SERIES : PROXIMITY ACROSS REALITIES | SXJournal #1

Two explorers in the metaverse are researching avatar identity along with digital intimacy to determine how humans connect, express and feel themselves across different realities. 

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They meet in a beautiful virtual space to experiment with device interactivity and touch simulation, to explore avatar proximity and to strengthen their phantom sense. 

Following are their separate journal entries with each of their perspectives:

SXJournal | Proximity #1

18/12/2025

Explorer 1

In today's experience I learned more about what proximity between two avatars in virtual reality (VR) and physical reality can do to the phantom senses, including phantom temperatures. To experiment with this, I tried coordinating a sensory toy with my physical avatar and exchanging control of it with a friend to learn more about how our bodies would respond. Arousal-wise for me, this closeness to another avatar transferred into my body’s reception of the toy’s vibration without needing any SPS [1] interactions. Especially considering I barely even know how SPS works…

I noticed that coordination and prior knowledge of all toys in virtual and physical rooms was important, but so was the process of discovery with a partner in the instance. This process for me began visually first, by noticing my fellow explorer in an avatar that I had never seen before. This was an intimate invitation that allowed my mind to slow down just enough to sense my body’s rhythms and be curious about where, when, and why my arousal may emerge. 

Rehearsal with toys became more important as we began using the Lovense Control Link [2] features and patterns. I also noticed that my device had only one engine and my friend’s had more than one. Based upon that, what came to my mind were the considerations that need to be made for users of toys with just one engine and/or toys with multiple engines, or multiple toys with multiple engines. I’m curious how managing toys can interfere with or enhance arousal across realities… Embracing the journey of discovery could create memories that enhance or inform arousal while also building a new muscle coordination depending on virtual or physical positions taken to match or create new patterns. 

As our sensory journey came to a close, I employed hand tracking to show myself holding the phone that controlled my partner’s toy. It seems like this can add a visually playful context to the experience of shared sensory stimulation. 

Overall, proximity with and between avatars across realities can unlock new memories and pathways to arousal worth discovering, not just for the discovery, but for the memories built along the way.

Explorer 2

Today was a deepening of my avatar identity journey, as I follow my desire to create new pathways in my brain that permit arousal and connectivity across realities. I met with a fellow explorer who was in the process of finding a new avatar, different to their main public-facing avatar–an avatar that allows them to relax and be intimate in a way they have never been before. 

We had met a few times in VR before, but this meeting was significant. I presented myself in my personal avatar, not the professional or the public-facing avatar. Switching indicates my desire to move from a purely public relationship to a private connection and to experiment. It says: I am being me naturally, with no performance. It means I am able to relax and focus on my communication, my senses and the sensations in my body. 

We set up our personal mirrors and explored hair and facial touch as a soothing phantom sense exercise. When I watch it happening and also imagine how the touch feels on my face, it activates my 7th sense [3] – beyond intuition and into energetic fibre awareness, accessing my body memory and activating imagination – and I feel their intended touch. I was desperate to experience the subtlety of the facial touch with physical device integration, so we initiated Lovense Control Links to set up new pathways to connection and embodiment. 

I found the proximity of the avatars was intensified by the small map of the virtual world - it was two small rooms with a bed and a cushioned floor space and a glowing willow tree, that’s it. I am learning how to enhance my phantom senses with the sensation of the device inside me along with the simulated touch. This multi-faceted awareness helps me integrate my physical body into my virtual body, where I am fully immersed.

This is not fantasy, this is real digital immersion with another human being.

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Footnote 1

SPS = Super Plug Shader = a popular, free deformation shader used in custom avatars to make body parts like tails, ears, hair and genitals move realistically and flexibly, replacing older systems like DPS (Dynamic Penetration System) for advanced physics and blending without needing custom SDKs. 

Footnote 2

Lovense Remote app with devices connected via Bluetooth allow the option to give remote control through control links to your toy, offering a range of excellent features for long-distance intimacy.

Footnote 3

7th Sense = a form of phantom sense that engages our energy body and involves interoception.

#phantomsense #VRconnection #digitalintimacy #embodiment #interoception #avataridentity #selfexpression #sxjournal #reflections #sxtech #roleplay