By rts
Today my ultimate bondage fantasy will be realized. I am standing in the workshop of this custom body armor fabricator. Laid out on his workbench are the pieces of my new suit of steel armor that he has made to measure for me. It has been designed so that my entire body will be fully encased in the heavy steel, which will be bolted and locked on me, impossible for me to remove. He will keep control of the keys.
A Visit to Bound Gods Headquarters in San FranciscoBy Metalbond
Armory pictures courtesy of SeriousBondage.com
While visiting San Francisco recently, I had the opportunity to accompany the men from the Serious Male Bondage website on a field trip to Kink.com headquarters. This enormous enterprise encompasses dozens of bondage-themed adult websites — including the kinky gay sites Bound Gods, Butt Machine Boys and Naked Kombat, plus many other hetero kink sites. The whole business is located in the Mission District of San Francisco — in the armory, an imposing building where the movies for all of these various sites are produced, cast, directed, filmed, edited and marketed.
I cannot even begin to tell you how massive this whole self-contained kink universe is. Even for a jaded New Yorker like me, I must say I was quite impressed. It made me think of the days when MGM and Paramount Studios had huge properties with sound stages, wardrobe departments, set designers and thousands of worker bees running around making movies — not to mention all the big talent like Bette Davis and Mickey Rooney, working under contract. In its heyday during the 1930s and 1940s the American film industry cranked out hundreds of movies every year, to satisfy the ever-growing demand of an insatiable pubic.
In a way, Kink.com is a lot like the golden age of Hollywood. To begin with, when we arrived, we were buzzed in through security and literally drove into the building and parked inside. They have a reception desk, and we had to sign in. We saw dozens of full-time employees going about their business, working behind computers, editing film, creating marketing and promotional materials, and carrying out support and administrative tasks — all cranking out new adult entertainment. These people are all professionals, and they really know what they are doing. The only difference is that, unlike Hollywood, which churned out movies the whole family could enjoy in the theater, the focus with Kink.com is on a much narrower fan base: consenting adults who want to watch very well made kinky porn. And boy do they deliver.
No matter what sexual orientation you are or what kinky fetish you might have, chances are there is a website headquartered here that will get you all hot and bothered. If you happen to get off on seeing grown men tied up and dominated by intimidating, latex-clad vixens in spiked heels, they’ve got you covered. Maybe you prefer to see women in gags and harnesses being worked over by dominant straight men. Well, they have a site or two for you as well. Into watersports? No problem! How about a site featuring athletic men wrestling on mats for real stakes — with the loser getting fucked by the winner? Yeah, they’ve thought of that, too!
And if you’re like me and you enjoy watching really well made kinky gay bondage porn featuring some of the hottest and most adventuresome gay porn stars with great bodies and dependable dicks who know how to suck and fuck like champions, you need look no further than Bound Gods. As readers of this blog know well, Bound Gods is one of my very favorite sites.
Then it’s no surprise, of course, that the highlight of the day was the chance I got to meet Van Darkholme — the man behind the Bound Gods site — in person. In the flesh. Wow. In my opinion, he looked much hotter in person than he does in videos, if you can imagine that. He’s tall and worked out, has beautiful eyes and nice dark hair, and has a healthy skin tone. You can tell he eats right and gets plenty of sleep. He greeted us wearing cargo pants, a sleeveless blue T-shirt and comfortable sneakers, also blue. (He changed into a black ribbed cotton tank top for the on-camera interview we did later) .
When we started talking, I could tell right away that that he is just a normal guy. He even told me right off that he doesn’t let his porn stardom go to his head, and this was apparent in his demeanor. I found him to be friendly, soft-spoken, gracious and polite. When I asked him casually what he likes to do outside the dungeon, he looked me in the eye and without hesitation said gardening, with a sincere grin. But don’t be fooled. Behind all of Van’s boy-next-door charm lurks a true bondage master. He has been known to have even the biggest and most muscular of men trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey and whimpering like a baby in no time flat. When we started talking about his work, his eyes lit up and he became more animated. It’s clearly something he enjoys very much. He explained that he likes to work the tops in his videos hard, and that he takes excellent care of his slaves, protecting them and making sure they get what they need. He also shared some humorous behind-the-scenes anecdotes, one of them involving the actor Nick Moretti, who … well, let’s just say he got a little “over-enthusiastic” one day with a fellow actor.
Van took us to one of the sets, and I immediately recognized it from The Slaughterhouse. He showed us the tenterhooks hanging on runners from the ceiling, the wet area complete with drain in the floor, the built-in cage in the wall, and some of the hanging meat props. He also pointed out how the walls and floors in the room had been treated for a realistic look on screen. They think of all the details.
We got to peek inside some of the other sets, including the bar, featured most recently in Bar Bondage Hookup 2. I really wanted to see the padded cell set featured in The Sex Addict and Tommy, but it was in use. In fact, many of other sets were in use, with blinking red signs outside the doors warning passers-by that filming is in progress, keep voices down. We also got to visit the infamous Upper Floor at Kink.com, where some of the group scenes and live action updates take place.
Van also showed us the equipment room, where the restraints, whips, floggers, hoods, gags, butt toys and other devices are stored. He showed us how directors can come to the room and “check out” equipment to be used in their movies. Sort of like a kinky library or depository. Van said we could not touch any of the gear that would go in someone’s mouth or ass. As he explained, all the gags and butt toys are thoroughly sanitized after each use, and then quarantined for seven days before being put back in circulation. They also have a prep room, where all the actors clean their privates before any on-camera action takes place. We didn’t go in there.
Van also took us on a tour of the rest of the Armory building itself, which really is a former armory. It has a shooting gallery and a live stream running through the basement. (An interesting side note is that when Kink.com purchased the armory building itself, the transaction generated quite a bit of local controversy. Some community activists and neighborhood groups were up in arms over what they perceived as a threat from kinky perverts about to descend en masse into the neighborhood, filling the area with nefarious characters. That didn’t come to pass, of course, and since then the new residents of the armory and its neighbors have apparently settled into a peaceful coexistence. They even host community groups sometimes for events inside the massive indoor space.)
Before we left for the day, Van told us a little about his new, soon-to-be-launched website, called Bound in Public, which will feature lots of rough play and humiliation. I for one cannot wait to see what this site will be like.
Metalbond would like to thank Van Darkholme for his time and for graciously agreeing to be interviewed, and the Kink.com marketing department for granting access to the building and for their time and consideration as well.
Metalbond would also like to express his most sincere appreciation to Mark at Serious Male Bondage for arranging and facilitating the interview.
Be sure to watch for the on-camera discussion featuring Mark, Van and Metal at Serious Male Bondage.
See the latest updates from Bound Gods here
Get access to all the KnkMen gay bondage channels here
My friend ShackleNYC spent a week in chains and he sent me some pictures and information to share here on Metalbond … Check it out:
Here’s a short recap of the events that transpire:
If you remember, I had agreed to spend a full week in heavy Irons. Originally, we had thought this would all transpire in the Jail Facility up at Dragon Ridge, but realities of Yossie’s work and other factors made this unrealistic for this week.
I was scheduled to be in CA for 11 days.
First two days were rather tame – some fun cuffs and shackle play here and there, but nothing heavy or full time.
I was even left totally uncuffed for the trip up North.
We had dinner up on the Ridge, and it wasn’t until Yossie said to grab anything I needed and ushered me into the truck that my heart began to race, as I knew we were going down to the Jail.
Upon arrival, he immediately led me to the Cell, (hear after “my” Cell) and locked the door. I could hear him preparing the Irons in the large playspace in front, but of course could not see anything from my Cell.
After a while, he came to fetch me, and ordered me to put my hands behind my back and thru the slot in the Cell door they way it is done in Prison. Of course cuffs were slapped on me, and he opened the door and led me to the front room.
There, as I suspected, was a pile of Irons and the hammer and rivets and anvil.
“You know the deal – heavy Irons,” he reminded me. I knew only too well.
Heavy was a understatement, What he had devised for me was truly massive:
The two inch Collar had an attached chain leading down to the 2 inch ankle shackles, nothing too astonishing in that, except that the front chain also passed through a loop in the Iron Belt he had made for me on my previous visit. Collar was riveted on first, then each ankle, and finally the Belt. I knew immediately I was in for it; just the sound of the chain passing through the Belt with the slightest movement told me this would be some very restrictive Bondage. Wrists were last; riveted into heavy 2 inch wrist shackles attached my chain. This chain could (and would) be easily padlocked to the Belt making movement almost impossible, or to a ringbolt in the Cell walls. Very versatile.
I was sweating like a pig by the time the Riveting was finished and I was led back to my Cell. It was not long before it was “light out” and I was left alone in pitch darkness in massive chains. He was generous enough to NOT secure my belt or Collar to the wall or floor – it was difficult enough finding a position to lie in that was not too uncomfortable for the night.
With the exception of occasional abuse sessions (Beatings with the massive Prison Strap, forced cock sucking,) and one outdoor hose-down (a long chain padlocked to my Belt and the front of the Jailhouse) I spent most of the next two days in my Cell.
When it was time to return to SFO, I was led to the car and off we went – me still in full Irons.
As hot as this all sounds (and indeed, was) there were a few issues. Even though the Belt had been built for me, it had begun to dig into my waist rather badly, and I had large open wounds were the metal kept abrading my flesh. The Collar, too, had similar issues, and my neck was rather badly chewed up in various places.
Here’s where friendship can interfere with a total bondage scene – between my lamenting and obvious genuine discomfort and wounds, Yossie cut off the chain connecting my Collar to leg Irons, and struck off the Belt.
After another day in the Collar, he struck that off as well, as by the time my neck was really hacked up by the sharp edge of the massive band I had worn for three days. He did replace it with a riveted on Collar made of rebar, (smooth round iron) which I wore till the end of the scene.
The ankle Irons and wrist shackles remained in place for the rest of the allotted time as well; I quickly developed what is called the Convict Shuffle – as it is the only way to walk in permanent ankle restraints. I got very good at every day tasks in my wrist Irons as well.
I won’t say I missed them, exactly, when all my Irons were finally struck; but I was already thinking about the next time when we might extend the time.
So, although it was not full time in the massive “Six Ways” I was originally hammed into, I indeed spend 7 full days in Irons.
By the way – now, over a month later, my neck and waist still show heavy dark marks from where my Irons had dug in…. HOT!!!
Got some cuffs to show me, and the readers of Metalbond? You can email me on the About tab page.
By Marknorth
I laughed the first time someone called them aquariums. I had always thought of them as display cases but, since the occupants were alive, I guess “aquarium” fit better. I wouldn’t have argued too much anyway, I never wanted to offend any of my clientele – especially in the VIP rooms.
By Paul
Hi Metal, I thought I’d share this with ya, something you might enjoy. I’ve recently just came home from a vacation in Los Angeles and while there I got to experience some cage time. Not much, granted, but some.
The first was at the Rough Trade store, they have a cage at the bottom of the stairs on the ground floor, and I was able to sit into this. WOW!! What a rush!! Once the door was closed over (it wasn’t locked), and I could take in the whole environment, I found it a very thrilling and very arousing experience.
I heard today the sad news that Jim Boyd of New Jersey, aka “James Bond” / “James Bondage” has passed away.
Jim was one of the first men to ever tie me up. The year was 1992, and I was a young kid who had just moved to New York City to explore his interest in bondage and kink. That naturally led me to the New York Bondage Club, which met Friday nights at J’s Hangout at the time. On my very first visit, I met Bob Wingate, editor and publisher of Bound and Gagged magazine, and “James Bond,” who was a photographer for Bound and Gagged. Having been a longtime reader (and beater offer) of Bound and Gagged when I lived in much smaller towns Michigan and Texas, I was thrilled to meet these two bondage celebrities in person.
When Jim and Bob asked me if I wanted to be tied up, I thought I had died and gone to heaven! They proceeded to rope me down to a floating bondage board, and they kept me tied down for the next two or three hours. It was a fantastic initiation to the Bondage Club! It’s no surprise, after that hot experience, that I became a regular at the Bondage Club, attending almost every Friday night for years.
At the start of each meeting, Jim would gather all the men in a large circle around the pool table, and he would get everyone to introduce himself and tell the group what he was into and what he was looking for that night. Then, every single week, after everyone had said something, Jim would utter his immortal phrase, “OK men, it’s time to pair off and sniff armpits” … and then the fun would begin.
To read even more about Jim and see some of his pictures, keep an eye on Bob Wingate’s Blog.
Metal would like to thank Max Cita for the picture above.
