Mark Leslie

"I first found out about HNT when a friend of mine who was blogging posted a strange picture of himself that showed a little skin. He also linked to a friend of his who had done the same thing on his blog. I followed another link and there were MORE people doing this. And they all referred to something called HNT. So I followed a link to Osbasso’s blog and read about the phenomenon which was an interesting mix of playful, creative and social.

The following week I joined in. And every Thursday since October 27, 2005, I have done an HNT themed post. Over the years I’ve posted some rather revealing pictures of myself, but I have also posted reveals that go beyond a simple image – personal reveals, letting my emotions and feelings be uncovered. I have also had an absolute blast, having been inspired by a fellow HNTer (Lecram) who used HNT to do a noir-mystery styled story for his post. After seeing that, I created a serialized HNT adventure featuring me fighting Darth Tater – that zaniness started on January 6, 2006 when, for the nekkidness, I unmasked Darth Tater.

But more than the pictures, more than the creativity, more than the often sexy nature of the weekly HNT ritual, it was always about the people. There was an obsessive nature of posting your pics just after midnight on Wednesday, then spending a good hour or two visiting as many HNT friends as you could and commenting on their posts. I think of that time as the “golden era” of HNT – and that was the time when I began to cultivate friendships that went beyond the weekly ritual. I’ve met and maintained friendships with several people whom I would not otherwise have met if not for HNT. And I’m sure I’ll continue to maintain those friendships.

So, to Osbasso, who started it all and was our host for all these years, I say “Thank you, my friend. Thank you for being the linchpin behind the establishment of so many wonderful friendships across so many miles. In establishing HNT, you have given so many of us a unique and special gift that we’ll always have with us.” To my HNT friends around the world, I say: “Thank you for the wonderful memories and the hilarious and insightful comments.”

And lastly, though the official HNT ritual has ended, I can’t say that I won’t continue to use that theme on my Thursday posts. I mean, after doing it ever week for 6 years, it’s kind of ingrained in my ritual."

I remember when Mark came on board. I couldn't figure out why an author would want to join in on something like this... Then we saw how he played his HNTs. Some half-nekkidness, lots of stories, and of course, the continuing saga of Darth Tater! There's been times when Mark has used his skills as a writer to convey his opinions on a number of blogger/HNTer issues. None of which hit home closer with me than when he wrote about the passing of Stealth. I look forward to Mark's continued writing on his blog and on FB.











First Post (Oct 27, 2005)

Darth Tater Unmasked (Jan 6, 2006)