I worked in a dungeon...what do you want to know?

I'm actually curious about how it's kept clean since there may be body fluids involved. Like full hose down of disinfectant? Though I understand that may not be tv worthy. Maybe you could have a hypochondriac client?

And yeah, the aftercare would be interesting to see. I'm also hoping that the characters won't be depicted as total weirdos in real life, but people who participate in bdsm coming from all walks of life with different personalities.

Eta: Representation of quiltbag would be greatly appreciated too.

Where does all this 'lifestyle' and 'aftercare' stuff come from?

Bufty said:

Where does all this 'lifestyle' and 'aftercare' stuff come from?

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That was essentially my question too.

DrZoidberg said:

Which it was, as will any text describing the psychology behind any human activity.

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All I'm saying is sometimes the psychology behind an activity is nothing more than "it's fun."

I'd be interested in seeing some representation of others who enjoy it, but don't really identify with it as a "lifestyle" exactly.

kuwisdelu said:

All I'm saying is sometimes the psychology behind an activity is nothing more than "it's fun."

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As uncomfortable as it for me to say this, I think you're right here. I've tried and tried and tried to understand people's motivations in many activities (not just sex) and I'm constantly stumped by what some people consider fun. That's it, no other reason. It's mind-boggling.

Now to go back to Celia's question
(anyone else remember it?)

What I want, is for a show like this, to deeply explore the dungeon employee's interactions with the people who are important to them outside of the work place.

I want to see their relationship, (boy or girl or whatever) and I want to see everyone's parents and neighbors and best friends, I want everyone to know what person-x does for a living. That, and that sort of thing alone, would make me watch. If it doesn't have a *for instance* scene where Dad has to drop her/him off at work... then I couldn't care less what the show does. It's just one more 'the secret life of whoever' and I'm changing the channel.

Aftercare is, from what I understand, the care given after the scene is played out. Actually, I'm not going to screw up the explanation and point to this one of many links that a quick google of "bdsm aftercare" turns up: http://www.steel-door.com/aftercare.htm

And I think that, based on this discussion alone, that seeing the various reasons people get involved in bsdm, be it for fun or for other reasons that usurp the "fun" but don't necessarily disclude it, would be great.

Question about the original question: would this story be told from the pov(s) of staff working as actual doms (are there professional subs?), or from the pov(s) of staff working, say, the front desk, or the janitorial crew? I think a story from either direction, or both, could be interesting. Or, since I'm competely ignorant, does everyone take turns as reception or cleaning? Are there staff in the dungeon that are learning about the scene or the culture, what have you, and kind of faking it with the clients as far as their knowledge goes? Like, is there a disparity even amongst the staff as far as involvement, let alone what areas of involvement.

For no reason at all, earlier today I thought about a book by Suzy Parker called Sex in the South. In it, she explores various fetish clubs, etc. and (very well, I might add) portrays the participants as the local bank teller, electrician, or cook at a mid-range restaurant. There is a really good chapter on BDSM clubs. Aftercare is described as a "coming down" period since the experience can be quite intense for some people. It's sort of a "hey, it's me your lover. The roleplaying is over and I'll give you some snuggling time to come out of the fantasy."

I would like to know more about the aftercare, as well as how the couples set boundaries so it doesn't go too far. Fun is fun, but each person has his or her own limits. I'll confess: I've only participated in light stuff, like blindfolds and velvety restraints, but I'm curious about the more intense stuff (but I imagine I'll hit my limit pretty quickly). Kelly brings up a good point about how the staff interact with customers. Are clubs "couples only," or can you hire someone to participate? What is the legal status of the clubs? All this factual stuff makes the fiction more believable for me.

I thought of prisoner dungeons at first as well, but as soon as I saw who posted the thread I figured it out

On a side note of strange/exotic things people do...

I used to be a food and beverage manager at a Holiday Inn and the housekeeping staff told me all kinds of stories about what they found left behind in rooms.

Things other than condoms, vibrators, blow up dolls, handcuffs and all kinds of magazines. And yes, the magazines and toys had to be handled with latex gloves because most were well used... shivers.

All in all, the house keepers would just laugh at this stuff. But you know, I would not leave something like that behind in a place that has my name and address on file...