frost
Assistant executioner
I prefer the feet nailed separately, with the nails driven sideways through the ankles and into the sides of the upright.Which is better one nail through both feet or each foot nailed individually? I personally like the songle nail through both. I like the idea of the victim balancing on on nail. Thoughts?
Nailing the feet separately is probably more practical. If we try to put a single nail through both feet, then we have to hold both together, in position on the upright, as we drive the nail; and that probably means that we have to hammer the nail in as quickly as possible, since it'd be difficult to hold the subject in that position for any length of time. By contrast, if we do the feet separately, then we can press the foot down on the ground beside the cross while we drive the nail; then, when it's penetrated completely, and is projecting by a finger's width or two, we can pull the foot down into position and hold it for the two or three seconds that it takes to drive the nail into the pilot hole. It's easier to control a single leg like that, so we can drive the nail more slowly, with a second or two between blows. This will make the experience more painful for the subject; and it allows us to pull the leg farther down on the upright, so that the knees don't project as far forward, which will provide a better view to the spectators once the cross has been elevated.
If we nail the feet separately, we can also pause between them. During this pause, the subject experiences the pain in the nailed ankle, and can anticipate the nailing of the other.
The nailing takes place with the subject's side toward the spectators, and we nail the ankle closer to the spectators first. Once this is done, we don't have to restrain that leg any more; so the spectators get a complete and uninterrupted view of the subject's face and naked body as the nail is driven through the second ankle.