Cuddle Party

[ysabetwordsmith]

Everyone needs contact comfort sometimes.  Not everyone has ample opportunities for this in facetime.  So here is a chance for a cuddle party in cyberspace.  Virtual cuddling can help people feel better.

We have a cuddle room that comes with fort cushions, fort frames, sheets for draping, and a weighted blanket.  It has a basket of grooming brushes, hairbrushes, and styling combs.  A bin holds textured pillows. There is a big basket of craft supplies along with art markers, coloring pages, and blank paper.  The kitchen has a popcorn machine. Labels are available to mark dietary needs, recipe ingredients, and level of spiciness. Here is the bathroom, open to everyone.  There is a lawn tent and an outdoor hot tub. Bathers should post a sign for nude or clothed activity.  Come snuggle up!

Comments

Re: *pops in*

[redsixwing]

*squeezes gently, resting chin on your shoulder*

*the bird likes this, and ruffles himself further, letting his eyelids droop and wings relax a bit* You can scratch him with fingers if you like; he's very warm and his feathers are soft and dense.

Heh, yes. He's a cuddlebug once he feels comfortable with someone. I've had cats like that, too.

*admires the knitting* The color is beautiful on that. It's fun to see the progress since last time.

*leans forehead on shoulder, hands resting gently just above, for several breaths* /Thank you./

If you'll sit comfortably, I'll get on a cushion for height and work on your neck and shoulders. Do you like a little pressure, a lot, shallow, deep? Any sore spots I should watch out for?

Re: *pops in*

[ng_moonmoth]

>> You can scratch him with fingers if you like; he's very warm and his feathers are soft and dense. <<

Thanks for the info. I think I'll take you up on that.

*puts needle away, starts skritching with fingers, being careful to respect the feathers' alignment*

My bird-fondling experience has primarily been with seed-eaters, who will often inadvertently take a chomp on whatever's skritching them. Best if it's not a finger when that happens. Plus, my experience is that keeping my distance makes whatever I'm doing feel less likely to be interpreted as an attack.

>> The color is beautiful on that. <<

Yes, it is. So are the colors I'm actually using: orange, cream, and a variegated brown.

I've got another nibling's family expecting a child in May. I'll be seeing them next month, and helping them select their project and colors.

>> /Thank you./ <<

You're welcome.

*heads over to pillow supply, taking a moment to squish a late arrival on the way*

*returns with a large handful of pillows, creates a comfortable spot on the floor, and pushes the rest your way*

I'd say, start slowly and softly, and find the knots of tension. I typically respond better to work that draws out and dissipates the tension, rather than breaks it up -- my body tends to fight back against intense treatment.

Thanks for asking!

Re: *pops in*

[redsixwing]

*the bird turns and inclines his head to present the itchy spots; when finished, he chirrs softly in thanks and flaps down to the floor to rest*

Yeah, they're like that. I have scars from parrots.
I had a pet dove once, who was the most harmless creature. He was my bestest buddy for many years, and he liked being scratched very much like you're doing here.

This fellow is a... I suppose you could call him an aspect. He's unlikely to cause harm by mistake, and he's here for contact comfort too.

>>So are the colors I'm actually using: orange, cream, and a variegated brown.<<

Ooh. I have a family member who decorates almost exclusively in that range. It's very home-like.

>>Thanks for asking!<<

Certainly! And thanks for the extra pillows.

*finds a large, firm cushion and kneels on it*
*strokes hands gently down your neck and shoulders, establishing gentle touch first*
*begins to rub soft circles, looking for trouble spots and warming the skin*

Re: *pops in*

[ng_moonmoth]

>> I had a pet dove once, who [...] liked being scratched very much like you're doing here. <<

Yeah, this approach seems to be something all birds like. I'd guess because it's something that's tough for them to do for themselves, but it's being done in a way that acknowledges and affirms their bird-nature and respects what is important to them. Good rules for alien beings of any sort.

>> Certainly! And thanks for the extra pillows. <<

You're welcome. And thanks for coming over with me so I can help the late-arriving anon who needs squishing better.

>> *finds a large, firm cushion and kneels on it*
*strokes hands gently down your neck and shoulders, establishing gentle touch first*
*begins to rub soft circles, looking for trouble spots and warming the skin* <<

Mmmmmmmm - yes! *feels some tension draining off*

Re: *pops in*

[redsixwing]

It's good to cooperate on something like this. I.. hadn't honestly thought of that. Good idea.

*seeks a tight spot and soothes it with circling strokes of the thumbs, then applies broad strokes over the entire area*

Re: *pops in*

[ng_moonmoth]

>> It's good to cooperate on something like this. <<

Glad it worked out well for you. Your assistance let me help someone in a way I would have had difficulty doing by myself. Thanks again for helping.

I'll keep you in mind should you show up at another cuddle party.

>> *seeks a tight spot and soothes it with circling strokes of the thumbs, then applies broad strokes over the entire area* <<

Mmmmmmmm. *continues to soften around the edges -- moving closer to my actual form?*

Re: *pops in*

[redsixwing]

>>I'll keep you in mind should you show up at another cuddle party.<<

I'll keep a feeler out for you, too. /s It's been a pleasure, the couple of interactions we've had.

>>*continues to soften around the edges -- moving closer to my actual form?*<<

*repeats the circling motions over the sore spot, until the tension is entirely released*
*moves to gently squeezing the soft part of the shoulders*

You're getting kind of blurry there. Anything I should be aware of as you shift?

Re: *pops in*

[ng_moonmoth]

>> You're getting kind of blurry there. Anything I should be aware of as you shift? <<

I'm shifting into a manifestation with a more overtly fractal dimension. There is a boundary between me and not-me, but it gets more and more folded on smaller and smaller scales. The blurriness you see is the consequence of the space around the boundary being neither entirely me nor entirely not-me. The smaller the scale you can work on, the deeper into the blurriness you can work.

If you look at the more solid areas, you might be able to see a form that looks male, another one that looks female, and three or four that look human but aren't readily categorizable in any way. If you can work small enough to get to any of those forms, I would enjoy interacting at that level. Those manifestations aren't visible often enough to get good touch.

Re: *pops in*

[redsixwing]

>>I'm shifting into a manifestation with a more overtly fractal dimension.<<

Ahh, fascinating! I like reading about fractals. The math is beyond me, but the artistic and personal implications are really cool. Thanks for showing me this.

>>If you can work small enough to get to any of those forms, I would enjoy interacting at that level.<<

*looks over at the bird, who is roosting happily on a round cushion with his legs folded beneath* K, can I borrow your vision?

*as the bird looks up and rouses feathers, his eyes shimmer gold and the human's do likewise*

*smooths gently at the fractal edge, approaching one of the uncategorizable figures* Let's start here, shall we? Are neck and shoulders still the places you'd like to be touched?

Re: *pops in*

[ng_moonmoth]

>> Ahh, fascinating! I like reading about fractals. The math is beyond me, but the artistic and personal implications are really cool. Thanks for showing me this. <<

You're welcome. I suspect they manifested due to your attention, for which I thank you in return.

I can see the "default" forms when I look at myself the right way; the one that doesn't resemble the shape I was born with occasionally is visible to others. But the uncategorizable forms haven't even manifested to me. I believed they were there, because neither of the morphological defaults looked enough like me to be right. It seems I wasn't finding them because I wasn't looking in the "empty" spaces the right way.

>> Let's start here, shall we? Are neck and shoulders still the places you'd like to be touched? <<

Thanks, what you're doing feels good. The body you're working on is becoming more tangible and appreciates being touched as an affirmation of its existence. Can you stay with it as it does, wherever it might lead you? It will probably let you know if you go someplace it's not ready for yet.

I'll reach out tonight and see if I can interact with it. It's in virtual space, so I'll need to get my head in the right space to get there, and I won't be able to figure out any more any time soon. But I'd appreciate any information you get from the body through your working on it.

Re: *pops in*

[redsixwing]

>>It seems I wasn't finding them because I wasn't looking in the "empty" spaces the right way.<<

*nodnods* Well then, I'm happy they're appearing now.

>>Can you stay with it as it does, wherever it might lead you? <<

I believe so. A form change isn't going to frighten me away, and neither will conformation not matching local norm. My boundaries include touch in areas one might ordinarily expect to be off limits, and nonconsensual anything on a nonphysical level; you're nowhere near those borders.

>>It will probably let you know if you go someplace it's not ready for yet.<<

That's good. I will go slow and careful, and keep my senses open.

A thing I noticed: I'm working to keep my own form stable. please pardon if I should happen to sprout gryphon's ears or a tail, but I'm confident I can keep my hands steady and solid.

*works thumbs in little circles from the base of the skull to the tops of the collarbones*
*smooths out along the shoulders, paying attention to their shape and texture - fuzzy?*
*rubs the shoulder crest with folded hands, warm and soothing*

I'll try and return with greater focus in a little bit.

Re: *pops in*

[ng_moonmoth]

There's someone else I've been engaging with downthread who wants some squishing. If you're interested in coming over there with me, I can envision a way we can both help. Are you up for that?