sex robots

Monthly Faves: Robots, Doctors, & Hearts

Kate Sloan

Wow, what a wild month. I hope you’re keeping well in this unprecedented time, my loves. In an attempt at recapturing normalcy, here’s a list of sexy and sexy-adjacent things I enjoyed this month…

Sex toys

• My favorite sex-related acquisition of the month was my hot pink Clone-a-Willy. I mean, of course it’s my favorite – it’s my partner’s dick, immortalized in silicone. Getting fucked with it has been a delight.

• When we did a Dildorks episode wherein I hypnotized Bex (you can watch the video here if you’re a Patreon supporter of ours, or if you choose to become one), I used my trusty pink Tarina Tarantino heart necklace as a pendulum for the inductions. I really can’t think of an object I’d like better for this purpose. #HypnoFemme

• Sutil has become my favorite lube brand, and this month they sent me a care package containing enough lube to last me the rest of the year, at least. Their “Rich” lube is a must-have for me these days – it’s thick and long-lasting enough for just about any sexual activity I get up to.

Fantasy fodder

• I asked my partner a while ago what kind of content I should write about COVID-19 and one of the things they suggested was medical roleplay… At first I was like “TOO SOON!” but honestly, turning my anxiety-fuelled daymares into over-the-top sexual fantasies about doctors and masks, etc. has been a helpful coping mechanism for me! If you have coronavirus-related sexual fantasies (and don’t think it’s gauche to discuss them), feel free to sound off in the comments…

• Lately my partner has been coming fairly regularly while giving me oral sex – through a combination of grinding against the sheets and just finding my vulva/sounds/wetness really hot, apparently – and it really brings new meaning to the whole interaction. I’m much more able to relax into receiving sensation, even for a long time, if I feel like my pleasure is hugely pleasurable for my partner as well!

• My partner and I have been working our way through Westworld (more on that in the Media section) and it’s full of delicious perviness. The idea of being a sex robot built specifically to give pleasure – and of not even knowing that that’s what you’re for – is immensely hot to me… not to mention the low-key hypnokink stuff that’s all over that show!

Sexcetera

• Some of my work elsewhere this month: In my newsletter, I wrote about sex when you’re sick, pandemic anxiety coping methods, and why bars are the places I miss most at this time. On The Dildorks, we interviewed JoEllen Notte about sex and depression, did a hypno scene, and talked about solo kink and sex and dating in the time of coronavirus. Our guests on Question Box included sex writer Ana Valens, voiceover artist Sarah Sumeray, and my brother Max – and we also did a St. Patrick’s Day special where Brent and I got extremely drunk (go look it up in your podcatcher of choice; it’s a hoot). I also guested on the Sofia Gray podcast to talk about pubic hair, and my pal Erin Pim invited me back onto the Bed Post podcast for an enlightening discussion about keeping long-distance relationships fun and sexy (very relevant right now!).

• Ever wanted to see my partner give me a spanking? Good news: now you can rent a scene on MakeLoveNotPorn depicting just that! It’s a video of our traditional New Year’s spanking (yes, it’s a few months old now), where my Sir makes me list my achievements and goals between hits. I think you’ll dig it!

• Sextistics: This month I had phone sex 12 times, and then my partner came to stay with me and we had in-person sex 13+ times (it isn’t quite the end of the month yet at time of writing so I’m not sure of the total). Look, you gotta fill those quarantine hours somehow!

Fashion & beauty

• The great Rachel Syme started a hashtag called #DistanceButMakeItFashion wherein people are encouraged to dress up despite the lack of anywhere to go, and post pictures of their fancy outfits. It’s become a Sunday tradition but you can really do it any time. I enjoyed getting dolled up in shades of blue, and (on another occasion) swathing myself in velvet and doing a sharp cut crease.

• Did you know Zenni makes PRESCRIPTION heart-shaped glasses?! I got myself a pair in red, and I absolutely love them. When I bought them, I figured I’d only bust them out on special occasions, but I’ve actually been wearing them almost every time I leave the house for a socially-distanced walk or a rare trip to the store – I feel that I might as well brighten people’s days in these bleak times if I can, and they make me feel cute as hell, too!

• My pal Clementine Morrigan has a new T-shirt available featuring gorgeous art from one of their zines. I am loving mine!

Media

• I’m late to the party but I finally started watching Westworld, HBO’s dark thriller about an Old West-themed amusement park staffed with sentient robots who slowly start to realize that their world and their very existence are a contrivance. Lots of people recommended this show to me back when I was working on a piece about how sex robots could shape our sexual culture, and they were right to do so: it’s full of tricky ethical questions about sadism, solipsism, and the nature of artificial intelligence.

• Like seemingly everyone on Twitter right now, I am obsessed with the new Animal Crossing game, New Horizons. It’s an extremely relaxing and adorable life simulation game. I’ve been fishing and crafting my troubles away!

• One of my favorite distractions these days is the YouTube channel How to Drink, which my partner introduced me to a while ago. Greg, the affable host, makes excellent cocktails while jovially explaining how you can make them too. His 4-hour-long “quarantine special” livestream was a breath of fresh air – he taught us all how to make a “quarantini” while being good-natured and sweet and cute. Thanks for the escapism (and the drink ideas), Greg.

Little things

My therapist being excited to hear that I did shrooms. A flower from Zoe as an “It’s almost your birthday!” gift. Getting overly dressed up for karaoke. Kale salad at Insomnia. Watching Cats with the rowdy Drunk Feminist Films crew and my mom. Taking socially-distanced walks through parks and down to the harbor. FaceTiming with the fam. My surprisingly awesome tax advisor (and the relief of getting my taxes paid on time). At-home cocktails lovingly prepared by my sweetheart. Wearing bright colors to combat the gloominess of the weather and just, y’know, the world right now. Use Your Words nights with Dan and Sarah. Owning an embarrassment of peanut butter. Livestreams from Civil Liberties. Being with my love, who makes me feel safe even when the world is scary.

Can a Sex Doll Replace a Human?

Kate Sloan

I’ve been writing about sex toys online for over six years, and in that time, I’ve come up against the same mostly-male, mostly-hetero anxiety countless times: “If my partner gets a sex toy, will it render me obsolete?!”

Though I’m bored to death of answering this question, I also understand where it stems from. For a lot of us, our confidence in relationships is at least partly connected to our sexual prowess, and so, if an object can give your partner great pleasure, I guess it makes sense to worry about how that’ll affect your standing in that relationship… assuming you think sexual pleasure is the only thing you think you offer your partner!

Spoiler alert: relationships – even casual, mostly- or exclusively-sexual ones – are about more than just getting off. Sex toys and sex dolls are incredible tools, but there are so many things they don’t provide that human partners do, such as…

Seduction and flirting. True, some advanced sex robots allow you to “seduce” them through words and foreplay, but I would imagine it’s a bit like playing a car-racing video game when you’re actually craving a drive on the open road. There is nothing quite like the slowly-unfolding mystery of a dinner date or even a Netflix-and-chill night. Double entendres and witty repartée abound as you try to discern whether this person might want to kiss you tonight – or more.

Learning a partner’s tastes, and them learning yours. Presumably sex robots will eventually reach a level of advancement that allows for this, but right now, this phenomenon is fairly limited. There is immense gratification in mastering someone’s anatomy and kinks, so you can turn them on with both your body and your brilliant mind.

Smells, tastes, and textures. Products like the Loli sex doll tend to be made of realistic-feeling materials like TPE and silicone, but they’re not quite able to replicate the effect of human skin against yours. Then again, if you’ve had bad experiences with past partners’ questionable hygiene, maybe this is a plus for you!

Feeling desired. Nothing quite compares to the knowledge that another human likes you, wants you, and wants to fuck you. Sex toys are definitely DTF, but they’re not exactly enthusiastic about it, you know?

Laughing during sex. Look, let’s be real. SEXO loverealdolls probably aren’t going to get your weird puns. You can still make yourself laugh, though, so that’s something, I guess.

Cuddling and pillow talk. Sometimes the end of sex can leave you with a hollow feeling, as your neurotransmitters sort themselves out. This is easily combated when you’ve got a cute person to snuggle and talk to, but sometimes lying in bed with a silent sex toy can just exacerbate that lonely feeling. Maybe you and the sex doll could listen to a podcast together or something…

What would you miss most about sex with humans if you switched to only fucking sex dolls, robots, toys, etc.?

This post was sponsored. As always, all writing and opinions are my own.

Links & Hijinks: Soaking, Rimming, & Writing

Kate Sloan

• Here’s why people have more sex in summer.

• Interesting: sex researchers have less sex than everyone else.

• Paying for porn is the feminist way to get off. Hear hear!

• “There are two things I love eating: steak, and ass.” This piece on rimjobs is a delight.

• This as-told-to on the Mormon sex act of “soaking” (“No thrusting, no grinding, no climax. Just pop it in, and hold the fuck still”) is hilarious and fascinating. “There was always squirming on both of our parts but never any real thrusts. I guess squirming is technically moving, but it’s not like her preacher was reffing the event.”

• Useful tips for freelancers who work at home. (I am feeling this struggle harrrd lately!)

• On that note: freelancing can take a toll on your mental health.

• I’m a little tired of reading about sex robots, because I just don’t think they’re going to be the futuristic epidemic everyone claims they will be. But here’s an interesting piece about RealDolls.

• You know, I rarely link to erotica in these round-ups, but this brief tale about orgasm denial made me all tingly, so there you go.

• Maria Yagoda wonders: is period sex okay for a first-time hook-up? “As punishment for not menstruating, people who don’t should occasionally have to deal with some of the inconveniences of blood, blood everywhere. For this reason, period sex can seem like a feminist act, as it defies the societal expectation of women to hide, or be ashamed of, this awful fucking thing.”

• Sugarcunt has some great advice on writing sex toy reviews.

• Here’s a beginner’s guide to keeping a journal.

• “Unusual” sexual desires are more common than we previously thought. Hmm!

• Emmeline reviewed an inflatable swan phallus we tried at Woodhull and it’s the funniest sex toy review I’ve read in ages.

• Dating while depressed is difficult but doable.

• Mired in writer’s block? Alex Franzen has some topic suggestions for you.

• Brandon Taylor is such a beautiful writer. “There is a way in which people talk about domestic writing or personal writing that does not set itself on fire—they call it quiet. They call it still. They call it muted. As if there were anything quiet about relationships that go awry.”

• Date ideas for stoners. The OkCupid blog has gotten weird and I’m into it.

• “Porny sex” is still valid sex. You’re not a “bad feminist” if you enjoy things like pussy-slapping, “degrading” D/s, and messy blowjobs.

• Gosh, I adore the way Girl on the Net writes about sex. Her Ambit dildo review is wonderful: “I don’t want him to fuck me with this in a playful way or a quick way. I want to catch him when he’s in this focused mode: when he’ll not just use it to warm me up for a fuck, but really settle into the act of fucking me with it. Laying it out on the bed like he’s a surgeon aligning his equipment, then ordering me to strip off my knickers and lie still.”

• We need to stop supporting and protecting abusive men.

• Taryn busted some myths about asexuality.

• We don’t talk about dental dams enough, and it’s emblematic of a bigger problem.

• [Content warning for ableism.] Some people have a fetish for becoming disabled and go to great lengths to fulfill that fantasy. Apparently it may even have a legitimate neurological cause. Uh, wow…