#lulu you are so talented i don't tell you that enough

[the-stars-in-between]

Everyone, look at the amazing art of baby Ace that my little sister made for the chapter 7 of my story Children of the Sea. Know that I suffered to get this drawing (I had to accompany her on a ride that I hate at the amusement park) but it was worth it. I want to squeeze his cheeks, he's adorable.

“So Ace? What hat do you want to go out?” Rouge asked, holding a hat in each hand in front of Ace. Ace grabbed the frog hat with his little hands and started drooling all over it. “Excellent choice,” Rouge congratulated him, gently placing the hat on his head. Rouge added some sunglasses for good measure before strapping Ace into the baby carrier. As usual, Ace, who had decided that the baby carrier was his number one enemy from day one, began to stir. After successfully wrangling up Ace, Rouge matched her sunglasses with Ace's and left to join the rest of her family.

[avantegarda]

Razzle Dazzle

So it's been like 2 years since I wrote any Silmarillion stories, and like 4 since I wrote anything in my Victorian AU. But for @luthiendear's Luthien Week, I finally am returning to my roots and writing a short that I've been mulling over for quite some time.

Summary: Luthien duBois, Louisiana heiress and hopeless romantic, kickstarts the greatest jewel heist in American history.

---

San Francisco, 1899

The Angband Club

Luthien duBois was a great believer in positive thinking. It had helped her sail through plenty of trouble already, and no matter how terrifying the man in front of her was, she decided to believe her plan would work. It had gotten off to a decent start, anyway; Beren had gone in the day before and got himself hired as a barman, and the rest was in Lulu's hands.

Mr. Morgoth, frequently described as the most evil gangster in America, looked her up and down suggestively and stroked his luxuriant dark mustache. "You're a pretty thing," he drawled. "Only reason I let you in here, really. Tell me, young lady, what can I do for you?"

"I've come looking for work," she replied with a coquettish smile. "Word around town is, you run the finest saloon in this city, with top-notch talent. And I'm an excellent dancer."

"Oh, I can well believe that. But you must understand, miss..."

Lulu dropped into a curtsy. "Call me Nightingale."

"How sweet. You must understand, Miss Nightingale, I have very lofty standards for my employees. Simple talent isn't enough, nor are big eyes and pretty ankles." He set his drink down with a clatter. "Loyalty, miss, and discretion. The same a general might demand of his troops. Behind these doors, there is no law but mine. Have you the strength of character to promise this?"

I have enough strength of character to rob you blind, you old roué, thought Lulu fiercely. But she managed an innocent giggle. "Why, of course, Mr. M! It would be my absolute honor. For you, I'm as well-behaved as a schoolgirl."

"Oh, but I do hope you won't be too well-behaved. I like my girls with a bit of...spice."

Revolting man! "Why don't you let me audition," she purred, "and you'll see just how spicy I can be."

He gestured to the small stage across the room. "Do, please. I cannot wait."

She took a deep breath and pulled the pins from her hair, letting it fall around her like a cloak. "Play something lively," she ordered the man at the piano, and hopped up onto the stage. As the pianist struck up a jolly ragtime tune, she shut out her surroundings and danced.

She'd been trained in ballet, but this wasn't really ballet, not entirely. There were bits of flamenco, some calypso she'd seen on the streets of New Orleans, a hint of Irish jig, and plenty of whatever simply occurred to her in the moment. There was no point in being shy; she did have talent, and it didn't feel like a sin to show it off. Even in this situation.

The song ended at last, and it took a moment to remember she was in a dank gentlemen's club being leered at by a slimy old criminal. She bowed gracefully, trying her best not to shudder in disgust.

"You weren't lying, my dear," Morgoth breathed. "Consider yourself hired. And perhaps I can tempt you to give me a private performance from time to time.

"It would be my pleasure," Luthien lied. "But golly, this is such an honor! We ought to celebrate, don't you think?"

"We certainly should." Morgoth snapped his fingers at the pianist. "Boy! Two brandies, double-quick!"

The pianist- a young fellow with curly dark hair and olive skin-nodded obediently and scurried to the bar, returning with two glasses. Morgoth raised his to Luthien.

"To you, my pretty Nightingale," he said, and drank.

Three...

Two...

One.

Morgoth's dark eyes grew wide and confused, and he let out an undignified burp before slumping to the floor. Luthien sighed with relief as the pianist hurried to her side.

"Nice work," she said. "Where's the real pianist?"

"Out cold behind the dustbins. He'll be fine." Beren glanced down at the unconscious gangster. "What an old pervert," he muttered, shaking his head. "Sorry you had to do that, Lulu."

Luthien, who had been rummaging around in Morgoth's pockets, withdrew her hand with a grin. In it was a tiny silver key. "Don't be too sorry, darlin'. We're halfway there."

[sorvete-de-pacoca]

@kaimaciel okay :]

Luciano in his birthday party feeling alone and miserable. He's surrounded by the people that claimed to be his friends and some other artists that he barely interacted with. His new boyfriend was somewhere around but he didn't care to look after him, he could hear some people snickering behing his back about how long this one will last.

There's booze, music and a big cake for him but hes feeling empty. He had better birthdays when he used to drink cheap bear with his mentor. Afonso, he wants him there. He wants to see him. He would bake him a cake for his birthday. He sneaks away from the party and calls for an uber.

Afonso was watching a soccer match when he hears the knock on the door. He looks at the window and is shocked to see Luciano slaming the door. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Heyy... its my birthday" the drunk man speaks directly into the door "I want my cake. Can you-can you bake it for me?"

Afonso sighs and drags him inside. Luciano falls on the couch and still whimpers about a cake. Afonso don't know why he complied but he began baking something at 10pm with a bit of floor left and chocolate powder. It's not the best looking cake he ever did, but Luciano was still happy about it.

"you didn't get a cake?"

"I did. but i didn't liked it."

"I see, well thats all I can give you. No fancy party here"

"Its way better, those people don't like me. They just want my money"

Afonso doesn't speak while he eats his cheap cake as if it was the best dessert he ever tasted. He places a glass of water in front of him, this kid had already enough alcohol inside him, and tells him to get out before someone comes looking after him. Luciano shakes his head.

"No one will look for me. I'm fine I just wanted to get away for a moment."

"Alright, you can have the couch."

"Wait!" Luciano calls him before he could go upstairs "you once sang to me a song on my birthday. Do you remember it? Can you sing it?"

"Why? So you can steal this one for your new album?"

Luciano closes his mouth, he doesn't insist. Just kicks his shoes and turn his back to him while laying down. Afonso watches him for a moment before leaving. Luciano gets surprised when he returns with his old guitar "Just so you stop crying"

He did remembered the song, he had composed for Luciano as a gift. Neither of them could afford a fancy party so they had some cheap caipirinha and shared a small cake bought from a market at Copacabana when Afonso had showed him the song. He was still rusty but with the help of Luciano-he was surprised he still remembered it-they started a duet. Luciano was smiling for the first time that day, a genuine smile. He was more at peace in that house than on a 5 star hotel. Because he was with Afonso.

"You play so well" says Luciano "you always were better than me"

"Don't be like that, you got some real talent" Afonso smiles.

"I shouldn't be the one getting famous. It should've had been you, but i got selfish. I was so scared.."

"Scared?" Afonso frowns "Of what?"

"Of not being good enough for you"

Afonso puts the guitar down and brings him into his arms. It's been so long since they hugged, felt like a piece that was missing.

"You're always good enough for me Lulu."

Luciano wraps his arms around him, he doesn't want to let go. He just losen up his hug to look at him. His eyes shining with longing "I want to kiss you. Can you give me this one last birthday present?"

Afonso places his hand on his cheek, caressing it with a thumb "I would still give it to you even if it wasn't."

Luciano presses his lips against his. Afonso taste the liquor and the chocolate.

[gloryofluv]

Manor with Manners: The Brothers Reaction to Meeting Your Family

The Brothers decide to invite your family over for a party in the human world. Your two younger siblings follow you. Your parents are amused… and the reactions of the crew are mixed.

(For the sake of the headcanon, you have two GN siblings.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Escorting your parents and younger siblings inside the manor, you stop a moment. “So, as I told you, the exchange program was a bit odd. Because they were in the middle of nowhere, they all have… particular personalities.”

Your parents nod with smiles. “I’m positive it will be fine. After all, if they went through all this trouble, they must be worth it.”

“Yes, they’re all excellent beings. I know I’ve told you about them, but meeting them, well, they can be a bit much,” you laugh and breathe before walking them into the party…

Knew about the plan for a while. He was hesitant to allow the blending of families. Diavolo was insistent, so there they were… entertaining your family. He’s incredibly pessimistic that something might go wrong.

He actually speaks to your parents the most out of the brothers. Talks about the exchange vaguely enough to make it seem plausible. Charming. Definitely pulls plenty of talented tidbits from his metaphoric cap. Your mother finds him responsible and handsome. Your father… Well, he thinks he’s quite refined. However, something about him… (Yeah, pops, he’s a powerful demon) Both are pleased with him. Checkmark for approval!

Watching you play with your younger siblings is a damn treat for him. He’d only seen you with his siblings, and suddenly, you were more than a fragile human. You were a leader. Tries to hide his blush as you call him ‘Lulu.’ Has a tough time not giving up his pride and scooping you in his arms.

Your siblings tease you about ‘k-i-s-s-i-n-g’ and mock you with noises when he kisses your cheek. Your blush and defensiveness reminded him so much of himself. Melted. Emotional. Completely gone for you. That was all it took for him to entirely give up the charade of distance and pull you aside, away from the fray, to kiss you and say how much he loves your beautiful heart.

Um. Scared of your parents. Really scared. Scared of Lucifer’s threats that you’ll never talk to them again if he messes it up too. Your mother is super nice, but your father scares the shit out of him. Poor bumbling demon. He doesn’t know where to start nor how to hold a conversation with either of your parents. Blushing mess.

Your siblings, now he’s got that! Cute little you with little children to make their minions! They’re young enough to coach, come on, it will be fun, right? Definitely likes being called ‘The Great Mammon’ by them. Chaotic and all about the games, quickly convinces your siblings into a game in the pool, then asks about you when you’re not around.

He adores you and later on would wrap his arms around your shoulders and kiss your cheek. No fumbling words or phrases. He would just smile a rare and genuine and pure smile. If you’re by his side, he’s the happiest demon alive and would do anything to make your family happy too.

Has a hard time even looking at your parents. It isn’t until your mother approaches him and compliments his sweater that he stares at her, a blushing mess. He then carefully explains why he chose the sweater, and your mother brings him over to your father. They’re gentle and ask about all his hobbies. He was shy, but they must have known that.

How he saw you with your siblings made him a little jealous. You would pick them up, laugh with them and play games. He wanted your attention. Your care. You. The envy began to fade when you invited him to play one of the human console games they brought. It was some party game! Oh! So much fun!

He was competitive but noticed you weren’t playing to win. You let your siblings and him win. Which caused the children to cheer and laugh. Oh! You were such a good sibling and honorable like Henry! His Henry.

He eventually shows your siblings TSL and his collection. He now gained two normie humans that were related to you as fans. They followed him around, asking questions about TSL, which actually made him feel so special!

Doesn’t outwardly approach your parents at first. He stations himself comfortably with a book at his side and watches the interactions. It is your father to approach him first, asking about the novel. Ah, a mystery lover? They hold a small conversation about human mystery and thriller authors, which Satan happily continues. Your mother comes over after a bit and asks him all about his passions. He’s a nerd, but they seem intrigued. Satan is great at masking charm, and your parents aren’t immune.

He enjoys watching you with your siblings. It’s a true insight into how you became so comfortable with him and his brothers. That steals his heart. He figuratively could rip it out and hand it to you. You were so good that he just needed it all the time in his life. Your siblings were wary of him until he began talking about cats.

Yep. Apparently, your siblings love cats too! Showing them all the pictures he had of cats was a highlight of his day. Hearing the gasps and sighs of the children as he showed off cute kittens in the Devildom. (Of course, you couldn’t tell it was the Devildom unless you’d been there). That was how he won over your siblings.

Expect secluded stolen kisses throughout the evening. He adores the person you are wholeheartedly, and seeing you with your family was a treat. A reminder that you had a choice on whether to love him and his brothers, and you do.

Doesn’t mind walking right up to your mother and giving compliments on her wardrobe and hair. Definitely slides in how she is aging well and how he knew how you got your good looks. Your father clearly finds him the most fascinating of his brothers. Not because of anything other than the mile-a-minute bubbly attitude. Your parents were both given excellent styling and self-care tips.

Cute little mini yous. Yep. He loves your siblings. He loves how you are with your siblings. Doesn’t want to run around, but if you want… fashion montages and a makeup party?? Oh, yes, completely! Keeps it PG around the little ones. Don't even mind that one of your siblings called him excitedly weird. (It’s a compliment, and he’ll take it!)

He actually doesn’t get all lovey-dovey with your family around. Not because he doesn’t want to, but because he convinced Solomon to do a mock magic show for your siblings and was his assistant. Razzle dazzle in a sparkling dress? Oh, yes! However, you do owe him a kiss when they leave. After all, he did it for you!

You introduce him to your parents. Not because he didn’t want to meet them, but he was actually concerned. His worries consist of hunger, disappointing you, and hurting your family. (Sweet boi, just hug him, okay??) Your father shakes his hand and smiles while asking about his sports career. Your mother is just stunned at the sheer multitude of his form. He explains a little and smiles but mostly thanks them for having such a great child. Cue heart eyes and big smiles from your parents.

Your siblings are fascinated with the giant. They ask him tons of questions and actually begin bringing him food between them. They are enthralled with how much he could eat! Beel just smiles and lifts them up when they ask. They also ask him to lift heavier things, and it becomes a game. Soon he is lifting sofas and chairs with them sitting on them. Unfortunately, Lucifer tells him to stop.

He will do anything you want during the party. The most attentive to you as far as what you need to make your family happy. Your mother even slyly asks if you were thinking of dating him because he’s just the sweetest they’d ever met. He doesn’t kiss you or become overly affectionate, but he will be by your side for as long as you want him to be.

Not truly enthused about the whole family thing. Drank six cups of coffee before the party to attempt to stay awake. It’s your mother that approaches him at the window first. He’s looking out at the stars and explains such when she asks. She asks him about the constellations, and that’s when he opens up. Your father trails over and listens to him explain why certain constellations are visible at this time of the year.

It was a detailed conversation, and everything from his grades to his sleeping disorder comes up. (Sleeping disorder, which you explained to your parents obviously) He actually enjoys your parents' company but doesn’t try to put on charm or pazazz for them. They just like him for the interesting conversation and tell him so.

He does not like children. Not usually. However, that being said, he likes your siblings. They drag him outside to hear about the stars, and all of you lay in the grass after dinner. He’s nearly snoozing but points out different constellations and tells them the stories (PG and cleaned up) about each. It does help that all of you see a shooting star, and he tells them to wish really hard for something. Yep, they absolutely adore him.

Throughout the evening, he checks in with you and makes sure you're not stressed. He hugs you plenty, and when you’re sitting, he’ll lean against your shoulder and snooze. This demon is a Class A Clinger and won’t let you have a bad time or be upset by anything. Expect snuggles and cuddles when your family leaves.

[drarrygirl27]

Thanks for the tag, @unsealingkale !

1. what does your name mean / mean to you?

Oh wow! I learned something new about my name. It is a Hindi boy name meaning, Center. I'm used to reading it meaning things like knowledge, wise, understanding, and water baby. This is very interesting!

I used to hate my first name years ago, but honestly I really used to hate myself for many reasons for many years. I now love my first name as much as I love my middle name. My last name is pretty cool. I used to want to change it to my biological last name, but now it ties me to both my grandma (She got remarried when my dad and his brother were in their teen years. The man she remarried, she had 3 of my uncles with, 2 are still alive.) and my dad so I'm going to keep it for a little while longer. My dad has another brother who I keep in contact with with my biological last name. They found each other through Facebook years and years ago.

2. breakfast, lunch or dinner?

Breakfast because breakfast is the bomb! That is my favorite kind of food, day or night. I do eat lunch and dinner too, but breakfast food will always have my heart.

3. what are you proud of?

I am proud of how far I actually have come in my life. There were times where I literally wanted to just let things be even when it was bad for me to do so, but I still eventually found the courage to leave when I knew that in my heart of hearts that I needed to for the good of my overall well being. I have had to do that a good bit of times in my life and despite how some of it hurt me really bad to do so emotionally and sometimes mentally even, I knew that I just had to do it because if I would have stayed in some if not most of those situations, I wouldn't be where I am now.

I don't have the best job in the world right now and things have been really hard especially with this crazy ass situation going on, but I am so much happier in so many ways than I was 3 years ago and years before that even. I have grown a lot in many ways. I have the Army to thank for that at least partly. That place pushed me to my limits in so many ways that I had no choice, but to see that I really, really needed to change in some ways if I was ever going to get anywhere in life in the Civilian world. It was what I like to call a necessary hell.

4. your go to song on a bad day?

Not sure if this counts, but when I get scared or anxious about something, I listen to "Lullaby" by Shawn Mullins. It feels like he is singing it to me in a way. It sounds crazy I know, but I have loved this song for many years and overtime it just became a really good comforting song for me.

5. have / want tattoos

I don't have tattoos and I don't think I will ever get a tattoo. I don't like needles. I'm not as bad as my mom with them, but I still don't like the way they feel and I wouldn't know what to get anyway.

6. what are you looking forward to post ‘rona?

To go to places without having to wear a mask like the movies and the mall for instance. They drive me nuts! I wear them for work and when I go into stores. At home, I stay mask free because no one has the 'rona in the house because we all wear masks when we go out some where like work places and the like.

7. fave place you’ve travelled to / where you would like to travel to?

Lost Maples Natural State Area in Texas, hands down! It is a gorgeous place with mountains with hiking trails and beautiful unbelievably crystal clear water.

North Carolina. I need to pay respects to my grandma and if it is allowed I am thinking about spreading my dad's ashes on her grave as well. I was in the Army when she died. I was offered to go back home because of it, but I knew my grandma would have wanted me to keep going and so I did.

8. name a personal object in your room that you love

My grandma's and Daddi-o's memorial service discs even though the Bitch Cunt of the Century a.k.a. Former stepmom was in charge of the pictures on my Daddii-o's discs. You can tell because she is in most of the pics. *Sighs* Lord, I wish I would have had enough balls to tell that 'thing' to fuck all the way off! *Sighs* Hindsight is 2020 and unfortunately, all that shit went down in 2017.

This Bitch Cunt of the Century actually had the absolute gall just like she does every year to wish me a happy birthday. I of course ignored it like I do every year. In other words, Go fuck yourself & leave me alone!!! I want to forget that you ever, ever existed, please & thank you. By the way, that statement was towards my former stepmom who is I am pretty certain as a curtain has a spot in Hell waiting for her and not at any of you. I just wanted to make sure that that was clear as crystal.

9. what’s your niche interest?

Hmm... I have a good bit of them to be honest. I will just name my main fandoms at the moment. Rhink, Supernatural, and Harry Potter especially when it comes to shipping. LOL!

10. ideal date with yourself?

Hmm... An ideal date with myself, eh? This is going to sound so weird or maybe not, but either a trip to a bookstore or a thrift and or antique store. I love to check out those kinds of places.

11. share a pic from your camera roll that brings you joy

This cute little thing is Lulu off of Kittisaurus. He is my favorite cat on that YouTube channel.

12. Is there anything you would say to your younger self?

Yes there is. Things will get better than what they are now. You just have to be patient and strong. One day your life won't be completely the same. It will be better. We ourselves will be better so keep your head up kid and don't give up on the fact that one day your life will change and that you will change for the better and that you will be truly happy. Eventually, wonderful things will come your way, but you first have to go through some trials & tribulations that will make you want to just give up, roll over and cry and allow life & people to screw you over. Don't let them! You are stronger and brighter in spirit than you will ever realize. Keep striving to have a better & happier life because you are worth it. You have always been worth it and I love you. One day you will be able to look at yourself in the mirror and say that to yourself like I am telling you right now.

After that I would embrace my younger self while she cried. That is probably what more than likely would happen if I met up with my younger self somehow.

13. do you bop to music on (I corrected this. It originally said in.) your own? do you sing?

Yep especially while driving in my car to and from work and at work too.

Oh Hell Yeah! I sing way more than I used to especially not just by myself behind closed doors. I don't sing out loud at work though because people could be sleeping and also I'm still a wee bit hesitant to sing in front of people like face to face depending upon where I am at, who I am with, and such. I'm working on it, but I do show my talent to people a lot more than what I used to.

Now that I work at the school district this has changed quite a bit. LOL! 😆 I more than likely especially this summer thus far have given unintentional concerts to some people possibly.

14. is there a type of animal you associate with home? does your house get animal visitors?

Hmm... I was around cats a lot more than dogs throughout most of my lifetime especially my childhood and teenage years.

If we're being sappy though I'd say cats and dogs now. My boyfriend's brother and sister-in-law have a cat that I love a lot. He is what I like to call a sweet asshole. LOL! He can be nice and or loving, but not towards most people. He is kind of like my boyfriend in that way. They're both assholes to people who actually deserve it, but if you're a good and respectable person they'll show you the same kind of decency.

My mom has two German Shepherds that are my fuzz sisters. I love them way more than I thought I would ever love dogs. I was just a cat person for a really, really long time, but now I actually like or love dogs depending upon my relationship with them.

As far as animal visitors go now that Doug & I have an apartment that has loads of cats just casually hanging out in some spots including our patio yesterday swatting at some birds, the answer to the next question is yes. Too bad I was at work when that was occuring. It sounded so entertaining & cute!

15. is there an artist of any kind who speaks to your soul?

Oh goodness! So many of them do. A lot of musical artists, writers, and the like. To name them all would have me write out a novel or two even. LOL! However, I will say one at least. Stevie Nicks is a huge one. I love her and her music too death. She was also awesome in Fleetwood Mac as well.

Ok. So this is going to be possibly weird to do because this post is so old and I honestly cannot remember for the life of me if I ever posted it. If I did I apologize in advance for the possible repeat. LOL!

Anyway, thank you @unsealingkale ! I apologize sincerely if I never answered & posted these questions and or apologize for doing it twice depending on whether I did not post or I already have. Anywho, here are my good vibes to you & yours: 😃💖✊✌️ Rock on! 🎸 Stay safe, Be smart, & Take care! May the Force or whatever you believe in be with you always!!! 🌟🌟🌟

[shirlleycoyle]

A New Wave of Reckoning Is Sweeping the Porn Industry

A new wave of sexual misconduct accusations is sweeping across the porn industry this week, as women started coming forward about abuse they've experienced on multiple porn sets.

One of these dozens of accusations comes from performer Lulu Chu, who said porn producer Kelly Madison drove her to Madison's home, where her husband, Ryan Madison, was waiting to shoot a scene. Kelly dropped Chu off and left, and the two were alone in the house when filming began, according to Chu.

"He asked me if I was okay with choking, which I said yes to," Chu told me in a Twitter message. "I honestly do enjoy it, and I figured he would just do a casual choke, not anything too serious. But he pressed DOWN pretty hard, on to my windpipe. Not grabbing the sides like most people do, which is safer. I started to lose focus, the room swam around me."

Then he slapped her, she said—hard enough that the sting shocked her back into consciousness. She recalled tears streaming down her face.

"I thought that since I didn’t tell him slapping is one of my hard limits, it was my fault that he slapped me and we had to stop," she said. She finished the scene, and hasn't spoken publicly about that day since—until now.

One of the first women to come forward with allegations against Madison is performer Annabel Redd. On June 5—which she says was the day after her scene with Madison came out—she tweeted about her experience, asking people not to watch it. This encouraged dozens more women to come forward with similar stories about Porn Fidelity and Teen Fidelity, for whom Madison directs and shoots with his wife, Kelly Madison.

Redd told Motherboard that prior to shooting she made it clear to Madison that her "don'ts" included creampie, anal, and deepthroat. During the scene, she said, he violated several of these limits, in addition to being extremely rough.

"He forced me to deepthroat several times until I puked all over him," Redd told me. "When I told him that I wanted that cut, he told me that his fans loved that stuff and then proceeded to rub my spitup and vomit on my breasts and vagina."

Like each of the women I talked to for this story, she says was also alone in the house with him and feared for her safety. They each also mentioned choking to a point where they were unable to communicate.

"I was alone with this man so far from where I was staying, I thought that my best chances for surviving my experience with as little harm to myself as possible," Redd said.

Kelly Madison Media, which owns Porn Fidelity and Teen Fidelity, did not respond multiple requests for comment on the allegations brought forward in this story, but a Kelly Madison Media company representative told XBIZ that “Our company takes any allegation of physical, emotional, mental or sexual abuse against any female talent seriously.” But in the same statement, Kelly Madison Media called the allegations from performer Annabel Reed false.

"2020 is fucking kicking people's ass and it's time to get some things straight and fixed."

Ryan Madison, whose Pornhub channel videos alone have more than 46 million views and has acted and directed in hundreds of videos and won multiple Adult Video Network awards, is one of several male performers and directors who have been publicly accused of misconduct on social media in recent weeks. In the past week alone, people within the industry have come out with allegations against several directors and male performers, including but not limited to:

Performer Aria Lee said that award-winning director Craven Moorehead assaulted her twice last year, once while shooting a scene for Pure Taboo, owned by a Gamma Films Group and again on another occasion off-set. On June 6, Gamma responded with a statement saying that an investigation showed "it has been impossible to validate the veracity of the allegations in question," and suggested anyone with allegations of abuse to call the police. But on Tuesday, Karl Bernard, president of Gamma Films Group, said in a statement to Motherboard that he decided on Monday to "sever ties with Black Wings Media and its director Craven Moorehead.”

Performer Maya Kendrick alleged on Twitter that talent agency Motley Models president and CEO Dave Rock used his position to coerce a model into having sex with him multiple times. Rock released a statement on industry news sites XBIZ and AVN (which Motley Models also provided to Motherboard directly) claiming he "engaged in consensual sex based on what I believed at the time to be mutual attraction… I take full responsibility for using bad judgment and assuming that there was a mutual connection. I was foolish…but to allege that these encounters were forced or that she was pressured in any way is categorically false and only serves to undermine the legitimate claims of abuse and assault, which still happen all too frequently in our industry."

The combination of the Black Lives Matter protest movement, which has led to more people to stand up for justice across many industries and the moving of porn creators to independent and creator-owned platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic has empowered some women to speak up about abuse in the industry, sources I spoke to said.

Several performers and directors I talked to this week say that the industry is experiencing a moment of reckoning—and according to them, it's only getting started.

***

Adult performer Kinsley Karter was flattered when Porn Fidelity, one of the top 30 channels on Pornhub, invited her to do a shoot with Ryan Madison in 2018.

She said her excitement turned to dread when, she says, Madison kissed her suddenly and hard during the pre-scene photo shoot. She also realized the makeup artist and the person who arranged the shoot—both women—had left the house without saying goodbye. She was alone with Madison, who would act, direct, and operate the camera.

Karter said the shoot increasingly pushed and crossed her boundaries. Madison kissed her roughly, she said, then went down on her and used his teeth. She said they moved on to shoot a blowjob, which was so rough she vomited.

"While rinsing off in the shower I started to cry quietly. I didn’t want him to hear me sobbing," she said. "I couldn’t believe how rough he was with me. I thought this was a vanilla [boy/girl] scene, not a kink scene. This kind of rough act I have to mentally prepare for."

She knew something wasn't right, but was afraid to end the scene.

Mid-scene, she says he asked her if he could cum inside of her. This is something that's typically negotiated and agreed upon before a shoot begins—as are limits for things like choking, slapping, and other BDSM acts—and not in the middle of a shoot. In the moment, Karter told Madison yes. "I could not wait for him to stop fucking me. I wanted this to be over already."

"Porn is supposed to be a fun time," she said. "I haven’t encountered the dark side of the porn industry until this day."

Chu and Karter's claims about Madison are being echoed across social media this week by other women who worked with him who described similar excessive and unexpected roughness and improper and dangerous choking.

So many women came forward about Madison's misconduct that performer Ginger Banks started a Change.org petition demanding several Mindgeek-owned sites—specifically, Pornhub, Redtube, and YouPorn—remove the Porn Fidelity videos from their platforms.

"It is completely unethical to allow the videos of his abuse to remain up on Pornhub, and to allow this man to continue profiting off of his victims," the petition states. "We immediately demand that Pornhub, and all of the Mindgeek sister sites, remove every video featuring Ryan Madison, and every video made under the Porn Fidelity website."

The Teen Fidelity and Porn Fidelity channels, which were ranked as the 55th and 30th most popular on Pornhub in May and have hundreds of millions of views, have been removed from Pornhub. Banks told me that Pornhub didn't communicate with her about their removal. Pornhub acknowledged Motherboard's request for comment but did not say if it removed the pages, when, and why.

Teen Fidelity and Porn Fidelity videos are still easy to find on Mindgeek sites and other porn sites. As Motherboard previously reported, the process for reporting abusive videos and preventing them from being reuploaded is severely flawed.

There remain several videos featuring him shooting scenes with his accusers, including Chu, on xHamster, another top porn site. I asked Alex Hawkins, a spokesperson for xHamster, if the company planned to remove any of those videos. He said that he hadn't seen the petition, and had not received any direct requests for the videos to be removed.

"However, I've now looked on Twitter and read some of the allegations… They are very disturbing," Hawkins said. "In the past, we've used either criminal complaints, for example, with Girls Do Porn, or complaints from people who are recorded without their consent, as the basis for removing videos. This has been the industry standard, but as an industry and a company, it seems like we may need a new standard. I've asked our legal team and others at the company to try and determine how we move forward … with these scenes and also with other complaints that surface."

Do you have experiences to share about how the porn industry handles abuse allegations? We'd love to hear from you. Contact Samantha Cole securely on the messaging app Signal at +6469261726, direct message on Twitter, or by email: samantha.cole@vice.com

Regardless of the reason Pornhub removed the Porn Fidelity and Teen Fidelity channels, people in the industry are using this moment to push for greater control over the content that ends up on tube sites. Another petition from the same group is demanding that Mindgeek sites only allow uploads from verified accounts, to prevent abusive content and theft. That petition has more than 1,500 signatures as of publication.

"I think people outside the industry use our abuse stories as clickbait," adult performer Allie Eve Knox told me in a Twitter message. "They sensationalize the abuse, victim blame, etc but this time, I think they will see that we are holding the industry accountable—from the producers to the companies to the performers to the agents to the mother fucking industry media. Everyone is having a reckoning. 2020 is fucking kicking people's ass and it's time to get some things straight and fixed."

***

Knox said that while this isn't the first time the industry has seen allegations of abuse, it's a unique moment that's been a long time coming.

"Performers have put up with this shit for years. Decades," she said. "And I think the MeToo movement really inspired women (specifically women) to come forward WHEN OTHER women come forward. It's a solidarity. A sisterhood. Something safer about when women do it in numbers."

In addition to #MeToo, Knox attributes the recent outpouring of stories to a combination of factors: First is the industry's pandemic response, which called for a production hold to avoid spreading coronavirus. The whole studio ecosystem was forced to adapt, either by supporting performers with special at-home content, or by getting on platforms like OnlyFans that sell content directly to consumers, cutting out the production middle men and studio contracts altogether. Being blacklisted or denied bookings because you set your own boundaries and stuck to them is no longer the career-ending decision it used to be for performers, when they can create, own, and promote their own content on fan platforms.

Second, the Black Lives Matter movement and protests in the last several weeks has fueled a general sense of power coming back to the people, Knox said. Going forward, she and others are planning to hold producers, agents, directors, and industry media accountable, she said—with plans to start formulating guidelines for performers to advocate for their own rights, education around how contracts work, and shared lists of companies and performers that have a history of mistreatment.

"They must know by now what he does. They are complicit."

Poorly-written and enacted legislation has made it harder for performers to speak out about abuse they experience on set. The Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2018 not only put sex workers in danger by taking away their ability to screen full-service clients, but made it more difficult for studio performers and anyone in the industry to speak up about issues in their trade.

"100% FOSTA made it harder to speak out," Banks told me. "People tell you that if you speak up about any abuses you see like this that it will be used against the industry. And they are not wrong." She told me she's concerned that anti-porn organizations will use abuses against the industry to argue for abolition, or for the full shut down of sites like Pornhub—which most performers don't actually want. They just want platforms to host their content responsibly.

Redd said that agents who repeatedly book performers with known abusers or questionable reputations need to be held accountable. "[Madison] has a reputation for taking advantage of young women who are new in the industry and agencies are still somehow booking with them," she said. "They must know by now what he does. They are complicit."

She also said that she'd like to see more sets employ talent advocates, "someone to make sure that women are being treated fairly and respected on set so that these things don’t happen… I hope that moving forward, the industry learns from this. That we are better vigilant of the ways that women can be taken advantage of."

In a moment when it can seem like every powerful person in an industry is suspect, it's important to acknowledge that abuses like Chu and Karter and the dozens more women coming out about their experiences still aren't the norm.

"Consent is important everywhere, especially in porn," Chu said. "I hope that this situation with everyone coming out not only opens a dialogue of proper boundaries on and off set, but changes the power dynamic completely." Performers are realizing they have the power, Chu said—not producers or studios executives.

A New Wave of Reckoning Is Sweeping the Porn Industry syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/