Gamergate and Wonder Woman

The Colbert Report finishes its run later this year. That makes me sad. Not just because it’s one of the funniest and cleverest shows on television, but also because Stephen has featured a lot of smart, assertive female guests who can happily trade shots with him. I’ve long harbored a crush on Emily Bazelon, who has covered a lot of legal issues with him. On Wednesday’s show he gave us a duo of brilliant guests.

First there was Anita Sarkeesian who educated him on the toxic clusterfuck that is Gamergate (other good coverage of that here and here). She has done a whole series of thought provoking articles on Tropes vs Women in Video Games, which is well worth checking out for anyone interested in gaming. Then he talked to Jill Lepore, a history professor from Harvard University who has just written a book on ‘The Secret History of Wonder Woman‘. I can’t say I’ve ever been a big Wonder Woman fan (apart from enjoy the TV show as a kid), but apparently her creation had links to the woman’s suffragette movement, early supporters of birth control and the political activism of the 1920’s. Despite being the first and most famous female superhero, I’ve never really thought of her as a feminist icon, but that’s what the book apparently claims. I’m looking forward to getting a copy to review.

Of course all this talk of Wonder Woman and feminism is really just an excuse to feature some fun femdom artwork. This is entitled ‘WHAP!’ and is by the artist godstaff.

Whap! by godstaff

Spanking Therapy

When I first saw this Jay Em image I just figured it’d be an amusing one to feature in my series of medical themed posts. The above post title then flowed pretty naturally from the subject matter. However, no sooner than I’d written the title than the thought struck me – “I bet that’s a real thing. Spanking Therapy. It sounds exactly like the kind of thing that somebody would offer.”

It turns out I was right. In fact it’s available from multiple sources. There’s the Spanking for Wellness site, that offers therapeutic spanking in a non-sexual atmosphere. There’s the Spanking Therapist who combines ‘supportive counseling with a structured spanking plan’. For those in NYC, there’s the NY Spank Clinic which offers to help with stressful and emotional difficulties in life. For those wanting a little more discipline with their therapy, there’s Ms. Aria who offers to ‘help people who need assistance breaking habits, changing their behavior, resolving issues, achieving goals, or simply letting go of tension.’ And those were just the ones I found in a few minutes searching.

Personally I’m more a fan of the playful and sexual side of spanking. But for those who want to combine personal growth with heavy blows to the buttocks, it’s nice to know their are options out there.

Nurse offering some Spanking Therapy

Doctor, doctor, give me the news

Writing about kink and doctors in yesterday’s post reminded me of an old Max Fisch thread that describes an amazing medical story. It starts with two members of Max’s forum attending a play party. They don’t know each other at all, either in real life or online, and just happen to be at the same event. It ends with one, a doctor, saving the other’s life. And not in a vague ‘that activity looks risky’ way, but in an urgent ‘blood clot in the brain’ way. It’s a cool story and well worth reading. I don’t think the problem arose directly because of kink, but it was certainly lucky that a kinky doctor was around. If you follow the thread to page 2 you can also read her response to the thread (post from SurferDoc).

The medical professional in the image below doesn’t look quite as conscientious or caring as SurferDoc proved to be. I’m not exactly sure what she’s up to, but it doesn’t look good for our helpless and immobilized hero.

eric-stanton-sexy-sinister-nurseI’ve not run across this image before. From the image name it would appear to be an Eric Stanton drawing, and it does look a bit like his style.

Art and reality

One of the things I enjoy about erotic artwork is its ability to portray the strange and fantastic. Artists like Sardax, Namio Harukawa and Augustine do a wonderful job of capturing the extremes of sexual fantasies in a way that still connects with people. Yet the thing I like most about the piece below is it’s realism. I don’t mean that in the visual sense – it’s clearly not a hyperrealistic drawing – but in the mood and style of play it captures. It feels like a moment from a scene I might do or have done. There’s no crazy bondage positions, massive strap-ons or extreme outfits. Just some rope, clothespins and a nice sense of intimacy and connection.

Artwork by TingosThe artist is Tingos and you can see more of his work on his tumblr. I found it via the Lunar Black tumblr.

Long time, no kink

It has been a long time since I got my kinky freak on. My schedule and Lydia’s schedule have conspired to frustrate me for almost 2 months now. I also haven’t had chance to travel to play in any of the other hot spots on the West coast. As problems go it’s not exactly a life altering one, but it has left me edgy and more frayed than usual. I’m definitely overdue the endorphin rush and general sense of emotional well-being that an intense play session gives me.

Luckily I’m due to get together with Lydia tomorrow night, so all should be well. Until then I have to survive 2 days of 8 hour planning meetings at work. That’s a whole different kind of torture.

I doubt my play with Lydia tomorrow will look much like this image. It’ll probably have more pain and less teasing involved. But I am hoping to achieve the kind of deep emotional and mental space he looks to be in.

Artwork by Gracy Gimp

This is by the Belgium artist Benoit Feroumont, who posts his erotic work under the handle Gracy Gimp.

Strappado & strap-on

Here’s my final entry in what became a trio of anal themed artwork posts. I’m afraid I’ve no idea who the artist is for this one. The combination of strappado bondage and a strap-on is unusual. I can’t say it appeals to me as a way to play, but for those who like to mix pain and penetration it could be interesting to try. Although unless your partner is very tall, I suspect you’d need some kind of pulley system to get the right tension on the arms.

Strappado and Strap-On

Completing the costume

Here’s another sexy artwork featuring a lady with anal play on her mind. Unlike yesterday’s shot, this looks less like a reward, and more like the start of some intense roleplaying.

Before writing this post I spent many minutes pondering the image and trying to decide why I found it so erotic. I think it’s down to the contrasts it displays. The bondage set-up and outfit is pretty extreme, yet they seem such a sweet couple. I love his blushing expression and her caring but determined look. That’s just how I like to play – heavy yet tender.

Pony Outfit by Tilly Monster

This was created by the artist Tilly Monster. You’ll need a (free) deviant art login to see her most ‘interesting’ work! She takes commissions if you’re interested in some custom artwork.

The million eyes of Sumuru

Based on its imdb page, the million eyes of Sumuru was a pretty terrible movie. Despite that, I have a soft spot for these kind of cheesy 60’s exploitation flicks. They’re impossible to defend on an artistic, cultural or political level, yet hard for me to resist when I stumble across them late at night with a drink in my hand. I love the over-the-top poster below, and I’m guessing that a lot of my readers might enjoy this clip from the movie.

SumuruYou can see the trailer for the movie here. In typically culturally sensitive fashion, the ‘asian’ Sumuru was played by the wonderful but very non-asian Shirley Eaton (famous for her role in Goldfinger)