Puppets, Dolls, and Robots

I thought it would be useful to make a post about this, since (in my time on hypno-fetish singles sites) this has been the single most common point of confusion among other hypno-fetishists.

(I also figure, if I post every time I feel like posting, it'll keep me in gear to make sure I don't have any other half-a-year-between-session-and-post situations.)

Of note, ASFR is the hypnosis stuff that I most enjoy as a subject/submissive. Being frozen, being called a puppet, being a robot: I like. If I'm hypnotizing somebody else, I still love it, but I also enjoy blank mind, limp body, and sensation/pleasure suggestions just as much.

So, here are my thoughts on the Big Three sub-fetishes of ASFR:

On "Puppet":

I LOVE the word "puppet." However, I don't find puppets particularly sexy. When I use the word in my fetish play, I'm not thinking about what a puppet is. I'm thinking about what the word "puppet" implies: a being completely under the control of somebody else. This can relate to hypnotized-to-be-a-marionette scenarios (like this one and around 4:09 in this video); however, while I enjoy those (ESPECIALLY being on the receiving end), they're not a very big Thing for me. And speaking of the receiving end, if I'm going to be a marionette, it has to be a human marionette, I don't really want to be hypnotized to feel like I'm made of wood or whatever.

(One of the reasons they're not a big Thing for me, it should be noted, is that it's difficult as hell to make them work in a satisfactory way. Either the hypnotist has to painstakingly describe every single movement of the "strings," or the subject has to be able to see every movement of the hypnotist's hands, or only two body parts can be moved at once, ARGH, it's more trouble than it's worth.)

So, to sum: it's the word, and its accompanying metaphorical concept, that I find sexy as hell.


On Dolls:

OK, doll fetish is a little different. I do occasionally go nuts for "doll" clothes (one of my Fet friends has a Raggedy Anne outfit; I'm a big fan, even though she uses it for age play instead of doll play) and doll makeup.

However, like "puppet," I primarily enjoy "doll" as a metaphorical concept. In this case, it implies not only a being under control, but a being that exists to be played with. "Puppet" implies this, too, I suppose, but I tend to use "doll" in a more playful sense.

This word also has some personal significance to me, because in my early days of hypno-playing, I found that the word resonated with many of my hypnosis play partners in an unexpected way. I started using it at first because I personally thought that "doll" described freezing-and-posing better than "mannequin" (which is more commonly used on hypno-porn sites) - I mean, most mannequins I see aren't very poseable, so "life-sized doll" always seemed like a better description when explaining the concept to a play partner.

I found, to my surprise, that this description seemed to awaken a new turn-on in several of my partners. Obviously, this is not the case with everybody, but it happened often enough that the word gained a strong positive association for me.

"Doll play," as a fetish, often has a distinct objectification element. I'm REALLY not sure if that's part of my own doll kink. When I use the word (and when it gets a positive reaction), my mind turns to the idea of a doll who actively enjoys being played with and posed. I like to see a subject's reactions to being posed. And I always give my hypnotee the choice of being able to speak or mute when they're frozen - I often enjoy having a conversation while posing somebody. But the idea of reducing a thinking, conscious person to a thoughtless object IS appealing to me, if only on a fantasy level (or on a "happening to me" level - my submissive fantasies tend to be less inhibited than my dominant fantasies). And I also enjoy frozen expressions and blank stares indicating mindlessness, which seems inherently dehumanizing. My doll scenes tend to emphasize being frozen more as a kind of bondage than as a dehumanizing experience...but that word, "doll," and its objectification implications, remains.

Long and short on objectification: I could probably come up with an awesome objectification scene if I were playing with somebody into that kink, but I can discard it in a heartbeat and have never pursued it actively.


On Robots:

I know exactly where I stand on robot kink, which is awesome!

I enjoy robot play purely on a superficial level. Stiff, monotone, holding still unless obeying a command, not reacting to outside stimulus, speaking only when spoken to - these superficial aspects are all incredibly sexy to me. I often get the same thrill out of non-robot scenes - like blank mind scenes.

I'm also interested in trying a "mad scientist turns the captive and bound victim into a robo" role play. It seems like it would be a more fun "mad scientist" scenario than a straight brainwashing or a mind control ray.

But I'm not really turned on by robots. I'm turned on by people (or myself) acting like robots as a result of hypnotic suggestion. I also have strict preferences: I like monotone voices, I HATE stilted voices. Perky robots just aren't my thing.

Metaphorically, "robot" also makes a good metaphor for someone under control, but I prefer to keep it separate since I enjoy the specific role play.

As for other robot trappings: I like clockwork/wind-up toy suggestions, although they're sometimes awkward to make work (much easier than marionette scenes, though). I would love to do a remote control scene, but it either involves doing some very complicated things with a Bluetooth headset or describing what button the hypnotist is pressing and what it does each and every time - so it's a bit too much work considering I like vocal commands just fine. I'm not into full robot costumes, but a silver one-piece bathing suit would be hot for robot scenes. If I'm the subject, being nude would be preferable to any kind of outfit.

Perhaps notably, the robot trapping I most enjoy is some kind of object - a collar, a headband, a helmet, a ring - that stops the subject's thoughts and turns them into a biological robot (see: the infamous "Ring Around Gilligan" MC scenes).


...so, I think that's all I have to say about my ASFR kinks, unless I feel like editing this post sometime. I don't know what kind of feedback I can get on this - maybe from my previous play partners who have their own perspectives on how these kinks play out - but anyone who wants to start a conversation with me about this will likely make me happy, because I'm really interested in teasing out the intellectual aspects that this kink holds for me (since it's all tied up in words and concepts as much as types of play).

Later, all!