Practices
Sex acts
Specific sex acts and what you like to give or receive. Plain language, no judgment, no right answers.
This category names specific acts directly — oral, vaginal, anal, pegging, strap-on play, fisting, DP, rimming, facials, creampies, mutual masturbation, toys. It's deliberately granular because preferences are granular, and because vague conversations about sex are how people end up doing things they don't actually want.
None of this is intrinsically advanced or risky beyond standard safer-sex care — with the exception of fisting, which deserves its own paragraph below.
Giving and receiving are different questions
"Do you like oral?" is two questions: do you like giving it, and do you like receiving it. The same is true for anal, rimming, strap-on play, and most penetrative acts. Many people love one direction and are neutral on the other. This category separates them so you can answer each honestly.
Safer-sex notes that apply across this category
- Barriers (condoms, dental dams, gloves) reduce STI transmission but don't eliminate it. Get tested regularly with any new partner.
- Lube isn't optional for anal — and silicone lube lasts longer than water-based. Silicone lube degrades silicone toys; pair them appropriately.
- Wash hands and toys between vaginal and anal contact. Don't go from anal to vaginal without changing condom or washing.
- Creampies and facials involve fluid exchange — separate conversation about STI status, contraception, and what 'safe' actually means in your case.
Talking about it
Asking "what do you like?" mid-act is hard. Asking it beforehand, over coffee or in bed before anything starts, is much easier. A practical opener: 'I'd love to know what you actively want, what you're curious about, and what's off the table — for both of us.'
Common pitfalls
- Assuming porn is a representative menu of what real partners want. It isn't.
- Treating reluctance as something to be talked through. Reluctance is the answer.
- Skipping the contraception / STI conversation because it's awkward. The awkward conversation is much shorter than the awkward consequence.
- Negotiating in the moment instead of beforehand. Bodies aroused are bad negotiators.
The practices in this category · 17
Every practice in this category, in the same plain language used in the interests quiz.
Giving oral sex
Performing oral sex on a partner.
Receiving oral sex
Receiving oral sex from a partner.
Penetrative vaginal sex
Penis-in-vagina or toy-in-vagina sex.
Anal sex — giving / topping
Being the penetrating partner in anal sex.
Anal sex — receiving / bottoming
Being the receiving partner in anal sex. Lube, patience, and clear communication matter.
Pegging
A partner with a strap-on penetrating a partner with a penis anally.
Strap-on play generally
Using a strap-on dildo with a partner — any configuration.
Double penetration (DP)
Two partners penetrating one receiver at the same time, vaginally and anally or in either combination.
Squirting
Experiencing or causing female ejaculation. Practice and patience help — it isn't on demand.
Facials / cum on body
Ejaculating on a partner's face or body, with explicit agreement.
Creampie
Ejaculating inside a partner. Requires a separate conversation about contraception and STI status.
Rimming — giving
Using your mouth on a partner's anus. Hygiene matters; some people use dental dams.
Rimming — receiving
Receiving oral attention on your anus.
Fisting (vaginal or anal)
Gradually working up to a whole hand inside a partner.
Safety: Significant prep, lube, and trust. Never rushed. Stop on any sharp pain.
Frot / grinding
Rubbing bodies together to orgasm — clothed or unclothed — without penetration.
Sex toys with a partner
Vibrators, dildos, plugs, wands — used together rather than solo.
Anal training / plugs
Gradual practice with plugs and toys to become comfortable with anal play.
Want to mark how you feel about these?
The interests quiz walks you through every practice here on a six-point scale, then saves the result as a private inventory you can share with a partner.
Take the interests quiz →