#2.1 million dollars

[nationalharryleague]

This time tomorrow, my last giant work event (approx 3000 people are coming) will be over and I will be crying tears of joy

[antiporn-activist]

A Marketplace of Girl Influencers Managed by Moms and Stalked by Men

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/22/us/instagram-child-influencers.html

Seeking social media stardom for their underage daughters, mothers post images of them on Instagram. The accounts draw men sexually attracted to children, and they sometimes pay to see more.

Feb. 22, 2024

By Jennifer Valentino-DeVries and Michael H. Keller

The ominous messages began arriving in Elissa’s inbox early last year.

“You sell pics of your underage daughter to pedophiles,” read one. “You’re such a naughty sick mom, you’re just as sick as us pedophiles,” read another. “I will make your life hell for you and your daughter.”

Elissa has been running her daughter’s Instagram account since 2020, when the girl was 11 and too young to have her own. Photos show a bright, bubbly girl modeling evening dresses, high-end workout gear and dance leotards. She has more than 100,000 followers, some so enthusiastic about her posts that they pay $9.99 a month for more photos.

Over the years, Elissa has fielded all kinds of criticism and knows full well that some people think she is exploiting her daughter. She has even gotten used to receiving creepy messages, but these — from “Instamodelfan” — were extreme. “I think they’re all pedophiles,” she said of the many online followers obsessed with her daughter and other young girls.

Elissa and her daughter inhabit the world of Instagram influencers whose accounts are managed by their parents. Although the site prohibits children under 13, parents can open so-called mom-run accounts for them, and they can live on even when the girls become teenagers.

But what often starts as a parent’s effort to jump-start a child’s modeling career, or win favors from clothing brands, can quickly descend into a dark underworld dominated by adult men, many of whom openly admit on other platforms to being sexually attracted to children, an investigation by The New York Times found. 

For this investigation, the reporters analyzed 2.1 million Instagram posts, monitored months of online chats of professed pedophiles and interviewed over 100 people, including parents and children.

Thousands of accounts examined by The Times offer disturbing insights into how social media is reshaping childhood, especially for girls, with direct parental encouragement and involvement. Some parents are the driving force behind the sale of photos, exclusive chat sessions and even the girls’ worn leotards and cheer outfits to mostly unknown followers. The most devoted customers spend thousands of dollars nurturing the underage relationships.

The large audiences boosted by men can benefit the families, The Times found. The bigger followings look impressive to brands and bolster chances of getting discounts, products and other financial incentives, and the accounts themselves are rewarded by Instagram’s algorithm with greater visibility on the platform, which in turn attracts more followers.

One calculation performed by an audience demographics firm found 32 million connections to male followers among the 5,000 accounts examined by The Times.

Interacting with the men opens the door to abuse. Some flatter, bully and blackmail girls and their parents to get racier and racier images. The Times monitored separate exchanges on Telegram, the messaging app, where men openly fantasize about sexually abusing the children they follow on Instagram and extol the platform for making the images so readily available.

“It’s like a candy store 😍😍😍,” one of them wrote. “God bless instamoms 🙌,” wrote another.

The troubling interactions on Instagram come as social media companies increasingly dominate the cultural landscape and the internet is seen as a career path of its own.

Nearly one in three preteens lists influencing as a career goal, and 11 percent of those born in Generation Z, between 1997 and 2012, describe themselves as influencers. The so-called creator economy surpasses $250 billion worldwide, according to Goldman Sachs, with U.S. brands spending more than $5 billion a year on influencers.

Health and technology experts have recently cautioned that social media presents a “profound risk of harm” for girls. Constant comparisons to their peers and face-altering filters are driving negative feelings of self-worth and promoting objectification of their bodies, researchers found.

But the pursuit of online fame, particularly through Instagram, has supercharged the often toxic phenomenon, The Times found, encouraging parents to commodify their children’s images. Some of the child influencers earn six-figure incomes, according to interviews.

“I really don’t want my child exploited on the internet,” said Kaelyn, a mother in Melbourne, Australia, who like Elissa and many other parents interviewed by The Times agreed to be identified only by a middle name to protect the privacy of her child.

“But she’s been doing this so long now,” she said. “Her numbers are so big. What do we do? Just stop it and walk away?”

In investigating this growing and unregulated ecosystem, The Times analyzed 2.1 million Instagram posts, monitored months of online chats of professed pedophiles and reviewed thousands of pages of police reports and court documents.

Reporters also interviewed more than 100 people, including parents in the United States and three other countries, their children, child safety experts, tech company employees and followers of the accounts, some of whom were convicted sex offenders.

This is how The Times found its sample of 5,000 mom-run accounts.

The accounts range from dancers whose mothers diligently cull men from the ranks of followers, to girls in skimpy bikinis whose parents actively encourage male admirers and sell them special photo sets. While there are some mom-run accounts for boys, they are the exception.

Some girls on Instagram use their social media clout to get little more than clothing discounts; others receive gifts from Amazon wish lists, or money through Cash App; and still others earn thousands of dollars a month by selling subscriptions with exclusive content.

In interviews and online comments, parents said that their children enjoyed being on social media or that it was important for a future career. But some expressed misgivings. Kaelyn, whose daughter is now 17, said she worried that a childhood spent sporting bikinis online for adult men had scarred her.

“She’s written herself off and decided that the only way she’s going to have a future is to make a mint on OnlyFans,” she said, referring to a website that allows users to sell adult content to subscribers. “She has way more than that to offer.”

She warned mothers not to make their children social media influencers. “With the wisdom and knowledge I have now, if I could go back, I definitely wouldn’t do it,” she said. “I’ve been stupidly, naïvely, feeding a pack of monsters, and the regret is huge.”

Account owners who report explicit images or potential predators to Instagram are typically met with silence or indifference, and those who block many abusers have seen their own accounts’ ability to use certain features limited, according to the interviews and documents. In the course of eight months, The Times made over 50 reports of its own about questionable material and received only one response.

Meta, Instagram’s parent company, found that 500,000 child Instagram accounts had “inappropriate” interactions every day, according to an internal study in 2020 quoted in legal proceedings.

In a statement to The Times, Andy Stone, a Meta spokesman, said that parents were responsible for the accounts and their content and could delete them anytime.

“Anyone on Instagram can control who is able to tag, mention or message them, as well as who can comment on their account,” Mr. Stone added, noting a feature that allows parents to ban comments with certain words. “On top of that, we prevent accounts exhibiting potentially suspicious behavior from using our monetization tools, and we plan to limit such accounts from accessing subscription content.”

Influencers use TikTok, too, but Instagram is easier for parents to navigate and better suited to the kinds of photos that brands want. It is also home to a longstanding network of parents and brands that predated TikTok.

From time to time, Instagram removes child-influencer accounts for unspecified reasons or because people flag them as inappropriate, The Times found. In extreme cases, parents and photographers have been arrested or convicted of child exploitation, but barring evidence of illegal images, most of the activity does not draw the attention of law enforcement.

Like many parents, Elissa, who received the threatening messages about her daughter’s photos, said she protected her daughter by handling the account exclusively herself. Ultimately, she concluded, the Instagram community is dominated by “disgusting creeps,” but she nonetheless keeps the account up and running. Shutting it down, she said, would be “giving in to bullies.”

The account’s risks became apparent last spring when the person messaging her threatened to report her to the police and others unless she completed “a small task.” When she did not respond, the person emailed the girl’s school, saying Elissa sold “naughty” pictures to pedophiles.

Days later, the girl tearfully explained to her mother that school officials had questioned her about the Instagram account. They showed her images that her mother had posted �� one of the girl in hot pants and fishnets, another in a leotard and sweatshirt.

Elissa had reported the blackmail to the local sheriff, but school officials only dropped the matter after an emotional interrogation of the girl.

“I was crying,” the girl said in an interview. “I was just scared. I didn’t understand what was going on.”

‘Walking Advertising’

In today’s creator economy, companies often turn to social media influencers to attract new customers. Giants like Kim Kardashian, who has 364 million followers on Instagram, have turned the phenomenon into a big business.

Young girls strive to do the same.

In the dance and gymnastics worlds, teens and preteens jockey to become brand ambassadors for products and apparel. They don bikinis in Instagram posts, walk runways in youth fashion shows and offer paid subscriptions to videos showing the everyday goings-on of children seeking internet fame.

“We costumed somebody for ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ thinking that would be huge P.R., but we ended up finding out the bigger return on investment is these microinfluencers,” she said. “We have parents that will spend thousands of dollars to buy styles that no one else will have. That’s our best market.”

The most successful girls can demand $3,000 from their sponsors for a single post on Instagram, but monetary gain can be elusive for others, who receive free or discounted clothes in exchange for their posts and have to pay for their own hairstyling and makeup, among other costs. Even youth fashion shows, including events in New York that coincide but are not affiliated with New York Fashion Week, charge the girls to participate and charge their parents to attend.

In interviews, parents defended spending the money to promote their daughters’ influencer ambitions, describing them as extracurricular activities that build confidence, develop friendships and create social media résumés that will follow them into adulthood.

“It’s like a little security blanket,” said a New Jersey mother whose mom-run account has led to paid modeling jobs for her daughter and invitations to work with sought-after choreographers. “She can help pay for college if she does it right,” she said.

A mother in Alabama said parents couldn’t ignore the reality of this new economy.

“Social media is the way of our future, and I feel like they’ll be behind if they don’t know what’s going on,” the mother said. “You can’t do anything without it now.”

One 12-year-old girl in Maryland, who spoke with The Times alongside her mother, described the thrill of seeing other girls she knows wear a brand she represents in Instagram posts.

“People are actually being influenced by me,” she said.

In 2022, Instagram launched paid subscriptions, which allows followers to pay a monthly fee for exclusive content and access. The rules don’t allow subscriptions for anyone under 18, but the mom-run accounts sidestep that restriction. The Times found dozens that charged from 99 cents to $19.99. At the highest price, parents offered “ask me anything” chat sessions and behind-the-scenes photos.

Child safety experts warn the subscriptions and other features could lead to unhealthy interactions, with men believing they have a special connection to the girls and the girls believing they must meet the men’s needs.

“I have reservations about a child feeling like they have to satisfy either adults in their orbit or strangers who are asking something from them,” said Sally Theran, a professor at Wellesley College and clinical psychologist who studies online relationships. “It’s really hard to give consent to that when your frontal lobe isn’t fully developed.”

Instagram isn’t alone in the subscription business. Some parents promote other platforms on their mom-run accounts. One of them, Brand Army, caters to adult influencers but also has “junior channel” parent-run subscriptions ranging from free to $250 monthly.

“Message me anytime. You will have more opportunities for buying and receiving super exclusive content😘,” read a description for a $25 subscription to a minor’s account. For $100 a month, subscribers can get “live interactive video chats,” unlimited direct messages and a mention on the girl’s Instagram story.

The Times subscribed to several accounts to glean what content is being offered and how much money is being made. On one account, 141 subscribers liked a photo only available to those who paid $100 monthly, indicating over $14,000 in subscription revenue.

Some of the descriptions also highlight the revealing nature of photos. One account for a child around 14 years old encouraged new sign-ups at the end of last year by branding the days between Christmas and New Year’s as “Bikini Week.” An account for a 17-year-old girl advertised that she wasn’t wearing underwear in a workout photo set and, as a result, the images were “uh … a lot spicier than usual.”

The girl’s “Elite VIP” subscription costs $250 a month.

Brand Army’s founder, Ramon Mendez, said that junior-channel users were a minority on his platform and that moderating their pages had grown so problematic that he discontinued new sign-ups.

“We’ve removed thousands of pieces of content,” he said. “The parents’ behavior is just disgusting. We don’t want to be part of it.”

‘The Wealth of the Wicked’

“You are so sexy,” read one comment on an image of a 5-year-old girl in a ruffled bikini. “Those two little things look great thru ur top,” said another on a video of a girl dancing in a white cropped shirt, who months later posted pictures of her 11th birthday party.

For many mom-run accounts, comments from men — admiring, suggestive or explicit — are a recurring scourge to be eradicated, or an inescapable fact of life to be ignored. For others, they are a source to be tapped.

“The first thing I do when I wake up and the last thing I do when I go to bed is block accounts,” said Lynn, the mother of a 6-year-old girl in Florida who has about 3,000 followers from the dance world.

Another mother, Gail from Texas, described being desensitized to the men’s messages. “I don’t have as much of an emotional response anymore,” she said. “It’s weird to be so numb to that, but the quantity is just astounding.”

Meta does not provide public information about who uses Instagram, so The Times analyzed data from the audience firms Modash and HypeAuditor, which estimate follower demographics based on their own algorithms.

The proportion of male followers varied greatly in The Times’s sample, according to the estimates. Many accounts had a few thousand followers who were mostly female. But while men accounted for about 35 percent of the audience overall, their presence grew dramatically as accounts became more popular. Many with more than 100,000 followers had a male audience of over 75 percent, and a few of them over 90 percent, the analysis showed.

To be sure, not all men following the accounts have bad intentions. Some are grandparents and fathers of the young influencers. Many have inoffensive profiles and simply post compliments or greetings, and mothers react appreciatively.

“In responding or even hitting ‘like’ on it, it boosts your algorithm,” said a mother in Florida whose 16-year-old daughter has been an Instagram influencer for six years. “We tried shutting comments off at one point, and some of the brands didn’t like that.”

Brands that feature children from mom-run accounts face similar challenges.

Dean Stockton, who runs a small clothing company in Florida called Original Hippie, often features girls from the Instagram accounts, who earn a commission when customers use personalized discount codes. After initially deleting many male followers, he now sees them as a way to grow the account and give it a wider audience because the platform rewards large followings.

“The Bible says, ‘The wealth of the wicked is laid up for the righteous,’” he said. “So sometimes you got to use the things of this world to get you to where you need to be, as long as it’s not harming anybody.”

Mr. Stockton said he deleted male followers who were disrespectful or sexual in their interactions. An examination by The Times of the three dozen brands that are popular among mom-run accounts found inappropriate, predatory or pornographic followers in almost all of the brands’ accounts, including Original Hippie.

Many of the men posted pornography, or their bios included sexual language and emojis that child protection experts say pedophiles can use to signal interest in children. For instance, one follower of a children’s dance wear brand described himself as a “thong & anl sx lover.” A user named “sexy_69nazi” followed a children’s apparel company and exclusively posted pornography.

Chixit, a brand selling swimwear and other clothing, describes itself as “an International Sorority,” but business records show that it was run by Philip Russo, who advertised himself as a tutor operating out of his home in the Hudson Valley of New York. Other websites registered to Mr. Russo’s email are a tutoring business and inactive domain names describing sex with animals.

After The Times reached out to Mr. Russo, the website for his tutoring business went offline. He did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment.

‘Girls Become a Currency’

The vast world of child-influencer followers on Instagram includes men who have been charged with or convicted of sex crimes, and those who engage in forums off platform where child sexual abuse imagery, including of girls on Instagram, is shared.

The Times traced the account of one follower, who goes by the moniker “jizzquizz,” to a man named Joshua V. Rubel, 39. He was convicted in 2008 of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl and is listed on the New Jersey sex offender registry. (Instagram’s policy bars sex offenders from using the platform, and the company said it removed two accounts after The Times pointed them out.)

Another account belongs to Daniel Duane Huver, a man in Lansing, Mich., who told law enforcement in 2018 that he had “top fan status” on girls’ pages, a designation bestowed by Instagram’s sister company, Facebook. The police searched Mr. Huver’s cellphone after it was confiscated by his probation officer and found hundreds of images and videos of children, including many considered inappropriate and sexually suggestive and two believed to be illegal (showing minors engaged in explicit acts.)

Mr. Huver told officers he was sexually attracted to children and masturbated to images of them, according to police records. He was charged with possession of child sexual abuse material, but the prosecutor in Eaton County later dropped charges, citing insufficient evidence because of the poor quality of the imagery.

Mr. Rubel did not respond to requests for comment. Mr. Huver said that the police mischaracterized his words and that the lack of prosecution was evidence he had done nothing wrong.

In monitoring multiple Telegram chat rooms, The Times found men who treat children’s Instagram pages and subscription services as menus to satisfy their fantasies. They trade information about parents considered receptive to producing and selling “private sets” of images.

A group with more than 4,000 members was highly organized, with an F.A.Q. page and a Google sheet that tracked nearly 700 children, identifying them by hashtags to help members find them within the long chat history. The group’s logo showed a child’s hand in an adult hand.

The Times asked the Canadian Center for Child Protection, an organization that monitors online child exploitation, to review links and other potentially illegal material posted by the Telegram groups and elsewhere. The center identified child sexual abuse imagery involving multiple underage Instagram models from around the world, as well as sexualized videos of others, including a preteen girl wearing a thong and a young teenager raising her dress to show her bikini bottom.

Men in these groups frequently praise the advent of Instagram as a golden age for child exploitation.

“I’m so glad for these new moms pimping their daughters out,” wrote one of them. “And there’s an infinite supply of it — literally just refresh your Instagram Explore page there’s fresh preteens.”

A small group of men go even further and cultivate business and patronage relationships with mothers.

One man posts videos and photos on Instagram of girls thanking him for shopping sprees, gifts like iPhones and iPads, and cash. If he does not receive a message of gratitude quickly, he sometimes shames the mother and daughter on his private Instagram account.

Another makes recommendations about increasing visibility by using specific hashtags and photographers. But two mothers said they became suspicious, and stopped working with the man, after he suggested they make certain their daughters’ nipples and other private areas could be detected through their outfits.

A third man tried to persuade a mother to sell her daughter’s used leotards because many men, including himself, were “collectors,” according to a recording of the conversation.

“In retrospect I feel like such a stupid mom, but I’m not stupid,” said a mother of a young gymnast, who dealt with similar men before she realized they were predators and received threatening messages from several of them. “I didn’t understand what grooming was.”

Sometimes the men flirt or try to develop virtual romances with mothers, offer to protect them and become possessive and angry if they interact with other men.

“It’s almost like the girls become a currency,” said the gymnast’s mother, who did not want to be named.

This feeling of ownership and jealousy can drive attempts at blackmail, The Times found.

Instamodelfan, who sent threatening messages to Elissa, sent blackmail threats to at least five other mom-run accounts. When one mother responded, he demanded that she sexually abuse her child and send him photos and videos, emails to the mother show. She refused and contacted law enforcement.

The Times communicated with a person identified on Telegram as Instamodelfan who said that he lashed out at the mothers because he believed other men got illegal images of children and he wanted them for himself.

Reporters also received information from an anonymous tipster, who they later found was linked to the blackmailer, indicating that some parents had produced explicit imagery of their daughters.

The Canadian center reviewed the imagery and said it included illegal nude photos of two girls. One girl’s mother said she was shaken to learn of the photos and did not know who could have made them. The other girl, now 17, said in an interview that the photos were for her and a girlfriend and that she told law enforcement that they had been stolen.

Others images either were borderline illegal, were too poor quality to be conclusive or were digitally altered, the center said.

Several mothers who had been identified by the tipster said they reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which, they said, had conducted an investigation. The F.B.I. declined to comment.

Ultimately, the gymnast’s mother said, a federal agent told them to stop talking to men online.

“They told everyone to get off Instagram,” she said. “‘You’re in over your head. Get off.’ That’s what they told us.”

‘My Limit of Pedophiles’

Meta failed to act on multiple reports made by parents and even restricted those who tried to police their own followers, according to interviews and materials provided by the parents.

If parents block too many followers’ accounts in a day, Meta curtails their ability to block or follow others, they said.

“I remember being told, like, I’ve reached my limit,” said a mother of two dancers in Arizona who declined to be named. “Like what? I reached my limit of pedophiles for today. OK, great.”

Mr. Stone, the Meta spokesman, said “there are lots of reasons an account might face limitations or restrictions based the account’s activity,” and therefore it was difficult to know why parents encountered these problems.

Ms. Pastore of LA Dance Designs said it was “very much overdue” for Instagram to add the ability to filter by age and sex to help identify suspicious followers. “If you’re starting to gain a following, there needs to be some sort of way to control it,” she said.

Even some egregious violations led to no action by Meta.

One parent reported a photo of erect male genitalia sent in a direct message. Another reported an account that reposted children’s photos with explicit captions. A third reported a user who propositioned her child for sex, offering $65,000 for “an hour” with the girl.

In response to those three reports, Meta said either that the communications did not violate “community guidelines” or that its staff did not have time to review them. In other cases, Meta told parents that it relied on its “technology” to determine the content was “probably” not a violation.

Separately, The Times found comments that included links to sites identified by the Canadian center as trading illegal, nude imagery of children. None of those reports received a response from Meta.

Former Meta trust and safety employees described an organization overwhelmed despite knowing about the problem for years.

“You hear, ‘I reported this account, it was harassing my daughter, why is he back?’” said a former investigator for the company who requested anonymity. “There are not enough people, resources and systems to tackle all of it.”

In recent years, conspiracy theories like QAnon, which claims Democratic politicians are trafficking children, have led to an excess of unfounded reports that have muddled the evaluation of child abuse tips, three former Meta trust and safety employees said.

A 2020 document that surfaced in a lawsuit described child safety as a “non-goal” at Meta. “If we do something here, cool,” the document said. “But if we do nothing at all, that’s fine too.” The lawsuit was brought against Meta and other companies claiming damage from using social media. Lawyers for the plaintiffs declined to provide more information about the document.

In documents from 2018 included in a separate lawsuit making similar claims of harm, a top Facebook executive told Instagram’s chief executive that unless changes were made, Facebook and Instagram were “basically massive ‘victim discovery services,’” an allusion to the considerable evidence of abuse on the platforms.

Mr. Stone, the Meta spokesman, disputed the suggestion that the trust team was understaffed and underfunded, saying that 40,000 employees worked on safety and security and that the company had invested $20 billion in such efforts since 2016. He also referred to a previous statement about the lawsuits, saying they “mischaracterize our work using selective quotes and cherry-picked documents.”

In addition, he noted that Meta reported more suspected child abuse imagery to the authorities than any other company each year. In December, it announced plans to encrypt its messaging services, which would reduce the reports.

‘It’s All Over Instagram’

Experts in child protection and development say young people should never be made to have negative feelings about their bodies. But clothing that is appropriate in a gym or dance competition may take on an unintended meaning when shared online.

Children’s dance attire regularly features strappy bra tops, sheer fabric and bikini bottoms, and popular cheer outfits combine sports bras with little skirts — part of a long-term trend toward more revealing clothing for girls.

“In the dance world we’re in, they’re half naked all the time and their legs are in the air,” said a mother in Massachusetts who declined to be named. “And if you’re not used to seeing that, maybe it’s different.”

Lynn, whose granddaughter in Texas is an ambassador for a cheerleading brand, said there was no logic to the reactions her posts received. Photos of the girl’s feet attract the most extreme comments, she said. “You can’t stop weird people, I guess.”

Still, many of the would-be influencers suffer. In some instances criticism of the posts, and accompanying bullying, becomes so severe that mothers turn to home-schooling.

“She got slaughtered all through primary school,” said Kaelyn, the mother in Melbourne. “Children were telling her, ‘We can’t play with you because my mom said too many perverts follow you on the internet.’”

In the United States, parents have substantial leeway in making decisions about their children. But people who suspect illegal behavior on Instagram quickly discover that the authorities are overwhelmed and typically focus on the clearest-cut cases.

Even the most unsettling images of sexualized child influencers tend to fall into a legal gray area. To meet the federal definition of so-called child pornography, the law generally requires a “lascivious exhibition” of the anal or genital area, though courts have found the requirement can be met without nudity or sheer clothing.

There have been criminal prosecutions against parents accused in child sexual abuse cases.

In Louisiana last year, a mother was arrested and charged with working with a photographer to produce illegal images of her daughter in a thong bikini. In Texas, a mother was sentenced to 32 years in prison in December for producing nude photos of her 8-year-old daughter with the same photographer. And in North Carolina, a mother is awaiting trial on charges that she took her 15-year-old daughter to a photographer who sexually abused her and she failed to get medical help when the girl tried to kill herself, according to court documents.

Still, those prosecutions are rare, and some male followers of the mom-run accounts openly welcome the windfall.

“As long as this stuff legally exists, I just enjoy it :),” one of them wrote on Telegram.

“Exactly,” another responded. “It’s all over Instagram.”

[lyekisses]

the posts about pw buying that spongebob kaws painting for 2 million dollars are funny except he didnt buy it for 2 million dollars. the nyt article that features pete standing next to "grr" was published in december 2016. the painting was sold at auction for 2.1 million in november 2019. three years AFTER the original photo was taken. he SOLD it for 2 million dollars. or somebody did <3

[fromtenthousandfeet]

When you look up the definition of greedy in the dictionary, there's a picture of this man

Aaack! That's terrifying.

Okay, I've been meaning to write this post for eons but it seems especially important now given all the crap that's going down at HYBE. We need to talk about BSH and his obscene wealth.

This April, Forbes published the list of South Korea's 50 richest people. Coming in at number 17 was the hitman himself, Bang Si-Hyuk, estimated to be worth 2.1 BILLION US DOLLARS. I believe that figure has likely gone down a bit thanks to HYBE's falling stock price, but that's still an absolutely crazy number.

Now let's talk about Scooter Braun. According to Wikipedia, he is estimated to be worth approximately $1 billion, however, most other outlets list him at being worth about $500 million. Either way, he's not buying generic cereal when he goes grocery shopping.

Bang PD paid approximately $1 billion dollars to Scooter when he acquired Ithaca Holdings in April, 2021. Scooter was given over $100 million in HYBE stock as well as an undisclosed cash payment.

Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande were each given $12 million worth of stock, while J Balvin received $4.8 million and Demi Lovato received $1.2 million. I would describe these "gifts" as glorified bribes to prevent each of them from bolting the minute the buyout was announced.

Now compare that to what the members of BTS received. For all their blood, sweat, and tears, starvation diets, no time off, worked to exhaustion, they each received 68,385 shares prior to the IPO, which were initially valued at $8 million per person. It's important to note Bang Si-Hyuk maintained their voting rights and votes on their behalf. So, they have shares, but no voting rights, i.e. no say in the direction of the company at the board of directors level.

It's worth noting that JB, AG, JB, and DL did absolutely nothing to earn those shares. They contributed nothing to the success of Big Hit and the eventual creation of HYBE Corporation. It's also worth noting that all four of them are no longer Scooter's clients.

HYBE America was the worst performing subsidiary under HYBE Corp in 2023, posting a loss of about $100 million (I'll dig up the financials for a future post). I think we all know where that went, but we can talk about that later. However poorly SB's business line performed, he will still continue to make profits off of his legacy clients thanks to sunset clauses in their original contracts. You can read about that here:

Scooter Braun sits on HYBE's Board of Directors. He is also 5th largest shareholder, with 0.8698% ownership. The members of BTS each have 0.1642% ownership (assuming they haven't sold their initial shares). I believe they will receive more ownership and voting rights when their new contract goes into effect, though. Meanwhile...

Bang Si-Hyuk is the Chairman of HYBE Corporation and the majority shareholder, with 31.57% ownership. He owns the place. When you add up all seven members' shares together, they still own less than 2% of the total shares of the company.

So please, for the love of GOD, understand that the members of BTS are not in charge. They are just employees. And frankly, they aren't well compensated when you compare them to other artists in the industry. Most sources say the members are each worth somewhere between $25 million to $40 million. Let's go with the low end of $25 million since that's the number I see most often. If Bang PD is worth $2.1 billion, that means each member is worth less than 1.2% of what Bang is worth.

ONE POINT TWO PERCENT!!!!

And you think Min Hee Jin is greedy???

Okay, back to the boys. Let's take a look at Simon Cowell's net worth. You know that guy? The one who formed One Direction and is a music and TV producer and personality? Do you want to guess how much he's worth? Well, its' not $2.1 billion. He's estimated to be worth a measly $600 million. And what about the former One Direction members themselves? (FYI all of these are estimates based upon online media sources).

Harry Styles - $120 million

Zayn Malik - $75 million

Niall Horan - $70 million

Louis Tomlinson - $70 million

Liam Payne - $70 million.

So, let's just pretend they each have $70 million. That means each member of One Direction is worth just under 12% of what Simon Cowell is worth.

One last thing. This is Bang PD's house in Bel Air, California. He bought it from Trevor Noah for $26 million. Mind you, that's potentially more than what the members of BTS are each worth. Just for one house in a country the man doesn't even live in.

Benevolent father figure my ass. But BTS are shareowners!!

Disclaimer: these numbers are all estimated based upon information available on the world wide web.

P.S. the 2024 Q1 earnings call is in a few hours. Prepare yourself for the media play.

[jehovahhthickness]

Just did the math … I need 2.1 million dollars after tax to take me and the people I love out the fucking hood.

[galacticlestell]

had a dream that i was at tit (sitting at the absolute last row) and michelle yeoh was there. and dan and phil thanked her and her team for sponsoring 2.1 million dollars for the show. ????????

[starlightshadowsworld]

19.12.2023 The Pentagon are concerned over the cost the Houthi's attacks will have on them.

The Pentagon.

Because all that sophisticated tech and weaponry that America has is fucking expensive.

Shocker.

Apparently the drones the Houthi are using are estimated at several thousand dollars each.

While things like the naval misses America are shooting, can cost up to $2.1 million.

Per shot.

With officials stating that while America may be shooting em down, it's all in Yemen's favour.

Gotta wonder how long they'll keep this up knowing how much money it's costing them.

Yemen has stated that even if America assembles the whole world, nothing will stop them from continuing these attacks.

To stop ships getting to Israel.

That they will only stop when Israel stops their seige and attacks on the Palestinians.

[captain-stark-rogars]

((Steve and Tony PR Contract for an Ro that I’m doing ))

**CONFIDENTIAL AGREEMENT**

**THIS AGREEMENT** ("Agreement") is entered into as of this ___ day of __________, 20__, by and between:

**Anthony Stark** ("Tony"), CEO of Stark Enterprises, residing at 1 Stark Tower New York City New York ;

and

**StevenRogers ** ("Steve"), professional football player, residing at 135 Elm street Brooklyn New York .

**RECITALS**

WHEREAS, Tony is a high-profile public figure who has recently been the subject of negative media attention, which has adversely affected his personal and professional reputation;

WHEREAS, Steve is a well-known and respected professional athlete with a positive public image and significant influence;

WHEREAS, Tony and Steve wish to enter into a temporary relationship for the mutual benefit of both parties, specifically to improve Tony's public image and to financially benefit Steve;

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and mutual covenants contained herein, the parties agree as follows:

**1. NATURE OF AGREEMENT**

1.1 **Purpose**: The purpose of this Agreement is to establish a public relationship between Tony and Steve for a period of one (1) year. This relationship is for public relations purposes only and is intended to generate positive media coverage for Tony while maintaining the integrity of Steve's public image.

1.2 **Relationship Parameters**: Both parties agree to publicly present themselves as being in a romantic relationship. This includes, but is not limited to, attending public events together, being photographed in public settings, and engaging in public displays of affection as necessary to support the narrative of a genuine romantic relationship.

**2. TERM**

2.1 **Term**: The term of this Agreement shall commence on the date of execution and shall continue for a period of twelve (12) months unless terminated earlier in accordance with Section 7 of this Agreement.

**3. COMPENSATION**

3.1 **Payment**: In consideration for Steve's participation in this Agreement, Tony agrees to pay Steve the total sum of Ten Million Dollars ($10,000,000), to be paid in the following manner:

a) **Initial Payment**: Two Million Dollars ($2,000,000) shall be paid within seven (7) days of the execution of this Agreement.

b) **Monthly Payments**: Seven Million Dollars ($7,000,000) shall be paid in twelve (12) equal monthly installments of Five Hundred Eighty-Three Thousand Three Hundred Thirty-Three Dollars and Thirty-Three Cents ($583,333.33), commencing on the first day of the first full month following the execution of this Agreement.

c) **Final Payment**: The remaining One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) shall be paid within seven (7) days following the successful completion of the one-year term.

3.2 **Expenses**: Tony agrees to cover all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred by Steve in the course of performing his obligations under this Agreement, including but not limited to travel, accommodation, and wardrobe expenses, provided that such expenses are pre-approved by Tony or his representative.

**4. OBLIGATIONS OF THE PARTIES**

4.1 **Tony’s Obligations**:

a) Tony shall make all required payments as set forth in Section 3.

b) Tony shall coordinate all public appearances and events to be attended by both parties.

c) Tony shall provide appropriate security and privacy measures to protect both parties from unwanted media intrusion.

4.2 **Steve’s Obligations**:

a) Steve shall make himself reasonably available for public appearances, photoshoots, and events as required by Tony or his representative.

b) Steve shall cooperate in the creation and dissemination of public statements and social media posts as agreed upon by both parties.

c) Steve shall not disclose the nature of this Agreement or the fact that the relationship is not genuine to any third party, except as required by law or to his legal and financial advisors who are bound by confidentiality.

**5. CONFIDENTIALITY**

5.1 **Confidential Information**: The parties acknowledge that the terms of this Agreement and the fact that the relationship is not genuine constitute Confidential Information. Both parties agree to keep this information strictly confidential and shall not disclose it to any third party without the prior written consent of the other party, except as required by law.

5.2 **Non-Disclosure**: Both parties agree not to disclose any personal or sensitive information about each other obtained in the course of this Agreement, including but not limited to private conversations, personal habits, and any other information not publicly available.

**6. TERMINATION**

6.1 **Termination for Breach**: Either party may terminate this Agreement immediately upon written notice if the other party breaches any material term of this Agreement and fails to cure such breach within thirty (30) days of receipt of written notice specifying the breach.

6.2 **Early Termination**: In the event of early termination by either party for any reason other than a breach by the other party, the terminating party shall be responsible for paying the non-terminating party liquidated damages in the amount of Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000).

**7. MISCELLANEOUS**

7.1 **Governing Law**: This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of __New York_____, without regard to its conflict of laws principles.

7.2 **Entire Agreement**: This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding between the parties and supersedes all prior discussions, agreements, or understandings of any kind, and neither party shall be bound by any condition, definition, warranty, or representation other than as expressly provided in this Agreement.

7.3 **Amendments**: No amendment, modification, or alteration of the terms of this Agreement shall be binding unless in writing, dated subsequent to the date hereof, and duly executed by the parties hereto.

7.4 **Severability**: If any provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remainder of the Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

_____________________________

Tony Stark

_____________________________

Steve Rogers

_____________________________

Witness/Notary Public

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Inside Climate News:

Each year, school buses around the U.S. carry students more than 4 billion cumulative miles. However, the majority of them are powered by diesel-fueled engines that pre-date the Environmental Protection Agency’s emissions standards. 

Along with releasing climate-warming emissions, these diesel engines produce toxic gases such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, which can cause an array of health problems; research shows that diesel school buses exacerbate childhood asthma and drive increased reports of pneumonia and bronchitis.

But momentum is building around a federal initiative to clean up schools’ gas-guzzling bus fleets by replacing them with cleaner electric convoys. Today, I am taking you to school to explore this green bus revolution. 

In 2022, the Biden administration announced the first investments from the EPA’s “Clean School Bus Program,” which was launched to help speed up the electric transition in schools. As of January 2024, the EPA has provided around $1.84 billion to fund 5,103 “clean” school buses—96 percent of them electric—and charging infrastructure at 642 school districts in states, territories and tribal lands, according to a recent report. 

Powered by large batteries, electric school buses do not produce any tailpipe emissions. In fact, the EPA says switching even just half of U.S. school buses from diesel to electric could avoid 2.1 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. A large-scale transition to electric vehicles in general would also have widespread benefits for pediatric lung health by reducing asthma attacks and cases of bronchitis, according to a report from the American Lung Association published in February. 

The problem? Electric school buses cost around $400,000 each, roughly three to four times as much as diesel-powered buses. That doesn’t factor in the additional tens of thousands of dollars required to build out infrastructure such as electric charging stations. For many school districts, shouldering the cost for this transition alone is impossible, which is why the EPA’s grants and rebates are coming into play. 

Though upfront costs are steep, pilot programs show that long-term maintenance costs for electric school buses can be around 44 percent cheaper than diesel buses, and charging is significantly less expensive than traditional fuel. 

[gingerswagfreckles]

Literally Biden agrees to try to secure 100 BILLION dollars from the US government for the IDF's war crimes (OUR fucking money, btw) in return for a useless promise from Netanyahu to let in just 20 (!!??) trucks of aid for 2.1 million people.....and now Netanyahu isn't even going to let those 20 trucks in lol. And Biden is STILL working to get the IDF war crime bomb money. No mention of the incredibly flimsy deal that the Israeli government had no intention of following through on. Lol. Lmfao, even. Fuck this guy for real.

[docholligay]

Episode 2.1: Shauna

Hello! This is about up to Season 2, Episode 1 of Yellowjackets, and ONLY that of Yellowjackets. I have not seen beyond this spot, at all, and know NOTHING about this show. Please do not spoil it for me.  Things that are spoilery in nature, for me, include: saying things like  “Just wait!!” confirming or denying anything I put forward, outside information about the cast interviews or creator statements, leading questions like “Do you think “blank moment” means anything?” etc. Remember  that Y’ALL HAVE SEEN THE SHOW AND I HAVE NOT. This informs the way you  talk about things relating to the show. Just be really careful is all  I’m asking. Also: If there is LITERALLY any stance I  could take on this show or character that would make you upset, please  just fucking block the tag

If you WOULD like to discuss the show and my takes on it, the Discord is right here! I don’t go there, so it’s a great place to get every emotion out.

Please thank @sailorsunspot and @moonlight-frittata for backing this odd way of doing a liveblog, and remember my tip jar is always open

First off, this is a crackerjack episode in so many ways, but ESPECIALLY for Shauna. 

For once, i am dumbstruck. Shauna is such a delightfully fucked up little creature, both in the past and current day. 

So Jackie is haunting Shauna, but of course that’s ot true at all, Shauna is haunting Shauna. The Jackie in Shauna’s, we’ll call them hallucinations for lack of a really appropriate word in the English language, isn’t the real Jackie, the Jackie who lived and who we saw in the show. I think I pointed this out in the jackie’s birthday episode, when she appears to Shauna in her old bedroom. This is Shauna’s idea of what Jackie would say to her if she could. This Jackie in Shauna’s mind, if we look at the real Jackie we meet, is so much meaner, but particularly in a ore clever, more cutting, plain SMARTER way, because she’s actually Shauna. She’s an externalized view of Shauna’s guilt. 

Even the game, ‘Oh great, I’m my mother” but without a million dollars. She did become her mother, but without a million dollars! Shauna is nothing but self-fullfilling prophecy, she’s defeatist and resigned and this, I think is a problem that can’t be blamed on the crash. I think she might have ended up going to Jackie’s college and living in her pink and green dorm room and telling herself it just happened to her, it wasn’t really her fault. Maybe not. But Shauna was already inclined that way long before their plane fucking dropped out of the sky. But here, she has Jackie telling her, in a playful game way sure, but telling her, that all she can be is the sad mother she subtly resents. And Shauna will bind herself to that! She has to be what Jackie said she would be, she has to be what Jackie might have been, except of course…Jackie might have been happy having a husband and daughter and staying at home. She has to have jackie tell her what she thinks, in a way, she might deserve. 

Does Shauna know she’s doing this? I don’t think so. I think for all of her writing about herself, for all the ways that she documents, she’s not very fucking introspective. Even if she does have an inkling, she could never allow herself to admit it. Why did I run around with a younger man? Why did I stab him? Why did I sleep with Jeff in the first place? Why do I try to force the hand of everyone I love into hating me? Why did I EAT MY BEST FRIEND’S EAR? 

I think you could ask her all these questions, and she would just do that Shauna shaking her head throwing her hands up, “It just--just happened!” thing because I think she has no clue why she’s like this, and I think that bothers her, and I think her need to both write her life, and to keep it as a catalog, is an attempt to try and explain herself. But it doesn’t work. For all her efforts to remember and understand what happens to her in her life, she is so disconnected from her own mind, that she sees everything as happening to her rather than anything that she had even the smallest hand in. I hate it, it’s perfect, I want to beat the shit out of Shauna all the time. 

“But Doc, Doc what about Shauna’s homoerotic fixation with Jackie? What about her literally consuming her in order to ensure Jackie remains a part of her?” This is going to sound strange but it’s the sort of thing that’s so obvious to me that it barely feels worth mentioning, it feels worth mentioning in the same way that a human being would mention that A Christmas Carol has English people in it. Thank you for your incredibly obvious contribution. 

But I think my favorite thing about her eating the ear is that while it is, of course grotesque, and takes you aback, it doesn’t feel SHOCKING. Like, while I was looking at Shauna with my eyes wide, the words, ‘I can’t believe she fucking did that” never crossed my lips, because of COURSE she would do that. It makes complete sense. What the fuck else was she ever going to do? It was a scream of realization, not surprise. 

What did surprise me, in a positive way, is that we’ve focused a lot, or at least that’s been a lot of my focus, on cannibalism as predation, and as becoming the hunter. BUt here we have this really interesting space for this idea of cannibalism as devotion, and as desire, and I’m not sure if they are intending to go anywhere with that, but in the framing of this action, it is so obvious that Shauna is not acting out of hunger, but out of emotion. And I’m not sure I expected that. Really like it. 

But it’s so much the same with Adam as it is with Jackie, as it is with everything. She can’t let go of him, she is holding on to these things that are not only unhelpful to her, but actively harmful. She is hurting herself by the way she chains herself to her past, to remind herself of not only that it was real, but in the sort of way where she needs to see a listing of her sins. To remind herself of why she’s being punished, and every bad thing that has ever happened to her. 

Speaking of externalizations of Shauna’s judgment, Callie sure is a piece of work, huh? She’ll never ever be satisfied with anything her mother does. Not that I think she should back the play of her mother killing her lover, but it wouldn’t have mattered if she told Jeff about the affair or not, it would have been wrong in any case. Callie is the second coming of jackie, but with all of Shauna’s cruelty. 

Neither Callie nor Shauna actually deserve Jeff, just as an aside. The whole scene with Jeff fucking Shauna on the drawings Adam did of her, of him staring at that art while he’s having sex with this woman he loves. And she tells him she always thought the idea of him with someone else was a little hot, but he, I don’t think, thinks that. He doesn’t think the idea of Shauna with someone else is hot. His fantasy was of someone returning and armoire and finding that fucking hot. He is so vanilla and straight-up, and Shauna is not. And, by the way, Shauna’s fucking lying here, she was never turned on by this idea. She’s playacting out as per her therapist, because she has to rescue this moment, she has to keep jeff near her. This is why while it’s happening she is staring at a picture of herself with her face half eaten away. When she brushes away the painting Adam made with turpentine, she’s scrubbing away the first time she felt seen as herself, seen as a woman, not seen as Shauna the victim, Shauna the wife, Shauna the mother.

[uswnt5]

All I see is this:

https://www.oncediario.com/notas/51413-tigres-femenil-lizbeth-ovalle-liga-mx-femenil-fichaje-instagram-que-pasa

"To give you an idea of ​​what the transfer could mean, those close to the player assured that it would be a higher figure than the Orlando Pride paid for Bárbara Banda , the most expensive signing at the time, with a total of USD $2.1 million dollars , including her salary and performance bonuses."

thanks!

[beardedmrbean]

WASHINGTON – Hunter Biden, the president’s son, was indicted on charges he failed to pay his income taxes, Justice Department special counsel David Weiss announced Thursday.

The announcement came months after a plea deal over tax and gun charges collapsed. Under the agreement, which a federal judge rejected, Hunter Biden was set to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of failing to pay taxes in 2017 and 2018.

Biden is charged in a California federal court with three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanors. He engaged in a scheme in which he failed to pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed taxes from 2016 through 2019, and also evaded tax assessment for 2018 when he filed false returns, according to the indictment.

From 2016 to 2020, Biden spent money "on drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a personal nature, in short, everything but his taxes," according to the indictment.

Separately, Weiss has charged Hunter Biden in Delaware with three federal gun charges, basically alleging he lied about using drugs when he bought a revolver in 2018. Biden pleaded not guilty to the charges Oct. 3.

"Based on the facts and the law, if Hunter’s last name was anything other than Biden, the charges in Delaware, and now California, would not have been brought," said Abbe Lowell, an attorney for Hunter Biden, in a statement.

"Now, after five years of investigating with no new evidence -- and two years after Hunter paid his taxes in full -- the U.S. Attorney has piled on nine new charges when he had agreed just months ago to resolve this matter with a pair of misdemeanors," Lowell said.

Biden faces a maximum penalty of 17 years in prison if convicted on the tax charges, the Justice Department said in a press release. It noted that actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than maximum penalties.

Congressman Jason Smith, who heads the House Ways and Means Committee, said in a statement that the new charges further confirm the need for Congress to conduct an impeachment inquiry of Joe Biden "in order to uncover all the facts." The charges address years in which Hunter Biden earned millions of dollars by selling access to a family brand that was built on Joe Biden's political career, he said.

What are the tax charges?

While failing to pay his taxes, Biden allegedly spent millions on an extravagant lifestyle. In 2018, for example, he made about $383,000 in payments to women and spent about $151,00 on clothes and accessories, according to the charges.

Biden faces two felony charges of filing a false return and one felony charge of tax evasion. The six misdemeanor counts are for allegedly failing to file returns or pay his taxes when required.

Prosecutors have said Hunter Biden took in $2.4 million in income in 2017 and $2.1 in 2018 through Ukrainian energy firm Burisma, a Chinese-development firm, as well as domestic business interests and legal services.

Leo Wise, an assistant U.S. attorney, said at a July court hearing that an accountant prepared Biden's taxes both of those years, but his corporate and personal taxes were not paid. During this period, Hunter Biden made large cash withdrawals and covered other expenses like car payments on a Porsche, Wise said.

Hunter Biden told the court a "third party" paid the back taxes along with interest and fees pursuant to a personal loan he has not begun to repay.

Why did the judge reject the plea agreement?

Prosecutors had recommended probation for the two misdemeanor tax charges in the plea agreement, despite each carrying a maximum sentence of 12 months in prison. The agreement over the gun charge anticipated a pretrial diversion program that would wipe the charge off Biden’s record if he complied.

House Republicans called the agreement a “sweetheart deal” for lack of jail time.

U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika rejected the deal because of a dispute between prosecutors and defense lawyers over what it meant. Biden's lawyers argued that he would be protected from prosecution in future cases, but prosecutors denied that.

[traewilson]

So. I wanted to believe in Megalopolis. The promise of Megalopolis.

For those not in the know of cinema: Francis Ford Coppola started production awhile ago on a film he had been tinkering with behind the scenes for literal decades. His magnum opus. After years of studios refusing to finance his passion project, Coppola decided to make the film a Hail Mary throw; he would sell his winery and finance the film personally. This would be his first film ever, really, where Coppola would have true unrestrained creative freedom. The amount of control could only be compared to One from the Heart from 1981. He sold Megalopolis to the audience as an act of rebellion against the mainstream studio system, and I bought it.

I saw the film as potentially a turning point moment for the movie industry. Audiences are growing increasingly bitter with the products of the studio system. The workers within the studio system are getting abused en masse, resulting in mass strikes (based) and the studio system itself seems to be coming unglued, with colossal budgets that are just plain unable to be recouped short of a miracle, and an increasing disdain for the very concept of art and artistry displayed by the executives who act as lord and master of the industry; Alpha and Omega.

I saw Megalopolis as potentially a beacon of light for filmmakers to pursue. Sure, most people don't have access to Coppola's resources. But people can make films for essentially next to nothing and still be works of art and box office gold - the ideal for the movie business. Blair Witch Project is an obvious example - a budget in the range of $200,000 to $750,000 dollars; pulled in $248.6 million dollars. A more relevant example would be Skinamarink from 2022. Budget of a mere $15,000 dollars, pulled in $2.1 million at the box office. I also gotta shout out one of the true MVPs of American cinema, one Roger goddamn Corman (rest in peace king) who consistently made films that were very entertaining and could even be great at times (seriously, check out The Intruder; remarkable film), and only his very last Directorial effort cost more than $1,000,000 dollars. I wanted Megalopolis to succeed, and do gangbusters, in the hopes the movie industry would go through a drastic metamorphosis; a new era, a new American New Wave that could give us the next Spielberg, Scorsese, George Lucas, De Palma, the next Coppola.

In hindsight, I was naïve. In my daydreaming of an ideal world, I forgot the New Wave gave us the likes of Roman Polanski, a once-great filmmaker who was a belligerent bully on set who went on to rape his own child and flee to Europe rather than face justice for his crimes. It gave us Woody Allen, who made a film romanticizing pedophilia and then went on to groom and marry his own adopted daughter. It gave us William Friedkin, a truly great filmmaker who was a belligerent bully who didn't really give a shit who got hurt so long as the film got done His Way. Look up what happened to Ellen Burstyn on the set of The Exorcist. This was unacceptable. It gave us John Landis, an affable charming fellow in interviews, who was an absolutely loathsome tyrant on his film sets, who wound up killing Vic Morrow, Myca Dinh Le (aged 7,) and Renee Shin-Yi Chen (age 6) via a botched helicopter stunt, and then promptly addressed zero remorse and no apology for his criminal negligence.

I forgot how Coppola gave a certain filmmaker the money he needed to make his first full film, 1989's Clownhouse. Even gave him access to his house in Napa Valley for filming, and the same cameras George Lucas used to shoot American Graffiti. That director was Victor Salva, who went on rape the main star, Nathan Forrest Winters, repeatedly between shoots. Coppola ran defense for Salva, saying that he never saw anything, and besides, the age difference between them wasn't anything to write home about. Nathan Winters was 12. Victor Salva was 29. Coppola, undeterred, helped finance Salva's next film after he was released from prison. Coppola felt he served the time, so he deserved another chance. Salva was sentenced to three years in prison, which is bad enough, but he then went on to serve only 15 months of that service. Apparently, that's enough time for FFC.

I knew these things, and yet I foolishly thought he had changed; that he no longer held those beliefs. Well, now we know, that not only has Coppola not changed, he was much worse than we thought before.

Video was released today of Coppola groping female extras on the set of Megalopolis. There's audio of him cheekily announcing over megaphone, "Sorry if I come up and kiss you. Just know it's solely for my pleasure." These aren't accusations; there's video and audio of it. Unless it's all an elaborate AI fake, Coppola did this shit. I was livid. Legitimately infuriated. Betrayed in a parasocial sort of way. Because I realized, the vision I had for Megalopolis, what I saw in Megalopolis, and what HE saw in Megalopolis are two very different things.

Coppola didn't just want to defy the studio system. He didn't just want to make his film, his way. He wanted to be free of any and all responsibility for his actions. Working under a studio system has drawbacks, massive ones, but when someone oversteps boundaries, there are Some guardrails to ensure they're penalized for it, especially post-Weinstein; post-MeToo. Coppola's vision of artistic freedom isn't mine. His vision is liberation from all consequences; a laissez-faire libertarian wonderworld where he is the supreme master of his domain, and all underneath him are subject to his whims and desires. Alpha and Omega. Zeus descends from on high, shoots some footage, gropes an actress' ass, then ascends back to Olympus.

To anyone who, like me, was inspired by the promise of Megalopolis, and feels dejected that the reality of Megalopolis was a monument to the selfish, to the ego - make your art anyway. Make your art your way, but don't value your selfish whims over what's right. Don't mistreat your workers; don't abuse them. Artistic vision without compassion results in petty tyrants who are so drunk on their artistic legacy, they value nothing else. Don't fall for that trap. Find your way, make your art, don't let people push you around - but don't value your art over your fellow man; your ego over your fellow man. The Internet and the March of Progress has given people all the tools to make great art for relatively little. You don't even need to make things for a career! You can just make art for its own sake, with no sight for making it a career. Fuck it! Who's to say you can't make films, make video games, make novels, make comics, make anything you want just because you want to? If anything there's a strong argument to be made that monetizing the thing that makes you happy risks spoiling that thing.

[maturemenoftvandfilms]

Pastor Hagee

CHAPTER THREE: The End of the Age

Featuring American pastor and televangelist, John Hagee  

When I left my apartment, I was starting to feel bad about taking advantage of John Hagee like this and was starting to examine the nature of my relationship with the 80-year-old pastor. I know I should hate these self-righteous types who spew venom in the name of their god. But my penchant for short, chubby men with big asses seems to win out when it comes to him. Plus it's awesome having Hagee caught in some embarrassing and hypocritical sin.

When I arrived at his $2.1 million dollar 7,969 acre ranch, I walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. I could hear the loud chime echoing through the house. I rang it again and again. Hagee's wife, Diana answered the door and I lied about having a meeting with her husband. This wasn't my first time lying so I relaxed and followed to pastor Hagee's office.  As soon as he saw me, pastor Hagee feign happiness to see me.

"Lord, help me. Why are you here?!” Hagee said moments after his wife left the room.

I stared blankly at him, then down to my crotch, pointing at it and back at him again. I could see the pent up anger inside him slowly melted the longer he looked at me.

"Here to ruin me again. Use me like I was a woman!”

I couldn't resist anymore and hugged him, pressing my mouth to his. Just before our lips touched he closed his eyes and shuddered. Then our lips met and forced my tongue into the old man's resistant mouth. He didn't respond at first, but slowly , in spite of himself, he started to respond. Weakly at first, but then as I emptied my soul into the kiss he response became almost passionate. And the old pastor’s kisses became more passionate the longer we embraced.

“Have you been thinking about me?” I asked as began kissing his eyelids.

“Yes. I hate you.” The old pastor confessed as he looked away. His breathing was getting more rapid and I started to kiss his neck.

“Why?” I asked as I lifted up his shirt and sucked on his nipples, causing him to moan and thrusting his hips in the air.

“I told you! You ruined me! You made me gay for you,” Hagee said with his voice rising again in anger as I moved down until my face was even with his crotch.

“Hell, when I’m fucking my wife, I keep remembering getting fucked by you.” He said as I undid his pants, releasing thick, rock hard cock.

Then I closed my lips around his cock, Hagee started moaning as I tongued and sucked his thick dick. I loved sucking his dick and his moans were music to my ears. I wanted to devour him. As I continued sucking I began to rub his balls and thighs. His breathing was almost frantic now and I knew he was about to burst. I hated to stop sucking him, but when I felt the old man tense up, I knew that I must or he would shoot off.

Although I abandoned his dick, I didn’t stop giving him pleasure. I spun him around, spread his fat, slightly flabby cheeks and pushed my mouth against the rose bud of his asshole. Then as Hagee began to wiggle in delight, I started licking his asshole. It was tight, but not as tight as the first time when I had fucked the old pastor. My cock had stretched his old asshole enough that it would never be as tight again.

I still did have to work some to get my tongue inside his asshole. I loved the tangy taste of his asshole and the silky textures inside him. Hagee went crazy as I worked my tongue deeper and deeper into him. He started arching his back and bucking when I began to twist and turn my tongue deep inside his asshole.

“Oh, God! That was wonderful,” The old pastor said, when I stopped and slid up his body.

“You’ve ruined me,” He said, but there was no longer anger in his voice. “Completely ruined me.”

“Yeah, I’ve brought you out of your little closet." I said, getting even more pleasure out of humiliating the old pastor.

“I’m going to fuck you like you like you fuck your wife!” I called out to him as I reached down and grabbed my huge dick and began to masturbate it until it was hard enough to ram inside the old pastor’s tight asshole.

Hagee began shaking his head defiantly as I spit on the head of my dick. But he didn’t make any effort to fight me as I pressed the swollen red head of my cock against his old tight asshole. His ass was beautiful, round and plump. I grabbed his cheeks and spread them wider as I put more and more pressure against my dick until it popped into his asshole.

The old pastor muffled his cries as I leaned over and kissed the back of his neck as I drove my dick deep into him. Then I started fucking the old pastor hard as he braced himself againest his desk. He gasped for air, knowing he couldn't make any noise, I could tell by him looking back at me that he wanted it even harder. I fucked his ass until the shaft of my dick was lathered up. Damn this was good!

“See? You like it. You want it. You love it. You were born to be fucked like this!” I said as I got so much pleasure out of controlling him, of spitting my words at him, that I suddenly shot my load deep in his pretty ass.

Then, with cum still dripping from my dick, I quickly got next to his head and he immediately shut his eyes. My cock was looming in his face, Hagee opened his mouth expectantly and I lay my cock on his lips. I really expected him to object, but he didn't as he licked me over my cock head and down the shaft. I loved the feeling of domination over his will, I loved the soft rasping of his devotion on my cock as he gracefully wrapped his lips around my cock and sucked me dry.

Wanting to taste his cum, to feel his pleasure. I jerked my dick out of the old man's mouth and got back down between his legs and started sucking his dick for all I was worth. He moaned and hunched my mouth as I skillfully brought him closer and closer to a climax. Then just when I felt him tensing up I stopped sucking his dick, and grabbed it and jacked it.

Cum shot straight up into the air. Gobs of thick white sperm landed on his book shelves and photos. More struck his chair and floor. I was over him, licking him clean as he went limp. Raising to my feet to face him, Hagee eagerly kissed me for several minutes before I broke contact.

"Now that I've broke you in. Your totally mine." I whispered as I kissed him on the forehead.

“I still like fucking my wife. And I couldn’t bear the thought of having sex with another man. If I am gay, it’s only with you.” Hagee said, his voice shaking as he hugged me like he would never let go.

[dragon-phoenix-along]

Y’all get my crack fanf au info now.

I’m not sure what I’m calling it, probably something catchy like Star struck, but Idk.

It was made before the Ruin DLC came out, but might change to a “oh shit these guys are incredibly impressive and we should save their code” kind of thing.

Original idea below cut, along side newer idea(maybe)

This AU is basically biased on two things:

Sun and Moons hight

And my hight.

We don’t have their canonical heights, however we can assume their hight is roughly between 6-7 feet (1.8-2.1 meters)

Guess who else is conveniently in that size range?

Me, or at least me when I finish growing. My family’s average high is 6”4 (193 cm) (which is tall for an afab person)

Now for an afab person who wears heels?

Let’s just say it’s a high range I’m well within, when I’m dressing how I like.

Here’s the basic premise of the AU, my charter Minnie is 6”3 (190 cm) and is a kind of eccentric scientist, who is hired by this company to help create robotic assistants, and security guards.

Minnie hears the rumors around The Fazbear company, and about how advanced their AI is.

Now being a coder, who created almost every bit of these animatronics they have, they are very interested in Fazbear. So with permission from their company, they ask if they can go and see these animatronics in action.

Which animatronic happens to deal with helping people and doing security work? (And has its own cult following?) The Daycare attendant!

So Minnie comes in mid-day to watch the Daycare attendant. Which would have been fine if not for two things:

Minnie insisted that they not know why they were here

Minnie is a 6”5(they wear platforms) goth woman with long burgundy hair and dresses like a Victorian ghost

So this visit goes about as well as you think, and after giving Sun a miniature panic attack after they not only managed to fall into the ball pit, but also get themself on top of a play structure. When the Daycare closes they are throughly interrogated by the rather stressed Sun

…

Yeah thats the best first interaction Minnie had with All the animatronics in the Pizza plex.

But Minnie isn’t alone in this adventure! No no!

They have their security guard Will to help as well!

Now Will, short for William obviously, is a 5”5 (165 cm) Trans man who got hired my Minnie to help develop the AI of Pegasus, the security guard animatronic they are working on. Picrew of him at end.

Now Will’s actual job description is such: To break into a place Pegasus is in and survive. That’s it. He was originally hired by Minnie to do this by breaking into the building Pegasus was guarding and then steal a box.

The box was his job application forms.

Now Minnie and Will have a strange friendship, and the reason Will got his name is because of a pun.

Will feral.

Now the reason we call Will feral, is because after being hired by Minnie to basically light their few Million dollar robot on fire, he decided to follow Minnie around. Minnie is eccentric and weird and need supervision from both Will and their little helpers.

Minnie being a successful, gender queer who dressed like a Victorian lady in mourning often gets them spotted and harassed. And one day, while on the way to a meeting. Will just started barking at this guy who kept making passes.

At a later date, he had soda in his mouth and started to foam at the mouth while barking at a man who had done something similar.

So Wills second job came around. Minnie’s personal security guard.

And as Minnie’s friend, who gets paid to hang around them, drop to all fours bark and growl at people. It’s understandable that he also asks to be able to foam at the mouth on command.

Wills hole gag is being this feral little goblin man, who is smart and is technically inclined. Except he’d rather bite his friend, and drop to the ground on all fours and start barking and growling like a dog while foaming at the mouth.

If you’ve been paying attention I also mentioned Little helpers.

The Little helpers names are Heart, and Star.

They are two of the other type of animatronic Minnie makes. The assistant type.

Heart is the model body version of Pegasus, and test AI for Star.

Now Heart and Star are designed to run off of air pollution, such as an excess of greenhouse gases. They take that in and convert it into oxygen (like a plant) and run off of that.

It’s Also worth mentioning that Heart and Star are 45 and 69cm tall (1”6 ft and 2”3ft)

Heart and Star run around following Minnie around most times, but they have their jobs in the work place too. As cute as they are. (Image will be below Williams, Heart on the right, Star on the left)

Two more major oc, then I promise I will add the animatronics!

Comet, and Another who we are calling PI, short for Poor Intern.

Now PI is assigned to Will and Minnie after they break into the Pizza plez (instead of Gregory originally) and make Moon create a report on their break in.

Long story short for THAT fiasco is that Minnie wanted to test out Moons reaction to a break in, but wanted to see it in person. So after sending in her hired “thief” they go in, and scare Moon (cause 6”5 human who stops breathing when you look at them and 5”5 human who drops to the floor and starts foaming at the mouth Is Something He Was NOT programmed for) And escape.

Minnie’s company was not impressed and assigned PI to make sure they didn’t break in again.

They did.

And this time they were supervised!

Comet comes in as the Emotional Support security guard, who also gets spooked by the Victorian ghost, feral man, and GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL who break in.

Comet ends up helping them to communicate between companies a lot, and develop Heart and Stars AI.

Comet and Minnie end up as a couple, and PI and Will end up together.

It’s mainly just a crack fic for my friends with some cute animatronic OC’s I’ve made (and Pegasus)

Here’s what you’ve been waiting for this hole time!

My cannon hights list!!!:

Dj: 10”

Moon: 6”7

Pegasus: 6”6

Minnie: 6”5 (6”3) [With then without heels]

Chica: 6”4

Monty: 6”2

Freddy: 6”

Map bot: 5”10 (Favorite bot get a different hight)

PI: 5”8

Security bot: 5”6

Feral bastard man, (Will):5”5

Roxy: 5”4

ESSG(Comet): 5”3

Wet floor sign: 3”

Star: 2”6

Baby music man: 2”

Heart: 1”6

Cheese: “10 [Will’s animatronic friend]

SCREEEEE(Twilight): “6 [Comets animatronic friend]