omg lesson#51: the basics of an interrogation scene: smg style

i am sometimes asked how i plan an interrogation scene. b/c i like to plan. be forewarned. my interrogation scenes can get pretty involved but i've simplified it here to the bare essentials. what i've done is planned a 'trial run' first with some of the simpler elements. and then from that 'trial run' i've learned enough to do something more sophisticated, detailed and longer.

interrogation scenes can involve many aspects of fantasy and role play. things like abduction/kidnapping, torture, edge play, mind fucks, isolation and some pretty hardcore s&m. it's not for everyone...even if they say they really really want it. the fantasy can override common sense and more importantly, what your partner is actually capable of.

i would test elements of an interrogation scene in bite size play dates to see how your partner does and to help negotiate limits and boundaries and capabilities. start with bondage and sensory deprivation. can they handle extreme aspects of bondage - fully restrained and gagged and blindfolded for a full hour? can they handle being locked in a closet for an hour or two? can they handle being hooded and sat bound to a chair for a couple of hours? these are things you can ascertain over the course of less ambitious play dates to see how their body and mind handle these kinds of scenarios. if they can't...interrogation may need to be off the table. and that's ok. better to know it before you plan a big scene...then getting into the scene and have it all crumble.

i find a lot of subs are willing....but then can't handle elements necessary to an interrogation scene. so best to try things out before getting their hopes up. if you understand my meaning?

i'm going to run through this as if it was a scene i was doing on my own...b/c that's what i've done in the past. as i said, you can take this scene and do a trial run of some of the bigger elements just to make sure they work like you think they'll do, before planning a bigger and longer scene. i would do a 1 hour trial run with an abbreviated interrogation scene and only practice the elements you're unsure about how they'll work for real.

NEGOTIATION

for a scene, i negotiate well in advance. b/c i need planning time. and this is where all those play dates to learn more about how you might handle all the elements of interrogation are going to work really well. because once you've established that key elements of an interrogation scene can be withstood by your play partner, then you begin, in earnest, negotiating what that scene is going to look like. i find, you don't want to give too many details away (that ruins the fantasy) but you do want to ensure you have consent for critical elements. that is why trying out different aspects in regular play will help you sort out limits and boundaries. then it's a matter of just reconfirming that those boundaries and limits still exist and so on. negotiating a time frame is also important. you want to have enough time to do something memorable...without exhausting yourself in the process. i would say a 2-4 hour scene (if you're doing it alone) is likely do-able. any longer than that and you'll want help. i've done it for 6 hours by myself once and he needed a bathroom break. i was exhausted.

• normally, in my negotiations, i'm after what kind of 'feeling' you're after - what does the fantasy elicit in you? what is hot or intriguing about the fantasy? what's the journey you want to take? seen any scenes that have inspired you and made you feel things you'd like to feel again?

• based on how well i know you, and i should know you pretty well at this point since i'm planning a scene with you, i'm going to take what you've told me and what i've learned from playing in the past with you and plan my scene.

PREPARATION

normally i like protocol. but with an interrogation scene, there are no 'rules'. you are being taken, held hostage and being interrogated.

• i will still dictate outfit (i don't like random nudity) but aside from that, i like to keep you guessing and you just have to be ready for anything (within the bounds of what we've negotiated). make sure, just before the scene, he goes to the bathroom. b/c no bathroom breaks in this scene (again, adjust to medical conditions and so on).

• i pack my toy bag according to my plan. there may be extraneous stuff - i never know when i might need or want to change things up. and i like options. but the plan in my head determines what i'll bring and i always pack my safety bag for any scene. just so i know i have everything i need, in hand.

SETTING THE SCENE

music - is loud, annoying and used only as i want during the interrogation portion of the scene. i use it sparingly. again, based on your negotiations, you will know if say, a hearing impairment or some other issue may require you to leave this off the table. but if you can, i find headphones are great for this b/c usually the music you're going to choose is not something you want to have to listen to. at least i don't.

• lighting and room set up is particularly important but can partially be done while 'in scene'. here's the thing. interrogation scenes have a lot of 'down time' for a top. at least the way i run them. so i will know what i have available to me b/c i've already scoped out the room, beforehand - is there a chair i can secure him to? can i control the light so he won't know what time it is or how much time has passed? and so on.

• i'm going to roll in my toy bag and immediately get him to turn and face the wall. hands behind his head. lowering himself to his knees (again, consider physical abilities here and modify accordingly). i'll leave him in that position while i get my bondage tools out and get the chair ready. i'll immediately tape his hands behind his back and put a hood over his head. then i'll drag the chair to where he is and bind him to the chair - arms and legs. now he's hooded and completely bound. if he tries to talk, you tell him to shut up and threaten him with tape over his face. but honestly, with a hood, i would be careful about gags and anything that might constrict airflow. if he's getting excited, he's going to start breathing heavily or faster and you don't want to mess with breathing. not at this stage anyway.

• keep the script minimal here. the less said the better. in fact, saying nothing about what's happening and why he's being restrained and hooded is better.

• at this point, i will likely slap on the headphones so i can go about my preparations - setting out toys, safety equipment and so on. as long as i have him in my sight lines and i can see he's ok, i can take my time and mentally prepare for the scene i have planned. oh, and he gets a squeeze ball in each hand so he can drop it in lieu of being able to say a safe word if he needs to.

• it's at this point, my sub, who's bound and helpless and blindfolded, is often in his own head. they are anticipating, wondering, fearing, shaking, whatever. that's also part of setting the scene. it's a shame people don't take more advantage of this kind of mental play. but i digress...

THE SCRIPT

normally i don't play with a set script. with an interrogation scene, though, you do have to have the broad strokes of a script. now i am not suggesting you memorize lines b/c...my memory sucks :) but i would set out an interrogation format with how you're going to begin questioning and what's the end goal? what is it you're interrogating him for? what kind of information? what's the scenario you've set? and b/c they are meant to be answering questions, gags are really not helpful in these scenes except when you're taking a break. active interrogation requires they be ungagged, right?

• what i've used is an actual incident in their life that they've told me about at some point. some random incident they mentioned in passing that might work in this case. b/c there's the element of some actual first hand experience with something, and they have to remember details. and they will rack their brain to remember the details.

• when i'm ready, i'm going to remove the headphones and slap them or jar them to attention. i'm usually going to start with asking 'do they know why they are there?' they're going to say they 'don't know' or something like that. and you can play with that for a little bit.

'you really don't know?' [slap]

'you have no idea why you'd be in this situation right now?' [punch]

'you can't give me the right answer can you?' [kick]

• 'i'm referring to the incident that happened on...[some random date] and then i describe the incident they told me about. the details aren't actually important, btw. it's just a pretense to ask questions. what kinds of questions? here's a sample but you know, feel free to come up with your own.

• What was the time and duration of the incident?
• How many times did this happen?
• Where did it happen?
• How did it happen?
• Did anyone else see it happen? Who? What did they say? What did they do?
• Was there physical contact? Describe it.
• What did you do/say in response to the incident?
• Did you report this to anyone? To whom? When?
• Do you know why the incident occurred?
• Do you know anyone else who can shed light on this incident?
• Is there anything else you want to tell me about this incident? don't lie to me!

• for this type of scene, i need to set a mood that's unrelentingly demanding. it's intense, it's deadly, it's threatening, and it's firm. i don't tend to yell but i will be quite commanding and stern. no giggling allowed!

• screaming is good. i like a little bit of man screaming. not showy, inauthentic crap. i want them to bear it stoically till they can't anymore. when i elicit a scream after they've held it in and absorbed all the pain they can as quietly as they can, well, that's soooo rewarding. yes, please. oh and man tears. those are a little harder to come by. even more valued by this sadist. just sayin'...

WARMING UP

your script above is kind of the warm up. all that's happened to this point, is kind of the warm up. feel free to yank off the hood and put it back at regular intervals. address the lighting situation for maximum jarring - the hood is dark; bright lights will stun when the hood comes up. you are playing with the sensory deprivation here and trying to keep them off balance as much as possible. use these things to your advantage. putting on and taking off the headphones and hood adds to their disorientation. the disorientation is important for the interrogation aspect. you want to get them to a point of incoherency as quickly as possible...without having to take days to do it. a bit of pain can also help with the disorientation. light slaps at irregular intervals that deliver just a bit of jarring sting is good here.

• but above all, you're watching the body. you're watching their ability to take this all in. and do you see why it's so important to practice these elements during other times? it is mentally and physically taxing. you need to know they can take it before you try all of it together.

PLAY TIME!

this is the question period time. as i said, the answers don't matter. it's being methodical about the questions. they may get to point where they start crying and saying 'i don't know'. that's when you keep pushing. less disorientation and more pain.

• and when i talk about pain, i mean all kinds of torture. there's beating and punching and kicking in between questions. there's also pinching their nipples so hard they squeal. twisting earlobes is good. as is pinching, particularly sensitive areas of the body like under the arms and the fleshy part of the thighs btw the legs. keep in mind, you don't want to over exert yourself during question period. they can hear your heavy breathing with the questions you ask. so...pace yourself.

• this is when you can ask the questions in menacing ways. take off the hood and get right into their face, or pinch their nostrils and ask the same question over and over again. i like face slapping in these intimate moments. pulling hair, simulating chokeholds. smothering with my gloved hands. menacing. dangerous. angry. but that's just me.

• if you're into waterboarding or drowning play, you might incorporate it for each 'q&a' session. and you may have several 'q&a' sessions over the course of the scene.

• step on their feet. grind their feet with the heel of your boot. kick them in the balls. i mean, if you're a sadist like me, the pain delivery is not difficult. i may use a toy or two but usually i like the physical aspect and have tended to do more kicking and slapping and pinching then using toys during the interrogation. ymmv and all that.

• if you play sexually, this is when you can insert things or use anal toys and things as well. not my jam but you know, you can be creative, can't you?

• when i get tired, i say something in disgust, i put the hood back on, the headphones and leave him there. i never actually leave him alone...just that a sadist needs to take a break. get hydrated. re-group. you know, rest. after all, he's just sitting there. i'm doing all the work :)

• this is also the time i sort in my head and process what questions were working for him and getting him disoriented and which were not so important or getting the reactions i wanted. i've whittled down the questions to the ones he's having the most trouble with. i'm keeping in mind what made the fantasy hot for him and whether i'm getting him to feel the way he wanted to feel. resume 'q&a' sessions as needed but remember, leaving him to 'stew' while you read or prepare yourself for the next go around or, i don't know, play on fet on your phone...don't keep jumping into the next round quickly. like i said, i like to pace myself.

• you do want to keep an eye on him and you don't want to leave him alone for any length of time. check the restraints from time to time. pulling the hood and earphones and then putting them right back without saying anything helps with the disorientation. if you're going to do a prolonged scene (more than an hour or so, be prepared to give him some water. he will be sweating and dehydration can come surprisingly quickly. frankly, i find this is a good time, while he's gulping down water to insinuate that i may have peed in it. or something equally disgusting. ymmv and all that.

• and that's why i ask about feeling and the journey. i don't want to be limited (other than by his limits, of course) in what i plan and how i want to play. b/c at the end of the day, i'm still playing for me. i might be indulging him...but i'm still playing for me.

• the scene winds down whenever you're satisfied with the answers to the questions. when you choose to 'believe him'. when you tell him you're going to 'release him'. again, make it believable. make him get to a breaking point of sorts. and you can start and stop as many times in that 2-4 hour window as you'd like. leave a min. of an hour for after care.

COOL DOWN & AFTER CARE

every journey has to end. i find every sub needs to adjust to coming to the end of play and abrupt doesn't end well, particularly with an interrogation scene that's been intense and disorienting. if you've done it right, they are going to be like a babbling idiot for a little bit. you need to stick around and get them thinking straight.

• i start with gently removing the headphones and hood and speak to them softly and in soothing short sentences to help them comprehend. i'm slowly unrestraining them. and i tell them how well they did. how sorry i am we brought them in for questioning. how it appears our information was faulty and we got the 'wrong guy'. that we're so sorry to have put them through this...etc.

i'll give them some water...ask them if they need anything else like something sweet.

• b/c of the intensity of an interrogation scene i tend to find they need a bit of cuddling or holding for a bit. and likely they may or may not be able to talk. and that's ok. but i would say you need to plan to stick around a while. sometimes that's just letting them process while i pack my things away and restore the room - light and so on. it's really about bringing them down. maybe directing them to go to the bathroom (sometimes they really are incoherent for a bit). letting them slowly gain equilibrium.

THE DEBRIEF

in any event, if i've planned it right, i've taken them on the journey and given them the feels they were looking for. this type of scene requires a debrief a day or two later, i find. i always check in after a scene. a few hours after. and the next day. just to make sure everything is ok. and to see if they'll send me pix of the bruises...cause c'mon, i'm still a sadist.... at some point, i'll debrief when i think they are ready for it. i have found (the few times i've done this) the sub drop is hard. it may have just been the people i've played with. but it's a mind fuck experience and it's important to check in as often as necessary and to make sure they are ok.

• usually the debrief is about what worked, what they really liked, what they didn't like, and more importantly - did i achieve what i set out to achieve? if i did it right, we both got what we wanted. and so far, fingers crossed, i've mostly succeeded. it helps to have good communicative partners who can describe what they want to feel and are able to give clear feedback without getting needy. i've been lucky to have had some really good partners :)

and i always debrief. it makes me a better player. and i always want to be better...

oh, and feel free to add comments about how you set your interrogation or abduction scenes and what you like as part of scenes you've done. i'm always looking for inspiration. and hopefully, this might inspire a few of you!

Mar 24, 2019