S.G. Croup's Blog, page 68
June 20, 2016
The lion and the unicorn Were fighting for the crown ...
The lion and the unicorn
Were fighting for the crown
The lion beat the unicorn
All around the town.
Some gave them white bread,
And some gave them brown;
Some gave them plum cake
and drummed them out of town.
SO. Today I’d like to talk a bit about this piece of art, which was one of my first brushes with furry content, with spanking fetish, and with, well… a number of kinks I was unaware I had. I must have been 14 or 15 at the time (shhhhh don’t tell my parents I using the internet to look at porn back then!)It’s by the artist Spryte, one of the old “big names” in the gay spanking art scene, and whose work I’m still infatuated with to this day. It’s been a while since I’ve heard from him, and I hope he’s doing well.
First of all, let’s talk about the ‘furry factor’. One thing I’ve always liked about furry artwork since first dicovering it is how the choice of species and the roles they’re presented in can affect the way a piece is seen. For example, many species in nature have natural “rivalries” with each other that we as humans have given them through popular media. One easy example would be dogs vs cats. “Cats rule and dogs drool” and all that, plus the canine propensity to chase after felines. Another would be cats and mice, with the cat popularly seen as toying with its prey. There are countless other predator and prey relationships also present in nature (bird and worms, wolves and deer, sharks and… anything else, just to name a few off the top of my head) and exploiting that 'hierarchy’ in artwork and repackaging them for erotica, humor, etc. is a big part of the draw of furry artwork in general for me. The pre-established relationship is a visual shorthand that’s easy for viewers to quickly understand. And it can also be used very effectively for powerplay, as one species is often seen as having a 'natural’ edge on another.
For this piece the dynamic used is that of Lion vs Unicorn, popularized by the famous nursery rhyme quoted above. In the rhyme the lion 'beats’ the unicorn all across the town, an act which seems to have been taken literally here. Rather than play with or subvert this dynamic, this artwork chooses to affirms its validity and even revel in it. Unicorns lose to lions. Period. End of sentence. It’s right there in full color.
So the question becomes, is there something added to this piece by making the characters anthropomorphic animals? I would say indubitably yes, as the 'rivalry’ the two species already had with each other provides some background and fun context for what’s presented. It’s flavoring, and something would be lost if instead it were, say, two 'regular’ humans presented.
The next thing I’d like to talk about is how goshdarn great the bondage is here. It’s so simple–just some straps holding the unicorn’s legs together–but that’s what makes it so diabolical as well. Lending more credence to the “they have to be furry in order for this to work” argument, the unicorn’s own body is used as part of his bondage. His horn is stuck tight in the wooden door, no doubt from an ill-thought charge at that smug lion who’s now lording his defeat over him. He’s hung by his own tail from the signpost above, which coincidentally raises his ass up good and high for punishment. The straps from earlier bind his legs to each other, with the sidebenefit that they also squeeze his round buttocks together in a most inviting fashion. The unicorn’s arms are free, true, but it seems that in this awkward position all he’s able to do with them is flail uselessly and try to push at the door (unsuccessfully) to try and extricate his horn. In short, it’s got everything I love. Embarrassment, humiliation, ridiculousness… and all perfectly placed to show off the ass.
It feels like there’s a whole story here and we’re only getting a tiny glimpse of it. Are the lion and unicorn friends? Enemies? Old lovers? I would put money on them being rivals, as the lion is certainly seeming to enjoy putting the unicorn in his place. I imagine the unicorn was a prideful sort, and this is his comeuppance. The lion has smacked his bottom to a bright rosy pink pink, and is now enjoying a refreshing brew before he returns to the task at hand. And right out in public, too! One has to wonder if this is the first such altercation between them.
The unicorn himself however is one of the few issues I have with this piece. Even as a kid I thought he should somehow be… manlier. There’s something almost effeminate to me about the figure presented here, whether it’s the long hair, some expression in the blushing face, or the smoothness of the lean white body. The unicorn basically gives off a 'twink’ vibe to me, especially when compared to the lion with his hairy chest and virile, bulging crotch. The effect is diminished by the visible musculature in the unicorn’s arms and legs at least. It’s not enough to be truly off-putting, it’s just that I always wished he had more of a macho sensibility.
But, again, that’s the popular perception of how unicorns are. They’re associated with, among other things, virginity, purity, female power, and romance. (And we can all thank Peter S. Beagle for that!) I can hardly fault Spryte for tapping into that archetype when planning this image. Though echoes of this minor disappointment were surely running through my head when I was designing my own character, Inorog the manly unicorn ™.
Speaking of Ino, I can easily see him getting into similar peril as this. …Perhaps my next commission should be a tribute to this piece, with him in the same position?
And when he had beat him out,
He beat him in again;
He beat him three times over,
His power to maintain.
June 19, 2016
June 18, 2016
Dead or Alive Festival Photo Contest Voting Open! (One of my pictures is a finalist!!)
Team NINJA has just put up all the finalists for their annual Dead or Alive Festival photography contest, and to my surprise, one of the photos I had submitted was selected as a finalist for the “Sexy” category! (The picture of Bayman seen above.) It’s actually the only picture of a male character that was selected for that category, so I’m up against some pretty tough competition. As I’m sure most who are familiar with the series know, the ladies generally get the majority of the spotlight when it comes to fanservice,
so it’s pretty cool they thought this pic was enticing enough to display alongside the women of DoA. It would be awesome to show Koei Tecmo & Team NINJA that there is indeed a desire to see the men of Dead or Alive get some more fanservice content as well, so if you’d like to help, please consider voting for my entry. I’d really appreciate it!
Voting is very simple, you don’t have to submit an email, or sign up for anything, all you do is select the pictures you like (up to 5), click VOTE, confirm your selections, and click OK! (Note: You have to vote for at least one picture in each of the four categories, which are in order from top to bottom: “Cool”, “Cute”, “Sexy”, and “Funny”.)
My pic is in the third group of photos (the “Sexy Group”, as seen above), so you have to scroll down a bit to see it. My intention for entering wasn’t to win a prize, (which is just a small ornament) but rather to show my support for the men of Dead or Alive, and hopefully to garner some interest for fanservice content for them in the future, so if you’d like to see the same, I’d really appreciate your vote! (And spreading the word too, if you’re so inclined.) Voting is open until 6:00PM, June 26th, Japan Standard Time. Thanks in advance for your support!
❤
Reblog for the daytime~
