Mum’s developed a new habit. Whenever I call home these days she likes to ask if I ‘have anyone special’ in my life. Her voice drops a little as she tiptoes around the question. Subsequently, my new habit is tiptoeing around the answer. Of course, I have lots of special people in my life but none of the ‘steady boyfriend’ variety to which I know she’s referring.
People often say that dating is a game. I have no idea what they mean by that, but the past few months of dating in Berlin has me thinking about the good, clean, family fun that is Uno. If you haven’t played the game in a while, here’s a quick refresher: each player is dealt a hand of cards that is, on the outset, as random as they get. There are colors, numbers, symbols, wild cards, draw two, draw four. There are so many combinations, the aim is to reduce your cards one-by-one. You know you’re doing well in the game when you’re left with a single card. As with any game, a good shuffle results in a better play. My recent dating experience has delivered a cross-section of men that is truly difficult to describe which means the cards in this game were shuffled by an evil genius.
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by Guest Author | Stories
The idea of watching porn films with strangers in a public screening might sound a bit wild at first, but as I’ve learned at our darkroom screenings during last year’s Uncensored Berlin exhibition at Blogfabrik it’s actually kinda thrilling. I’m not talking about some seedy sex kino thingy here but a proper official movie screening. I was surprised how patiently the guests of the exhibition sat quietly and curiously watching the entire length of almost an hour of the two films we showed by Noel Alejandro and Poppy Sanchez. Sometimes the entire darkroom was full of people watching.
I imagine the QueerPornScreening at Schwuz that is opening their Plastic club night to be similar, but even bigger. Certainly, the selection of films will be similar as I’ve also seen Noel Alejandro billed as one of the directors and that’s always a good sign. The curation of the screening is done by Pierre Emö, also not unfamiliar to guests of Uncensored Berlin because he was one of our muses. He’s appeared in multiple films by Noel Alejandro as well as Pornceptual. So he certainly knows what’s good!
If you’re up for some arousing, but tasteful – even artistic – films about queer sexuality you should certainly check out this screening. The next QueerPornScreening is already this Friday at 21h. The highlight will certainly be the premiere of Noel Alejandro’s new film Under The Rain that was filmed here in Berlin at an abandoned building. We’ve gathered a few trailers for you to whet your appetite.
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by Frank | Movies
Among the numerous nightlife options available in Berlin, there was one in particular that has always intrigued me but seemed to require more nocturnal bravado than I thought I possessed. Until recently, I have only approached the concept of orgies tenuously by gyrating on the dancefloor at fetish parties. It wasn’t until some time ago that I dared to go out of my comfort zone and dived right into a real sex party. Losing my swinger club virginity was definitely a learning experience.
Over the years, I have perfected my very own nightclub attire. The look I’m aiming for is modeled after 80’s gothic rock fangirls, but I probably end up as a hot fake leather mess entangled in some light chains. Be that as it may, I’ve never worn high heels to any club, but my friend, a true swinger’s club veteran, advised me that for the particular party we were headed to, this was the way to go. And indeed, she was right – I most definitely didn’t feel out of place in my heels among many dazzling beauties who also decided to leave their comfortable trainers at home (or optionally, the cloakroom). Obviously, this choice of footwear slightly hindered my dancing, but I soon realized that there might be more activities to explore than that…
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by Guest Author | Stories
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The Berlin Pride Week is finally upon us, and we’re ready to celebrate! If you’re looking for fun activities beside joining the parade on Saturday, we’ve got just the list for you. Together with Airbnb, we’ve singled out 5 fun and slightly unusual experiences that will let you embrace the upcoming celebrations and learn something new while supporting the local community. Check them out!
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by Michalina | Stories
illustrations: Berk Karaoglu.
One could say that Berlin has a reputation for being a bit of a sexual playground. Some take this quite literally and like to indulge in the slightly dicey activity of sex in public. Personally, I can think of about a million reasons how this naughty scheme could become my worst nightmare, but these concerns aside, there’s probably no time like the summer to go through with it. Behold the iHeartBerlin guide to the 10 public locations that might possibly provide you just the right amount of privacy – or, if desired, a lack thereof.
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by Guest Author | Stories, Top Guides
photos: Vismante Ruzgaite.
We got a chance to meet Jessie Keane who makes ceramic fine arts – for your kitchen, plants and… private parts.
Jessie is laying on the floor of our photo studio. Coming in for a normal interview, spotlights and cameras were probably not what the 27-year-old expected from this otherwise ordinary Thursday night. But we couldn’t resist photographing the charming artist with her kinky creations.
“Oh god, I’m dressed way too casually for this,” she replies when we ask her to step into the spotlight. Keeping things casual, yet a little unusual is exactly what we were looking for. In the end, Jessie is not selling your usual ceramics.
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by Andy | Design, Products
photos: Vismante Ruzgaite.
Paying more attention to self-care has definitely become one of the more positive signs of our times. And while the common definition of this concept keeps on expanding in a process fueled by sharing personal experiences, I thought I’d add my two cents by talking about a particular routine that only Berlin has enabled me to truly discover and embrace. What’s the greatest self-love of all, to paraphrase Whitney’s everlasting hit? Going to orgies, if you ask me.
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by Guest Author | Stories
The other day I spontaneously went to see the brand new Berlin movie Liebesfilm that was just released to cinemas. I hadn’t heard of the film before, to be honest – Berlin Bouncer has taken up most of the Berlin buzz I guess – so I didn’t have any specific expectations of the flick.
But to my delight, I was really enjoying what I was seeing. In contrast to most Berlin movies or TV shows of the last years, this film did not portrait the city and its inhabitants in a stylized and overdramatized kind of way. It felt very real and honest which made the film and its characters incredibly likable. Even that kooky, trashy little party at the beginning of the film felt like a much more earnest representation of Berlin nightlife than any exaggerated techno rave in some kind of stunning location that doesn’t even look like anything that would exist in Berlin – we’ve seen in too many times in many other movies already.
The story is as simple as it gets: Two unlikely lovers find themselves – completely wasted – in a party and start a joyful love affair. The snotty, rebellious attitude of them perfectly captures the personality of the archetype Berliner: totally impossible but also adorable at the same time. And even though this film is not really about the city itself at all I feel like I rarely saw a movie that felt more “Berlin” like this one.
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by Frank | Movies
illustrations: Berk Karaoglu.
I once compared the struggle of finding a soulmate in Berlin to doing groceries on a Sunday in that it only seems possible on limited occasions and in selected spots. Without acquiring a detailed schedule, you may just end up investing much hope and energy into an effort that won’t get you any further than the glass door through which you can only cast a longing gaze on what could have been. But since growing bitter seems to be the cardinal sin of undesired singlehood, it’s probably best to laugh it off and try to move forward. To help you with that, we’ve collected some ridiculous dating fails – since we all know the funniest ones tend to be not your own.
One could argue that being forced to sit in front of someone who, as it turns out, clearly shouldn’t have been granted that benefit of a doubt is bad enough, but some dating fails are just a bit more spectacular than that. Not only do they leave you wishing you never left home, but sometimes even make you feel like maybe it’s time to leave town.
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by Michalina | Stories
illustrations: Berk Karaoglu.
We decided to rethink the concept of a conventional bucket list and came up with scenarios that shamelessly embrace Berlin’s potential as the backdrop of some memorable experiences. And ‘’memorable’’ is actually somewhat of an understatement here – some of these shenanigans are simply unforgettable, even if some parties involved may indeed wish otherwise. While we are by no means condoning every single one of these actions, let alone encourage anyone to draw any kind of inspiration for real-life pranks, it would literally just be ‘’so Berlin’’ if you were ever to…
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by Michalina | Stories
