TentaclesMale blog

Regular readers will know that I have mixed feelings about the 'tentacles' genre but I occasionally feature stuff I like. This artist's work has a spark of originality in his ideas even if the technical execution is not quite as sophisticated as Baron's, who I featured in my last article.

In this first example, Vore Tentacle (as he styles himself) reproduces a clichéd tentacle pose, much beloved of practitioners of this genre - namely the seated, arms wide, legs apart position. However, his taste in victims (here based on a well known porn star) is rather more interesting  than the superheroes and shaggy, anthropomorphic characters we usually see in this type of art. The intimidating bulk of the attacking creature is assembled quite sketchily and seems to morph into it's victim in places but this manages to suggest a far more potent threat and in it's way is more convincing than conventional tentacle restraint.

Vore also subjects his unwary young men to other, more interesting and varied (if improbable) positions during their ordeals, leaving no doubt that there's a good measure of compulsion and unpleasantness going on (as opposed to the 'lie back and enjoy it' school of tentacle art). The copious fluids produced are sensuously portrayed and seem to originate from the tentacles themselves. Vore plays with the idea of insemination here.

I like the fact that the victims are allowed to keep their clothes which are simply torn open to satisfy the tentacles' yearning for access to moist, dark orifices. Vore has a predilection for sneakers and modern casual wear which he associates with trendiness and vanity in his narratives. This provides a 'hook' for the viewer to connect with.
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Both of the first two pictures reflect another regrettably common feature of tentacle-alia - the absence of any representation of the creature on the other end of the tentacles. Admittedly this allows for the imagination of the viewer to create what entity he wishes, but see how the impact is increased when Vore reveals it to be a well-known and very ferocious predator. Suddenly the probing, slobbering, distracting tentacles are the least of this unfortunate young man's worries. The sense of clumsy, erotic exploration in the earlier pictures crystallises into a more serious menace. The vulnerability of mankind during sexual intercourse is a subliminal fear which underpins many a teen horror movie but this is a nice variation.
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Vore's threats to young manhood also include a rather less substantial, bubble like creature seen here intent on enclosing and presumably absorbing it's hapless victim. The random eyes convey an disturbing impression of some sort of intelligence at work, rather than a programmed biological response.

Vore's creatures are created from elements which are superimposed rather than connected, but somehow in the best examples they fuse themselves together into believable organic entities. The mossy surroundings nicely symbolise the idea of the organic triumphing over mankind. Why I should find such imagery erotic is something of a mystery, but I do.


The eroticism is rather more obvious in this case. This jelly-like species, which uses a more conventional orifice for it's feasting, obligingly teases it's victim to a final orgasm. Perhaps this to distract him from his fate so he will struggle less. Perhaps it has found that the stimulation of the lad's sexual hormones enhances his flavour. Maybe it simply likes to extract 'boy-jus' as a tasty delicacy on the side.

At one time action films often used to feature heroes and villains trapped in quicksand or swamp and slowly sinking beneath the surface, a horrific but strangely sensuous fate. These pictures of plant absorption seem to have a similar effect.

This spiky sub-species seems more designed to repel than attract it's victims but despite that inconsistency I find this subjugation strangely fascinating. Trapped like a mummy inside the plant the victim is completely helpless and somehow the mind imagines that the external spines reflect what is happening to him inside and it's not pleasurable - or escapable! I'm quite surprised that there are no digestive juices spilling out!

Giant wasps also feature in Vore's realm and he returns here to the idea of insemination. Whether the green matter presently holding the victim in check is going to allow the time for anything to come of this mating before consuming the 'carrier' of the gelatinous eggs is open to conjecture, but that's not much consolation to the the poor young man in the firing line. The imagery of weirdness, sex and danger here is particularly acute and in the best horror movie tradition it's set off by a humorous detail, the 'laddering ' of the young man's tights as they are ripped open. That's an offence against his vanity too.

Not too many subliminal messages here but this picture has the great virtue of simplicity and focus. It isn't necessary to show the tentacles attacking every part of the body simultaneously and those flailing feet are as expressive as the most animated of faces. 

What a way to go!

Vore Tentacle's blog at http://tentaclesmale.blogspot.co.uk
 has disappeared now

The Skill of Baron

 This is a fairly well-known image by Baron from 2004. It's an interesting variation on my long-running wedge theme if you like, but apart from the obvious interest of the cop's medieval-style predicament, I have always loved this picture for it's sexy use of clothing. The uniform lying on the floor points out a key element of the storyline, but would that all prisons adopted this inventive convict-striped underwear! The picture below illustrates just how much skill Baron applies to creating his images.

This picture shows how much work Baron did on the figures, subtly enhancing their physiques and then dressing them to fit his vision for the picture. You can see that the 'cop' actually started out life as a reclining figure and by simply turning him upright Baron creates a vicious arm suspension torture that hardly needs to be supplemented by the spiked riding bar. Looking closely you can see the where the overlays are but the light and shadow on the vest is impressively crafted.

Notice the 'key' motif reappearing, we saw it before in an earlier article Just Out Of Reach

My other articles about Baron's work :

The Art of Baron

Baron's Wedge

Baron & Sherwin - Doubly Intimidating

Trapped

 

You next!

Zac discovered that the slurping of the milking machines 

had a strange effect on the new farmhand

Yes Sir! I will try harder!

 

 The other traders had warned Rory that the new boss was always on their backs,

urging them to earn more money for the bank.

It was a painful lesson, but he didn't want to lose out on his his bonus.

 Clean it up, boy!

 Joey realised Mr Harding must have overheard his joke about how smelly some of the coaches were.

No don't touch my hair!

 

Jimmy was already regretting calling Mr Barraclough a hairy monster.

I don't usually, but........mmmmm

The Ski Instructor realised his indiscretion with Mr Flanagan's daughter was going to cost him some of his masculine pride if he was to smooth it over. Thank goodness the family was only at the resort for another week. 

All of these images reposted from the collection by Beltspanker at Flickr with thanks

Suitably Dressed

Corey was a serial trouble-maker at the Cadet Academy.

In the end the despairing Instructor told him to report to the gym,

suitably dressed for punishment, which usually meant PT Kit.

However, when Corey dropped his tracksuit bottoms to reveal a scanty thong,

the Instructor changed his mind about making him do 100 press-ups.

Instead he took Corey to his private quarters and punished him there.

Now Corey doesn't have to be a bad boy any more to get the attention he wants.

Vintage Bondage - Leroy Nelson

 Three images of Leroy Nelson restrained with chains. The waist attachment reflects normal US custody procedure but is not commonly seen in fetish bondage, although it's not lacking in erotic power as you can see. The disarrayed underwear affords a tantalising glimpse of Leroy's tackle and suggests he isn't coming quietly.

Leroy's dishevelled hair gives him an unruly, slightly dangerous air, but this rear view as he is dragged to the cells brings out the captive's tidy, lean physique. He continues to try and escape his chains, spurred on by the ominous removal of his clothing.

I'm ready for my close-ups Mr De Mille!

Those slender, shapely legs, entwined around the frame of the chair have always seemed most erotic to me. You have to imagine the restraint, but it's not very hard. If this model had been in the hands of Mike Arlen the discreetly shadowed sexual organs would be gleaming lustfully through the gloom.

Mitchell - The Director's Chair (1)

 

Leroy's visit to the director's chair inspired me (many years ago) to draw this image where the captive's bondage is made explicit and his sexuality emphasised rather than disguised. It as though a young tough has been pulled in off the street and forced to take part in a seedy video. Unlike Leroy, his body has been shaved as well as oiled in preparation for his debut and this may account for his arousal which is slightly at odds with his look of despair. Perhaps it's the thought of compulsory intimacy that scares him, or perhaps it's the unexpected size and sex of his partner-to-be, who has just arrived to introduce himself and now looms above intimidatingly.

There's another version of this image featuring a more youthful looking captive

 at my free-to-join Yahoo! group (link in sidebar) .
 
  for other gay art by Mitchell at mitchmen click on the 'mitchpix' label below

Ulf Retrospective 2004 (Dangerous Marine)

Ulf's 'Dangerous Marine' series is based on a story by 'Rimpig' about two Marines who hook up in a bar after discovering a mutual interest in sleazy sex. An S&M encounter follows. If you read the story it is all about extending limits and experiences but is entirely consensual. Ulf's images seen in isolation cannot convey all these qualifications of course and can seem rather more edgy.

Ulf takes the trouble to illustrate the initial meeting between the two men in a fairly lengthy, introductory sequence of pictures which gives little clue of what is to come. Both men appear fairly ordinary in their behaviour in these pictures, but in the narrative the man telling the story is struck by the impression of danger and devilishness in his new acquaintance. He is no beginner in these things himself and their negotiation in the bar is very earthy and frank - as you might expect from the author's non-de-plume. The men are still both fully clothed of course but Ulf ensures that their musculature underneath is very much apparent.

The two men adjourn to a motel and the action opens with a less than romantic beer-recycling sequence (above) which establishes the 'Dangerous Marine' as being 'in charge'.

Ulf successfully conveys the eagerness of the new recruit to obey his sleazy orders.

A somewhat Gothic bed lurks in the background 

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There's a surprise in store as the Dangerous Marine (deviating somewhat from his supposedly 'dangerous' persona) diligently produces a  waterproof sheet from his bag to protect the mattress. He then ties down his sub, spreadeagled on top of it. We can hardly see the pick-up in this image and that captures the sense that he is no longer an active participant. The upward view portrays him as though spread on a sacrificial altar, completely helpless. He has allowed his freedom to drain away to a complete stranger who has clearly meticulously prepared for this bondage scene. We now focus on him carefully ensuring that all will now accord to his plan.

The sub's trial proceeds with tit-clamping and cock-binding culminating in a session with the mini-flogger. It's designed to sting and thrill rather than cause damage but he soon discovers it is painful enough when applied to vulnerable places! 

His response is defiance and excitement.

Ulf images don't quite capture this battle of wills.

He does capture the subs excitement however as the Marine climbs aboard to enjoy some tenderised meat. Ulf's cock-binding is not exactly as described in the story but it's a visual treat.

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The first kiss eventually arrives, but it's under the guise of a tasting session after the sub's face has been liberally odourised with butt skunk. The intimidating weapon and bullets on the side table do not actually feature in the written story and are probably metaphors for the obvious sexual acts in the offing. However, the sudden surfacing of this imagery combined with the sub's seeming discomfort at his predicament gives this picture an unexpected, distinctly sinister flavour. 

If you saw this picture in isolation, it might make you think of a homoerotic 'Home Alone' scenario.

Ulf captures the fleeting moment of romance. The Marine demonstrates his strength and power

as he releases the sub from his ropes and picks him up bodily

 - but it's only to turn him over and the poor man is immediately re-secured, 

face down on the rubber sheet.

The sub's newly exposed buns are an irresistible target for more punishment.

Ulf turns to comic art techniques to focus our attention on the evidence of a severe spanking. 

The Marine soon returns to his flogger, using it freely on the restrained man's back

and leaving him squirming helplessly.

Finally he relieves his excitement in the usual way.

There's a distinctly triumphal feel to the way Ulf portrays this moment,

with little sense of mutual enjoyment.

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The Dangerous Marine signs off with a general hosing down 

which links back nicely to the opening scenes.

The two men end up the best of friends.

*******

While the 56 images that make up this series are not all necessarily Ulf's best, there are some gems amongst them and sheer act of sustained creation is no mean achievement. Set together they create a coherent and powerful storyline capable of standing on it's own without the accompanying narrative. Indeed Ulf seems to go further than Rimpig's story at times, taking to heart that 'Dangerous Marine' title which is not really borne out in the original story.

Ulf's series does not encompass the entire span of Rimpig's story which after the initial episode wades into fairly deep waters about war and it's consequences. Ulf chose to just deal with the initial sexual encounter treating it a bit like a porn video. In that respect this series builds on the 'Buddy System' series of 2002 which depicts a similar brief (but vanilla) episode. His interest in the detailed, gradual progression of sexual sessions between men resurfaces in later years too. It contrasts quite oddly with his ability shown elsewhere to tell stories in a single picture.

Continued with 2005

(To read these articles from the beginning start with Ulf Retrospective part 1 ) 

Ulf has a blog The Ulfian which is an interesting mix of his art, political comment and selected porn.

There's also an Ulfian fan club on Google Groups which you have to join (but it's free). 

The older Fan Club on Yahoo! Groups seems to be inactive now.

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Ulf Retrospective - 2004

Ulf - Dangerous Marine (title page)

The highlight of Ulf's work in 2004 has got to be 'Dangerous Marine', a series of 56 illustrations for an S&M pick-up story by 'RimPig'. The sheer size of this project may have impacted the rest of his work in this year which is less exciting than usual. The second part of this article covers 'Dangerous Marine' in more depth.
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Ulf - Title Unknown 

Ulf produced a number of works in this fuzzy photographic style in 2004 and although I like the end result it looks like an adapted photograph and it's hard to tell how much artistic input is attributable to him alone. He certainly doesn't credit anyone else. The close-cropped, close-up format is most untypical of his previous work.
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Ulf - Shall We Begin?

This is probably one of the better known pieces from this year and harks back to earlier years in some ways with the sinuous, almost feminine pose of the broad-hipped Top who displays some rather suspect fashion sense. It makes a striking contrast with the conventional and quite striking masculinity of his captive. In popular fiction, these kinds of coquettish, 'gay' mannerisms are often associated with ruthless cruelty. As is often the case with Ulf, the title enhances the story of the picture (and it's a great shame titles so often get lost in Internet circulation). It's couched in the elegant language of genteel society, seeming to amplify the innate superiority of the Top and suggesting an element of formal ritual with preordained roles. It adds up to a rather intimidating threat and we somehow know that the captive is not an equal partner in this arrangement.

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Ulf - You're Next

Ulf's method of artistic creation is particularly amenable to devising multiple character and orgy scenes. There's a long tradition of detailed, moralistic story telling in a single, complex picture (think for example of Bosch, Hogarth).  I wouldn't suggest Ulf's work equals these masters but there's a similar melange of chaos, debauchery and punishment at the centre of this picture (with a hint of greater sadism in the waiting cross).

Notice how no-one here is facing the viewer, we are on the outside looking in. At first sight it seems that the orgy is also being witnessed from the outside by two lovers, one whispering in the ear of the other as though urging him to join in, a very classical temptation scene in other words. However, the title of the picture disabuses us of this misconception, this young man has already sold his soul and will do as he is told from now on. Whether you think there's a 'moral' here is up to you, but it makes you wonder if those old masters were warning against immorality - or celebrating it!
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Ulf - Title Unknown 

The bowie knife seen lurking in Ulf's 2001 work returns in this predicament scene with an edge (!)  It's an erotic adaptation of the ancient tale of the 'Sword of Damocles', recounted by Cicero. That story was about the constant fear of attack which goes with power but Ulf's is a parable of obedience and endurance in the face of pain and danger. The sub's powerful arousal in response to his predicament is likely to earn him more of the same. Ultimately though the threat posed by the knife is not entirely convincing, despite the glint on the blade suggesting it's extreme sharpness (and who'd want to damage this hunk?) But it's still a memorable image.

There's another image in this year where the knife is used to coerce an unwilling sexual partner but it's too near the knuckle for this blog.
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Ulf - Screw Machine
An even more sophisticated predicament, albeit one that has become quite familiar in the years since this was drawn, via the videos of ButtMachineBoys. Ulf's version comes with the bonus of an operator and bondage for added compulsion. The mechanics of the machine are not entirely convincing but the pose of the tied up 'pokee' is nicely erotic, although it's a disappointment for me that the pressure on his scrotum is entirely self-induced and voluntary.

The overseer leaves him too it, standing to one side and passing up the opportunity for a bit of mischief. In fact he appears to be subconsciously fingering his missing wrist watch, as though bored or late for an appointment. Perhaps he's figuring how long it will take him to go and get the electrical leads he forgot to bring with him for the controller on the side table. Joking aside, there's a sense of incompleteness in the concept here.

Ulf's original title might shed some light on this, I rather doubt mine is correct. It looks too as though someone has adjusted the colouring of this image away from Ulf's customary darkened, orange-y hues. That may have clarified the detail but has also deadened the atmosphere. 
Compare with the picture below.
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Ulf - All Mine
 Ulf uses his lighting skills to the full in this romantic, kidnap fantasy, bathing the scene in warm light and conjuring up a sunny, idyllic, tropical paradise outside the window. It's nice to see a hairy torso celebrated for a change and the theme of an older man taken captive would gratify the fantasies of many a yearning boy - and a few older ones too, no doubt. It's not without it's poignant side, reflected in the shabby, neglected location necessarily chosen for the victory ceremony.

I like Ulf's parody of the captive as saintly martyr. It's not clear whether he is horrified by the assault upon his person or by his own reaction too it. The light of heaven is being unhelpful today, falling on both victim and perpetrator and cheerfully illuminating their sinful act.

 ******

continues with Dangerous Marine (2004)

(To read these articles from the beginning start with Ulf Retrospective part 1 ) 

Ulf has a blog The Ulfian which is an interesting mix of his art, political comment and selected porn.

There's also an Ulfian fan club on Google Groups which you have to join (but it's free). 

The older Fan Club on Yahoo! Groups seems to be inactive now.