#i've added some show footage to it :)

[poirott]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AGATHA CHRISTIE! (b. September 15 1890)

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime"—a moniker which is now trademarked by her estate—or the "Queen of Mystery". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.

[directdogman]

Hi, I hope you're having a decent day! I'm sorry if this is an invasive set of questions - feel free not to answer - but do you still actively like DSaF as your own creation, or is it more of a "it was fun while it lasted but i outgrew it and it's for the best to leave it behind" kind of project? Do you ever regret making the games? If you knew they would get so popular, is there anything you would have changed about them? Is there anywhere I could read more of your writing.

It fluctuates a bit. These last couple of years, I've really just been sorta nostalgic for it. I've seen a lot of people discuss those games being a source of comfort during bad times in their lives, people talking about how much the characters mean to them and it's hard not to smile when you see that.

It's a funny thing for close friends of yours to see people WITH fanmade DSaF merch out in the wild, or to watch a random youtube video and being hit with a DSaF reference outta nowhere. It happens from time to time, even today. On a few occasions, I've even had a person reference my work to me in real life and not realize who they were talking to, believe it or not. It's really fun to play dumb and get someone to explain your work to you like you don't know what it is.

I certainly didn't think any of that would happen when I first made the series, or even during development. I think the normal assumption would be to look at DSaF as it exists now and assume its release was a peak for it, but believe it or not, the official discord only had 30 people in it shortly before 3 dropped! The archive listing of the series (reposted to a single page after the series ended) is now sitting at over 1.1 MILLION downloads.

People kinda assume the true heyday of something is when it's new, when it's fresh and novel. For instance, some people look back at when FNaF itself was new and see that time as its peak because it had a lot of internet cultural relevance as big new indie thing on the block. But, raw numbers don't lie. The series has been continually growing since its conception and that growth has similarly bled over to its fan projects. This explains why DSaF, despite not having a new series release in almost 6 years, seems to be inexplicably growing.

Just recently, I saw someone post footage of a scene from DSaF 2 on Twitter, which got over 16k likes. People praised its writing and largely celebrated the scene. The ironic thing about that particular scene is that I remembered being unsure if it was good or not, so I showed it off in one of the FNaF community hubs. The response was broadly lukewarm to negative. Now, it's held up as one of the best scenes in those games. That's kind of the point I'm trying to make, my thoughts on the series have certainly changed with everyone's else with years of hindsight.

Heh. I'm not sure if I've talked about this in a long time, but y'know, the very first scene I implemented in-game was actually the very first Phone Guy scene in DSaF 1, more or less exactly how it appears in-game today. This was before I'd even written the bulk of the game. I was pretty unfamiliar with visual novels as a whole, pretty unsure if something like this would be palatable to a fandom that was really just used to sit 'n' survive stuff that were far more gameplay than text. I mean, there wasn't any FNaF fangames really LIKE DSaF before that point. Closest was FNaFb, a jokey turn based RPG made in the same engine.

The engine I made the game in is also not exactly fit for VNs out of the box either, and I wasn't 100% sure the idea would actually work. But, the very first time I added the image of the prize corner, Phone Guy, the audio of that iconic cheesy stock track and booted up a test screen, I had a little moment where I said "Oh. I think I'm onto something interesting here." I kinda remembering instantly realizing in that single moment how much potential the idea had. Over 8 years later, I still remember that moment like it was yesterday.

I think lately, that's the sort of stuff I think of when I see people coming to me and asking about the series. Yes, it's really rough around the edges, yes, there's jokes that've aged poorly. But, it is a source of comfort for people and entertains tens of thousands of people each month. And that's gotta count for something, right?

[merchelsea]

sacrifice - lando norris

pairing: lando norris x fem!reader

summary: you and lando have a long distance relationship due to your hard work. you rarely have free time to attend to his races, the only one you actually attend every year is monaco's. you understand things will have to change when lando gets into a crash and that makes you want to be there with him at everytimes.

author’s note: i hate making myself go through this.

word count:

warnings: lets pretend lando crashed duriung the interlagos gp, not the LA one, for the sake of the plot :)

"hey, babe!" you mumbled as you stirred from your nap. originally meant for a quick rest before the race, it turned into a marathon of sleep that spanned the entire duration of the race. checking the timing, you muttered, "shit."

"were you asleep?" he chuckled.

"yeah... I'm sorry babe. I was just trying to catch up on some sleep debt before the race. I am just tired..." you explained with a low rumble. lando always had a away of understanding things. "anyways, how did it go?"

"not so well, i am kind of glad that you didn't watch it, you would've freak out unnecessarely." he sighed

"why? what happened?" you sat up, eyes squeezed shut in alarm.

"it was nothing serious, just a crash." he reassured. the word 'crash' froze you, an unsettling feeling settling in your chest. "I'm fine now; I'm at the hospital doing some tests."

you didn't answer him and he immediately sensed your worry, it was your usual reaction whenever he had an incident. it was your own way to deal with stuff. "I'll have to stay here in brazil for some extra days. we don't want to rush things. everything is alright, but still."

"yeah, I know. how are you feeling? any pain? wasit bad? why are you at the hospital? is there anything they're worried about?" your thoughts rushed out, anxiety evident. you wished you could've been there with him, knowing how much he disliked going through hospitalization alone.

"calm down, baby. I'm fine, no pain. they gave me painkillers for my headache," he began, his voice carrying weariness and sadness. "the crash felt horrible from inside the car, but I've seen the footage, and it wasn't that bad. I don't think they're worried about anything specific, just my racing career," he added with a hint of self-deprecating humor.

"shut up. you know those jokes aren't funny, right?" you retorted, hating his tendency for such jokes. "anyways, I miss you so much. you have no idea." placing your phone on the bed, you awaited his response as you searched for your notebook.

"I know babe, I miss you like crazy too. and i won't be able to be home for some more days, as i told you. i hate it." you both sighed. "but it's okay, i'm glad you weren't here this time."

although you felt the honesty in his words, you could also know that it was pure bullshit. he wanted you to be there more that anything, and the fights you two had over the past weeks showed that clearly.

lando felt your support fading away and, as always, he talked about it with you, but there was nothing you could do, you could not just leave your work and follow him around the world.

your life had to come first. you couldn't be financially dependent. you had never wanted that for yourself.

"I love you, lando. you know that, right?"

"i know. I love you too." anuncomfortable silence lingered, more apparent to him than to you, as you were preoccupied with booking a flight to brazil. "look, I have to hang up to do some exams. I'll call you as soon as I can, yeah?"

"yeah, okay. keep me updated, for the love of god." he laughed and silently hang up.

as soon as you were able to, you called your boss, letting her aware of the whole situation, who, understandingly, granted you a week off, more than you needed. grateful, you expressed your thanks in every single way you could.

as you couldn't just fly there without someone knowing, you called lando's dad to let him know that you were going. he was thankful that his son had found someone who cared so much about him, and as so helped you through everything.

you would obviously be staying at lando's room with him, so you didn't need to worry about that, but there were things you actually needed to deal with and that's where he was an absolute angel, taking care of everything for you.

the flight proved to be torturous; sleep eluded you, your mind consumed by worry for your boyfriend, presently hospitalized in a foreign country that held no appeal for him. the inability to communicate with him intensified your anxiety, and the endurance of such a long flight was a challenge unfamiliar to you.

the only thing keeping you focused on trying to sleep was knowing that you'd see lando soon and that you needed to be sane.

once you arrived in brazil, adam had already sent an uber to pick you up and drop you at the hotel. you were eternally grateful for him. your appreciation deepened when, upon entering the hotel, you found everything seamlessly taken care of, allowing you to reach his son without delay.

he drove you there himself, the casual conversation during the car ride centered uiquely around the topic most dear to both of you—lando's health.

every detail adam shared heightened your awareness; lando was okay, but not as well as he should be. the information failed to ease your mind, creating a lingering unease.

after reaching the hospital, the attending doctor informed you that lando was still asleep but encouraged you to enter. you opened the door to his room, and an immediate sense of tranquility washed over you. lando's peaceful slumber tugged at your heartstrings, and the sight of his features made you want to cry; you had missed him so damn much.

you took his hand, staying by his side as he slept. despite your exhaustion, the anticipation of his awakening kept sleep at bay.

lando woke up and confusedly stared at you for five minutes straight. in his head, he was trying to figure out if you were real or if his desperation had just made you up. you squeezed his hand and that seemed to clear his mind. you were in fact there.

"love?" he muttered, scared of being wrong.

"hey baby" you whispered to him, smiling softly.

"you're here? what are you doing here?" he hurriedly sat up, his expression filled with worry, like he wasn´t the one on a hospital bed.

"i'm here to see you." you extended your hand and let it travel through his face. "got the week off, couldn't leave you alone." his smile was priceless. he rushed his arms around your waist, since you were standing now, and pulled you closer to him, head in your belly.

when he told you he had missed you like crazy, he didn't define it well enough.

he locked his lips with yours as soon as he had a chance. you missed that feeling, you missed it too fucking much. you missed everything about him too fucking much, and maybe this misfortune was just what you needed to realize that something had to change. you couldn't miss him like this all the time.

it was literal hell, for the both of you.

adam entered the room after some time and, from his face, you could see he carried good news.

and you were right. "you are free to leave today, all the exams cameback with positive answers. you still have to stay in brazil, of course, a flight so long could jeopardize your health, so you'll have to stay for a bit longer, but you two can go stay at the hotel for tonight.

you and lando celebrate this little "victory" with each other and then you start talking about going home, anticipating what you'd do.

the room was uncharacteristically quiet as he payed attention to the TV and you lost yourself in your own mind.

"I think I might quit my job." you let out with your head layed in his chest. he twists his head to look at you. "what?" he asks, clearly confused, in his head, trying to figure out where all of this was coming from.

yes, it's true that he didn't like to travel around the world every year and leave you behind, and it's also true that this past year, he felt your support fade away, but he didn't want you to leave your life in second place for him. he knew, and understood, how important for you it was to have your financial independence.

he had started to feel guilty, even though this was not his fault.

you thought and rethought about it during your flight, since it was the only thing you could do. of course you never wanted that, but you also couldn't bare the distance anymore, and his accident showed you that.

you wanted to be there, to be able to celebrate every single one of his podiums by his side and not over the phone, you wanted to be able to hold and support him whenever he needed you to do so.

six years into your relationship, neither of you envisioned it ending anytime soon. if it did, you had your savings, but for now, you craved closeness.

"seriously. i want to be with you. i think i never noticed how affected i was by your absence, but i am a lot." you admitted with a sigh. helistened intently. "I want to be able to be with you."

"are you for real?" he asked, concern in his eyes. "I don't want you to feel pressured to do that. I love you whether you're here or on the other side of the world."

"I know, lan. it's not like I would stop working. I just have to find something within my capacities that allows me to travel around the world with you. and it's not like you're going to break up with me, leaving me with nothing. I have my money."

"it's not like I'm gonna break up with you, period." he smirked. "we're a forever thing."

turning you around as if you were as light as a pillow, you wrapped your arms around his neck.

"I love you," you whispered against his lips.

"I love you too," he whispered back.

[drvirgus]

The shooting Range

Idol! Minji X Athlete! Reader

Wc: 2k

One Shot

———————————————————————————

Focused, I stared at the target, my hand outstretched and holding the gun in the correct position. I closed one of my eyes, especially since I needed to train both. I took a deep breath and moved my finger to the trigger. As I exhaled, I fired. This was my 150th shot today.

I pressed the button in front of me, bringing the target towards me, and immediately focused on it. I used 5 shots per target. My eyes narrowed as I counted the points I obtained on this target. Unsatisfied with the result, I sighed and secured the gun, placing it back in its place.

"Y/n," I heard someone say, recognizing my coach. My hand, still holding the target, lowered as my back straightened. My eyes now on my coach, who smiled at me. I smiled back at the taller man. "Yes?" I asked, as he didn't start speaking.

"You need to stop your training," the older man said, furrowing my brow. My head tilted to the side as I saw another girl behind him. She was taller and seemed to be a bit more muscular. Her face also seemed quite familiar. Especially when she politely smiled at me.

My eyes refocused on my coach. "Why?" I asked with a furrowed brow and visibly tense shoulders. "I've only done 150 shots," I added, pointing to the targets next to the gun. My coach glanced briefly at the targets and then at me, sighing softly.

He gestured to the woman behind him. "This is Minji, and she and her team will be filming here shortly," my coach said, causing my eyes to glance at Minji again. "So what? Let them," I replied with a disapproving shrug of my shoulders. Minji seemed to smirk at that.

"You need concentration during your training, and I need to explain and show everything to Minji here. That would only distract you. Plus, you shouldn't be caught on camera during your training," my coach explained, which annoyed me even more. My eyes fell on Minji once again before I sighed.

„How long will it take?" I asked, slightly more annoyed as I placed the used target on the stack. Minii's eyes followed me, but I simply looked at my coach, who then turned to Minii. "Well, I'm not quite sure. Maybe 1-2 hours?" she asked. "We've already shot some footage," she added shortly after, glancing at the clock on the wall.

"What exactly is a K-Pop idol doing at a shooting range?" I asked as I crossed my arms over my chest. Minji chuckled at that as she looked down at me. Her eyes gleamed with a certain curiosity. "I've always wanted to try it," she replied with a smirk, which took all my strength not to roll my eyes.

"So, you're disrupting my training for that?" I asked, but my coach immediately interrupted me. His hand on the back of my head as he gently tapped it. Outraged, I looked at him with my mouth open as I rubbed the back of my head. Minji laughed at that. "If only it were Hanni," I muttered quietly, causing Minji to stop laughing.

"Oh? A fan?" she asked, pointing her finger at me. I shook my head and shrugged. "Not really. But it's hard not to know about you when almost all of Korea promotes you," I replied, which made Minji laugh even louder. She nodded. "But why Hanni, then?" she asked, making me blush a little.

Minji's eyebrows shot up, and she nodded understandingly. She bit her lip for a moment but then turned her head as one of her managers said something to her. Unfortunately, I couldn't really hear it as a sudden tinnitus started in my ears. I sighed. "Alright. I'll go grab something to eat. I'll be back in 2 hours," I said as I took the stack in my hand and placed the gun back in its place. "But you start over," my coach said sternly, causing me to roll my eyes.

———————————————————————————

With the pistol in my hand, I stared at the target. My eyes narrowed as I tried to concentrate. "And then, out of nowhere, Haerin grabbed my hand. It startled me so much that I stumbled backward into Danielle, pushing her into Hyein. In the end, we almost landed on Hanni. She saw her life flash before her eyes. She didn't even scream and would've just died silently,"

I sighed, lowering the pistol. With narrowed eyes, I looked at Minji, who was sitting relaxed beside me, occasionally reaching into the small bag of chips and popping one into her mouth. "Do I look like I want to chat?" I asked, causing Minji to visibly hesitate.

"Am I bothering you?" she asked, sounding a bit sadder as she looked at me from her seated position. Her doe eyes softened, making me swallow. It looked pretty cute...

"No, not at all," I tried to say with a sarcastic tone, but Minji interrupted me with a broad grin on her face. "Okay, good. Anyway," she continued, which made me sigh again.

Anyway... that was also good training. It was never completely quiet at competitions...

I lifted the pistol once again and tried to focus on the target while Minii continued to chew my ear off. It was weird. Minji came to the shooting range every Monday at exactly the same time. She would shoot for a few minutes next to me, and I had to admit she was really good, but for the rest of the hours, she just sat there and talked to me. All I wanted was to train in peace.

"Hanni said you're cute."

Startled, with widened eyes, I turned my head at lightning speed to Minji, completely missing my target as I accidentally fired. With nervous hands, I placed the pistol on the desk in front of me and looked at the taller woman with obvious interest. She seemed to notice, starting to giggle.

"Oh? Do you still have a crush on Hanni?" she asked, popping another chip into her mouth. Then she held out the bag to me. "Want some?" she asked, but I shook my head. "I don't have a crush on her. It's more... I find her cute. Like a little sister," I replied, which made Minji hum loudly. Her eyes roamed over my entire face. "But she's the same age as me. Does that mean you see me as a sister too?" Minji asked, standing up from her seat, immediately towering over me.

My eyes narrowed instantly. "Why are you standing up? Are you trying to prove something?" I asked, rolling my eyes. Minji laughed. "Let's go get some food. I'm hungry," the younger one replied with just a smile. My eyes fell on the bag of chips and then to Minji.

„I Can't. I have to train," I sighed, but Minii just smiled even wider. "You don't have to. That was your thousandth shot. You're done," she said, surprising me. "Since when do you stalk me? Don't you have better things to do as an idol?" I asked, sighing, which only made Minji laugh. The taller one looked at me with a smile as she took my hand. She shook her head slightly, causing her long black hair to sway from left to right.

"What's better than a date with you?" she asked, making me stutter. My mouth slightly opened. "Date?" I asked, which made Minji laugh even louder. "Of course. A friends date," she replied with a grin, making me blush slightly. My head lowered slightly. Of course, she didn't mean a real date...

I'm an idiot...

"No thanks. I have to do 500 more today," I replied, causing Minii to sigh in disappointment. Her eyes roamed over my entire face as I got back into position and lifted the pistol.

———————————————————————————

My eyes focused on the people who were talking loudly and laughing. My mouth shifted to the side as I bit the inside of my cheek. I could hear Minji laughing loudly and then she glanced at me. Her smile disappeared from her face, and I immediately stared back at the target. Minji was doing it on purpose. She knew I always trained at this time of day...

"Um. Excuse me?" I heard someone say shyly. My eyes widened as I noticed Hanni next to me. She had a pistol in her hand and held it firmly with both hands. I politely smiled. "Yes?" I asked as I briefly glanced at the pistol in her hand and then into her eyes.

"Could you explain this to me?" she asked, which surprised me even more. My eyes wandered back to Minji, who was currently teaching Danielle how to shoot. Hyein was just shooting without proper stance. With a smile on my face, I nodded. I gestured for her to use the desk next to me.

Quickly and carefully, I explained the key points to the equally tall person. I observed every movement and kept a safe distance. When she hit one of the targets, she looked at me with big, happy eyes, which made me smile contentedly. But my eyes kept wandering back to Minji, who seemed to be busy with the others.

I sighed in annoyance. "I hit it," Haerin's voice rang out as she threw herself into Minji’s arms. My forehead creased at the sight, and my mouth twisted into a disgusted look, of course without me noticing. Minji looked at me, her eyebrows raised.

I saw Minji start to giggle and slowly let go of Haerin. With a very relaxed, almost too slow pace, she came over to me. But my arms crossed over my chest, which only made Minji laugh even more.

"What?!" I asked, probably sounding a bit annoyed, but Minli didn't seem to mind at all. Her eyes wide as she looked first at Hanni, who was focusing on shooting, and then at me. "So? How's it going with your crush?" she asked with a grin, which only made me furrow my brow even more.

"Not good."

"Why not?" Minji asked, a grin on her face, her hands on her hips as she looked down at me. Her eyes were expectant as they met mine. "It's none of your business," I replied, annoyed, turning my back to her slightly. Minji laughed as she now covered her mouth with her hand. Feeling offended that she was really laughing at me, I gently hit her arm.

"My crush isn't going well either," I heard Minji say, which immediately made me roll my eyes. "Did I ask?" I retorted, which made Minji huff. "She doesn't even care about me," Minji continued, which only made me angrier.

So I started to ignore her. "Her training is always more important than looking at me. She didn't even want to go eat with me," Minji said, emphasizing each word. My expression twisted. Unaware that the taller one was talking about me, Minji continued, "Even though I visit her every Monday and spend a few hours with her."

Slowly furrowing my brow, I looked up at the younger person. She smiled gently at me, nodding slightly with her head. "Yes, Y/n. I'm talking about you," the younger one said, shocking me visibly. My mouth opened as my arms uncrossed from my chest.

I looked at the taller woman for a while.

"You... you said it was a friends' date."

"That was a lie. I didn't know you liked me."

"Neither did I."

"What?"

My head lowered as I felt my cheeks blush. Embarrassed, I laughed, "I... I didn't know I liked you either," I replied, which made Minji laugh a bit. Her cheeks were also visibly flushed. I took a deep breath.

"Do you-"

„Do you-"

Surprised that we spoke simultaneously, we both paused. Laughing, I looked at the younger one. "Do you want to go get something to eat? As... a date?" I asked, which immediately made Minji nod. Her smile turning to a big gummy smile.

"Definitely."

[billthedrake]

MY SON THE PORN STAR (PART FIVE)

I tried not to go wild. I still was married and still had my normal corporate guy life in Kansas City.

But doing porn turned out to be addictive. It was the combination of a deep exhibitionist streak I was discovering in myself and the access to incredibly hot men willing to suck me or get fucked by my big tool. It made me feel like a total stud... less middle-aged, I guess.

And work trips were the perfect cover. I really was doing the road warrior thing for my company, so I wasn't lying to Kate THAT much. But I did sometimes add a night to my travels.

Like the week after Easter. I had a business trip to Denver, but I added an extra evening and squeezed in a quick connector flight to San Francisco on my dime with miles. Muscle Pup Mike, my son's friend and escort/pornstar buddy, set me up with a versatile OnlyFans star there. I shot two scenes with him, actually, one oral, one with me masked as we had a nice, long 50-minute fuck scene. I didn't feel a deep chemistry with Kevin, aka "Jeff Reed," but I felt a deep chemistry with the two cameras that were on us. Besides, sex with a muscular 28-year-old hunk was hard to beat.

Turns out, the next night would beat it. I flew to Denver bright and early in the morning and had my sales meeting all day. I was rolling my business-style carry on into my hotel room right around dinner. I undid my tie and sat down to unlace my shoes before calling Kate to check in.

Yeah, I felt pretty bad knowing I was stepping out behind her back. I'd deal with that guilt later. Either stopping porn cold turkey or making a break or separation with my wife. At this point I wasn't ready to do either.

I wasn't a frequent poster, but managed a video every 2-3 weeks. And I had a growing following of fans willing to pay a modest subscription for just that. Sure, I got some comments complaining that I never took my mask off, but apparently I had the body and blond-furred looks a lot of guys went for. And my cock size helped - a lot. I was careful about not talking on camera, or I just edited those parts out, but I'd learned to be verbal with my grunts, to show appreciation for my sucker/bottom and to let viewers get that thrill. It worked.

I sat, alone in that quiet hotel room, thinking just how wild my double life had become, and I fiddled with my phone again. Chicago was an hour ahead and now would probably be a good time to call. I pulled up Travis's contact and FaceTimed him.

"Hey Dad," my son greeted.

"Hey," I said, leaning back and feeling my boner ride up in the crotch of my trousers. "I didn't catch you at a bad time, I hope?"

"Nah," he said. "Just getting back from the gym." Indeed, he had a workout zip-up on and I could see the familiar kitchen from his condo in the back.

"All sweaty?" I teased.

That got a laugh out of my son. He was surprised how horny I was sometimes, how much I'd leaned into this weird affair we had going on. "Something like that. How'd your shoot go?"

"Real well," I replied. "Kevin is a real professional. Made it easy."

"Just a professional?" Travis asked, with a teasing smile on his cute face.

"Just fucking," I said. "Not a ton of chemistry, I'm afraid, but I think I got some good footage for the next two vids." I'd always sent Travis the digital files via encryption, and he did the editing magic on the material. As amazing as my son was at being on-screen talent, he also had a knack for making great porn behind the camera.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Dad," he said. "But I think you're a natural adult performer."

I smiled. "Is that what the kids call it?" I joked.

That made my son laugh. I loved seeing and hearing his laugh. "OK... you're a natural porn star, Dad.... You know, it's really hot to say that. I get so hard watching you perform, you know."

My throat got dry. Travis knew how to work me up. "Jesus, Trav. You have no idea how much I've watched your videos."

That made my son laugh again, those dimples forming. "I have a pretty good idea, Dad. You've told me before."

"I lied," I teased. "I figured if I told you the real number, you'd get freaked out."

"Turned on is more like it, Dad," Travis said. "Why don't you show me how much you like em. You hard now?"

"Rock hard," I said. I turned the phone down to show off the rod forming a ridge in my trousers.

"Fuck," Travis hissed. "My dad has a real porn star dick. I have a shoot in a couple of hours. I'll definitely be thinking of your cock."

"Who's it with?" I asked. This was the wild phase Trav and I were at now. Father and son, lovers, flirts, and professional colleagues in the adult entertainment business.

"Bud and Spike," he said. I recognized the screen names of two muscle daddies from Dallas, into the more hardcore stuff.

I made a wince of an expression. "Go easy with those guys, buddy," I said. "For real." I felt strangely protective of my son. Which was weird, because in general he was the one looking out for me as I began doing porn more regularly.

Travis smiled. "I will, Dad. Promise. We're planning a more vanilla scene than they normally do." He gave me a wink. "Listen, I gotta go get ready, actually."

"All right, buddy," I said. I wished we had time for some phone sex because just talking to Travis was turning me on big time. "I can't wait to see your scene. And I'll be in Chicago in a couple of weeks. We'll catch up then, OK?"

"You bet, Dad," he said. "Love ya."

"Love ya, too, Big Guy."

We hung up.

I let out a hiss of air. I was horny now. Turns out "Jeff Reed" hadn't drained me. I did have a back up idea. There was some University of Colorado kid who'd been emailing me on the anon account Travis set up for me and linked to my OnlyFans. Call me a narcissist, but I'd been eating up the fan mail, and something about this college dude Bryan won me over. Maybe it was the pics he sent. Cute as fuck, brown haired, boy-next-door looks. And the nude pics that showed a surprisingly built body for a college kid - either a jock or someone who hit the college gym regularly. Smooth body with just a dusting of a treasure trail, creamy white skin, washboard abs, hard cock, amazing bubble ass.

Or maybe it was the request that I hit him up if I was ever in the Denver area.

So far I'd only done pro-amateur porn stars in the OF circuit my son and MusclePup Mike worked in. Some of it was the self-justification that it wasn't fully emotional cheating, just porn I was doing. Some of it was caution. All the arrangements went through Mike and because of my mask, no one knew my identity.

But I was horny now and sent this Bryan kid a message. I didn't expect a reply, but it was worth a shot. I set down my phone and undressed to take a quick shower. It was only 6:30, but it had been a long day.

There was a message waiting for me. "God yes, man," Bryan wrote. "I could be there in about an hour and a half," he wrote. Then almost nervously, there was a follow up. "God, I must seem overly eager. But fuck you're so hot. Let me know what works for you."

"How bout 8:30?" I typed back and gave my hotel name and room number. I wanted to get some food in me.

"Awesome. Yeah. See you soon," came the almost immediate reply.

I had only business casual clothes packed, so I got dressed to grab a bite at a restaurant near my hotel. I got back to my room with about ten minutes to spare. I brushed my teeth and checked my appearance in the mirror. I wasn't crazy about getting older, I had to admit, but I could see the "DILF" look that Travis and Mike were always raving about. Well-preserved was the expression, I suppose.

I was actually a little nervous when I heard the knock. I had no business fooling around with a guy like this. Not making a porn vid but actually having a cheating hook up. The messed up thing is that most guys would consider the videos a worse infraction, but this felt naughtier in a way.

Bryan looked great. Better than great. He was cuter than his pictures, and I think his nerves made him more attractive to me. He forced a smile but was shaking.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," I smiled. "Come in, bud."

He was shorter than me, and his size made his collegiate muscle look more compact on his build. Maybe not collegiate wrestler exactly, but definitely that wrestler body type. A little thick, even. MusclePup Mike would have called him a twunk.

"I didn't know what you'd look like," Bryan said softly. His gray eyes were taking me in.

I remembered now he'd never seen me outside of my videos, all masked up. "You came over anyway," I observed.

"Oh yeah," he enthused. "You're my favorite porn star, hands down." He blushed but didn't stop gushing. "You probably know this... I guess most guys don't pay to watch your videos, but I subscribed to your site so I could email you."

"For real?" I laughed.

"Yeah," Bryan replied, that nervous smile growing bigger. "You're not on Twitter or Insta," he explained. His eyes swept up and down my frame. "God, you're even hotter in person. I knew you'd be hot, but... wow."

I was eating up his flattery. "You're not so bad yourself, buddy... bring it in..." I held up my arms to gesture him to come in for a kiss. He did. He was nervous and that turned me on for some reason. But once we started making out, Bryan got real into it, meeting my tongue with his, before practically sucking me into his mouth.

His hands were feeling it up, tentatively at first, then all over. He chuckled as he pulled back so he could feel me up better. I stood there and let his hands roam over my button-down shirt and the gym-toned muscle underneath. At that moment I was VERY glad for the personal trainer Travis set me up with.

"I hope you don't mind my saying," Bryan said, "But it's so wild to be with a porn star."

"Don't mind at all, buddy," I hissed. I was now experiencing the other thrill of doing porn. I knew I was into the exhibitionism of it all, but now I was feeling the hero worshop, the adoration of a young guy like this. I was rock hard.

He gulped as I reached down to undo my khakis, unzipping them and reaching in to haul out my dong. "I guess you really like my cock, then, huh?" I growled.

This wasn't me. At least it wasn't Brad Connors. Married father of three. Road warrior corporate guy. But being MaskedDaddy gave me the sexual confidence and freedom to be someone else.

"Fuck yeah," Bryan gasped as he saw my prick. "That cock's so fucking big..." His eyes were wide, taking in my size before he looked up at me. "OK, if I touch it?"

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't, buddy," I said. "That's why you came over isn't it?"

He nodded, like a chastised kid. Then tentatively he stepped in again and reached forward, like he was afraid of being branded by a hot poker. But once his fingers made contact, the hesitation was gone. The college dude circled his fingers and round me, griping my hardon and gently stroking a couple inches of it to get a feel of the girth and heft. "You don't know how much I've jerked off to your videos," he said. "I wasn't gonna admit to that you, but fuck...." His voice was heavy in his ragged breathing but still had that frat-bro collegiate kind of tone.

"I think we talked about you sucking that dick," I grunted. In our texts, Bryan had offered a blow job, and his presence now was making me really want this. In a surprising way, his realness was making me click with the college kid more than I did with a megahot porn star. Maybe it was the opposite of what Bryan was feeling, where he was living out his porn dream.

"Yeah," he nodded. But he gave me a sheepish shrug. "I, um, don't have a lot of experience."

I patted his cheek. "Give it your best, bud. Please. Daddy's really fucking horny." Yep, this was porn me talking, but it was the magic words for Bryan, who couldn't get down on his knees fast enough.

The young stud actually whimpered as he pulled my dick to his face and began licking it. It was slobbery and impetuous, and his attempt to take me into mouth was more urgent than skilled.

"Easy, buddy..." I urged as he choked a little on my size. "Daddy's got a big cock... take your time."

He nodded and moaned around my prick, flashing those gray eyes up, a little teary. Fuck.

I wouldn't say he got the hang of, but he got a lot more comfortable. Slowly, he sucked me, a few inches at a time, working up the focus to get an extra one back into his throat. The young dude was so excited to blow me, and I was loving this. Slowly I stroked his hair and encouraged him. "That's it, sport... you don't need the training wheels do ya? You go right for the big ones. OH FUCK, that feels nice."

"Yeah?" Bryan asked as he spit out my cock and swallowed the excess spit. I could tell he wanted to make sure he was sucking me right, but more than that he struck me as a young man who craved positive feedback in sex.

"You're doing great, buddy," I said.

There was something about this connection which was night and day different than "Jeff Reed." Bryan was a real guy, a college stud eager for me and not just playing out sex for the camera. And yet...

"You interested in filming this, Bryan? It's SO hot to watch you, buddy."

I could see two reactions in his face at once. A fearful shock at the idea. And an excitement to even consider it. "Oh man," he responded, not giving me a hint which one was the bigger emotion.

I slowly stroked my rod in front of his face, working in his spit over my dong and letting it get steel hard for his gaze. I had toyed with using viagra for my shoots, but even with my size I didn't have an issue getting real hard erections like this. I just loved sex too much.

"If it helps, I packed a spare mask," I offered.

Maybe another dude would have wondered why I had a mask with me, much less more than one mask. But Bryan had been used to seeing me in one, so maybe it just seemed normal to him.

"This is crazy," he said, his fearful look breaking into a smile.

"Is that a yes or a no?" I asked, gently tapping his cheek with my dong.

"Yes," he muttered excitedly before taking ne into his mouth once more.

I let him work me for a few seconds then pulled back. I went to my carryon back and retrieved the masks. I wouldn't need one, I suppose, but I tossed both over Bryan's way while I got my portable tripod, a compact digital camera, and a spare cameraphone, an old Iphone I used for extra handheld footage.

I was worried I was killing the mood setting everything up and fiddling with the lights. But I loved shooting porn, and if anything my dick was harder in anticipation with shooting a different kind of scene. Me with an amateur costar. Even if Bryan wasn't an experienced I just knew this would be a hot video. And if not, I'd enjoy jerking off to it.

Fortunately, Bryan seemed excited too. I could see the excitement in his eyes, even behind the mask. He'd taken his shirt off, maybe to be less identifiable but was on his knees still, hands braced on his thighs. "I can't believe I'm going to be in one of your vids," he said. Yeah, the dude was into this.

I sauntered back, my dick leading the way. "If you're not comfortable with the results, we don't have to post anything," I said, remembering how important that veto power was for my comfort level for my first vid with my son. "Otherwise, I'll take this as your consent."

"Got it," he nodded.

The second his lips touched my prick again, I let out a gasp. He looked up at me, excited, and I took in his green eyes looking up through the mask holes. I pointed the phone camera at him to capture that. I wasn't gonna shoot that angle the whole time, since I preferred to enjoy getting head instead of playing cameraman the whole time. But the snapshots of him looking up would add to the effect.

Bryan's technique wasn't better this time, but his enthusiasm had tripled, at least. I set down the phone and eased my stance back, my posture upright. I was still in my business casual attire as this horny college kid blew me. I urged him to go slower at first with a quick deep grunt.

I heard the guy moan around my meat as something relaxed in his throat and he was able to more steadily take more of my dong into his throat. Working me up and down, I reached behind his head and massaged his scalp through the mask, gently urging him deeper.

"Yes," I choked in response. "Suck me." I'd gotten pretty good at deguising my voice. Using my porn voice. "Suck Daddy."

That did it. Bryan pulled off for a quick breath, then descended all the way down. I'm a big guy, and even some of the OnlyFans studs had a hard time swallowing my sword. But they weren't feeling the crazy sexual thrill this kid was.

He held a second then it was too much, and he pulled off with a sputtering cough. I could see his eyes watering even through the mask holes.

"Sorry," he breathed, as he tried to regain composure.

"It's OK... take your time," I said in my normal voice. Travis would have to edit that out. All for the best. I gave Bryan a second to catch his breath and then I leaned down and met him for a sensual kiss.

"You're doing real good," I said. Then leaning up, I offered my hard dong again. It had gone down a little, but was still pretty heavy. "Ready for more?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah," he said, his gray eyes looking back up at me.

His mouth on me got me rock hard once more. I pulled out some to let the camera catch my full hardon, then pushed back in between his wet lips. Bryan was novice, but that was OK. I was turned on from a change of pace from the OnlyFans dudes. This was a real guy, young and eager. I let him suck and get into sucking.

"Yeah," I grunted, I ran my fingers through his hair again and took the chance to push him down on my meat some more.

Byran was up for the challenge. He grunted around my prick but his throat relaxed and swallowed more of my thickness.

I started cumming. I wanted to ride out the orgasm in his college kid's throat but instead I pulled out and shot a couple of jets onto his mask and his lips before pushing back in just a few inches to let him suckle the remaining dribbles of semen.

I caught my breath a half second then picked up the cameraphone again. I hadn't taken too much handheld footage, so now I got a good view of Bryan slurping on my sated meat, licking up and down and outright worshipping my cock. Thankfully I wasn't too sensitive after nutting, and even if I lost a little of my rigidity, my dick kept a heavy firm meatiness that looked good.

I finally pulled back and turned both cameras off. "You were amazing, buddy," I said with a smile.

Already Bryan was pulling his mask off. I was glad. The guy was real fucking cute. "Dream come true for me," he said.

I could tell he was still horned up and at full sexual arousal from servicing me. "Get on the bed, kiddo," I urged. "Lie back."

He didn't seem to know what was going on but he complied. His body was shaking some as I undid his jeans and yanked them down.

"What are we gonna do?" he asked with some apprehension. Still he raised each leg to let me pull off his jeans. And his boxers showed a thick boner beneath the cotton.

"Your turn to get off," I said, not really answering his question.

Still, Bryan nodded and hooked his thumbs in the elastic of his boxers to slide them down. I let him take them off as I stepped into the bathroom to get lube out of my toiletties bag.

Bryan was now lying back on the bed, fully naked, his creamy white muscle looking even better than I anticipated now that he was stripped nude.

"You an athlete?" I asked as I flipped open the cap on the lube.

Bryan's eyes were nervously only the lube. I think I knew what he was worried about, and a part of me enjoyed playing with his nervousness. I'll give him credit, he put on a brave face as his eyes met mine to answer me. "Yeah. Wrestling.""

My guess had been spot on. "It shows," I said. "You have an amazing body."

"Thanks," he said, watching me get on the bed, me making a show of drizzling some lube on his hardon. His dick twitched, untouched, he was so turned on. "You have more the football build."

"Baseball was my sport," I answered. "And golf. But my trainer has helped me bulk up."

"You're my fantasy," he said softly. "The whole package. None of the guys know I'm into this, though." I could read in his face that he wasn't sure if he should be getting emotionally open like this.

I patted his thigh and set down the lube on the night stand with my other hand. I was fully dress, with my cock sticking out of the fly of my khakis still. I wasn't sure I wanted to get off again, but I knew I could. Bryan was hot as fuck, and I was grooving on his clear attraction to me.

"A shame," I winked, trying to make the conversation sexy again. "Maybe you could have some fun. With you coach, too."

That got a laugh from him. Bryan had a sexy smile. "I've definitely thought of Coach. A lot."

I rubbed his legs some more more, outright caressing them now. His quads were solid as fuck, hard brawn that contrasted with the soft collegiate fur. I copped a feel of his ball sac, lightly haired and ran my fingers up the lubey length of his shaft.

"Lift your legs, bud," I urged, my tone friendly even as my words were commanding.

He got that deer in the headlights look. "I've never done this," Bryan said softly.

I had a good idea what he meant. "You a virgin?" I asked. My eyes doing their best friendly look I could manage as I played with his hard dick and his balls. Not stroking him, more exploring his rigid younger dick. Getting him excited to play more.

"For fucking, yeah..." he replied. "Sorry."

I don't think I realized till then how much I wanted to tap this hot wrestler's ass. Maybe his innocence was fueling some of my desire, too. "Not gonna do anything you're not ready for buddy," I said. "Come on, just lift your legs for Daddy."

Maybe that was the magic word, because Bryan leaned back and raised his legs up.

"You can pull em back," I instructed, taking a good look before leaning forward and crouching down.

"Holy FUCK!" the kid gasped at the first swipe of my tongue. His hair down there was light, and I enjoyed the contrast with hairier guys or even the OnlyFans dudes who shaved smooth. It was a delight to lick up and down the trench and then focus more on his tight pucker.

"Jesus," Bryan gasped. He wasn't naturally verbal, but I could tell his mind was being blown. Surprised, maybe a little ticklish but he definitely loved getting rimmed.

I pulled back. That ring was drum tight all right. It made me realize I'd never eaten out a cherry hole before. My son's certainly wasn't virgin. "Go ahead and stroke off," I urged. I relished the ability to speak in my normal voice now that the cameras were off, even as some of my Masked Daddy persona came out anyway. "I want you to come kiddo."

I watched as he excitedly gripped his boner and start to stroke it. Then I dove back in. Not just rimming but fully eating him out, munching the tightness of his asshole.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck," the kid gasped. I knew his orgasm was starting. I held onto the back of his meaty thighs and even pushed back a little to angle him perfectly to got to town with my tongue and my sucking mouth.

"NMNGGH!" came the grunt of his cum. Bryan's whole body was tensing up and I knew he was giving up his load in a big way.

Indeed as I pulled back I saw that beautiful creamy white wrestler muscle sprayed with splotches of his sperm. I began licking it up off his abs and chest, saving it in my mouth before I finally met him in a kiss to share it.

The snowballing caught him by surprise but he was way into it, accepting his own cum then pushing it back into my mouth, our tongues working it back and forth and frothing it up with our own saliva.

He had a big, content smile on his face when finally parted, swallowing what little seed was left on our tongues. "I thought..." he started then stopped himself.

"I know, buddy," I said. I patted his chest gently. "I won't lie... I came THIS close to pushing your boundaries."

He nodded, emotionally raw. I could tell he half wanted me to. But only half. "I know. I don't know how, but I could tell."

His hand reached up and ran along my arm through my button down shirt. "I'll probably be kicking myself for not going all the way. But I wasn't ready," he said.

"It was all great, buddy," I assured him.

"I should go," he said. "I got a long drive back to Boulder."

I pulled back and gave him one last pat as I eyed up his nakedness one more time. Bryan was the real deal. Not a "jock" for pay. I felt a strange emotional connection even with the sexual chemistry. I'd have to process why I was feeling that.

For now, I let him up and I went to piss while he got dressed again. When I stepped back from the bathroom, he was mostly dressed again, and had a dreamy, moody expression.

"Thanks for that... fuck I don't even know your name."

"Will 'Daddy' do?" I asked with a wink.

"Guess it will have to," he said with resignation. "You've made my dream come true."

I stepped up for a final kiss, then I showed him to the hotel room door.

***

I was glad Bryan didn't sleep over. I needed a good rest and I had a busy schedule with my client visit the next day.

It felt like naughty fun messaging Bryan when I got a chance, though. It started off with "had a great time" kind of texts, but Bryan admitted how he wished he'd gone all the way.

"Maybe if you're in town again, I'll have the courage," he admitted.

"I'm in town another night if you manage to get that courage, kiddo."

There was silence on his end. Like an hour and a half before I got another text, and even then it was a half hour before I had a break after my afternoon presentation.

"Sorry," Bryan wrote. "Was in class and my prof goes apeshit if we're on our phones LOL."

I texted. "I worried I'd spooked you."

This time the reply was quicker. "Dude, you don't know how horny I've been all day. You're definitely not spooking me."

I bit my lip and looked around. I probably looked like I was doing business texts on my phone. But fuck I was getting horny too. Somehing about this Bryan kid got under my skin. "Is that a yes?" I wrote. "You gonna give me your cherry?"

I was pushing boundaries now for sure, but Bryan seemed up for it now, more than the previous night. "I wanna. Yeah."

"Daddy wants to get in your hole SO bad, buddy." Then, "I'll go easy on you."

"God yes," came his reply. "I'm hard as fuck now."

God this was gonna happen. One more boundary to push. "Will you let me fuck you on camera?"

There was a pause now. Then, "Masked?"

"As you like," I wrote, almost hoping Bryan wouldn't wear one, even if I knew he would. To coax him, I added, "I'll tell you my first name if you let me film us."

"Deal. LOL."

I looked up. Folks were filing back into the conference room. I hoped my chubbed cock wouldn't show. "I gotta go. But maybe plan for 8:30? I have a work dinner before."

"God yes. I can't believe we're going to do this."

"We're going to do it, Kiddo." I assured him. "I want you so bad."

I got a blushing emoji in return and had to smile. "All right," he wrote. "Talk later."

I went into my meeting and was able to get my mind off Bryan's creamy smooth wrestler build and his cherry hole. Somehow.

I checked my messages after we wrapped up, before heading off to a business dinner. It was close to my hotel thankfully and these things never ran late. I hoped to see a message from Bryan, but there was nothing.

I did google some instructions for preparing to bottom. With the OnlyFans guys and my own son, that routine was down pat, but a newbie like Bryan could use some guidance, and I wanted the ease and comfort of topping a clean hole. I forwarded the site to Bryan.

I held off to one glass of wine during dinner. I wanted a clear head for later. By 7:40 I'd paid the check on my corporate card and bid good night to my client contacts. I had to laugh at myself by how excited I was to get back to my hotel. I did have time to stop at an office supply store and pick up a spare small camera. I figured this scene would be worth the extra vantage point.

Bryan texted when he was on his way. I stripped down from my business clothes and hung them up in the closet. I was rock hard already, and dripping in anticipation. I hadn't felt this excited since my last time with my son. I took a quick shower and put on the plush hotel robe, tying it to cover up my midsection.

I spent the rest of the time setting up the cameras. The lighting wasn't perfect but it was enough.

The knock made me realize I was a little nervous myself. I'd gotten comfortable doing porn, maybe a little too comfortable, but taking Bryan's cherry felt like a certain responsibility. I wanted it to be an incredible experience for him, and I was realizing I was totally green when it came to easing a guy out of his virginity.

Still, the sight of him made my heart beat. He was just so fucking cute and hunky. Particularly was we realized each other was nervous.

"Hey, Daddy," he said stepping in.

"Brad," I said. "You can call me Brad. Or Daddy," I smirked.

Our kiss was soft, surprisingly soft given the act we were about to do.

"You good for his, buddy?" I asked, running my hands along his outer arms.

He nodded. "I'm nervous as hell, but I'll be kicking myself if I don't do it."

"You feel like stripping down?" I asked. "There's a mask for you on the table."

I pulled mine on and then went around made sure all the cameras were on. I was pleased to see Bryan's naked body, that thick muscle lean and compact with just a dusting of hair. God, even with that build he looked every bit the 20 year old he was. Like I say, the real deal.

And I was doubly pleased to see him throwing hard. That thick five spike standing up from his lightly furred crotch, nerves notwithstanding. I watched him pull on his mask. It was a shame the viewers wouldn't see how cute he was but his body rounded out that college jock look for sure.

I pointed the camera at him. "So... we're about to have sex for a video that will be released through OnlyFans. Do you agree for me to share what I film?"

I half expected some questions, but he just nodded. "Yes."

"Good boy," I said with a laugh. That made Bryan chuckle, too, which made me glad. "Why don't you lie on the bed, face down?"

I could sense his nervousness. Maybe he anticipated face to face for his first time. "Don't worry buddy, I'll ease you into this."

He nodded silently and then complied, walking over to the hotel bed, while I filmed him with his natural jock gait. It was hot as fuck, seeing him strut and that ass of his work. Then his full body stretching out face down.

The other cameras would get a good angle - one angled on each side nightstand, the other from behind where I stood, just a little off to the side. I held the camera phone as I stepped closer, letting the camera rove over his strong back and amazing ass, up and down his legs. Maybe more jock-worship footage than we'd use, but Travis could work his magic.

Finally, I stepped back and propped the camera phone off to the side. maybe it would work for another angle. Bryan turned back to look at me, and I got off on how his back muscle flexed with his motion. Stepping up, I ran my hands along his calves, working up the length as I climbed on the bed.

I knew I'd be in good view of the cameras now as I kissed from one side of his hamstrings to the other knotted leg. I took my time working my way up.

Bryan was ready for the rim job now. Hiking his ass up, he parted his legs enough to let me in. My hands gripped his buns and did the rest.

The college kid's sigh was deep and sexual as I began licking. I wanted to put on a show. I loved rimming a guy and sometimes felt there was never enough of it in porn videos. It was always a quick lick before the top was lining up. I went full in now, eating out Bryan for a solid five to ten minutes, alternating speed and tonguework. Sometimes Bryan relaxed and let me do my magic, sometimes he bucked up against my face to maximize the contact.

I pulled back and with a hungry growl gave him a light pat. "Turn over," I urged in my deeper voice. Spittle wetted down the chin of my mask. I really wished he and I could do it without these, but the masks allowed us to fuck on camera, both of us.

I was amazed to see Bryan's prick hard and leaking clear sap everywhere. He was majorly turned on. I pulled up enough to let the cameras get a good view of his ripped, modestly jacked body.

"How many guys have fucked you?" I asked tersely. I sure hoped the "MaskedDaddy" voice was enough fo a disguise.

Bryan didn't change his voice, but his soft response was sexy as hell. "No one yet," he said.

I leaned in and kissed him. Just enough sexual urge, and enough romantic finesse. Bryan responded in turn, sucking my tongue into his mouth and moaning against me. He was nervous, sure, but also getting the case of the major horns.

I loved this, putting on a show and yet connecting one-to-one with this fine young man. I pulled up and muttered, "nice," patting his chest. I rolled off to the side and undid my robe. My hardon bounded out and both Bryan and the camera could see my exposed body with its blond fur. I pulled him to me and we started making out again.

Silently I guided him down and the kid knew what to do. Slowly he began kissing and worshipping my big prick, wetting it down with his tongue before taking me into his mouth. Practice hadn't made perfect, but he was getting much more accustomed to my size and better at blowing me.

I was determined not to get overheated. I just lay back and enjoyed this, the sensation of Bryan's soft, slow blowjob and the view of his nakedness kneeling in front of me in servicing position.

Soon, though, it was feeling too good. I nudged him off. He came up to meet me for a kiss, taking the initiative now, until I regained the upperhand in rolling him back on his back, with me on top. I could feel his hardon against mine and the warmth from his body.

Placing my mouth at his ear, I whispered, "You like being a porn star too, dont ya kiddo?"

"Yeah," he grunted back.

I knew I needed to be a little verbal with him. If the camera picked up my words, Travis could edit them out. "You're just about the hottest guy I've ever fucked, Bry."

His body actually shivered at that. The time seemed ripe. I lifted off and leaned over to pump out some lube.

He let out a hiss of air the second my greased fingers touched his pucker but he didn't flinch. Instead he spread his legs and looked into my eyes. This was gonna be good.

I pushed a digit in. Bryan was real fucking tight. But I worked him slowly. Back and forth, in and out.

"Another," I said curtly.

"God," he hissed as I penetrated him with two fingers. It wasn't bad-uncomfortable for him, but it was certainly unfamiliar to him. We stood still eyes locked, him lying back, me between his legs. Until I started finger fucking him again. I applied more lube and fingered him some more.

Finally I pulled back and removed my robe entirely, slipping it off my body and tossing it aside. Bryan's hands were on me, excited to feel up my DILF body. I let him. Between his attention and the cameras I was getting real excited. I was the one dripping now. I caught a thick thread of precum in my fingers and brought it down to his virgin hole. I fingered him up with that too.

The third finger was slow going, but I got him to relax.

"No rubber?" I have asked and half said.

"No sir," came his excited reply.

I was gonna get blue balls soon if I didn't fuck. I scooted up and pressed my prick head in place. I pressed super slow against his ring, working against the spit-slick tightness and smearing my precum against him.

I could feel Bryan's body shake beneath me, and he looked up, a real deer-in-the-headlights look in his eyes beneath the mask. I worried if I waited longer his nerves would get the best of him. I pushed in.

"UNNH!" he whimpered loudly. I felt bad the entry hurt and bad that he was doing his bravest to pretend it didn't.

"Easy, bud..." I hissed, reaching down to run my hands along his hot body. This fine young man was giving me a major gift. My prick jerked an inch or two inside him, feeling the tightness of his ass clamping down on him, as I held still, then gave the shallowest of thrusts, back and forth more than in and out.

I looked at him, trying to communicate silently. Then I leaned in, pushing his legs back with my body. "You're doing good," I said.

We kissed. My cock slipped out of its toe hold but I didn't care. He needed this, and I wanted it. This was about the only time I lost track of the cameras. When I wasn't putting on a show. I connected with this college kid in a deep, soulful kiss. And kissed him som more.

I pulled back. This time I didn't rush, but I didn't delay. I pushed back into him. Bryan somehow trusted me, because his ring gave way more easily. He was virgin tight a few inches inside, but I gently thrust back and forth, working that knot inside him. I pulled out and added more lube. Now showing off for Bryan and the cameras both. Then I placed his ankles on my shoulders.

"OOH FUCK!" Came his cry when I broke through. But he wasn't in pain, just overwhelmed by feelings he didn't have word for. I plowed all the way in and held it. I could see his muscular chest rise and fall, taking deep breaths.

"Got your cherry, kiddo," I hissed.

"Thank you," he actually replied, his voice heavy in emotion. That got me going. My dick felt like stone inside his warm, tight guts.

"Feel good buddy?" My hands massaged his calf muscle as I looked down on him and restrained myself from just plowing his hot ass.

Bryan nodded.

I pulled and out thrust in. Then again. I was fucking for real now. Bryan's first fuck. Maybe more than he bargained for when he came over the previous night. But I knew this was his deep fantasy and why he reached out to me.

I wasn't hard or rough, but I fucked with a steady determination. I wanted to give this kid the best first time experience possible now. I puffed my chest and used more of a swivel action of my hips, in and out, in and out, as my eyes stared down at him. I'd probably read his facial reactions better without the mask, but his eyes and mouth were enough. I was getting to him, hitting that spot.

I paused just a second and reached to pump out more lube. This went onto his prick. He gasped as I slicked him up then got the picture once I pulled my hand away.

I grabbed a pillow and slid it underneath his hips. It made for the perfect angle, and I took quick advantage, resuming my steady plow of Bryan's no-longer virgin hole.

Turns out his masturbation was just what Bryan needed, flipping the switch to full pleasure now.

"Yeah?" I asked. Fucking heavier now.

"Yesss," the college hunk hissed back. He was jerking faster now, not frantically but eagerly and in synch with the fuck.

I saw his pisslit dilate and a clear spurt fly out. Not his ejaculation yet, but the prelude.

"Fuck yes," I grunted, throwing my hips into harder pounding. I was getting close to the finish line, and I wanted to speed up to catch up with this stud.

My harder thrusts felt amazing giving how much his ass was clenching and releasing on my dick spasmodically. But it really made Bryan's prostate sing. His pale skin grew pink and flush and his wrestler muscle tensed up.

"Shit!" he yelled and timed with each shove his nuts gave it up, and his prick spurted heavy ropes of semen over his perfect body.

I went at it even harder, leaning in some, powering my hips in rapid jabs. I didn't say anything but my grunt was unmistakeable as I shoved in and unloaded. My cum threw off my rhythm, but I held deep a second, then my hips jerked involuntarily for another hard shove to discharge my seed deep inside Bryan.

The kid winced at that one, which made me feel bad. I got myself under control and held myself steady, gently massaging his leg and then easing back. He'd been a trooper but now needed a break. I leaned back and showed off my slickened dong, though most viewers eyes would probably be on the cum-covered collegiate muscle of my bottom.

Leaning over I picked up one of the cameras. Time for the money shot.

Even if Bryan wasn't an experienced bottom, he'd watched enough porn to know what I was after. Rather than drop his legs down, he pulled them back, spreading them enough to show me and the camera his fucked and seeded hole. No longer drum tight, it has a slight gape and was thick with my cum. I'd shot a lot.

I got a good shot of it, then angled the camera up to capture his whole ripped and cum-wet body. Nothing would ever top watching my own son in porn, but Bryan was a close second.

I finally set down the phone and pulled off my mask. That was the cue Bryan was waiting for and he eagerly peeled his off.

"You OK, buddy?" I asked. My normal voice returning.

He nodded. "God yeah. I'm so glad we did that."

I gave a sly nod to the camera. "Your first time's preserved as a memento," I said. A little teasing in my voice, but checking in where his head was.

He smiled and god he was so fucking cute with that pearly white smile. "I didn't think I was gonna enjoy it at first," he admitted. "But damn..."

I ran my fingers through the cum that had turned liquidy on his chest. "You shot like gangbusters," I said.

"My cums are pretty big normally," he said. "But your dick did something inside me that made me go wild. I've never felt anything like that."

"I'm glad," I said. I leaned forward for another kiss, this one tantalizingly soft and slow.

Afterward, I let Bryan get up and shower off while I checked my phone. Then I figured I'd join him. The look on his face told me my presence was quite welcome.

"Hey," he grinned, shyly. God, he was star struck and that made me feel like a real stud.

"Hey," I said. Our wet bodies connected and we took the time to soap each other down.

"You married to a man or a woman?" he asked as he nodded to my gold band.

"A woman," I said. "I'm not the best husband."

He gave a nod of acknowledgment. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm glad you share yourself."

"I have news for you kiddo," I said, turning off the water and running my hands over his wet muscled body. "You've shared yourself now, too."

"Still can't believe it," he said. "When will you post it?"

"In a couple of weeks," I said. I wasn't going to bring up Travis or my process for putting the vid together.

His hands reached up to feel my body too, my chest but also my shoulders and arms.

"I'm hard again," Bryan said. "I can't believe it."

"You're 20," I joked. "It happens."

"Yeah," he laughed.

I patted his arm. "Feel like sleeping over?" I asked. "I have a morning flight to catch but you're welcome to stay."

He nodded, like an eager puppy. We dried off and made our way back into the room. I downed a bottled water to rehydrate and tossed him one. "Remind me to tip housekeeping extra," I said as I pulled down the sheets. "We made a fucking mess."

He slipped into the bed next to me. His body was cooler now, and felt great against my warmer bod. We made out. His dick was a spike and I got hard once more, but I wasn't eager for another fuck. And Bryan seemed to go with the flow.

"So..." I finally said. "No longer a virgin..."

"No sir."

"Any regrets?" I asked, leaning back in the bed against the headboard, pulling my hands behind me. Bryan nestled in, resting his head against my upper chest and running his hands along my fur.

"None. It was hot as fuck," he said. "But even if it hadn't been, I just feel relieved, you know?"

"Not exactly," I smiled knowingly.

"Ha," he said, picking up on my meaning. "I'm surprised your so good at breaking a guy in if you're cherry too."

"I'd like to say I had some secret," I admitted, "But I just did what felt right."

Maybe it was the sex. I mean it was getting late, but not that late. Bryan was dozing some as he rested up against me. I ran my fingers through his hair.

"Ready for bed, kiddo?" I asked.

"Yeah, Brad," he said and rolled off to the side.

***

My son did his magic crafting two separate scenes from the footage with Bryan, as well as a very hot teaser. "Taking College Jock's Cherry" was the title of the second. The on-screen chemistry was real, and it was clear that we weren't faking it. I really did take the young dude's virginity on screen.

"God, Dad, this is fucking incredible," Travis said to me on the phone before he posted the scene. "I've shot three times to it."

I smiled. I was in a semi-public place and had to be a little discrete. "I'm very glad to hear that," I smirked. "A little payback to the one you did the other week."

"Bud and Spike?" he asked.

That one was one was OK, but not my favorite. "No, the other one," I said, cagily.

That got a laugh from Trav. "Oh, MiamiMuscles... dude's a crazy power bottom, right?"

"Yeah," I said, my throat getting hoarse with lust I was trying to hide. "I like watching you in action like that."

Travis picked up on my need to be discreet, though he had no constraints on his end. "You prefer watching me fuck, Dad?"

God, my son knew how to drive me crazy. "I do," I admitted.

I detected a hesitation on his end, which wasn't Travis's normal response to anything. He paused. "Dad... you ever think about, you know, me fucking you?"

Just hearing those words were going make me go from chubbed to boned. "It's a little scary to think about," I replied. "But yeah... I do."

"Oh fuck," Travis hissed. Only then did I realize he'd been dreaming of that very act. Topping me. Taking my anal cherry, like I'd done with that Denver kid. It surprised me actually, given our bedroom chemistry with my son bottoming for me, eager for his dad's cock. "We'll talk about it next time, OK?" he said. Not pressuring me but letting me know this was on his mind.

"Yeah," I said. "I'll probably chicken out, son. But I wanna explore the idea." I was nervous just vocalizing this.

"Sure, Dad," Trav said. "God you know I love everything we'd done together. If I were there right now, I'd suck your cock, you know that." My son was getting into deep lust mode now.

"Fuck, Trav, I should probably go," I said. I knew if I kept talking like this, I'd get in trouble. "Later, son?"

"Yeah, Dad," he replied, his voice rich with lust. I knew he was probably going to jack off when I hung up. I was going to find the time myself at the first chance. Pull up one of Travis's videos where he topped and stroke off imagining him pounding me, too.

****

My Denver videos were popular. I wasn't surprised that my fans responded to the realness of them, but I was surprised by the messages I got. They changed my porn career and it's probably not an overstatement to say they changed my life.

The first one came two weeks after the video with Bryan dropped.

"Dear MaskedDaddy, I loved your latest video. God, it's like my deepest fantasy. I'm 23 and live in DC. I don't have that college jock's bod, but I'm working on it. I've been too scared to let a guy fuck me, but if you want to be my first, I'd love to star in one of your vids. I wouldn't even need a mask."

It was a wild email, and I figured the kid's horniness doing the thinking for him. I pawed my crotch and laughed at how forward the offer was. I started to send a polite thanks but no thanks reply.

But then I thought about it, and I figured what the hell. I asked for the young dude's pictures. He was cute as fuck. Not quite as twunky as Bryan but still good looking, kind of that boy-next-door type.

Travis handled the OnlyFans money my site brought in. I didn't do porn for the money, and in any case I didn't want my finances impacted lest Kate find out.

I sent two more texts that night. One to DC guy. "If you're serious, lets plan for something three weeks from now." I knew I had some work travel on the East Coast I could piggy back on.

My other I sent to Trav. "I need your help arranging a DC visit. Gonna pop another dude's cherry."

[jeonscatalyst]

Hey May do you think Jk acts different around Jimin when Tae is around? I've seen taekookers saying that you can always tell who the real couple is whenever Vminkook are together because Jk is always glued to Tae instead of Jimin and I also saw them talk about the fact that taekook mostly sat side by side on AYS.

Hey anon,

Yes I think Jk is different around Jimin when Tae is around. Jk and Jimin would obviously be different around each other when there is another person around. It could be Jin or Yoongi around them and they would still be different, them being different around each other has nothing to do with tae being there or not but just the fact that a third person will always change the dynamic of two. If we ever got a show with just tae and Jk their dynamic would be very different compared to when Jimin is around, that is completely normal.

The thing with taekookers is that they seem to have this belief that someone automatically becomes a jerk to their friends or is less nice to their friends when their lover is around and that is the narrative they have been trying to push. I saw this ridiculous thread on twitter a few days ago from a taekooker trying to show the difference in dynamics between taekook and Jikook when they are together and that post had over 4k likes even though it was filled with the most ridiculous things ever. Taekookers in my opinion are some of the most shallow, childish and inexperienced people ever because they lack the ability to look beyond the surface. As long as Jk or tae stare at each other, they see romance even if the next second they see Tae going away on his honeymoon, that wouldn’t matter because the honeymoon was set up by the company to cover up taekook’s real relationship. As long as Jk and Tae hold unto each other singing and dancing to a song at a concert they see romance even if moments later Jk is seen tongue kissing someone else, that person is a beard to cover taekook’s real and forbidden love. Taekookers would rather accuse every living thing on earth of trying to hide taekook than stopping to think that maybe they read things wrong.

I’ve seen them talk about seeing a difference between taekook and Jikook when vminkook are together, as a matter of fact that is something almost all the taekook blogs on tumblr believe in and talk about. They give examples like the HS concert in 2021, they talk about the Vminkook Vlive from 2021 and they have added AYS to the mix. Everytime I read the things they say and how they justify these points I am shocked at how shortsighted some people can be. I honestly don’t know if they really cannot see beyond the surface or if they just don’t want to look because they are afraid of what they might find or if they see but don’t want to accept it.

Let’s start with the HS concert. To them that was proof that taekook is real and Jikook isn’t because of the moment we saw of tae and Jk singing, holding hands and dancing to “falling”. There was that moment and another moment of taekook sharing drink or something and according to taekookers that was Jk and tae being glued the entire night nevermind the fact that we have footage of Jimin and Jungkook whispering to each other, sharing drinks, dancing together with Jimin’s hand over Jungkook, plus the fact that those two actually disappeared together for a while at the concert. Now, these examples of Jikook aren’t meant to prove that jikook is real either but just to show that Taekook weren’t glued all night as taekookers would like to believe but just because of those few moments they had of taekook’s interactions, they swore that the two were glued together all night and Jk didn’t even spare Jimin a glance. Now why do I say they are shortsighted? The Harry Styles concert happened on the 19th of November 2021 and then a little over a week later, we got the Vminkook Vlive (march 28th) and from this Vlive, we found out from Jimin that since they got to LA, he had been working out with Jungkook every single day, we also found out from Jimin that Jungkook was basically in his room almost all the time. Jimin said Jk visited his room about 3 times a day and that he saw Jungkook in his room way more than he saw the managers. Tae confirmed this story by telling us that he went to Jimin’s room one day and thought it was Jungkook’s because Jk was the one who answered Jimin’s door and greeted him. Mind you Jimin said Jungkook was in his room everyday and even came at night too when he was about to go to sleep, stayed there for 2-4 hours at a time and left. We also know that Jungkook was probably there every night because on the one night he didn’t go, Jimin asked why he didn’t come and he wouldn’t be asking this if Jk wasn’t a regular visitor to his room. Also, Tae thinking that Jimin’s room was Jk’s means that he didn’t even know Jk’s room. So which normal person thinks that taekook dancing together at a concert and you know, being friends proves they are dating when we know for a fact that at the same period, Tae didn’t know Jungkook’s hotel room, Jungkook was spending almost all his time in Jimin’s room and choosing to go to him repeatedly when he was lonely or bored? You see why I say taekookers are incredibly shortsighted? You don’t even have to think Jikooo are a couple but Jk clearly liked spending more private time with him that he did with Tae judging from the things they said. So how exactly could taekook be dating yet Jungkook prioritized being with Jimin over Tae? They focus on physical affection which in this case isn’t a sign of romance but of friendship, love and care and the they ignore facts because they facts shatter their fantasies. They watched the Vminkook Live and focused on 5 seconds of awkward eye contact and that to them was proof of the greatest romance but ignored everything that was said in that Live that completely debunked Taekook. Nevermind the fact that a few days after that Live, Tae attended Hobi’s live and mentioned that he had a meal with Jungkook and they had an adult conversation and Jk said he was happy. Anybody with a brain would understand that this is two people clearly catching up because it doesn’t seem like that is something they did often so after the concert Jk and Tae ate together, did some catching up and we saw Jk after he left Tae’s room still fully dressed with his combat boots on which means that he was just in tae’s room temporarily but when we saw tae a few moments later, he was already out of his concert clothes and had on more comfortable clothes you know, like he had already changed and settled in his bedroom unlike Jk who was clearly just passing by.

So let’s be serious anon, how exactly did the HS concert or the Vminkook Live show that taekook are the real couple when we know for a fact that Jk and Jimin were basically spending almost all of their time together while Tae didn’t know Jk’s hotel room? Before Tae started his Live wasn’t Jk busy eating chicken with Jimin while tae was eating alone? Tae had already showered by himself too while Jk and Jimin were talking about “we haven’t showered yet” lol. Taekookers never look beyond the surface and they don’t even realize that what they think is romance is just two people being friends and basically just dynamic.

They also think that AYS showed how real taekook is and when you ask them why, they tell you how Jk and Tae sat side by side or how Jk wanted Tae to get into the pool too or some other rubbish which proves that these people don’t have friends in real life. After watching Vminkook in AYS, I felt so validated about a post I made months ago describing Vminkook’s dynamic. Typical of taekookers to fail to look beyond the surface. Jk was seated next to Tae most of the time yet he spent the entire time interacting and talking with Jimin. How many times did taekook actually really talk to each other while seated side by side? Didn’t we all watch Jk and Jimin constantly interacting and talking while Tae’s head was buried in his phone the entire time? Let’s also talk about how taekookers claimed that “when Tae leaves the pool Jk leaves” forgetting that Jk chose to stay back with Jimin after they left the pool while Tae showered and went to bed. Jk did this on BOTH nights they were in Jeju btw. If he wanted to be stuck to Tae’s side like tkkrs claim, he would have gotten out of the pool, showered when tae was showering and gone to bed or atleast gone upstairs to be next to him while he was sleeping but that isn’t what he did. He got out of the pool, teased Jimin by locking the doors, knowing that he would have to stay back to open it for him while Tae went ahead to shower and go bed, he stayed back, played a little with Jimin, showered and they went to bed together on both nights so what exactly are taekookers talking about?

Anon, most taekookers, especially the ones here on tumblr swear they are body language experts and they can tell taekook is real because of how taekook’s bodies react to each other (lol) but ask them why Jk doesn’t seek tae out in moments of high emotions or why Jk didn’t immediately go to Tae’s room instead of Jimin’s and they pull out all the conspiracy theories under the sun. They say Jk always wanted to be by Tae’s side in AYS but ask them why Jk wasn’t rushing to his side at nights but choose to stay up playing with Jimin, showering at the same time as him and only going to bed together with him and see how fast they start contradicting themselves.

Anon, any unbiased person who watches AYS with Vminkook can very easily tell the difference between those three and no one would ever think there is anything going on between taekook. Taekookers harrassed and bullied so many unbiased reactors on youtube for seeing and mentioning how close they think Jikook are. You don’t need to be a shipper to see how clearly Jikook are different and how deeply they connect but I guess if you are someone who believes in how close people walk, or people’s sitting positions or people dancing together at concerts, then you might probably see what taekookers see. And this isn’t me saying that these things aren’t important, they are but the issue is you cannot depend only on your reading of people’s body language to prove a ship because first, body language cues could be subjective and could depend on so many things plus you cannot focus on your perception of things while ignoring all the hard facts. Jk and Tae stared at each other for 5 seconds, they are a couple/ there is attraction =Perception. Jk spends alot of time in Jimin’s room, so much that Tae once thought Jimin’s room was Jk’s, according to Jimin, Tae and Jungkook = Fact. While your perception could be wrong, facts can’t and if the fact isn’t wrong then your perception is wrong so that 5 second eye contact which you read as romance/ attraction, isn’t. If you thought taekook were a thing because you noticed that they look at each other in a certain way or they sit in a certain way, then you get to find out that in Jungkook’s free time, he mostly goes to spend time in another person’s room and also likes spending nights with this other person and basically spends almost all day with this person while Tae doesn’t even know his hotel room then doesn’t it make sense to just conclude that you must have read things wrong? But our neighbours would rather call Jimin and Tae liars before they sit to think that maybe, just maybe they read the cues all wrongs.

So anon, I do agree that when we see Vminkook together it is easy to see the difference between them and you can see it by watching them aswell as listening to the things they say. No reasonable person watches them, listens to the thing they say and comes out thinking “yea, taekook is the one” lol. That’s just ridiculous. When you actually watch them and listen to them, you actually get to understand just how complex human feelings and relationships are because so many people spend time arguing about who Jk is closer to when the truth is, he is close to Tae and Jimin in very different ways so you cannot even really compare but one thing that is clear and has always been clear is that of the two, his emotional bond with Jimin is deeper…unless someone wants to explain to me why in his moments of loneliness the one he thought of going to was Jimin even though he didnt do anything particularly interesting while he was in there with him… i’ll wait.

[mikelogan]

gif tutorial

i was asked to make a tutorial for this set i made, so let's get right into it!

first things first, i downloaded the music videos from youtube in 1080p using 4k video downloader. unfortunately, the quality of youtube videos always seems... not great, to put it simply. plus these music videos are from the 90s, so they've been upscaled to 1080p after the fact. all of this works against us, but i've definitely worked with videos of lesser quality than these, so at least there's that!

when i gif, i import video frames to layers rather than screencapping. this comes down to personal preference. after everything has loaded, i group all my layers together and set the frame delay to 0.05. i then cropped my gif to 540x500.

the next step in my process is sharpening. i did play around with my settings a bit given the quality of the footage and the dimensions of the gif. i compared both @hellboys low-quality video gif tutorial to my regular sharpening action and my vivid sharpening action and in this case, i preferred my normal vivid sharpening action. i used this tutorial to create the action for myself, and you can find other sharpening tutorials here. this action converts my frames to video timeline and applies sharpening.

once my gif is sharpened and i'm in timeline, i begin coloring. i wanted to simplify the amount of colors used in these gifs, again because of the video quality -- i knew it wasn't going to have the crispness i would normally like for my gifs. here are my coloring adjustment layers and their settings (not pictured: my first layer is a brightness/contrast layer set to screen) (explanation in alt text):

all of these layers and their settings will vary depending on your footage and its coloring (and obviously, feel free to make the gradient map whatever colors you like if you aren't going for this exact look).

pretty basic coloring, especially with just slapping a gradient map on top (my beloved), but at this point, i still didn't like the quality of the gif, so i added a couple textures/overlays.

i put the left one down first and set the blending mode to soft light and the opacity to 8%. depending on what look you're going for, you could increase or decrease the opacity or play around with different blending modes. i like using this texture with lower quality footage because even when it's sized up a bit, it adds some crispness and makes things feel more defined. for the second texture, i set it to overlay and 75% opacity. we love and respect film grain in this house.

now for the typography! sometimes i really enjoy typography and other times it's the bane of my existence for the sole reason of just how many fonts i have installed. anyway, here are the settings i used for this set:

make sure the color of your font is white and then set the blending mode to either difference or exclusion. i can almost never see a difference between the two, but for this set, i used exclusion. below are the blending options (double click on your text layer to bring up this menu or right click and select blending options).

now we have to add the warp effect. with your text tool still selected, click this icon at the top of your screen:

from the dropdown menu, select twist. these were my settings, but feel free to play around with different warp options and their settings. the ones i use most often are flag, fish, and twist.

this last step is completely optional, but it's an effect i use in most of my sets with typography. duplicate your text layer (select the layer and ctrl+j), turn off the layer effects (click the eye icon next to effects), and set the blending mode to normal. right click on the layer and select rasterize type. right click on the layer icon itself and choose select pixels.

at this point, you should see the moving black and white dotted line showing that only your text is selected. then go to edit > stroke. here are the settings i almost exclusively use.

this is what your text should look like now:

using ctrl+T, move the layer off the canvas so you can't see any of the text anymore. you should be left with only your outline. click anywhere on your canvas to de-select the text we just moved. use ctrl+T again as well as your arrow keys to nudge the outline over to the left 2px and up 2px. this is personal preference as far as the positioning, but i almost never move it any other way. you can leave it like this, which i sometimes do, or you can set the blending mode to soft light like i did for a more subtle effect.

and that's it! rinse and repeat for each gif in your set or use a different warp effect on each gif to switch it up! if you have any questions about this tutorial or would like me to make one for anything else, please feel free to ask any time!

[brainwasheds]

— i've been asked abt sharpening a few times but i thought that i would just share my actual actions i use but with some guidelines because it can really differ between different video sources and no sharpening is always exactly the same

— i've included different examples of video sources that i use for gifs alongside each type of sharpening action because not all actions will work for every gif. while it's always a matter of preference (whether u prefer a softer/more sharpened gif) some sharpenings can whitewash a gif so i added a little question mark as a warning to be mindful of that and make adjustments! — there are three (technically four) different actions. one is ultra hd sharp and works best on really good quality footage such as master mvs or good film/show footage! the second is a simple sharpening that can be used on all videos and the third is a softer sharpening that utilises the diffuse setting and it has a glowy option w blur as well! — take a look below at how the sharpenings look on different videos 💙

💌 MASTER/BUGS/BLU-RAY VIDEOS video source: here (gdrive) file size: 2gb

💌 4K YOUTUBE VIDEO video source: here (yt) file size: 470mb

💌 1080HD OR LESS VIDEO video source: here (yt) file size: 77mb

💌 TS FILE video source: here (k24hrs + dm for password!) file size: 3.21gb video specifications: qtgmc 60fps preprocesser + bm3d denoise (2)

💌 GOING SEVENTEEN because it varies so much it requires an example of its own video source: here (yt) file size: 606mb

YOU CAN FIND THE SHARPENINGS HERE <3 if you ever need any help or clarification feel free to ask!! no need for credit if you use, but of course please don't claim the actions as your own <3

[cool-fancier]

Hidden Flames

Synopsis: You and Bada stunned everyone at JustJerk Academy with a passionate duet, sparking comments and speculations from fans about your undeniable relationship. Your real-life romance was kept a secret behind the dance, yet it was impossible to ignore your bond.

The atmosphere at JustJerk Academy was electric that evening. Students crowded into the dimly lit dance studio to watch a spontaneous dance battle, which was causing a buzz of excitement. It was today when you and Bada would perform the dance duet you had been practising for weeks to the seductive music of "Señorita"

The audience split apart to form an impromptu dance circle as the music filled the space. You and Bada were in the middle, surrounded by curious viewers.  There was a moment of uncertainty, but the connection you shared was undeniable. You gave each other a subtle nod as you started to dance to the beat.

You two had an evident chemistry that carried over into your dance with ease. With each step, you and Bada painted a picture of passion and desire thanks to her precise movements and your grace.

The dance's daring lift and dip routine was its high point. You were wrapped by the strong arms of Bada, who swiftly and expertly spun you around in her grasp.  She lowered you as the music grew louder, the surroundings becoming increasingly hazy. The audience let out astonished gasps, and the energy in the room rose to a fever pitch.

Bada brought you back up into a closer embrace as your bodies squashed against one another and your breaths mingled. The students' loud clapping and cheers were evidence of the undeniable chemistry you two shared on the dance floor.

You and Bada went to the sidelines after the performance to gather your breath and enjoy the joy of the moment.  The fellow dancers were talking about the show nonstop.

"That was amazing!" While giving you both a pat on the back, Lusher exclaimed. "You two are like a dance couple in real life!"

With adoration on their faces, Kyma, Tatter, Minah, Cheche, and Sowoen nodded in agreement. Minah added with a flirtatious smirk, "You two have some major chemistry."

You two couldn't help but smile knowingly as the compliments and comments flowed in. Little did the rest of the world know that you two were more than just dancing partners.

Later that evening, the academy's YouTube channel published the official footage of your "Señorita" dance performance. The first comments from fans arrived quickly.

@BadalovesY/n: Who else saw the chemistry between Bada and Y/N?❤️‍🔥

@DanceQueen:Seriously! They are burning up. I love them so much.🫶🥰

@BadaLover: I've already seen this one hundred times. Y/N and Bada are such a fantastic team. I hope they dance together more often!

@SecretbadaShipper:I'm sure I'm not the only one who believes that this is about more than just dancing. #BadaAndY/N4Ever 😉

@Y/NisBada's:I don't know who to be jealous of 😒😅

Fans continued to speculate about the relationship between you and Bada in the comments that kept coming in. Some shipped you together openly, while others spoke about the possibility of something more beneath the surface.

You and Bada laughed together as you looked through the comments, and you two exchanged flirtatious glances. You were aware that your relationship was private, but even the fans watching from a distance couldn't deny the amazing spark you two had.

"I wonder if they'll notice if I would've snuck a kiss?" jokingly teased Bada as she came in closer and spoke in a seductive whisper.

You couldn't help but smile as your heart skipped a beat. "Well, there's only one way to find out." You both laughed at this point because you knew that even if your love was kept hidden, it was a strong force that was unstoppable even when it was in the public eye.

[sageistri]

Jimin had a solo era where he had 10 days of mostly local promo except for Jimmy Fallon for his 6 song EP (1 b-side + 1 title track) in Mar 2023 + 1 collab (with Kodak and Jvke) in the F&F movie franchise in May 2023 + 1 collab with Taeyang of Big Bang in Jan 2023 with accompanying mvs for both collabs + 1 fansong released on christmas week 2023 with 30 hours of notice and recycled footage for its mv + 1 documentary released on weverse in Oct 2023.

JK had a solo era where immediately after hiatus he released left & right in June 2022 with Charlie Puth who's pretty famous in his own right, a world cup song in Nov 2022 and performed solo in the opening ceremony which was watched by 1.5 billion viewers. He then proceeded to release Seven in July 2023 with latto who's also pretty damn famous in the west with Grammy winning producers and an accompanying mv with Han So Hee. Seven is perhaps the most payola'd kpop song of all time - I can't even list it all down without making this ask huge but suffice to say that with all the ads and playlisting on several platforms including tth from day 1 and some help from spotify to keep all his combined versions together instead of splitting them and probably a tiktok heating deal - seven managed to stay on top of global for weeks and netted a bunch of records.

However moving on, JK performs at good morning america, is supposed to perform at the mtv emas (gets cancelled) and announces his next single 3D with Jack Harlow at Global Citizen Fest at NY releasing in Sep 2023. He also has a collab too much with kid laroi and central cee in Oct 2023 with an accompanying mv. After that we're gearing up for his all English album release in Nov 2023 with a 11 track album. He has features from major lazer and dj snake and songs composed and produced by the likes of Diplo, Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendes. He goes on to perform snty at Jimmy Fallon, Times Square and iHeartRadio live. While none of his songs post seven are as heavily payola'd, they're still very well promoted. In Dec 2023, he releases a remix of SNTY with usher with an accompanying mv. He also features in hots in single I wonder in March 2024. Finally he's released a fan song never let go for festa in June 2024 which is a fansong but has a bunch of benefits usually seen for digital singles but no MV.

Obviously I haven't mentioned everything like their ambassadorships, their single bad decisions with benny blanco (mostly because I forgot about it), smaller promo like suchwita, JK's radio interviews, his visualisers, Jimin's Korean shows, either of their mnet performances, their myriad of tiktoks, their dance performances on youtube, JK's week-long station head parties or accompanying Yoongi on the D-Day tour. Plus as I said I can't mention the full length and breadth of JK's promo compared to Jimin in smaller aspects like number of remixes / remix albums or cd stock because this'll go on forever. And of course this is only the status as of today. We know pjm2 is coming as is probably a documentary for JK and their travel show together. Though I've probably missed out some things for both, I think I've covered the main points of both the solo eras.

There's a bunch of stuff happening here. For one JK's solo era is spaced out very well regardless of who else among BTS is releasing. While other members are clustered in specific times to avoid overlap, JK manages to have the most well spaced out solo era sometimes to the detriment of a member whose promo he might be encroaching on (debatable but I think it's true). The world cup gig which undoubtedly went to BTS being co-opted as JK's solo has never sit right with me but whatever. People can delude themselves about how in demand JK is but the truth is Latto, Jack Harlow and others probably got very well paid for collabing with JK and were certainly approached by Hybe / SB projects rather than the other way around. Same goes for them putting the full force of their marketing department in netting all those performances in the US plus awards. The new jeans controversy gave some insight into how Hybe can use their leverage to net spons, awards and performances when they want to. The fact that most of the collaborators JK had are good buddies with 🛴 isnt lost on any of us. JK's almost exclusive focus on the western market with all English songs is also noteworthy. I haven't even mentioned Jimin's sabotages because I can see how it's debatable but certainly JK's team at Hybe / SB projects were at the least way more careful handling his releases than whoever the hell is running things for Jimin at Hybe even if you don't want to acknowledge the sabotage he went through or the sheer disrespect of having his album release cut off by another members. Also not going into the bs with the delay in Jimin's RIAA certification just so that JK could get that first kpop soloist title or the insanity of Jimin's billboard sales filtering versus JK's premptive itunes preorder for seven before the official announcement of the BB rules change and helpful midweek sales updates that seven had.

After all this, it's amazing that JK's main point of comparison is Jimin. The fact that jjks and armys still feel this compulsive need to compare JK with Jimin after he releases something inspite of JK's peers supposedly being Taylor Swift now (their words not mine) speaks to both how JK was unable to capitalize on his heavy marketing and records versus how much Jimin was able to achieve with Face and Like Crazy.

JK managing to get the most likes on tiktok, staying on charts after heavy playlisting, becoming the darling of kpop stans - notoriously known for being visual stans and extremely fickle, and getting a bunch of kpop awards at the end of 2023 and probably 2024, having the most name recognition among all the members, still needing most of his streams for SNTY to come from Thailand, having album retail sales equal almost the same as Jimin inspite of the huge difference in gross album sales - are these really worthy accomplishments after this extremely long list of moves he's made? Jungkook was very popular to start out with and has always been the darling of armys - to the extent that he managed to avoid getting boycotted inspite of being associated and working with a bunch of zionists for golden. Apart from his new kpop fans, did he manage to net new fans during his solo era though? Or are his main fans still the armys he started out with in the first place from his time in BTS? Is this what anons in your asks think we're supposed to believe is impact?

Impact is what happened after BTS released Dynamite and Butter. A breakout star or single is what Baby was once upon a time for Justin Bieber or Espresso is to Sabrina Carpenter today. You get gp fans when you release good music like Olivia Rodrigo or Billie Eilish. You get critical acclaim when your albums have overarching themes that were carefully constructed and thought out like Beyonces albums. Your solo fanbase becomes more dedicated when you share parts of yourself in your music like Taylor Swift does.

When you make an album with care and dedication, then even when your label doesn't give a damn about you or actively tries to suppress you, your song can still chart more than a year later with your solo fanbase working dedicatedly towards you. That might not be a PCA, but it's a damn sight more valuable imo.

Sorry for how long this got. I just kept remembering more and more stuff to include...

Wow... This is such a perfectly summarized version of the major points and opinions we've all had since jimin's debut... I love it, this is probably the best ask and best post related to this whole thing i have ever read.

It is good for pjms who still ask certain questions about stuff we already talked about and I can never find the exact post where we already talked about it so I'll pin it.

[poirott]

Sophie Hunter and Benedict Cumberbatch at Salt of the Earth event → Venice International Film Festival, September 6-7 2024

Sophie Hunter is the director of the immersive performance and installation Salt of the Earth, an artistic production and campaign aimed at raising global awareness to protect our Salt Marshes.

"Salt Marshes are an incredible natural ecosystem that capture up to 50 times more carbon than rainforests. They are nature's buffer against rising sea levels and an essential habitat for diverse ecosystems. But this extraordinary natural asset is facing extinction by 2100, with devastating consequences for the planet."

Salt of The Earth premiered in Venice, a city at the frontline of climate change, which has already lost 85% of its salt marshes.

Source: twittaurora, imogen__knight__moves__, seanovenice, Instagram Stories via ariannasgarbi (alternate), chihiro.kawasaki_, juhi_blue, multa_paucis__, dianagomezphoto (alternate), punh (alternate)

[curio-queries]

ARE YOU SURE?!

Episode 4 production Notes

Again, I genuinely didn't think I'd have anything to say at this point about this episode. I had such a good time the first time I watched it, just smiling the whole way through. There is one thing that did stick in my brain a little bit though so here I am again with another post.

Episode Break Points

We honestly can't be making any final conclusions at this point but there is starting to emerge a picture of how the production team approached the development of this show as an episodic release. The question that was rattling around my brain after watching episode 4 was how they are choosing their cut points between episodes. We really only have three data points right now which is not enough to definitively identify their intent but it does start to paint the picture a little bit. Sometimes, the break point is beyond obvious, like cutting ep.2 at the end of the USA trip. But when there's not a definitive line, a choice has to be made when to bring one episode to a close and start another.

Some shows use the changing of the day as a break point but that's not necessarily always the best choice to make for the narrative of the show. For example, the break between eps 1 and 2 is in the morning after JK has his coffee and makes the stone tower. This better served the momentum of the episode and wrapped up the story beat of JM's rough night. Ep 2 then starts on a high note with JK's motorbike ride. In my opinion, this was an excellent choice as we close ep.1 feeling all cozy and ep.2 begins with a little bit of excitement.

A Look Back

So why am I bringing this up now? It's because I was so confused as the choice of when to break these two episodes. I don't know if I've decided if it was good/bad/somewhere-in-between but I absolutely was not expecting Episode 4 to start the way it did. Ep 3 ends at the Go Karts and feels like a complete story beat. While ep 4 starts with the drive to the Omakase.

To me, it feels like we're picking up on the last remains of the previous episode and not starting a new section. Which is honestly, kind of counterintuitive. Why would it feel like that? They're literally on their way to the next activity. I suspect it has more to do with the tonal momentum. The guys are still coming down from all of the energy they expended from Rock Climbing and racing and are having a well-deserved relaxing drive. Even the brief moments we see of JK on the motorbike are quite chill. (mostly because there's not really a great way to get action footage on a bike in the dark lol).

So...to see if I could support my suspicion, or if I was just bringing something else into my viewing experience, I decided to rewatch the whole series so far and rank every story beat on a scale for how energetic/intense I felt the narrative was supporting.

A couple of notes before you judge my rankings:

This data is the very definition of subjective. if I redid this same exercise even the next day, I'm sure I would disagree with myself on certain rankings so you certainly don't have to agree with my rankings.

If a storybeat had a noticeable tonal shift, I entered it twice and included both rankings. If it just varied a bit, I entered a ranking more representative of the scene as a whole.

This won't be reflective of the time occupied by each story beat. Some sections are longer than others but with sustained energy so it doesn't translate in this visual representation how much of an impact on the overall tone of the episode any one of these are.

I also added a star at the end of each episode of my median scores. I feel that this was a better representation of the overall tone of each episode rather than an average but that's just my personal view on this teeny dataset. Please don't come for me analytics folks! This is just a post for funzies, not proper analysis!

So What?

The point was curious about is in the gap between eps 3 & 4. Everywhere else there's a pretty clear shift in the start and end of the energy but that gap looks like it was just a step that was missed in what could have been a continual episode.

Here are the runtimes of each episode so far:

USA: 56 min

USA: 72 Min

Jeju: 56 min

Jeju: 70 min

I don't have any conclusions about why it was done this way other than they felt the tonal break was the sacrifice for keeping the Omakase story line in tact. Which honestly, I agree. There would have been time to include the drive in the previous episode but it would have left us on an unfinished storybeat. This is one of the reasons that we never get footage of the members return trip from their travel shows. Bon Voyage ends every episode with the members remarking on the trip overall. Even though we know they have to return home, we don't see it because that would start to build energy for whatever they're doing next and not the story of their trip.

Even in ITS1 when the members do return home in the middle, we see them packing up and getting in the cars but the episode ends before they really start traveling. (Actually it ends before they even let Jin in the car so they're definitely not on their way yet!)

Commercials?

I have a question for anyone that's watching this with ads. I don't really watch streaming content so I'm curious, do the ad breaks just randomly occur? Or does it seem like they're intentionally scheduled? Building story breaks for commercials was a huge focus of legacy tv and I'd be interested to learn more about how streaming services are incorporating it (not enough to not have commercials though, I get insta-rage when the content I'm consuming is interrupted lol). I vaguely remember getting frustrated when I was attempting to watch something at my parent's over the holidays but I don't recall if it seemed structured or not.

That's it. That's all I've got to say right now. We're definitely getting a lot more to the story of this show and I'm absolutely loving it. I'm going to be away for a bit next week and I honestly don't know when I'll fit in watching episode 5 but I'm very much looking forward to it!

If you've seen this post and are interested in some more of my thoughts on Are You Sure, here's a link to my AYS MasterList. Still can't believe I've rambled so much about this show but it's been fun! Thanks to everyone that's been rambling with me!

[dark-night-hero]

Episode one: 'Ex and whys ft. Richard `Dick` Grayson-Wayne and you'

↳ ‘Episode one featuring one of the princes of Gotham, Richard 'Dick' Grayson-Wayne, the eldest among the Wayne sibling and a police officer. And (First name) (Last name) one of the highest paying model and artist with a humble origin. Have come to share us the up and down of their relationship that eventually lead into their parting ways.’

On the screen with a typewriter font appeared the words 'Episode one: 'Ex and whys''. Before it went black once again.

Then comes the on set footage, Fake was shown first, fidgeting on her seat with a nervous smile on her lips. Suddenly her eyes lit up as noise, footsteps could be heard from the background before it got cut off.

Just like on the other side of the story, Slacker could be seen. He sat there looking all relax and flamboyant as much as to his oblivion. Suddenly, his eyes widen as a figure creep up on the corner then it got cut off.

[Going back to where they are]

"Hi, hello, how are you?" An unknown voice came forward as Fake shows them a smile. "Hiiii! It was so nice to finally meet you in person! I was a huge fan of your speciallly on the last season runway!" "Oh dear! What a coincidence, I was a fan of yours too, I love your travel vlogs with Slacker, it makes me want to travel too." Emerging from the corner of the screen was a figure dressed up in all good fashion, hair styled neat, not looking all fancy, just casual. But that did not take away the amount of aura and appeal that they have. Goddamn they are gorgeous. "Oh." Fake blinked in awe and looked st the camera for a second before she snapped back into reality. "Sit. Please take a seat, a one hell of a conversation is about to come."

"Woah, it's been a while since I made an interview." Richard Grayson-Wayne, or more commonly known as Dick Grayson for his close friends walked into the room with a flamboyant smile on his lips. /s: such a pretty boy T-T/ "Hello Sir." Slacker stood up and offered in a somehow stiff posture a handshake. This causes Dick to laugh as he walk close. "Oh please don't be too nervous. I don't bite." Dick spoke and went in for a handshake before gently pullin the other man into a bro hug. "I've seen some of your vlog. It's wonderful." "Thank you sir." "Just call me Richard, or Dick. My family and friends calls me that." "Sure si- Dick." Slacker snicker.

[10 minutes later...]

Both were a quick scene of the two sets where it seems like the duos were now looking comfortable around each other. Fake and (First name) looking rather invested on their current conversion as Dick and Slacker seemed to be having a story telling in which could be seen with Slackers wide eyes and Dick's excessive hand movement.

Suddenly the two sets appeared on the screen with only a black divider on the screen, this time it seems like the camera got their attention before everything went black.

"I guess it's time for the main course a.k.a the question and answer." With the screen still black, all that can be heard was the voices of Fake followed by Slacker with a chuckle. "It's time for the hot seat."

[What makes you come forward and go on in this talk?]

"Now this is good." Fake laughs as she put the card on the back of the deck. "I'm actually curious about this one. Coming on a show with your ex, knowing that you're jut rooms away from your ex, and talking about stuff... Not everyones choice." She added. And then you laugh. You laughed enough to make someone around them smile without even knowing. "True, that's not the wisest choice for everyone. But the truth is. Dickieb-Dick weren't just an ex. He was a friend, still even after all those times. Even if we did have such history. He was a good friend of mine to this day and it wouldn't hurt to go into this talk." You explained with a sigh. "When I first seen Leanne's email, I found it funny and interesting. Ex and whys... it's such a funny content. So as soon as I read the contexts and the stuffs. I immediately talked to Dicki-Grayson about it."

"The first time I have heard about it is via (First name) and not Leanne... Come to think of it. Leanne reach out to my father and not for me..." There was a momentarily pause after that. "Anyway I was on duty that time to be honest. I was reluctant to go at first. Don't get me wrong. I love attention. It comes natural for me. But we- (First name) and I never really got to talk about it. We just kind of went back into being friend and never really talked about it. So I assumed our break up is a no go conversation for us. So I was kind of taken a back when she told me if it was okay for me- for us to go on a show that would talk about the 'Ex and whys' of your relationship." Dick Grayson explained. "Then again, since it seems alright for (First name). I just decided to go alongside it. I was told there would be a joint interview at the end. I haven't seen them for like a year now so..." Dick added, giving the camera a wink when it suddenly focuses on Slacker on the other seat. "Sounds like one of the main reason why you decided to go for the talk." All that could be heard after that was laughter and the screen went black again.

[Describe the first time you two met.]

"A (radicated) ungrateful (radicated)." This causes Slacker to cough out an incoming laugh. "What?" He eventually let out a laugh, "Why?" Dick rolled his eyes and sigh dramatically, leaning back on the chair. "So I was on duty, okay? At night. I happened to come across them- thankfully as they were in the middle of trying to rob- threatening to kill'em so I did what any cops would do, I apprehended them. Because that's what I do, right?" Dick reasoned out with a frown. "So by the time I was finished dealing with the goons, I was trying to approach them for some sort of assistance because who knew what was happening before I arrived? Anyway..." This time were was a pout on his face as he seemed to be recalling back that very same night. "(First name) snapped at me." He spoke with what it seemed was a very shocked and hurt expression, there was a hint of laughter before it got cut off.

"I snapped at him." You admitted. Then frown and ran a hand through their hair. "(Radicated) he's gonna be so (radicated) dramatic about this I bet." To their side was Fake looking at you with anticipation. "What? Whywhy?" She bounce in her seat causing the other to laugh. "Well, it was a long story that eventually lead to that faithful encounter." You sigh. "Richard John Grayson was my first crush. The truth is that he is my childhood crush. I'm guessing you have heard of the 'Flying Grayson' no? If not then ask Leanne about it." Then there was a small smile on their lips. "I've known Dick for a long time, more than he have ever known me." You laugh. "I was a fan of him and his parents. He was then kept by Bruce Wayne- Hello Uncle Bruce by the way. Those were the topics back in the days and well, I was kind of updated. Anyways, that crush kind of went away as time passed by, there was not much of a news about him after that and well, he just kind of linger in the back of my mind? I kind of forgotten about him to be honest." You admitted with a smirk, as if know a certain individual would be watching this upon released. "And how does that take you snap upon finally seeing him for the first time in person?" Fake asked in anticipation but there was only a moment of silence before a deep sigh can be heard followed by mumble. "What was that?" Fake asked. "...rrassed" "Huh? What was that?" "I said I was embarrassed." Despite the sudden calm demeanor, your ears were hot red. "I mean, he was literally my first, greatest crush. How come our first meeting was me getting almost kidnapped my some goons? Do you know how embarrassing that was on my part? I (radicated) hate it to death. God knows how much I prayed to be swallowed up by the ground back them." You groan. "Oh my goodness, looking back. That was really. Really embarrassing. I don't even remember what I did after getting approached by him. I was so embarrassed my mind functioned on it's own and decided to just forget that ever happened." "Oh my go-" the screen went black.

[Do you think the two of you would last forever?]

"Actually, I did." Dick chuckled forward and Slacker did not missed the sadness that linger in those blue eyes before it went away with a blink. "It may not seemed that way but I really did think we would last forever."

"Can I be honest in here?" You look around before your (eye color) iris eventually fall back to Fake's violet ones. "I mean, honestly, you could lie right here and now and we would not even realise it was a lie." "Good point." You chuckle before taking a deep breath and saying. "No, I did not think about it." Eventually, you looked away and stared far away. "The thing is, I never think that we would last forever. Was it some kind of instinctual sense? In the end I was correct, we did not last forever at all."

[Who broke up with who?]

"It was a mutual decision." You and Dick spoke as the scene switch back and forth between the two of them until Dick's frame stayed. "At some point to our relationship, we, not them, not I, we came up with the decision that it would be the best for us to partways." Dick explained and the screen was swallowed up with darkness.

[What do you like about the other?]

"I can be myself when I am with him/them." Once again, the frame switch back between the two of them.

"Does it make sense if I told you I don't know?" Frustrated, (First name) run a hand through their hair. "I feel like a simp for saying this but back then, everything he does drives me crazy, in both good and bad way." You laugh.

"I've been in a different relationship before, but with (First name). It was different." Dick looked longing while saying that, as if he was looking back into yesterday. "I was myself, my true seld when I'm with them. No expectations, no questions, no responsibilities. It was as if I was enough. Not Richard Grayson of the flying grayson, not Richard Grayson-Wayne. Just Dick Grayson."

[What do you dislike about the other?]

"How little he cares about himself." You roll your eyes on the camera. "Even now, he should take a better care of himself, I am no longer around to take care of him so too bad for him." You spoke in a teasing manner before looking all serious on the camera. "Seriously Dick, take care of yourself before Alfred- Hello Alfie, I miss you- drag your sorry ass into bed." You wink into the camera.

"How hard it is for them to admit they needed help." Dick sounds frustrated when he said that. "I wish they could just lessen their burden, you know? That I could help, that I am willing to help. Just like how they always hold up a hand when I needed it. I want to be there for them too." He then looked at Slacker who then opened his mouth. "Do you-"

[Why did you two break up?]

"I/They want to settle down." The frame switched between the two, "He/I wasn't ready."

"I really wanted to settle down, you know." It was you who was on the screen. "We're not getting any younger and we were dating for like, two years. So I thought it was about time." There was a moment of silence after that. "Looking back, I thought I wasn't enough I mean, before he dated me, he was had a long history of dating someone else, one he actually proposed marriage to, so I thought.." You zone out for a moment before snapping out of it "Anyway now that I think about it. Maybe I was really asking for too much." You smile gently at the direction of the camera.

"It was around the third time (First name) proposed and well... I told them still, I wasn't ready that everything about us started to go south." There was a pause. "Not really south, everything was well and still even after that. But I could tell something was shifting, something was changing." Dick chuckled painfully. "I was busy, patrol and cases. The distance between us, the different schedule. Before I knew it they were already slipping off my finger. And by the time realise it. We made the decision to take a break and then we part ways." "Wait, so are you saying the two of you never really called it quits?" Slacker deadpan at Dick and he laugh, "I don't know, I don't know man. Think of it the way you want."

[Did you cheat on the other at some point within the relationship?]

"Can I ask a question?" You hold up a hand. "That's suspicious." Fake narrowed her eyes at you. "Spill." "Is it considered cheating if I have a crush on Nightwing too all throughout our relationship once?"

"No." Dick reply without any second thoughts causing to Slacker to nod.

[Rumours says that Miss. Barbara Gordon is the reason why the two fo you broke up, is that true?]

"100 percent a lie. Babs have nothing to do with ot break up. She was just a friend-" Dick got cut off follwing a similar sentence from you, "She was just a friend. And even if she was Dick's ex. Well damn girl, she's gorgeous, if it wasn't for Dick being the first one to caught my interest, I would definitely fall for her. Take note of his official ex too, she's one hell of a hotie, 100/10. Kori, darling, whenever you are, I miss you, hangout with you soon!" You spoke with a flying kiss before the camera switches back to Dick. "What I'm saying is that, if there is someone who would cheat on me with my ex, that would be 34 percent be (First name) and not me." He pouted, "What the fu-"

[What happened after the break up?]

"Day went on like it normally does, you know?" Dick started. "We never really move into each others house so there was no moving out of anything." This time there was a bitter smile on his face. "Were you lonely?" Suddenly asked by Slacker. Dick then looked at him, "We... we never really break up didn't we?" He asked back as if hoping, looking for something. "We just took a break and then parted ways... While I remained in Bludhaven, (First name) went away."

"I left the states." You admitted with a serious look on your face. "I want some time for myself and being near to Grayson, I wouldn't be able to do that. The truth is that Grayson being friends with his ex, being around so many gorgeous woman back then was one of the sources of my insecurity. But then looking back, maybe I was just trying to find a reason- someone to blame. Nevertheless, I left." You sigh, a deep yet somehow a kind of relieved sigh. "I flew and wander around Europe and trust me, it was so un I almost never want to go back." You chuckle then look down into your lap. "I was in there for months, focusing on myself, working on my insecurities, my dreams- other dreams and then one day I looked back on the things that I felt behind, thinking I was finally okay, I went back after a year and yeah, I came back and continue what we should have remained to be. Friends." You conclude but then almost laugh when you look into your side and Fake was looking at you jaw dropped. "What?" "Nothing. Does that mean you're jealous of his ex and girl friends?" "Jealous? Nah. I knew Dick loved only me and only me when the two of us were together, there has never been a doubt about that. It was kind of my fault that even after all of that, I felt so damn insecure. So yeah, there was no other to blame but myself. But then again." You look back at the camera with a genuine smile. "I'm okay now."

[Do you regret it?]

"Regret what?" Both asked.

[Everything, the relationship, how things ended, something like that.]

Dick laugh, like for real laugh, throwing his head back with his shoulders shaking up and down before he eventually calm down after a good minute. With a smile on his face, he answered. "The relationship? No. Never." He said softly. "How things ended?" There was a momentarily pause. "A few, I do regret." He sigh.

You blink "Well, the relationship? I do regret it sometimes. I think we were better of as friend after all, but after a while, I would often think that being in a relationship with him was also a good thing, I get to see the side that only a lover would see and not a friend." You smirk at the camera. "But with how things ended, I think there was none, I give myself, my everything in the relationship, so no. I don't regret everything, not with how things ended, nor the overall relationship that we have." You smile at Fake who gives you a smirk. "I think you're the only one who thinks that." "Nah, I bet Dick would agree with me." After all, he did nothing even before you left.

[What is one thing you could have done differently?]

"I wouldn't ask him for marriage." "I would have accepted the proposal." With one black line separating then at the screen, seriousness could be seen from their side frame as they answered.

"Things started going south after that." You laugh. "Looking back, it's not that I want to tie him up to me, it was just a proposal- we could engage now and well, get married in years to come. Back then, I was just really looking for some sort of-"

"(First name) was just looking for some sort of clarity." Dick lean back on his seat. "It took me a while after we parted way that that was what they wanted." He sigh. "When I couldn't give them that, they started doubting themselves. And it was already too late by the time I realised that." He looked at Slacker. "As much as I want to say that not going after them after our break up was the thing I could have done differently. I bet with whatever is going on on their mind at that time, even if I were to chase after them, they would have still left."

[Second phase: Joint talk]

This time, it was a different segment, within the left side of the room was a long and wide looking couch where five people could easily fit. Right next tk it on the right side was another couch but a rather small looking one, one were two to three people would fit. On the background was cream wallpaper, painting and plants as well as lamo that is currently on.

It did not take too long for two figures emerged in both corner of the room followed by series of gasp and laughed on the opposite corner of the room. "Grayson! Its been a while hasn't it!" You laugh, sounding so excited as you walked towards him on the opposite side of the room looking as excited as you. As soon as the two of you were within ech others reach, Dick was quick to reach out an arm and hug you. "It's been a while. I missed you." He whispered on your neck causing you to giggle. It tickles. "You big baby, We saw each other on the gala two months ago." You pat him in the back and eventually pull away.

"Wow, the two of you look more comfortable than we thought." Fake spoke as Slacker walked behind her. "Is there room for two more people?" She joked but then halted when she saw the two invited individuals sitting on the smaller couch- the one that was supposed to be their seat- not this huge one. "Aren't we supposed to seat in there?" Whispered by Slacker. "Yeah." Fake nodded but upon looking at the duo siting comfortable with Dick leaning into you as you sat there cross legs looking comfortable. "But let it be."

[Two truths and one lie]

"What was that supposed to mean?" Asked by you, raising a brow at the twin sitting opposite to you two. "Well here is the mechanics." Slacker straighten on his seat. "Each of you get to ask the other three questions while the other get to answer with two truths and one lie." Slacker explained. "At the end of the game, the other would try to guest which one is the truth and which is the lie." He added. "And it is up to you who answered whether to admit their guess was wrong or right."

"What do you think Dickhead? You think you can do this?" "Why ask me? You should ask that yourself." Dick laugh and snuggle close to you whom almost push him away out of annoyance of moving too much. "How about this. Let's have a fast talk instead of prolonged ones. No complicated answer, just the truth and well, I guess one lie." You suggested with a laugh and he said, "Alright let's do that."

[Richard Grayson to (First name)]

Dick: Did I ever do anything that hurts your feelings?

You: After all that happened? No. Never once did you ever hurt me.

Dick: Did you ever lie to me?

You: Yes.

Dick: Do you still have feelings for me?

You: laughs* what do you think Richard? Yes Dick. I do, aren’t we friends?

[What are your thoughts about it?]

"It's a tricky answer." Fake chuckles, right behind her was her twin nodding at her words. On the background not too far from the two was you and Dick. "It's tricky indeed. I mean at some point it was kind of obvious which one is the truth and the lie but you cannot help but to think twice and overthink." This time it was Slacker voicing out his opinion.

[(First name) to Richard Grayson]

You: Were you happy with me?

Dick: laughs* Of course. I was the happiest when I was with you.

You: Did you ever lie to me?

Dick: No.

You: laughs* That's what I thought, last question. What made you fall out of love with me?

Dick: Nothing.

[What are your thoughts about it?]

"I could not even tell what was the lie and what was the truth." Fake laughs in frustration. "The effff. They're so meticulous! I couldn't get a read on them!" This time, it was Slacker holding his head as a distant laughter could be heard in the distance before the camera zoomed in and focuses on the two figures laughing on the couch. "They're enjoying this." "This is driving me insane. They look so good together, I have never seen such exes looking like that-"

[Moment of truth.]

"I'm guessing you lied at the second question?" "Why do you sound so unsure about that?" You scoff and roll your eyes at him. "Also, wrong." That was not your lie. "Then was it-" "Nope, not revealing it." You laugh when he pouts and attempt to tickle you by your side. "Hey! Stop. Sooooo I'm guessing you lied the third question." You almost hate how you sounded to confident by your answered and he frown. Mouth went open and shut before it draws into a thin line. "Why would you think that?" "Huh?" Your smile almost dropped by the seriousness of his look and tone. "I mean- we broke up and-" "We did not broke up." He emphasizes and your jaw dropped. What the hell? "What do you mean we never- what?"

"We agreed to take a break, not break up." "Didn't I left? What do you mean we never break up. Me leaving was clearly the end of our relationship." "Sure you left, but that doesn't really means the end of it." "Dick" You called him out gently "If me leaving does not end the relationship, then you letting me go and not going after me was clearly the end of it." There was a painful, awkward silence after that. "Nothing made me fall out of love with you." "Yeah I know, what a great lie-" "What makes you think that was a lie?" The way he sit up to properly look and face you suddenly made your heart skip a beat out of nervousness. Why are you nervous? You are so sure about this.

"Because it was a lie?" You smiled but eventually dropped as he looks frustrated than ever. "I said nothing because I never stopped loving you." What? "It wasn't a lie. That was the truth." He said. "I lied about the second question okay?" He admitted while you remained there seated in silence. "Because I lied. I lied okay?" Then he looked away. "I lied back then about not being able to settle down." That sent an ache within your heart. "I lied about a lot of things and that was one of them."

"We were so young back then, it's not that I don't want it to be you. But I got pressured, I saw future for us but I got pressured, when I turned you down for the third one. I started doubting myself, will I be able to make you happy? After all that shit I gave you? Was I stil worthy for you? Will I be able to really give you want you wanted? Looking back I got pressured thinking I needed to give you everything when all you ever wanted was me and only me." There was a bitter smile on his face. "I want to settle down with you but I was scared, so I turn you down and started lying to myself." He chuckles, unable to look at you. "Do you really think I am okay with this? Just being friends with you?" He let out a scoff. "It kills me to be just a friend to you knowing fully well I could have been more than that."

"Well... I lied too." "The second question?" "No, the third one Dick. I lied when I told you I still have feeling for you, as a friend, of course I still have feeling- romantic feelings for you, wond-" Dick grabbed you by the back of your neck and pull you for a k- the screen went black.

["A lie for a lie' End of Episode one]

[Extra scene one]

Fake: I think this was a set up for them to get back up together.

Slacker: looking exhausted* I never want to do again.

Fake: Too bad buddy, this is just the beningging pfff-

[Extra scene two]

At the very end of the talk, the two guest has their hands intertwined with one another.*

Slacker: Do you two ever consider going back together?

You: looking very serious at Dick* I don't know. What do you say, pretty boy?

Dick: holding up their intertwined fingers for everyone to see* Well if you would do me the honor of accepting a dinner date for tonight then-

[The end...]

[ⓒdark-night-hero] 2024°

:bruh, how did this turned out to be so f long T^T

: part of the series 「Talk with Fake Slacker」

[macleod]

I've seen a number of people on here proclaim that you should not, under no circumstances, take photos at a protest, but: Sharing photos of protests is a great way to amplify the impact of collective action, raise awareness on important issues, and encourage more people to participate.

But: We also have to keep in mind that surveillance is on the rise, including the use of facial recognition tech, which can put people at risk.

So here is a quick basic guide, courtesy of DigitalRightsWatchAU, to protecting people's biometric data when posting protest photos:

Conceal or obscure people’s faces in photos 

Before you upload photos from protests to social media, remove biometric data by concealing or obscuring people’s faces and using proper communication channels.

Use Signal. 

Signal is a great encrypted messaging app that protects your communications. It also has an in-built feature to blur out people’s faces.

We strongly recommend using Signal to communicate with people white protesting (and anytime, really!), and this added feature makes it easy to protect the identities of people in your photos. 

Be selective – choose photos that don’t show people’s faces. 

With some careful photography and curation, you can upload photos that capture the scale and energy of a protest without revealing sensitive information — no need to edit them! 

Here are some ideas:

take photos at a distance, capturing the crowd rather than individual details of faces,

position yourself behind the march, showing only the backs of heads, 

focus on signs, flags and other details to emphasise the protest vibe without showing people’s faces. 

Remember it’s good practice to ask people before taking their photo whenever you can. You can also explain to them that you just want to get their sign or outfit but not their face – let them know you want to protect their privacy! 

Extra tips:

Doing this does not remove the metadata from your image. Image metadata is generated automatically and usually includes details including the time, date, and GPS location, and information about the type of phone used – this can be used to pinpoint where you were and when. To easily remove metadata, take a screenshot on your device and delete the original. 

For extra protection, delete the original photos that show people’s faces from your phone after you have made a version that obscures the faces. Even if you don’t intend to upload them online, if your device is compromised or unlocked and you have the originals sitting there, you’ve done all that work for nothing!    

What about videos? Videos are trickier to edit to hide people’s faces and may require additional time, effort and software – this isn’t always possible while you’re on the go! We suggest focusing on minimising capturing faces in the first place when recording video footage. 

Focus on harm minimisation rather than perfection. Taking protest photos without revealing people’s faces can be hard – there are a lot of people moving around which makes it difficult. The goal is to minimise sharing others’ biometric information as much as possible. Just try your best!   

When you want to capture details: recording incidents 

Recording incidents such as use of violence by law enforcement can be a powerful tool of accountability. It pays to be prepared. 

Here are some tips from Melbourne Activist Legal Support on observing police at protests:

Record in landscape mode. It captures more of the scene. 

Hold your device steady and move it slowly. Smooth, clear footage makes better evidence. 

If taking your phone to an action, make sure you don’t take sensitive data with you. 

Context is important. Recording moments before an arrest can be as important as the arrest itself. 

Try to take clear steady images that capture the police officer’s badge name or ID number. 

Don’t hinder an arrest when observing or you may end up arrested too.   

Try not to narrate. Your recording may not capture key information if you’re speaking over it. 

Police do not have the right to hinder you recording public interactions. 

You can also check out the resources from Witness for in-depth guides to recording incidents to protect and uphold human rights. You can also get advice and tools from the National Justice Project’s CopWatch.

[fatphobiabusters]

I have been forced to see so many Noom ads by YouTube, and each time I can't believe their audacity and how far they're willing to go. Off the top of my head, I can think of three specific Noom ads that astound me every time I have the displeasure of being reminded that Noom exists:

All of the ads that are just them showing footage of either extravagant or absolutely wild, no-one-has-ever-eaten-this food dishes with voice over saying "I couldn't figure out why I wasn't losing weight!" And the most recent iteration of this ad starts with footage of someone spraying whipped cream on a hot dog. Why? Who knows! But it's apparently related to why the paid voice actor wasn't losing weight I guess ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I was actually telling Mod Squirrel about this ad last night because the manipulative tactics of this one are so blatant and disgusting. The Noom ad starts with footage of puppies—I kid you not—and then says "Sick and tired of feeling sick and tired about your weight? We've got you!" I don't know what's more disgusting, the fact that they're using puppies (PUPPIES!!!!) to sell their fatphobic eating disorder app like some kind of cartoon villain, or the fact that they're pretending to come to the rescue of people who are tired of feeling ashamed of their fat bodies when companies like Noom are one of the direct causes of that internalized fatphobia in the first place. That would be like a canister of gasoline showing up to a house on fire and saying "Tired of me coming to your house ten minutes ago to set all of your belongings and memories ablaze? Don't worry, I've got you!" *starts a forest fire in the forest behind the house* "That'll be $100."

It's been a while since I've had to see this shitty Noom ad, and I hope it's because they received backlash for it since even people who don't care about fat liberation at least care about xenophobia. Does anyone remember that advertisement Noom made of (if I'm remembering correctly) a Latine grandmother showing her grandchildren love by cooking them homemade food that was part of their culture, and Noom called people like this Latine grandmother "food-pushers"? Literally coming after grandmothers making their grandchildren food from their cultural heritage????

Please let 2024 be the year that the Noom app dies. I am so tired of that fucking app.

-Mod Worthy

[apockalypsisblog]

BTS Suga & The Era of Misinformation

In the past few weeks, BTS' member Suga had been embroiled in a scandal of unprecedented scale. As a fan, I've been following the situation closely, and as it unraveled, I found myself more and more frustrated and helpless. With my Xwitter account locked, and my brand spanking new Reddit account (created for the purpose of keeping up with the situation) unable to comment on most threads, I decided to utilize this blog. 

This is not an article, and I am not a journalist. This is a personal blog post and a recount of the events as I've witnessed them, meant to bring some light to this horrific mess of a situation to those who care to read all of it.

I tried to list sources where I could, but I didn't (couldn't) keep track of everything. If I got anything wrong, please let me know.

Here's what happened. 

Credit: Agust D 'Haegeum' Official MV - HYBE LABELS

The Eye of the Storm

On 7th August 2024, the world woke up to headlines of BTS Suga having committed a DUI. 

Korean media agency Yonhap reported on the event first, with a statement from the police: Suga was spotted riding an electric kickboard after falling in front of a nearby police patrol. The police officers came to assist him and, suspecting he might be under the influence, subjected him to a breathalyzer test. His results were enough for a fine and license revocation. 

Both Suga himself and his agency Big Hit Music were quite quick to follow with their own statements and apologies. Suga especially was specific with the details he gave on the event: yes, he drove his electric kickboard under the influence of alcohol. Yes, he fell in front of his house while attempting to park the vehicle. No, no one was hurt, and no damage to property was inflicted. He didn't know it was prohibited to drive e-kickboards after having consumed alcohol. Yes, his license got revoked and he was fined. 

He apologized and expressed his regret. 

Big Hit then recounted the event as well in a separate statement, adding a couple details—Suga wore a helmet and he drove a short distance, about 500 meters. They too expressed regret about the actions of their artist. 

In most cases, this would be the end of the story. People would come to their conclusions and Suga would face appropriate legal ramifications.

However, this isn't a story about a DUI. Not really. 

A couple hours later, Big Hit issued another statement, explaining that they weren't aware that Suga's kickboard, which contains a foldable seat, could be classified as a different type of vehicle—a scooter. They also weren't aware that there would be a follow up procedure from the police, but they vow to comply to the full extent. 

A simple case isn't so simple anymore. Media, as they often do, smell blood in the water. 

Did Suga lie? 

A flurry of articles and reports follows. Suga didn't drive a kickboard, but a scooter—a much different vehicle that carries a much different legal charge. He said he fell in front of his house, but he was actually found passed out on the ground. He was actually not in front of his house at all. 

JTBC airs a grainy CCTV footage that shows a man driving a much larger, faster combustion engine vehicle than initially described, in full traffic. Damning evidence.

The consensus is, Suga lied. Not only did he commit a DUI, but seemingly a much larger offense as well—downplaying the incident. He's branded a deceiver. 

There is an outcry in the media, and outcry in the K-pop community. Everyone is quick to condemn Suga completely—often with unbridled glee. It's quite clear that the K-pop community had been waiting for a member of BTS to 'mess up', so to speak. 

Meanwhile, Suga's fans plead to wait until an investigation is completed. They are laughed out of the room—after all, we already have CCTV footage of him and hence all the proof we need. Right? With South Korea's draconic defamation laws, the media wouldn't lie. 

Right?

In the following days, the vitriol grows. Hundreds of articles are published daily, each one with more and more outrageous accusations—Suga was not only passed out on the ground, but he was found in a pool of his own vomit. His alcohol levels were outrageously high—the media reports the number 0.227% BAC, the same as actress Kim Saeron, but the highest level of any K-pop idol on record. He didn't drive for 500 meters, as he had said, but for more than 1 km. Actually, for 2.8 km. His BAC level was actually the highest of all Korean celebrities in history—Kim Saeron's was suddenly lower. All that while having said he only had one beer!

Then, another CCTV footage was released. In it, a man on a scooter (a white, blurry blob) drives erratically on the street among a crowd of people until he hits a curb and falls. 

As a fan, I feel like I'm witnessing an assassination attempt in real time. It's hard to keep up with the tsunami of information coming out—reporters cite police sources, then change their articles and cite themselves. The police even goes on record and refutes the circulated BAC levels, only saying that the true number is difficult to confirm at the time. 

The investigation has not yet begun. In the court of public opinion, though, Suga has already lost. What was he thinking, deceiving the public? Especially in South Korea, the land of CCTV?

In the circle of his fans, though, suspicions remain. 

Did the media lie? 

On Wednesday 14th, 7 days after the incident, more CCTV is revealed. This time, it's much clearer than the previous ones and much, much different. 

It shows a man, riding what appears to really be an electric kickboard down the sidewalk. He drives slowly, in a straight line—as straight as you can be on a slow-riding e-scooter, at least. The point of view changes—the man has now overtaken three riot officers. He slows down, turns, disappears out of view. One of the officers points in his direction. 

The point of view changes again. We can see the man make the turn to pull up to a front gate, and then—it's hard to say what happens. Maybe the front wheel of his scooter got stuck. Maybe the turn he made was too sharp, maybe he pulled on the breaks a little too abruptly. The e-scooter stops, and the man flies forward. He lands on his hands and knees. He gets up, collects his helmet, puts it back on. The police officers are, at this point, next to him, surrounding him. 

The man picks up his kickboard off the ground and gets back on. He turns to the police officers, listens for a second, and gets back off. 

The video ends. 

It feels like a valve has been released from a pot about to blow. Fans sigh a sigh of relief. Suga didn't lie. His statement correlates with what's shown in the video. Korean media seemingly fell prey to sensationalist journalism—in an effort to be the most up to date with the biggest scandal, they voiced information from sources that were false at worst and dubious at best. K-pop fans, hungry for drama, only poured fuel into the flames. 

With this new development, surely Suga must be vindicated. He didn't lie—he drove what really appears to be an electric kickboard, he really fell in front of his house. With the way he gets up instantly, the reported BAC also comes under question. 

JTBC is forced to air a lukewarm apology for releasing the fake CCTV footage. Korea Now, the international leg of Yonhap news, also posts their apology—in the community notes of their channel and a separate video.

In an ideal world, this would be enough and the storm would end. The public outcry would cease and the investigation would continue uninterrupted. 

Not that kind of story

On 27th December 2023, actor and movie star Lee Sunkyun was found dead in his car after taking his own life. 

In the months before the tragedy, Lee Sunkyun had been hounded by the media and police for a different scandal—alleged drug consumption. The media vilified the actor. His private conversations and phone calls were leaked to condemn him to the public. He was branded a cheater on top. 

Lee Sunkyun was forced to face the media head on during his first police investigation in the form of a so-called photo line—an impromptu press conference in front of the police station. The media takes prized shots of the suspected perpetrator in a compromised state, and regardless of whether they're innocent or not, the image persists. 

The actor was forced to face the photo line again for his second summons. When he was summoned for the third time, he asked the police to call off the photo line. 

The police refused. The actor faced the press once more and then, after a 19 hour long interrogation, he ended his life. 

There was significant backlash against the media and the police. Bong Joonho, director of the Oscar-winning movie "Parasite", and other public figures petitioned for an investigation into the police and Korean media. 

The photo line practice had been widely condemned and, allegedly, outlawed. 

However, it cannot return the life of Lee Sunkyun.

Judge, jury, executioner

In the present, the situation surrounding Suga calms for a few days, almost ominously. The media's overwhelming narrative that Suga is a liar slowly grinds to a painful pause. 

New narratives are quickly raised in replacement. 

It's hard to say why this happens. One could argue the media is irked by being disgraced, or maybe they're bitter that BTS' fandom refuses to abandon their star. Instead they petition for the media to retract their false statements, or contact international press and ask them to report on the dubious Korean coverage. 

Regardless of the reason, the DUI charges still stand and Korean media demand justice. With the investigation imminent and Suga expected to appear at the police station, they call for a photo line yet again.

Reporters go as far as to publicly threaten him—the photo line, considered by some to be an infringement upon human rights, should graciously be viewed as his opportunity to apologize to the public. And if he refuses to meet the press' demands, they will continue to make his life difficult, or worse. And Suga can't afford another mistake, can he? 

The police refuses to set up an official photoline. However, if the press shows up to the station, nothing can be done. It's not like the police has the power to stop them or evict them from the premises.

The defamation of Suga's character continues. The new footage is scrutinized—driving on the sidewalk (legally a shared path for both pedestrians and bikes/kickboards) is actually worse than driving a motorbike (or car) in traffic, isn't it? His (unconfirmed) alcohol levels, spouted as fact, are obscenely high. Doesn't the scooter happen to need a license plate? If it does and has none, that's another crime. If it does and has one, well. Suga "once again" mislead the public. 

Under blackmail thinly veiled as calls for consequences, the star is expected to grovel in shame.

No matter that Suga already apologized. His original statement, even though truthful, had been disgraced by the accusations and is no longer valid. Only a head bowed in shame will be enough for the press. 

The media reports that Suga should appear at the station on 22nd August, and photographers and reporters flock the station like an army laying a siege. They block the main entrance and create a corridor. They wait like this from 3 AM. 

Around 11 AM, Big Hit releases a statement that Suga was never meant to appear at the station that day. They express their concern for the reporters' well-being. They're very sorry they couldn't release a statement sooner, but they're telling them now so they don't suffer needlessly any longer. 

The media has fallen prey to their own misreporting, but they blame Suga for it. Articles are released, complaining of the inhuman conditions they were exposed to, having to wait in the sweltering summer heat. Not showing up to a summon that hasn't been made is painted as inconsiderate of him. 

Fans view this as a battle won. 

One step forward, two steps back

The triumph is short lived. The next day, reporters swarm the station again. This time, they wait until evening—no statement from Big Hit or the police comes to send them home. 

Then, Suga shows up for his investigation. He doesn't attempt to pass them by, or hide his face. He faces them, even stops to acknowledge them and speaks a few words of apology. He bows. 

The press gets both their money shot and the ritual humiliation. Hundreds upon hundreds of articles are written yet again, more defamation ensues. 

Bowing his head was not enough after all.

I will not share those pictures or videos here. I'm sure you can find them if you just Google Suga's name. I would, however, like for you to remember the CCTV footage of the incident that started this whole thing—Suga, on a kickboard that I've seen children ride on, falling. No one gets hurt, nothing gets damaged.

I will leave it up to you whether you think his crime warrants the kind of punishment he received—thousands of articles full of proven lies, slandering his name. Blackmail and threats from the press. Defamation (itself subject to criminal charges under Korean law) of his character, calls for the strictest of punishments—up to 5 years in prison. Funeral wreaths, akin to death threats to any sane person, sent to his home. His ability to perform his social service has been disputed. His KOMCA song credits were questioned. Calls to remove him from BTS, a group he worked his entire adult life and much of his teenage years to build.

On Sunday evening, Suga posts another apology, a hand-written letter. In it, he apologizes to his fans, his bandmates, and his team for putting a stain on their name. He also apologizes for causing a 'social stir', despite having been the victim of false narratives, harassment, and humiliation at the mercy of media outlets who decided to ruin his life beyond repair. 

"It's all my fault," he writes. I'm sorry for getting my blood on your clothes. 

The situation is still ongoing—chances are we won't know the result for days, or weeks, or months. Articles full of speculation and defamation are still being published every day, every hour, while we're waiting for the police to finish the investigation. 

While this media storm is happening around Suga, real name Min Yoongi, these events also happened in Korea and didn't make nearly quite the splash: 

3 more high-profile DUI cases: - a policeman drove a kickboard drunk, was found unconscious and was taken to the hospital. His case has already been closed. - Olympic baseball player got behind the wheel the morning after a night out, collided with another vehicle, and his alcohol level was high enough to warrant a license revocation. - Korean comedian, only referred to as Mr. A, drove after drinking and crashed his car, flipping it. 

Senior officer of the Korean anti-corruption commission, tasked with investigating the First Lady of South Korea in a bribery case, was found dead. His death was ruled a suicide. Charges against the First Lady had been dropped.

Telegram chats consisting of 220 thousand Korean men and boys sharing private information, pictures, and deepfake pornography of women in their lives and celebrities, were exposed on social media. 

NCT member Taeil left his group unexpectedly after being charged with sexual crimes. The investigation had been happening for months.

It's safe to say this story isn't about a DUI. Suga may have very well served as a distraction, a scapegoat, for much larger political scandals. Or the campaign against him could have been paid for by Hybe and BTS' competition—either to bring about their ruin, or to distract from their own undesirable news. 

Or the simplest explanation is true—he just was the most lucrative subject, the one that brought the most clicks, the most engagement, the most money. 

Consequences

While the media calls for Suga to face consequences and learn his lessons, I would like to speak of different lessons. Ones that we can all learn. Yes, one of those is that driving any vehicle after having consumed alcohol is a bad idea. Duly noted. 

Another is that the reaction to this 'social stir' has been widely blown out of proportion by the engaged public, most of which consisted of the K-pop community. In the wake of the real CCTV being revealed, that community scrambled. Comments, posts, and articles were being deleted en masse. Some people condemned the actions of fellow fans and haters—the shaming and dogpiling, only because people finally felt justified in their hatred of BTS. Some doubled down—all information shared was from reputable media sources and outlets. How were they supposed to know they were fake? 

The truth is, we were supposed to know. We were supposed to suspect. The media, that now more than ever take their cues and inspiration from social media and online forums, have been wrong before, and they will be wrong again. Everyone who shared unverified articles meant to damage someone is in a way complicit in the situation. A situation that is sure to repeat—it's a matter of when, not if. 

A couple days ago, another idol posted a photo of himself sitting in a car. Then hastily added, "I'm not wearing a seatbelt because the car was stopped. I'm just saying." While K-pop fans cackled about the shade, the fact remains that these idols live in an environment where the smallest mistake could cost them their career, or worse, their life. Where fans of different groups view them as competition to their success and are willing to abandon all morals to get their shot at them. And if this mentality doesn't stop or change, the idols will keep dying.

BTS' fandom, ARMY, is not exempt from this, not by a long shot. Just during this whole fiasco, a twitter account with thousands of followers incited violent threats against another idol, only because they felt slighted by an unrelated comment. On the other hand, other fandoms organized a defamatory hashtag, posting pictures and tweets as if they were fans of Suga, condoning drunk driving. With only one goal—damaging his reputation further. 

These "shooter" accounts are cancerous to our communities, and we as fans should shun them, not hype them up. 

Lastly, I am not excusing Min Yoongi. However, if a crime was committed, it should be punished within the scope of the law, not according to what-ifs, speculation, or fantasies of the public. I disagree with the media frenzy this sparked. The media or the public cannot play the role of the judge, the jury and the executioner—we can't demand harsher punishment just because we don't like a celebrity, or because we disagree with their wealth. If we want to uphold justice, we cannot bypass it. Not like this.

Ironically, the media had turned Min Yoongi into sort of a martyr—he now both committed a crime and became a victim of one. And while his actions didn't hurt anyone, or damage anything, and are largely inconsequential, what has been done to him and his reputation cannot ever be fully undone. 

One fact remains true. No one, not even a celebrity, deserves to be driven to suicide, but the media and the public gave it another good try.

And so I ask the broader K-pop community—remember this situation as a cautionary tale, and when the next scandal breaks out, do your part. Have the grace to help assure the idol's fair investigation and impartial press coverage. 

That is a basic human right.

Related: South Korea | Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism