January 2024
By Chris Chi
Sharing stories about us
Hello beautiful people!
A new year, a new start, a new mood. In Brussels, it snowed heavily a few days ago. With the snow, it seemed that the whole world became cleaner and quieter. The sun shone brightly the next day. It was lovely. For the longest time, I wanted to pick up my life again and move on. So I started shooting again, finding solace in photography and connection with people. I even started making new Taleofmen zines, 2 new issues and 1 special edition: the sex zine 2. When the night comes and I finish working, I think of him, my husband who’s gone. Besides grief, there is a faint of warmth, knowing he’d be proud.
MEMORY
(Adrien, 2021, in Paris)
There are moments and photoshoots that make me reflect. Meeting with Adrien is one of them. In 2021, I started to have panic attacks due to stress from work, which led to burnout eventually. After a brief break, I started to meet and photograph people again, something that my doctor encouraged me to do. “Do something that make you feel good”, as they say. It is indeed nice to take photos and meet new people, but sometimes it comes with struggles too, especially when the communication is not perfect, as we are all human beings and have different ways of thinking.
I remember I was sitting on the Thalys train to Paris, normally a 1.5 hour unevenful trip. Before we arrived at the North station in Paris, the train crews came to control the ticket. A young couple sitting behind me started a length argument with the staff, because they didn’t have the ticket for their kid. The argument triggered the panic inside me as they went on and on, the volume went higher and higher. I couldn’t help but told them to stop or carry on somewhere else. But the effect is already done. I was panicky and shaky.
Adrien came to my hotel, right after I checked in. I didn’t explain to him what happened earlier, but as usual, started to photograph him. I vaguely remember that I told him that we would start slowly, simply do some sitting or standing poses. I took my time and my mind was still a bit stuck in the panicky mode and couldn’t really engage. After 15 minutes or so, Adrien told me that he’s not feeling comfortable. I was struck by this remark and obviously I didn’t expect it, as normally the models prefer to start with simple poses, then might improvise something more dynamic later.
We stopped the shoot. I felt worse by then, because the least thing I wanted was to make my model feel uncomfortable. I told him that we could stop the shoot and talk about what’s going on. Luckily that’s what we did. He explained, as a dancer, he’s not used to standing or sitting still in front of the camera. He prefered to move and to dance. I also explained to him that my mind was not synchronising as it should be due to the earlier episode one the train. We agreed to move on and continue to take some photos. I let him move around in the small hotel room and took some photos. The result is actually great. I simply wished that we could have avoided that.
This is the perfect example, how people can be different and how important communication is. Sometimes what’s obvious to you may not be so to others.
Adrien & Marciano
Adrien came to Brussels again. We didn’t manage to meet the last times. Maybe because I was really eager to pick up photography again and keep myself busy, this time, I proposed to him that we would do a shoot at another model’s place. We arrived at the same time at Marciano’s apartment. It’s a nice place, but we didn’t have the natural light. When I was not sure how to make it work, then it happened. Two of them shared some sparks and lit up the firework.
Tale of Men new issues & the sex zine 2
When I make the new sex zine, the best part that I enjoy is the real sex stories submitted by my followers. It gives me a sense of freedom, freedom to talk about sex, freedom to show others sex is diverse and enjoyable, freedom to connect with people via sex. There is a story about how a hot evenig with the best straight friend in the ski resort enabled the writer to fully enjoy his sexuality later in his life. Someone also told a story about his kinky foursome, another topic that is not often discussed, even among the gay community. Another one talked about meeting his secret lover on Mondays and they together explored this new world that belonged to them. Sure, many of the stories are about brief moments of horniness and pleasure. But, don’t we all, in one way or another, long for something that is more than pure physical? After reading so many stories of others, one follower asked me “what’s your sex story?” I had to think a bit. Well, maybe I will write it out for the next time 🙂
Personally, I think this sex zine is lustful and beautiful. It’s a personal “look back” at the past encounters where chemistry was created, among lovers, friends, and yes, even at the big orgy of 25 people in Berlin. People were kind of connected. Some of these guys became actually close friends. And I will meet Joey, the organiser soon again in Berlin. On top of that, I have invited a few photographers to contribute their works. They all have captured sexuality in a different light and in a different way. While our works focus on the same subject, it’s interesting to show the uniqueness and the diversity of different approaches.
If you are interested in the new zines, take a look at the link below. Now you can back the issue 14 and 15 on kickstarter. If you want the sex zine, you can choose either of these two issues. Later once the campaign is funded, you can switch to the sex zine. Or simply add it to your original award.
The Taxi Driver
One hot story from the new Sex Zine 2
I was on my way from my hotel to the center. My plan was to get some drinks and I was ready to have sex in some of the gay clubs there. So I took a nice walk while the sun started to set down. And then a taxi passed by, the windows were open and the driver looked at me, he was so damn hot, but I didn’t want to give the signal that he might think that I needed a taxi. So he drove by me and about 100 meters later he turned the car around and passed by me again. I was kind of turned on and I thought it could also be nice to enter a stranger’s car haha.
The car disappeared and after some minutes I had to cross the road and I saw he parked his taxi there. I smiled and he said: “Hi, oh sorry I thought I knew you.“ I had to laugh because I thought it`s the stupidest thing I had ever heard but I saw that the zipper of his pants was open. He asked me about my plans and I said I was on my way to the center, and he said “It’s too far. I will bring you”. So I entered the car, and sat next to him. I had to look at the open pants which he covered with his tank top. His body turned me on very much. He had this nice muscular and hairy body. Beautiful black hair and a nice beard.
I saw his sweaty armpits while he was driving. Then he asked me if I liked what I saw. And I said yes very much. Then he said: “So you should taste my dick then.” I bound over and started to suck his damn fucking hot dick. He pressed my head down and I got the dick down my throat. I loved to lick all over his balls while having the dick in my mouth. Also the smell of his pubes turned me on a lot. After a while he stopped the car and said: “Come outside“. I realized that we were somewhere out in nature. Outside I got on my knees and sucked and sucked and sucked. Then he turned me around and let me bend over his car. He pulled my pants down, (as I said I was ready for a sex night so I had my jockstrap on). He spread my cheeks and touched my hole, the sound of his “hmm yeah nice” was still in my ear. He spat on my hole and started to press his dick against it. I took the poppers out of my pants, and sniffed some, in the meanwhile his huge dick slipped inside me.
Tt was such a damn good fuck in the sunset, I felt so free and I moaned aloud. I had no stress and just enjoyed the amazing fuck out of nowhere in Spain. He started to moan as well, I knew it´s the moment the man would shoot his load. He came inside my ass and the feeling of his whole dick inside my ass pumping the cum out, was so hot. After his “ahhh fuck yeah”, he stepped back and the dick slided out of my hole. I turned around immediately and took his dick again down my throat, the mixture of the taste of my ass and his cum was so intoxicating. I knew I would be the free whore tonight, because this experience made me the horniest man in the world. He put his dick back in his pants, he smiled and I knew I was a “good boy” haha. He said: “You gave me a good service, now I have to do a service as well.“ He brought me to the center and left.
Interview in “The boy is beautiful” Magazine
I am not a good interviewee and have no big words for what I do and how I photogragh. I was meeting a friend in Athens and we went to the limanakia beach to catch a bit of the coastal scenary and of course, the boys. He suddenly said he wanted to interview me for the “The boy is beautiful” magazine, a queer zine focused on Greek heritage, arts and boys. I said why not. After I took some photos at the beach, we started talking on the way back to Athens.
| On a hot sunny day in November, the photographer and editor of Tale of Men drives me south to the notorious gay nudist beach of Athens, Limanakia. It’s nice to meet him in the daylight, following our nightime encounters in Belgium a while ago. As he is capturing the local boys in film, I am thinking of how wonderful it is to have such surprising connections with people from elsewhere. On my naked lap rests the biography of Costas Taktsis. At one point in the book he recalls meeting Jean Genet at Sounion, not too far from here. What stories would they share about Nazi occupation and of alliances made with enemy soldiers in the dark. Sudden spank on the butt! Chris has finished shooting and is craving for a souvlaki. I take one last dip and get into the car… |
| IS: So, Chris, you mentioned at the beach this wasn’t your first in Greece. How many times is it by now? |
| TOM: This is the fourth or fifth, yeah. |
| IS: And what makes you come back? |
| TOM: Hmm… Boys. |
FEATURED ARTIST: Jeandre
Jeandre.jpeg (South African photographer) stumbled upon Sebastianu’s instagram whilst traveling across Europe. He knew they had to meet on his final evening in Spain. to capture Sebastianus in a hotel room in Madrid, with his canon A1 film camera and flash, was the perfect ending to his travel.
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