing in the aftermath.

 

11

 

The clenching of his thighs here creates a thickening worthy of a rugby player.

The post rising between his feet accentuates the anchoring of ankles

and the tempting openness of his legs.

12

 

Eventually Jeff does confess to his crime,.

His captor reveals that he has a private licence to requisition minor felons as indentured labour. 

Jeff feared this all along, it means enslavement from which he may never be freed.

A rope is tied round his neck, symbolic of the chains which will become his eternal companions,

once a buyer has been found for him.

13

 

He begins to fantasise about what sort of man might buy him.

Will he be kind or cruel? Will he beat him or nurture him?

Will he be condemned to labour in the fields or to lie in his master's bed?

Jeff's irrepresible libido takes all these possibilities in it's stride.

14

 

 Already the slave manacles have been put on his wrists.

 As he is led away to await collection by the Auctioneer,

Jeff looks back at the place where his downfall was engineered, 

His clothes which were stripped from him lie on the floor.

But they are gone forever, along with all his other possesions.

15

 That night in a cold, lonely cell, he seeks a last consolation

in an act which is likely to be denied him, or at any rate, rationed

once the State declares that he belongs to another man.

~

I have adapted the ending of this story to the enslavement scenario which seemed an ideal fit for these last images. The format and variety of 'restraint' positions illustrated here are typical of  the 'Bound to Please' series. Jeff Golden's serial torment is paired with that of Rod Garetto in Number 1 of the series and I hope to posts extracts from that sometime (also featuring nice underpants).

 

'Bound to Please No 1' seems to have been delisted from the Bacchus Studio catalogue. It is listed for streaming at Gay Hot Movies and my  browser doesn't throw up any issues with this site, but I can't vouch for it. Also rentable at iafd. Sometimes available to buy secondhand at Adult DVD Marketplace.

 

 

The mitchmen, 'Vintage Bondage' Series:

• Jeff Golden (Bacchus)
  
• David Stark (Zeus)
  
• Jack Wrangler (Bijou)
  
• Bo Richards aka Ryder Knight (Zeus)
• John Winship (AMG, 1-off sample in Vintage Season No 11)
• Leroy Nelson
• Mark Nixon (WPG)
• Leonard Chambers (AMG)
• Vintage Bondage Blog  (feat. Fred Halstead, Jack Wrangler + ano)
• My Initiation (William Higgins)
  
• Royale Studio series No 17 (Soldier-Sailor, notable for it's asses in tight shorts)

There's also some retro stuff in my Muscles and Rope series, notably No 11 (Steve Landless by Zeus), No 15 (Robert Black at CanAm & Beau Hopkins at Zeus), No 19 (Can-Am) and No 20 (Rocco De Vega, Zeus). This group highlights the issue at what point does a picture become vintage?

Vintage Bondage - Jeff Golden (Part 3)

1

 

Having spent two days using the threat of sexual torture to intimidate Jeff, the interrogator finally strips him completely naked and chains him to a post. If Jeff continues his non-co-operation, he will be open to serious chastisement from now on.

2

But Jeff continues to struggle against his restraints and this produces some extremely provocative positions. His arousal remains undiminished by his increasing extremity, indeed he now seems to be embracing the sexuality of it all, rubbing himself against the restraint post for stimulation.

 

3

It has become a mute struggle of wills between these men.
But it's no longer completely clear what the struggle is about.
Jeff's unflagging erotic response baffles and enrages his tormentor.

 

4

But given that he chose to reduce his captive to this restrained and naked state,
it's hard to imagine that he is totally unmoved by the simmering display of masculinity..

 

5

 

Jeff's body seems to be inviting him to respond and intervene in some way.

6

An aggressive response might put an end to this strange, compelling dream.

7

But this is not a dream, it is an important interrogation of a suspected criminal.

8

 The power of Justice must be reasserted.

9

The prisoner reminded of his parlous position in no uncertain terms.

mitchmen-style, Put him in his place!

10

But even in his anguish Jeff still remains defiant.

11

Angrily the interrogator responds with more extreme restraint.
He puts Jeff into the full X-spread, where no self-stimulation is possible.
Nor any way to evade the instruments of persuasion.

12

Conventional tongue-loosening techniques can be applied.

13

And yet the erotic aura of this prisoner refuses to subside

14

His raging defiance is unimpaired despite his complete vulnerability.

15

Chastisement curbs him but doesn't break him

16

 

In desperation, the interrogator resorts to roping his tool.

Capturing it in a sliding loop that tightens as Jeff struggles.

 

17

Once again Jeff is left overnight, naked, tethered and stretched out.

Another night in cold, uncomfortable, nagging restraint

Further attempts to wring a confession from him will be made on the morrow.

~

Some of the close-up photography in this segment, though erotic in intent, succeeds in reaching a level of artistry too and I've tried to draw that out in my sampled images. The simplicity of the set and the bondage itself ensures there's little to distract from the essence of the male body being examined. In the video itself, the focus on erotic, body display aquires an extra dimension of movement which is engrossing but it does slows the pace of the storyline and unfortunately exposes an underlying lack of realism and genuine restraint.

 

 

This mitchmen mini-series concludes in Part 4