"Being Alive," is Simon Hanselmann's Latest Twisted Delight

Simon Hanselmann is a skilled creator of comics. Many of his works involve the witch known as Megg, the talking cat, Mogg, and their roommate (in some continuities), Owl. Oh, and good ol' Werewolf Jones. Sometimes Hanselmann's yarns with these characters are outright hilarious ("Crisis Zone,"), but they can be incredibly dark and depressing too. His works are often quite edgy, however, with this latest release of the single-issue/one-shot, "Being Alive," providing plenty of moments I laughed aloud, cringed, and sometimes did both. This comic primarily involves Owl wanting to break up with his girlfriend, Jenny. 

All the mayhem occurs a bit after Owl learns she often likes to dress up as a clown named, "Spritzy Waters." Yes, it is also a sex thing, and she does OnlyFans under that moniker as well. Owl isn't big on clowns, comedy-themed sex, or Jenny/Spritzy's clown friends who seem to despise him. An attempt to end things at the circus (it's her favorite place and the idea was to soften the blow) does not go well, either. As in many stories with Owl, he incurs a lot of hilarious injuries. Oh, and everyone does a lot of drugs at the birthday party for a nine-year-old.

"Being Alive," is absurd, hilarious, and full of awful people being terrible to each other. The closest comparison I've ever been able to draw to these miscreants would maybe be the characters of, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," but with the insanity and surreal aspects cranked up beyond anything you'd ever see on television (at least basic cable, maybe one of the edgier streaming networks). Hanselmann's work remains as impressive and enjoyable as ever; the world of comics is better for his unique brand of dark and quirky creations.

5 out of 5 Stars.

This AI Stuff is Rapidly Getting out of Hand

I love technology. I would not have met my wife via online dating without the Internet. I also wouldn't have a blog, just probably a weird paper zine I printed and threw at people who got close to me at the corner store. Medical tech is advancing in ways that helps people in astounding ways, video-games are cooler-looking than ever, and so forth. That said, this AI stuff is getting out of hand and advancing at a rate much faster than I think we as a populace are ready to handle. It is like that scene in, "Jurassic Park," where it is pointed out everyone wondered if they could do something and didn't ask if they should.

I'm not only talking about the AI programs that can write essays to help students cheat or such. I'm concerned about how people already believe totally fake stuff they read online, and now you're going to show them a picture of a bomb seeming to go off by the Pentagon and expect them to realize it's fake? That, or what about a situation where hackers will clone the voice of a loved one and pretend to call as if they are holding that person hostage with them, "Yelling," in the background whilst a ransom is demanded? Oh, how about a celebrity known for streaming video games and having an Onlyfans named Amouranth creating an AI Chatbot fans can, "Date," in the ultimate parasocial relationship? Seriously, how long until one of those fans with a loose grip on reality tries to track her down because they are convinced this chatbot is really her in some fashion (I really hope she ups her security with this going on)? 

Taking parasocial relationships to a whole new level.

I'm not saying this is going to end in the AI becoming self-aware and wiping us out like we are living in a, 'Terminator," movie, but if the wrong person falls for something a bad actor created with AI we'll just wipe ourselves out, probably. Will we be surprised when someone fakes a relationship suffering from cheating and an innocent party who is framed for that gets hurt? What if AI makes it look like a company is in economic trouble and all the stocks suddenly get sold under false pretenses? How long until someone makes it sound like an authority figure is demanding a missile be launched somewhere and the right/wrong circumstances make it happen? I know I escalated all that quickly, but AI is itself growing at a wild rate with the original Chat GPT struggling to do something like pass a Bar Exam and the latest iteration a few months later impressing everyone with its legalese.

AI won't replace us. Even if you try to have it create a picture, write a story, or something else it is not actually making anything so much as it is collating data to manufacture something seemingly new out of things humans made. Still, people will try to use the capabilities of AI to scam others, hurt others, or otherwise make reality even less believable than it already is with so much fakery already in the World. We are arguably at a tipping point. I just hope society doesn't fall into a black hole of self-destruction.

They Still Publish, "Penthouse," in 2022?--An Essay on Print Magazines, the Internet, and the Evolution of Titillation

Before we embark on this big essay I want to clarify I am not a doctor or professional anthropologist/sociologist. I simply have a Master's Degree in Public Health and worked in various positions including one focused on sexual health before I left the workforce to be a stay-at-home parent. I continue to be fascinated by how the media impacts our lives and sexuality, so I created this big article. Now then, here we go...

Playboy magazine quietly stopped existing as a printed publication in the Spring of 2020. It released its last issue with little fanfare and now exists more as a brand of the bunny rabbit logo on merchandise than anything else. I mean, there is an online archive of articles and pictorials people can subscribe to so they can look back on the glory days, but for all intents and purposes, "Playboy," is a shadow of what it once was. The Comics Journal's R.C. Harvey did a retrospective on, "Playboy," and Hugh Hefner himself that wasn't overly critical or fawning of the complex legacy the man and magazine left behind for better or worse. It wasn't just Playboy that existed, however. It had competitors in the form of the much more raunchy and edgy, "Hustler," and the somewhat tamer, "Penthouse." What happened to them, though?

"Hustler," still puts out some magazines (like the niche-style, "Taboo," and, "Barely Legal,") that are pretty much just pictorials of hardcover pornography with DVDs sometimes included because I guess it helps promote their internet sites although the company itself admits that soon its print iterations will be kaput. "Penthouse," must surely be dead or not putting out anything especially, "New," beyond best-of pictorial compilations, right? Nope, much to my surprise when I Googled it, "Penthouse," releases new issues.

I didn't realize, "Playboy," stopped much how R.C. Harvey was surprised to learn it after the fact. Hence, when I wondered about the fate of, "Penthouse," I was utterly shocked it still is putting out issues every other month or so. Back in 2016 it was rumored it would cease releasing a print magazine, but that was denied by the company and here it still is, against all odds. Perhaps it gets enough advertisers that the magazine can be released and offer cheap subscriptions. Maybe the website with more explicit content helps pay for the magazine potentially operating at a loss. I honestly do not know. 

The final issue of, "Playboy."

It is no secret that, "Playboy," had some amazing articles, comics, and short fiction. I honestly would sometimes read the magazine for its great writing, as nerdy as that sounds (I was eventually able to get one of the later issues that featured a Simon Hansenlmann comic I was after when I posted about the struggle that turned out to be). "Penthouse," never was really known for its articles. As for how raunchy it could be, I checked Wikipedia and from 1998 to 2005 it could be pretty, "Hardcore," but then softened itself back up and became a bit tamer like, "Playboy," again. This leads to the question of if, "Penthouse," is any good, still?

I picked up the May/June 2022 issue on eBay (eBay banned most adult material a while ago but allows tame magazines) as I didn't immediately see it at my local Barnes and Noble. It arrived in the mail and I opened it up. There are some little mini-articles with news tidbits, a feature on that Canadian trucker shitshow that happened, an article about billionaire Mark Cuban, and a number of softcore pictorials. The articles are fine but not fantastic like the literature, "Playboy," put out and the images are, well, half-naked to mostly-naked women posing. If you caught your teenage son or daughter reading this in their bedroom you wouldn't be shocked so much as you'd look at them quizzically and say, "You do realize stuff 100X raunchier than this can be found with a quick search on your phone, right?" I mean, unlike with the departed, "Playboy," you aren't reading this for the articles. To answer my question of if, "Penthouse," is any good still, I have to ask if it was ever that great?

Arguably what, "Penthouse," is most known for.

"Penthouse," lacked the insightful journalism, short stories, comics, and so forth of, "Playboy." It didn't have the lowbrow rabble-rouser vibe of mischief that Larry Flynt brought with, "Hustler," along with some really edgy content. "Penthouse," just always kind of existed and if it was known for anything it was perhaps the supposedly real letters they received full of outrageously impossible sexual encounters, Still, somehow in 2022 it still exists. It maybe wasn't better than, "Playboy," but it's still here, so I guess it wins by default when compared to its closest competitor in terms of content. There are plenty of other adult magazines, but they are just pictorials full of explicit sex--with, "Hustler," being the most well-known. The vibe (no pun intended) of, "Penthouse," is one of, "We're naked and will talk about sex, but we also want to be classy." That's perfectly fine, even if when I ask who this magazine could be for I can only reason it appeals to folks who want to see naked women without using a computer or buying anything too raunchy. As I doubt, "Penthouse," will provide me their exact circulation numbers I am unsure how many people like that exist, but enough for it to give us six-or-so issues a year.

The concept of titillation has evolved. You can watch everything from moderately tame sex to really extreme and over-the-top pornography for free now with the stroke of a keyboard (that time I intended the pun). We as a society like to act like we have modesty, but the sex genie is out of the bottle, and few people beyond the most extremely religious/prudish/etc. would find much offense to a printed magazine with some breasts and a little bit of vulva compared to the hot trending video of the day on a popular adult streaming site. "Playboy," used to shock and arouse people, bringing with it the concept of a lifestyle of someone who reads insightful articles, short fiction, and likes sex. Now it isn't a lifestyle so much as selling a crazy erotic fantasy for a few minutes at a time on a website--with some fantasies being quite far out there. This leads us to the biggest thing that has changed our idea of arousal and sex in recent history--in my opinion. Yes, I'm talking about Onlyfans and other sites of its ilk.

If you're an adult and have a decent internet connection you can now be a small-time or big-time porn star. You don't need to fly out to a big city and pose for some pictures or film an adult movie for a studio. You can just create an account, film yourself doing whatever you're comfortable with, and potentially make money. With a good enough, "Hook," and some social media savvy you can get a solid following and make money. Are sites like Onlyfans at this point basically saturated with men and women who probably only get enough followers to afford some weekly groceries compared to a small percentage who make a ton of money? I say, "Probably?" Still, if you can appeal to the right kink or niche, you can do pretty well, as plenty of articles about these sites discuss. People don't really want to buy a generic adult magazine if they have something really specific they are into. If you're a furry, want to watch people stomp on food, or anything else that is out-there but legal, I'm sure an Onlyfans/Clips4Sale/whatever exists to turn you on.

 Titillation has evolved thanks to the internet and society becoming more open about sex in general (not all parts of society, but enough for there to be a seismic change). Many of us shrug at the idea that our friend is showing their genitals online to get some extra cash whereas even just 20 years ago learning someone you knew had created adult content would most certainly register a reaction. We get horny for something specific and the internet supplies it, "Why would we read a magazine to get turned on now?" people say. Yes, "Penthouse," exists, somehow, but it is more of an exception standing against a relentless tide trying to knock it over than anything else. This metaphorical tide is bringing in all the camgirls and camguys the World could ever handle, and it is changing the landscape of how we view arousal and get aroused for the foreseeable future. Again, the sex genie is out of the bottle, and they are clearly sticking around.

I'm an extremely progressive and open-minded person. As long as what turns you on doesn't hurt anyone and is purely consensual between adults I support your kink. I have zero problems with people making an Onlyfans as a job or working as a server in a restaurant if they'd rather do that, they're both work. I merely am astounded at how the way we view sex and sexuality has changed some much in the past couple of decades. Titillation has evolved, and what the future holds for our views on sex and arousal is bound to be quite interesting.

OnlyFans to Ban the Adult Content That Made it Popular

Update: OnlyFans reversed its plans after an immense outcry.

OnlyFans is known for having people post their nudes as well as engaging in sexual acts with themselves or others. There are safe-for-work accounts that feature people working out while mostly clothed or doing yoga, but the thing that made OnlyFans popular and got it all its money is explicit sexual content/porn. Now, come October, OnlyFans is banning the very content that put it on the map.

I don't have an OnlyFans (people would pay me to put my clothes back on), so I don't have a dog in this fight. However, I observe that it is often sex workers who seem to help platforms become popular before it then turns on them. PayPal/Venmo made a lot of money off sex workers before it moved to try and ban it being used for that. Tumblr banned adult content too after it helped put it on the map. eBay didn't really rely on adult items for its income but didn't hesitate to get rid of them either.  A lot of this relates to financial services being hesitant to handle adult content income due to the stigma and legal complications that accompany sex work. 

You also have bad faith actors claiming this is to prevent trafficking or child porn. Trafficking and child porn are both terrible, but these people almost always want to ban any adult content, for adults, and do it under the guise of, "Protecting kids." These are grow-ass people doing adult things and other adults pay for it, let them. Making it harder for individual sex workers to make an income while pretending you're doing it to protect people is hypocritical and right now the biggest hypocrite is OnlyFans. It needed sex workers to get on the map and now it is throwing them under the bus. 

I have friends (male and female) who have engaged in sex work and they'll tell you these kinds of policies only force this stuff more underground and make it harder for people to engage in any kind of sex work safely. As someone who got an Undergraduate Degree in Health, Media, and Culture then a Graduate Degree in Public Health, I can tell you this deplatforming of sex workers will only hurt adults and not help any actually exploited people. There are other sites people can turn to for a similar, "Sell your nudes," model, but this really screws up a lot of people's incomes.

Are, "Super Follows," a Dumb Idea or Secretly Genius Because of What They'll Most Likely be Used For?

Twitter is a place where I honestly don't want to see half the bile spewed out by people for free. With this in mind, Twitter is now going to make it where you can have, "Super follows," so you charge people to see select tweets. This...this is dumb, right? In an example twitter gave, someone could charge $4.99 so people can see all their tweets as some kind of perk. Again, this is stupid. Who is this for? Why would I pay to see anyone's tweets? Oh, wait. Oh, okay.

This is some weird effort to compete with OnlyFans but Twitter doesn't want to say that, isn't it? I mean, the only thing I could imagine people paying to see on Twitter is nudie pics and other pornographic content. That could be secretly genius where someone has a Twitter account full of sexy but, "Safe for work," content and then if you pay that extra monthly fee all the dirty tweets unlock--with Twitter getting its cut. As absurd as Super Follows sounds at first blush, that is the one way I could see it working-out for Twitter. Otherwise, few people are going to pay extra to see some celebrity behind-the-scenes tweets or get exclusive cooking recipes from a professional chef or however Twitter is trying to spin this as not being used in a pornographic way.

Super Follows sound incredibly dumb at first, then you realize how the fact people are always super-horny online could make them actually quite profitable. Twitter hasn't admitted Super Follows could be used for this, but come on, we know they considered this and probably won't care what is getting posted as long as everyone is a consenting adult and they get their cut. There are lots of thirsty people online and Twitter might just have thought up a way to quench some of them. Clever.