#cleopatra: queen of sex

[millennialdemon]

Upon finishing Cleopatra: Queen of Sex, I am left with one simple, rather frustrating question to have at the end of any movie: What was the point?

I can’t help but compare it to Belladonna of Sadness, the film following this one in the Animerama trilogy, and lament Cleopatra’s apparent lack of purpose or narrative vision. Because while Belladonna of Sadness is quite a troubling movie to me personally – I simply cannot call it feminist, and I find it harder and harder to not just admit it is really, very misogynistic despite Eichii Yamamoto’s attempts to grapple with feminist ideas therein – I cannot say it wasn’t trying to impart a meaning, or even that it didn’t succeed in doing so. It was very squarely, definitely, about something. I came away from Belladonna of Sadness shocked, sad, and sympathetic – even if that sympathy was and is still conflicted.

On the other hand, Cleopatra: Queen of Sex left me puzzled and somewhat disgusted, and I don’t even think it was on purpose. And yes, I’m a 28 year-old harpy woman feminist whatever, of course I took umbrage with a 70s cinemax porno anime movie, what did I expect? But that really didn’t even turn out to be my main complaint. In fact, that didn’t even make it into the Top 3 problems I have with this movie, which are as follows:

3. Cleopatra, kind of like Jeanne now that I think about, didn’t actually have much agency and just sort of reacted to the story unfolding around her, despite being the main character. This is exacerbated by having her actions be controlled by another, much more wicked older woman throughout who is doing all of the planning for her.

2. The time-travel framing narrative was completely nonsensical, unnecessary, and went ignored for the vast majority of the movie.

and 1. The ending of the framing time-travel narrative is in complete opposition with the preceding 1 hour and 40 minutes of the story.

Now, I said that the time-travel framing narrative went ignored in the majority of the movie, but that isn’t technically true. If you must know, the time-travellers passively sitting inside of the brains of the ancient people – and a leopard – did contribute One thing to the story throughout: raunchy, absurdist humour. The man inside of Cleopatra’s pet leopard seemingly kept his consciousness somehow, since he was a perverse dunce that facilitated bestiality jokes, just as he did before he got stuck inside the body of an ancient leopard. What a blessing. Thank you Tezuka, for showing me various images of a wacky cartoon leopard trying to have sex with human women.

The other time-travellers ended up in the bodies of humans, a roman slave and a young woman who was a close friend of Cleopatra’s. They, for some unexplained reason, were not consciously controlling the bodies they are inside of, nor were they able to investigate anything despite that being the main conceit of this journey. The roman slave is able to craft explosives and, ridiculously, a handgun, but he has no idea how he knows how to do these things or why he is compelled to. He says vaguely, “someone in my heart is telling me how to do this” and “I made this on impulse, I have no idea how it works”. The young woman does not feel any similar impulse or have access to hidden future knowledge – she may as well have never been possessed at all. Her life goes on exactly as we would assume it would had she not been.

All of the things these three characters do, whether they had been possessed by time-travellers who do nothing anyway or not, could have simply not been done at all and nothing in the story would be very different. History would have played out the same way regardless if the roman slave won his coliseum battle by shooting his opponent with a handgun, and other similar absurdities. Cleopatra steals that handgun afterwards and threatens to kill Calpurnia with it for stealing away Caesar, but Calpurnia convinces her otherwise by showing her that Caesar doesn’t love her, so Cleopatra doesn’t even end up using the gun to change the outcome of history. And need I even explain how whether or not the leopard wants to hump various women doesn’t matter at all, beyond facilitating crude humour, the same way the imagery of a roman slave holding a glock facilitates absurdist humour in this movie?

And it was still not necessary to include them even for the sake of just facilitating humour. There are tons of elements in this movie that are purposely “out of time and place” for the sake of absurdity. All the montages of fine art parodies from around the world, the scene of the various famous statues that have Caesar’s likeness forced onto them after he becomes emperor, Caesar’s assassination playing out like a Japanese stage play. Caesar literally returns to Rome with Cleopatra in a red sports car. This movie never claimed to be aiming for any sort of historical accuracy – we even got a disclaimer about that right off the hop! – we didn’t need any reason for the roman slave to be able to craft a gun, or for the leopard to be horned out of his mind, or the girl to do… nothing…

Functionally the only thing the time-travel framing narrative did was render this movie meaningless in the end. The reason the time-travellers went to the past was to figure out why an alien race on an alien planet called Pasateli, which Earth is trying to conquer, have named their plans for rebellion against Earth “The Cleopatra Plan”. They watch the real Cleopatra’s life unfold in ancient Egypt, and return to the future saying that they now understand what the “The Cleopatra Plan” might be.

The aliens of Pasateli have been sending beautiful women to Earth to seduce the earth men and then, when they are vulnerable, kill them. Upon discovering this, earth launches missiles to Pasateli to destroy it, and the movie ends.

But Cleopatra was not a conniving, wicked woman trying to destroy mankind – this movie does not present her as such. She was being guided and pressured by Apollodoria, and even so, she resisted her demands and fell in love with both of the Roman leaders she had been tasked with assassinating. For an hour and 40 minutes we watch this story about this poor woman who cannot bear to kill the men she loves, not even for her beloved Egypt. Even when Caesar betrays her love, she does not plot revenge or kill him where he lay – she runs away in sorrow. And after Antony dies in his battle against Octavian, helped by Apollodoria’s meddling and poisoning, Cleopatra tries to run away and live in solitude, saying she wants to go back to the way she was before and live a normal life. But Octavian chases her down, helped by the vengeful Apollodoria, and Cleopatra dies when her desperate final attempt to assimilate with the Romans for the sake of survival fails against Octavian, who is immune to her charms because he is gay. (And by the way, in this mess of a story, what is that supposed to mean?)

Similarly, the Egyptians of the movie were clear victims, analogous with the aliens of Pasateli whom Earth was trying to conquer. After Cleopatra committed suicide, faced with being captured and executed by Octavian and having no choice but to do so, the young Egyptian woman one of the time-travellers ended up inside of screamed and cried and begged for the Romans to leave Egypt. That is how the story that takes place in ancient Egypt ends, with an Egyptian woman begging for the conquerors to leave them alone. And then we hard cut to the future and the time-travellers just glibly say, Oh, the Pasateli are trying to destroy us by seducing our men, just like Cleopatra did! Even though in this story, she didn’t.

It is awful. It is insanely misogynistic. It is weirdly conspiratorially racist and brings to mind the bogus “great replacement” theory that neo-nazis insist is definitely real and happening (it isn’t). It makes no sense.

I could try to spin it differently, and try to make a bold claim that this movie is actually about how humans never learn anything from history. How else can you justify none of the time-travellers, particularly the woman who had resided inside of the mourning Egyptian, not pausing and asking: Wait, are we the baddies? Are we the Roman conquerors that drove the titular Cleopatra to desperate measures and an early demise? Are we the villains incapable of witnessing and understanding the violence we are perpetuating even when it is staring us directly in the face?

But that’s a hard sell and one I cannot actually endorse, because this movie did nothing to earn that interpretation beyond have bafflingly bad writing that forces you try to make sense of it. And because there is a comedy scene wherein Egyptian women band together and plot to exhaust the Roman soldiers in Antony’s army with sex prior to his battle with Octavian’s army, ensuring he loses. And it works.

So was this time-travel framing narrative worth witnessing for the sake of laughing at the horrendously rotoscoped anime heads atop live-action actors in a kitschy sci-fi lab? Not in my opinion, no, even though I do love to see animators experiment and I do love feeling like I’m going insane sometimes. And while I can appreciate the artistry of this movie – and there is a lot of it to enjoy! – I have a big problem when a story like this is so contradictory. And no, it being an experimental adult movie from the 70’s doesn’t absolve it of having bad, confusing writing and being dissatisfying.

4/10 for some compelling visuals and a lot of experimental animation that kept things fresh, but it was majorly dragged down by a story that was a little too careless to just be dumb entertainment.

[i8i8t]

"Folks are in a line around the block

Just to see her do the can-can, Jaques" -Steely Dan

Cleopatra: Queen of Sex . Osamu Tezuka & Eiichi Yamamoto . 1970

[spockvarietyhour]

Oh, mood.

[redrosecut]

I’m kinda hooked on Netflix’ docutainment shows. Although I treat them more like cheaply produced fictional period dramas that are loosely based on some historical events.

I already watched Rise of Empires: Ottoman, The Last Czars, Queen Cleopatra and Blood, Sex & Royalty. I also started African Queens: Njinga and Roman Empire. Do you have any other recommendations on this kind of genre?

[bloodgutsangelcakes]

intro 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

⋆ hey! my name's sadie, and i'm a 15 year old australian girl ⋆ you could probably find me in my room rotting on my bed or choosing a record to play

⋆ dni: men (18+), nsfw blogs, zionists, misogynists, racists, homophobes, transphobes, and anyone who's just going to hate ⋆

⋆ dms are open to anyone who's going to be respectful - i love talking to my moots so don't be afraid to message first ⋆

𝜗 about me 𝜚 ⋆ i love lana del rey, my year of rest and relaxation, girl blogging, buying records, thrifting, crying, mini skirts, coquette in a fawn way, cillian murphy (daddy), reading, writing poetry, chewing gum, everskies, taking insta worthy photos but never posting them, scrolling through pinterest, making playlists, and mia goth!

⋆ my favourite:

𝜗 music 𝜚 ⋆ lana del rey (obviously), ethel cain, marina, david bowie, phoebe bridgers, deftones, mitski, black box recorder, lorde, sky ferreira, suki waterhouse, hole, alex g, cigarettes after sex, fiona apple, tv girl, grimes, the smiths, mazzy star, grimes, the neighbourhood, la femme, tv girl, arctic monkeys 𝜗 books 𝜚 ⋆ my year of rest and relaxation, the picture of dorian gray, the bell jar, the perks of being a wallflower, carmilla, bunny, the virgin suicides, cleopatra and frankenstein, the outsiders, circe, house of hollow, fairytales for wilde girls, chlorine 𝜗 movies and shows 𝜚 ⋆ girl, interrupted, perks of being a wallflower, skins uk, jennifer's body, the craft, promising young women, palo alto, lady bird, amelie, the queen's gambit, kill bill (vol 1 and 2), thirteen, the virgin suicides, pulp fiction, fight club, twilight, the bling ring, black swan, pearl 𝜗 lana unreleased 𝜚 ⋆ gramma, back to the basics, prom song (gone wrong), summer of sam, the lolita demos, wayamaya, queen of the gas station, velvet crow bar, all of the national anthem/want it all demos

𝜗 socials 𝜚 ⋆ pinterest: bloodgutsangelcakes ⋆ everskies: cherry_chic ⋆ spotify: ༺ sadie ༻ ⋆ letterboxd: sdie

𝜗 side blogs 𝜚 ⋆ @the-chic-diet - tw ed sideblog ⋆ @locallyhatedpoet - poetry sideblog

[starfelina]

messalina asteroid (545)

tw : contains mentions of s*x

messalina asteroid in general can indicate:

sex appeal , manipulating others through s*x , seducing others. it can also indicate a high libido (iykyk, sometimes a bit too high)

messalina in aries

messalina in the sign of aries is a wild & free messalina. these people will most likely have a high libido. they are definitely not afraid to use their body & the way they look to tempt others (or to even destroy others tbh, they can sometimes seek revenge like scorpio). their blood is pumping so they might be open to try new things sexually. they can manipulate others through sex to get what they want. they tend to have a pretty face & an athletic body.

messalina in taurus

messalina in taurus people can use their sexuality for material gains. that doesn't mean that they're prostit*tes though. they are the kind of person who will use their body for their benefit, like you have me yes but buy me this and that and give me all the comfort.kind of sugar baby vibes. they can have a high s*x drive but only if they feel like it. this placement can also indicate a seductive voice that these people can use to sexually tempt others. they can also be really good at giving oral.

messalina in gemini

messalina in gemini people are smart when using their sexuality to tempt others. they don't only know how to use their body, but they also know how to communicate seductively as well. they can be good at dirty talking to the point that it drives their victims crazy. gemini rules the hands, so these natives may have very attractive hands. they can use their hands to seduce others or to please themselves (hand jobs & massages for example). they can manipulate others through s*x to learn things from them.

messalina in cancer

messalina in cancer people are really sweet & seductive at the same time.  they sexually tempt others by being cute. they can use puppy eyes or pretend to be a damsel in distress to achieve that. dont let the puppy eyes fool you! they are sirens deep inside & they can manipulate you in order to get you to their side or to protect them in general. they can be submissive but do not underestimate their s*x drive! they can be quite kinky. also, as cancer rules over the breasts...they can use them to seduce others.

messalina in leo

messalina in leo natives are confident & proud about their bodies and their sex appeal and they show it. they can use their confidence and "queen behavior" to tempt others sexually. they present themselves as a prize to their sexual partners. honestly, I think that cleopatra had this placement. she used to make a whole theatrical show of presenting herself as aphrodite to get her partner in the mood. messalina leo people can be fiery and have an intense sexual drive. also, leo rules the back so these natives may have a really beautiful back. the use their powers in seduction to get people obsessed with them, like to see them as gods.

messalina in virgo

messalina in virgo natives can give off a pure vibe. this is definitely not the most sexually seductive placement at first, neither are they  obsessed with the idea of having *it* unless other placements indicate the opposite. (if that happens they might have a virginity kink if that exists idk? like taking or letting others take their v card.) HOWEVER, they shouldn't be underestimated. one really good thing about them physically is that they tend to have an attractive abdomen? yes. so they look extra good with clothes that show skin in that area + they can use that to tempt others for their benefit. the mainly seek material benefit when manipulating others through s*x.

messalina in libra

people with messalina in libra use their charm to lure others. they are usually very charming and attractive. they can be quite kinky. like their fellow venusians, libras can use their body & sex appeal in exchange of material things & princess treatment. the "key" of their whole appearance can be their really attractive butt that tempts others & messalina in libra people use it as their advantage.

messalina in scorpio

now, messalina is already a really erotic asteroid but messalina in scorpio is something else. these people ooze sex appeal. they have a really high libido, one of the highest if not the highest. they are also very kinky. however they are really smart too. they can use their sexuality not just to seduce others but with a intention to destroy them and take revenge. this is a very femme fatale placement imo. they are also very mysterious and that makes people more and more haunted by them. scorpio rules the sexual organs, so these people can use sex at its finest to seduce others and get what they want. now this is not true for everyone,  but if other placements contribute too, some people with this placement can be nymphomaniacs.

messalina in saggitarius

messalina in saggitarius natives  have an immense sex appeal & a high libido. they seduce others with their knowledge & physically they have really beautiful bodies, they tend to look athletic + they have a very beautiful waist & nice thighs that seduces others even more, like they make people fantasize just by looking at their pretty waist. they also tend to have an exotic type of beauty. they can manipulate others with s*x but they are not that manipulative compared to other messalina placements imo. just don't get them mad at you.

messalina in capricorn

people with messalina in capricorn can use their sexual power to gain success & even fame. they have a REALLY high libido (& they're very freaky too but they don't show it lmao). they won't have s*x with everyone, they have extremy high standards. but when they want to seduce someone.. well, they can be really good at that. they can use their beautiful smile, as capricorn rules teeth & people can find their legs really attractive perhaps? yes. they will use that too to sexually turn somebody & get what they want from them.

messalina in aquarius

a person with this placement is very unique and free spirited. they have unique ideas about sex & the sexual nature of people, unique way of luring people, they just like to be themselves. they have other-worldly kind of beauty and sex appeal, like they're not real. they can be open to try new things sexually. their most attractive body part is the ankles so they can use that to seduce people. not THAT manipulative, however they can use their sexual power to do that, if they want.

messalina in pisces

messalina in pisces people have a dreamy yet siren like appearance. they can use that + the fact that they most likely have really attractive feet (ik sounds weird rn but it's true) & people are going to seduced by them for that and they be asking for more. they might be good at giving foot jobs ? idk. they will also activate their "vulnerable mode" on purpose to get what they want. the can be master manipulators and drive others crazy through their sexual power even if they look cute and subtle. dont let them fool you.

xoxo, feliné

[grecoromanyaoi]

i keep seeing ppl compare "turning" alexander the great gay "for the documentary" and turning cleopatra black for the documentary where a. its highly highly unlikely cleopatra was "black", and im saying that as in 'had darker skin and features associated with sub-saharan ppl' (if she was there is no evidence of that) bc b. the "black" identity as we now think of it didnt exist back then in any way. the modern black identity was heavily shaped by european colonialism, the transatlantic slave trade and the resulting pan-africanism, which is one of the main reasons them propping her up as an "african queen" was rly annoying, and the other reason brings me to c. she was not an "indigenous" african. she was literally a macedonian colonizer who used "indigenous" egyptian culture and religion to strengthen her rule over them. trying to present her as an "african queen" when she was literally a colonizer is insane im sorry what were they on about. also alexander the great literally did have a same sex relationship and a great love with another man and the series didnt try to present him as "gay" and quite literally said he wasnt gay as we now think of it bc that idea abt sexuality didnt exist yet

[sgstories123]

Mystery Man At Mel’s Party In Marina

“Grab’s waiting.” Max called out to his sister impatiently.

“Yeah, okay. Don’t need to nag like mum. We are in time for the party.” Mel responded, pissed. She looked at her twin brother who was dressed in a burgundy casual jacket over a tight white t-shirt and black jeans. He had even put on CK One as the familiar scent reached her nose. Her brother had been working out in the gym. She had not realised before but the time and effort seemed to have paid off. Max was sporting larger biceps, a broader chest and chiseled abs. What a sexy body, she thought to herself, her irritation at her brother already subsiding by the sight of the muscular body.

Max and Mel had been invited to Leonard’s party last week and since then, he had been looking forward to it. Leonard was one of the richest guy in their class. He drives a silver Porsche 911 to school and wears branded stuff from head to toe. At the end of every semester, he would throw a party at some posh hotel. Everyone wants to be invited to his parties as it was rumoured to be wild and extravagant. But Leonard is very selective and only about 10 to 20 people are invited each year. The pretty girls in the class are often on top of his list. But Leonard changes his girlfriends so often that many are already struck off the list.

Mel was lucky this year to be in Leonard’s group for his Marketing class. As usual, she worked hard on the project and despite the rest of the group doing the bare minimum, they managed to get a Distinction for the module. Leonard was so pleased to get his first Distinction in his university life that he had reserved a place for Mel.

When Leonard heard that Mel had a twin brother in their class, he was surprised that two very different persons can be so closely related. “How can you be twins? You don’t look alike? Fuck! You are not even of the same gender.” Leonard had asked Max.“So, does that mean Mel has a dick?” Max was happy to go along with the joke and this endeared him to Leonard. Before the end of the semester, he found he to had an invitation to the party.

Max looked at Mel who was dressed in a long, shimmering blue dress, her front drawn low to expose the deep cleavage and ample breasts. A thin black belt accentuated her hourglass figure, spotlighting her assets. His cock stirred. Fuck! He told himself. That’s your sister. But a devilish voice responded immediately. That’s natural. You are only a man. Remember. The greatest queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, married her own brother.

Max shook off the thoughts. After spending one semester reading Egyptian history as an elective and that was what he remembered? What a waste of time. Back to the present, Max, he told himself resolutely.

An hour later, they stepped into the presidential suite at a hotel in the Marina Bay Area. Most of the guests were already there.

“Mel!” Nicole, Mel’s best friend shouted across the room. Nicole hurried over with champagne glasses in her hands. “Here! Take one! This is very nice!” Nicole seemed a little intoxicated as she swayed lightly on her feet. She must have arrived much earlier and helped herself to too many drinks. Nicole’s boyfriend, Abdul, walked behind her and held her by the waist, bending down to give her a quick peck on her cheeks. “You okay?” Abdul asked. “Yes, Sir!” Nicole responded. Abdul was an Army regular and took a scholarship to further his studies in the university. He was in his early forties and Mel was surprised when Nicole told her that they were together. “Why? You have a thing for father-figure?” Mel had asked Nicole. “Nope. I have a thing for military uniforms. He looked so cool in that uniform. And, of course being older, he knows a few more things when it comes to sex.” Nicole confessed. “You slut!” Mel laughed at Nicole. “You should try an older man some day, Mel. Preferably a Malay. They are circumcised and feel different from Chinese cocks.” Nicole was a self-professed sex expert.

“Hey Max! Come over here! I got something to show you.” Leonard, the host of the party had emerged from the bedroom. A group of guys had gathered around him and they seemed to be passing something small around, laughing nervously. Mel was curious and walked over to the group. When the group saw them approaching, they popped something into their mouth, washed it down with drinks and dispersed quickly. “What’s that?” Mel pulled Max over, whispering harshly. “Are you taking drugs?” Max pushed Mel’s hand away. “It is not what you think it is. Just something fun and harmless. Legit, okay?”

Mel was not convinced She walked over to Leonard who was now sitting in the sofa, looking out towards a floor-to-ceiling glassed window overlooking the Marian Bay Area, lighted by the street and building lights. It was a beautiful sight that only those with the money can buy. She sat down next to Leonard, her sisterly instinct kicking in. “Leonard, what did you give Max? Is it drugs?” Leonard turned and smiled at her. “You want some?” Mel was aware that several people around them including Leonard’s latest girlfriend Cheries was looking at her in amusement. “No. I mean I am not prudish or anything. I have taken them before. I just want to know.” Leonard laughed in his usual cocky manner. “Then it doesn’t matter.” He ignored her and took a sip from his drink.

Cherie seemed to be jealous that Mel had sat next to her boyfriend. She moved closer to Leonard, pressing her body against his, her arms wrapped protectively around him, signalling to Mel that she should move away as Leonard belongs to her.

“Look, Mel! Don’t worry, okay. It is a party! Just have fun.” Leonard leaned further back on the sofa. Cherie decided to take things up a notch further. She unzipped Leonard’s pants, took out his cock and started sucking on it. She was adamant to let Mel know that Leonard belongs to him.

Mel took the hint and turned to get up from the sofa. But Leonard pulled her down back on the sofa. He looked at her with half-closed eyes, obviously enjoying Cherie’s blowjob. He put a hand around her neck and pulled her closer to him, whispering “It was Viagra. I gave all the boys Viagra. You don’t need Viagra, do you?” He laughed, cockily, seeing everything as a big joke. He took out a small pill box from his jacket and popped out two red pills. “But you may want one of this. It is good.” He shoved one into Mel’s hands and lifting Cherie’s head from his cock, popped one into her mouth. Cherie seemed to know what the pill was. She washed the pill down with her drink before resuming with her blowjob.

Mel realised that her other classmates were looking at her. Feeling pressured, she popped the pill into her mouth as nonchalantly as she could and washed it down with champagne. She did not know what it was, but it cannot be too bad. No one has died or got into trouble at Leonard’s parties before. Anyway, Cheries has taken it too, she reasoned. But she was curious. What was it she has taken.

“How are you feeling?” Leonard asks her. “Fine. I don’t feel anything. Was it a placebo? You up to your silly tricks again?” Mel came to a sudden realisation that it may be another one of Leonard’s silly pranks. “It is an aphrodisiac for women. I thought you may be envious that Max has Viagra so I gave you something that it more appropriate for you.” Leonard laughed. “Not working, Leonard. I have no inclination to have sex.” Mel tried to sound cool.

But the pill seemed to be affecting Cherie. Her face was flushed and she had started taking off her clothes. When she took off her bra and panties, the guests hooted with joy. She proceeded to remove Leonard’s clothes before straddling him reverse cowboy style while Leonard was still seated on the sofa. She was bouncing herself on his stiff cock, as she moaned in pleasure. Some of the other guests took the opportunity to hug and kiss each other, catching up with the main act.

Mel had a first row seat to the show put up by Leonard and Cherie. Leonard was still holding on to her hand and it felt warm and comfortable. With his clothes off, Mel realised that Leonard had quite a muscular and sexy body. She touched his chest, enjoying the smooth touch of his skin, before resting on his hard nipple. Without realising it, she was already sucking on his nipple, her arms caressing his body.

Leonard grunted, shoving his hips upwards against Cherie, as he flooded her with his man juice. He held on to her, enjoying the last bit of pleasure as his cock pulsed with pleasure. When his cock had been drained, he pushed Cherie off to the floor and pulled Mel down to suck on his cock. As Mel started sucking on his cock, he deftly moved his arms under her long dress and removed her panties. His fingers found her love hole. Expertly, he pried them open with his fingers before inserting them in slowly. Mel gasped in pleasure as his fingers drew love juice from with her.

This time, Leonard wanted a cowgirl position. He helped Mel removed her dress before getting her to straddle facing him. Mel was surprised that Leonard could get hard again so quickly after having just fucked Cherie. His cock found her hole easily and slid into her. Leonard’s cock was providing so much pleasure that she blacked out for an instance. When she came to, Leonard was guzzling on her breasts like a baby while she was riding on his cock. Cherie was still lying on the floor after her session with Leonard. But one guy was eating her pussy and the other was trying to get her to give him a blowjob. Before she could see if the guy was successful in getting his cock into Cherie’s unconscious mouth, she was pushed by Leonard. She was now leaning upside down, her hands on the floor for support. Leonard had decided to stand up and do a pile driver. Her hands were too weak to support her but Leonard was holding on to her legs, pulling her upwards while he drove his cock deep down into her. She screamed as the cock went in so deep that her juices splashed out. It was the largest surge of orgasmic pleasure that she ever felt. She blacked out again.

When she woke up, she was on the floor, Cherie was not around any more. She vaguely remember Leonard laughing in her ear. “The pill is working very well, it seems. Have fun. The night is still young.” She tried to sit up but found herself too weak. As she crawled towards the sofa, someone held on to her ass. Before she could turn around to see who it was, she felt a hard cock being shoved into her love hole. She winced with pleasure. Her vagina had become so sensitive that there was too much pleasure for her to handle. She collapsed, her hands no longer able to support her. But this only lifted her ass, allowing the person behind her to shove his cock deeper into her. She moaned, letting herself succumb to the pleasure.

There was nothing else to do as she was too weak to move away. As she was being fucked from behind, she tried to look around her. It seems a full fuck fest was going on. Everywhere, her friends were making out. On the sofa. On the floor. On the bar. Against the wall. And she saw Cherie sandwiched fucked by two guys. She tried to see if the guy behind was fucking Cherie’s ass or was Cherie taking in two cocks in her cunt. But the guy fucking her had increased his pace. She closed her eyes as she released another round of her juice, wetting the carpet. The guy slapped her ass, as he also followed her, releasing his love juice next to hers on the carpet. Mel laid down exhausted. She turned around and saw that the person who had just fucked her was Teck Meng.

Fuck. She cursed herself. Teck Meng was nerdy, fat and pimply. But he was also brilliant in his studies. Leonard probably invited him to the party so that he can borrow his notes or get him to help him with his assignments. She needed to get away. It will be bad for her reputation if anyone saw her being fucked by Teck Meng. There will be no end to the snide remarks and callous jokes.

She managed to get to the sofa and lifted herself up. She walked unsteadily towards the bar and tried to sit down on one of the high stools. She lost her balance and almost fell but were grabbed by a pair of muscular hands. “You okay?” It was Abdul. “Yes, Sir!” Mel replied. Why was she mimicking Nicole, Mel thought to herself. It was weird. Like everyone else in the room, Abdul was naked. Nicole was right. Abdul’s circumcised cock looked different. “Fuck me, Sir!” Mel was surprised at what came out of her mouth. Was she crazy? Did she say that because she wanted Abdul’s cock? How can she betray Nicole like that?

But it was too late. Abdul had accepted the invitation and swept down, hugging her tightly and kissing her, his tongue invading every single crevice he could find. His hands attacked her breasts, squeezing them and pinching her nipples, sending her into waves of pleasure. He moved down quickly, squatting in front of her, licking and sucking her vagina as she tried to balance herself on the high stool while lost in her pleasure. Nicole was right. Abdul knows one or two things about giving pleasure. She has never felt this way before. Before long, she came again, squirting her love juice all over Abdul’s head, as she held tightly on to his short hair, her legs clamping hard against him, as her pleasure rode out in waves.

“My turn.” Abdul whispered softly as he carried Mel up in his strong muscular arms. He took Mel’s seat and sat her down on his cock, reverse cowgirl style. As Abdul leaned forwards, he turned Mel’s head up and kissed her. His hand supported her body, squeezing her breasts as he did so. As he pushed his cock into her, he pushed her forwards, allowing his cock to enter deeper into Mel. Mel gasped, as his cock brushed hard against her upper vagina walls, pressing against her pleasure points repeatedly. She was facing the window with the view of Marina Bay. There were fewer vehicles on the road now. It must be getting late. It was then that she caught sight of Nicole. She was lying side by side with Leonard near the window, doing a 69. She turned around to look at Abdul, hoping that he did not see Nicole cheating on him.

“Don’t think too much.” Abdul seemed to sense what was on Mel’s mind. “Everyone is just having fun at the party.” He pushed her down and stood up. Mel had her hands on the floor and her thighs held high by Abdul. In a wheelbarrow position, Abdul pushed deep into Mel, thrusting deeper with each stroke, eliciting screams of pleasure, each louder than the last. Mel was writhing in pleasure as her juices squirted uncontrollably out of her, each wave larger than the last. She tried to stay conscious but again she blacked out as her body could not take it any more. By the time she regained consciousness, she was lying on the floor near the bar. Abdul was nowhere to be found.

She laid down for a while, looking at her friends who seemed to be still engaged in sex all around the room. She sat up and saw a pair of legs jutting up from behind the bar. She crew over, curious to know who was behind the bar. It was Qing Long, the exchange student from China. He played basketball for his university and was very tall at 1.9 metres. Mel had avoided talking to him because his height always made her feel intimated. But now that he is lying down, he actually looked quite cute with his boyish charm and pale skin. The thing that most interested Mel was his cock. It looked so thick and long, and it was not even hard yet. Maybe tall guys have longer and larger dicks?

Mel could not stop herself and started sucking on it. She was getting to be quite a slut. As she sucked on it, she could feel it growing harder and longer. She was going to give up when she felt a hand stroking her hair. She turned and saw that Qing Long had woken up and was now sitting up. He smiled at her and helped her on her feet. Pressing her against the wall, he pushed his hard cock into her, fucking her in a standing position. Mel gasped as the long thick cock penetrated her. This was too good. But he was too tall and had to bend his knees awkwardly. He lifted both of her legs, carrying her. Her whole body was now resting on his cock, forcing her to accept his whole length. Mel blacked out again as the cock reached deeper than any other cock before Qing Long’s. She felt her vagina gagging, just like she would gag when taking in too large a cock in her mouth. She held onto Qing Long tightly, begging him to finish quickly, as she could not take it any more. He responded by banging her hard against the wall, finishing violently, in several hard, deep strokes. He released her, setting her down onto the floor. Mel was exhausted as she watched Qing Long’s man juice flow out of her sore vagina.

“You done?” It was Bryan, another exchange student from Finland. He had been popular with the girls, with his blonde hair and blue eyes. Qing Long nodded and walked away. Without even asking Mel, he pulled her up and led her into the bedroom. The bedroom was dark and was lit up by the lights of the main room when the door was opened. Mel could see several bodies on the large bed and on the floor, engaged in sex. Familiar, soft, moaning noises were heard throughout the room. It was an orgy over here.

But Bryan did not intend to share her. He pushed her into the bathroom where it was empty and brightly lit. He turned her to face the mirror over the sink, parted her legs and started fucking her from behind. Mel could see herself in the mirror. There were patches of dried sperm all over her body, including on her hair and face. Bryan was squeezing her breasts but he did not look as if he was interested in her. From the mirror, Mel realised Bryan was a selfish lover, only interested in his own pleasure. He was just staring at his own cock plunging her hole, not even looking at her. Thrusting without much emotion, he came quickly, took his cock out, and left the bathroom without another word.

Mel was disappointed. She did not feel any pleasure from this fuck. This must be the worst one of the night. She looked at herself in the mirror again. It must be late. She should get some sleep.

She walked out of the bathroom and saw a space on the bed. She laid down to get some rest but she was not going to get any. An arm wrapped around her and hugged her from behind. The guy started kissing her nape, slowing caressing her and touching her all over her body. It was very slow and sensual foreplay. Slowly, she could feel her body responding, enjoying the excruciatingly slow and erotic movements that they made together. After what seemed like an eternity, the man moved his hands towards her vagina, slowly teasing her until she was drenched in her own juices. He fingered her expertly, and she orgasmed several times, her body writhing in pleasure, jerking herself against the man’s muscular body. She could smell a familiar scent that the man was wearing but could not quite make out what it was. Her hands reached behind her to touch the man’s cock. It was huge and hard. She guide it slowly into her, as the man entered her from behind. He turned her downwards towards the bed so that he was fucking her sideways. With her legs lifted up, it was scissors-style. Mel had a sudden thought. Tonight, she must have completed all the Kama Sutra positions. Was there anything that she had not done yet? The man went slow, pushing and pulling each stroke deliberately. Mel could feel the pleasure transversing throughout her love canal and coursing through her whole body. It lasted very long but finally, the man approached his own orgasm, increasing his pace only slightly, before hugging her tightly, pushing his cock one last time deep into her and delivering his love seed into her waiting womb. The man gave Mel a soft, warm kiss on her shoulder before turning away.

Mel felt a strong connection to this man. There was a warm, familiar feeling. And the scent. It made her feel that she should know this man. She wanted to know him better and maybe fuck him again. She sat up. The room was still dark and she could not see who was on the bed. There was also several people on the bed and a few more on the floor. The man could be any one of them. She was quite sure the man had not left the room as she did not see the light from the main room entering the bedroom. She saw a thin silver of light from the drawn curtains. It was already morning. She got up trying not to step on the people sleeping on the floors and drew open the curtains. The early morning light was just enough for her to make out the people in the room. She recognised most of the people in the room. There were about 5 men and 3 women in the room. One of the men was her brother. The familiar scent was CK One.

[zebreacadabra]

"Have One On Me" comparison :

-Right period, Wrong location-

As Joanna said in an interview, a model in a some parisian art studio around 1920 in Paris (France) is one of the inspirations for the HOOM cover photo. Theda Bara, in colorieds images from the movie "Cleopatra" by J. Gordon Edwards (1917). Here we are much close to the right time, but far from Paris as we are in a set in Hollywood California. I think the colorised effect that Joanna speaks about is verry clear here… as well as the general atmosphere that match quite well with the HOOM cover. I'm not shure if all the colorisations are from the 1920's or are later modern "homages" . But the "idealized, Technicolor, hedonistic fantasy set" feel , as Joanna said, seems to find a perfect representation here. (So I post all the pictures even if some are modern work).

About Theda Bara on wikipedia :

Theda Bara born Theodosia Burr Goodman; July 29, 1885 – April 7, 1955) was an American silent film and stage actress. Bara was one of the more popular actresses of the silent era and one of cinema's early sex symbols. Her femme fatale roles earned her the nickname "The Vamp" (short for vampire, here meaning a seductive woman)

Fun Fact: Speaking of musicians, the band The Luminers, for the album "Cleopatra" used a black and white picture of the actress in the role of the famous egypsian queen.

[ride-thedragon]

Why Nettles is so Pyramids by Frank Ocean Coded.

Now that I'm officially back, I've decided to prove myself and my love for this character by using one of my favourite artists, Frank Ocean.

@bohemian-nights is one of my oldest mutuals and seems like the best person to tag for this wild ride. Also, we had an interaction about it once.

Before I begin, I'm gonna put a great video analysis of this song because you all should listen to it.

Now let's get started.

What is Pyramids by Frank Ocean?

It's basically a nine minute story like song that focuses on a 'Cleopatra' like figure in two different time periods. One as the original 'jewel of Africa" being stolen from a Pharaoh by a man promising her the future and one as a sex worker working at "The Pyramids" to live day by day. She remains a mystery throughout the entire song as we are told about her through the experience and expectation of her by different Narrator's, a servant, the Pharaoh, her love interest/ the thief, A pimp that sleeps with Cleopatra and her unemployed boyfriend.

All that aside, go listen to the song. It's one of if not Frank's best and it's an experience the first time for sure.

Swiftly moving on,

NETTLES AS PYRAMIDS

Okay, the breakdown was important because I'm gonna break it down similarly to reflect Nettles.

ACT 1

PART I

Think of this as a reflective part of the story. A summarization of what's to come in the story.

"Set the cheetahs on the loose" is equitable to the death decree on Nettles.

"There's a thief out on the move" reflects both Sheepstealer and Daemon.

"Underneath our legions view" both Rhaenyra and the Mootons who are sworn to her. Daemon is also directly beneath Rhaenyra.

"They have taken Cleopatra" in the song you learn that Cleopatra goes willingly, but from this perspective, she is taken, similar to the accusations against Nettles with both Daemon and Sheepstealer.

"Run, Run, Run, come back for my glory" is Rhaenyra saying that she needs Daemon back at her side but also an allusion to the idea that Nettles might not be a dragonseed, and is a question to the legitimacy of Targaryen Exceptionalism.

"Bring her back to Me" the decree call for Nettles head but also the idea that Daemon would be free after her death.

"Run, Run, Run, the crown of our Pharaoh/ The throne of our queen is empty." Daemon does take the place of a "queen consort" during the dance with the added title of protector of the realm. It's important to note that the dance was a war to see who would sit the iron throne, and with that in mind, Rhaenyra is being challenged, with her crown being challenged, Daemon is also not there, leaving the throne empty.

The repetition of Cleopatra takes different meaning to what's missing.

PART II

The first 2 lines are in reference to Alyn and Addam of Hull as the bastards of Corlys and who are now black in the series. All three of them (even Alyn) are now viewed as precious things in the 'future' as recognised dragonseeds and riders. Later on, their loyalties and position in this new place are also questioned "in a rocky world."

"Our skin like bronze and hair like cashmere" in reference to the new matched appearances of the Driftmark dragonseeds to house Velayron as all are played by black actors (allegedly).

The rest of the verse is dedicated to the "Fall of King's Landing," where Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen ascends the throne notably with the Dragonseeds flying and ensuring no challenge to her reign as soldiers in the war.

Daemon Targaryen famously takes Nettles to Maidenpool "underneath our legions view, they have taken Cleopatra" to put a stop to the burning of the Riverlands. The thief in question is still Nettles as she is accused of enchanting the prince.

PART III

Now, this time, the refrain is a set up to the prompt given to us by Mysaria, "Even now, she shares your husband's bed, and soon enough she'll have his bastard in her belly."

The jewel of Africa, however, refers to the decree where Rhaenyra says Nettles used spells to bind a dragon to her. "What good is a jewel that ain't still precious?" is a constant question throughout fire and blood and with the Targaryens who were very selective with who got a dragon up until the reign of Viserys. The idea that only Targaryens can control dragons leads to their power and without that illusion, it is questioned. Nettles is proposed as an active threat to this in the narrative.

"How could you run off on me? How can you run off on us?" is Rhaenyra in both reference to Nettles, alluding to the betrayal she thinks that has occurred and Daemon, with their marriage and rule over the kingdom. Her decree specifically wished for his return.

"You feel like God inside that gold

I found you laying down with Sampson and his full head of hair."

Daemon gets Nettles gifts and clothes to wear during their time in Maidenpool. He dresses her differently and seemingly spends all his time at her side. There isn't a mundane activity described that he doesn't spend with her.

Mysaria, Rhaenyra, and the Mootons agree to the idea that she was near or in his bed. The only reason the decree isn't followed is because the Mootons fear the wrath of Daemon, similar to Sampson and Delilah, where his weakness seems to be nothing until they learn about his hair, they fear him until that point. Unlike Delilah, Nettles is only accused of harming Daemon and is ultimately protected by Daemon's legacy, "6 men or 60 men, he's still Daemon Targaryen."

The Black Queen is Rhaenyra in this instance with bad dreams being the decree and the potential barm thar is wished on Nettles by her. This part is from the perspective of Daemon.

Part IV (ACT 1)

At the end of their story, Nettles is sent away for her protection by Daemon, who then decides to fight Aemond Targaryen, alone, an established suicide mission in the narrative. Aegon can also be the referenced "he" who killed Cleopatra

Later on, Rhaenyra is killed by her brother Aegon and his dragon Sunfyre. Theories surrounding alternate timeliness where Daemon went back often end with Rhaenyra surviving the dance at his side.

The serpent in her tomb can be Mysaria, who led Rhaenyra down the path of destruction against the advice of more trusted advisors like Corlys. Cleopatra historically died with a snake bite.

ACT 2

Part 1.

Perspective change.

Daemon Targaryen spends all his time with Nettles. They eat, bathe, sleep, and fly together each day, returning to Maidenpool, where this behaviour is documented by the Maester.

Their dynamic is consistent with the Mootons where they fly and track Aemond, returning to Maidenpool to defend the Mootons in exchange for hosting them. She is, in fact, working.

The song alludes to Cleopatra in the future being pimped out, seen through the perspective of either a pimp or client alluding to her boyfriend.

This perspective could also be taken by the Maester recording these interactions between the prince and Nettles, watching her, and hearing of their activities through the maids, recording it.

Part II

This part is only given to Daemon Targaryen.

The baths they took were described in the narrative as such,

"Soaping her back or washing the dragon stink from her hair, both of them as naked as their namedays."

Now the idea that they were actually sleeping together in light of this information is an easy conclusion to come to which informs the rest of the verse until, "ride, cowgirl".

Her love in the narrative is no longer free because men can pay to sleep with Cleopatra, and a shared love within the relationship is now a job for her but still a way to connect for him.

Within the fire and blood narrative, however, Nettles love is no longer free because of the danger of the mission they embark on every day. If they meet Aemond on the route, she can lose her life in the fight in exchange for being housed in Maidenpool, a transaction to continue this illicit relationship away from the eyes of the court. Her love was also always a danger as she is an unknown mistress of the Prince Consort of the Realm, a risky position at any time but especially during war with the threat of heirs and the grief and wrath Rhaenyra experienced during this time.

ACT II (Part 3)

In the end, Nettles gets away. The singers say Daemon finds her, and they live out their days in the Mountain of the Moon, in the Vale of Arryn where she is alleged to be the fire Witch the burned men worship. She's working at the pyramids (buildings often constructed as tombs for old rulers to ascend from and live on through).

[canmom]

Animation Night 169: Sex. 2.

So. Storytime.

Two years ago, we had a joke. "We should totally show some hentai on Animation Night 69." we said. Having said that, we were honour-bound to totally commit to the bit. Teaming up with @mogsk, I wrote a massive post on sexuality in animation and the history of 'hentai', from the hentai seiyoku discussed in 20th-century sexology journals to the modern subcultural kaleidoscope.

It is, genuinely, one of my favourite posts I ever wrote in this project. It's definitely not perfect - the sections on BL and the lolicon boom are especially weak, but still! There's no way I'm beating that.

Mogs, meanwhile assembled a perfectly pitched playlist of animation dealing with the theme of sexuality, from classic oldschool BL like Kaze to Ki no Uta to charming little comedies like Oruchuban Ebichu, and a scattering of actual h-anime like Weather Report Girl. For my part, I led with the genuinely classic film Kanashimi no Belladonna (Belladonna of Sadness).

So somehow - somehow! - we managed to make the idea of getting together with your online friends to watch a bunch of anime about sex just... plain fun and uplifting, to the point that @footsteps-on-the-dance-floor will tell me years later how much she enjoyed it. Not to mention, we got a pretty good cross-section of the different dimensions of sexuality in animation as well!

I didn't even get banned on Twitch.

This week, the counter has drawn the sex number. So can we do it again? Well, my friends, we're gonna try~ Tonight, @mogsk and canmom present: the long-awaited sequel to sex. Sex, 2.

This time we're narrowing our focus a bit. One of the distinctive elements of eromanga, by the analysis of Kimi Rito in The History of Hentai Manga, is how particular images get encoded as signs that can be reused by other mangaka, and these signs can become the seed for particular subgenres. So, our selection tonight is in part designed to give a brief cross-section of some of these visual tropes.

So let me introduce you to our program. CWs: sex, obviously; also a couple of these films (Cleopatra, Parade Parade) cw for rape. Here's the programme, read on for brief descriptions of each item and a lil cultural context~!

Cleopatra (1970) - oldschool Tezuka weirdness

Boku no Sexual Harassment (1994-5) - 90s salaryman BL

Interspecies Reviewers (2020) - monstergirl sex comedy, and an instance of the trend of recent cable TV h-anime

Agent Aika (1997-9) - panty shots to the most ludicrous degree

Comical Psychosomatic Medicine (2015) - ONA comedy framed as fetish education

Parade Parade (1996) - futanari + yuri

Golden Boy (1995-6) - 90s sakuga and a classic comedy

Queen's Blade (2009) - kyonyuu

Colorful (1999) - panty-centric comedy skits

after that: if you still have energy, I might take requests~

[n.b. a lot of these are TV series - we will only really be getting a 1-2 episode sample of each one, for runtime's sake.]

Cleopatra (クレオパトラ), 1970

Last time we led with certified classic, genuinely moving and good as hell film Belladonna of Sadness. This was part of a last gambit by the struggling Mushi Productions, the studio of Osamu Tezuka, credited with inventing TV anime back in the day with Astro Boy. Long before there would be such a thing as an h-anime subculture, Tezuka experimented with creating erotic animated films based on history and mythology.

Belladonna is the best remembered of the three, and with good reason. Tezuka was largely not involved by this point. The others, though... are some plain fucking weird movies, I'll tell you that much. So tonight we'll be watching Cleopatra (1970). I may have shown you the trailer before - this is the Caesar trampoline movie. That is only the beginning.

I recently finished reading Osamu Tezuka's manga Ayako, written in 1972-1973 - not long after this movie, actually, during Tezuka's gekiga phase. I'm sure it's common knowledge by now, but Tezuka was one horny old guy! Ayako has all manner of skulduggery: incest, murder, gangster stuff, more murder, etc., but the core story is about a girl who is imprisoned in an underground cell for 20-some years by the machinations of her family. As she grows up, she ends up in an incestuous relationship with her protective brother - and once she finally escapes, she is highly agoraphobic but also throws herself at nearly every man she meets.

It's very much a story of the sins of the past echoing down into the future, shot though with post-war history and gangster movies, but its central fixation is the figure of Ayako herself: the soft cloistered object of obsession and attraction. Whether they want to protect Ayako, seek absolution from her, fuck her, or exploit her.

But it's also in places a really wacky manga, with a lot of very comical contrivances or hyper-cartoonish panels with extreme squash and stretch. It's a completely different way of displaying action.

I think this gives me a sense of the sort of wavelength Tezuka was on when he draws a scene where Cleopatra is tied down by stakes and a bunch of guys line up to rape her while she shouts at them defiantly. It's all very theatrical, a huge contrast to the much more internally oriented Belladonna. Just a plain strange movie, but it's one I've been fascinated to watch for ages.

Whatever we make of Cleopatra, we'll jump into the program that Mogs drew up! Once again she's come through magnificently.

My Sexual Harassment (僕のセクシャルハラスメント), 1995-6

Our next act is some old school yaoi! One day I'll get to do that big effortpost on the history of BL, but not this day. In any case, Boku no Sexual Harassment is an OVA from the mid 90s about a young man called Junya Mochizuki trying to fuck his way up the company ranks for the sake of himself and his partner Kazunori Honma. In particular, he has an affair with his boss, Mr. Honma, running across the whole OVA.

This is perhaps best known for an infamous scene involving corn. It's here as a window into this period of BL - not quite as high-mindedly aesthetic as its 80s predecessors, and with its erotic focus being on like... 90s salarymen, which is quite a specific thing!

Interspecies Reviewers (異種族レビュアーズ), 2020

Next, a series which has the dubious distinction of proving too steamy for Crunchyroll. Interspecies Reviewers enters the general milieu of modern videogame-inflected fantasy anime, a comedy dancing along the line of whether it's too overtly porn to air on TV. The story tells of a group of fantasy characters who are the clients of monstergirl sex workers, hoping to encounter as many different species as possible. This is a frame device for a series of episodes focused around what it would be like to have sex with various kinds of monstergirl.

This is an example of a recent trend in TV anime, namely very overtly sexual cable TV anime such as High School DxD, which have in a way come to fill the gap left by OVAs. This is a niche that also includes the likes of Goblin Slayer and Redo of Healer. In contrast to those series' "big grimdark plot with a side of rape" approach, Reviewers is light-hearted fantasy sex comedy mixed with (if you live in China) a certain amount of actual porn, which fansubbers have kindly spliced back in to the censored release for us.

Agent Aika (AIKa), 1997-9

The panty shot is one of the more popular visual tropes in eromanga, to the point that Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga dedicates a whole two page spread to the history of the trope. (Surprisingly, I can't find any more substantial account in Kimi Rito's History of Hentai Manga).

You'll see it often enough in anime, overtly or subtly, and certainly in the early works of Katsuhiko Nishijima, who debuted in 1986 with Project A-ko, a classic Kanada-inflected OVA that still bears signs of its hentai roots. But there is nothing that takes the panty shot to the same extreme as Agent Aika (1997). The degree to which the camera in this action anime contrives to show panties at a machinegun rate... it crosses over into a level where it feels less like outright fetish material and more like experimental art.

This is a series that is only coherent through the erotic focus. And yet, it's not generally categorised as porn. Nobody actually fucks. Lines are very arbitrary...

Comical Psychosomatic Medicine (アニメで分かる心療内科), 2015

This ONA adapts a gag manga series themed around the idea of an education series on fetishes, paraphilias, and so on - not so different in concept from Peepoodoo and the Super Fuck Friends, from the sound of it! The ONA is produced by Shin-Ei Animation, a venerable studio known for beloved characters like Doraemon; it's a bunch of five minute bite-sized chunks which I plan to sprinkle in between the other stuff we watch as a palate cleanser.

Parade Parade (パレードパレード), 1996

Having warmed you up sufficiently, this is the point in the evening where we pull out the futa porn.

Parade Parade is an OVA by the studio Pink Pineapple, one of the giants of the 90s erotic OVA scene - I wrote about them a bit last time. It's a relatively "tasteful" example of the futanari (二形) trope, literally 'two forms', referring to basically a character with a mostly cis woman-typical body except for a penis (generally in addition to a vulva), which she will typically use in penetrative sex. This is typically represented as either the result of magic, an intersex condition, or just a fantasy world where it's not unusual.

Depending on your subcultural corner, this might be further distinguished from other niche variants of dickgirl (e.g. a futa must have both sets of genitals).

In anime and manga, the futa trope apparently traces back to the introduction of American trans porn magazines to Japan, inspiring mangaka such as Kitamimaki Kei to start drawing futanari characters. Futanari manga first spread through dōjinshi in the 80s, and became popular in eromanga in the 90s, before circling back to the West. So actually yeah I guess this one is on us trans girls! I always assumed it was like, an independent invention. The more you know...

Here we have succesful idol Kaori, who's secretly intersex - and only her girlfriend Yuko knows. She's very careful to let nobody know, for the sake of her career, but a rival lesbian idol is about to find out...

Golden Boy (1995-6)

Now here is a true classic.

Golden Boy is a comedy series about a wanderer named Kintaro, who dropped out of uni to travel around Japan getting into sexual escapades. Each episode, he runs into someone and hopefully falls for them while coming across as an idiot pervert, but gradually reveals that he's actually a decent and resourceful guy - and yet, having found love, there will always be a reason he must move on. A setup to hang all sorts of plots, carried by some honestly unreasonably impressive animation from the realist school, most notably Mitsuo Iso. It's just... very very well done.

The above clip did the rounds on here a while ago (I think maybe the dubbed version), and we will indeed be watching episode 4 to put that in context.

Queen's Blade (2009)

So this is a studio ARMS OVA - the guys who did stuff like Mezzo Forte with Yasuomi Umetsu - a fantasy story about a warrior tournament. But for our purposes it's standing in for the 巨乳 kyonyuu subgenre - meaning 'huge boobs'. So if you wanna do the meme in Japanese, that's the word you need.

This has a rather specific history in eromanga, recounted by Kimi Rito in The History of Hentai Manga. Per Rito, the popularity of the term dates back specifically to 1989, where it was used to promote porn star Kimiko Matsuzaka, as well as Western gravure porn magazines. Gradually displacing other terms like 'D-cup', the onomatopoeic ボイン boin and portmanteau デカパイdekapai, kyonyuu soon became cemented as the term for a type of character design. It grew in popularity in the space opened up by the bishōjo genre established by the lolicon boom.

So under the pen of mangaka like Kei Keitamimaki (him again!), designs with massively exaggerated boobs became very popular, defining a subgenre of their own. Artists would sometimes express anxiety over whether they would be 'allowed' to draw such extreme designs, but it became widespread in seinen magazines. Gradually, these genre boundaries dissolved and boob size started to become a symbol of characterisation.

Queen's Blade is a fairly longrunning series but as far as I understand, it's broadly a silly ecchi anime about women with very large boobs fighting to become queen. It's not the most comical example of this trope necessarily (nothing can really beat High School of the Dead's supersonic bullet dodging tits) but it's pretty up there.

Colorful, 1999

Colorful is a comedy series of brief (~7 minute) skits about boys trying to see panties and suffering many consequences. As a late 90s anime it's got some interesting stylstic Y2K stuff - look at that rotoscope clip! - as well as strong animation from people like Norio Matsumoto of Naruto fame.

So!

Mogs's encylopedic knowledge of weird obscure horny anime once again coming to the rescue: I'm fascinated to see where this night will take us. And whether I'll still have a Twitch account tomorrow.

I realise this is a much later start than we'd like with such a big programme, but I hope you will come join me for some weirdly educational sexy animation! Dip in and out or stay for the whole programme, the choice is yours - see you at twitch.tv/canmom, going live now, programme starts in about 30 minutes at 22:30 UK time!

Animation Night 169 is gonna be a little postponed - we'll be going at 7pm UK time on Tuesday (29 August) at twitch.tv/canmom! Hope to see you there! I will try to write a little more interesting info as we lead up to that~

[ancientgoddessofegypt]

CHANNELED READING : GODDESS ENERGY

So about a week ago, I asked a few of you guys what goddesses/queens you felt called too. I already had a few that were connected to this reading.

HERA. OCHUN. MEDUSA. HATHOR. ISIS. CLEOPATRA. BASTET.

If you feel connected to either of them, their might be something you need to know, as it could be a warning, an important lesson, something fortunate, a decision you must make.. etc.

In this reading however, I picked up on a lot of beauty symbolism, and sexuality. Embracing the feminine and the sacral chakra was another. It all bottles down to what we think of ourselves and what we feel.

HERA

If you aligned yourself with the Goddess of the Sky: The Queen of Goddesses, then you are in for a treat. Hera is associated with love, marriage, strength, and overgoing certain challenges that may force you to fly with your own wings. What you must accept in your life is that people may string you along, but that hate can strain itself longer if you let it. Don't allow cheapskates to dictate your worth, always allow yourself to move to higher dimensions as you are so much better than what another person's perception is.

For this group, I see you have a secret that you won't let anyone else know about. Its time to awaken your senses and get a little vulnerable with somebody. The sex is greater when you let go btw. You don't have to mask away your feelings, let them know wassup.

Never let a man see you sweat, ok? cool.

He don't need you, he just wants what he can't have.

OCHUN

Distance yourselves from sex, flings, and one and done men at the moment. You do not want that energy seething thru the emotional sector of your body. I promise you, you don't.

If you have to beg for him to do right, I wouldn't work on it. Just let it fly.

Mother Ochun wants the people who are connected to her to appreciate their value, their worth, their time and money. 'If they don't see it for them, then they don't see it for me' is your motto. Because if no support is on the table, then I'd just clean it off and make my own banquet. Don't bother asking them for money, just find a new way to bring the dough in. You can handle the new wing of financial opportunity coming in for you.

A blessing in disguise, be open to what might be your new calling. Embrace changes.

For the lovers, you might of met your match. Groomsmen. Pilot. Associates. Wine and laughter. This might be a good man, savannah. Don't let him wait, if you know he's a great man !

Medusa

Bittersweet transformation, as it doesn't mean goodbye, it just means something new coming in its honor.

'its me, dont run away'

my apologies to many of you that have gone through trauma, pain and resentment and it followed you all throughout the year. The pain doesn't diminish, it creates a voice that is asking for it to be saved.

You're only memory of good things comes seldomly, and you wait for more opportunities to wear you can feel something.

I see for this group, that whatever you've endured in the past does come to light, and in due time you'll have to fight fight for your spot in 'heaven'.

God, now let me explain to you what I mean.

You have gifts that propel you further out of timelines from everyone else. Seers, Witches, Oracles.. You kind of see things from a new millenium. There is also a seductress prowess here, but over time you shed its light to overcome the darkness. It worked for sometime but not for long.

You may feel disgraced, tired all the time, lonesome. Dangerous experiences with men or people in general. Playing on your light and leaving you dim. You may have self reflected on this once. But time and time again your experiences with people seemed pretty worrisome...

you have a lot of patience, its your gift.

Medusa comes up in the reading so that you guys can move on and get right with yourself. Get right with GOD. The internal/external.

Finding common ground and being a voice, a beacon, a champion. Someone people can remember. Could look up to.

Your experiences in the past are only a reflection of what your internally fighting, you'll learn more soon come. It takes patience, remember that. Don't let anyone break you, you have eyes that can see.

HATHOR

The Beauty Queens. Your sensual nature really needs more play time. Beauty rituals on thursdays , notice I didn't say friday, which is practically Hathors day. For SOME of you, beauty rituals on thursdays will enrich your sensuality and jovial nature. Having more practice on your ritual will bring more expertise and knowledge to the table. It is during that time you could research and bring things from the ethers to manifest desirable outcomes. Ask yourselves how you could be more of something, be it anything, and write down your thoughts, intuitively reading the energy and writing down whatever pops up. Observe it, and then use it as a form of study. THEN go for it. It's all about magic, practice makes perfect my dears.

Spas. New scenery. Delicate foods. Content creation. Awards. Ceremonies. Painting. < A few themes i picked up for this group.

There is a very talented energy I'm picking up from the shadows and you guys must put in more effort to improve them. For others, forgiveness is a theme as someone from the past could be coming back to awaken an old fling, or old stings. It doesn't hurt like before, so don't make too much noise. Just smile and listen. We all need to lend an ear.

Triumph & Taboos. Another small interp: It might be time to dig into some polyamorous love affairs, or simply going out of your comfort zone when it comes to love, sex, affairs. And yes, you own the throne here. You're the prized possession. Dont make em wait to long, they might catch on fire ;)

ISIS

'is it me that you are looking for'

Finding space during trying times. Having to relieve the self of worries or anything keeping you on overdrive. Its time to go somewhere that gives you the most peace, like heading towards a lake or something.

Going to a library and learning something new. Or experiencing new hobbies.

The sunset/sunrise could be your new calling. Going on a hike to catch them or simply just waking up early and having a new morning routine would be beneficial at this time. If you feel a connection to Isis during this reading, its time to let go.

CLEOPATRA

Divine Partnerships coming in. Soulmates kicking in to start up a new horizon. Adventures for the soul to enlighten itself once and for all. Could be romantic, could be platonic. You are called to be great.

BASTET

Cat rituals. Vocal talents. Perfume. Beauty. Threatening appearance. A word for the masses. Oracles. Tarot. Focusing on inner self/peace. Sanctuary. Meditative groups. Endeavor.

This group may have a different connection to the night sky. As in they can receive messages when looking out into the beyond. The moon gives messages to the psyche, and this group could meditate under the moon and get some insight.

Also a special connection to kittens may be coming up soon! Stay ready, it might be a surprise from the universe.

[krisbianbitchface]

Ok so to warm my heart a little from the coldness of knowing I will have to wait 2 years to see dear Rhaenyra again I have started watching Game of Thrones,I was not very fond of it when it came out however now I am older and just desiring to binge watch anything to get myself to sleep and I have a few thoughts I need to get out of my head or maybe opinions,it might me a little over the top since of course I am a lesbian drama queen and I live to complain,im only in season 3 almost ending the season...

I fucking hate that kid bran,he takes soooo much screen time just to retell dreams and look like that snarky kid that throws random stuff on the ground in Walmart with a stupid look on his face (I really Wish Jamie would have killed his ass)

Melissandre is the most interesting character of the series,so witty and cruel in the best way,I was shocked when she killed that king with her baby demon and absolutely smitten,I love cruel women.

Jon Snow is the most boring character I have EVER witnessed in the story of television and trust me I've been there since Xena Warrior Princess graced the screens,just no goals,no path,no big dick or small dick energy,no energy AT ALL,just a big fat ugly Hero complex that I just can't stand because the actor has the same expression everytime no matter what happens,even having a boner with a cute girl cuddling his dick he is 😐 like gtfo of my face

Cersei is second to Melissandre in the scale of bad bitches,she is just so fucking resented and hot,everything she says sounds like wind chimes even if she is sending a child to his death,I cant help but want her to hate fuck me and call me a fagg0t and then tell me Im the worst fuck she's ever had and just use me again.

Dragons...Should I say more? I started the series of House of the Dragon because I just love dragons,and a particular scene is just edged in my mind like iron,Daenerys saving her little dragons from that sorcerers dungeon and their cute little faces watching her almost like trying to say "Momma! You're here! we missed you!" I think is the cutest scene ever.

Daenerys...She serving cunt,she ate and licked the plate,she served and left no crumbs,the director said cut and she heard CUNT and went with it, she caused a motherquake of 9.99 in the cunt scale,she's mother, and no other than the Mother of Dragons, I just love her,she is what Cleopatra VII was before hollywood found her and turned her into a makeup propaganda fashionista, a true strategist and conqueror.

Kal Drogo,I just mourned his death,he was so cute and murderous, i wept real tears for sweet Daenerys, I think the actor was really good and he needed more screen time, his scenes were charged with masculity and power,something we really lack these days in television.

Sansa, she is a beauty,the kind of beauty fantasy writers try to describe and there is just no way that human exists and then there is her...But she is so fucking traumatized and set aside just like every other woman in that universe,hell,even in life,I feel for her...And also wanna date her,i won't lie

Aria is a tough little woman,I think they really need to step up her action scenes because I think she serves well as a hope in the darkness kind of character however I do wish the actress was more prone to make a proper action sequence ala Eleven from Stranger Things,you can say what you want about miss Millie Bobby Brown but she is one of the few actresses willing to make many changes ln television for years to come with her characters.

Jamie Lannister is an interesting fighter and I wish it was possible to swap his fight scenes with Aria since i think it was proper giving the context,anyway he has good fighting sequences that I think were ment for someone else.

The sex scenes... This was a series HBO really set the bar high for nudity,there is so much nudity,sometimes unnecessary and cruel for the actresses involved and at the same time, is not surprising considering this series was made by two straight men,this always happens in the industry although these days is harder due to the constant intimacy coordination, but yeah in those times I can't imagine how unerving it was for actresses to bare it all for a couple of coins in a popular series.

Enough with my ramblings,I declare myself a fan of game of thrones only for Daenerys and her cute little dragons 💖

[gemsofgreece]

Because unfortunately the internet doesn't have any lists of famous couples in Greek history aside of course... Greek mythology.. i know of Pericles- Aspasia/ Theodora- Justinian but i am very sure there are many more.

Can you make a list of famous couples in Greek history starting from ancient times until 20th century?

I am not perfectly sure how to approach this though. Are we talking about couples both members of which contributed to history? Or just a famous couple we know existed? Also, is this only about history or does it include famous couples culture-wise? Do they both have to necessarily be Greeks by descent? There are many questions I have but I will give it a try.

Periclés & Aspasia (5th century BC)

Aspasia was the sister-in-law of Alcibiades who brought her too with him in Athens from her hometown Miletus in Asia Minor. Aspasia worked as a high-class courtesan, a hetaera. She is perceived in two different ways by Ancient Greeks: either as a vulgar promiscuous woman or as a philosopher and an intellectual. Maybe the truth was somewhere in between. She had a son with Pericles, the most prominent politician of Classical Athens. It is suggested that Perciles heard her council and took her opinions regarding politics into account.

Socrátes & Xanthippe (5th-4th century BC)

Not exactly a role model of a pairing but a famous one nonetheless. For one, the most famous Greek philosopher, Socrates, must have been a LOT older and his marriage to Xanthippe might have not even be his only one. On the other hand, many sources seem to agree that Xanthippe was a notoriously temperamental person and she would mistreat Socrates, who viewed this as an opportunity to practice the values of patience and forbearance.

Crates & Hipparcheía (4th century BC)

Crates of Thebes was a cynical philosopher, whom Hipparcheia of Maroneia met and fell madly in love with. She insisted that (the unattractive) Crates would be the only one she would be having, leading her wealthy parents to despair. The parents asked Crates to talk her out of it himself and Crates complied! He removed his clothes and showed himself to Hipparcheia, telling her: "That's all you'll be getting in a life with me". He did not phase Hipparcheia one bit and eventually the parents ceded and allowed Crates to marry her. They are notorious for a little too much PDA (they were having sex publicly) which scandalised Ancient Greeks a great deal. Their relationship was one of mutual love and respect and living on equal terms together. Hipparcheia not only embraced but started practicing philosophy and totally immersed herself in the respective lifestyle of cynicism as well.

[???] Cleopatra & Antonius (1st century BC)

I don't know if they count since Antonius AKA Mark Antony was not Greek, however Cleopatra was a member of the Macedonian Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt and their story essentially sealed the Greek future. Mark Antony was a Roman general who opposed to Julius Caesar´s assassins and allied with the latter´s relative Octavian. Later, however, their relationship was strained leading to a form of civil war in the Roman Empire. The reason was that Mark Antony had a long affair with the Queen of Egypt Cleopatra, even had three kids with her, and now favoured promoting Caesarion (Cleopatra´s son from her past affair with Caesar) to the Roman throne instead of Octavian. Mark Antony was defeated by Octavian in the Battle of Actium in Greek territory and then again in the Battle of Alexandria. Knowing there was no hope for them at this point, Cleopatra and Antonius committed suicide together and this generally is viewed as the "official" end of any form of Hellenistic hegemony in the now completely Roman empire.

[???] Justinian & Theodora (5th - 6th century AD)

The question marks are because Theodora was of Greek descent but Justinian was not. Justinian was one of the most successful emperors of the East Roman / Byzantine Empire, making it reach its widest borders, including "reconquests" of the fast dissolving Western Roman Empire. He also achieved or rather imposed the peace in the internal affairs of the empire, sometimes with the use of a lot of violence. It is believed that he was very influenced by his wife Empress Theodora, who was hardened by her very humble origins (she was likely a prostitute). Theodora was extremely strong-minded and contributed a lot to the strong image built around her husband. Furthermore, she contributed to the making of laws for the improvement of the position of women in the society. Most sources agree Justinian was crazy for her, while it is uncertain whether Theodora was loyal to him.

Surviving mosaics of Justinian and Theodora in a Byzantine Church in Italy.

Kassianí and Theóphilos (9th century AD)

These two have become a romance in legends more than they might have actually been in their real life. Still, their affair or lack thereof, technically, has a significant enough impact on Greek and Greek Orthodox culture so they should be mentioned. The Byzantine Emperor Theophilos invited all the prettiest maidens of the empire to his court in order to pick a wife. Amongst them, Kassiani was the one who stood out both in looks and intellect. The emperor stood before her and offered her a golden apple, token of his affection and proposal. It is totally unclear what was happening in Theophilos' brain at the moment but of all things he could say to impress her, he chose to tell her something very sexist. Kassiani ended him on the spot with her response and did not take the apple. The emperor, humiliated in front of all his court, gave the apple to Theodora (another one!), another fine lady standing next to Kassiani. For all we know, this could be the end of it. But Kassiani's choice to never marry and isolate herself in a monastery instead has created legends and speculations that it was due to her heartbreak. In any case, Kassiani proceeded to become the most (or only) significant female psalm composer and poetess in the history of the empire and her psalms and hymns are used in the Service of the Orthodox Church during the Holy Week of Easter. Meanwhile, Theophilos fell ill early in his life and died young. It is said / speculated that when he felt death was near, Theophilos visited Kassiani in her monastery to see her one last time. Kassiani saw his carriage approach and hid herself in a closet to avoid the temptation. Theophilos entered her cell and saw nothing but the psalm she was composing at the time on a table. He read it and added the last line himself. He understood she was hiding from him, respected this and left. Kassiani got out, read the hymn and kept Theophilos' addition. Since then, the last verse of this hymn is attributed to Theophilos. For more about Kassiani and what exactly were the notorious exchanges they had that separated them as well as how the content of this hymn is essentially what led to these speculations, read this older post I had made.

Mantó Mavroyénus & Demétrios Ypsilantis (19th century)

A romance that flourished amidst the years of the Greek Independence War. Demetrios led many of the battles against the Ottoman army, however he is a little overshadowed by the more tragic story of his brother, Alexander Ypsilantis, who was the overall leader of the Friendly Society (the secret organisation which plotted and spread the fervor for the Greek Revolution). Meanwhile, Manto was the daughter of a wealthy aristocratic Greek expat in Italy, who was also a member of the Friendly Society. When the war broke out, Manto first tried to raise awareness about the Greek cause in France. Soon, she departed for Mykonos island, the place of her descent, with a large part of her fortune. She bought ships and created her own fleet, sending them and her men to many battles in the islands. She later participated in several battles in mainland Greece as well. There she met Demetrios and they got engaged. She became renowned in all of Europe at the time for her beauty and activity. The couple was in love and they were adored by the Greeks, who really liked that union of brave noble Greek role models. A prominent and very corrupted politician, Ioannis Koletis, did not share the sentiment. Fearing that the couple was gaining too much power and influence over the public, that could eventually turn political, he started a relentless defamation of Manto to her fiancé. He spread his lies so that Manto's reputation was ruined. Ashamed, Demetrios broke up with her. Manto returned to her home island heartbroken and penniless as she had given all her fortune for causes of the war. After the official indepedence of the Greek state, the enlightened governor Ioannis Kapodistrias restored her reputation and gave her the honorary title of Lieutenant general. Around the same time, Demetrios passed away young as he had always frail health.

Penelópe Delta & Ion Dragumis (19th - 20th century)

A famous love story rather than a couple. Ion Dragumis was a prominent young politician and the biggest adversary of the famous Greek politician Eleftherios Venizelos. He was very sophisticated, seductive and a smooth womanizer. He drew the attention of the slightly older author Penelope Delta, who at the time was already a mother of three. Delta fell so madly in love that she had the guts to reveal the truth to her husband and ask for a divorce. Her husband refused, trying to protect both his and her reputation. However, Delta's passion for Dragumis was so fierce that neither the husband nor her father could fight it. They eventually gave her an ultimatum that she had to choose either her children or leave the children to the father and go away with Dragumis. Delta chose to stay with her children but her desire was such that she attempted suicide multiple times. Meanwhile, Dragumis went on with his life and started an open affair with the famous actress Marika Kotopuli, without any intent to marry, which was very scandalous for the time. When Delta heard of this affair she started dressing in black, as if in grief, and kept doing it until the end of her days. At some point, there was an attempt at an assasination of Venizelos in Paris. Fanatic supporters of his in Athens, believing mistakenly that his big adversary Dragumis was behind it, trapped him and shot him in the middle of a street. Delta dedicated some of her later activity to sort out and copy a lot of Dragumis' drafts full of thoughts and ideas, that his brother had entrusted with her. Apart from this, Delta kept writing novels that made her the most prominent female writer of her time in Greece. She had reached her sixties when, in 1941, the Nazi Germans invaded Athens. On that day, she finally committed suicide by drinking poison. For more details, read this older post about Ion Dragumis' love life.

Kostas Karyotakis & Maria Polyduri (20th century)

Two young people, brought apart by their very different personalities and brought together by the fact that they both happened to be poets. The young couple fell madly in love. Karyotakis was a very timid and bashful man, full of insecurities and suicidal thoughts. On the other hand, Polyduri was a raging emancipated extrovert, which caused judgement at the time. Although they were very much in love and dreamed to elope together, Karyotakis was afraid of the bold lifestyle of Polyduri and the judgement it caused. When the girl even took the initiative to propose to him, the young man was so taken aback and panicked that he lied to her that it was no use, because he suffered from syphilis and therefore they should not consumate the marriage. Polyduri did not believe him but she was very heartbroken by his rejection. She departed for Paris where she continued her bohemian lifestyle, maybe taking it too far, until they found her unconscious in a narrow alley. She was diagnosed with tuberculosis and was taken to the sanatorium in Athens. As she was fighting for her life, she learnt that in her absence her past lover had finally committed suicide. His suicide note is very famous, as he describes how he initially tried to kill himself by drowning in the sea but failed because he was a skilled swimmer. He resorted to a pistol. The tragic news had very adverse effects on Polyduri's fragile health. A friend of hers, maybe taking pity on her, handed her injections of morphine, with which she ended her life as well. She has left a suicidal poem, which confirms that grief was the reason she took her life.

Maria Callas & Aristotle Onassis (20th century)

A very dark couple but the lovers were two of the most internationally well known Greeks of the century. Maria Callas was a Greek American who distinguished herself for being the most famous soprano in the history of Opera. She was born in the USA to Greek parents but soon they were divorced and little Maria followed her mother and sister in Greece where she received her operatic training. Later, she spent most of her time in Italy and France for her career where she enjoyed huge success and glory. She became a symbol of music and finesse. Despite all this, Callas was a tortured soul because she constantly felt unloved and exploited, both by her family and her Italian husband at the time. She suffered from great insecurities and was often deeply melancholic. Meanwhile, Aristotle Onassis was a Greek from Smyrna (now Izmir, Turkey) whose family experienced the atrocities of the Great Fire of Smyrna (in Greek known as Asia Minor Catastrophe). He emigrated to the Americas and started building a colossal business and fortune. He became one of the globally most well known tycoons by accumulating the largest privately owned shipping fleet. His power was immense. He was insanely ambitious and wanted to taste and own all the finest things in the world. He was impressed by Callas and courted her, although he was still married to his first wife. Callas succumbed and broke up with her husband. It was certainly a status affair, however Callas saw something in him, maybe his intelligence, his ambition, that made her fall in love with him deeply. She was pushing for marriage, as she ultimately dreamt to have kids and a conventional love life but Onassis was giving her the hot and cold treatment. One day, Maria Callas famously turned on the TV in her apartment, only to see in the news that Onassis had married the widow of American president John Kennedy. I can only imagine the impact learning such a thing from the news had for the sensitive psyche of Callas. Onassis went mad with the sense of status it gave him to marry the wife of the American president. However, he never loved Jackie and they barely even interacted in their marriage. Onassis would often pay visits to Callas which did no good to her but she found it very hard to resist him even though he made her sadder and sadder still. Despite all his cleverness and strategies, Onassis became miserable with tragedies that struck his family, so much that there is a talk of the "Onassis curse", generally insinuating that he was paying for his wrongdoings. Onassis could not suffer the untimely death of his son and his health deteriorated fast. Callas visited him in his deathbed and there were sources claiming he expressed his regret to her. Callas too had a very fragile health for many years. His death is believed to have contributed to her own premature death from a heart attack two years later.

King Constantine II of Greece & Queen Anne-Marie of Greece (20th - 21st century)

Because the majority of Greeks have no positive views about the constitutional monarchy, this may seem like an odd choice, however the truth is that before the graceless fall and exile of the king, the young royal couple was adored by the Greek public because it was viewed as the quintessential romantic image of a royal fairytale. He was young and super handsome, she was super beautiful and graceful, he was the Greek king, she was the Danish princess. Their marriage may have been one of the most grande events that took place in Athens in the 20th century. The media were delirious, one magazine declaring how "we" had the most beautiful royal couple in the world and, you know, as bold a statement as it may seem, it was perhaps not far from the truth. The image of the king was forever ruined after his catastrophic choices to tolerate the Greek dictatorship and then organize a childish coup against it. The fallen royal family lived in exile for the following decades - and we can accept that they sincerely resented this - until the ex-king was allowed back in Greece in the 00s. Regardless of anything else, the two of them were a rare example of marital success and mutual devotion in the royal circles. Despite all the drama and resentment against Constantine and the institution of monarchy, the Greeks retain respect for former Queen Anne Marie, who remained graceful all this time, viewed as a perfect role model of a wife and respectable royal. Constantine passed away a year ago.

They were literally Disney.

Aliki Vouyouklaki & Dimitris Papamichaél (20th century)

I thought of ending this with a celebrity couple, certainly the most famous Greek celebrity couple. Much like it happens in such cases, the image was so very bright but the truth was darker. Despite all the toxicity, it is generally believed Vouyouklaki and Papamichael were each other's love of their life. Vouyouklaki and Papamichael were the most promising and charismatic actors of their generation. They were in the same theatrical school and developed a love-hate relationship with constant bickering. When they rose to stardom, they simply tranferred this energy to the movies they starred in together, which led to great success and immense adoration from the Greek public. Aliki Vouyouklaki retains the title of the "national star". When the two got married, their fans were losing their minds. The marital life was not peaceful as their youthful bickering had now transformed into the much darker career competition. Papamichael was a very conservative man and he was poisoned of feelings of injustice and envy when Vouyouklaki attracted more attention and acknowledgement than he did, because he thought of himself a better actor than she was. Now, that was generally true, Papamichael was a great actor with a big range for comedy and drama. Vouyouklaki has posthumously been accused of bad acting, however this is not entirely fair. She was indeed bad in drama but she was exceptional in comedy. A problem that could negatively affect her performances was that she refused to spoil her looks for a role, no matter how essential it was for the plot. Anyway, the marriage was often violent and neither of the two ceded to the other, as Vouyouklaki was extremely sharp and refused to sacrifice anything from her image, her career and her decency. Eventually, they broke up in a bad way as well. Both went on with their lives but Papamichael found it harder to cope without her. In later years, they reached a sort of mutual understanding and formed a platonic friendship of sorts. Aliki Vouyouklaki was prematurely diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In her deathbed, Papamichael would visit her and lament, and implore her to rise and go away together. After her death, which shocked and deeply grievened all of Greece, Papamichael would regularly visit her grave for the rest of his life.

And one from when they were far less glamourous but finally healthily loving / respectful to each other, with their son, because I want to end this on a good note.

Is this an early Valentine post? lol idk it takes some serious left turns

[aliciavance4228]

For those who don't know (to be fair I haven't said this thing before...) I love redheads. Red hair in general is very beautiful to me, and the fact that is very rare makes it much more special. Back in Ancient Greece people considered it to be either a symbol of beauty or a sign that those people would become vampires after they die. In Ancient Egypt it was a symbol of luck. In the Medieval Ages redheads were believed to be witches. Later, red hair was associated with seductiveness and sex-appeal. Cleopatra, Vincent van Gogh and Queen Elizabeth I were all redheads.

So naturally, every time I see a painting featuring a redhead I like it. And after so much time I've finally found the woman behind many famous paintings: Elizabeth Siddal.

She was an english painter, art model and poet. She was the most renowned model at that time, and most of the artists' ideas of beauty and aesthetic were highly influenced by her looks. She was married with the painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and she soon became his muse. Many paintings featuring famous female figures such as Lilith, Beatrix, Persephone, Joan of Arc, Aphrodite, Ophelia and Fiammetta had her as the main inspiration for their appearance.

And now you might be asking: "But didn’t she die in 1862 and most of these paintings were made by the time when she was already six feet under the dirt?" Well yes, but even years after her death when Rossetti used other models he still included features from his dead wife (especially her beautiful red hair) and used sketches of her for reference as well.

[zettelkaestchen]

Halloween ask!!! Top 5 gourds, designs on gourds, and/or gourd based foods this season!

Hello, thanks for asking! 🎃 The only actual gourd type I really know is the Butternut Gourd though, so I extended this to pumpkins too.

1. Cleopatra's vibrator ca 54 BCE, it consisted of a gourd filled with angry buzzing bees! 🐝 (See below the cut for more info ⬇️)

Please appreciate my gourd art 👆 that I made for a kinktober prompt some days ago on Instagram :)

2. Homemade spicy pumpkin (gourd) soup with coconut milk

3. Oven roasted gourd slices with herbs and garlic seasoning

4. I didn't know that gourd designs existed before you asked! Just searched for them and there are many beautiful ones! Seems to be a North American tradition which hasn't yet made it over the Atlantic.

This one for example is beautiful I think:

Artist Debra Williams carves intricate designs into gourd shells.

5. The honourable Butternut Gourds themselves!

Cleopatra's vibrator, ca 54 BCE 🐝🎃

Have you ever wondered about when people started using sex toys? Was it around 1900? Or during Baroque era maybe? Oh no, it was much much earlier than that! There are dildos from about 2000 years ago, that "survived" and are in museums now. See link to redbookmag.com for more info. 🥒 They didn't move on it's own though...

So the legend says that Cleopatra, who was Queen of Egypt well over two thousand years ago, used a hollow gourd filled with a swarm of buzzing bees to masterbate. The captivated bees on the inside would also bring the outside of the gourd to a pleasurable vibration and then it could be used for you-know-what. This was maybe world's first vibrator ever!

Seems like a risky or possibly stingy activity though, considering the bees might escape from the gourd in case the lid (idk how they sealed it after putting the bees in) wasn't fully closed or would shift during use.

To some extent this could be a myth, as there are no actual remainings and proofs of such a gourd, but it's probably more than just rumours. 😸

Sources

https://www.womens-health.com/vintage-vibrators

https://gizmodo.com/the-bizarre-history-of-the-vibrator-from-cleopatras-an-5909857

https://www.redbookmag.com/love-sex/sex/g4297/sex-toys-history/