The Toy Store

One of my long-time favorite sites on the web is Adam and Gillian’s Sensual Whips and Toys, a purveyor of the finest bdsm accessories on the planet. You won’t find precious wood paddles here. Such items have their place, but Adam and Gillian are aiming for that price/performance sweet spot. The few items over $200 are priced appropriately for the solid workmanship involved. The paddles, floggers, canes and single-tails they sell are beautiful, but in a functional way.

Recently I’ve come to enjoy their site for an entirely different reason. Every item they sell is described in loving detail. This means you can get a pretty good idea of what it would feel like to get hit with it. This is an invaluable resource for novice BDSM writers who can’t afford a closet full of toys. Do you want to know what type of instruments produce more thud than sting? Vice versa? Look here. Do you want to know how to make a strap nastier than a single-tail? They’ve got you covered. Leather is the only way to go for many fetishists, but if your characters are vegan, Adam and Gillian have some suggestions. Items with historical or social context are lovingly described. There’s rattan for traditionalists and polyethylene if you’re feeling modern and efficient, sjamboks if you’ve got a fetish for nonconsensual abuse. Setting a scene in a small apartment and want something short? Want to know what implements draw blood under what circumstances? They’ve got the answers. You’ll learn a whole new collection of abbreviations, and imagine the people who use them. “OTK,” anyone?

Of course, you’re reading all of this for research only. But it may occur to you to wonder. Could I stand for this? Could I breathe deep and hold still, or would someone have to tie and gag me? For that matter, could I bend over for that? Even muscular backs have less padding than butts, so the same blow will feel very different. If you were the wielder, how much practice would you need before you could hit what you aimed for? Newton says that the faster the tip moves the more it hurts when it lands. Allowing a strap to wrap on a hip is often considered rude, which is why experienced players put a pillow against the off-side of their partner’s butt. But you could wrap on purpose, turning a relatively gentle instrument into a device of infernal torture.

That’s when you start looking up the prices and examining your checking account.  For research.  Really.