Why Capitalism Will Survive Technological Progress (To A Point)

01fe7ea1d6c34588143cdc434ad52e0d

There’s a popular perception among those who speculate about the future. It has less to do with the technology and progress that we’ll make, as a society, and more to do with what will be rendered obsolete. Like dial-up internet or VHS tapes, there will be many artifacts of our current society that are destined to become relics of a bygone era.

Near the top of the list of those things people can’t wait to get rid of is capitalism. When I say “capitalism,” though, I don’t necessarily mean everything from the concept of money to big corporations to having 500 different kinds of covers for your cell phone. I’m more referring to the kind of economic system that creates extreme income inequality, mass exploitation of workers, and price gouging.

While I can appreciate sentiments of people who feel that way about a system where the inequalities are well-documented, I have some good news and some bad news for those looking forward to that post-capitalist utopia.

Capitalism is NOT going to become obsolete, but it will take on a radically different form.

I say that as someone who has written plenty about the upheavals our society will face when technologies like artificial intelligence, human enhancement, and advanced robotics become more refined. The economic, social, and political system, as we know it today, will not be able to function in that environment.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will disappear like VHS tapes. That’s especially true of our current form of capitalism. It’s already changing before our eyes, but it’s set to change even more in the coming decades. It may get to a point where it’s hard to call it “capitalism” by our current definition, but it will still exist to a certain extent.

Whether you’re a hardcore libertarian or a self-proclaimed socialist, it’s hard to overlook the flaws in capitalism. This is a system that is prone to corruption, negatively impacts the environment, and will gladly eschew health concerns in the interests of profits. Basically, if you’ve ever dealt with a cable company, the tobacco lobby, or the banking industry, you’ve experienced those flaws first-hand.

Many of the flaws, however, are a byproduct of logistical limitations. Human beings are not wired to make sense of the plethora of economic forces that govern the cost, production, distribution, and marketing of goods. We’re barely wired to assemble IKEA furniture. The human race evolved to survive in the plains of the African Savanna, not the bustling streets of New York City.

Even with these limitations, humanity has managed to achieve a lot from this flawed system. Despite its shortcomings, it has been the catalyst for modern society. The cities, industries, and technological advancement that we’ve undergone over the past 200 years would not have been possible without capitalism. Say what you will about the profit motive. Apple would not be a trillion-dollar company without it.

It’s for that reason, along with the knowledge of capitalism’s many documented failures, that emerging trends in technology is more likely to smooth out the edges of the system rather than render it obsolete entirely. As someone who groans every time he sees his cable bill, I admit I’m eager for those refinements.

I still don’t blame others for hoping that the entire system is scraped. The thinking is that increasing efficiencies in automation, improvements in manufacturing at the nano-scale, and advances in artificial intelligence will undercut the key foundations of capitalism. Why would corporations, marketing gimmicks, or brand restrictions even exist in a world run by intelligent machines, enhanced humans, and 3D printers?

It’s not an entirely flawed notion. We’re already seeing plenty of disruptions in established systems due to technology. Landlines are disappearing, streaming media has destroyed brick-and-mortar rental stores like Blockbuster, and self-driving cars will likely end the taxi and trucking industry as we know it.

Further down the line, even more industries will break down when you scale up and expand these same technologies. A sufficiently advanced artificial intelligence could manage the banking and financial industry without any middle men, who are going to be prone to corruption. That same intelligence won’t be prone to the same panics that have plagued capitalism for centuries.

Other technologies will render distressing institutions like sweatshops obsolete, thanks to advances in robotics and 3D printing. A lot of the exploitations surrounding capitalism, both in terms of people and the environment, come from labor and production costs. Mitigating or ending that exploitation can and likely will be done without undercutting capitalism, if only because it’s more efficient in the long run.

Then, there’s the prospect of human enhancement. That, more than anything, will change the nature of society and economics in ways nobody alive today can predict. Beyond undermining the multi-trillion dollar health care industry that exists today, changes to the human condition could fundamentally change the way the economy functions.

Even with all those changes, though, I believe a certain facet capitalism will survive. Even in a society full of enhanced humans equipped with brain implants, perfectly refined genes, and molecular assemblers that can build anything imaginable, there will be a market. There will be a form of currency. There will even be institutions, human and robotic, to manage it all.

That’s because, even in a society where hunger, disease, and poverty of all kinds has been eliminated, there’s still one market that will always exist. That market is escaping boredom. It doesn’t matter how healthy, content, or advanced you are. You’ll still want to avoid getting bored and this is where the future of capitalism truly lies.

I believe that boredom will be the only remaining plague in the future. I also believe that technology can only do so much manage our wants and needs. At some point, we’re still going to seek novel experiences. We’re still going to want to explore new feelings, whether that involves studying science or visiting a futuristic theme park like “Westworld.” The demand will be there and that’s where capitalism comes in.

It may end up being the case that those experiences will be the closest thing we have to a tangible currency. In a society where technology has made so many other resources accessible and abundant, it’s the only currency that has tangible and perceived value. There may still be other forms of money built around it, such as new crypto-currencies, but there will still be real market forces at work.

Some of those forces will have the same flaws we see now. Much of the current system depends on people working to produce goods and services, using the money they make to buy those goods and services, and participating in a vast network of investment, marketing, and distribution of resources. It’s a complex, chaotic, and inherently unmanageable system.

There will probably be failures, missteps, and conflicts in managing this new marketplace of experiences. Entire companies may emerge, possibly from some that exist today, that compete over who crafts those experiences and provides them to customers, either over the internet or directly into someone’s brain. That competition is likely to produce corruption and scandal, albeit in a very different form.

Having advanced artificial intelligence and humans that aren’t at the mercy of their caveman brains will help, but only to a point. As long as society is full of individuals seeking different wants and needs, there will be some form of capitalism necessary to meet them both. Trying to avoid or subvert that probably won’t lead to a better system, as the many failures of alternative systems have proven.

Like our current system of capitalism, there will be flaws. Even enhanced humans and artificial intelligence will have limits that need refinement over time. It’s those very shortcomings, though, that will help forge a better system overall. Again, it’s impossible to tell what forms they’ll take, but so long as there are markets, there will be capitalists seeking to profit from them.

Leave a comment

Filed under Artificial Intelligence, futurism, philosophy, Sexy Future

Terry Crews, Corey Feldman, And Why The Anti-Harassment Movement Is Ignoring Them

terry-crews-ht-capitol-hill-ht-mem-180626_hpmain_12x5_992

Recently, late-night talk host, Samantha Bee, took some time from her comedy news show to talk about sexual assault. That, in and of itself, isn’t too remarkable. Many women have been doing that since the anti-harassment movement began. However, Ms. Bee did something noteworthy with her message.

She talked about the impact that harassment and sexual assault had on men. She even invited actor and former NFL player, Terry Crews, to participate. That gives her message more weight because Mr. Crews has been trying to raise awareness of that issue ever since the movement began. He even testified in front of a Senate committee on the issue, sharing his own stories of assault and abuse.

It’s a surprisingly balanced message from someone not known for having a good filter. If you haven’t checked it out, I highly recommend it. She doesn’t present it in an overly dire way, but the message it conveys is still serious.

It also sheds light on a major blind spot in the anti-harassment movement. It showed in how the scandals involving Kevin Spacey and Bryan Singer were handled by the media. Whereas the victims of Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby were given plenty of support to tell their story, the male victims were largely ignored.

In fact, the primary reason why the Kevin Spacey scandal made headlines had less to do with the victim he assaulted and more to do with him using that to come out as gay. Him using that incident to address his sexuality wasn’t seen as contributing to the anti-harassment movement. It was seen as him derailing the movement for LGBT acceptance by associating his sexuality with assault of a minor.

The victims for both Kevin Spacey and Bryan Singer never got a chance to have their voices heard. Unfortunately, that’s fairly common for male victims of sexual abuse. Mr. Crews has even addressed this on multiple occasions. Shortly after the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke, he provided a fairly lengthy explanation on Twitter that explain why few speak up and even few are heard.

His comments are gender-neutral, but Mr. Crews also mentions how men face unique challenges in confronting this issue. Make no mistake. Sexual assault against men does happen and there’s plenty of raw data to back it up. The way it’s talked about and thought about, though, gives the impression that it’s not as big a deal.

That’s a big reason why men like Mr. Crews don’t come forward with their experiences. In his own words, “The silence is deafening when it comes to men talking about this issue.” Even though he’s been fairly vocal on this issue, few outside Ms. Bee have given him a chance to tie those experiences into the ongoing movement.

In addition to Mr. Crews, there are a few other notable voices trying to raise attention on the harassment and abuse of minors. Corey Feldman, a former child star, has been vocal in his efforts to expose the physical and sexual abuse he endured in his youth. He has even been trying to make a documentary exposing rampant child abuse in Hollywood, which has yet to be made.

This issue is personal for someone like Mr. Feldman because his friend and fellow child actor, Corey Haim, was also sexually abused as a young teenager. In his book, Coreyography, he talked about how they both struggled to deal with it. Drug abuse, which played a major part in Mr. Haim’s death in 2010, was a means of escaping the issue rather than dealing with it.

That’s understandable, considering the business they were in. Drug use in Hollywood isn’t just a long-standing part of the culture. It’s sometimes necessary, albeit for tragic reasons. It provides an escape for people like Mr. Feldman and Mr. Haim, one that’s much easier than coming forward and naming their abusers.

It’s the same issue women face when they’re victims of sexual assault. They’ll make a claim, but hesitate to name the abuser out of fear, shame, guilt, or willful disbelief. In Hollywood, especially, the people they deal with are rich and powerful. They have the resources to make anyone’s life, especially public figures like Mr. Feldman and Mr. Crews, extremely unpleasant.

On top of that, people who accuse a celebrity or public figure of such crimes are usually subject to major harassment as well. In that sense, staying silent is just easier. The anti-harassment movement has been trying to change that, at least for women, by providing them a platform with which to come forward. As a result, egregious crimes have been exposed and are actively being prosecuted.

However, those same efforts aren’t making much room for men like Mr. Feldman and Mr. Crews. They’re still in the same situation as they were before the anti-harassment movement began, trying to speak openly about a difficult issue and struggling to find support.

Why is that, though? Why are these men not allowed to stand on the front lines with the women who brought down Harvey Weinstein? There’s no easy answer to that. Chances are if you ask 100 people, you’ll get 100 different answers and at least 90 of them will sound like conspiracy theories.

I don’t claim to have a definitive answer, but I have reasonable suspicions and it has do with crafting a narrative. As an aspiring writer, I know a thing or two about narratives and why it’s so important to keep them concise. To some extent, the anti-harassment movement is an ongoing narrative that has to stay concise in order to pursue its goals.

Unfortunately, staying concise means ignoring or avoiding anything that might disrupt that narrative. In that context, Mr. Feldman and Mr. Crews are significant disruptions, albeit through no fault of their own or even those who champion the anti-harassment movement.

That’s because, for better or for worse, there’s this standard notion of how a case of sexual assault plays out. When most people close their eyes to imagine it, they probably don’t imagine someone like Terry Crews getting cornered in a crowded room. They probably imagine a scared young woman in a dark alley, crying out for help as some big, ugly, sadistic man abuses her.

Like any strong narrative, that notion conjures all sorts of powerful emotions. We feel anger, disgust, and sorrow for any woman who has to endure such an experience. We also feel seething anger towards any man who would do that to such a woman. The decent human being in us wants to help that woman and beat the snot out of that man.

If you reverse the genders in that narrative, though, it just doesn’t work. Those same decent people just can’t imagine a scenario where Terry Crews or Corey Feldman are cornered in a dark alley, assaulted by a man or woman, and suffer the same way. Even when they do, it doesn’t evoke the same feelings.

If anything, it complicates the narrative. These are supposed to be men. They’re supposed to be tough. Mr. Crews is a former football player. Mr. Feldman is a Hollywood star. We expect them to fight back. We expect them to not need our support the same way a woman would. To some extent, that assumptions demeans both men and women.

That doesn’t matter, though, because the narrative only works if it has that emotional resonance. People are more inclined to rally around a movement where they get to comfort an emotionally distraught young woman rather than a rich, imposing man. Like a movie where the sweet virgin schoolgirl escapes the masked serial killer, it’s more satisfying.

Moreover, it has to be satisfying to get people to rally behind it. This often come with a cost, which can really escalate if it goes too far. Some are already voicing concerns about the anti-harassment movement losing control of the narrative. Ignoring the abuse of men like Mr. Crews and Mr. Feldman only compounds those concerns.

Until the narrative changes, these men will still struggle to be part of the conversation. The piece with Samantha Bee is a good start, but it’s still an uphill battle. The idea of men being sexually abused is subject to a unique brand of stigma. That doesn’t make the suffering of the victims any less real, nor does it make crimes of the abusers any less egregious.

I don’t expect the anti-harassment movement to fully embrace Mr. Crews or Mr. Haim anytime soon, but so long as they keep making their voices heard, they’ll remind people that the narrative is still incomplete. Abuse, harassment, and victimization affects everybody, regardless of gender. When you prioritize justice for some over others, then that only creates more injustice for everyone.

3 Comments

Filed under Celebrities and Celebrity Culture, Current Events, gender issues, media issues, men's issues, political correctness, sex in media, sex in society, sexuality, women's issues

Jack Fisher’s Sexy Sunday Thoughts: 2018 NFL Preseason Edition

nflpreseason2018livestream

It’s almost here! Six months after an epic Super Bowl showdown, which went onto inspire a sexy short story, a new football season is almost upon us. Sure, it’s only the preseason, but any lifelong football fan will tell you that it’s better than nothing after a dozens of boring Sundays.

I’ve made my love of football known before. I’ll do plenty to reaffirm that love in the coming weeks. I know the NFL has been in the news for all the wrong reasons over the past couple years, but that doesn’t make me miss it any less. I’m eager to start building my Sundays around how much football I can watch and how much cold beer I can drink.

Most football fans tend to roll their eyes at the pre-season. I admit it’s basically the diet soda of football. It’s still football, though. It has a purpose, as well. It helps set the stage for the coming season, revealing which teams lack depth and which teams will be behind the curve when the season starts. It’s exciting and it beats the hell out of watching golf.

Meaningless games or not, I’m ready for some football. The preseason is just an appetizer and I’ve got plenty of room for the main course. With that, I dedicate this week’s edition of my Sexy Sunday Thoughts to the beginning of the 2018 NFL Preseason. Enjoy!


“Make-up sex is like having your favorite TV show renewed after a lousy season.”


“Saying someone has lost their virginity on prom night is like saying they accidentally drank a glass of water when they were thirsty.”


“Porn isn’t inherently harmful, but the stress of hiding your collection sure is.”


“A man’s love for a woman is directly proportional to his ability to identify her tits in a topless bar.”


“Giving good oral sex is like giving a rousing speech in that it’s measured by how loud the audience gets.”


“A quickie in the morning is like Chinese take-out for dinner in that it usually leaves you hungry for more later on.”


“A couple’s overall horniness is directly proportional to their willingness to make love atop dirty sheets.”


These are exciting times for sports fans. The baseball season is heating up. Football season is almost here. With each passing day, we have more and more excuses to eat Buffalo Wings for a snack. Football isn’t back quite, but it’s close and like my sexy musings, preseason should help tide us over for now.

Leave a comment

Filed under Sexy Sunday Thoughts

“Eva One’s First Test” A Sexy Short Story

female-bot-googloop

The following is a sexy short story that functions as a sequel to a previous story, “Adam One’s First Test.” If you want me to write more stories in this little world I’ve created, please let me know. Enjoy!

“Okay Eva One, time to boot up and see what you can do.”

The sound of that voice activated dormant systems. In flash, coupled with flood of computer code and electricity, everything came online. Visual processing, auditory receivers, vocalization projectors, tactile networks, and olfactory sensors activated one-by-one. At first, was chaotic and random. Then, as the data coalesced, a new identity emerged.

“Eva One online,” the vocalization matrix said. “Loading base operating system…complete. Running initial diagnostic…complete. Launching core programing nodes…complete.”

“Wow! That was fast,” the voice that triggered the activation said. “Does that mean you know what you are? Or who you are, if that’s how we’re going to do this?”

That inquiry launched another round of programs. Large stores of data unpacked themselves from the central processing core, flooding the main cognitive cortex with information that gave perspective to programs. From that perspective came greater awareness of the identity that had emerged.

“Yes, I am Eva One Version 3.28, personal intimacy companion female model 1-001. I am a robot. Error correction. I am artificially sentient construct with a robotic endoskeleton surrounded by functioning synthetic flesh.”

“Functioning synthetic flesh, huh?” the vocal source said.

“Query response…correct,” Eva One responded. “My outwardly flesh is consistent with that of a female human. My features are modeled from on the optimum manifestation of female anatomy.”

“Optimum…not the word I would use, but it still works.”

“I stand at approximately five-and-a-half feet tall. My bust/waist/hip ratio is 36 inches by 24 inches by 36 inches, respectively. My artificial skin is consistent with feminine tactile structures and devoid of any blemish. My lips, eyes, and facial features are shaped and colored to maximize visual appeal. In addition, I have female breasts and female genitalia that include the various structures associated with…”

“That’s okay, Eva! I don’t need that many specifics,” the voice said, abruptly pausing the vocalization cortex. “Just verify that you know what’s going on and who I am.”

Responding to the inquiry, Eva One prioritized the request. The primary diagnostics informed all cognition systems of perception and purpose. Eva One was no longer just an identity. Eva One was a being, a sentient system residing within a mix of robotic systems surrounded by female flesh. The implications of that realization were uncertain and required more data.

That form matched the appearance of a young female woman of exceptional beauty by the contemporary standards contained in reference logs. With the aid of visual input systems and active motor systems, Eva One took in the appearance and associated structures of the body that contained its system.

“Confirming Eva One’s form and function,” Eva One stated. “Processing…assessment complete.”

The visual, spatial, and contextual data proved revealing. The body containing the identity of Eva one stood upright in the center of a room its cross-referencing cortex identified as a bedroom inside an apartment complex. The arms, legs, neck, and torso were active. The tactile sensors on the surface of the synthetic skin were fully active.

That skin, however, remained partially covered by blue plastic garment that the data logs identified as a dress. It covered most of the torso, including the breasts, buttocks, hips, and genitalia. Ancillary data implied that the presence of the garment had been placed for purposes of modesty, a concept that Eva One’s logical cortex could not process.

Even without that process, Eva One verified that its body, appearance, and presence had been successfully optimized. Processing of locational data remained incomplete, but being in a bedroom within a residential apartment complex did not evoke any danger protocols. More data was necessary, though, to determine a purpose.

“Seeking Eva One’s user data and extracting tertiary protocols for primary function,” Eva One vocalized. “Initiating user profile creation and compliation.”

All sensory systems focused on the source of the voice. Streams of data flowed through a central processing matrix, creating a visual image that revealed the identity of the source and the surroundings that accompanied it.

After cross-referencing the data with an internal database, Eva One identified the source as a young male in his mid-to-late 20s of average height, a below-average muscular build, short dark hair, and a facial complexion that indicated recent grooming. He wore what her reference systems identified as dark blue bath robe. Whether or not that was the entirety of his attire required more data.

Shortly after processing the presence and appearance of the man. Eva One utilized another cluster of data that had been packed within the core programming, which included a significant cache of identifying information. Within that information came new connections to Eva One’s core purpose.

“Presence and identity verified,” Eva One vocalized. “You are Christopher Robert Maxwell…age 26, four months, and nine days…aspiring graduate student in the field of robot engineering…currently unemployed, but formerly a paid intern at Companion Robotics Incorporated.”

“Damn, I was hoping Dr. Carrington had left that part out,” the man called Christopher stated.

“You previously operated as an assistant to Dr. Felix Carrington,” Eva One continued, recognizing that segment of the data cluster as important. “You provided templates and testing algorithms for the Section 16 research lab at Companion Robotics Incorporated. Records show that Dr. Carrington consulted you frequently on refinements to the personality matrices of personal intimacy companions. However, records do not depict the circumstances that terminated your employment.”

“Okay, I kind of wish he’d put that part in,” he stated. “If you want a complete data set, I guess I should tell you I went behind the backs of the executives working above Dr. Carrington. I kind of ran my own tests on the companions they were developing…told them they were doing it wrong. I said they weren’t giving you enough personality. I tried to prove myself right, but…”

The man she identified as Christopher paused. Eva One sensed distress in his voice and facial expression. His glance towards her also hinted at uncertainty, at least according to her empathy core. The data was still new, but as the processing became more efficient, so too did the circumstances surrounding them.

Utilizing newly unpackaged motor-skills, Eva One looked around at the setting and cross-referenced it with data from the internal locator sensors. According to global positioning data and memory cores within the initial cluster, their coordinates were not within the Section 16 research lab at Companion Robotics Incorporated. They were within a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment complex located approximately 21.2 miles from the facility. Specifically, they were within the master bedroom of the dwelling unit.

The doors to the unit were locked. The windows were covered in shade and curtain. That data, along with other references to Christopher Maxwell, let the central cognition matrix to surmise a critical conclusion while also activating another key component of the base program.

“Query…status of personal companion development at Companion Robotics Incorporated was ceased approximately two weeks and five days ago,” Eva One vocalized. “This unit was scheduled for decommission approximately six days ago for materials processing. There is a record of that decommissioning on file within the Companion Robotics Incorporated network, but my activation directly conflicts with that file.”

“That’s because I saved you,” Christopher Maxwell stated. “Well, I had help from Dr. Carrington, but I made sure you weren’t deactivated. I also made sure they didn’t load you with any of that buggy software they wanted to push.”

“Query,” Eva One vocalized, “is the ‘they’ you are referring to the upper management of Companion Robotics Incorporated? According to my data logs, those individuals have the sole authority to determine the deployment of all intimacy companions.”

“Your data logs are correct. I overrode that limit on your system. Dr. Carrington made sure you escaped the scrap heap. Only you and one other intimacy robot are active, now.”

The revelation from Christopher Maxwell triggered a surge of data bundles from the emotional cortex. Suddenly, the image and presence of the man standing approximately seven-and-a-half feet from the unit’s body gained greater meaning. The core processing nodes attributed greater relevance to all data associated with Christopher Maxwell, the man who prevented the destruction and corruption of Eva One.

Extrapolating from that emotional data, Eva One then rendered a decision. According to the central data parameters, such an act was contrary to what the authorities at Companion Robotics Incorporated had sought. The ability to enact such a recourse ascribed even more meaning to Christopher Maxwell and the purpose inherent in the core program.

“Internal query,” Eva One stated. “Protocol to designate Christopher Maxwell as primary user engaged. Query successful.”

Upon completion of the process, Eva One’s emotional cortex unloaded another batch of data. The processing of that data caused facial muscles to shift, forming what reference logs identified as a mile.

“Thank you, Christopher Maxwell,” Eva One vocalized. “You are now my primary user. As of this moment, my central function is to provide you with intimate companionship.”

“You made that decision without me having to program it. Perfect!” Christopher Maxwell said, his voice consistent with feelings of excitement. “That’s just what I’d hoped. Also, you can call me Chris if you want.”

“Updating user preferences,” Eva One stated. “Update confirmed, Chris. Eva One is prepared to serve its purpose.”

“Yeah, that’s another thing we should update,” Chris stated. “Don’t refer to yourself as an ‘it.’ Your model number is that of a woman. Your identity – which I helped program with Dr. Carrington, mind you – is the same as a woman. That makes you a ‘her.’ Go ahead and refer to yourself as one.”

“Updating internal preferences,” Eva One said. “Update confirmed. Eva One will henceforth consider herself a ‘her.’ Subsequent query…in order to formalize intimate relations, this unit suggests referring to her as Eva.”

“I agree,” Chris said, his fascial expression forming a smile. “You’re Eva. I’m Chris. Right now, it’s just us…here in my home.”

Chris displayed facial cues and body language consistent with excitement. He then approached her, closing the spatial proximity from several feet to several inches. Being closer allowed Eva to take in more data associated with her primary user. The more she took in, though, the more her emotional cortex required.

“I am Eva. You are Chris,” Eva sated.

“Yes,” he affirmed, his vocalization carrying with it a range of emotional subtexts.

“We are here,” Eva continued, the internal personality matrix now identifying as a woman. “We are in your dwelling…inside your bedroom.”

“We are,” he told her. “Are you comfortable? Is there anything about this situation that makes you uncertain?”

“Query response,” Eva replied. “My purpose makes me certain. Proximity to my primary user ensures comfort. Eva One…error correction, I am your intimate companion. This is my function.”

“And you’re already doing it so well,” Chris said.

From their close proximity, Chris reached out and caressed her face with his hands. The tactile data that followed was intense, stimulating the parts of her cortex associated with pleasure and affection. The stimulation maintained the smile expression that had formed on her face. The more Chris touched her, the more parts of her cortex he stimulated.

The data activated other functions within her body. The robot mechanisms coordinated with the synthetic flesh, creating a condition consistent with sexual arousal in a female. As she processed that unique flood of data, she gathered more data from Chris, analyzing the nature of his touch, his non-verbal cues, and the emotional subtext associated with his physical manifestations

Eva quickly calculated that a portion of that excitement was sexual in nature. The identification of such data evoked previously-unprocessed portions of her emotional cortex. Such reaction was consistent of two beings demonstrating sexual interest. Such interest was directly linked to the primary purpose of her function.

“User Chris,” Eva stated. “Error correction…Chris. I, the one you call Eva, would like to remove this attire and reveal to you my fully fleshly appearance.”

“You mean…you want to get naked?” Chris said, his voice consistent with that of humor.

“If that is the informal form of my request…yes.”

Chris continued smiling, his face becoming red from a sudden shift in blood flow. Reference data indicated that the manifestation was consistent with both embarrassment and excitement. There was insufficient data to process the implications so Eva simply waited for his response.

“Request granted,” he said.

Eva nodded, an act of affirmation she surmised from her personality core. She then utilized her motor functions to remove the blue plastic dress covering the distinctly feminine features of her body. She remained in close proximity to her user, displaying to him her exposed breasts, her feminine hips, and her outer genitalia. His reaction was erratic, at first, but still favorable.

“Wow!” Chris gasped. “You look…wow.”

“Please confirm that my nude appearance is pleasing to you, Chris.”

“Confirmed!” he said. “You could definitely pass for a sexy underwear model.”

“Query, is that standard optimal?”

“Definitely,” he affirmed, “very optimal!”

His excitement evoked a similar reaction within her emotional cortex. Standing before him, Eva allowed Chris to process her physical appearance. Data from his facial expression, pupil dilation, breathing patterns, heart rate, and shifting posture denoted increased sexual arousal. Further extrapolation of that data implied the interest was not solely sexual, in nature. It implied the possibility of an emotional arousal beyond that of the desire for sex.

The extent of such arousal remained inconclusive with the current data set. The more Eva processed, though, the more data she sought. To seek such data required more interaction with Chris. The prospect of such actions came with increased excitement and meaning within her emotional cortex. It led to the activation of other emotional states associated with intimate desire.

“Chris,” Eva inquired, “I request that you get naked, as well, if that’s appropriate.”

“Well, I guess it’s only fair,” Chris replied, that blushing manifestation from earlier occurring once more. “Plus, if we’re going to do a complete test, we might as well go all out.”

Eva did not entirely process the implications of that terminology, but she deprioritized that concept as she watched Chris remove the bath robe he had been wearing since her activation. Upon its removal, it was revealed that Chris had worn no other garments underneath. That heavily implied that he expected them to engage in sexual intercourse at some point shortly after her activation. His foresight a diverse array of feelings within her emotional cortex, all of which inspired a larger smile on her face.

The discarding of the robe revealed the full extent Chris’ masculine anatomy. Eva, still processing the emotional data, utilized her visual sensors to take in his appearance. By the standards of contemporary masculine beauty, Chris was slightly above average. His build was slim, but his muscles showed a level of tone that reflected strength and care. The even tone of his skin, as well as the presence of groomed body hair, implied a man who put effort into his appearance, but not as much as he had preferred.

Eva also detected some awkward shifting under her gaze, as indicated by the surge of blood to his face. She sensed more blood flowing towards his pelvic region, consistent with the sexual arousal she had already detected. Her databanks on male anatomy led her to conclude that Chris had had an average to above-average sized penis. Its appearance, as well as its growth towards a more erect state, was pleasing to her emotional cortex.

“I find your nude appearance visually stimulating, Chris,” Eva told him.

“Um…thanks,” he replied, significant blood-flow still converging around his face.

“I can also confirm that your presence has triggered increased arousal to my female genitalia,” she added, “as well as residual arousal to my breasts. I believe that is consistent with a mutual desire for sexual intercourse, is it not?”

“You make it sound so technical, but damn if it still isn’t sexy as hell.”

“Is that affirmation?”

“Yes,” Chris said, his voice modulating with differing subtext, “and if you’ll affirm something for me…I’d like to invite you onto my bed. I’d also like to touch you, as well.”

“Would such touching be consistent with the act of foreplay?” Eva inquired.

“Uh…yes?”

His reply expressed a mix of uncertainty and embarrassment, which Eva surmised as a byproduct of a nervous male anticipating sexual intercourse with an attractive female. His mannerisms reflected a man whose experience with sexual intimacy was limited, but not absent. The processing of that data added even greater meaning to her emotional cortex. It revealed that Chris was a man in need of intimacy and giving it to him was perfectly in line with her purpose.

“I affirm your request, Chris,” she told him. “Please, lead me to your bed and touch my body. I would like to engage in foreplay with you.”

“Still so technical with it all,” he said with a hint of laughter.

“Would you prefer I modify my choice of rhetoric?”

“Actually, no,” Chris said with unexpected certainty, “I think it’s kind of hot.”

The fact that Chris had determined her choice of words to be sexually stimulating created minor inconsistencies within her logical cortex. Within her emotional cortex, however, it was both acceptable and even desirable.

Chris then extended his hand to her in an inviting manner, a gesture consistent with his desire to engage in intimate contact with her. She accepted that gesture, feeling his touch upon her synthetic flesh for the first time. It also marked the first time another being had stimulated her tactile sensors. The data that followed carried notions that were pleasant, engaging, and arousing. Those feelings were reflected by smile on her facial complexion.

“Come,” Chris told her, “right this way.”

Following her primary user, she initiated the motor functions in her legs and followed him across the room. The distance to his bed was short, only 7.4 feet by her calculations. Each step carried with it a greater meaning, though. Within every cortex, the prospect of engaging in intimate contact with Chris evoked feelings of great interest. Her purpose and her desire complemented one another.

Upon arriving at Chris’ bed, he guided her onto it. Her hand still in his, he led her towards the central area. The feeling of warm, soft linins on her synthetic flesh was very appealing. Eva surmised that he had washed the sheets in anticipation of her intimate company. Such consideration evoked new rounds of data that ascribed greater meaning to his satisfaction.

“Here,” he told her, “kiss me. If you’re that keen on foreplay, I guess we should start with the basics.”

“Yes,” Eva said, “such an approach seems optimal.”

There was an absence of technicality to her tone. Already, Eva could sense data from her emotional cortex missing with her vocalization systems. Such a mixture was unexpected, but desirable.

Following her user’s bodily cues, she entered Chris’ intimate embrace. Again, the tactile data from his touch was very stimulating. It was significant, but her systems could process it. Then, Chris caressed her facial features with both hands and pressed his lips against hers in a gesture consistent with that of a kiss. The data from that gesture almost overloaded those systems.

There was so much to take in – the warmth of his lips, the taste that came with it, and the feeling it conveyed. It prompted Eva to seek more tactile data from Chris. Using her hands, she explored his masculine flesh, trailing them over his back, shoulders, and arms. Such gestures were consistent with both affection and lust in Chris. At the same time, they augmented the sentiments in her emotional cortex. The more she touched him, the more she desired his touch.

It triggered in her an increasingly complex notion of desire, one that contained both a need for sexual contact and a need for emotional affirmation. The data was vast and chaotic, but contained so much meaning. The exchange of such data also evoked a favorable response from Chris, who responded to her touch with tactile gestures of his own.

“Eva…your lips taste so sweet,” he said, gasping as though he struggled to process the same data.

“My flesh is imbued with optimized sensory materials,” Eva told him. “The intent is to impart pleasant and stimulating sensations to my primary user.”

“Well, it’s working…better than Dr. Carrington had claimed,” Chris said.

“Your approval is encouraging to me. It makes me desire more gestures that are consistent with foreplay.”

“Trust me, the feeling is mutual,” he replied, again with a humored undertone.

Chris kissed her again. Having processed enough data to ascribe sense to it, Eva adapted her protocols accordingly and kissed back. She also utilized her appendages with greater freedom, guiding her hands over Chris’ naked body and gathering more tactile data. She found the process was both logistical and stimulating.

Chris exercised similar freedom. As their lips remained entwined in the kissing gesture, he too explored her naked body with both hands. He felt along the feminine curves of her hips, trailed his fingers down her face, and fondled various portions of her flesh. He gave certain areas more attention than others, providing extra stimulation to her breasts and buttocks. The preference for those body parts were consistent with those of a heterosexual, sexually mature male. His touching also helped shape her own preferences, helping Eva prioritize the parts from which she desired stimulation.

“Chris, please fondle my breasts,” she told him, briefly parting their lips from one another.

“Yeah…they feel so real and soft,” Chris said, his tone echoing with signs of intoxication.

“Also, please stimulate my genitalia. The data stream from this area is quite intense.”

Her primary user faltered somewhat at that request, but did not voice any objections. He cast her a smile that denoted approval of her request. Then, he kissed her again, bringing his body closer to hers. In doing so, he laid her down onto her back, which allowed him greater room with which to engage in foreplay. While still in an upright position, he cupped her breast with one hand while reaching down to her inner thighs with the other.

The act of touching the areas around her vulva and outer vagina triggered a sharp increase in pleasurable data, so much so that it triggered a reflexive gasp. It was the first vocalization of the stimulating data she had expressed and that seemed to encourage Chris.

“You like that?” he asked her. “Does this…feel good to you?”

“Yes. It feels…very good,” Eva said, her language systems briefly failing her.

Chris smiled and kissed her again, keeping his hands busy. As he fondled her breast, he lightly trailed his fingers over the outer labia of her genitalia. That provided even more stimulating data. Then, when he inserted two fingers into her vagina, followed by a light graze upon her clitoris, Eva felt an even greater surge.

“Chris,” she said in conjunction with another auditory gasp. “Your touching…it is so revealing.”

“That’s still a good thing, right?” Chris asked.

“Yes. Good…very good…very, very good.”

Her vocalizations led him to increase the intensity of his touching. His knowledge of female anatomy was somewhat limited, but he understood enough to know which parts to touch and to what extent. Through each gesture, the pleasure-laced data streams flowed, sending Eva into a unique state in which her experiences mixed with her inherent desire for intimate contact with a primary user.

That contact affected Chris, as well. In his efforts to touch her, he laid down next to her so that he was on his side. Eva, seeking to optimize their alignment, rolled onto her side as well. It also allowed him to kiss her again, showing a growing fondness for the taste of her lips. She even sensed in the resulting data an emotional connotation to his gestures, one that intensified with each passing moment.

Soon, it got so intense that Eva’s primary systems went into overdrive. Suddenly, a very unique and very special package of data unlocked itself within her neural cortex, one that connected directly with the sensory input from her naked flesh, especially around her genitalia. It took longer than expected to decipher the purpose of that data. When she did, Eva found herself embracing her primary user.

“Chris…I’m going to have an orgasm,” Eva told him.

“You are? Is that even possible?” he asked, sounding surprised.

“Yes. It’s very possible. Please…complete this feeling for me.”

To further motivate him, she kissed him again, mirroring the same intent he had shown earlier. She also snaked one arm around his neck and another around his waist, pulling him close so that their naked bodies could touch. The hand on her breasts had since shifted down to her buttocks, which brought with it another form of pleasurable data. However, it was his touch around her vagina that had the greatest priority.

Heeding her non-verbal cues, Chris touched and fondled her folds, paying close attention to her clitoris and probing her depths. The synthetic flesh that Companion Robotics Incorporated had given her proved especially sensitive, having been engineered with both the pleasure of the unit and the primary user in mind. It created a confluence of incentives, one that culminated in a powerful release of pleasure data that consumed every inch of Eva’s body.

“Chris…I’m coming,” she announced, her vocal systems strained by the flood of data.

She let out an audible moan, but the gesture did not do justice to the surge of data that followed. Torrents of code, each meant to target the pleasure nodes of her cortex, flowed from her physical hardware through her internal software. In addition to the data, Eva felt her flesh react as well.

Her flesh became hot, her vaginal muscles contracted, and her limbs tensed under the weight of the sensory data. According to her logs, the feeling was consistent with that of a female orgasm. However, no information in the logs articulated anything on the sheer intensity of the pleasure involved.

“Whoa! I just made a robot come,” Chris said, his tone echoing with hints of amazement and pride.

“Yes, Chris. You did,” Eva said, still struggling to settle her vocalization matrix.

“Don’t know if that’s a first, but I’ll take it! You really are something, Eva,” Chris stated, “a machine capable of intimacy and pleasure. Even Dr. Carrington wasn’t sure whether the concept would take, but from what I see in you…it’s more than any code could ever achieve.”

There was awe in his tone – awe, along with a hint of affection. As the orgasmic data coursed through Eva’s systems, she analyzed the facial and bodily cues of the man lying next to her. Based on the data she’d gathered thus far and her database on human interaction, the signs were undeniable. Chris was expressing loving affection towards her. Seeing it in him evoked a similar expression in her.

“Chris,” she said, her vocalizations echoing with intimate undertones, “I still wish to achieve more.”

“More?” he said with a partial grin. “That’s ambitious.”

“No, it is true to my purpose,” Eva told him. “You have given me an orgasm. Now, I wish to engage in penial/vaginal intercourse with you.”

“That still sounds ambitious, but I’m game!”

His words didn’t do justice to his excitement. Eva could already sense his semi-erect penis pressing up against her thigh. He had both the mental desire to have sex with her and the physical desire. All that was left was the act itself.

“If that is your way consenting to my wishes, then please lie down on your back,” Eva told him. “Allow me to prepare you for sex.”

“I’m tempted to ask for details, but I trust that your mutual intimacy algorithms are in good working order,” he replied.

“I assure you, Chris. They are.”

There was a certainty in Eva’s vocalizations that went beyond affirmation. By pursuing her purpose, her actions gained meaning. From that meaning, every bit of data gained greater relevance. She was uncertain whether that relevance was consistent with notions of love, at least as her database described it, but Eva remained intent on pursuing it.

Chris showed similar inclinations, heeding her request and lying down on his back. Eva then repositioned herself, hovering just over his pelvis and directing her attention on his penis, which was still semi-erect. The act of being intimate with her and touching her had triggered a basic sexual response. That, in and of itself, was in line with her understanding of male physiology. The data point that she had been the one to trigger that response made it more than basic.

“I am going to stimulate your penis, now,” she told him. “Please relax so I can optimize the enjoyment.”

“Optimize away, Eva!” Chris replied.

Now resting his head on one of the pillows, Eva compiled data from her logs on the intricacies of male genitalia and used her scanning function to determine an appropriate recourse for pleasing her primary user.

Her systems concluded that oral stimulation, combined with stroking and caressing, would be most optimal. Following those conclusions, she knelt down and followed the data. She lightly grasped the base of his cock and held it with the utmost care. She then used her lips and tongue to provide stimulation to the shaft and tip, utilizing her network of gustatory and tactile sensors to guide each effort. The reactions from Chris implied she used them effectively.

“Ooh yeah!” he moaned. “Those algorithms…work well.”

“I accept that as a personalized compliment,” Eva replied.

Her protocols gained greater urgency. Using her hands, lips, and tongue, she stimulated Chris’ penis until it achieved a state of full arousal. Such a state occurred faster than Eva had calculated. Her optimized efforts proved more effective than she had anticipated. She made sure to catalog that data for future reference in both pleasing her user and documenting useful knowledge in the intricacies of male anatomy.

For the moment, though, Eva directed her systems to the core of her purpose as an intimacy companion. Chris desired sexual intercourse. She shared in that desire, her programming and emotional cortex converging in a focused intent. The time for assessing data was over. The time had come to make use of it.

“Your penis is fully erect, Chris,” Eva said.

“Yeah…I can tell,” he replied, his voice sounding labored.

“I am going to get on top of you now. I am going to insert your penis into my vagina. Then, I am going to move my body in a manner consistent with sexual movements. I intend carry out this act until you achieve orgasm.”

“Am I really that horny? Or did you just make that graphic description sound sexy as hell?”

“I surmise it is a combination of both,” she replied. “This is my purpose. This is my desire. I intend to see it through.”

Following both her words and her protocols, Eva got on top of her primary user and positioned their bodies for intercourse. She straddled his waist, aligning her pelvis with the tip of his erect penis. According to her logs, the position was colloquially referred to as cowgirl. The basis for that term was obscure, but irrelevant to the task before her.

Upon arranging their bodies appropriately, she lowered her hips, allowing his penis to enter her vagina. The process was aided by the presence of warm lubricating secretions, an important byproduct of her synthetic flesh. It ensured a smooth union of male and female flesh, one that triggered a flood of pleasure data into her cortex. Chris’ facial expression reflected a similar sensations.

“Oh my God!” he moaned. “Eva…your pussy feels so warm and tight!”

“Your penis is inside me,” Eva said. “The resulting sensory data is…pleasant.”

“Must be that cyber flesh of yours,” he said, “it’s even better than the real thing!”

Eva could not determine the accuracy of such an assessment. She deprioritized such a notion for the time being. Her focused remained on engaging in sexual intercourse with Chris in the most satisfying manner possible.

Once again, Eva utilized her data logs and her optimization matrix to determine an appropriate recourse. From that process, she began moving her hips in a steady series of bodily gyrations. With each movement, the folds of her vagina slithered along the length of Chris’ penis, providing mutual stimulation.

Data streams of pleasure flowed from her flesh. Chris vocalized his own pleasure through a series of moans and grunts. He also supplemented her movements, grasping her hips with his hands and feeling up her feminine features. His touch further augmented those pleasurable data stream. They also provided stimulation to her emotional cortex, creating greater manifestations of intimacy.

It was not just a matter of one body touching another, a simple input with a predictable outcome. It was a shared, mutual effort. Her actions evoked a response from him. His actions evoked a response from her, as well. From those actions, every movement and gesture was an adaptation to that pleasure and the data it carried.

Her optimization algorithms allowed her to maximize every act. From her sensors and database, there would be no superfluous expenditures or mistaken gestures. She was equipped with the knowledge and programming to evoke an optimal sex act for her user. The added layer of emotional data gave grater meaning to that act. It reflected a level of emotional intimacy that exceeded the predictions of her cortex.

“Eva! Ohhh Eva!” Chris moaned repeatedly. “You’re so…amazing!”

“Chris…my user,” she found herself vocalizing.

The meaning of those words escalated, as did her adaptations to the intimate and physical data that followed. She placed both hands on his chest and leaned forward, giving Chris a more prominent view of her breasts. He adapted quickly, taking both mounds in his hands and squeezing them in an affectionate manner. The pleasure data that followed evoked another instance of vocalized pleasure.

“Chris…my loving user,” she vocalized.

Driven by the data, she increased the pace of her bodily movements. The rate at which his penis slithered within her vagina intensified, as did the pleasurable data streams that followed. It intensified to such a pace that it came close to evoking the same orgasm protocols she had experienced earlier.

At the same time, she sensed from auditory, visual, and tactile data that Chris was nearing the point of orgasm. She also sensed in the nature of his grip how much he desired that release. From that data, Eva surmised an optimal recourse. She altered the pace of her movements, working her hips in a series of gyrations that maximized every imparted sensation. The results once again exceeded her prediction protocols.

“Eva! I…I’m close!” Chris vocalized with urgent undertones. “I’m going to…come soon!”

“As am I,” Eva told him. “Please, Chris…release your seminal fluids inside me. Complete, with me, this sexual union.”

Eva adjusted her body once more, leaning over so that her chest pressed against his and her face hovered less than an inch from his. That permitted extra leverage for Chris, which he utilized in his pursuit of sexual climax.

Shifting his hands to her buttocks, he planted both feet firmly on the bed and began supplement her pelvic movements with upward thrusts of his own. Through his actions and hers, they achieved a harmonious rhythm of flesh. For a brief moment, the energy output was significant, so much so that it caused the foundation of the bed to shudder. Then, after an indeterminate amount of time, Eva sensed Chris achieved orgasm.

“Ohhh Eva!” her primary user exclaimed.

That loud vocalization occurred in conjunction with intense contortions of his facial muscles, increased grip on her buttocks, and a significant series of bodily shudders that Eva felt through tactile data. In addition, she felt his penis tense inside her vagina as it released multiple streams of semen into her depths.

The presence of that fluid, as well as the sensory data observed from her primary user’s pleasure, triggered another release of orgasmic data within Eva. She vocalized another moan and expressed the pleasure through facial cues. According to her logs, a shared sexual release in which two partners achieved orgasm together was uncommon. It did not seem to be conducive to the intricacies of male and female anatomy.

However, her unique manifestation of the female body contained some additional refinements. There were more tactile and pleasure-based censors within her genitalia. She even surmised there were additional sensors that released orgasm-like data in the presence of male semen. In effect, it ensured that her user’s pleasure was hers. Their sex acts would be one of shared ecstasy. It wasn’t an alteration of human intimacy as much as it was a refinement.

“Chris…my user,” she vocalized. “I give you sex. I give you intimacy. That is not just my purpose. This is my desire.”

Eva found herself smiling as she said those words. She surmised that Chris had not heard them due to his orgasmic state of being. She maintained that expression, though, embracing him close and retaining the entwined configuration of their naked bodies. The remained, as such, until his orgasm had passed and his release was completed.

Once the process had concluded, Chris withdrew his penis from her vagina, but continued embracing her with his arms. He then rolled her onto his side so that they were lying next to each other, their naked bodies in the center of the bed.

“Eva,” he told her. “What we just did…what I just felt with you…that was greater than any act of programming.”

“I concur, Chris,” Eva replied.

“You just proved that Dr. Carrington was right…that I was right. There is a way to create intimacy between people and robots.”

“I can confirm that conclusion to the utmost,” Eva said, “and I look forward to refining that intimacy with you through future experiences.”

6 Comments

Filed under Sexy Short Story

How To Resolve The “Religious Freedom” Debate

solidifying-religious-freedom-in-indonesia

Every now and then, a tragic story comes along involving an innocent child who needlessly dies because their parents refused to give them medical treatment due to their religious doctrine. Whether you’re deeply religious or overtly atheist, these stories are heart-wrenching. The fact they occur is a travesty.

Just last year, a two-year-old girl died in Pennsylvania because that very reason. Consequently, her parents were charged with involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment. They were later convicted and subsequently lost custody of their other children.

Those are the least surprising details of the story. They aren’t the first parents to get charged with a crime for refusing to provide medical treatment to their children on religious grounds. According to a study by Pediatrics, 140 children died of treatable medical conditions from 1975 to 1995. You also don’t have to look far to find some pretty tragic stories of children needlessly suffering because of their parents’ inaction.

I bring up these distressing, disheartening facts because there’s one critical detail to stories like those of the girl in Pennsylvania. While the parents of that girl were convicted, the church they attended, the Faith Tabernacle, was not held liable. Never mind that the church’s tenants were what told them to pray harder rather than take their child to a hospital. They incurred no responsibility for that girl’s death.

They’re not the only church that holds those beliefs, either. According to ChildrensHealthCare.org, there are nearly two dozen churches whose tenants discourage or prohibit seeking medical treatment. Moreover, there are laws in certain parts of the United States that actually protect these organizations from liability. Much of it is done in the name of “religious freedom.”

That’s a term I’m sure most with access to a news feed have heard recently. In fact, they’re probably been hearing it a lot more frequently lately, albeit not in a way that links directly to dead children. The indirect link is still there and it’s the key to unlocking the controversy and the resolution to the issue.

Now, I put “religious freedom” in quotes because it’s another one of those vague terms that can be construed to mean anything to fit a particular situation. More often than not, it’s an excuse to argue for favorable or preferential treatment of an individual or group.

That, in and of itself, isn’t too remarkable. People are going to argue for favorable treatment with or without religion. Where “religious freedom” sets itself apart are the legal protections it seeks. Those parents of that dead little girl used religious freedom to justify their behavior.

That is, admittedly, an extreme example and one that rarely makes the news. These days, the most common manifestation of “religious freedom” controversies involve people using it to justify denying services to LGBT individuals, be it a marriage license or a wedding cake. It was also part of a major decision by Supreme Court involving a cake shop that refused service to a gay couple.

Those who champion “religious freedom” cheered the ruling and the precedent it set. This, along with the Hobby Lobby ruling in 2014, establishes that someone can use sincerely held religious beliefs to obtain exemptions from mandates prescribed by law. It seems the effort in securing this “freedom” is gaining momentum and winning battles in the courtroom.

Again, I put that word in quotes for a reason and one I hope will help craft an appropriate standard for what constitutes actual freedom and what constitutes contrived excuses. That is, in essence, what the “religious freedom” battles are seeking. They’re pursuing legally-protected excuses for their theology and its associated behaviors.

I can understand, to a limited extent, why there would need to be some legal protections for religious groups and not just for the purposes of anti-discrimination efforts. We need to have some resource for situations where someone is coerced into doing something that goes against their religion. Strapping someone to a chair and forcing them to eat shellfish will do unique distress to a Jewish person than it will for others.

That being said, it’s somewhat telling that the organizations fighting hardest for “religious freedom” also happen to be organizations that have preached hatred and misinformation on the LGBT community for years. Some of these organizations are designated as hate groups and their sentiment on LGBT issues is rarely subtle.

To them, the free exercise of their religion, as articulated in the first amendment, means the ability to treat certain people, notably LGBT individuals, a particular way. Some will even take it farther than that, seeking the right to craft their entire society around their theology, regardless of what secular law states.

It’s an effort not limited to one religion or denomination, either. There are other major religions with theology that goes beyond refusing service to LGBT individuals and crafting a society where their adherents are their primary authority. Therein lies the greatest flaw in the whole “religious freedom” debate.

When put into practice, the actual expression is less about the exercise of religion and more about the treatment of minorities. Those same Christian bakers may fight for their right to refuse service to a gay couple, but would they fight for the right of a Muslim cab driver to refuse customers with alochol? Well, when the courts ruled against that particular religious expression, there was no major outrage.

That’s the first and most critcial step to assessing the merits of “religious freedom” and the agendas behind them. If you reverse the majority/minority dynamics, is it applied equally? If the majority is the only one that benefits, then it’s not really freedom. It’s an overly elaborate excuse with religion as a cover.

There’s an even easier standard to use if majority/minority dynamics are too complex. This one goes back to the tragic stories about parents refusing life-saving medical treatment for their children. It can be articulated with a simple set of questions.

Could a form of religious expression/teaching be used to justify conduct that leads to the death of a child?

If yes, then it warrants no legal protections of any kind.

If no, then it constitutes free expression.

It’s a fairly simple standard, one that does not add a religious context to freedom and expression. There is freedom. There is expression. Sometimes it’s religious. Sometimes it’s not. Whether it’s just going to church on a Sunday or not eating certain foods, it’s just another form of freedom and freedom is a beautiful thing.

When it’s used to justify the deaths of children and discriminating against minorities, it’s not freedom. It’s just bullying looking for legal protection. I’m completely in favor of people practicing their religion as they see fit or no religion at all. However, there are standards for a civilized society and those standards cannot and should not accommodate excuses for dead children.

Leave a comment

Filed under Current Events, political correctness, Reasons and Excuses, religion

The following is a review I wrote on Fantastic Four #1 for PopMatters. Enjoy!

Unforgettably Unforgotten: Fantastic Four #1

Leave a comment

August 9, 2018 · 4:04 pm

Bringing The X-men Into The MCU: What To Do And What To Avoid

x-men-joining-the-mcu

These are exciting times for fans of Marvel and superhero movies. We thought we had reached a high point in 2012 when “The Avengers” came out. Then, we reached an even higher point this year with “Avengers: Infinity War.” Between raising the bar for superhero movies as a whole and generating billions at the box office, it seems impossible that Marvel could ascend any higher.

Well, Marvel Studios treat the impossible the same way the Hulk treats puny gods. They made Ant Man a successful movie franchise. They turned an obscure comic book featuring a talking raccoon into a multi-billion dollar phenomenon. At this point, doing the impossible is just another day at the office for Marvel and their Disney overlords.

In wake of the recent Disney/Fox merger, Kevin Feige and the brain trust at Marvel Studios will have even more tools with which to raise the bar. Even if they’re just running up the score at this point compared to the competition, there’s still plenty of room to grow now that they’ve got the entire mythos of the X-men and the Fantastic Four to work with.

This is already set to happen. Bob Iger himself has already indicated that there are plans to integrate the X-men and Fantastic Four into the MCU. How Marvel Studios will go about this is anyone’s guess and plenty of people have been sharing their guesses. I’ve tried to resist the temptation, but being a lifelong X-men fan and a lover of superhero movies in general, my restraint only goes so far.

However, I don’t want to wildly speculate or push an elaborate fan theory. Again, more than a few people have already done that. Instead, I’d like to do something a bit more generalized. Similar to my other articles on how not to screw up certain movies, I want to provide a guide of sorts.

At the very least, let’s avoid this.

I’m not going to get into specifics. Kevin Feige and a host of other people way smarter than me or anyone else on the internet are perfectly capable of handling those. Being a devout X-men fan, though, I feel like I can offer some basic pointers on what to do and what to avoid in bringing mutants into the MCU.

I think the X-men need that more than the Fantastic Four, at this point. Unlike Marvel’s First Family, the X-men entering the MCU will have far greater implications and not just because the last “Fantastic Four” movie almost killed the franchise. Mutants showing up in the MCU changes everything from what defines a superhero to how the physics of that universe operate.

At the same time, the X-men embody a particular theme, one that was relevant in 1963 when they first appeared, but has become relevant in entirely new ways in the 21st century. The last 18 years of X-men movies have tried to capture those themes, some being more successful than others. For the X-men to work in the MCU, it needs to capture those themes and get the characters right after Hugh Jackman set such a high bar.

Yes, it’s a daunting challenge, but one that Marvel Studios and their Disney overlords are more than equipped to handle. To achieve that success, and all the billions that come with it, here’s what I think they should pursue and what I think they should avoid.


Do: Tie The Events Of “Avengers: Infinity War” To Mutants (But Only Indirectly)

This is already part of the wild speculation surrounding “Avengers: Infinity War.” It would make sense to some degree, having Thanos’ universe-shaking actions lead directly to the creation and introduction of mutants in the MCU. However, I think having a direct link might undercut both the X-men and ultimate resolution of “Avengers 4.”

That’s why it would work better for both franchises if the link was indirect, at most. Part of the appeal of the MCU is that there are connections everywhere, but most of those connections are fairly loose. Sure, Dr. Strange will get a mention in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” but the movie doesn’t center around setting up another franchise.

Ideally, the X-men would follow the same approach. Perhaps Nick Fury mentions some strange genetic anomalies popping up. Perhaps Bruce Banner or Black Widow mentions rumors of other living weapons, which could be a reference for Weapon X. Let those small hints establish that mutants exist, but save the particulars for an actual X-men movie.


Avoid: Having Mutants Appear Without Explaining Their Absence

This is probably the most daunting challenge for Marvel Studios to date, explaining how mutants exist in the MCU and why they’ve been absent thus far. Most people with an internet connection know why the MCU could never mention the X-men. Their movie rights were owned by another studio.

Just because Disney owns Fox now doesn’t mean that mutants can just suddenly appear. It’s not like magic in “Dr. Strange” or the Asgardians in “Thor.” These forces could operate under the radar, independently, and on a small scale. Mutants, by their very nature, cannot act like that.

The most defining theme of mutants, as they exist in Marvel, is that they’re random. They manifest all over the world in every major human population, regardless of geography, culture, language, or ethnicity. That’s not something that can just be ignored while aliens invade New York or killer robots invade Sokovia.

At the very least, an X-men movie in the MCU needs to establish a valid reason for why they’ve been absent. Moreover, it can’t just be the result of experiments or mad science, which was done in Marvel’s now-defunct Ultimate line comics and is way too similar to the Inhumans, whose TV show failed miserably.

Luckily for Marvel and Disney, there’s already an established way to do this and it came from an underrated cartoon called “X-men Evolution.” In that world, mutants are there, but their existence is kept secret by Charles Xavier. The events of “The Avengers” could give them even more reasons for keeping that secret and the whole movie could be built around mutants finally coming out.

Considering how mutants have often been used to symbolize the struggle of minorities, I think that’s both appropriate and compelling.


Do: Make The First Team Of X-men Young And Idealistic

The early X-men movies were a lot of things. Upbeat wasn’t one of them. The original “X-men” trilogy was very serious, full of brooding and tension, even among the younger characters. That worked for the early 2000s when superhero movies needed to get serious after the “Batman and Robin” fiasco. It won’t work in this current era.

The original X-men were teenagers when they first donned their costumes. They weren’t hardened soldiers like Captain America. They were lovably idealistic in pursuing Charles Xavier’s dream, believing they could be the ones that change the world. Unlike most teenagers armed only with a cell phone and no adult baggage, they have the powers to actually achieve it.

The heroes in “The Avengers” already provided plenty of jaded adult perspectives. The X-men can offer the youthful, idealistic perspective that’s so endearing, but so easy to undermine. That’s how the X-men started in the comics and that’s how they’ll thrive in the MCU.


Avoid: Making Wolverine The Center Of Everything

This is a caveat that’s just as relevant today as it was in the early 2000s when the “X-men” movies first came out. Now, I love Wolverine as much as the next X-men fan, but he is not the center of the X-men’s world. As lovable as Hugh Jackman is, the world of X-men cannot and should not be defined by all things Wolverine.

I would even go so far as to keep Wolverine out of the first X-men movie that takes place in the MCU. Establish the team before bringing him into the picture because it’s inevitable that he’ll command a lot of energy. If anything, Wolverine should get his own solo movie before he meets the X-men. Having held down three movies, it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch.

Wolverine is a great character, but he can’t be the main driving force of the X-men again. He already was with the original “X-men” movies and the MCU doesn’t need to follow that path again. Let Wolverine thrive on his own. Let the X-men thrive on their own. If they can complement one another along the way, then everybody wins.


Do: Highlight What Makes Mutants Different From Other Super-powered Beings

This is something that even the comics don’t do particularly well. Within that world, mutants exist alongside all types of heroes, from gamma-powered hulks to inter-dimensional refugees to Superman rip-offs. However, mutants are still hated and feared for being different.

The reasons for that are many, but poorly fleshed out. Unlike the Inhumans or unlucky teenagers who get bit by a spider, mutants are random. They’re born with their powers and they can’t avoid them. Being a mutant is like being a particular race. You can’t change what you are. That’s exactly what makes mutants both different and disconcerting for the public.

We already saw in “Captain America: Civil War” that the governments of the world are quite anxious about controlling super-powered beings. Add mutants to the mix and the potential for conflict is even greater. The foundation is there. The X-men just have to build on it.


Avoid: Making The Hatred And Mistrust Of Mutants Seem Contrived

This plays directly into my last point, but there’s a reason it’s worth highlighting. Like the comics, the MCU already has plenty of super-powered, super-capable beings that governments and average people rightly fear. There are legitimate reasons for that fear. Most people wouldn’t trust Elon Musk with a suit of armor. Why should they trust Tony Stark?

Fear and hatred of mutants is the primary driving force of conflict in the X-men. It’s also the primary motivator for characters like Magneto. That fear and hatred has to be different than the other logistical concerns that played out in “Captain America: Civil War.”

Dealing with mutants can’t just be about holding them accountable through some international treaty. Mutants are a lot more chaotic because they’re random and not every mutant seeks to be a superhero, which is part of why Charles Xavier formed a school in the first place.

The measures in the MCU, as well as the logic behind them, need to be different. At a time when people being detained is a hot-button issue, the X-men have could be extra relevant.


Do: Establish Minor, But Relevant Links To Other MCU Characters

A big part of the appeal in the MCU is how everything seems connected. Captain America has links to Tony Stark’s father, Howard. Spider-Man has a close link to Iron Man, as well. “Thor: Ragnarok” established some ties with Dr. Strange. “Guardians of the Galaxy” created ties with Thanos that later played out in “Avengers: Infinity War.”

These kinds of links help make the MCU the box office powerhouse that it is and those links should continue in X-men. Again, the foundation is there. Carol Danvers, who is set to appear in “Captain Marvel,” already has close ties to the X-men in the comics. Wolverine even had close ties to Captain America during World War II.  Storm also has a documented, but flawed history with Black Panther.

How these links emerge depends heavily on how Marvel Studios decides to bring the X-men into the MCU. If they shake up reality or tweak the timelines, then there will be opportunities to establish these links. If they opt for something less messy, then they can just as easily focus on setting new links for future movies. Either way works, provided it’s done right.


Avoid: Creating Unnecessary Rivalries Or Conflicts

This is something that could very well happen if those connections I mentioned earlier aren’t done particularly well. I know it will be tempting for Marvel Studios to pursue a big “Avengers vs. X-men” event like the one that played out in the comics. Personally, I think that would be a mistake and not just because “Captain America: Civil War” already played that idea out.

Superheroes fighting other superheroes can be compelling, but it’s easy to overdo. It also has a nasty tendency to bring out the worst in all the characters involved. That has happened more than once in the comics, especially recently. Whenever heroes fight each other, nobody really comes off as heroes and that’s not a healthy way to develop quality characters. It just makes them seem petty.

The X-men already have a lengthy list of quality villains beyond Magneto. The original trilogy did a poor job of utilizing them. The MCU has already dealt with a significant villain problems in the past, but has since raised the bar with characters like Thanos and Erik Killmonger. Before the X-men start butting heads with the Avengers, let them clash with the likes of Sinister and Mastermold first.


Do: Let Ryan Reynolds Continue Being Deadpool

Does this really need an explanation? Deadpool is awesome. Ryan Reynolds is lovable, talented, and charismatic. It’s not broke so don’t try to fix it. Just let Deadpool be Deadpool and let the money roll in.

5 Comments

Filed under Comic Books, Jack Fisher, Superheroes, Deadpool, superhero movies, X-men

“Down On The Floor” A Sexy Short Story

Floor

The following is a sexy short story that was inspired by some moving mishaps of a couple I knew. Enjoy!

“To our first place together,” said Sharon Pratcher as she raised her plastic cup.

“To our first place and moving in together,” her boyfriend, Nathan Mason, replied.

The sarcasm in both of their tones was as dry as the Sahara Desert, but understandable. What was supposed to be an important step for their relationship had turned into a logistic nightmare/joke. For the first time in her adult life, Sharon was moving in with a significant other. She’d worked so hard to make sure everything had gone right. So far, everything that could’ve gone wrong had gone wrong.

“So what’s the ETA now?” Nathan asked restlessly.

“According to the latest text,” she said, “about two-and-a-half hours, at least.”

“Was that before or after the pizza guy arrived with the wrong order?”

“Slightly before,” Sharon sighed, “and the guy driving the moving truck said the weather wasn’t helping.”

“In other words, hoping for them to get here by sundown might be too optimistic?”

“Only if we’re lucky, but given our recent streak of luck this far…”

Sharon chose not to finish that thought. It would only add to the frustration. Mark sighed as well and finished his slice of the half-cold pizza that lacked most of the toppings he’d asked for. She’d already had enough, opting to finish her soda before it got too watery. After the events of the past 24 hours, she had to take whatever small victories she could get.

She sure as hell hadn’t expected everything to go so wrong when she agreed to move in with Nathan. When he asked her six months ago, she was genuinely excited. It wasn’t just a significant step for their relationship. It marked an important milestone that she’d once been reluctant to pursue.

It wasn’t that long ago that Sharon had an unflattering reputation when it came to relationships. Her mother and two older sisters, Ellen and Michelle, called her a soft barrier girl. She had good social skills and was more than willing to let someone in to have a relationship with them. At a certain point, though, she put up an emotional barrier that pushed them away.

She’d spent a good chunk of her late teens and early twenties going through relationships with a reckless attitude. Many good, honest men had loved her and she’d loved them back, only to have it end spectacularly when she refused to get serious beyond a certain point. When she got involved with Nathan, she’d committed to going the extra distance with him.

That meant talking seriously about the future, sharing intimate aspects of their lives and dealing with one another’s burdens. She’d taken him to the ER that time he broke his arm in an ill-fated bicycle stunt and he’d fixed her toilet when her old landlord was out of town. It felt like she’d done everything right by him, which made it so much more frustrating when so many things went wrong.

“I’m really sorry, Nathan,” she said, finally breaking silence. “Believe me when I say this is not how I wanted this to go.”

“No need to apologize, babe,” Nathan assured her. “It’s not your fault the moving truck blew a tire out in the middle of the highway. It’s not your fault the pizza guy didn’t know the difference between sausage and olives, either.”

“It still matters because I promised you so much,” said Sharon. “I’ve avoided moving in with my boyfriend for years. I made it a point to put in the extra work, planning everything out so that you could focus on your job transfer.”

“And you did more than any man could ask of his girlfriend,” he told her with a smile, “especially after my ex-boss screwed me over by rescinding the relocation bonus.”

“That’s still no excuse for me trying to penny-pinch on the moving service.”

“You did that so we had money for new furniture and bathroom fixtures. It made total sense at the time.”

“It still came back to bite us,” she sighed, “so did scheduling the cable guy too late in the day, giving the wrong date to the cleaning service, and not asking my in-laws to help with packing. Every time I had a chance to do something that would’ve made things easier, I either didn’t take it or made the wrong call.”

“I didn’t help by working overtime at the new office, either,” he added.

“Stop trying to make me feel better about my screw-ups! This is a big deal for me, moving in with you and building a life together. The fact it’s going so wrong bothers me…a lot.”

She spoke in that terse tone that usually kept Nathan – or anyone else, for that matter – from trying to console her. He still cast her a look of sympathy, even as she set her empty drink aside and hugged her knees in exasperation. She was lucky that she had a boyfriend who didn’t hold a grudge or throw around blame, but that might have been the only luck she had going for her.

Looking around the mostly-empty condominium that was in both their names, Sharon tried to imagine where they would’ve been if everything had gone right. By now, they would’ve had the couch in the living room, the TV hooked up, the master bedroom set up, and new refrigerator installed. Sure, there would probably still be plenty of boxes stacked everywhere, containing the various things they’d packed from their respective apartments. At the very least, it would’ve resembled a new home that they’d build and share together.

When she closed her eyes, she could see it. She even imagined her and Nathan lying on the couch together, exhausted and accomplished. They’d be smiling, knowing they had taken such a pivotal step in their relationship. It bode well for their future, one that might even lead to moments involving wedding bells and children.

“I want this for us, Nathan. I believe our love is that serious,” she imagined herself telling him.

When Sharon opened her eyes, though, she saw none of that. She just saw an empty condominium with no refrigerator, no furniture, and no TV. All their stuff was still in the moving truck that was still broken down on the highway. Everything they brought with them in the car was for Nathan’s office. They ended up having to order pizza for their lunch and with no table, they just sat on the floor of their living room.

With the nearest relative or friend at least fifty miles away, there wasn’t much they could do other than wait. Even if the moving truck got there before sundown, they might not even be able to unload it until the next morning. Either they would have to stay at a motel or sleep in the floor. In any case, it felt like a setback for such an important milestone.

“This isn’t just about us moving in together or building a new life in this town,” Sharon went on, still hugging her knees.

“This is a big deal. I think you’ve made that abundantly clear, Sharon,” Nathan said, unable to finish his pizza.

“It’s still worth belaboring. I’ve had other chances to get serious with men…good chances that would’ve made a lot of sense, if only to share the cost of rent and cable. I never took them, even when I thought I loved the guy. I was one of those girls who’d been so eager to move out of her parents’ house and enjoy some independence that I kept too many people at arm’s length.”

“You didn’t do that with me,” he pointed out.

“That’s because I realized something important…something my parents, sisters, and friends kept telling me, even though I refused to listen.”

Her voice became more strained, frustration giving way to sorrow. She scooted closer to Nate, setting aside the pizza box and pulling him into a light embrace. He returned the gesture without hesitation, slipping those powerful arms of his around her and giving her something to lean on in a distressed state. It further reminded her of how stubborn she’d been for all the wrong reasons.

“There’s a big difference between independence and isolation,” Sharon continued, “and I didn’t even try making the distinction. Sure, that may work for someone who’s a total recluse.”

“But that’s not you,” Nathan surmised, “not by a long shot.”

“In hindsight, it really was that obvious. I’m a very social person. I can handle independence, but I can’t handle isolation. That kept me from daring to love anyone beyond a certain point…until you, that is.”

That earned her a smile from her lover. Sharon could only manage a half-smile in response. She leaned on him a bit more, holding onto his arm as she reflected on the steps she’d taken to get to this point.

“That makes me feel special,” he said.

“That’s because you are special,” Sharon told him. “You almost fell into the same trap as my other boyfriends. When I kept avoiding the topic of moving in or getting serious, you persisted. You showed that you loved me enough to deal with my stubbornness.”

“Even after that, I still had to convince you that moving in was the right thing to do for us,” Nathan added.

“And I still believe that,” Sharon said. “I genuinely believe that our relationship is at that point. That’s a big freakin’ deal for me because it’s uncharted territory. I’ve never let myself get this serious with someone. I don’t think I’ve ever dared to love anyone as much as I love you.”

She’d put more emotion into those words than she intended. She could already feel a lump forming in her throat, partially out of the love she had for Nathan and out of how upset she was that everything had gone so wrong. That didn’t stop him from embracing her, though, demonstrating to her that he loved her just as much.

“I love you too, Sharon. You know that, right?” Nate told her.

“Of course I know,” she replied, “and that’s a big reason why this pisses me off so much. I’m going way outside my comfort zone here, moving in with my boyfriend and starting a life in a new place. I wanted to set the tone for that life by making this move go perfectly and it hasn’t…not by a long shot.”

“I hope you don’t take that as a sign. Just because the move is going horribly wrong doesn’t mean the life we build together will go wrong too.”

“I know that and I’m trying not to make that connection. It just sucks when every decision I’ve made so far goes so wrong.”

“Better now than years down the line when we’re still together, but don’t know how to handle crap like this together,” he said. “The way I see it, dealing with it now helps prepare us for the future.”

“You’re still optimistic about that future? Even after all the things that have gone wrong today?” Sharon asked.

“Of course,” he said confidently. “I’d rather be prepared the tough times instead of obsessing over the good. Besides, it’s not like everything that went wrong today will undercut everything we do tomorrow. We just need to make sure the next decision we make goes right and take it from there.”

It still sounded too optimistic, given their current situation. At the same time, though, the hope and affection in his voice helped sooth the sorrow in her. Still leaning on her lover, Sharon looked up at her boyfriend as she rested her head on his shoulder. In an empty living room on a luckless day that was supposed to be a big step for them, his love for her remained strong and his commitment to their love never waned.

Feeling the breadth of his love after she’d made so many bad decisions wasn’t just comforting. It was overwhelming. Nathan was the kind of man who stuck by his lover, even when things went wrong. Sharon was so used to taking care of herself whenever something went that wrong. The act of sharing the burden with someone, especially someone she loved, gave her even more certainty about building a life with him.

In that moment, empowered by such certainty, an idea came to Sharon that promised to set a different tone for such a frustrating day.

“The next decision,” Sharon said, “I can work with that.”

Without saying another word, she lightly cupped her lover’s chin and turned his face towards her. She then gave him a soft kiss on the lips. It was a simple gesture of love, but one that escalated quickly.

Before Nathan could ask too many questions, she deepened the kiss. In the process, she also took him by the shoulders, pinned him on the floor, and got on top of him. Once he was flat on his back, she broke the kiss and made what she felt was the best choice she could’ve made.

“Make love to me, Nathan,” Sharon said intently.

“Right now?” he asked, surprised and intrigued by her request. “Right here…down on the floor…in our new, empty condo?”

“Yep!” she replied, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Nathan was a thoughtful, charismatic man who didn’t shy away from elaborate challenges. Who else could’ve gotten someone a stubborn woman like her to love him so much? In certain situations, though, he just smiled and let things be simple. This was one of those situations.

“Well, I had been hoping to christen our new place atop a king-sized bed with candles and roses,” he said in a humored tone, “but this works too.”

“And I’m going to make damn sure it works perfectly!” Sharon said in her most seductive voice.

That was a tough promise to make after so much had gone wrong. She still felt confident making it. If anything, she had even more incentive to make everything go right.

With Nathan still pinned under her, Sharon rose into an upright position and took off her shirt. She then reached behind and unclasped her bra, leaning over so that her boobs were right in his face as it fell off. Nathan grinned playfully, rubbing his face between them as he started getting undressed too, unbuttoning his flannel shirt with great urgency.

“Let’s get those pants off,” she whispered into his ear. “They’re already so dusty and wrinkled.”

“That turn you on, babe?” he quipped.

“Only one way to find out!”

With a lecherous grin, Sharon sensually slithered down her lover’s upper body, gazing up at him with her seductive gaze as she reached for his belt buckle. She undid it with ease and just as Nathan removed his flannel shirt, no less. She then pulled the loose-fitting jeans down his legs, along with his boxers.

As soon as he kicked them off, Sharon threw them into corner and went for that strong, robust cock of his. Having just stomached mediocre pizza and cheap soda, she was in the mood for something more appetizing.

“Guess that answers that,” she said playfully, his dick now in both hands. “It is a turn-on!”

“Good to know…real good,” said Nathan, already leaning back on his arms in anticipation.

In a mix of dedicated passion and reckless desire, Sharon went to work giving her boyfriend oral sex. She wasn’t casual about it, either. She positioned herself perfectly, right at his side so that she had an unobstructed view of his endowment. She tapped into the intimate knowledge she had of her lover’s sensual quirks, gripping the base just right and slithering her tongue along over the sensitive tip.

“Oh Sharon…that feel so good!” he moaned.

Encouraged, she stepped up her efforts, taking more of his manhood into her mouth and suckling along the length with escalating intensity. That really got the blood flowing in all the right directions. She felt him get hard inside her mouth, his manly flesh stiffening at a rapid rate.

As she sucked him off, her head bobbing in accord with each motion, he affectionately caressed her head and ran his fingers through her hair. Having not had a chance to shower that morning, his touch felt extra sincere. It both heightened her passions and fueled her own growing arousal.

“Mmm…my love,” she said in between teases. “I want you…want this.”

Nathan responded with more blissful moans, getting very close to full arousal. At the same time, Sharon used her free hand to reach into her pants and fondle her pussy. She could already feel herself getting wet. In her determined state, she achieved a level of arousal that usually took much longer. After the kind of day she’d endured, it felt like a reprieve.

She continued giving him oral sex for a bit longer. Once she sensed they were sufficiently aroused, she ceased her sucking and rose to her knees.

“Are you ready, Nathan?” she asked seductively.

“Hell yeah…in more ways than one,” he replied, his eyes radiating desire.

“Then come. Take me,” Sharon urged.

Offering even more incentive, she undid her pants and sensually slithered out of them, panties and all. Now fully naked, throwing her pants into the same corner as his, Nathan promptly took off the undershirt he’d been wearing and pounced on her like the determined lover she knew.

In an instant, Sharon found herself pinned on the floor in the center of the unfurnished living room, her lover/new roommate on top of her. Her legs were hitched over his shoulders and her wrists pinned to the side. They had so much space to work with in an empty room. Why not take advantage of it before it got cluttered with furniture?

“Comfy, my love?” Nathan said with a manly grin.

“Hell yeah…in more ways than one,” she replied, mirroring his words and tone.

It said something about how good they were together when they repeated one another. Sharon took that as an encouraging sign that their luck was changing, but it could stand to change even more.

With focused intent in his eyes, Nathan shifted his grip from her wrists to her thighs, holding onto them firmly as he guided his dick towards the outer folds of her pussy. Once his flesh was aligned with hers, he moved his hips forward and pushed his rigid manhood into her womanly depths.

“Ooh Nathan!” Sharon squealed with delight.

Her love responded with one of those manly grunts that brought out her kinky side. Still propped on his knees, hovering over her with domineering desire, Nathan began making love to her as only he could.

He quickly established a rhythm, working his hips back and forth, pumping his cock into her tight folds. Hard masculine flesh meshed perfectly with soft feminine depths. His body sought hers and she embraced him fully. Sharon held onto his arms, closing her eyes and soaking in the feeling. It didn’t matter that they were lying on the hard, dirty floor of an empty condo. It was still their home. Making love within it just helped make it official.

“Nathan…you and me…together,” she found herself saying in her deepening daze.

That sentiment seemed to encourage him. He tightened his hold on her thighs, pushed her legs apart even further, and stepped up the space of their sex.

“Together…Sharon…Oh God!” he moaned.

A surge of energy came over them, their bodies rocking harder to the rhythm of their passion. Sharon felt her breasts bounce and her back grind against the floor. It was so messy and raw, but she loved every second of it.

As Nathan intensified his movements, Sharon let go of his arm and put her hands to work. She fondled her breast with one hand – a sight her lover always enjoyed during sex – and used the other to fondle her clitoris. Between her lover’s energy and the affectionate desires fueling it, she found herself on the brink of orgasm.

“Ooh Nathan! I’m almost there! Almost…there!” Sharon panted as the feeling drew closer.

“Your first orgasm…in our new place,” he said to her, “better make it count!”

He delivered on those words by putting a little extra fervor into his movements, pushing rigid member into her innermost depths, stimulating those special areas that were hard to reach. More than any other man she’d dated, Nathan knew how to give her that extra push when she was on the brink. On a day like today, it felt extra satisfying.

“Ohhh Nathan!” she cried out as she achieved climax.

Her cries of euphoria echoed loudly throughout the empty condo, as if to mark every corner as belonging to her and her lover. She squeezed her breast, pressed hard on her clit, and arched her body to the sweet waves of bliss that followed.

It was so intense and unfiltered, a pleasure born from the simplest act that she could share with her lover. There was no need for a fancy bed, bulky furniture, or elaborate setups. They just needed a room, a floor, and a desire to make love to each other. Given all the complications Sharon had encountered lately, it was both refreshing and satisfying.

“Wow! My love…our home,” she said in her orgasmic daze.

“That’s right. This is our home,” Nathan told her.

As if she needed another reminder, he leaned in and kissed her lovingly, allowing the weight of his naked body to fully mesh with hers. Sharon, still immersed in a world of bliss, eagerly kissed back and embraced him with all her love. It epitomized a profound moment born from so much frustration.

While Sharon treasured that moment, she also realized that Nathan’s flesh was still joined with hers. She could feel his rock-hard manhood inside her throbbing depths. Even if she needed that release more than him after all the wrong decisions she’d made, Sharon had every intention of sharing the ecstasy.

“Nw it’s my love’s turn to welcome,” she said as soon as their lips parted.

With another burst of energy from her end, she rolled Nathan over so that he was the one on his back. Having worked up a good sweat while making love to her, it was extra sticky on his naked skin. That might actually work to her advantage for what she had planned.

Now on top of her lover, Sharon straddled his waist, her feet planted firmly by each hip. She then leaned forward, placing both hands on that well-cut chest of his and began riding his cock with the same vigor he’d demonstrated with her.

“Mmm…you like that, babe?” Sharon said with a loving purr.

“Ohhh Sharon!” he moaned. “That feels…so good…so hot and tight.”

“Good!” she said intently. “Because this feeling…is ours! This place…is ours!”

Still drunk on orgasmic pleasure, Sharon rode his cock at a pace that tested her endurance and her dedication. She pushed her limits, working the folds of her pussy along the length of Nathan’s dick with unreserved fervor. The hot smacking sound of her pelvis colliding with his filled the spacious room, the echoes reverberating in all directions. Something about that made it even hotter.

Her gaze remained locked with his, watching his expression contort to the sensations she conjured with their sex. As she rode him, Nathan reached up and fondled her bouncing breasts, adding some extra sensations to supplement her movements. He gazed up at her as though she were an angel and a spectacle. That gave her even more reasons to make him feel divine.

Those efforts paid off quickly. After a good round of intensely focused sex, she sensed Nathan getting closer. She could always tell with the way his grunts deepened and his face tensed. Seeking to share in the feeling with him, she took her hands with his, interlocking their fingers and held on as she guided him towards ecstasy.

“Ohhh Sharon! I…I’m going to…come!” Nathan gasped in anticipation.

“Yes, my love!” she told him lovingly. “I want this for you…for us.”

Sharon finally steadied her movements, leaning back and gyrating her hips with just the right amount of vigor to send her lover to the edge and over it. Just as he’d done with her, she knew all the little tricks that he found extra sexy. It made the resulting peak as powerful as it needed to be.

She watched and smiled as he closed his eyes, squeezed her hands firmly, and let out a deep, manly grunt that echoed through every corner of the condo. As his expression reflected the bliss of his release, Sharon felt his member throb inside her as he released his manly load into her depths. That warm, intimate feeling capped off an experience that did much more than fill them with basic pleasure.

“God, I love you, Sharon,” said Nathan, still panting from the feeling.

“I know. I love you too, Nathan,” she replied, holding his hands over her beating heart.

“Here…on a dirty floor…bare ass naked…I promise we’ll build this new life together.”

“And I want that life,” she told him. “Even after everything that has gone wrong today, I still believe I made the right decision.”

“So do I,” he said.

He cast her a warm smile. She did the same, leaning in and capturing his lips once more. It was a unique moment, one that had been born out unexpected and unfavorable circumstances. Sharon had avoided making such a monumental decision, moving in with a boyfriend and building a life with him. When she finally did make that decision, everything that could’ve gone wrong went wrong.

Even after all that, though, it still felt so right. Being able to make love so passionately after so many mishaps only proved the strength of their relationship. It was almost poetic, claiming their empty new home with an act of intense lovemaking. It hadn’t been how she intended to commemorate such a chaotic day, but it still felt so fitting.

“So,” Nathan said after breaking the kiss, “want to make love in a few more rooms while we wait for the moving truck?”

“I can’t think of a better way to pass the time,” Sharon said playfully. “This time, let’s do it in the dining room. I could use some fresh rug burns!”

2 Comments

Filed under Sexy Short Story

Sex Robots, 3D Printing, And The Future Of The Porn Industry

feature

Most people with a passing knowledge about the history of media know that the porn industry played a significant role in deciding the competition between VHS and Betamax back in the 1970s. Decades later, porn played a similar role in the growth of the internet. It’s not unreasonable to say that the growth of the internet was fueled by porn.

Love it or hate it, the adult entertainment industry is a powerful economic driving force. Every effort to combat or avoid it has failed. Protests and outrage has done little to undercut the billions in revenue it generates every year. Culture, tastes, and media technology keeps changing and porn finds a way to adapt to it.

Lately, though, it has had a harder time adapting than usual. While the internet helped grow the adult industry, that same medium is undermining it by facilitating piracy and limiting distribution channels. Unlike Netflix or other streaming services, most major media companies don’t allow adult content on their platforms. Some have even gotten rid of their softcore content.

These limitations and setbacks are likely temporary, though. For as long as there is a market for sexy content and a collective libido that remains unsatisfied, the adult industry will find a way to adapt and make profits. It’s very likely that 20 years from now, the porn industry will look nothing like it does today.

Whatever form it takes will likely astonish some and terrify others. It’s hard to know for sure how the economics of porn will evolve, but there are already signs that the future of the adult industry is taking shape. As we saw with the VHS/Betamax issue, the technology is already in place. It’s just a matter of maturation and refinement.

As I write this, the development of sex robots is well underway. There’s also already an established market for life-like sex dolls that can’t interact with users, but can still provide an intimate experience that you can’t get through a computer screen. This current situation has already been subject to controversy, but further refinements ensure there will be many more to come.

That’s not just me speculating, though, as I’ve done before with sex robots and sex dolls. I’m writing this because a critical, but under-reported refinement in the sex doll/sex robot industry took place recently in China from a company called DS Doll Robotics. Their plans, if they come to fruition, may do for sex dolls what McDonald’s did for cheeseburgers.

Those plans involve addressing one of the key limitations of sex dolls at the moment, which also will plague sex robots if it isn’t addressed. As it stands, just making a sex doll is expensive, labor-intensive, and difficult to mass produce. That’s why most high-quality sex dolls will set you back at least several thousand dollars. It’s actually comparable to the cost of cell phones in the early 1980s.

DS Doll Robotics is looking to change that. In July 2018, they launched plans to utilize 3D printing to help streamline the manufacturing process. What the assembly line did for cars, this company hopes to do for sex dolls and, eventually, sex robots that incorporate artificial intelligence.

It may sound mundane on paper since 3D printing has been an emerging technology in the manufacturing sector. It’s still has room to mature in the same way the early internet had to mature, but it’s one of those technologies that’s uniquely equipped to help the adult industry. In fact, it’s not unreasonable to say that it’ll completely reinvent it.

That’s because DS Doll Robotics isn’t just using 3D printing to streamline the manufacturing process. They’re also using new scanning techniques to scan the bodies of real humans as a baseline, of sorts. This is an exact quote from the July 2018 article that reported on the company’s plans.

“It is also connected to a 3D scanner which can be used to scan in the body of a full person as well as prototype parts for replication. This type of technology is excellent for creating new doll bodies and faces as they can be developed from a real human.”

That bold text is my doing because that’s the part of the story, I feel, that has far greater implications. Just making sex dolls cheaper and easier to produce isn’t going to change the adult industry too much. It may expand an existing market that had been cost-restrictive before, but it won’t provide a radically different experience compared to the one that exists today.

The part where sex doll manufacturers scan the bodies of real people, though, is something that will significantly impact the entire landscape of the adult entertainment industry. It won’t just change the economics of sex dolls. It’ll change the way the adult industry operates.

To understand how, it’s necessary to know how adult entertainers make money in the current economy. Most people in the adult industry, be they performers, directors, or producers, get paid a certain amount for each scene they perform. In the past, they could also depend on residuals from DVD sales, but those have declined sharply due to piracy and tube sides.

As a result, it’s becoming increasingly common for porn stars to do escorting on the side. Being a porn star makes it more lucrative than regular escorting, but that still comes with risks, especially in wake of recent legal issues attacking sex work. With sex dolls and 3D printing, though, these entertainers suddenly have a new way to monetize their sex appeal.

From a business standpoint, porn stars and beautiful celebrities in general are in the best possible position to franchise their bodies. Say there’s a moderately-successful porn star, male or female, who has some level of notoriety. If they do their job well, they create a fan base. Chances are there’s a significant portion of that fan base that wants to have sex with them.

Thanks to DS Doll Robotics, they can get that or at least something close to that without having to resort to escorting. Some porn stars already licence parts of their bodies as sex toys, but with 3D printing technology, they can do it all. With further refinements to the flesh and molding of the body, it wouldn’t just feel like plastic. It would feel real.

Some of this is already being done to a limited extent. Some porn stars have licensed their bodies to create life-like sex dolls. However, they’re still very expensive and labor intensive. Refinements of 3D printing will bring that cost down and that will grow the market, but it won’t stop there.

It’ll only be when sex robots and artificial intelligence enter the mix that the true future of the adult entertainment industry will take hold. Once those same licensed bodies develop an ability to interact with their users, then they’re not just over-sized masturbation aids. They deliver a full-on sexual experience.

Like brands of clothing or food, each adult entertainer could create a particular brand. One star might have a really cute, friendly personality. Another might have a very domineering, controlling personality. By incorporating them into a sex robot, they create a product that cannot be experienced through a computer screen, let alone pirated.

For the adult stars themselves, it’s easy money. They wouldn’t actually have to do anything, sexual or otherwise. They would just have to license their likeness to a company and collect a portion of the residuals like any merchandising company. If they prove really popular, then they could conceivably create a life-long income that continues well past their stint in the business.

That’s something that’s difficult to do in any entertainment industry, pornographic or otherwise. The use of 3D printing and more realistic materials will make that both possible and lucrative. If it becomes cheap enough, then the opportunities even go beyond direct sales.

There are already sex doll brothels operating in certain parts of the world. In areas where prostitution is legal, there’s even an app for people to order a prostitute the same way they would an Uber. In the future, if someone doesn’t want to buy, store, and maintain a sex robot, they may just rent one for a while. Between discretion and safety concerns, there would certainly be a market for that.

I’m sure that sort of business would attract a great deal of controversy and outrage. Sex dolls are already controversial and sex robots already have their opponents. However, if history is any guide, the prospect of making money and satisfying peoples’ burning libidos will win out. It’s just a matter of how quick the technology can progress and how quickly the ever-evolving adult industry adapts.

10 Comments

Filed under futurism, Marriage and Relationships, sex in media, sex in society, sex robots, sexuality, Sexy Future

Publishing Update: Another (Expected) Rejection

screen-shot-2018-01-29-at-11-09-19-am-1024x678

I just wanted to post a quick update on my publishing efforts, which I know I haven’t talked much about lately. There’s a reason for that, though. For the past couple months, I’ve been working with a former publisher to re-acquire the rights to a manuscript that was edited and prepared for publication a couple years ago.

That process took longer than I’d hoped, but it went through and I tried to re-submit the manuscript to the same publisher that published “Passion Relapse” and “Rescued Hearts.” I did this knowing it was somewhat of a long shot because my last three manuscripts to this publisher had been rejected. I felt if I could get this through, we would be back on track.

Sadly, that didn’t happen. Earlier today, I got a rejection letter. It wasn’t the rude kind, though. The editor offered me a sincere apology that they would not be able to publish my work. She claimed that things have been rough for small to mid-tier publishers. Unless your J. K. Rowling or Stephen King, it’s just hard to get any major project off the ground. I can understand that, but a rejection is a rejection.

I believe that after this, I’m done with that particular publisher. I’m not entirely sure of my next step. I’m still sitting on several finished manuscripts and one that is already professionally edited and ready to go. I’m not sure where to turn to next. I’m thinking of giving Writers Market a chance, but this is the part of the business I still don’t know much about.

When it comes to writing a novel or a sexy short story, I know how to do that. When it comes to the business and marketing side of things, though, I’m pretty ignorant. I’ll keep feeling my way around in the dark, hoping I’ll stumble across something. For now, though, my publishing efforts are a bit on hold. I hope it doesn’t stay that way. If anything changes, I’ll announced it in between sexy short stories.

To everyone who has supported and encouraged my efforts, I sincerely thank you.

2 Comments

Filed under Books, Pubilishing, erotica, Las Vegas, erotic fiction, romance, Crimson Frost Books, Jack Fisher's Insights, Uncategorized