Before I start I should mention to anyone in the DC area that you should run, not walk, to the National Gallery, for it has currently not one but two stupendous special exhibits on – the first being a masterful collection of Rembrandt prints, including the only known intact plate of any of his prints. The other is a side-by-side exhibit of each of Constable’s “six-footers” and the oil sketches for each. I am not a great fan of Constable, but this left me far more impressed with him. I also, by the way, had a chance to make a special pilgrimage to one of my favourite paintings, Sargent’s Repose (Nonchaloir). She and I had a moment alone in Gallery 70…..OK, back to our show.
I like to emphasize all three words in the phrase “damsel in distress.” The distress part, that’s pretty obvious. Ingenuity in the peril is very important, of course. As for “damsel” – also pretty obvious. The star of the show. I have harped ad nauseum in this blog about how important the damsel herself is, how she makes or breaks the peril – not her technique at roleplay, as enjoyable as that can be at this end, but how much her essence inspires my “villainy.”
But that little word in the middle, “in” – for me that encapsulates all the details and embellishments that, for me, complete a peril scenario. It stands for all those elusive things called “mise en scene” in the movies, and more.
I threatened to write about elaborate captures recently, and the more I started to look things over (those RPs I can recall, or stories I have saved) I realized this was about more than just ingenuity. I am sure there are plenty of more ingenious villains out there, with more elaborate traps or more creative ways to bind or threaten a damsel. I certainly won’t try to claim first prize there, even if that were my style.
But I do work hard whenever I get the chance on atmosphere, and that I think means not just the technical aspects of a peril, although I do try to make a peril as gruesomely realistic as possible. No, atmosphere means unusual locations, weird and specific villains and henchmen, fashion for the damsel, historical period at times, time of day and light quality. The idea is to create a movie, or a painting if you will (literally, in one adventure).
In the course of setting the stage, I find that unusual bonds, positions, gags, and even perils come to me. I am guessing that this is not the way it usually works: I am under the impression that most villains think of the peril first, then build a scene around it, leading up to it.
Well, I sometimes do that, but more often, it’s the other way around. Usually, it works more like: “I saw a picture in a magazine the other day, mmm, I bet damsel X would like that place (or that dress, or that colour, whatever), hmmm, how could she fall into a trap in that setting/outfit/time period? OK, if she is caught doing Y, what is the most logical way to dispose of her?”
One direct and linear example of this was a quasi-challenge (publicly posted, so no prizes for guessing who) to come up with a suffragette peril. So I thought, hmmm, turn of the century, the Industrial Age, voting machines…..eureka! I “lured” her into the back of a newfangled voting machine where she, not a ballot, would be punctured to death. And I refrained from any hanging chad jokes!
Anyway, I thought I would list a few special captures, settings, and bonds and gags I have come up with. I will jot down more as they come to me, but here, delivered courtesy of my random access brain, is a sample. I am leaving out the tours-de-force (example, I set a peril in the reign of Byzantine Emperor Phocas just to see if I could do it. The peril was a grisly one, involving blinding by vinegar, that was about 80% historically accurate.)
Spun Sugar: I think I mentioned the confectionary peril in my “baroque” entry. Well, the damsel in question was bound by being held fast as several pastry chefs glopped molten spun sugar over her wrists and ankles until it cooled and hardened to the consistency of quartz. I think I gagged her with sugar, too. Well, she was literally as well as figuratively a sweetie…
Fun with Maxwell’s Laws: Superheroines are always fun to take down. I recall one, who had rather formidable electrical powers, including the ability to hurl lightning bolts, who was trapped by her very own powers: a special metallic floor to generate enough magnetic conductance to “glue” her feet to the floor. The overconfident superheroine tries to blast her way free, not realizing that there is a lightning rod in the room that attracts her bolts and completely drains her of her special powers. After that, subduing her was trivial. I think I planned to lower her into a vat of bubblegum (the villainess in this one was all pink.)
Don’t trust chippies: In a long and sexy scene, a magician’s assistant was trapped for a nasty interrogation by being cuffed inside a cabinet used for the “disappearing lady” trick. She manages to trigger the release, and falls through a trap door. She runs, only to be swiftly recaptured by carpenter minions of the magician villain, who menaces her with the old “lady sawn in half” trick, and then suspended, tied up over the water tank that I conveniently filled not with water, but with acid. The twist was her gag: since carpenters had caught her, I hit upon the idea of gagging her with a wooden dowel rod between her teeth, the rod being taped into place with two long strips of black electrical tape in the shape of an X over her lips.
It’s for a good cause: I think what took the cake was the elaborate ruse used to lure a heroine to a special charity ball. For this I had to invent a whole world, including the character’s fictional friends and adversaries, to attend the event with her. In fact, the way it was set up, she did not even know who the “bad guy” really was until well into the adventure.
These little synopses really pale for me compared to the actual adventures, but I want to keep the latter as gifts for the heroines they were written for (or participated in, in the case of RPs). But I think in this case, to give you some flavour, I will post the “invitation.” Before we even had started this RP, I sent her this:
The pleasure of your company
is requested for
is requested for
cocktails and reception
for the benefit of
the Arkham Institute for Psychopathology
Tuesday, 29 November 2005 at 8 o’clock
Ravenscrag
West Point, NY
RSVP Black Tie
Anyway, the heroine got to pick out her own gown, and we spent a good long time (by her choice) just having her deal with “real life” before the “heroine adventure” itself started. She was completely thrown into a social setting way out of her depth, and had to sink or swim in it before we even got to her first diabolical trap.
This is something I seldom try until a get to know someone very well. Once a damsel knows that she is doomed to capture and peril, then I enjoy just playing with her, keeping her in suspense as to exactly how she will be blindsided, tricked, or ambushed.
In this case, she was invited to a special tour of the mansion. I used her own curiosity in her character’s professional field against her, then seduced her in the wine cellar, then wheedled her into trying out a new neurological device. Funny how those always involve reclining chairs with manacles on the arms. Once I had her in those, the arc of the evening changed a bit….
Well, as I come up with other recollections I will add them in.
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