Foot Fetish

Posted on by Team Penthouse

Stepping Into the Surprisingly Popular World of Foot Fetishes

When it comes to what makes us tick, we’ve all got our own kinks and curiosities, and for some of us, that’s the sight, sensation or smell of someone else’s feet. Whether or not you think feet are something to sniff at, here’s everything you need to know about foot fetishes.

What is a foot fetish?

A foot fetish, or podophilia, describes an intense sexual arousal triggered by feet. Like shoes, there is no one size fits all, so the specifics of how a foot fetishist’s fascination for feet plays out can vary from toe-vert to toe-vert.

A foot fetish can take many forms

Some foot lovers get frisky by simply admiring a pair of nude or stiletto-clad feet from afar; while others get their kicks from massaging soles, sucking on toes or being on the receiving end of a slippery footjob. Some like their lower limbs aesthetically clean and freshly pedicured, while other foot fans prefer a buffet of bare feet seasoned with sweat or dirt. Then there are the toe-tal pervs walking among us, who fantasize about worshiping the foot of a fiery femme domme or being walked all over and treated as a human carpet as she roars, “Heel, boy!” They do say variety is the spice of life.

Foot fetishes are surprisingly common

As far as kinks go, the foot fetish is a classic. Even if you’re not a devout feetist, chances are you’ve at least heard of the fetish. In fact, feet are considered to be the most commonly fetishized non-genital body part. While there’s not a huge amount of concrete research out there, social psychologist Justin Lehmiller, who collected data on foot fans for his book Tell Me What You Want, found one in seven people have fantasized about feet in a sexual way.

But why feet?

Sexual kinks are highly personal, and one person’s “eww” is another person’s ticket to Horny Town. While there’s no uniform answer to explain such an obsession, Sigmund Freud famously claimed that people liked feet because they resemble penises. Unpack that, why don’t you. We think it’s more likely because feet are jam-packed with nerve endings, and most people enjoy having their feet massaged. Plus, for some there’s a psychological element of power play that comes with being stepped on, humiliated or physically beneath someone’s feet — or sky-high stilettos.

Famous foot fans

Even celebrities have been named as flagrant foot fetishists, with Andy Warhol, Jack Black, Quentin Tarantino, Ludacris, Marilyn Manson, Britney Spears, Dita Von Teese and Elvis Presley having reportedly frothed over feet. Legend has it “Jailhouse Rock” singer Presley’s handlers used to check the bare feet of admirers before allowing them to have sex with him. Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill leading lady Uma Thurman even once toasted Tarantino’s alleged foot fetish by drinking champagne out of her own shoe during a 2010 roast of the director.

So, if you’ve ever felt turned on by toes, you’re in good company.

Adroitly brushing aside whether that list of famous people constitutes any reasonable definition of “good company” in even a broad sense, we will posit that regardless of the interpretation of Mr. Presley’s “Hound Dog,” they do have really cute feet. Equally adeptly avoiding taking issue with the author’s point on limited “concrete research” on this subject, we will also note that many, many studies, polls, surveys, and such have set out to foot the bill on the topic, with one such study allegedly concluding that “almost half of people surveyed” claimed to have some sort of podophilia inclinations. To us this shows that either (A) that represents way too large of a percentage to even classify this as a “fetish” in the first place, or (B) that was one kinky pool of people they chose to survey.

Foot Fetish Meaghan Stanfill

Now we do understand that Meaghan Stanfill (pictured) happens to be wearing — indeed very nice — heels, which would represent an entirely different fetish. However, we saw her value more as foreshadowing in this case. (Literary people have strange fetishes. It’s true.) You see Meaghan recently showed up again in the pages of Penthouse Magazine as the Penthouse Pet of the Year Runner Up for 2021. Allegedly we will all hear about the 2022 winner in the September issue, in case you have a reason to look forward to that. At any rate, feel free to refresh your memory on Ms. Stanfill, as we’ll be having another feature on this exemplary achievement in another few days, right out in this free site area. Meaghan just seemed like a lot more fun to look at than more pictures of feet — which probably tells you where we fall on the whole foot fetish scale, if nothing else.

MySpace

Posted on by Team Penthouse

How MySpace Shaped a Generation

MySpace allowed Millennials to feel comfortable in their opinions in ways previous generations only dreamed about.

Prior to social media microblogging websites, users wanting to share their opinions online only had blogs — and to run a successful blog, you needed to already be famous, or have word of mouth drive traffic to you. It was hard for anyone to become an “influencer.”

If the internet was an information superhighway, then MySpace was the express lane to fame and popularity. The dawn of the internet was a wild time. There was no Big Tech, and the government kept Microsoft at bay with antitrust legislation. Companies dedicated to building the Web 2.0 were able to make a million innovations in just a few short years — a far cry from the stagnant present.

As a creativity-centric social media platform, MySpace was the first real way for anyone to become famous online. From the comfort of their own home, anyone could become a Scene Queen or a popular musician. Without MySpace, we wouldn’t have Skrillex, Bring Me the Horizon, Lily Allen or Adele. There would be no Jeffree Star.

The platform enabled teenagers across the globe — regardless of race, sexuality or gender identity — to connect with one another through a massive network. Instead of having random, disparate websites, MySpace housed it all under one roof. It was a vision of things to come: Twitter and Instagram later did the same thing, but through more simplified formats.

MySpace’s philosophy extended into its design. Your profile could be as expressive as you wanted it to be — fully customized with music, animated GIFs, HTML code, CSS overlays. It offered the whole works.

Crucially, MySpace celebrated individuality more than any other social media platform then, or since. If people wanted to know about you, they’d have to click on your profile. Contrast this with Tumblr, where the bulk of content is shared and regurgitated by millions of people in a massive echo chamber propagating the same ideas — and alienating those who think outside the box.

Furthermore, MySpace didn’t have the problem that every social media platform today deals with: the issue of harassment. Sure, you could harass people individually, as an individual. But there was no mob to join, no flames of outrage to stoke, no callout culture.

There was no incentive, and no way for anyone to target anybody else with widespread harassment. The system didn’t allow for it. Whether by design, or by accident, interactions on MySpace were simple: If you didn’t like what someone was saying, you simply clicked out of their profile. There was no way to quote tweet or share content to put them on blast. Cancel culture didn’t exist.

MySpace encouraged oversharing; your profile was public, and you could say whatever you liked. No one had to read it — and that was OK. There was no gamification — no incentive to say provocative things or repeat popular ideas. You could be as normal or provocative as you wanted. There was no score to keep track of — no retweets or likes to count.

If you were interesting, people would pay attention. Your engagement was organic. You couldn’t crowdsource your opinions. MySpace was a celebration of individuality.

It encouraged people to explore their identities, even in ways previously considered taboo — such as the experience of growing up gay in a conservative town, atheist in a religious family, or enjoying geeky hobbies like Dungeons & Dragons. MySpace did not normalize or encourage deviancy.

On MySpace, your individuality remained your own — and it didn’t necessarily make you subject to peer pressure or encourage you to be a part of a trend you didn’t feel comfortable with. The option to explore your identity existed, but it wasn’t forced upon you. Contrast this with Tumblr, which normalized deviance, pressurising millions of teenagers into adopting odd lifestyles and political positions.

World leaders weren’t on MySpace — nor did they have their policies and principles dictated by teenagers bullying them into submission as they do on Twitter.

Without the success of MySpace, we wouldn’t have Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, which share a lot of common DNA with MySpace.

Unfortunately, they took some of the good parts and added a bunch of bad to the formula. These websites have stripped out individuality, removed the ability to customize profiles and encouraged groupthink.

MySpace was the opposite. It’s in the name: “my space,” not “our” space — no one’s space but yours, and yours alone.

We wanted to do a little fun digging on “kimisaprincess” just to see what we found, and we found something interesting. If you desire to be either dazzled — or mortified, depending — do a search for Kardashian in Google. Quickly overwhelmed with [censored], we decided upon a more erudite approach here, by looking up trademarks held by KIMISAPRINCESS, INC., which is apparently still a real thing. One thing about this family, they have a lot going on. It turns out one can find MySpace still hanging around too, still averaging many, many millions of visitors every month (as of a few years ago, at least). They should see what they can do to get Kim back on board, y’know? Maybe if they had a classic Marilyn Monroe dress she should wear…. Of course she’s a princess, and we’re not. So (apparently) there.

ESPORTS Game Changers

Posted on by Team Penthouse

ESPORTS Gamer-Girls

Gaming and esports are booming with independent creators and competitors attracting an ever-growing audience. Some experts estimate monthly esports viewers will soon skyrocket to more than 26 million a month. But this digital domain has largely been dominated by men, and esports organization Fnatic estimates women comprise a scant 16 percent of the executive leaders at the world’s top companies. However, the times they are a-changing, and a growing number of smart, savvy ladies are putting their mark on the industry — both in the executive suite and on camera. Here Penthouse takes a look at a dozen of the industry’s major female players.

RACHELL “VALKYRAE” HOFSTETTER

With more than 3.6 million followers on Instagram and 3.5 million subscribers on YouTube, Rachell Hofstetter, 30, is a superstar gamer. In fact, Stream Hatchet named her the No. 1 female streamer with 12.2 million hours of content watched in the first quarter of last year. Dubbed the “Queen of YouTube,” Rachell — who uses the online alias Valkyrae — is known for streaming herself playing Fortnite with her girl squad. In 2018, she became the first female gamer and content creator for competitive esports team 100 Thieves. And in early 2021, she became a co-owner of the L.A.-based gaming and lifestyle brand, joining content creator CouRageJD, music mogul Scooter Braun, Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, rapper Drake and 100 Thieves founder Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag.

AMANDA RUBIN

In 2019, Electronic Arts alum Amanda Rubin joined Enthusiast Gaming as their East Coast sales VP. The publicly traded company bills itself as “the world’s largest platform of communities for gamers and esports fans,” reaching more 300 million global gamers monthly through its portfolio of communities. With a combination of media, esports and live gaming events fueling its growth, Enthusiast has become an industry force, and Amanda’s talents have helped agencies and brands reach sought-after millennial audiences. She’s said to be working on expanding the business’s reach via partnerships with the U.S. Navy, L’Oreal’s Essie and State Farm Insurance, among others.

LINDSAY CAUDILL

Dallas-based esports franchise Team Envy was founded in 2007 as a professional Call of Duty team. It has since branched out into multiple field rosters, including Fortnite, Halo and Counter-Strike and counts Lindsay Caudill as their social media manager. In addition to running the company’s main social channels, Lindsay has also spearheaded Envy’s philanthropic and inclusivity initiatives. Most recently, the digital dynamo — who can be found on Twitch @handiicat — organized a charity stream to raise money for organizations supporting gals in gaming and entertainment and said in a recent interview, “Gaming is not something that is exclusive to males. It’s something that is celebrated by everyone.”

NICOLE LAPOINTE JAMESON

Since May 2019, Nicole LaPointe Jameson has been the CEO of esports organization Evil Geniuses, which is said to be valued at $255 million. Being tapped for the top spot made Nicole the first Black woman to lead a major esports organization. Now 27, she’s credited with helping Evil Geniuses reopen its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive division. Notably, in January 2021 Evil Geniuses became the first major esports team to sign a mixed-gender squad for Valorant. She once Tweeted: “I don’t care where you come from. Nor your creed, gender, religion, class, past industry or sexual orientation. If you are the best of the best, you have a home here at Evil Geniuses.”

SUE “SMIX” LEE

StarCraft player Sue Lee, known online as Smix, just wrapped a six-year stretch of working at Twitch — most recently as account director of strategic partnerships. Last year, she also kicked off a new personal chapter, tying the knot with Robin Johansson, also known as former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro player Fifflaren. Fluent in Korean and English, Sue, 31, got her start translating live gaming events before hosting tourneys at BlizzCon and DreamHack. Though she’s ended her career at Twitch, she has a new role as VP of talent management at the recently launched RTS, co-founded by streaming influencer Imane “Pokimane” Anys.

TRICIA SUGITA

Three years after League of Legends team FlyQuest was founded in 2017, the organization named Tricia Sugita as CEO. Since then, Trisha — who goes by @megumixbear on Twitter and Twitch — has vowed to ensure the company will “showcase greatness.” She cut her serious gaming teeth on StarCraft II, but her interest in esports really took off after attending 2011’s BlizzCon. She was a streamer, host, caster, interviewer and pro player before moving to the business side. “I’m happy to see a lot more women [in esports] than before, and I hope this trend continues upwards,” Tricia says. “One of our goals at FlyQuest, and the one that speaks most to me, is to empower women.”

KYOUNG-EY “AVALLA” KIM

Paris Eternal’s general manager Kyoung-ey Kim, also known by the online alias Avalla or simply as Molly, was the last person standing after the French pro Overwatch team cleaned house in 2020 as part of cost-cutting measures. It’s since rebuilt its roster — thanks to 27-year-old Molly scoping out the European Overwatch community and recruiting a new team of six, as well as coaches. In the 2021 offseason, Eternal competed in the SteelSeries Invitational and tied with the London Spitfire in third place, having lost against the Boston Uprising 2–3. Australian-born Molly, who can be found on Twitter and Twitch @avalla_ow, recently revealed she’ll remain with Paris Eternal through the 2022 season.

MARI TAKAHASHI

YouTube darling Mari Takahashi, 36, spent more than a decade working for the YT comedy channel Smosh and cofounded Smosh Games in 2011, appearing in multiple series on the channel — including her own shows, Super Mari Fun Time and MariCraft. Stepping out on her own in 2020, she now works as a host and YT content creator at AtomicMari, which has more than 300,000 subscribers. A former ballerina — who displayed her nimble moves on Smosh Games’ Just Dance Rematch — Mari climbed Mount Fuji in Japan, ice-climbed three peaks in the Cordillera Blanca in South America and has skydived and is scuba certified. She also competed on the 33rd season of Survivor, entitled Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X, and placed 19th.

JANET SHIM

In July 2021, Janet Shim was named director of program operations for Vindex-owned esports production and tournament company Esports Engine. The exec, who can be found @janet_shim on Twitter and @janet.shim on Instagram, was part of the Riot Games team that received the 2020 Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Esports Coverage for the League of Legends World Championship finals. Janet had worked on esports production for more than eight years for Riot. In her new position, she’s heading Esports Engine’s program design and execution strategy — and working with key stakeholders to develop market strategies for the biz and its top brass.

ANNE-MARGOT RODDE

L.A.-based Anne-Margot Rodde is the founder and CEO of WePlay, having launched the video game marketing agency in 2013. The longtime marketing guru — who holds an MA from London Metropolitan University — has produced major events and campaigns for companies including Xbox, PlayStation, Nexon, Riot Games and EA Games. She also didn’t let the COVID-19 pandemic slow her down. In March 2020, she kicked off WePlay Consulting, which assists video game companies with development strategies to grow their audiences and nail down partnerships. Among her consulting clients are Jack Morton, Spark Media, Prodigy, Station 12, Stryfe and One Team Partners.

MAGALI HUOT

Head of games publishers at YouTube, Magali Huot is a longtime entertainment industry veteran, having previously worked in marketing at Warner Bros. As part of her position at YT, she advises game publishers on ways to use the platform to grow their businesses. She also lends her talents to helping companies execute events, but her reach stretches beyond esports tournaments. She’s also had a hand in shepherding digital music experiences, including rapper Travis Scott’s Astronomical Event in 2020 and pop princess Ariana Grande’s 2021 Rift Tour — both in Fortnite. Check out the game’s YT channel to catch videos of the shows — and more.

Rachell Hofstetter
Mari Takashashi
Nicole Lapointe Jameson
Lindsay Caudill

MIA MALKOVA

California cutie Mia Malkova, 29, is not only a Penthouse Pet. Our October 2016 cover girl also has a “chill” channel on Twitch @miamalkova with more than 600,000 followers. The blonde beauty says she likes “to chat … eat good food and play a variety of games! My stream is fairly relaxing until it’s not.” The self-proclaimed “fantasy nerd” reveals she mainly plays RPGs because “I love to feel immersed!” When she’s not gaming, Mia enjoys hiking and cuddling her four pups. The curvy beauty posts updates about her streaming schedule on Twitter @miamalkova and shares “fun” and “creative” photos on Instagram @mia_malkova.

Although the magazine ran her first, because that’s how publishing people think, we ran Mia last so that you could finish with all the other NOT Penthouse Pets before popping off to visit Mia. You may have noticed that we also chose Mia for the header image because … yeah, so that’s obvious. We are also supposed to say “find Mia on PenthouseGold” so now we have done that too. Whew.

D.B. Cooper

Posted on by Team Penthouse

Next time you’re on a plan seated in 18C, think of D.B. Cooper and his grand, mad plan.

D.B. Cooper … A Flight to Seattle … and $200,000 Cash

At 2:50 p.m. on Thanksgiving Eve, November 24, 1971, Flight 305 departed Portland International Airport on its way to Seattle — a mere 30-minute flight that would surely pass without incident, except obviously not, because here you are reading about it. [We came for D.B. Cooper. Clearly we stay for the winning repartee. -Ed.]

In seat 18C sat a middle-aged man carrying a black briefcase. He had purchased his ticket under the name Dan Cooper. Across from him sat flight attendant Florence Schaffner. Shortly after takeoff, the man known as Cooper handed Florence a note. Florence — who had in her career taken a lot of crap from passengers and was in no mood for shenanigans — surmised the note was a flirtatious advance from a creepy dude and put the paper in her handbag without looking at it.

Mr. Cooper, seeing his purpose had been misread, leaned over and whispered to Florence, “Miss, you’d better look at that note. I have a bomb.”

Of course, whispering this to her somewhat defeated the purpose of giving her the note in the first place, and he might as well have just whispered all the relevant information from that point on. Nevertheless, Florence, understandably unnerved, did take the note from her bag and read it. She found it was as Cooper had told her: The note said he had a bomb and directed her to sit next to him, which she did. Of course, at this stage, the possibility that he was just trying to get a stewardess to touch him was still a live one.

Florence asked to see the bomb. Cooper opened his briefcase and showed her the bomb, which she observed was indeed a bomb — or at least a bundle of red cylinders that looked exactly like what a bomb is supposed to look like. Cooper then asked the flight attendant for a favor: Could she possibly see her way clear to getting him $200,000, four parachutes and a fuel truck standing by at Seattle’s airport to refuel the plane?

Florence said she’d see what she could do, and went and told the pilots there was a situation.

After contacting the airport, and telling the other passengers their flight would be delayed by a “minor mechanical difficulty” — which the smart passengers would’ve seen right through after watching the weird guy in 18C muttering to the stewardess sitting next to him — the pilots circled Seattle for two hours while down on the ground money and parachutes were gathered.

During the flight, Cooper was extremely pleasant and well-mannered, speaking politely to the flight crew and paying for his drinks — rather than asking them to deduct it from the ransom money.

Finally, the plane landed, and the rest of the passengers were let off while it was refueled, after which Cooper announced to the crew they were all going to Mexico and the margaritas would be on him. With the money and parachutes safely delivered, the Boeing 727 took off again, heading for Reno, Nev., where it would refuel once more before heading to Mexico City.

However, the plane had not yet reached Reno when Cooper ordered all the crew into the cockpit, tied the money bag around his waist, opened the door and jumped. It was dark and raining, and jumping was an extremely stupid thing to do, and the fact he was never seen again may be related to this.

In 1980, some of the ransom money washed up on the bank of the Columbia River near Vancouver, Wash., which only added to the mystery of what happened to the hijacker. Police thought it unlikely he had survived the jump, especially considering of the two parachutes he’d taken with him, one was a dummy used for classroom demonstrations and didn’t actually work.

Still, it’s possible he got lucky with the other parachute — though where he’d disappeared to, in the Northwestern wilds, if that were so … well that was a mystery.

And it’s remained a mystery to this day. Who was this man? It’s unlikely his real name was Dan Cooper. It’s even less likely his real name was D.B. Cooper, the name attached to him due to misreporting at the time. Numerous possible suspects have been suggested, but none has been proven to be the man himself.

It’s nice to think that maybe Mr. Cooper is still out there somewhere, living his best life, kicking back with a bourbon and Coke and reminiscing about his most awesome day ever.

D.B. Cooper Route Map

For some reason, hearing this story always makes this author think of hazing, and how that might impact one later on in life. One might, for example, end up jumping out of a plane in the middle of some desolate place with $200K neatly tucked away. Of course the money would be completely useless in that circumstance — unless one jumped with a lighter too, perhaps. The human brain can be a strange thing. Some people (say, D.B. Cooper) simply were not born for strategy. … We did actually pick a photograph for the header that represents one of the forest areas between Portland and Seattle. All in all, it does not look a fun landing spot for skydiving at night in bad weather. Should you be wondering about the seemingly small amount of money for which ol’ D.B. Cooper went to all this trouble, it might help to know that in 2022 dollars that represents about $1.4 million. Of course a single Warhol painting of Marilyn Monroe just sold at auction for $195 million, so all and all, it might have been easier to just jump with that.

Captured Beauty

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Technically Captured Beauties

While many photographers prefer the controlled environment that comes with shooting indoors, Florida-based photographer Douglas Sawyer makes magic outdoors, illuminating his subjects’ bodies with golden sunsets and soft shadows, while they pose amongst nature’s backdrops.

“I am strongly guided by my natural environment and capturing my co-creatives’ interaction with those environments is where I find the magic I’m looking for,” Sawyer tells Penthouse. “I think I actually coined the term ‘environmental boudoir’ by accident when trying to describe what I do. It kind of stuck and works to describe much of the mood and locations I work in.”

Sawyer says his passion and “joy” for fine art nude portraiture is led by an admiration and desire to empower women.

“I absolutely love the sensual energy of women and really admire women who have a keen sense of who they are. So much of the world is mentally still in the dark ages when it comes to female autonomy of body and sexuality. I love helping women have a voice via my art. The joy it brings is contagious.”

The self-taught shooter, who first picked up a camera five years ago, says learning to go with the flow has been his biggest learning curve in honing his craft.

“I have always been fearless when it came to working with people. I never felt intimidated by the status or popularity of a model, but internally I think I was a ball of stress. I have since let go of that stress,” he explains.

“I have learned to find calm on shoots to take everything in slowly, and in that process learned to see the shoot the way I want to. Every day in this medium is another day learning, and the only person you will ever compete with is yourself from yesterday.”

As it turns out, Douglas here tends to capture the majority of his beauties naked, which makes perfect sense, and they do indeed qualify as beautiful, but it makes it difficult for us to show him off out in Penthouse Free-Web Land. Consequently, you may have noticed by those two pictures that we did a quick turn with our attentions so we could also take a quick look at CyberCutie Samantha Ferrec. She too enjoys a lot of life without clothing, so the two approaches fit together well. (Also, we got to show off some of the “soon to be available to the public” Penthouse Gear, and that always makes the boss happy. And happy bosses are good.)

Captured Beauty Samantha

Latina lovely Samantha Ferrec calls Colombia home, and this stunning brown-eyed camgirl says her favorite things about her hometown of Medellín are the beautiful weather and the warmth of its people. The blonde beauty tells Penthouse she enjoys camming because it’s helped her discover more and more about herself — especially when it comes to what she most enjoys.

“Being a camgirl allows me to use my imagination and invent concepts with costumes. I love to create art and be myself, and this job is a mix of all of those things,” explains the former cheerleader, who’s been doing cam shows for nearly three years.

For this adventurous beauty, posing nude comes naturally, and Samantha admits, “I love my body and feel so comfortable naked.”

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I love spending time with my dog. I read books and paint — and I love playing video games! And I also enjoy cooking. I’m really good at it.

Describe your ideal partner.
Someone who can captivate me with his or her thoughts. Physically, they should look good and be clean, but I’m most interested in someone who can engage in interesting conversations about anything and everything, and who doesn’t fear new experiences.

How would you describe your personality?
I’m a cute girl, who loves to have fun and make others happy. I strive to enjoy every moment, and I’m passionate about everything I do.

What would be your dream adventure?
I’d love to go to Australia with my dog and drive a van all around the country.

Although the magazine did not cover all of the questions they asked on the form, we did want to take a second to highlight what has to be one of our favorite answers ever. After discovering that Samantha sleeps with five pillows every night, they asked the (apparently quite American) question, “What do you sleep in?”

Samantha answered, “A bed.”

You see, this explains why we all need to travel more. How can you recognize cultural bias if you never have a chance to have it hit you upside the head?

If you could not tell from all of the preceding, a Subscription to Penthouse Magazine — either print or digital — would allow you to accomplish a much more thorough experience with both Douglas Sawyer and Samantha Ferrec. Obviously we want to help, because we always want people to accomplish as much as they can.

Even without spending money you can catch up with Douglas Sawyer @dms.386, though, whereas the other Captured Beauty Samantha will be found pretty much all over the place. She has Instagram, of course, as well as Twitter (her favorite) and her Cam Home at Flirt4Free. You can also find her wherever she happens to be eating dinner (and drinking mango juice) tonight, but that location varies — and truthfully may be difficult to discover.

RPG not RBG

Posted on by Team Penthouse

Tactical Role-Playing is Back in RPG

The tactical role-playing games (RPGs) many of us grew up with in the late ’90s and the early 2000s will always have a special place in our hearts — be it Baldur’s Gate, Fallout or Final Fantasy Tactics.

For a while, it seemed video games had moved on from the genre and on to greener pastures. As visuals got more advanced and gameplay more frenetic, there seemed to be no place for slow-paced, story-driven experiences. Outside a handful of select releases by Obsidian Entertainment and Larian Studios, most companies invested in role-playing as a whole preferred to adopt the “bigger equals better” approach of open-world RPGs like Skyrim and Cyberpunk 2077 — titles that blur the line between action game and RPG.

It’s hard to tell a story where your choices matter when your only options are to pull the trigger or swing a sword. Telling a story, or at least one that’s reactive to your actions, requires context and character motivation — elements that only an ample amount of dialogue options can offer.
Enter the tactical RPG: a genre that rewards patience and calls on players to invest time in creating and subsequently role-playing a character and doesn’t require much (if anything) in the way of reflexes. It’s no secret that as gamers are aging, so too are their tastes — and there are few things more accommodating to older gamers who want to sit back and think about their actions than an RPG that doesn’t penalize its players for not being good with a gamepad.

There’s nothing new about tactical RPGs — and it’s partly what draws so many gamers to them. Millennials who grew up on the turn-based and “real time with pause” RPGs of Y2K will feel at home with the new generation of titles led by the likes of Wasteland 3, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, and Pillars of Eternity II. Baldur’s Gate 3, made by longtime RPG producer Larian Studios, is also playable and slated for a full release in 2022.

Many millennials — at least those who didn’t lose themselves in Counter-Strike — grew up on tactical RPGs but that says nothing of the fact that the genre has always catered to a more mature crowd. It’s as if these gamers, now of age, are finally old enough to truly appreciate what the genre has to offer.

The resurgence of the tactical RPG is largely owed to the fact it can now be experienced by an audience that’s looking for more than the cheap thrill of landing the top spot in an Apex Legends leaderboard — a feat that requires quick reflexes and mastery of the first-person shooter. If you’ve played one tactical RPG, you already have the means to play them all. There’s no learning curve, unless you’re playing one for the first time ever.

There’s only one real way to play a shooter: You point and click. That’s it. In a tactical RPG, not only are there different difficulty options, there’s the option to play the game as one of a myriad different classes — such as a spellcaster, charming bard, swordslinger or stealthy rogue and every combination in between. In a well-made RPG, your experience gears toward your personal preference.

One unique feature offered by every tactical RPG is that each playthrough can be tailored to the player’s liking. Prefer to breeze through the combat? Just play on story mode or disable perma-death. Prefer a tactical experience? You can do that, too.

While a round of Apex Legends or Call of Duty can give you a quick fix — provided you play well, of course — games like Pathfinder offer a more fulfilling, substantial experience that lingers long after you’ve finished your first playthrough. These story-driven, tactically minded games require you to invest in your character and the choices you make, which impact the world and the characters around you.

The realms in which the stories take place offer a respite from the monotony and grind of the real world, away from cancel culture, crime and the hassles of daily life. It’s easy to get lost in the fantasy worlds of Faerûn, Rivellon or Golarion, settings replete with their own culture and political machinations — all of which you have an active hand in shaping. Here, your choices matter.

With the COVID-19 pandemic locking much of the world indoors, there are few better places to explore than the worlds behind the looking glass — and they’re adventures you can experience at the beat of your own drum.

Granted, around here “beat your own drum” could mean something entirely different, but consider the therapeutic value of video games either “as” or “after” beating that drum. This particular author confesses a preference for “FPS” (First-Person Shooter) games as a rule, though. The whole RPG position as basically Digital Dungeons and Dragons can be a little taxing if one has relaxation as the goal. If you really want to feel better, put on one of the original versions of DOOM (for PC, sorry), enter the “God Mode” (which means you cannot be killed), and then start attacking all the bad guys with just the chain saw. … You’re not going to win quickly, but invincibility can boost the spirit immensely. Of course if the technical hurdles make playing an old DOS game on Windows too challenging, just get yourself a shirt like I have and walk around watching people read the message. It says, “If I had superpowers there is a 100% chance I would use them inappropriately.” … Or if all of that still seems like too much work, read a truly excellent series of books and let someone else tell you a story. You remember reading, right?

Ines Trocchia

Posted on by Team Penthouse

La Dolce Vita con Inès Trocchia

With more than 1 million Instagram followers and countless devoted fans on Twitch, this charismatic Capricorn has an impressive digital presence. But the 26-year-old model is utter perfection in person as her sizzling photos can attest. Equally appealing in haute couture or hardly anything at all, Inès exudes a captivating blend of glamour, elegance and sex appeal. With her glimmering bronzed skin and shapely figure, it’s safe to say this bathing beauty makes temperatures rise wherever she goes.

When it comes to the language of love, worldly-wise Inès can whisper sweet nothings in English, Spanish and her native Italian. But we must confess — looking at her pictures leaves us speechless.

While we not adore the magazine copy all the time, we can take no issue with their taste regarding Inès.

Now for some Inès Trocchia Fast Facts (according to Publishing)

Favorite Workout:“I love being out in nature, so hiking and climbing are two of my favorite ways to work up a sweat.”

Her Pet Peeve: “I get nervous in crowded places. I need my space.”

Her favorite qualities about herself: “My perseverance and positivity.”

The most exciting place she’s ever had sex: “In an elevator.”

So the magazine took up space with stunning pictures of Inès, which makes perfect sense for them, we think. Of course this article spawned from the Penthouse Magazine, Mexico version, so we put on our wild and crazy hats and decided to run their accompanying article as well. Feel free to Contact Us and let us know if it stands as a vast improvement of the U.S. approach if you have time. Sadly, unless someone asks direction to the library or wants to know of Susan is in the kitchen, we cannot be much help in Spanish. We really need to improve on that some day. It seems like we promised Alex de la Flor, actually. Oops.

Mediterranean Gallantry

Italia se hace presente en esta edición con tu gran compañía, cuéntanos de tus primeros años en el corazón del Mar Mediterráneo: Soy de un pequeño pueblo del sur de Italia. Crecí en una realidad muy relajada y sin complicaciones, precisamente en un pequeño y tranquilo pueblo de montaña; mi madre es maestra y mi padre médico, por lo tanto es una familia común. Desde muy pequeña siempre me ha interesado la moda y el entretenimiento, siempre he querido acercarme a este mundo.

Cuando no estás en producción de alguna campaña, pasarela o sesión de fotos para revista, ¿cuáles son esas actividades que le gusta hacer a Inès Trocchia y qué música te acompaña? Amo viajar, dedicarle un buen tiempo al deporte y en general probar nuevas experiencias. De la música, depende mucho de mi estado de ánimo y de mi situación, me gusta mucho el rock y el pop; depende de las circunstancias, y aunque no tengo una banda o cantante favorito, Nirvana y Oasis me gustan mucho.

Sabemos que aunque eres exigente con el ejercicio, también tienes algunos gustos culinarios específicos. ¿Qué tan exigente es tu paladar? Me encantan todas las comidas, me encanta la italiana, la chino, la japonesa, la hindú y, por supuesto, la comida mexicana. Ah, y de postre, el chocolate, en especial el blanco, en cualquier presentación. ¡Así que la comida mexicana está en tu lista de favoritas! Platícanos, ¿qué lugares has conocido en México? Sí, estuve en Cancún y Tulum, me encantó; son lugares increíbles y la comida es realmente fantástica.

Como modelo, has tenido algunos trabajos destacados que admiramos, ¿cuáles son algunos de esos que te han dejado marcada, nosotros nos quedamos con esta sesión de fotos y la de tu participación con David Bellemere? Sin duda esta sesión de fotos con F-ZERO STUDIO fue hermosa, Lorenzo Taliani es uno de los mejores fotógrafos italianos. ¡El resultado es increíble! También hice varias producciones que han sido muy importantes para mí y para mi carrera. De los últimos, entre mis más bellos y recientes, ciertamente está este con David Bellemere, es una persona excepcional y un artista fabuloso. Tiene una visión espectacular de la mujer, para él una mujer desnuda no es simplemente un cuerpo, sino que es empoderadora, es la mujer que tiene una gran fuerza.

Además, nos enteramos de tu participación en televisión y radio, donde has estado de cerca con el deporte más seguido del mundo, el futbol. Cuéntanos sobre tu carrera y qué tan aficionada eres de este espectáculo deportivo: Durante tres años he recopilado diversas experiencias en radio y televisión, especialmente en el sector del futbol, y me gustaría mucho retomar mi trayectoria en este ámbito. Y sí, obviamente soy fanática del futbol, es una pasión que me enseñó mi padre. Mi jugador favorito es Maradona, porque es napolitano como yo, aunque yo apoyo al Inter.

¿Quiénes son esas mujeres que te inspiran a seguir creciendo y cuál es tu mayor sueño profesional?

Hay varias modelos a las que admiro por diferentes razones, por ejemplo, me gusta mucho la capacidad de posar de Coco Rocha, me gusta Kate Moss por haber introducido estándares completamente distintos y romper con los cánones tradicionales. Pero mi favorita absoluta es Cindy Crawford. Y bueno, definitivamente mi más grande sueño es formar parte de una producción de Hollywood.

¿Cuáles son los retos que consideras más importantes de dominar como modelo?

Lo más difícil es tener que lidiar con los estándares de belleza que a veces son muy altos, pero también el hecho de sentirse muy a menudo inadecuada para los proyectos porque hay muchos castings y audiciones, y a veces es complicado cuando las puertas se cierran. Sin embargo, nunca debes permitir que nadie te haga sentir inadecuado o que te haga sentir que no eres lo suficientemente bueno en algo.

¿Cómo ves tu presente y cuáles son los siguientes pasos en donde te veremos?

Me veo como una persona que siempre está dispuesta a aceptar nuevos desafíos y buscando ir más allá de los límites, para tener nuevas adrenalinas y emociones. Y no importa de dónde vengas, con dedicación, compromiso y trabajo puedes llegar a donde quieras. Por ahora, me gustaría cultivar la idea de poder presentar un programa de televisión en el corto plazo.

In Mexico they introduced Ines this way: “Modelo internacional, celebridad de televisión y radio, así como amante del deporte más seguido del mundo. Ella es una italiana de belleza única y actitud sin igual. ¡Benvenuta in famiglia, Inès!” …We have been saying, “Welcome to the Famiglia” on every Pet shoot since. If you cannot have fun in life, well, you might as well move somewhere freezing cold all of the time. … For different kinds of fun, you can keep up with Inès on Instagram, Twitch, or Facebook as well. You do you.

Denuded Exploits

Posted on by Team Penthouse

Denuded Debriefs

Penthouse runs a really fun little section with a bunch of bizarre very short stories that essentially seek to point out the rampant weirdness in the world. Even given our general disdain for printed pages — which denude the forest, technically — we have to admit that Publishing does a really good job with this. Of course, how hard can it be to find weirdness in the world? On the upside, that beats the heck out of finding rampant evil or unbridled stupidity. Just turn on the news. You’ll see.

Stuck in the Middle … Denuded

A naked woman was rescued after she got stuck upside down between two buildings in Santa Ana, Calif.—in a space no more than a foot wide! The woman was found after employees at a nearby auto body shop heard someone yelling for help.

“We called the cops, and the cops came in and got on the roof and looked between the two walls, and she’s all naked,” one of the workers said. “She was in pain. She was screaming in pain. She was upside down, too.”

It took firefighters two hours to complete the rescue, which involved carefully cutting through one of the concrete walls she was wedged between. It’s still unclear how the woman got herself into that predicament.

(Yeah, being upside down was the strange part? … The first thing you asked once you got her free was, “So, um, why were you upside down?” … Men with power tools video.)

Denuded Bubble Vessel Rolled AshoreFlorida Man Washes up in Bubble Vessel on the Beach (Denuded State Unknown)

A Florida man washed up in a floating bubble watercraft on the beach near Miami after attempting to run a long-distance race on water.

Iranian-born athlete Reza Baluchi, 49, was attempting to use his hydro pod, which is essentially an inflatable hamster wheel, to run from Florida to New York in the name of charity. Baluchi was less than a day into his journey when his vessel experienced some technical difficulties and he headed ashore.

This wasn’t the first time the ultramarathon runner attempted to walk on water. Baluchi and his hydro pod were rescued off the coast of St. Augustine in 2014, and again in 2016.

“I will show people anything you want to do, do it. Don’t listen to anyone. Chase your dreams,” he said. “I’ll never give up my dream. They stop me four or five times, but I never give up.”

(No word on whether the man himself was denuded, but it could be that part of his brain was missing some layers. … A lot of people covered this story, but you just have to love a site called MotorBiscuit. … Our confusion continues.)

Denuded Hermit Crabs Conceptual ArtHermit Crabs Sexually Excited by Plastic Pollution (but not denuded)

Sea pollution is a global crisis, with more than a million marine animals killed by the 8 million tons of plastic waste dumped in our oceans every year. So why is all that trash making hermit crabs so ecstatic?

In a study from across the pond at England’s University of Hull, a team of scientists found plastic waste dumped in the sea leaks the organic compound oleamide, which increases the heart rate and hyperactivity of hermit crabs, eliciting a response in the crustaceans that’s similar to sexual excitement.

“Our study shows that oleamide attracts hermit crabs,” Ph.D. candidate Paula Schirrmacher said. “This research demonstrates that additive leaching may play a significant role in the attraction of marine life to plastic.”

Hermit crabs are scavengers of the sea, who find their food by following the scent of the chemical oleic acid, which is released from decaying corpses. The naturally occurring fatty acid smells so similarly to oleamide that research suggests it’s acting as a false feeding cue and causing excitable crabs to mistake marine plastic waste as food. Think of the hyperactive crabs next time you toss a piece of plastic.

(Right. Besides, most of us think that having sex should not involve getting crabs. … That said, if you have ever wanted to know the sex of any specific hermit crab, we can help with that.)

Denuded Sperm Conceptual ArtChina Offers Award for ‘Most Beautiful’ Sperm (by definition denuded)

A sperm bank in Shanghai kicked off a 45-day competition among university students to find out who has the strongest—and “most beautiful”—sperm.

The Shanghai Human Sperm Bank invited university students in China to get an anonymous free sperm checkup to determine who has the highest concentration of swimmers. The organizers said the contest was created in response to declining sperm quality and rising male infertility, with only 25 to 30 percent of donations at the bank being viable. While the bank is calling for sperm, it isn’t collecting the entries. Instead, the bank is holding the competition to raise awareness among students about men’s reproductive health.

The [denuded] entrants will compete in each of these categories: most viable sperm, highest concentration of sperm and, strangely enough, “most beautiful” sperm. (With a side of Mayo.)

Donors who exhibit a concentration of more than 60 million per milliliter of ejaculate will be invited to donate. This isn’t the first time China has suffered a sperm shortage. Earlier this year, the Zhejiang Human Sperm Bank in Hangzhou issued a social media callout offering cash for donations. The post said: “We offer you 5,000 yuan [$760], just to find the best batch in the city. What are you waiting for?”

(We have specifically avoided any mention of possible names we could give for individuals who might be able to collect the MOST, if not necessarily the BEST, batches around here in one night — because we’re all sensitive and sophisticated like that. … We will tell you that in order to pick these four entries for your edification, we had to pass on “Man Crowned One of the World’s Dullest Dudes“ as well as “Woman Sets World Record for Running on All Fours.” … You might want to subscribe just so you never miss captivating moments like that ever again. As we understand it, there are other things of potential interest in the magazines too.)

Rebecca Chen

Posted on by Team Penthouse

Sheer Delight

Submitting to pressure from the ever-so-testy Publishing people, we have happily complied with a mini-feature on “Social Premiere” Rebecca Chen this time around. To her credit, Rebecca actually supplied a handful of photographs where she was wearing clothes, which makes it ever-so-convenient for us in the Digital Brand world. We have almost nothing in the way of text from the lovely Ms. Chen, but we have 9,000 words in the form of pictures if that helps any. For our part, we thought that helped a lot.

According to the magazine, and in a blatant manner of appeasement, therefore…

Rebecca Chen

Age: 31
Height: 5’5″

Beach babe Rebecca Chen knows how to rock a bikini! While skimpy swimwear suits her just fine, she’s equally stunning in luscious lingerie and daring dresses. These photos show the brunette beauty knows her way in front of the camera, but she’s also a dynamo on the dance floor.

“I used perform and compete in salsa dancing,” she tells Penthouse, “and eventually I worked as a go-go dancer in nightclubs.”

The Singapore native has put down roots in Thailand and says there’s no place she’d rather live. In her spare time, she works up a sweat at the gym practicing Muay Thai boxing and relaxes by catching some rays at the shore.

If she could do anything for the day, Rebecca tells us, “I’d love to travel into space.” But if you ask us, she’s already out of this world.

Fast Facts on Rebecca:

Her ideal date:
“Hanging out at the beach, having coconuts and stuffing ourselves with barbecued seafood.”
The most exciting place she’s ever had  sex:
“In my workplace—a Pilates studio. We got caught by the security guard, and XXI was fired the next day. LOL!”
Her favorite qualities about herself:
“I’m forgiving, generous and ambitious.”
Her ideal man:
“He should be kind, outgoing and mature.”
Her dream vacation spot:
“Saint-Tropez”

More Visually on Rebecca:

Now we had to crop some of the extraordinarily fine photographs shot by Jerome Biales — he of Living the Dream with Rebecca Chen fame — in order to fit the layout that the superior talents around dictated. Should you contact him via facebook, however, he would probably share the full shots with you — provided he can pull himself away from his ideal live long enough. You can find Rebecca Chen on Instagam, as one would expect, so you might be able to appeal to her there to put some “suggestion” out that Jerome share these shots. If life in Thailand works anything like life here, those “suggestions” from the right source work with amazing efficiency. … Oh. Come to think of it, you could subscribe to the magazine too, we suppose. (And we wonder why Publishing does not love us. It’s a mystery.)

Ginger Banks

Posted on by Team Penthouse

Living on Inspiration

All due respect to ManyVids, we actually enjoy the Ginger Banks answers more than the questions. We’re odd that way. Still, we have included the questions, because otherwise this would be very confusing.

What inspired you to become a content creator?

I was in college, where I felt safe to express myself sexually for the first time after leaving my small, closed-minded town. I spent a lot of my free time online, trying to turn other people on and make them smile. Eventually, I realized there was potential to make money doing this, so I started webcamming, and then I recorded my webcam shows to sell. When ManyVids came around, it was the perfect opportunity to put those videos to use; because of my extensive library of videos, I spent a few months as the No. 1 model on the platform.

Tell us one thing that no one knows about Ginger Banks.

I am a very open book, so this one is hard for me. Not many people know this, but I’m still legally married to my ex-boyfriend from college.

Do you prefer to cook or eat takeout?

I prefer to eat out at restaurants with my friends!

What song best describes Ginger Banks?

The song “Das Me” by Brooke Candy is one of my anthems.

What is your favorite quality in a partner?

My favorite quality in a partner is the ability to play and have fun.

If you were stranded on an island, what three items would you want with you?

A hatchet, some flint and water purifying tablets.

What is your favorite thing about your line of work?

My favorite thing is that it gives me the time and freedom to philosophize on the topics I am most passionate about, such as consciousness-raising, plant medicine ceremonies, sexual freedom, sexual education, healing from trauma and more.

Do you prefer salty or sweet treats?

Sweet all the way!!! That’s why my photo shoot location at the Candi Bar in Montreal was perfect for me! 🙂

What inspires you most?

What inspires me most is getting someone to think about the way they have been taught to think about sex and sex work. If I can get people to realize that their harmful treatment and attitude toward sex workers contributes to the trauma from society, then I am happy. If I can get someone to recognize that their internalized shame around their sexuality is holding them back from their full potential, then my day is made.

What is your favorite color?

Hot pink!

Close your eyes and picture ultimate happiness. Where is Ginger Banks?

I am sitting on the beach, surrounded by all my loved ones, and we are watching the most beautiful sunset that any of us has ever seen. We go into town, and the topic of sex or sex work is brought up, and the people involved in the conversation are open-minded, treating you with love in every interaction.

Name a movie that changed your perspective.

Religulous by Bill Maher was the first thing that got me to question what the church had taught me. I think it pushed me a little too far in the “super atheist” direction for a while, and I rejected all forms of spirituality because of it.

How would you describe the Ginger Banks style of love?

I try to fully love and accept the people I meet on this Earth. Love is the highest energy emotion that you can feel. Did you know that when you focus your intention on love while holding water that the molecules will rearrange themselves? Our thoughts and feelings can affect the material world around us, so I want to make as big of a positive impact on this world as possible.

What do you like to do when nobody is watching?

I like to dance like it could be the last thing I ever do. Freely moving my body has brought so much joy into my life over the past few years.

What is at the top of your bucket list?

Travel to Bali, Israel and any other place I feel called to.

Photographer: Dominic Lachance … And just for the record, we actually looked up “Das Me” from Brooke Candy. It was definitely and experience. We cannot possibly link to it from these SFW pages, but it was definitely an experience. We’ll send you off to Instagram, and you may explore (as you dare) from that point.

Alina

Posted on by Team Penthouse

Keep on Truckin’ Alina

Height: 5’9″
Measurements: 34B-23-33
Native Country: Columbia
Age: 24

Columbian cutie Alina is a natural when it comes to performing for the camera — and the lens loves her back! The hazel-eyed camgirl says she loves her job because it allows her to express her creative side and show off her talents as an actress, dancer and model. But the B-cup blonde admits she sometimes likes to sip a drink to help her relax before baring all and spills, “Before shooting this set, we drank a little rum.”

Alina says she’s excited to be in Penthouse because of the magazine’s history of celebrating women’s sensuality, and we’re thrilled to count her as one of our magnificent models. There’s no doubt this driven performer will fuel countless fantasies and race to the top of the heap.

What are some of your turn-ons and turn-offs?

Good dirty talk and wet kisses get me hot. I’m turned off if a guy is boring or smells bad. I like men who have something interesting to say.

What’s your favorite kind of date?

The place isn’t as important as the person. He needs to be someone with a good vibe, so we can connect. He also needs to act like a gentleman and be able to make me laugh. If my date can do those things, the rest of the night will be perfect and everything else will fall into place.

Do you usually wear panties, or do you go without?

I always have to wear panties. I don’t feel comfortable without them. My favorites are thongs. But I’m definitely a member of the “No Bra Club!”

Name something that’s on your bucket list.

I’d love to go skydiving in Dubai!

Do you think skydiving in Dubai would be different from skydiving somewhere else? How much can you really concentrate on the view when you’re completely focused on yelling, “AAAAAAH! This is the stupidest thing I ever DIIIIIIID!” all the way to the ground? Maybe they have excellent hospitals in Dubai? … At any rate, you can try to catch up with Alina on Twitter or Instagram, so maybe you can ask her. Having looked at at least hundreds, and perhaps thousands of airplane windows over the years, not a single person in this room claims to have thought, “Yep. I could jump from here.”

Speaking of falling into the deep end, remember Michael Jackson?

‘Cause This is Thriller — at 40

Michael Jackson Thriller Dance

When Michael Jackson released “The Girl Is Mine,” the cute, smooth — almost cloying — duet with Paul McCartney in April 1982, it hardly signaled what was to come from the rest of his sixth album. At that time — with the record still yet to be named Thriller — it would have been logical to expect more post-disco, R&B-laced pop in the vein of Jackson’s Off the Wall. He was again working with producer Quincy Jones, who had helped establish Jackson as a solo artist three years earlier, when the former child star was just 21.

But things were changing for Jackson in ways people could not even begin to imagine.

“They’re out to get you, better leave while you can. Don’t wanna be a boy, you wanna be a man.”

“And be careful what you do, ’cause the lie becomes the truth.”

Forgetting the narrative of its obviously sinister title track, even the catchy dance-pop anthems “Beat It” and “Billie Jean” had harrowing and dark lyrics, seemingly mirroring the sadness young Jackson was already beginning to feel.

Nevertheless, when Thriller was released — with an overly polished, softly focused, but fairly normal, great-looking young Black man in a white suit on the cover — the world expected more of the same sort of music from the eighth Jackson sibling, if slightly better. Michael Jackson was 24 at the time.

What they got was the genesis of the King of Pop. The greatest-selling album the world has ever seen. It’s said that Jackson wanted to create an album with no filler tracks: Thriller had seven Billboard Top 10 singles — the first album to accomplish the feat — including two No. 1 songs, the above mentioned pop classics.

“Human Nature” and “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” had echoes of Off The Wall, while “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” hinted at Bad, which would follow in 1987.

“Thriller,” the song, went beyond being just a single. The 13-minute video with Vincent Price’s chilling Edgar Allan Poe-esque monologue, and incredible makeup and choreography for the time, was a huge global event. In a pre-social media world, people sat round their TV in 1983 for the grand unveiling. 

In fact, it’s hard to separate Thriller, the album, from “Thriller,” the visual and audio experience. “Beat It” and “Billie Jean,” in particular, broke the dominance of white artists on MTV, and propelled the little known cable channel into the mainstream. Jackson also debuted his seminal moonwalk dance while performing “Billie Jean” during a televised performance celebrating Motown’s 25th anniversary.

But as an album, Thriller has sold nearly 70 million copies globally, 20 million more than its nearest rival — AC/DC’s Back in Black. Thriller stayed at No. 1 in the U.S. for 37 weeks, was the best-selling album in America for both 1983 and 1984, and won a record eight Grammys in 1984.

It is the greatest pop album of all time. Although pop alone fails to encompass the musical genres it touches.

Five years later, when Jackson released Bad — another Quincy collaboration that spawned five No. 1 hits — he was personally in decline. He had already had his fourth nose surgery, his skin was becoming paler and his sunglasses were a permanent fixture.

Within a few years, his health would wane further and his eccentric behavior would escalate. The first of many child sex abuse claims against him would also surface, charges he denied. Only 25 years after the release of Thriller, the drug-dependent recluse would be dead after suffering cardiac arrest.

Today Jackson’s legacy is slightly tainted, but Thriller stands the test of time.

“You’re fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller.”

OK. So the magazine likes us to include as many of their articles as we can, and we do try to oblige for any number of reasons, not the least of which being that beautiful women never show up around here looking for the geeks in Digital, so we need to stay friendly with Publishing if at all possible. That said, what may at first glance appear to be an odd juxtaposition here has an explanation. You see, it was the “40 years ago” part that caught our attention after having read that Alina has only been on the planet for 24 years. This means that “Thriller” came out somewhere around a decade and a half before Alina’s parents even thought about having the sex which resulted in her. That’s weird to think about, right?

Come to think of it, there may be reasons people do not often wander into our area. … A slight possibility exists that we might be strange.

Olympic Means

Posted on by Team Penthouse

A Winter of Olympic Discontent

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) really have quite a lot of countries to choose from when awarding the World Cup and Olympics respectively, so it begs belief that they would pick Qatar and China to host 2022’s two major global sporting events.

Not only are they both countries with appalling human rights records and any number of other atrocities that make a boycott seem reasonable, but in even simpler terms the weather situations are shocking.

It is ridiculously hot in Qatar, so much so that the World Cup has been moved six months down the calendar from its normal June/July dates, just so games can be survived in the so-called cooler months. Beijing in February, on the other hand, is not guaranteed snow. There are reports it may have to be shipped in from elsewhere. Snow is quite important when it comes to the Winter Olympics.

FIFA has pretty much admitted they made a mistake, and many of its members have been turfed out for taking bribes. The World Cup will not be moved from Qatar, however, despite requests from other nations.

The IOC is also standing by their decision to take the Winter Games to Beijing, saying it “remains neutral in all global political issues,” which frankly isn’t good enough, given that it has a charter that promotes equality and antidiscrimination.

The genocide of Uyghur Muslims and their enslavement in camps, reportedly revealed by the release of the Xinjiang papers in 2019, should be enough alone to warrant moving the Games. Add the treatment and censorship of journalists — both domestic and foreign — the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, trade sanctions, and the buildup of military might in the South China Sea, and you have a veritable lazy Susan of problems to choose from.

The backlash started slowly. First, the snow issue, then concerns that the creation of venues was harming the local environment, and even that the official song sounded too much like “Let It Go” from Disney’s Frozen. All pedantic window-dressing ahead of the main event.

Since then, the U.S. has called for a boycott, the U.K. has said they may boycott, Dutch and Canadian MPs have protested, and Australia has grumbled.

A diplomatic boycott seems the likely outcome with athletes still allowed to compete, but China would not be happy. The state-owned Global Times has said China would sanction countries that don’t send official diplomats. The IOC has also doubled down on their poor decision-making by saying sporting sanctions may also follow.

And so at this stage, China seems set to welcome foreigners through its borders between Feb. 4 and Feb. 20, 2022, for the first time since COVID-19 broke out in Wuhan at the end of 2019. With their zero tolerance for the virus, they fully expect zero domestic cases at the start of the Games and stadiums to be packed with vaccinated locals. The rest of the world will therefore see the natural beauty and incredible space age venues of Beijing that can’t help but make China look impressive on the world stage — no matter what else is locked away out of sight.

As for sports, the Winter Olympics are very much variations on a narrow theme — skiing, skating and getting into or onto things that slide down an icy track.

For a couple of nights every four years we love a bit of bobsled, luge and curling (like bowls on ice with manic broom-sweeping, remember?).

Figure skating has genuine beauty, though, and ski jumping requires supreme skill and bravery. The National Hockey League has agreed for players to take part, so we will witness Canada’s brilliance on the ice.

Watch out also for America’s beautiful Chloe Kim, who at only 21 is already defending her 2018 Olympic Gold Medal in the snowboarding halfpipe. Swedish cross-country skier Charlotte Kalla, likely in her last Olympics at age 34, who is already the holder of nine Olympic medals across multiple events. And Yuzuru Hanyu, the slender men’s figure skater from Japan, who seems untouchable for gold again.

The Winter Olympics shouldn’t be happening in Beijing, but they are, and we will love them for the two weeks they are on. That’s what happened in Tokyo, where despite all reservations, it was one of the most memorable games in recent times.

Then from March 2022, let’s look forward to the Paris Olympics in 2024, the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, and normal service being resumed. 

At this point, of course, we know how this all turned out. The U.S. along with several Western countries boycotted “diplomats” in protest, although this sort of sounds like the neener-neener of the political world. It seems difficult to believe that even one athlete bemoaned, “Gosh. I’m sure I would have completed much more effectively if only the diplomats had been in attendance. That really destroyed my concentration. Woe is me.” … Still, we have the results now, and we can all make of that what we will. (Neener-Neener.)

Trucici

Posted on by Team Penthouse

Joining the Hair Band with Trucici

Height: 4’11”
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Fun Fact: Closet Anime/Manga Artist

The Trucici Favorite Food: I will stuff my mouth with EVERYTHING but onions!

The Trucici Favorite Way to Work Out: Sex. JK! … I love hitting the gym & watching YouTube vids to get me motivated. A good leg day ALWAYS gets my hyped!

Trucici pet peeves: Fake people & getting deactivated from IG 10x a month.

I’m the one they call “Floss Boss.” I’m a full-time content creator, entrepreneur, gamer, & part-time Pokémon (or so, I wish!) I’m a nerdy Filipina, 4’ll” with Rapunzel-like hair who likes anime & fitness. My social media journey began in hopes to model after my idols. Since 2019, it’s been an honor to be called someone’s “inspiration” when I’m simply doing what I love: making cringe TikTok dances, collecting dildos, getting paid to be naked, FOODZ, & playing video games with my followers… The world is my oyster 😉

What can your fans expect to find on your ManyVids profile?

Sexy solo vids, roleplay, BDSM/Kink, JOI, fetishes, used panties and … NOODZ. LOTS OF IT.

Describe Your Ideal Date

Definitely a FOODZ date! It’s easy to connect over a great dish & get to know the person with an intimate convo. You learn if they’re picky or not 😉

What is the sexiest quality a person can possess?

Class.

How many pillows do you sleep with?

One for my head & the other for my imaginary ex-husband.

What motivates you to work hard?

My experience with being locked up (yes, jail) will always be my reminder to seize the day. Sitting in an 8 x 5 cell 24/7 for 2.5 years will make you appreciate life.

What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?

Refer to previous answer haha.

What is your favorite animal?

Pokemon. They exist I swear.

We have done other ManyVids profiles, but of course we wanted to give you a link so that you can visit Trucici on ManyVids. Sadly we could not link directly to any of those pages, but you will be able to find them easily enough. She does have Twitter, Instagram, and even her own website (sorta). … Now she does seem accurate when she claims they keep taking down her Instragram, but anyone who uses “Floss Boss” in her name simply has to be worth a little effort. You should track her down somewhere, though. How else will you find out how she pronounces her name? … Feel free to let us know what you learn, by the way. Better yet, ask her to drop by and tell us herself. She must be something to behold in person.