#also have been neglecting my twitter a bit but my instagram's up to date if you want to see some art i have't posted here

[fenkko]

pantaloons man and zenko

[isasodas]

( amanda arcuri | she/her | demigirl ) hey, you hear wannabe by why mona playing over on the 1st floor? that’s where isa sosa lives! i heard they moved in from red cloud, nebraska exactly four days ago. they’re very intuitive but also pretty blunt. maybe that’s why davie keeps calling them the occultist. starlit is full of people, but this twenty year old is really going to liven things up around here! ( nomi | twenty one | she/her | est )

ayo everybody it’s ya girl nomi coming at you a second time with my chaotic bby isa! i love her and i rarely get the chance to play her so i’m honestly hype. down bellow is the nitty gritty about her! please give this post a like and i’ll slide into your dms, but tbh i’ll probably do that anyways skjdsjk

SHORT BIO isa’s actual bio is long as hell and also in a really weird format idk why I did that to myself but anyways here is the short form

isa lived in a small town in nebraska pretty much all her life. she was raised by her (horrible, neglectful) mother alone until she was six and her mother abandoned her. she was then taken by the police and given to her grandmother because her father has never been in the picture

her aunts and grandma literally never knew who this man (her father) was either??? like literally no one knew who he was and everyone was honestly convinced that even isa’s mom didn’t know for sure either if you know what i mean like? isa still doesn’t know who this man is until this day and tbh she doesn’t really care

isa was taken in by her grandmother (gemini or gem for short) and aunts ( persephone and venus) and pretty much raised by the three women above their family shop 

the sosa’s owned a fortune telling shop that also sold new age merchandise like crystals and talismans etc. isa actually comes from a family of ‘psychics’ (like her aunts are fortune tellers, her grandma was one, her great grandma was one, etc. the only one who really broke the pattern was isa’s mother) so she was always kinda surrounded by weird things and told weird things.

she worked front desk at her family shop since she was about six and would honestly probably still be working there if she didn’t move. was the worlds worst receptionist for years. 

anyways isa was bullied pretty heavily during school when she was younger because she was different. she didn’t really act or dress like the other kids did so they picked on her until isa basically put a stop to that by pretending to cast a spell on a girl who was bullying her. she used pigs blood that her grandmother helped her get from the butcher (her grandmother actually helped her come up with the fake spell if that tells you anything about their family) and some really impressive acting for an eight year old in her little performance so yeah people left her alone after that pretty much for the rest of her school career. she probably traumatised that little girl a bit too big rip

so yeah isa never really had many friends through school, a bit of a social pariah, you know how it goes uNTIL she left nebraska and made some of her closest friends, but i am waiting for said friends before i write up how she met all of them!

before finding her little crew isa’s closest confidant was actually her grandmother growing up. isa still calls her often to let her know what she’s up too. she’s one of the few people who completely understands isa in and out

isa ended up leaving nebraska for art school on a scholarship she never in her wildest dreams imagined she’d get. while she was in art school she was working as a personal assistant for a billionaire art curator who was a dick tbbh i’m not going to even lie. he was horrible to isa and everyone else, cheated people out of their money, stole art, took from charities, the whole lot of it so isa started a plot with some of her friends to rob the asshole blind, and that’s exactly what they did. now they’re here at starlit a few million dollars richer and trying to lay low. isa honestly is no stranger to stealing, honestly she’s a bit of a klepto, but this is the biggest robbery she’s ever done. she’s not particularly nervous about getting caught because they did cover their tracks really well so she’s kind of treating this like a little vacation even though she shouldn’t smh

CLIFFNOTES

born io salma sosa (yes she was named after the moon)! has gone by isa since her aunt gave her the nickname as a kid though. uses she/her pronouns although she doesn’t fully identify as a girl.

Isa true love is art. you can pretty much consistently catch her doodling. 

Speaking of doodling, lets talk about doodling on things you shouldn’t (what a smooth transition amiright), Isa is lowkey a graffiti artist. She’s one of those people who thinks that art shouldn’t be contained and that it should be free, so she tends to spray paint and draw everywhere. She has yet to get caught but not from lack of trying on the police’s part. Isa tends to cause a fuss wherever she goes with her graffiti considering that Isa’s art tends to be creepy to say the least (she tends to go for the gory and freaky over the pretty) and people tend to take pictures of it, put it on instagram and twitter and the like. Isa’s actually made quite a name for herself in the online community, with people commenting on her art and discussing it (kind of like banksy but nowhere near as big). They tend to refer to her by a few different names (scythe, tweek, creep, etc) and they have really yet to decide on one. Isa, being the troll she is, occassionally joins the online debates for fun (if you were wondering, Creep is her favourite)

Like I said, Isa is a bit of kleptomaniac (she used to steal out of necessity, and she still kind of does when necesarry (although she won’t have to as much now considering she’s Rich), but sometimes she also does it for fun), and she doesn’t actually have the healthiest relationship with her emotions (which is what tends to happen when you know, trauma happens) but like catch this girl at therapy over her Cold Dead Body, she’ll die before talking about her feelings she really will

Like I said earlier, the Sosa family are psychics and sell new age retail (you name it they have it and they’ll at least try to con you into buying it.) that said, honestly, they aren’t real psychics. One of Isa’s aunts knows she isn’t and has gone full con artist with the whole thing, and the other thinks she can really see and sense the future which is just a whole other thing but ANYWAY isa is kind of in between them. she doesn’t fully believe in everything but she will charge you a twenty to read your aura yk

apparently chaotic evil according to a test i did one time so there’s that. also an aquarius

has the emotional range of captain holt but like if captain holt was a tiny latina yk

also only 4″11?? not even five foot?? amanda arcuri is tiny af y’all

fun facts: loves aliens, is bi as hell, is also a vegan, very liberal as you might guess, has picnics in cemeteries and might lowkey seem kind of emotionless but i promise she wants to be your friend so please hmu if you wanna plot, although knowing me i might just hit you up first

WANTED CONNECTIONS ;

exes (maybe a past hookup that’s kind of like a ?? what are you doing here situation? also maybe even a full on we dated and broke up what are you doing here situation. i haven’t settled on where isa lived after nebraska and prior to living here so this is open to everybody because isadora sosa (not her name but dfmdf) is bi as hell send tweet

a Muse (someone who  isa kind of makes isa itch for a pen yk? isa could be secretly drawing them from afar while she’s bored at the hotel.)

party friend (isa likes to party a lot more than most would expect so if anyone wants to get high and host parties in the hotel room with isa or even go out dancing with her she’s down) cliff, abba

enemies (someone who hates isa that isa is just kind of ??? about because isa doesn’t understand conflict a lot of the time tbh)

someone for isa to influence i guess?? isa kind of tends to be on the morally grey side a lot of the time sO KJDJKD if anyone wants to allow isa to drag their muse into some shady situations step right up elsie

partner in crime (isa’s already got her girls but i figure this person specifically will sneak out of the hotel with isa at night and help her tag maybe? maybe this person is a fan of isa’s online graffiti personality?? idk i feel like this could be fun) malia

fwbs, neighbours, and anything else under the sun i’m hype.

[5hfanfiction]

Why Did I Get Married? (Camren)

Part Nineteen: Romance

Most people don’t want to hear this, but real relationships that last requires a lot of forgiveness. Sometimes you just have to forgive. You have to accept the fact that your significant other isn’t perfect. They’re going to hurt you, they’re going to disappoint you and they’re going to upset you.

They’re only human, as are you.

You have to figure it out if you want to work shit out. You have to go through ups and downs, if at the ending of the day you want to wake up with them right next to you.

Be with someone who you don’t have to hide from, in any way. Whether it’s your morning face before you’ve put your makeup on. Whether it’s an embarrassing story that happened to you on your way to work…make sure you can tell them it all. Make sure you end up with someone who still loves you. A person who you can tell your whole life to, is a person worth spending the rest of your life with.

Camila groaned as the sunlight shone through the windows to her bedroom. She turned her head to the right and saw that Lauren was fast asleep. The peacefulness of her wife’s facial expression made her smile. She ran her index finger over the woman’s face, tracing her features. The action causing Lauren to unconsciously fan away whatever that was disturbing her.

Camila giggled and placed a chaste kiss on her wife’s forehead. She tossed the duvet off her body and headed to get ready for the day ahead of her. The only thing at the back of her mind was her assignment that her therapist wanted to her perform. She had an idea about what she wanted to do, but when it came to Lauren these days, she was unbelievably awkward.

Stepping out of the shower some thirty minutes after, she saw Lauren sitting up and busy on her laptop. It was a Saturday but she was always working. It had gotten worse since her trip to Milan. Of course she managed to balance her time between her family and work, but she never really had any time for herself.

“Good morning, mi amor,” Camila placed a kiss on her wife’s cheek. “What are you doing working already?”

Lauren smiled when she felt her wife’s lips against her cheek. “Good morning. I’m just trying to get some work done. Izzy wants us to take her to see the Incredibles 2 this evening. So I want to get everything out of the way.” Camila nodded in understanding. “Do you mind making breakfast?”

“Do you mind dying at only 26?”

The photographer snorted. “You’re not that horrible in the kitchen, babe. Your eggs are…” She paused. “Eggscellent.”

Camila rolled her eyes and laughed. “You did not just make a terrible egg pun.”

“Oh, but I just did.”

The young Argentinean took a seat on the bed and scrolled through her phone. A silence fell between the two. Camila decided to interact with her fans on Twitter for a bit, until she saw a text from her manager.

Roger: Do you think we can meet up today?

Camila: Pretty short notice but why?

Roger: We need you to do a photo shoot for the CC3 era. I already have everything lined up. We just need to run through some things and we can dive right into it.

Camila reread the text and paused. She loved doing these photo shoots. It was always fun and she had loved dressing up, but for the first time in forever, she just wasn’t feeling it.

That’s when it hit her.

Camila: Roge…I have an idea. I’ll call you in 20. I have to make some breakfast for Izzy.

***

“Camz..” Lauren stressed on her wife’s nickname. “Are you sure that you want me to do this?”

Camila nodded. She had a robe wrapped around her body, as she was sat being styled by her hairdresser. Roger was a distance off making phone calls as he left Lauren to set up for her pictures. “I wouldn’t want it to be anyone else. This album means a lot to me, Laur. And having you as my photographer would be even better.”

Lauren sighed. They were currently in a somewhat abandoned house. It wasn’t run down, but it looked as though people hadn’t been in it for years. Once Camila informed her wife about what she wanted to do, and given that Lauren had listened to the album, an idea immediately popped into her head.

The house was empty, dark, and abandoned; it was a representation of how Camila felt. About the way someone would feel after getting their heartbroken. The emptiness in their heart, the darkness overpowering the light or any sort of happiness that tries to make it’s way into it. The person feels abandoned by their loved one. By the person who promised them a forever but willingly hurt them and left them in the dark alone.

Once Camila was finished, Lauren had instructed her on what to do. “Are you ready?” The singer nodded. “Play, ‘I Have Questions’.” Lauren instructed one of her employees. It was to set the mood for the photo shoot. She had intended to play Camila’s songs in the background to allow her wife to feel the lyrics and to be able to portray her emotions, so that she would be able to capture them.

After almost two hours, they had captured close to one hundred photos. Every picture being perfect in Lauren’s eyes, but her wife being a perfectionist would’ve found a way to get a few that she would deem as 'perfect’.

“That was incredible,” Lauren stepped into her wife’s changing room. She wrapped her arms around Camila’s waist from behind, Camila’s hands instantly finding Lauren’s. She placed her chin on her shoulder and looked at Camila through the mirror. “I still don’t know why you chose me.”

Her wife rolled her eyes. “You’re the best photographer I know. I can’t wait to see the finished work.”

“I’ll work on them tonight or in the morning since you’re so excited. I’ll tell my other clients that I have a diva and she demanded her work before them.” Camila pulled out of her wife’s embrace and pouted.

“I’m not a diva!”

Lauren threw her head back in laughter. “I’m only messing with you, Camila. I want to make it perfect for you. So I’ll start soon.”

“Listen, Laur?”

“Yeah?”

Camila fixed her bomber jacket and took a seat on the table top. “I want to do something. I want to send a message to my fans about this album. Can you videotape me?”

Lauren nodded and took her wife’s iPhone from her. “Is this cool with your manager?”

She shrugged. “I guess.” Lauren shook her head with a smile on her face. “There’s so many people out there who are stuck. Who’s in a loveless relationship and just don’t want to let go in hopes that the person would change. I don’t know if this album can help people to realise what true love is supposed to be, but I want to be able to send a message to them.”

Lauren had opened her mouth and was about to respond but Camila cut her off. She gestured for her wife to come closer and took her hand in hers.

“I’m not referring to us anymore, amor. It’s just the album can speak to people, I know it can. It’s just that people are so scared to let go of something and to find better.” Lauren took a moment to absorb what her wife was telling her. “I love you. Now record me!”

Lauren chuckled. “I love you too. Ready?”

Camila nodded. Her wife hit 'live’ on her wife’s Instagram as she began to speak. “Hey, guys. It’s Camila here, with my beautiful wife, Lauren.” She took the phone from her wife and had turned it on her. Lauren almost screamed. She was usually the one behind the camera, never on it. So this was a bit too awkward for her liking. She did the 'sup’ moment with her head and took back Camila’s phone. “She’s shy.” Camila laughed. “I’m going to be a bit unorthodox here and announce my upcoming album entitled, 'The Hurting, The Healing, The Loving.’ A release date hasn’t been fixed just yet, but CC3 is coming guys!” She cheered childishly causing Lauren to laugh in the background. “This album is extremely close to my heart. I’ve poured so many emotions into this and I hope you guys would feel them, to whom it relates to and be able to appreciate it.”

Camila’s other two albums were also; what she deemed to be 'her babies’. She was always proud of what she put out. Every song she wrote, even though she may have never experienced it personally, she wrote it from her heart. She wanted to be able to connect with people who were going through some tough times, and for her music to give them strength so that they can know that they’re not alone.

“When I wrote this album, I was experiencing and inward battle that I couldn’t bring myself to talk to anyone about. I was neglecting my child and my wife. But I’m only human and we all make mistakes. What matters is that we learn from it, and we strive to be a better person,” Camila ran a hand through her hair and stared directly back at her wife. “I’m not saying that I’m perfect now, but I’m trying to be, for my family and myself.” Camila paused trying to collect her thoughts. She wasn’t about to be all in her feelings to her fans. Though she had been countless times. “This album is dear to my heart. The perspective has changed now from when I was writing it. It’s about heartbreak. It’s about feeling as though you’re not good enough. It’s about messing up. But it’s also about finding your way back to yourself and loving yourself again.”

The Hurting, The Healing, The Loving.

“The album is sectioned off into three parts. One; the hurting. Where I think if not all, some of us would be able to relate to. It’s sometimes not a romantic love, but you know…another type of love that can break our hearts. Where you’re just there, laying, staring straight up at the wall with all these questions swirling around your head, wondering whether you’re good enough.” Camila sighed. She knows that feeling all too well. It wasn’t just Lauren but her father as well. She questioned whether or not it was possible to love her.

“Section two; The Healing. The finding who you are again. The slowly but surely realising that it’s not entirely your fault. Because you can’t make somebody want you. No matter how hard you try. That’s when you realise that maybe the hurt wasn’t for nothing, but rather it was a lesson to teach you something.” Lauren was hanging off of every word that her wife was saying. She had listened to the album, and she may have understood the meaning of the lyrics, but it’s different when it’s coming out of the source’s mouth. “But you can’t just seem to let go of the hurt. Maybe it won’t matter in thirty years from now. Maybe you wouldn’t even remember the person’s name, but right now?” Camila shrugged. “Right now it matters and it fucking hurts. And I know you’re still trying to be okay with that. And you know what? That’s okay. You need to let it hurt, and hurt, and hurt, until it can’t hurt you anymore.”

Camila’s lips were trembling. She was trying so hard no to cry. Lauren looked at her, silently asking if she was okay, and she nodded. “I’m fine.” She said trying to convince herself. “And I know it’s not fucking easy. I know it hurts, and you’re sitting there overthinking, a million questions running through your head. Unable to sleep. Wondering where you went wrong. Creating hundreds of different scenarios in hopes that it’ll heal that wound in your heart. Going through a list of mental regrets. But the thing is, you can’t keep blaming yourself for someone else’s inability to provide the type of love you deserve. Today is just like any other day…difficult as hell. But you know what you’re gonna do?” She stared at the camera. Trying to urge her fans on. Trying to encourage them to not give up. “You’re going to do what you’ve always done. You’re gonna get over it. You’ll be fine. You’ll get through it and blossom into the best version of you that you can be.”

She inhaled deeply. “Lastly, The Loving.” Camila smiled softly. “I’m finally on that path now. I’m learning to love myself again. I’m rediscovering a whole new love for my life and everyone in it. Despite the challenges, it shouldn’t be able to stop you from loving. Love is the purest form of magic out there. And in the world that we live in? We need all the magic we can get.” Camila wiped at her eyes. “I just want you guys to know that you’re not weak. You’re brave. You’re strong for fighting to get back up. When you felt the world falling apart around you, you guys found strength in your struggle. You found the resilience to move forward. And even though you may still feel heartbroken and even though your heart may be broke at times, you know the best is yet to come.” She smiled proudly at the camera. “Not giving up is something to be damn proud of…and if no one has ever told you this before…I am damn proud of you guys. Every single one of you.”

Camila gestured for her wife to take a seat next to her. Lauren kinked an eyebrow but did as she was told, flipping camera to the front. “My beautiful wife again, kids.” She placed a kiss on Lauren’s cheek. “I want to admit something to you guys, and to you Laur.” Camila took a deep breath in. “I couldn’t have made it where I am without this lovely woman by my side. She’s my number one fan. She’s my lifeline. My sanity. She’s the one my mind automatically drifts to before I go on stage. I still get nervous, but when I think of her?” Camila took Lauren’s free hand in hers and intertwined their fingers. “She calms every nervous thought. You need to have someone in your corner who’s utterly obsessed with you. Someone who’s in love with you, the way you’re in love with them. You need someone on your team and I’m glad it’s her.”

Lauren turned her head towards her wife, staring into her eyes. She could’ve seen the sincerity laced in them, and she couldn’t help the way her heart was pounding against her chest. Completely ignoring the fact that they were live on Camila’s Instagram, she connected their lips in a sweet but passionate kiss.

The comments on Camila’s live were going crazy but they paid no mind to them. They pulled away from the kiss, Camila blushing profusely.

“Uh…wow. I was supposed to keep this PG,” the singer laughed. “But anyway, y'all got a Camren kiss. Woo!” She cheered causing her wife to roll her eyes with a smile on her face. “But there you have it guys, my big album announcement. The links to pre-save it will be posted later today on my Twitter. Thank you for coming to my TED talk,” Camila threw up a terrible idea of a gang sign. “Love you guys.”

“Andddd…cut,” Lauren locked Camila’s phone and handed it back to her wife. “That was…wow, Camz. Your fans are going to love this album, I can already feel it.”

Camila placed an arm around her wife’s waist and rested her head on her shoulder, “I hope so.”

They remained in that position for a few minutes until Lauren’s phone went off. It was a text from Maggie saying that Izzy had already fallen asleep. The aunt-niece duo ended up spending the afternoon together after Izzy and her parents went to watch 'The Incredibles 2’. Lauren of course had hated the movie because she found that part 1 was better. But let’s be honest, the entire movie should’ve just shown Jack Jack and Edna Mode. The other characters were irrelevant.

The child was staying the night by her aunt because of Camila’s photo shoot, which meant that the couple was going to have the house to themselves.

Would Camila take that opportunity?

Probably.

***

“Laur?” Camila called out to her wife from a room in the house.

“Yeah?”

The younger woman inhaled and exhaled loudly. Her nerves were starting to get the better of her.

“Can you come here for a sec?”

A few seconds later, Lauren opened the door to their own little spa in their house, to be greeted to a sight she was not expecting, anytime soon that is.

Lauren stared at the candles that lined their Jacuzzi, to the flower petals that were floating around in the tub, to the bottle of her favourite; Carbernet Sauvignon wine with two glasses placed on the wide. Then her eyes drifted to her wife, who had a robe wrapped around her body as she tried gauging Lauren’s expression. The fact that the woman’s jaw was practically on the floor must’ve meant that she was indeed surprised but in a good way.

“Camz..” Lauren managed to let out. “What’s all this?”

Camila smiled. “Can’t I do something nice for my wife?”

The way Lauren was reacting had given Camila a sudden boost in confidence and managed to quell the nervousness that she had been feeling. She switched on the stereo and a song which she featured on with one of her dear friends; Bazzi’s 'Beautiful’ played softly throughout the room. She sauntered up to her wife and tugged her along to a bench, pushing Lauren a bit roughly to sit, Camila straddled her lap; bringing her wife’s hands to stay comfortably on her ass.

“Camz…I…uh…what’s…wow,” Lauren was trying her best to form any sort of coherent sentence but nothing was coming out.

Camila slipped her hand’s into Lauren’s hair. They stared into one another’s eyes; not searching for any answers because the way Camila’s heart was pounding in excitement against her chest and the hunger that could’ve been seen in Lauren’s, they didn’t need a 'green light’. Unable to contain themselves anymore, Lauren cupped Camila’s cheeks in her hands and pulled her into a fiery and passionate kiss. Her hands work their way around Camila’s body, feeling each crevasse, each line along her perfect physique.

Since their first kiss since forever, when Doctor Briggs had asked Lauren to initiate a kiss, the couple had shared pecks here and there, but nothing as passionate as this.

They pulled apart and opened their eyes. They stared at each other, as though they were seeing deep into each other’s souls. Their chests heaving up and down; the lack of oxygen, didn’t stop Lauren from pulling Camila back into a kiss.

She kissed Camila and the world fell away. Nothing else mattered in that moment. Just the two of them. It was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words would never be. Her hand rested below Camila’s ears, her thumb caressing the brunette’s cheek as their breaths mingled. Camila ran her fingers down Lauren’s spine, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them.

Until they could feel the beating of each other’s heart against their chest.

Camila gently pushed Lauren away. “Anymore and I think you’ll swallow me.”

Her wife couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her throat. “Anymore and I think Izzy might end up getting that baby brother she wants.”

Camila blushed and rolled her eyes. “There won’t be any baby brothers anytime soon.”

“Oh really?” Lauren kinked an eyebrow. She took one of her wife’s hands in hers and mindlessly started to play with Camila’s fingers. “Have I ever told you that you have nice hands?”

“You did. That was actually one of the very first things you ever told me,” Camila recalled their teenage years. When they had first met, Lauren would blurt out random things without thinking because the young Argentinean used to make her nervous. She still does at times even though they had been together for a decade. “You were so cute back then.”

Lauren clutched her chest dramatically and feigned hurt. “Are you insinuating that I’m not cute now?”

Camila laughed and ran her index finger along her wife’s jaw. “You’ve gotten a lot cuter since then. But now you’re utterly obsessed with me.” She inched closer to her wife and started leaving a trail of kisses along her jaw. Lauren let out a low moan. She wasn’t sure how she was going to control herself if her wife had kept doing these things. Camila placed a lingering kiss on her wife’s lips and smiled sweetly as though she didn’t notice the kind of effect she was having on her wife.

She got off Lauren, and walked towards their Jacuzzi that the couple hadn’t used together since their marriage started falling apart. Lauren followed her wife’s every movement with her eyes, until she stopped at the staircase leading down to the tub. She shrugged off her robe, to reveal a white, sleek and sexy bath suit underneath. The gasp that left her wife’s mouth was enough for Camila to know that she liked what she saw. Lauren’s eyes trailed over every curve, every imperfection of her wife’s body.

Camila slipped into the water and made herself comfortable. After a few seconds of silence, she addressed her wife who was sat on the bench where she left her. “Are you going to get in, or are you going to sit and stare all night long?” She smirked.

“I…uhh…yeah. I just need to change,” Lauren rambled. Camila pointed towards a Nike shorts and sports bra she had laid out for her wife.

“You can change in here if you like,” the singer suggested, but the way her wife seemed flustered, Camila tried her best not to laugh.

Before Lauren could process what she was doing, her fingers began to work its way down the line of buttons; unfastening them one by one. Camila’s eyes became glued to every movement that her wife was doing. She tossed off her shirt; a tingling sensation ran through Camila’s body by the sight of her shirtless wife. There was nothing more bewitching than Lauren’s naked form. In clothing, heads would turn, and without? Camila was glad that she was the only woman to witness this sight.

The way Lauren’s abs; though not that prominent flexed with every breath she took, Camila couldn’t take her eyes off her wife.

Why would she want to?

Lauren pulled on the sports bra and unfastened her pants; slipping on her shorts just as fast. Camila seemed to have had a permanent blush on her face. The older woman slid in beside her wife.

“Hi,” the green eyed woman grinned.

“Hi,” Camila breathed out. Lauren had a hand placed on her thigh; her breath was caught in her throat. It took everything within her to not jump her bones. “Do you want any wine?”

Lauren nodded. “I’ll take the bottle.”

Camila laughed. “Ah right. It must a Jauregui thing.”

“It’s not a 'Jauregui’ thing, it’s more like an adult thing,” Lauren took the glass of wine from her wife. “The older we get, we soon realise that you need a glass of wine to get through the day.”

The singer took a sip of wine and sighed as the contents went down her throat. “For me I need a cup of coffee. Alcohol just isn’t my thing. It never was.”

The two fell into a silence; occasionally sipping on the wine. Camila had her head resting on Lauren’s shoulder as she played with one of her hands. Meanwhile, Lauren would place an occasional kiss on the top of her wife’s head.

This was perfect.

“What was your first impression of me?” Lauren mumbled. She had her lips pressed to Camila’s head.

“Huh? Oh, I um..” Camila blushed and looked down. “I had a crush on you before we actually spoke to be honest.”

Lauren pulled away and looked at her wife in confusion. “You didn’t know I existed before that one Spanish project.”

The Argentinean shook her head 'no’. “I knew your name, remember? I actually heard you playing the piano during lunch time when I passed outside the music room. You sounded so good! I was walking with Dinah and a couple of my other friends, and when I heard the song, I had to stop. That’s when I saw the genius behind the piece…” Camila trailed off. “You were so focused on playing the right key, the intensity in your eyes…I just found it so attractive. Dinah told me your name. She spoke so highly of you, but I couldn’t bring myself to talk to you.”

“Why? I was a nobody.”

Camila shook her head 'no’. She took the glass from her wife and placed them to the side of the Jacuzzi. “You were always a somebody to me, Laur.” The singer threw a leg over her wife and straddled her lap. When I first heard your voice; I couldn’t help the way my heart reacted to it. When I first saw you smile, I couldn’t help but smile too. When I first kissed you, I felt all my walls crumble, but when you first said you love me?“ She leaned in closer until her lips were ghosting Lauren’s. "That’s when I knew I was done for. That’s when I knew it’s you. It’s you who I wanted to be with forever.”

Lauren connected their lips in a sweet kiss. She pulled Camila closer to her, her hands lightly massaging her ass; the action elicited a moan to escape the brunette’s lips. “I love you, mi amor. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Laur. Gosh,” she rested her forehead against the photographer’s. “I’m so glad we’re finding our way back to each other.”

Lauren lightly caressed Camila’s face. “Me too, Camz. Me too. I promise, I’ll never give up on you. I want this. I want you. I want us. I want to be with you until I’m old and grey.”

The younger woman playfully grabbed a random patch of hair. “You’re already greying, babe. Are you saying that you don’t want to be with me anymore?”

“You’re such a kid,” Lauren shook her head with a smile on her face. “I’ll always want to be with you. I can’t be me without you. My soul is so attached to yours. I can’t see a life without you.”

“I see nothing but forever in your eyes, amor.”

You see, there comes a time in your life when you meet someone and all your ideas about the 'perfect lover’ disappears. You wanted deep blue eyes, clear just like the ocean, but now you’re looking into eyes as green as the forest; and you can’t help but get lost in them.

At first you wanted someone who plays sports, but now you’re utterly obsessed with someone who goes everywhere with a camera around their neck, who snaps random pictures of the things that they deem beautiful.

You wanted someone who could use beautiful words to stop you from crying, but instead you got someone who wraps their arms around you and holds you until you’re all cried out. They hold you with no intentions of letting you go. Ever.

You wanted someone to take you to museums and tell you that the Mona Lisa has nothing on you. But instead you’re in love with someone who doesn’t look at the stars in the sky, rather someone who stares into your eyes.

Then you meet someone who makes you laugh, and who makes your heart happy. And it’s all of a sudden, it’s as though you’ve wanted them since the beginning of time.

They make you happy.

That is all that matters.

Your happiness.

Find a lover who tries to do everything to make you happy.

Love isn’t always how how their eyes looked when you first met, or how their smile stuck in your head from the very first moment.

Love isn’t always from the first sight.

Sometimes, love is when they open up to you, when they pour their heart out to you, when they show you pieces of their soul, thoughts and show you their insides.

Love is when they let you in.

“My abuela always told me to marry someone I want to annoy for the rest of my life,” Lauren laughed at Camila’s random omission. “And I just so happen to choose you.”

“I must be rather lucky, huh?”

Camila placed a kiss on Lauren’s lips. “That you are, mi amor, that you are.”

Be with someone who wants to learn where each scar on your heart came from. And is willing to help you mend yours.

“It’s getting late, maybe we should dry off?” Camila suggested. She pulled Lauren up, and handed her a robe after wrapping one around her body.

“Dance with me,” Lauren wrapped her arms around her wife.

“Huh?”

“Dance with me,” Lauren repeated.

'The One’ by Kodaline started to play. Camila wrapped her arms around her wife’s neck and they began to sway slowly to the beat of the music.

“When we are together you make me feel like my mind is free and my dreams are reachable, Woah. You know I never ever believed in love, I believed one day you were gonna come along…” Lauren sang softly to her wife. Camila blushed and looked down.

“Free me,” Lauren sang and placed a kiss on Camila’s forehead.

“Cause you make my heart feel like it’s summer, When the rain is pouring down, You make my whole world feel so right when it’s wrong….” She pulled Camila closer to her chest.

“That’s why I know you’re the one…”

They stopped swaying, Camila looked up into Lauren’s eyes.

“I thank God for you everyday. Please don’t leave me. I know I’m hotheaded, I know I’m sensitive, I know I have trust issues, but baby, I’m so in love with you,” Camila admitted to her wife. She was so afraid that the woman would leave her. They were in this mess because she didn’t allow Lauren to come to her to admit what happened in the first place.

Lauren brought one of Camila’s hands to her lips. “I love you, Karla Camila Jauregui - Cabello.” She kissed her hand. “I know you’re the one for me. I am completely, utterly, foolishly, hopelessly, irrevocably in love with you.”

*** Wattpad:Commander_Camren

[fivedollarradio]

The book is Soloway’s road trip through gender, and it comes across as an adventure, a grand tour, fueled as much by intellectual, feminist inquiry as the urge to uncover one’s true self (Soloway also admits in the book that being non-binary keeps them cool and relevant to the younger Instagram generation, which is not unpleasant).

When we meet, Soloway assures me they are currently “having my cake and eating it” by identifying as “she, they and Mom” to different people at different times. Soloway is still Mom to their two sons, because of not wanting “to take away their having a mother. It’s a lot to ask from a kid, ‘Hey can you see me as neither?’”

[...]

Soloway has been asked why it’s not possible to dress however you want, behave however you want, and still identify as a woman. “To still use the word ‘woman’, to still be a feminist on the women’s team – why do you have to create this third category where you’re neither? Why can’t I just expand the definition of woman?”

And did that give you pause, that question?

“Yes! And it still does. But I feel like, wait a minute, if there is this third designation that is neither, I would like to try that one. I don’t know how long it’s going to last in the culture, and I know it’s a little bit annoying for people. But I just think, if I could walk around with a driver’s licence in my pocket that says my gender is X – it feels really exciting. It does feel really – what’s the word? – it feels light.”

Soloway discusses the extent to which the male gaze controls every single thing women do, and how little we realise this until we step outside of it. Soloway is too busy to be viewed in that way, and wants to experience the power with which an authoritative man can walk through the world. As a wife, Soloway found herself waiting around every Valentine’s Day for her husband to book a restaurant, which he didn’t do. Once liberated into being a non-binary person who dates women, Soloway writes of the joy in being free to call the restaurant to make the booking themself, and to give up this pretence of passive femininity.

This is a lot, but, I’m reading her book now and was curious about its reception. It almost seems parodic, but I know better to know that it unfortunately is not. (The quote about her neglecting to address her “heteronormativity” in a college essay on women’s pleasure, then crying when she only received a C on said paper is, uh, only a little representative of someone who’s spent a little too much time in the gender studies bubble.) And that even a number of activists seem to be rolling their eyes at her coming out as “nonbinary.”

I know this is the landmine issue of the decade, and we’re never supposed to question someone’s identity EVER, but it needs to be said: why does one have to opt-out of womanhood to opt-out of the “pretense of passive femininity?” I am neither passive nor particularly feminine. I don’t identity with being a woman any more than I identity with having brown eyes. However, I don’t claim to be anything other than one given that, barring altering my person -- expensive and time consuming -- that’s what society sees me as, so everything I do is going to be filtered through a lens of “female” irrespective of how that makes me feel. I think Soloway knows this. (Even the interviewer noted that she was apologetic for the allegations of abuse against Jeffrey Tambor something few male show creators are. Whether data bears this out, the interviewer couldn’t help but project this onto Soloway, ) It makes me think of this from Susan Cox, written a few years ago:

If discomfort in the female social position means a woman is “non-binary,” then what does it mean for all the women who don’t declare themselves “genderqueer?” Are they always a-ok with their lives under patriarchy? Do they never feel restrained by the narrow confines of femininity? Few people, if any, align perfectly with one end of the gender binary or the other, so, as Rebecca Reilly-Cooper argues, “If gender really is a spectrum, doesn’t this mean that every individual alive is non-binary, by definition?”

More importantly, claiming to be outside binary sexual categories isn’t mere gender play anymore, it’s an identity with political import. I don’t believe in a gendered essence any more than I believe in a human soul, but I doubt any Christians would try to have me kicked off Twitter for saying so.

[miachanelparker]

Title: GRWM: Date Night in Hawaii   Involved: Mia Carter Posted: Thursday, April 2nd, 2020 Subscribers: 2,450 Views: 7,908 Likes: 345 Dislikes: 3 Video #: 3 Comments: 3,567 Description Box: 

Get ready with me for a date night with the hubby while we are Spring Breaking in Hawaii!

Watch: https://miachanelparker.tumblr.com/post/611602148480942080/title-intro-to-baby-carter-and-mommy-mcvlogs

Instagram: @mrscarter_ Twitter: @mrscarter_  Facebook: Mia Carter  Snapchat: @mrscarter_

FAQ:

How old are you? 21 How old is your husband? 24 How long have you been married? 1 month How far along are you? 12 weeks Where do you study? University of Houston Where do you live? Houston, Texas

Mia set the camera up in the vanity area of the villa and she smirked at it as she gathered her makeup things and placed them before herself. “Hey guys” she said leaning down into her makeup trunk and pulling out some brushes. “I decided to record a get ready with me while we are here in Hawaii” she said to the camera excitedly. “We came for spring break and our best friends are here with us. We are going to go on a little date night” she smirked as she began the process of filling in her eyebrows on camera. “If you guys didn’t know, my best friend is pregnant as well. So, this little trip has kind of became a little eyeopener” she told him, using the angled brush delicately as she leaned in to sculpt her brows before filling them in once more. “This may be one of few times we can all hang out and vacation together considering we will be new parents and that would get some getting used to” she told him. “So it’s a little me sentimental for me” she chuckled a little as she moved to the other eyebrow.

Mia licked her lips gently before she sat the brush down and she grabbed some Chapstick and rubbed it across her dry lips. She capped it when she was done, putting it back down before she grabbed the brush once more and finished her brow. Mia rubbed her lips together content with their being some moisturizer on them now “anyhow, I just thought it was kind of cool that we get to get a little couples time in and stuff still. My best friend is closer to giving birth than I am. She’s due in July” she told the camera “so this is really like her last big travel” she told them as she moved to grab her concealer and concealer brush. She begins to clean up her eyebrows, both above and below them, sculpting the brow even more on her face. “Hawaii has been amazing so far, I love it here” she told them “I am an island girl” she told them truthfully “I am Haitian” she confessed to them “so I absolutely love islands” she said in creole smoothly before she smirked. She began to massage the concealer into her skin, blending it out. “I think I have fallen in love with Hawaii more than I fell in love Paris” she said to them.

“Although, Paris will forever have a special place in my heart because that is where I married my husband. I just love a good tropical vibe” she told them. “What places have you guys traveled and just fell in love with instantly?” she asked him “you have to drop them below I am curious” she told him softly. When she was done with her brows Mia moved to grab some primer that she loved and she showed it to the camera “if you aren’t on that Fenty Beauty, then what the heck are you on?” she asked him as she pumped the primer into her hand twice and moved to smooth it out over her skin, working it in gently. “And before anyone comments below I have done my full morning beauty routine already, including SPF. Listen people, melanin does not exclude you from the SPF crew, put SPF on people” she told them giving them a knowing look. “It is important, and you should wear it for at least like 10 minutes or so before walking out the door I think they say. So, I put it on during my morning routine” she told them all as she grabbed her brush and Mia began to blend foundation into her skin.

 “I also use the Fenty foundation as well” she told them happily as she continued to work the foundation into her skin. “So, in regard to the baby” she said getting on the topic most people were here for. “I had like a very awkward episode the other day while here. Well really our first night here” she said looking at herself in the mirror before she moved to work the foundation down her neck with the brush. “My ankles swelled, and I was very, very confused. I don’t know why it happened, I googled it and just came to the conclusion maybe being on the plane for as long as I was did it, maybe I ate something with too much sodium beforehand, you know” she said with a shrug. “But it made me put a few things into prospective” she told them all. “Every woman is different, and I think I have spent a lot of time comparing myself to my best friend and in the midst, I am neglecting what my body is telling me” she said pointing to herself in with her brush. “It kind of shook my husband and I up a bit, so I definitely don’t want that to happen again. Not where I am in the pregnancy” she said softly.

 Mia sat the foundation brush down and she moved to grab her concealer that is lighter than the one she used on her brows. She placed it under her eyes, center of her forehead, her chin, down her nose, and above her lip. “So now I know I really need to monitor what I consume” she said to them easily before she closed the concealer and grabbed another one that’s a darker shade than her foundation for her contour. She placed it around her hairline, she chiseled her cheeks, and drew a line against her jawline. At the last minute before she closed the top, she lined the side of her nose, covering the outer unhighlighted region before she picked up her damp beauty blender and began to work “this is damp by the way” she told them idly.

 She pounced the sponge across her face, and she blended the creams out evenly as she said “so I think when we get back to Texas, I am going to do a little research and get a healthier diet going. I don’t eat bad, but I don’t eat 100% good either” she told them. Mia blended out all of her highlighted areas before she pinched the sponge and began to blend out the portion on her nose. After her nose came the contouring, she used the same sponge to blend out the dark areas of her face, making sure she blended upwards in her cheek area. When she was done blending out everything on her face, she moved to sit the sponge down and she grabbed a brush, moving to set each highlight area with a translucent powder and then each dark section with a tinted powder. She set her face fully and she licked her lips slowly before she looked herself over in the mirror and she grabbed a bronzer swirling a brush over her cheek area.

 Mia leaned down and grabbed a highlighter, a blush, and some eyelid primer and she sat them in front of herself. She too grabbed an eyeshadow palette, some lashes, her eyeliner, mascara, lipliner, and liquid lipstick. “I was not going to do an eye look, but I love wearing lashes and liner” she told them, “so that is what I am going to do” she breathed. Mia added some more powder under the bottom of her eyes incase any shadow color fell down. Once she did that, she moved to placed powder under her cheeks chiseling them out to make her face appeal slimmer. Mia began to use some eyeshadow brushes and she began to work them into her lid blending color out smoothly.

“I actually have no clue what I am wearing today, so I have no clue why I just went along with this color” she said to camera as she continued to blend out the color easily. She licked her lips again before she stopped to apply more Chapstick to her lips, she sat it back down and she picked her brush back up. Mia worked within her eyes crease before she moved to the other eye to blend some color out there as well. “I don’t even know if I have anything this color” she breathed softly when she was done blending, she moved to stand up from the seat, holding her robe closed as she walked away towards their clothes.

After a moment, she moved towards her makeup setup and she sighed “I think I have something that I can wear that will work with the look” she told the cameras she continued to work on her eyelids. The most important part about a makeup look as a whole is the blending of it all, so Mia always seemed to take her time with her eyelids. She picked up another brush blending out another color on her eyes, fusing the two and she licked her lips while she did it, tongue pressed against her top lip. Mia watched as Tyler walked past her in the background with nothing, but a towel wrapped around his waist. She eyed him for a moment before she moved to the other eye and began to blend that side out like she’d done the other eye. “What color are you wearing?” Mia called out to him curiously.

Tyler walked out of the bathroom, his body still dripping a bit as he wrapped the towel around his bare waist. He moved for the closet, licking his lips at Mia’s question. “Uh,” he shrugged a bit. “I’m not sure yet,” he told her truthfully. “I’m thinking maybe blue or green,” he shrugged.

Mia nodded her head as she sprayed a flat brush with some setting spray and dabbed some foiled shadow swiping it across her lid. “Okay” she breathed as she built the color up on his eyelid and moved to her other eye, doing to it what she did to the other eye. She shifted in the chair and adjusted her robe a bit as moved to the other eye doing the exact same to it. Once she was done with that, she grabbed her eyeliner and shook it up before she unscrewed the liner and begin to draw out wings of both sides of her eye easily. She had practiced liner long enough to do it easily and without much thought or mistakes. Licking her lips, she sat the liner aside as she moved to open her lashes looking at the camera “these are the Lilly Lashes, Miami style” she said showing them the case before she squeezed some glue onto both strips.

She sat the lashes aside letting them dry down a little as picked up a big foundation brush swiping away the extra powder that rested on her face. After, she grabbed her MAC fix plus setting spray, and she drenched herself with it knocking off the powder residue and melting down everything. Mia found a piece of paper close by and begin fanning her face a little drying the spray down, her eyes closed as she did. Mia sat the paper aside and she grabbed her eyelash curler, curling both eyes before she moved to apply her lashes on both eyes gently, using a steady hand. Once they were on Mia pushed them up a bit, setting them exactly where she wanted them to be and she looked herself over coming alive before the camera. “I love these lashes” she said admiring them fully turning her head as she tossed some braids over her shoulder.

 Mia picked up her mascara and begin to apply it to the lashes, fussing hers and the strips together as she rubbed her lips together. She also applied some to her bottom lashes, before she closed the mascara tube and said “oh” to camera lens. “I started looking into different birthing methods online, and on Youtube” she told them. “I am just curious to know the possibilities that we have and what people think, I know sooner or later my husband and I have to complete a birthing plan” she told them. “And I am just trying to stay one step ahead of everything for the baby” she breathed out softly as Tyler moved around in the background. Mia picked up a brush and she grabbed her phone opening up her pregnancy app and she showed the visuals of what their child looked like currently “here we are right now” she said showing them before she sat the phone down. “We are very close to our second trimester; I am so happy. I feel like time is moving so fast which isn’t a bad thing” she emphasized. “Because I am super excited to know the gender of the baby, I can’t wait for the baby shower experience, and you guys don’t know how ready I am to hold my little baby in my arms” she breathed out with a wide grin on her face. She dipped her fan brush in her highlighter, and she brushed it onto all the high points of her face as she normally did. “I think this is NARS orgasm” she told them.

 “And considering that I will be entering my second trimester I decided that I will look into more avenues in relation to my pregnant. Like some classes and birthing options and stuff” she told them with a shrug. Mia picked up her brown colored lip liner and she begin to line her lips, over lining her top lip a bit to make them appear bigger than what they were. It was something she did that she didn’t truly admit but it was a fact of her routine, she made sure she filled the inside of her lip a bit before she picked up her nude liquid lipstick. She opened the tube and applied the lipstick over her lips, and she rubbed up them together blending the two colors together on her lips and she sat back looking herself over. 

All dressed and ready, Tyler walked into the room, looking at Mia and he smirked. Walking over to her he said, “Aaron and I are ready but take your time,” in a whisper. “Nova is still getting ready too,” he walked a bit closer, leaning in to press a kiss to her forehead. “You look beautiful babe,” he said easily.

Mia looked up at Tyler as he spoke and she nodded her head, shifting in her robe, she smirked. “Okay, I think I’m done” she told him softly as he leaned down to kiss her forehead, she smiled softly closing her eyes. She opened them and said “thank you baby” puckering her lips for him to kiss despite her lipstick, it dried down matte it wouldn’t transfer anyhow.

Tyler smiled at Mia as she said she was done, and he nodded. As she puckered her lips at him, he reached down, gripping her cheeks as he leaned in once more, kissing her lovingly. “You’re welcome,” he whispered against her lips.

Mia smirked as he reached down gripping her cheeks and kissing her lips, she moaned in it softly before he let her go and she nodded her head. She slyly caressed his rock-hard abs through his shirt before he walked away, and Mia moved to spray her face fully one last time before she looked to the camera. “Okay, so I am going to get dressed and I’ll be right back” she said to them.

“Okay” Mia said softly sitting before the camera once more “I am all dressed up and everyone is ready to go” she commented. She stood up and said “this is what I am wearing” she said showing the flowy dress to, she even picked up her mini Chanel bag to show them before she sat it back down. Sitting before the camera once more afterwards Mia said, “This is the makeup look” zooming in a bit “I think I did pretty damn well getting an outfit to match this” she chuckled lightly. “As always you guys” she said clasping her hands together. “Thank you for watching” she said to them happily “don’t forget to like, comment, subscribe, and click that little bell to be notified every time we post a new video” she said to them. “There are Carter cuties down below that can contest to us being hella stupid lit over here and I know you want to join the team boo” she said with a chuckle. “And after you do all those things go ahead and watch this video” she said shifting in the direction of where the last video will sit on the screen. “Go ahead” she said as the video ends.

[lair-of-books]

How are we already in August?!? 😱 I guess what they say is true, time flies when you’re having fun 🙌🏽 admittedly this means my reading took a hit cause I’ve been really enjoying life & having some amazing experiences I’ll never forget 💓 As we approach the end of Summer, the itch to pick up my books has struck & I’m sOoO ready to give in! 🤗 I was recently blessed by the Book Gods to gain access to some EPIC 2019/2020 ARCS so it’s looking like I have my reading cut out for me. That being said, I’m still going to mood read my little heart away cause it really has made me a much happier bookworm. I have fallen a bit behind with reviews 🙈😂 but I’m working on choosing one day of the week where I focus solely on drafting reviews. In the month of July I found myself reading more than any other month this year thanks to audiobooks. Yes audiobooks count & I will die on that cross! they’ve helped me get into a more steady workout routine (LIVIN MY BEST LIFE🔥), now I tell myself one more lap = one more chapter ✔️ They’re also amazing when I’m in the kitchen learning new dishes to make for my two tiny humans 🤗

A Princess In Theory (Reluctant Royals #1) by Alyssa Cole ✨5 STARS✨Both Naledi & Prince Thabiso stole my heart. with their hate to love romance set in NYC. This book featured a strong, intelligent, sexy black female in the STEM field who you is very relatable. Ledi has an internship, side jobs, and student loans to manage all the while giving the sexy Thabiso major side eye for his more than obvious interest in her haha! LOVED this so much! RTC

Wicked Fox by Kat Cho ✨5 STARS✨I can see now why bookworms have linked this while K-Dramas, this was ABSOLUTELY ADDICTIVE! Miyoung is a Gumiho who feeds on the souls of evil men in order to continue living a immortal life. This all changes of course when she saves Jihoon from a Goblin (there are other supernatural creatures in this world) & then starts to fall in love. LOVED the Mythology & got deeply invested in these characters lives, HIGHLY anticipating the sequel 🤗 RTC

With The Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo ✨5 STARS✨(BOTM) My FAVE read of the month! I listened to this audiobook in one whole day as worked from home, cooked, and then worked out for about an hour. I could NOT stop listening to Elizabeth Acevedo’s raw authentic narration of Emoni’s story as she navigates school as a teenage mom with a natural born talent for cooking. I was sucked into Emoni’s story from the very first page where she remixes ingredients from recipes her aunt emails her.  HIGHLY recommend! 💜 (My Review)

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager ✨3.5 STARS✨(BOTM) although I do own a physical copy from BOTM, after my Twin Soul ChicNerdReads raved about the audiobook performance, I knew that was the way to go. The performance itself was ON POINT! Gothic vibes in NYC, I listened to this one in a day. Very entertaining & it may just be because I don’t read very many thrillers but It did keep me guessing till the very end. However, there were parts that dragged throwing off the pacing and making me lose interest here & there. I’ve heard from others who have read Riley Sager’s other books that this was their least favorite. I will definitely be giving the other books a chance since I do already own copies 🤷🏻‍♀️😂 #noregrets

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo ✨3 STARS✨ I had the privilege of reading this ARC a few weeks ago thanks to an awesome friend. I was 100% aware that this is a adult paranormal book with some hard hitting themes (*Content Warning: Drugs, mention of overdose, statutory rape, graphic violence, kidnapping, physical abuse, death of a loved one, fear of abandonement, use of a magical drug for date rape). It took me about a month to get through this book & it wasn’t because I was triggered, it was very much based on scattered pacing. The first half is very info dumpy & the last 200 pages are where all the action takes place and you finally get hooked in the story. This is the first book in a series & LOL! I’ll be honest & say I wasn’t planning on continuing but I might just give the next book a shot. RTC.

The Lion King is tied for 1st place as my favorite Disney movie of all time with Aladdin. However, unlike the AMAZING Aladdin remake we got earlier this summer…I wasn’t over the moon in love with this remake & that breaks my heart. It’s a STUNNING movie, a real feast for the eyes but it did lack the emotion we got in the original. I’ve watched the original dozens of times & still cried each & every time but that just wasn’t the case here. What I loved? The voice actors did a FANTASTIC job & the soundtrack is truly beautiful! 😍

I hope you’re all enjoying your Summer! I’ve been truly maximizing on the great weather to travel more, reconnect with friends both near & far as well as just enjoying life 😍 my Netflix Queue is out of control (shhh! don’t spoil ssn.3 Stranger Things) & my apartment has felt neglected 😂 but I hope to make time  soon for a little time-out where I just snuggle up with books, Netflix, and tea 😍

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July 2019 Wrap Up How are we already in August?!? 😱 I guess what they say is true, time flies when you're having fun 🙌🏽 admittedly this means my reading took a hit cause I've been really enjoying life & having some amazing experiences I'll never forget 💓 As we approach the end of Summer, the itch to pick up my books has struck & I'm sOoO ready to give in!

[xyouvandalx]

“But I need you with me!”

      “You know you’re a dork, right?”       “Shut up! I just need you here... .. I also really needed to use the bathroom.” Brittany was in the bathroom stall, urinating as she held her phone in her hand. Lance was off to the side, leaning against the wall, facing and talking to the stall. “You know you don’t need me that bad, you’re just texting him.” He was on his own phone, but there were no Snapchats, no text messages, no emails, and nothing happening on Twitter. Normally when he was waiting like this, he would listen to music, but Brittany needed him, so he did the polite thing and kept his earbuds off.       “It’s been three minutes and he still hasn’t replied.” Lance waited, wondering if this was a joke or not, before he said, “I know right! You two should already be working on getting a baby in your stomach on your honeymoon.” Brittany was going to get no sympathy. “He’s not doing anything! He said he’s making food and watching a movie. That’s not that hard to reply during any of those things.” Lance compulsively looked at the screen on his phone, just the time, no other notifications. He put it back in his pocket and said, “You know, even if you guys were dating, this type of behavior wouldn’t be acceptable anyway.”       Brittany sighed and heard the bathroom door open. Footsteps stopped and Lance just said, “Hey, what’s up?” The door then closed and there didn’t seem to be any more footsteps. Brittany took another breath and asked, “Are you okay?” Lance replied immediately, “Yeah, I just don’t get it. There are two more free stales. They could have at least checked.” Brittany smiled, and opened her wallet to check for her I.D. and card, making sure to take the card out. She checked her phone again, still no message.        “Don’t you ever get like this? Don’t you ever get nervous or, anything?” Lance was texting someone on Snapchat, “Wait...” he said almost too quiet for Brittany to hear, and then said, “Of course I get like this, but not really ever while I’m texting. It’s... just uncalled for.” Brittany took a sigh knowing exactly what he meant, but her heart was racing so fast and her lungs felt like they were rubbing against her ribs. “I don’t know, I never get like this, ya know? I never act like this around a guy, or feel like I’m being neglected or, or like.... just being ignored, I guess. You know that.” Lance started to pace a bit. His steps slow and relaxed. “Then whats happening, Britt? Why are you acting like this?”       Brittany looked at her phone, and saw the Facebook notifications, and a message from her friend who was at work. There were a few Snapchat notifications and a video from one of her friends that never Snapchats. Her Instagram had several notifications, and even her crossword game app had more than one notification on it. None of this mattered though. She only cared about getting that one message, and it hadn’t come yet.       “What if he’s with another girl?”       Lance took a moment before he said, “Then you gotta’ stomp that bitch out.” Brittany smiled. Normally she would have laughed but her phone was very symbolic of her heart. Lots of different things, happening at the same time, and there’s only one that’s not being cared for. “Do you think she’s pretty?”       “I don’t think he’s with another girl.”       His voice was very monotone this time. It was a weird tonal change that only a few people could detect. He went from joking, relaxed, and casual to serious and comforting. It made Brittany smile in the slightest and asked, “Why do you say that?” Lance stopped in front of the stall and said, “I tend not to text, or anything with another girl, when I’m hanging out with a girl.” Brittany felt like that was like. “You’re always texting whoever when you’re hanging out with me.” Lance kinda’ scoffed, “Well, that’s because it’s you.”       “And whats wrong with me?!”       “I’m not trying to date you, you’re my friend, you’re super cool, and one of the most amazing persons I know, that will understand why I feel that comfortable and open with, when you’re around. ... “ there was a pause. “That’s what’s wrong with you.”       She smiled again to herself, looking at the phone, still no reply and Lance continued even further. “You’ve been texting him before. You were texting him not to long ago. If he was with a girl at all tonight, I don’t think he would have replied at all. Knowing how late it is, it is very unlikely that he’s with another girl.” She looked up at the door, picturing Lance on the other side when her phone vibrated in her hands. If it was just the text, she could have read the preview, but with all her other notifications it just popped up as a message notification.       Lance heard the flush of the toilet, and then went to turn around, so he wasn’t staring creepily into the stall as Brittany opened the door, but as he was trying to walk away, Brittany put her arms around him and buried her face in his back, hugging him from behind. “Thank you.” Lance stood there for a moment, letting Brittany hug him. He smiled to himself and then said, “You haven’t washed your hands.”       “I wiped my ass too.”       “Gross.”       Brittany giggled and let go of him. Lance leaned up against the wall again as he watched Brittany wash her hands. She was drying them with the towel and said, “I can’t believe no one else has come into the bathroom.” Lance replied, “I’m sure those girls said some pervert or whatever’s in the bathroom and no one else has wanted to come in.” Brittany threw the paper towel away and started to walk out of the bathroom, Lance following behind her, “Speaking of which, I need to bring you into the bathroom more often. That was amazing having you there, like, we don’t ever have to stop our conversation or anything, ever.”       They were passing the girls that had tried to walk into the bathroom, Lance recognized them but decided not to point them out to Brittany. He just walked with her back to the bar and said, “You know you’re a dork, right?”

[andytfish]

FREELANCE GUiDANCE: A 10-PART Series - PART 6 ESTABLISH AN ONLINE PRESENCE

In the olden days (and still taught by some art schools stuck in the mid 20th Century) we as new freelancers spent a TON of money on postcards, business cards, promotional materials, archival prints for our portfolios and then set about the hefty task of compiling a mailing and visit list of potential clients and then experienced the pleasure of mailing out all of that information and schlepping ourselves and those shiny new portfolios to art directors we were desperate to work for.

Some of that advice is still valid, but most of it is not.

BECAUSE THE WEB IS THE THING NOW.

If you're still in the pre-art school phase choosing a school BEWARE any professor who does not know how to use email, or who makes light of it.  You'll need to be able to not only compose a professional sounding email but you'll need to know how to attach viewable sized files as well as fully comprehend and be able to upload completed files into a cloud portal for clients.

BECAUSE THE WEB IS THE THING NOW.

The BEST thing to come out of this world-wide web is that now the playing field is even.  Now your client base is no longer local it's global.  Your previously potential six clients in your metro area now become something closer to sixty million.

That means you have to know how to use it.   During my tenure at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston where I worked exclusively with senior class students I was SHOCKED, SHOCKED I tell you at how many of them were NOT computer savvy.   This is the 21st Century-- you kids are supposed to own technology.  Many of the newer generation do not.

Change that.

First and foremost, forget how genius you are.  Forget that the reason you're struggling is that your amazing talent has not yet been discovered, and approach it with this prism:  you are offering a service in a business, the client needs to make money from you.  Whether it be from more sales because your art graces the cover of their magazine, or through commission sales in their gallery, the bottom line is you will get work if someone thinks they can make money off you.

Cold and simple yes?

So approach it from a professional business angle.

EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE:

This iz NOT the time for U to use :(

Nope.

You need to handle business correspondence like you would a letter.   Here's an example, let's pretend our editors name is John Q. Poobidickery-- your email should look like this:

Mr. Poobidickery;

My name is (fill in your name) and I am a recent graduate of (fill in your school), my portfolio is online at (fill in where it is) and I think my style suits your needs.   I hope you can find the time to check out my work and see if you agree.

I have been a longtime (reader, visitor of their gallery, fan of theirs) and working with you would be an accomplishment of one of my major goals.  (Cite SPECIFICS about the company so that they don't think this is a form letter).

Thank you and I hope to hear from you soon.

YOUR NAME LINK TO YOUR ONLINE PORTFOLIO

One thing that I think goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway-- your email should be professional, and it should be recognizable to this editor that they can spot it and know it's you.  I.e. if your email is KITTYFN063@yahoo.com and your name is not KITTY FANUEL then you need to come up with a "real" email.

YOURNAME@YOURWEBSITE is best.  Why?  Because it says to the client that you not only are serious, but you believe enough in your talents to expend the energy and expense of having your own personal website. 

My email is andy@andytfish.com << the killer there is that stupid T.  I had to use the T because someone else registered andyfish.com so I had to add my middle initial.  I could fill a stadium with the number of people who forget the T.  It's not perfect but it's better than not having any.

It also helps that if you google me I come up first.

Gmail is your other option-- it's not ideal because gmail gets hacked a lot.  Ever get a hacked email?  It usually has a subject line of FROM THE NAME OF THE HACKEE-- you click on it and it tells you that Oprah is recommending this new weight loss solution and you should check it out.

Hacked email is an annoyance.  The very last thing you want to be to someone hiring you is annoying.

ONLINE PORTFOLIOS

There are a lot of sites that offer free space to artists

Coroflot

Portfolio Box

Behance Network

CarbonMade

Cargo

All of these are pretty good, and they offer various levels of memberships.  The most important thing about them is that art directors often visit, which is a plus.

You'll notice I didn't list Deviantart -- that was an intentional omission.  If you want to hang out with a bunch of anime fans that's a great site, but I know at least a DOZEN art directors who have said over the years that if someone lists their work on Deviantart they won't even click the link.  That's enough of a reason for me to say stay away from it.

You can also opt to build your own website (which I think is smarter) and then promote visits to it.

SquareSpace (I use this one)

Wix (Veronica uses this one)

Both of these are popular with artists and both offer very simple templates and design tools.  You can be a layman and have a site built in a day using either of these.

Probably even more important than the portfolio is THE BLOG.  This particular blog (in it's old incarnation on blogger) got somewhere near 60,000 visits a month-- and I think that owes completely to the fact that I update it EACH AND EVERY DAY.  Moving the blog to my website where it is now has dropped the numbers off, but I'll rebuild it and regardless I like that it's now in one unified space.

But let's talk about that NEW EVERY DAY-- that scares a lot of people when I suggest it for their own blog, but it's the number one bit of advice I can give to help you succeed.

WHY?

1. Fresh content drives readers to your blog. If they know each and everyday there will be SOMETHING, even if it's not something they find incredibly engaging, they will create a habit and make a visit to your blog a regular part of their routine. Think about brushing your teeth-- you NEVER forget because it's a habit ingrained in you since childhood. But compare that to when you get sick and the doctor prescribes a pill for you to take everyday-- you have to set a reminder, you end up missing a day, etc-- because it's not a habit.

2. Fresh content improves your Google results. Improved Google results means people (especially art directors) can find you. SEO means search engine optimization and that happens with fresh content.

3. Fresh content is healthy for your blog. A neglected plant is a pretty sad sight isn't it? So is a blog that has the same old post from New Years eve 1998. If you're going to jump into the online world work at it and keep it updated.

Everyday is intimidating-- I get it.  Use the scheduling device and write a bunch of blogs at the same time, like a Sunday morning or a lazy afternoon.  Break long posts into multiple parts.  Post pictures, post artwork, post process, post whatever you think of.

It works.

But the key to take away from this week's advice is to have an online presence that reflects your current work.

THEN drive people to it.  Link your TWITTER, your TUMBLR, your INSTAGRAM all back to your blog.  When you write something new (or when it runs) make sure it gets mentioned on those platforms too.

IFTTT is a great free resource to connect all your social media.  It's easy to use and it lets you hook everything up.  So when you post on Instagram it also posts on Twitter, etc.

Once you have your online presence established THEN and ONLY THEN should you consider using some traditional marketing methods like postcards and mailers.  OvernightPrints.com is my go to choice for business cards and promotional items.  They are very inexpensive and relatively fast in turnaround time.

RESIST THE URGE TO ORDER THE 5000

When you're ordering business cards or postcards you're going to notice that ordering 5000 is not much more expensive than ordering 1000 so you may jump on it.  Don't.   The trouble is 5000 is a LOT of cards, and there's a really good chance you'll still be shucking these cards in five or six years, and the work shown on those cards will be long out of date.

Things change, art changes, phone numbers change, email changes, websites change-- all of that will work against the 5000.

Order in quantities of 250-500 and then create a mailer.  A mailer could be a postcard showing your best work and your contact info with your web address so a visitor can come and see even more of your best work.  It can be in the form of a postcard mailed to art directors and editors, or it could be in an envelope with a few items and a business card included.

MOST important is to make sure you include a bit of personal correspondence, if it reads like a form letter it's going to get less attention than if you actually write something that connects with the addressee.

WHO DO YOU SEND THE MAILERS TO?

Go to Barnes and Noble (if they're still in business), grab a pile of magazines you'd like to be featured in, or you'd like to work for, and look for the masthead to create a master mailing list of people who put this magazine out.

If there is no art director or editor listed, a quick Google search might help, if that fails call the magazine and ask the receptionist who the editor is.

QUICK thought on calling-- once I had an editor shoot me an email after I sent in a package, they wanted to work with me and asked that I call them on Monday.  Trouble was, going by email alone they had a very difficult name to pronounce.  Rather than embarrass myself in the follow up call, I called the receptionist first, and asked them how to pronounce the editors name.  They were happy to help.

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS be nice to the receptionist either in person or on the phone, they are your gate keeper and they deal with all kinds of person.  Being nice will go a long way towards getting them on your side.

So go forth and attack the digital age my friends.

Andy Fish is a freelance artist and writer who has been living the lifestyle longer than there has been an iPhone on this planet.  The advice given has worked for him, it might work for you, he hopes it does.  But like all advice, take it with your own situation in mind.  If you want to contact him shoot him an email andy@andytfish.com

[atticusblog2016-blog]

New Post has been published on Atticusblog

New Post has been published on https://atticusblog.com/your-ultimate-guide-to-justin-biebers-dubai-concert/

Your ultimate guide to Justin Bieber's Dubai concert

International pop star Justin Bieber is about to electrify audiences in Dubai’s Autism Rocks area tonight.

In light of the chaos that took place at some point of the Guns N’ Roses concert in Dubai earlier this 12 months, the organizers – 177Live have taken extra measures to ensure that the night time goes easily. Below are the tips incomplete. Please see underneath for vital records regarding Justin Bieber’s concert on Saturday, May 6th

– Doors open at 4 pm. If situations permit, doorways will open earlier. If so this may be communicated on all 117Live Social Media Platforms- Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook- so please preserve an eye out for stay updates also on display day.

– Please notice that professional images aren’t accredited on the live performance. Mobile phones are permitted

– Guests are capable of entering the arena with open water bottles

– In order to overcome important road traffic, arrive early on the location and experience the comfy facilities at the Dubai Outlet Mall, located a stoneís throw away from the area, Courtesy go back and forth buses could be furnished from the mall to the arena beginning at 3 pm

– The major act may be on stage at 8 pm. X-Factor Winner Hamza Hawsawi, Canadian Rap Duo Deen Squad, DJ Rodge and your favored Virgin Radio presenters will entertain the group beforehand. Getting to the Autism Rocks Arena.

Green Coffee Bean Extract, Your Ultimate Fitness Solution

   If you were wondering, and additionally fearing the reality that they might need to get yourself in a gymnasium if you want to get rid of the extra amount of fat from your frame, then suppose something else. The people that without a doubt had a lot of fulfillment in getting rid of excessive movement of the body and in fact vouch for the usage of an extract of inexperienced espresso. Most of the humans to realize greater approximately this precise component, because of the reality that they may be now not conscious that espresso can truly a completely destructive impact at the telephone. In all situations, one is to realize that task the help of seeking in of inexperienced espresso extracts, might certainly have the ability to attend to your excessively in the body. Most of the humans insist at the circumstances sense that dropping record amount of weight is a very famous technique, and also you discover that you may clearly have a lot of antioxidants placed inside this particular essence of a factor.

Green Coffee Bean Extract Is For You

Green Coffee Bean Extract is a super weight loss components, which aids in burning excess fat from the frame quicker than could food regimen and exercising. According to Doctor OZ, this is a “miracle pill that burns fats, speedy”.Ultimate synonym crossword.

According to “Diabetes, Metabolic Obesity Syndrome Journal”, Green Coffee Bean Extract is a powerful metabolic booster and a powerful fat burner. In reality, research display that those who have used this formula have managed to lost 10% in their total frame weight, without a change of their food regimen and workout applications.Ultimate assassin 2 newstudyhall

The Benefits of the components:

The answer helps in assisting and boosting the greatest fat metabolism of a person.Ultimate synonym crossword.It is an effective answer additionally, that assist with the regulation of blood sugar stage.The product has an extract, chlorogenic acid, which aids in accelerating the herbal weight reduction mechanism of the body and slowing the intake of glucose, making it clean for the balancing of blood sugar stage. I agree that weight loss plan and workout are primary weight reduction strategies you can’t do without. However, there are simply times whilst your weight-reduction plan needs a further increase.

How to Become a Singer in Dubai

Dubai is a splendid vicinity within the Middle East, wealthy with prosperity and possibility for brand spanking new and current groups to thrive. Dubai is also a top location for entertainers and singers to perform and reach a full-time profession within the artwork to which they love.

Dubai nightlife women

But what does it take to come to be a singer in Dubai and what should you realize as an entertainer looking for to break out into the Dubai amusement enterprise?

As a professional singer and performer in Dubai, I have put together what I have observed and learned all through my journey and skilled whilst entertaining in the UAE.

Awash with eating places, motels, nightclubs, and amusement venues there has never been any such extraordinary vicinity for entertainers, bands, and singers to attain their complete potential.Get professional photos

There is nothing worse than being empty passed when a company or venue requests some professional pictures.Having an expert and appealing commercial enterprise card is the quickest way to get your touch information into the right palms and generate a few business.

Be positive to have the subsequent information printed on the business cards:

· Make it clear what you are imparting

· Your Name

· Contact Numbers

· Email Address

· Website Address

Build a website

I have been asked by way of countless businesses if I had a website which they can use to direct their customers too. Having a web portfolio is speedy becoming the future for plenty entertainers.Underwater restaurant dubai

Your internet site ought to appearance expert in it is look, be smooth to navigate and find facts, have your tracks embedded or linked to and feature expert pics.

Including any video on your internet site of stay, performances is also a powerful marketing device.

Visit venues

Get dressed up and put your quality footwear on! Time to get accessible and start traveling venues to drum up a few enterprise.United arab emirates government

Simply traveling restaurants, bars, golf equipment and nightclubs is an extremely good start. Ask to meet with the amusement supervisor at every venue.

It’s usually wise to call the venue previous to traveling to make certain that the person you want to talk to are the gift when you plan to visit them.

Register with a company or entertainment agency

This truly is going without pronouncing but it’s far unexpected that when I meet different singers who’re just beginning out, they inform me they haven’t begun to do this

Concert Promotion Tips

If you want to attract a crowd on your concert, you should sell it properly. This applies to clubs church buildings and other venue owners, and PR firms as well as bands and different expertise. Whatever your position within the manner, the following concert promotion recommendations will assist you to attract large audiences.

Concert Promotion Tips For Venue Owners

Venue proprietors can do many things to revel in better turnouts for his or her events.

Strategic scheduling. One of the first issues you ought to cope with is scheduling. You should be aware of any competing events which are taking region on any given date. You must additionally preserve in mind such things as vacations and something else that could affect turnout. If you are booking a famous rock band, don’t agenda it on the identical night time that an excellent extra popular band is on the town. In preferred, the bigger the act, the further in advance the date is scheduled. This gives you plenty of warning for massive name acts that could save you your personal show from being a success.Country music concerts near me

Press releases. Make sure you send out press releases to neighborhood media well in advance of the date. Don’t neglect the cost of sending live performance statistics to loose neighborhood publications. Most cities have unfastened weeklies that many people read for entertainment information. In addition to occasion listings, these papers regularly publish interviews and tales about local live shows.

Your venue internet site. Your venue internet site has to have an expert appearance and be smooth to navigate. It ought to also offer hyperlinks to performers’ websites. They ought to provide you with this, but even if they do not it’s really worth it to do a couple of minutes of studies. Nowadays, nearly each performer has either an internet site, a Facebook page or song published on websites along with Bandcamp, SoundCloud or different such websites. This is especially crucial for acts that aren’t widely recognized. You must additionally use social media to promote concert events. Be sure to remind your fans several instances about upcoming performances. Some human beings buy concert tickets ways earlier at the same time as others wait until the last minute.Summer rock concerts 2016.Concerts within 100 miles

Concert Promotion Tips for Performers

Today, musicians, comics, and other expertise have to be very proactive approximately promoting their live shows. Venue proprietors will, with a bit of luck, do their component in publicizing your event. However, the bulk of the obligation lies with the artist. You are, in any case, seeking to now not only have a successful concert, however, attract greater lovers and build your emblem.

Send out press releases and CDs. Send out press releases to the media within the city wherein you will be appearing. You should additionally ship out sample CDs to tune reviewers and local DJs. This can bring about having your music performed on local radio stations and possibly a threat for an interview before your concert. Many bands schedule live shows to coincide with album releases. If you are doing this, sending out previews of your album is a great manner to get press insurance and, with any luck, airtime in your CD.

[ugdigital]

[FEATURE] JG ( @iamjgforreal ) : THE REAL DEAL

​Artists like JG are truly redefining what it is to be a rap artist in today's hip-hop world. We've seen a complete metamorphosis in terms of what artists represent, and not only how they're portrayed, but how they present themselves. For those who have been around long enough to witness hip-hop from the eighties, through the nineties, and right into the new millennium, many will argue that we've watch the slow death of what we once knew. We've seen it start from artists coming with real "message" music to those who weren't saying anything at all. It had become more s stage show than anything, and not many truly respected the essence of the craft. In essence, it was no different than someone working a job simply for a paycheck, which goes against the whole code because the idea is that people are doing what they love. We're now arriving at a place where artists are becoming more attuned with themselves, and using the stories of their lives not only to elevate themselves, but connect their to the rest of the world. More importantly, we're seeing more artists with a genuine love for the art form, and it's reflecting in the product.

​

​

We recently ran the debut of JG's "Birds in LA", which feature Rich the Kid. With one watch if the clip, its clear to see he's bringing back the essence of hip-hop that has been missing for a long time. While he's not drilling you with any particular message, it's clear he's having fun, and his heart is in it. It gives you a sense not only of what can be expected from his album, but also the direction hip-hop is heading, and how things are truly

coming back around.

​

JG sat down to talk with us about the new single, the idea he had behind the track, and how this, as well as the upcoming barrage of singles will strategically lead us into his EP, which we'll likely get later this year.

​

U.G. Digital Mag: I appreciate you sitting down with us bro. Kudos for all that’s happening your way.

​

JG: Thank you man. I appreciate that.

​

U.G. Digital Mag: Start off first by talking about Birds in LA. There’s a lot that I can really appreciate, not just about the song, but also your delivery, overall flow, and I think the style you’re bringing is needed right now. There’s a lot in hip-hop that I struggle with in terms of direction, but you’re taking it in the right direction. With that in mind, talk about the single and your goals for that?

​

JG: Well I mean, with that record, just getting rich on it was a big thing because I wanted it to get the recognition it deserved. I felt like the verses were hot, and I was just trying to establish myself. Before this, I hadn’t had anything out there, so I was trying to establish myself, get on a record with somebody who may be in a different lane than myself, but also showcase what I’m trying to bring to the table. I feel like the record doesn’t have any real meaning per se, and its definitely not a political message. It’s just a dope record. I was showcasing my lyrical ability.

​

U.G. Digital Mag: I think people who look at it can see that there's not necessarily a cockiness, but more a level of confidence. Overall, it’s like I’m here, this is me, and this is what you get.

​

JG: Basically that's it. It’s really something that you speak about the confidence, because for me, it something that comes out more in my music. It’s like I’m two people. On the mic, things I want to say, that side of me comes out more.

​

U.G. Digital Mag: I think that’s good. How do you feel like taking it back to your own life, this will allow you to show more of that confidence outside of music?

​

JG: It’s not that I’m not confident. Im just not flamboyant or boastful. I don’t seek that, and my goal isn’t to flex on people. My goal is to make good music and hopefully, people will relate to my music. I don’t think this will really reflect superficially, but I am confident in my abilities. I’m just more reserved.

​

U.G. Digital Mag: I think a lot of people can appreciate that, and relate. I see where your influence comes from, and obviously you listen to the J. Coles, and those artists who people label as “artists with something to say”. I think people see it, but at the same time, you’re your own artist. Talk about how this single leads into the album?

​

JG: It’s definitely the lead-off to the album. I really was trying to set things up in terms of what you could expect. It’s a little different to me. The vibes on the album, and this song in particular, it’s more melodic. "My Side" is more upbeat, more wavy and club vib-ish. I try to give something for everybody, but at the same time, deliver a message throughout the project. That’s what I want people to take away from this. I have songs to turn up to, but then I also have songs where you have to sit back, listen, and think. Like you said, J. Cole and other artists are my inspiration, but I also realize there’s a fine line that you have to straddle. People don’t want to just be put to sleep, and unfortunately, we live in a time where the attention span Is not what it once was. It’s changed a little, so I try to cater to that, but also do what I love to do.

​

U.G. Digital Mag: I think in terms of attention, a lot of people just want more artists who will bend the lines and be different. I think what helps a lot is being independent. There’s so much happening on the independent front, and you have the ability to do so much more of what you want. People see that creativity within you, and can see you’re not being guided in terms of what someone else thinks is hot.

​

JG: That’s pretty much what it is. I don’t like being labeled, and being put in a box. If I want to make a super melodic record and then come back to make an east coast rap record, I like to exercise my freedom to do just that. That’s more of the artistry I want people to see. With these first 4-5 records, it’s a bit of every aspect of that. I’m hoping people get out of it what I’m trying to put into it.

​

U.G. Digital Mag: I think they will. Even going back to "Birds in LA", I immediately felt it, and that’s a compliment in the highest form because being honest, I don’t easily get into a lot of music today. It’s not even in a disrespectful way either.

​

JG: Right. No disrespect, it’s just not your lane.

​

U.G. Digital Mag: Right. But I played it, and felt it right away. Then my son, who is ten years old by the way, listened and could vibe to it. You can reach people of all age ranges, which is cool. I think people, again, can appreciate that. What happens between now and later this year when it drops?

​

JG: Right now, we have about 4-5 records lined up. We’re just building the fanbase. It’s been a while since I've released any music. A lot of people have not heard of me, and for those who have, it’s been a while since I put anything out. So it’s connecting with the new fans, and recapturing old ones. There isn't a date set in stone yet.

​

U.G. Digital Mag: The reality too is that people don’t even need the date because as long as you keep coming the way you are, people will take to it, and regardless of when it drops, people will support because it’s something tangible.

​

JG: Yea. I have a lot of music ready. My problem is I’m always eager to drop it. I think things are going in the right direction though. I think it’ll be a good year.

​

U.G. Digital Mag: For people who want to check you out, we have the social media, Instagram, Twitter, Soundcloud, and YouTube accounts. Where else can people check you out?

​

JG: I have my Facebook page, which gets the most interaction. I know Facebook is not really so big, but I get a lot of interaction there.

​

U.G. Digital Mag: It actually depends on the artist. Some actually do better with Instagram and Twitter, but those who have more engagement, they do better on Facebook. It just depends.

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JG: Yea like me, I’ve neglected Twitter. I barely tweet, and I’m trying to get better, but it just isn’t my thing.

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U.G. Digital Mag: Everyone has their thing. I neglect Snapchat. Some people are religious to Snapchat.

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JG: Right. Also I have a few records on Spotify, and Pandora. I have one on Apple  music, and we're working on getting the rest up there. The music coming now will hit all of those outlets. Other than that, that’s about it. Worldstar obviously also. I think that’s about it.

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U.G. Digital Mag: What about your personal site?

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JG: It's www.iamjgforreal.com

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U.G. Digital Mag: Any final comments at all?

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JG: Not really. I feel like we touched on some good stuff. Really, I’m not even going down that route [laughing].

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U.G. Digital Mag: I just want to say I really appreciate you. Your artistry makes me want to do what I do. I relate to your comments about being in a box, and that goes for any industry. In terms of journalism or black media, if I write for others, which I have, and do here and there, it’s easy to get put in a box in terms of what you can and cannot cover, and the way you go about it. Having my own allows me to talk about what the artists really want to talk about. I appreciate being able to connect, and I thoroughly appreciate your music.

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JG: It’s a blessing to have this conversation. Everything happens so fast, and it’s been a long time. We just launched the campaign, and it’s happening so fast. The main thing is I don’t want to be in a box. If somebody is not feeling this record, just wait a minute, and you’ll feel the next one. I touch on certain areas just to show I can do this, and I also can do that. It’s not to say I don’t have a style; I just do what the fuck I want to do musically.