Sexuality is more varied than fiction, and there is more sex out there than is dreamt of in your philosophy. That is why – since I don’t think people should have to try stuff they don’t fancy just to write about it – good research sources are so important. I mean, I am up for a lot of things but there’s stuff that actively sinks my boat or that is just to expensive too invest in for something that isn’t going to be used more than a couple of times to inform a scene.

One of my favourite resources is the graphic blog Oh Joy Sex Toy. (Some drawings of cartoon people having sexy times ahead.)

Oh Joy Sex Toy is well-written, well-drawn, and covers a huge range of topics, including sex toy reviews and explorations of sexual reaction and presentation. They give tips on sex acts, talk openly about considering doing porn and the pros and cons that would involve for them (the authors are a couple), and look at the intersecting spectrums of human sexuality. The characters who appear in the strips – known as the Masturbateers – are gender neutral, cheerfully horny, and sport a variety of body types and genital combinations. They usually look like they are having fun too, which is nice when you are researching for your characters.

Blog creator Erica Moen is a queer comic-book artist whose work has been published by Dark Horse Comics, Image Comics, Penny Arcade, and more. Her husband Matthew Nolan co-writes, edits, and colours the strip, as well as providing his input on any content aimed at penis-havers. They are both admirably open about their interests and expereinces, even chronicling a less than ideal trip to a swingers party.

 Over the years they have weighed the pros and cons of various dildos and vibrators – from the cutting edge to the well-established standards. Ever wondered what sort of packer your character would use, or why they would reject another brand? Oh Joy Sex Toy can help with that, with a couple of different comics looking at the functionality of various ones available.

Are you writing about a three way for the first time? Moen and Nolan have that covered too, with an informative comic on ‘How to Rock a Threeway‘.

Want your hacker character in a SF romance to have a cyber-erotic, posthumanist  encounter? There are reviews on some really interesting prototype toys that are just starting to infiltrate the market. Sure, you would want to future-tech them, but the use of technology now gives you a great jumping off point for then.

 Frankly, I think that Oh Joy Sex Toy is a great resource to spice up some sex scenes (not all, of course). That doesn’t necessarily mean writing that your character grabbed his Bluetooth Titivator 2010 for a bit of alone time. It could be info on the specific texture of a sex toy – firm, squishy, dry, icky – and how people react to them, or the various ways in which a sex toy/sex act can bomb out with one character and be a hit with another. It could even just be fodder for a bickery argument between a techie with the best device on the market and his friend/lover who thinks that the two years back model is just as good.

In the end, the blog is a fun read and, in addition to the reviews and advice comics, Oh Joy Sex Toy also runs the occasional narrative comic. My favourite so far is Beware the Woodwitch by Claudia Aguire which is a delightful little story and an awesome bit of very good worldbuilding in a very sparse space. So even if you don’t need any research right this minute, it is worth a read.