Crucifixion: Antiquity, Medieval, Or Modern?

[Deleted member jedakk]

Another theme I think is interesting is that of the girl who faces crucifixion believing that she is dying for a cause, or perhaps for someone, only to learn once she is hanging on the cross that her agony and death will be meaningless, and in fact, no one cares.

 

[_CADRE_]

only to learn once she is hanging on the cross that her agony and death will be meaningless, and in fact, no one cares.

Interesting angle to approach it... I like it!

Kind of like a false prophet scenario, where the woman's followers/disciples stop revering her once she's been crucified?

 

[Deleted member jedakk]

Could be a rebel who really believes in her cause, thinks she's dying as a martyr to it, and that people will rally because of her death. Then she watches from her cross as the rest of her compatriots are nailed to crosses themselves. There's no one left and on top of that, there are no crowds of angry people ready to follow their example and rise against their oppressors.

This scenario is much like the young men in Les Miserables who throw up a barricade in the street, rebel against authority, and are all massacred. In the book - not the play - the people of Paris are quite indifferent to the disturbance going on in that street and go about their normal lives with little interest. Their deaths are pointless.

The key theme I would use in a crucifixion story of that type is the progressive crushing of the victim's spirit. She would begin by going defiantly to her execution. Her nakedness is a badge of honor rather than humiliating. Her suffering has a noble purpose in her mind, and we experience suffering differently depending on our outlook. For example, the perception of the pain of childbirth, when a mother looks forward to a very positive, desirable outcome and future is much different than the perception of pain for a terminal cancer patient.

As the story progresses, she sees her compatriots put up on crosses too. Her belief that she is protecting them, that her suffering has meaning, begins to evaporate. This is the first major stage in the crushing of her spirit.

And then there are no angry crowds, ready to follow her example. In fact, there are only the crowds of the useless bastards who always come to crucifixions to jeer at the victims and enjoy watching their agony. If there are any more of them than usual, they are there to see the naked woman writhing on her cross. Her spirit is totally crushed; she realizes that her suffering is meaningless.

And without meaning, her nakedness is truly humiliating, her agony is only punishment, and it is horrific indeed.

That's kind of an idea of what I would envision, but there are lots of approaches you could take.

 

[KvK]

I like 3) modern crucifixion...only I would not have the woman be innocent. I can see a couple of ways around the "cruel and unusual punishment" prohibition.

a) In an America where prisons are overcrowded, but community service just won't suffice, a woman can accept being crucified fully naked except for the rubber band tying back her hair so thee crowd can see the expression on her face. She will be tied, and not nailed, to a Saint Andrew's Cross in an open courtyard under a blazing sun for the better part of a day before a select crowd, and her agonies would be filmed for future release in the case of recidivism (if it is raining, the same effect can be had indoors, substituting several hot lamps for the sun)

b) A homophobic woman baker who refuses to bake a cake for a gay couple can accept crucifixion as detailed in a) as an out-of-court settlement in lieu of a discrimination lawsuit. The only specific here is that two naked lesbians would oil themselves up, rub against her, suck her nipples and clitoris and finger her while she is hanging from the Saint Andrew's Cross

c) a woman found to be engaging in cyberbullying can be crucified as detailed in a), the only specific being that she be made to laugh while hanging from the Saint Andrew's Cross

d) a woman caught embezzling or committing espionage against her employer can be crucified as detailed in a)

e) A woman who harms her employer's reputation by saying/doing something that is stupid and caught on social media can be crucified by her employer as a disciplinary alternative to termination as described in a)

f) a woman caught cheating with her BFF's man can submit to crucifixion by her BFF as a way of saying "I'm sorry" as detailed in a)

g) a woman with a sex addiction can be crucified as detailed under a) as part of rehab, the specific detail here being that the woman will be encouraged (cheering, crucifiers sucking/licking her nipples and clitoris) to orgasm on the Saint Andrew's Cross, the powerful memory of which will suffice to give her mighty orgasms the rest of her life, curing her of her sex addiction

h) a woman with tons of loans can be crucified as detailed under a) in exchange for complete debt forgiveness

 

[jacksjg89]

Could be a rebel who really believes in her cause, thinks she's dying as a martyr to it, and that people will rally because of her death. Then she watches from her cross as the rest of her compatriots are nailed to crosses themselves. There's no one left and on top of that, there are no crowds of angry people ready to follow their example and rise against their oppressors.

This scenario is much like the young men in Les Miserables who throw up a barricade in the street, rebel against authority, and are all massacred. In the book - not the play - the people of Paris are quite indifferent to the disturbance going on in that street and go about their normal lives with little interest. Their deaths are pointless.

The key theme I would use in a crucifixion story of that type is the progressive crushing of the victim's spirit. She would begin by going defiantly to her execution. Her nakedness is a badge of honor rather than humiliating. Her suffering has a noble purpose in her mind, and we experience suffering differently depending on our outlook. For example, the perception of the pain of childbirth, when a mother looks forward to a very positive, desirable outcome and future is much different than the perception of pain for a terminal cancer patient.

As the story progresses, she sees her compatriots put up on crosses too. Her belief that she is protecting them, that her suffering has meaning, begins to evaporate. This is the first major stage in the crushing of her spirit.

And then there are no angry crowds, ready to follow her example. In fact, there are only the crowds of the useless bastards who always come to crucifixions to jeer at the victims and enjoy watching their agony. If there are any more of them than usual, they are there to see the naked woman writhing on her cross. Her spirit is totally crushed; she realizes that her suffering is meaningless.

And without meaning, her nakedness is truly humiliating, her agony is only punishment, and it is horrific indeed.

That's kind of an idea of what I would envision, but there are lots of approaches you could take.

I love this scenario, with the addition of the heroine finding out who betrayed her b

 

[JimOregon]

I have studied the crucifixion of Christ for years and from many historical, religious and medical sources. One of my fantasies is I am an early Christian who is brought before Pilate. When he finds out I am a follower he sentences me to the same death as Christ. I am led to the courtyard, stripped naked, tied to a tall post and scourged. Then I am led naked through the streets to the hill where I am nailed to the cross. I am tortured on the cross for the entertainment of the crowd.

 

[Loxuru]

Yes, crucified for just being who I am - that's at the heart of all my fantasies.

That is a theme I also like. With the growing social control (camera's in the street, car number registration, so called 'smart' technologies), many people claim : " I have nothing to hide, so I have nothing to fear". But it is not you to decide whether you hide nothing, it is the controller"s perception. And ignorant or not, it seems an average person is permanently breaking at least three regulations, so everybody is perceived to hide something. Being innocent or not is always other people's perception. The same for 'what you are'. Indeed a good start for a judicial crucifixion story in a today's world/

 

[_CADRE_]

I love this scenario, with the addition of the heroine finding out who betrayed her b

Good point, Jack! That would greatly add to her mental anguish. So, in addition to discovering that her painful death on the cross will be futile, she also sees the face of the other woman who turned her in.

But then, once the rebel dies on her cross, they take the betrayer, and then execute her in similar fashion...

 

[Eulalia]

a woman found to be engaging in cyberbullying can be crucified as detailed in a), the only specific being that she be made to laugh while hanging from the Saint Andrew's Cross

 

[Deleted member jedakk]

Good point, Jack! That would greatly add to her mental anguish. So, in addition to discovering that her painful death on the cross will be futile, she also sees the face of the other woman who turned her in.

But then, once the rebel dies on her cross, they take the betrayer, and then execute her in similar fashion...

A slightly different take on that might be where the victim, while hanging on the cross, finds out that the charismatic leader she idolized has used her as a scapegoat to avoid being caught himself. And now he is in the forefront of the crowd, heaping abuse on her and adding to her suffering, partly so that he can better distance himself from any association with her crime, but also because he enjoys the sight of her naked body stretched out in agony on the cross.

Whether or not he gets found out in the end is optional. If he is, you give the reader the satisfaction of seeing him face justice, and if not, then there's anger because evil has won out. Either way works, but in the latter case you can always use the bad guy again in a sequel.

 

[_CADRE_]

A slightly different take on that might be where the victim, while hanging on the cross, finds out that the charismatic leader she idolized has used her as a scapegoat to avoid being caught himself. And now he is in the forefront of the crowd, heaping abuse on her and adding to her suffering, partly so that he can better distance himself from any association with her crime, but also because he enjoys the sight of her naked body stretched out in agony on the cross.

Whether or not he gets found out in the end is optional. If he is, you give the reader the satisfaction of seeing him face justice, and if not, then there's anger because evil has won out. Either way works, but in the latter case you can always use the bad guy again in a sequel.

Jedakk, it seems as though you've steeped yourself in the writing scene quite a bit. I enjoy writing myself (crux story or not) and I try to take an eclectic view on things so that I don't pigeon hole myself. If you don't mind, I may message you on the side for input/advice for my future cruxes.

 

[_CADRE_]

*Eulalia laughs and scoffs when told that she has been accused of murder - she knows that she is innocent of any such crimes. But her laughs quickly fade away with a startling alacrity when she is taken away to the dungeons, and the prison guard visits her cell. He holds up three long nails with one hand, and with the other, he points at a large beam of wood. She quickly puts two and two together, and realizes that the beam of wood will serve as the patibulum of her cross...

 

[Deleted member jedakk]

Jedakk, it seems as though you've steeped yourself in the writing scene quite a bit. I enjoy writing myself (crux story or not) and I try to take an eclectic view on things so that I don't pigeon hole myself. If you don't mind, I may message you on the side for input/advice for my future cruxes.

Well, writing speeches, presentations, articles and portions of edited books was a big part of my job for quite a few years although that's not what I was actually trained for - I'm supposed to be an engineer. I have been published internationally, but only on technical subjects. I'm retired now, but among other things I'm working on a book on advanced presentation techniques and another on intellectual capital management. Along with that, I work on a mainstream historical novel when I feel like it, also an analysis and research into the events recorded in my father's World War II diary. So yes, I do a lot of writing and think about it quite a lot.

Feel free to contact me anytime if you want to discuss a story point or something.

 

[Eulalia]

Eulalia laughs and scoffs when told that she has been accused of murder

I was laughing at KvK's brilliant idea that women accused of cyberbullying
should be crucified, but they must be made to laugh while they're hanging on the cross

 

[_CADRE_]

I was laughing at KvK's brilliant idea that women accused of cyberbullying
should be crucified, but they must be made to laugh while they're hanging on the cross

I got that, I was just teasing you

 

[JimOregon]

Well, writing speeches, presentations, articles and portions of edited books was a big part of my job for quite a few years although that's not what I was actually trained for - I'm supposed to be an engineer. I have been published internationally, but only on technical subjects. I'm retired now, but among other things I'm working on a book on advanced presentation techniques and another on intellectual capital management. Along with that, I work on a mainstream historical novel when I feel like it, also an analysis and research into the events recorded in my father's World War II diary. So yes, I do a lot of writing and think about it quite a lot.

Feel free to contact me anytime if you want to discuss a story point or something.

I am also a retired engineer. But unlike you, I have always struggled with writing even a simple business memo. I admire people who are good creative writers, and also artists and musicians.

 

[Eulalia]

But then I wouldn't want to cross a bridge I'd had anything to do with designing!

 

[Deleted member jedakk]

I am also a retired engineer. But unlike you, I have always struggled with writing even a simple business memo. I admire people who are good creative writers, and also artists and musicians.

You're certainly not alone in that! Engineers in general have a reputation for limited communications skills. I've advised quite a few college-age young people to acquire soft skills such as presenting, speaking before audiences, writing, etc. Too many engineers are confined to technical skills only, and it hurts their chances for advancement.

 

[LittleSiss]

But then I wouldn't want to cross a bridge I'd had anything to do with designing!

Oh! Eul
None of them heard ... it must be true.

Our little secret.

 

[jacksjg89]

There's another option that would have gotten my vote had it been up there. Crucified by pirates. Come on, am I right? Marooned and crucified, after a long and unpleasant boat trip.