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Scene Based Media:

Gothic Beauty (Facebook): Formally a natioanlly recognized magazine, now moved to Facebook it still featuring trends in fashion, music, art, & entertainment for the Gothic Community.

Twisted Edge Magazine (TwistedEdgeMag): Online magazine covering all things 'scene' with a bit of an edge. From fashion to events & everything of interest, Twisted Edge offers an impressive source for media in an industry that currently struggles to survive. 

Regen Magazine (RegenMag.com): an online publication devoted to underground goth/electro/industrial music, offering
comprehensive & objective critique / analysis to help expose the most talented, visionary, & creative artists to the public at large.

Eric Von Gutenberg (VonGutenberg.com): Offering one of the scene's best blogs, social networking, online shopping, as well as hosting incredible parties for the east & west coast. This is an invaluable resource for the fetish scene.

Marquis Magazine (Marquis.de): Fashion, news, events, & articles for the fetish community.

The Fetishistas (TheFetishistas.com): Comprehensive fetish news, featured articles, fashion, & photography from across the globe.

Latex News (Facebook): Full coverage of trends & news for the Latex Fetish Community.

Xtreme Magazine (XtremeMagazine.com): Although The Metro doesn't cover items such as strip clubs, pornography, or adult entertainment, Xtreme Magazine is an excellent resource for the area & the nation. Currently run through an app.

Match Sites, Apps, & Social Networking:

Tinder (GotTinder.com): Just swipe right! One of the earlier apps to provide geo-specific targeting of active accounts, it uses Facebook to analyze your social makeup then matches compatible profiles w/in a geographic area. Users may then 'like' someone by swiping right or pass by swiping left. If two users result in a match, they are enabled to chat. Seen primarily as a hook-up app, it's also used for dating.

OkCupid (okcupid): Although it's a mainstream dating site, it carries a large number of people in the alternative culture. Some time ago, Match.com purchased the platform, which definitely had an effect on the overall site. Even still, it remains a popular avenue for dates, connections, & hook-ups. 

Model Mayhem (ModelMayhem.com): While its following has since waned in professional circles, it remains an active network for models, photographers, event planners, & general networking. It stands as a strong platform to showcase your talent.

Vampire Freaks (VampireFreaks.com): Although the forum has been generally phased out, it remains online & available for all things relavant to the Goth-Industrial Culture. They also host full scale events throughout the year.

Fetlife (Fetlife.com): It's essentially a kinky cousin to Facebook, provides online networking for kinksters everywhere. Focused directly to the alternative culture, it's grown fairly archaic as a general platform. Yet it fills a nitch & remains THE go-to network for all things kink. More specifically, it is an excellent avenue for play parties & events in the area.  See The Metro under groups!

Alt.com (Alt.com): Offering online adult personals for the BDSM, Fetish, & Leather Community. Although it's the largest site of its kind, it is a VERY homogenized forum with a large number of dead profiles & false links.

Feeld (Feeld): Dating & hook-up app w/ geolocation for couples & singles looking to connect. This includes those looking to just spice things up & explore, as well as those into poly, kink, & looking for more. One main point is it sells itself as a main forum for couples & singles of a bisexual orientation (usually labled as 'open minded').

Swing Lifestyle (SwingLifestyle.com): One of the most recognized sites with real couples & honest scenarios. Offering individual profiles, select forums, chat, groups for a wide range of interests, listings for regional parties, lifestyle tips, & more. Aside from meet-ups, people often use it as a party tracker to see who/how many are going to various clubs/parties (ref 'hot dates').

• SLS Club Listings (SLSClubs): A strong national resource for active swing clubs state by state.

APG / AltPlayGround (AltPlayGround.net): One of the area's core resources for those in the Lifestyle. They host the site as well as parties around the DC area. Profiles are real people & generally up to date.

Kasidie (Kasidie.com): Adult dating site for Swingers, Couples, & Singles. Offering individual profiles, special forums, chat, various communities for a wide range of interests, listings for regional parties, lifestyle tips, & more. Initially launched on the west coast, it's since gained traction throughout the eastern seaboard as well.

The Lifestyle Lounge (LifestyleLounge.com): Online date & match site, "Where 'real' couples go to meet..." Personally, these guys make the most hilarious flash-point presentations anywhere. I'd check 'em out just for that alone! ;-)

Adult Friend Finder (AdultFriendFinder.com): Swingers match site brought to you by the same producers of Alt.com. Although it's the largest of its kind, this is a VERY homogenized forum with a large number of dead profiles & false links.

Grindr (Grindr.com): Significant not just for the sheer number of its users (boasting millions of active accounts in play at any given moment), but also because it was the first app to use geolocation on its platform. This revolutionized dating apps across the spectrum. It is currently targeted for local gay, bi, & bi-curious guys, but make note that photo & profile restrictions have reached an almost Puritan level of restraint. It is mostly populated by twinks & younger jocks looking to hook up.

Scruff (Scruff.com): One of the largest gay dating/hook-up apps currently available, it is targeted toward a more real 'scruff' crowd. Most hail it as "Grindr for somewhat older more 'Manly Men'." Profiles are geo-socially targeted to find local gay, bi, & bi-curious guys. A key element allows the app to intuitively learns the type of individual you prefer w/ each successive swipe.

Growlr (GrowlrApp): Brought to you by the same people who created Grindr, it is targeted for local gay, bi, & bi-curious bears, otters, & those who love them. Note that the same photo & profile restrictions apply.

Recon (Recon): Self-described as the world's largest hook up site for gay men into fetish, leather, and gear. While the interface is a bit confusing, many swear by it & the platform fills a specific niche not covered elsewhere.

Daddy Hunt (DaddyHunt.com): Recently redesigned, it carries applications for both the PC & moble phone. Targeting Gay, Bi, & Curious Daddies & those who love them, it offers personals, info, & chat for available hook-ups & more.

Sniffies (Sniffies): Geolocation hook-up site, available free or w/ upgraded VIP options. It stands out primarily because it works through a website vs mobile platform so it remains fully open to explicit content & is not hindered by restrictive standards seen on current mobile platforms. It's main drawback is this makes it difficut to use on a mobile device, but it's popular for direct hook-ups.

Adam4Adam (Adam4Adam.com): Gay male personals, chat, & cam for dating & hook-ups. It is one of the oldest platforms available, & has launched A4ARadar to make it available as both a mobile app & webservice. Most users are middle aged real people looking to connect or hook-up.

Squirt (Squirt.org): Gay & Bi male hookup site offering personals, chat, member content erotic stories & videos. Members are able to refine searches by not only local geography, but also by community demographics & type of individual. But its main orientation is for a mobile platform used in cruising for hook-ups.

Jack'd (JackApp): It carries a diverse group of users & allows a prolific search by "scenes" as well as the usual search parameters of body type, etc. Demographic profiles slant heavily toward people of color & it's popular w/in these circles.

Hornet (Hornet.com): It is geo-socially targeted for local gay, bi, & bi-curious guys. Similar in style to Grindr, it never quite gained traction in the U.S, but is very popular throughout Asia & local Asian communities. Even still, many bill it as aligned more to a full platform for the entire gay culture.

Planet Romeo (Romeo.com): Formally Gay Romeo, it offers platforms for both laptops & mobile devices. Launched in Gay Berlin, it is a top forum for those traveling throughout Europe (where it's most prevalent). It provides forums for personals, regional info, & chat for bisexual couples, as well as gay & bi singles.

BiCupid (BiCupid.com): An affiliate of the OKCupid Network, BiCupid offers a more progressive forum for it's standard dating forum. Provided for both men, women, & couples.

Hinge (Hinge.co): Offering an intuitive interface with short but insightful profiles, Hinge is a relative newcomer to the dating app market. Popular with millenials, it provides a top-notch algorythm for making an effective match. But it shines as a forum for more meaningful engagement. In fact, the entire platform is built on a philosophy that it an app "meant to be deleted."

Match.com (Match): Self-described as the number one destination for online dating with more dates, relationships, & marriages than any other dating or personals site. But that tends to be due to the sheer volume of its members. Still, it's probably the largest dating site currently online & they've recently launched active area events for singles to meet face to face in real time.

Facebook (Facebook): The ever present social media. See The Metro Group on Facebook!

Instagram (Instagram): The 'other' ever present social media, owned by Facebook. See The Metro on Insta.

Twitter (Twitter.com): And then of course, there's Twitter which has been destroyed by a billionair. But The Metro is there for now.

Meet-Up DC (MeetUp.com): A dedicated site for area events, outings, networking, & various activities.

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Cultural Links:

DC Dark Events (Facebook): Facebook group covering dark wave, goth-industrial, & related events, be it club nights, shows, get-togethers, whatever is open to the public. They cover DC, Maryland, N.Va, Baltimore, & the surrounding areas.

DC Goth-Industrial Events (Facebook): Facebook group covering all DC goth-industrial & related events, be it club nights, shows, get-togethers, whatever is open to the public. Also covers Baltimore & the surrounding areas.

Philly Goth-Industrial (Facebook): An comprehensive online resource covering all things related to the goth-industrial scene in & around the Philadelphia region. Formally a website similar in context to The Metro Underground, now exclusively on Facebook.

BDSM Events Page (TheBDSMEventsPage.com): Providing listings of major BDSM Events from around the nation.
BDSM Events Info (Fetlife): Covering all of Maryland from the Del Marva Peninsula to the West Virginia Pan handle.

Tristan Taormino (Puckerup.com): What can we say, she's a one woman force for the scene. A noted author of 4 separate books, she also runs the adult film company & is directing two series for Vivid Entertainment. In her spare time she's a sex columnist for The Village Voice & Taboo Magazine. She also lectures on BDSM, sexuality, & the nature of open relationships. With that much in her schedule we're not sure if she actually has time for sex.

The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSFreedom.org): A national organization "committed to creating a political, legal, and social environment in the United States that advances equal rights of consenting adults who practice forms of alternative sexual expression. NCSF is primarily focused on the rights of consenting adults in the SM-leather-fetish, swing, and polyamory communities, who often face discrimination because of their sexual expression."

Sexy Jobs (SexyJobs.com): National listing of job opportunities for the adult industry...

World Polyamory Association (WorldPolyamoryAssociation): An invaluable resource for the Polyamorous Lifestyle.

Loving More (LoveMore.com): National Organization dedicated to the Polyamorous Lifestyle.

Liberated Christians (LibChrist.com): A great resource that promotes positive intimacy as a legitimate choice for modern Christians, "exposing false traditions of sexual repression that have no biblical basis." Overall, it provides some very valuable information for those in the culture who might be conflicted due to a religious upbringing.

CDC / Center for Disease Control (CDC.gov): Not the best topic in our culture, but it's a very real consideration. If you have any concerns about Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) or would like some general information on the subject, then the CDC has an extensive data base & can offer an enormous amount of information in this regard. If however you feel that you may have contacted an STD, then please don't hesitate to see a doctor (or if you are embarrassed about visiting your primary care physician then at least get to a clinic that specializes in this aspect of patient care). For yourself & the rest of the community, please be informed & always be careful.

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Regional Interests:

Washington, DC.

Maryland Renaissance Festival (RennFest.com): Coolest thing since Disneyland. Runs from end of August to mid October. See website for theme based festivals on select weekends.

Washingtonian Magazine (Washingtonian.com): City Magazine offering the when, where, who, & what's going on. Available to keep you informed for general life & culture in Washington, DC. Available at most bookstores & magazine stands.

The Washington Post (WashingtonPost.com): Main newspaper serving the DC Area. Friday edition offers the weekend guide which lists all the events such as festivals, bands, cultural events, & mainstream activities happening around town.

The Washington City Paper (WashingtonCityPaper.com): Alternative City Guide to news, events, clubs, restaurants, & what's happening in & around town. Readily available throughout the city.

DC Fray (districtfray.com): Play, Live, Eat, Drink, Music, Culure, & Events - washington's ultimate guide to the club, pub, restaurant, & event scene. Brought to you by the people who formally published OnTap Magazine.

DC Clubbing (DCClubbing.com): Nightlife & event guide offering everything to do with the DC's active club scene.

DCist (DCist.com): Blog featuring area news & events, restaurants & nightlife, plus regional observations from local residents.

The Washington Blade (washingtonblade.com): Primary news source & prolific scene guide serving the Gay Culture in Washington, DC. Readily available at gay hotspots throughout the city. Sister publication is also in Baltimore.

MW / Metro Weekly (MetroWeekly.com): Washington's GBLT News Magazine. Readily available throughout the city.

Baltimore, MD.

Baltimore Magazine (BaltimoreMagazine.net): City Magazine offering the when, where, who, & what's going on. Available to keep you informed for mainstream life & culture in & around the Baltimore area. Available at most bookstores & magazine stands.

Richmond, VA.

Virginia Renaissance Faire (VARF.org): Virginia's own Renne Fest, located at the Lake Anna Winery in Spotsylvania.

Richmond dot-com (Richmond.com): Your basic guide to all things Richmond, including listings & reviews for clubs, restaurants, news, & local events.

Philadelphia, PA.

Dark Music of Greater Philly (Facebook): Facebook Group for Dark Wave, Goth-Industrial, & similar events for Greater Philly. They offer updates on club nights, concerts, & events in the area.

Passional (PassionalBoutique): Formally Fetishes Boutique, Passional sponsors educational workshops, art receptions, "Passion 101 Fantasy Workshops", Aphrodite Gallery and "Sex-pedition" tours. Also affiliate links for the area. See Website for further details.

Sexploratorium (Sexploratorium): Offering classes & educational forums for erotic engagement, sexual encounters, & kink related subjects of interest. Hosted by Passional Boutique, they also serve as a key resource for the Philly scene. Also see Fetlife.

Philadelphia Magazine (PhillyMag.com): City Magazine offering the when, where, who, & what's going on. Available to keep you informed for general life & culture in & around the Philadelphia region. Available at most bookstores & magazine stands.

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Relevant Literature:

Screw the Roses, Send Me the Thorns (Book coauthored by Philip Miller and Molly Devon) - Published in 1995, this text became an instant classic. Its coverage of core topics offers a depth of insight & understanding while its style & format are both lavish & beautiful. The Black Rose calls it, "as close to a coffee table book as the field has yet produced." The only problem is that in its writings, it tends to see no difference between S/M & D/S, which is clearly incorrect.

Miss Abernathy’s Concise Slave Training Manual (Book by Christina Abernathy) - Just like it says, this a tight, concise guidebook to properly training a slave. Essentially presented in two parts, Part I deals more with specific techniques for training, while Part II offers a more in-depth look at the relationship as a whole & the various aspects of the D&S dynamic. Elegantly written & engaging.

The Story of ‘O’ (Classic Erotic Fiction by Pauline Reage)- From the Inside Cover: "The classic erotic novel, The Story of 'O' relates the love of a beautiful Parisian fashion photographer for Rene. As part of that intense love, she demands debasement and severe sexual and psychological tests. It is a unique work not to be missed. This is a truly unique & deeply fascinating story of the unadulterated surrender of ones body mind and soul. It is one of the most classical tales of true erotic fiction."

• Also see: Illustrated journey to the story of ‘O’ (photos by Doris Kloster).
• And Part II in the Journey - Return to the Chateau.

The Marquis de Sade: The Complete Justine, Philosophy in the Bedroom, and Other Writings (Compilation of Essays compiled and translated by Richard Seaver & Austryn Wainhouse) - An exhaustive accumulation of the Marquis' works, which for the record, represented an exploration of graphic (perhaps even obscene) fantasy that was engaged fully in the dark nature of man. However, this was - to the best of our understanding - not meant as an expression of viable reality. His philosophy in this was an outcropping of the view that mankind is ultimately governed by the laws of nature, & that nature in its most common element is indeed rather cruel. So, mankind if he is to be in harmony with is inner self must at the very least allow himself to imagine himself in possession of such cruelty. In short, it's twisted, but then again it's the combined work of "The Marquis de Sade" - need we really say more?

The Joy of Sex (Book by Alex Comfort) - A classic work & instructional primer on the many aspects of adult sexual play. While its approach to the subject is both clear & informative, its overall tone & sense of class actually make it an excellent book to give to a youth who is ready for 'the talk.' Indeed, this is not a 'Lifestyle' publication but rather an open dialogue for the art of adult sexual practice.

The Kama Sutra (Classic Text) - Few people really understand that The Kama Sutra was actually a theological doctrine. Based on the fundamental aspects of the ancient Yogi (read that in today's language to mean yoga), its point & purpose was to define a means by which to achieve a higher degree of spiritual harmony & interconnectedness. The end result strives to reach a higher evolution in personal & interpersonal elevation through sexual energy & the practice of sexual engagement. And yea, that always leads to good sex!

The Ultimate Swingers Guide (Book by Tina Minell) - Probably one of the best introductory texts ever written on the culture. Tons of information about etiquette, meeting others in the scene, finding clubs & groups, as well as what to expect. Safe play, discretion, & approaching your partner with the general concept are just a few of the topics covered in depth. A must have for those new to the scene.

Anal Pleasure & Health (Book by Jack Morin) - One of the best books ever published on the topic of anal play (indeed, it may very well be one of only a very few books dedicated to this particular subject). It's focus on health & hygiene make it ever more relevant in a time where HIV still lurks in the shadows but is not given the focus it achieved just several years ago.

The Leatherman's Handbook II (Book by Larry Townsend) - An updated & complete rewrite of Larry's 1972 classic by the same name (one of the nation's first manuals for S&M play). It offers an extensive how-to instructional for a broad spectrum of topics in the BDSM Culture. It's key focus however is an all male perspective; but even still, its content is useful to all in the scene.

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