Regarding smut and its ability to slip in: as you might have guessed, I have no problem with that! I love smut and I think it serves a number of readers’ needs beyond tittilation. Or perhaps I should say, tittilation serves more needs than it gets credit for.
One of the weirdest things I’ve noticed about smut recently is that reading it can actually be comforting and soothing-have you ever felt that way? I think it evokes a deep, primal connection that so many people are starved for. For women especially, who do so much of the emotional work in a family, romance and erotica can help refill emotional reservoirs.