#and by swag aura i mean i have no idea what they see in him

[mxmarsbars]

clethimpdubs

heavily inspired by this post by @/JUJUBAMP4 on twitter i saw it and had a vision

[purrpletiger]

FRESH DRAWING GUIDE:

Hello everybody, I've come to give you all this absurd reference guide for drawing Fresh. yep. I decided to spend hours slapping this together.

If I got anything wrong or should add anything PLEEEASE lemme know! All ideas welcome!

If you want to see my "research" on this character, let me know in the replies, because there's so much to talk about with him and I'd love to do a character analysis or two, I couldn't put much about his personality or source posts in this because it's just a drawing guide!

Link to all the full images

Transcript and close-ups of the text on the image: (May be in a strange order)

Fresh was created by @loverofpiggies (CQ)

Main Outfit:

YOLO sunglasses

Backwards propeller cap

Pink Polo shirt

Crayola Jacket

Gold Tooth

SWAG fannypack

Convertible Zip-off pants

White Heelie shoes

Pink socks

He has thick eyebrows to emote! (The eyebrows are usually depicted with black hair but one human design has eyebrows that match the pink hair color!)

The bag says SWAG on it

His glasses say YOLO by default, but the letters can magically change mid-scene...

this design for Fresh is Tall, we dunno how tall but taller than CQ's Sans characters (or just Geno since he's literally sans undertale with some added steps). But his height is just his host's height sooo it can vary.

those (cyan and yellow) shoe details are on the innerside but not outerside

HE HAS HEELIES!

Pink glove cuffs!

his skateboard is inconsistent dont worry about it

Glasses Off:

The host's soul shows up in their left eyesocket

- The soul tends to look unstable (cracks & a sortve stroboscopic effect.. i couldn't think of a better word.) but not in some cases...

It doesn't have to be a white upside-down heart, that's just a reference to an undertale monster soul.

He has a purple substance full of little RADs that emanate from his eyesockets (when his sunglasses are off)

"The soul in Fresh's eyes CAN be cracked. That soul isn't his. it belongs to his host. And.... after a while.... things go bad for the host, and he needs a new one." -CQ

(example of soul with unstable effect with no cracks) (example of soul with cracks but lacking the effect)

The purple aura(?) can glow and emanate from the eyes when his glasses are on too

i miss this one design specifically. the colors and the SK8 OR B SK8 shirt were peak

I miss the SWAG necklace...

Fresh leaves a rainbow cloud of smoke when he "poofs". Either teleporting him and his host body somewhere or leaving his host behind.

Human Designs:

Fresh can possess humans too.

They all look physically different because they're different people that he's possessing.

Fresh can possess pretty much any body, but I thought I'd show the varied examples of humans anyway

Don't forget the orange jacket flaps! or his hat propeller!

I dunno what's up with the multicolor tongue thing. I think it was extra parasites in the host's mouth? I feel like it was scrapped at some point... but I could be wrong

FURBIES!:

Oh yeah, he also does this: (no image for the bat tho)

"I mean when he fights he pulls Furbies out of his magical fanny pack. takes out a wiffle bat. and hits the furby at his enemies.

And then the furby explodes in a blaze of glory." -CQ

Despite using some furbies as explosives, he seems to 'care' about and treat these two like precious babies:

This one is potentially named McFreshby The Fresh Furbrah (Fresh is mentioned to have one named that, and this is the only other furby he's been depicted with)

It can also do THIS: (roll its eyes back into a spookier look)

This is DJ FurBs. that's all i know about him

The REAL Parasite:

Fresh is actually this little parasite controlling a host body. (if you didn't know that why are you reading this post rn!?! but nah I love new Fresh fans, welcome!)

The main parasite is this purple one with the eyemouth and four(?) tendrils, the other colored tentacles are prrrobably Fresh's offspring (freshmageddon moment?) (I'm not actually sure, I'm just pretty sure they're not part of the main parasite but are parasite tentacles)

You can also see Fresh's five or more purple tendrils here stretching out all over his host's body

All art from CrayonQueen/@loverofpiggies

Reference guide made by PurrpleParrasite/@purrpletiger

pls suggest changes or additions if u have ideas!

That's all!

[kohakhearts]

if i adjust my hyperfixation slightly to the left i can start working on the asld pokemon au again (likely won't happen anytime soon, but i have been Thinking fondly of it. it's been a MINUTE since i worked on it, like probably 2 or 3 years). i don't think i ever shared the cast's partner pokemon publicly but it is why my first best buddy in pokego was a glaceon named nerissa. anyway if you're interested we had

nerissa - glaceon: an ice type, obviously. it mostly just felt right, but i think there's something to be said about, like, her having a partner with SO many potential evolutions and choosing to evolve it into an ice type (a la having so many different potential manifestations of her magic but actively choosing to freeze it and favouring ice-based magic even after she becomes an angel and can do whatever the fuck she want, because she's Literally god now, etc.). my second option for her was froslass for the dual ghost-ice typing

poseidon - mudkip: i have no reasoning for this other than i think it'd be cute. and water type. starter pokemon and all that. they're both just little guys. i have a note somewhere that he received mudkip from ryes when he was 11, which is a cute mental image

ada - altaria. a shiny one because then they have matching golden aesthetics. its a big fluffy powerhouse that evolves from a small fluffy bird. in my head she met swablu as a kid when she found it injured and nursed it back to health, despite her mother's disdain for pokemon

emmet - lucario. ORIGINALLY, i thought to give him a fire type, but fighting fits so much better honestly. emmet's whole Thing is like...his ability to Stand Up And Fight. and a lot of his development is centred around this idea of inner strength > physical strength, so the aura pokemon feels...fitting

isobel - blaziken. similar vibes as my rationale behind emmet's pokemon, but obviously with the dual fire type too because she's well. she's got that inner flame. what can i say

avery - in the au she actually doesn't have a pokemon for most of her life, although adonis and amery do. however i believe as a nod to her ward-setting capabilities and self-destructive tendencies, i assigned her forretress

adonis - charizard. he's THAT guy

adrienne - arcanine. big fire puppy? that's literally her. in crafting this storyline i definitely began seeing parallels between her and james team rocket but you know. it's just how it is when youre rich and your parents suck and whatever

ely - milotic. a beautiful water type for a beautiful water mage. also in a way it sort of mirrors his relationship with adrienne (ok in the sense of shes like this guy fucking sucks [racist] and then "haha i guess hes kinda hot tho" in the way everyone hates feebas until it evolves, i don't know. but actually in the idea i wrote down for this he, like ada, found his pokemon buddy injured and nursed it back to health. UNLIKE ada, he set it free after - but then it came back to him after it evolved because it was endeared by his healer swag)

i also wrote down that amery has a deerling, which is fitting because of her and ada's shared spring motif, i suppose. ryes i assigned relicanth because i mean. yeah (side note: he would be OBSESSED with the regis, lmao). emerson was a piplup probably for the same reason poseidon was a mudkip. for whatever reason in this au i assigned aether and erebus ho-oh and lugia respectively, even though there are LITERALLY White and Black legendary pokemon, lmao. my mind is an enigma even i can't comprehend

also, elnora's was zorua, which is...such a good choice. kudos to past me for that one. stella was mightyena so i guess dark types run in the family

anyway, that's pretty much all i've got. i had like, ideas about legendary encounters, etc. too (OBVIOUSLY poseidon would encounter and befriend mew, it's kinda analogous to chaos right??) and i think reasonably nerissa would Have to meet giratina because like. underworld = distortion world, maybe. i also think she and articuno would make an epic duo strictly in the sense of they uh. both have wings. and ice beam. aether is like that guy in the one anipoke movie who somehow manages to trap arceus in his basement so he can cast judgement on the haters (that is not what happened in that movie. but it IS what aether would do, except "the haters" is just erebus). in my ideal world this is an au in comic form but i really don't draw that often so it'll probably never properly see the light of day. still. it's in my brain. and my notes app, apparently

[kyeomhikz]

My #EXO’rDIUMinManila Experience

I wanted to write this because I can’t contain the feels and I have to let it out. This is a bit long so please bear with it. XD

So here goes the story. In my previous article in my blog entitled “Pains of a fan girl” (never mind the title), I stated there that I can no longer attend the EXO’rDIUM in Manila. It’s because I totally lost hope—as in TOTALLY—and I am already indulging myself in self-pity.

It was January 25th and I was like “Today’s the day,” but here I am (to think that I am from Bicol and the concert is in Manila) in my bed, re-watching their random videos because it’s only through those that I can see them. And then there’s my Facebook news feed that goes all about EXO’rDIUM in Manila—girl, it’s a torture.

At around 4:00 P.M. (of January 25), someone I know, my cousin, has offered me a ticket for Day 2. And me be like “…” because I don’t really know what to do. I am not even prepared and I don’t even have my mom’s permission. She isn’t against it really, me attending the concert. It’s just that we are not rich, and I am taking up my internship this summer and we’re going to need money for that. It’s about setting priorities.

Thing is, I promised that I have to attend their concert this time no matter what since I didn’t make it to EXO’luXion last year, so I saved up even just for a General Admission ticket. GenAd is far from the stage, so people are telling me to just watch videos or fancams instead of availing it. But you know, the feeling will still be different if you are actually there.

Though I saved enough money, I still didn’t get the permission. Instead, I was just told to reserve it for more important matters. I cannot do anything about it.

But I thought I had to be there—I want to be there—so I made one of the the toughest decisions I could ever make. It was a very last minute decision. I packed my things, got my savings, and prepared myself for everything that will happen after. For now, my decision is final and there is no turning back.

5:27 P.M. and I was on the bus. My mom didn’t know since she is currently in Bulacan. No one else knew about it except me that time. I’m aching, too, knowing that this is the biggest disobedience I’ve done to my mom. But like I said, there is no turning back. I will deal with the consequences later on.

You might be thinking bad about me right now but I promise you, you will understand me after reading this article.

I’m in the bus when I posted in facebook that I am travelling to Araneta Coliseum.  Geez. It’s too late when I realized that was a stupid move. I was too excited with the concert I forgot I’m not supposed to attend that. It was supposed to be a secret for now but, err.

(Don’t mind my photo. I look awkward there ‘cause my body looks so big. #VeryWrongAngling I sent it to my friends as evidence that I’m on the bus, but actually, that photo was taken last January when I came back from vacation in Bulacan. SML. :P)

And then my cousin (this is different from the one who has a ticket) left a comment on that post. That cousin is with my mom in Bulacan. I’m so dead. So I chat him not to tell mom yet. He told me I’ll get screwed when she finds out. I know that, too. Then few hours later, I decided to tell my sister about it, me going to EXOrDIUM. She said the same thing my cousin said, but she accepted it in the end. And she even actually told me why did I have to keep it from her. (She’s an EXO-L, too, so don’t wonder why she even sounded like she would still have supported me whatever my decision is. LOL. Actually, it might’ve been the two of us going to the concert if she isn’t in her work.)

I feel bad, yes. But I just think that this is only now and I’m never doing it again. Is it wrong if I choose to just cherish the moment?

At around three in the morning of January 26th (the Day 2 of EXOrDIUM), I arrived in Araneta Bus Station. I stayed there till the sun is up. I had nowhere to go, anyway. I can’t go to my auntie which is just near the Araneta Coliseum (the concert venue) because I’m afraid mom will find out.

I looked for a C.R. to change clothes. No bathing. I mean, it’s not like I have a choice so don’t judge. And besides, I don’t smell. LOL.

I just waited for my cousin (who has the ticket) outside the Coliseum. It was around lunchtime. We thought we should go there as early as we can to avoid any hassle. When she’s arrived, I finally got the ticket in my hand. I decided to forget what my problems are and just focus on the concert.

I met new EXO-L friends and had fun with them while waiting for the event venue to open. It really is nice talking to people who shares the same interest with you.

There were so many people around and seeing them gathered together for this one event makes me so happy. I was even happier that I was part of that crowd.

It’s really thrilling on my part the moment I’m only few steps away from the entrance. Geez. That’s the start of “THIS IS IT” moment. When I was on my seat, I looked at the stage. I did not have any regret for that last minute decision because I know I can still see my babies from GenAd row. I’m shocked to find out that it’s not that far the stage after all. Then I looked around. I smiled as I realized I will get to see the silver ocean that I missed last year.

The venue was so full of excited faces and auras. I felt so proud as we waited patiently. Of course, the venue was noisy due to thousands of EXO-Ls cheering and excitement. Then the event started. I can’t move first when the boys entered the stage. I can’t believe I’m seeing them and I’m in close proximity with them. Not the literal close proximity as in real close, what I mean is that we are in the same place at the same time. And right at that moment, my favourite place was the Araneta Coliseum.

When I’ve finally recovered from shock, I joined the crowd from screaming to the point that I thought I’m gonna lose my vocal cords. I was so touched by their messages, and their “I love you’s” and “Saranghae’s” made my decision more worth it.

I thought it’s only through music/audios that I’ll get to sing with them. Memorizing their songs by heart is not a waste of time—it never have been and never will be—especially now that they have acknowledged and appreciated it.

Seeing your idols sing, dance, and play around live? Believe me, that’s a scene that would really break your heart once you’ve missed. I am so thankful—so much thankful—that I am one of the thousand lucky fans to witness that.

To my friends (who’s also into EXO) who got shocked when they knew I’m on my way to Manila for EXO’rDIUM, hello. :) Just like what you’ve asked, I have sent your love to them together with mine. Anyway, I just wanna share that the Audio Visual Presentation (AVP) was amazing—the subtitles are swag. The concert was a a real, total blast!

Their voices? I still can’t believe I’m hearing it live. Their dancing? I still can’t believe I’m witnessing it live. Their figures? I still can’t believe I’m seeing it live. Their playfulness? Their jokes? Their speaking? Their messages? I still can’t believe everything is real.

How I wish I have Tao’s time control power so that I could stop the time, or even just slow it up, so that I could be with EXO longer. But of course, I don’t have that that ability. The concert has to end whether I like it or not.

The moment they’re bidding thank you’s and goodbye’s was saddening. But I am still glad that we, PH EXO-Ls, made them happy again like how they made us happy, too.

As soon as they exit the stage, I was ready to exit the coliseum, too, thinking that I will leave this place with memories that I will cherish forever. That three hours with them may be short, but I am contented.

And now, the concert was over and I’m going back home. And as I go back home, I’ll also go back to reality that ‘me going to EXOrDIUM’ is not real and I just did this as my defense mechanism so that ‘me not going to EXOrDIUM’ wouldn’t be that heartbreaking.

To my friends (Joana Emberga, Nica Joy Agripa, Claire Bregania, Makerz Sasota, Yodel Berdin, etc.) who really believed I attended the concert, I love you all. I have the ‘pasalubongs’ and souvenirs you were asking for. Just get it to me on Monday.

To my cousin, Jayson Malacad, who really didn’t tell my mom I’m attending the concert because I asked him not to, thank you. To my sister, Angie Altavano, thank you for understanding me when I told you I was currently on the way to Araneta and I didn’t tell our mom about it. Thank you also for really keeping it a secret. You guys have proven your loyalty. LOL. I love you both.

Sorry for fooling around, guys. Anyway, this is how I came up with this crazy idea (BTW, I did not plan it at first but you actually bought it so, yeah). I just posted in Facebook that I am travelling to Araneta Coliseum for Day 2 concert because I am upset and just so I can lessen the disappointment I am feeling. But you guys reacted to it and actually believed that I will go. And that thought somewhat made me feel better (you know, I was really upset when I found out GenAd is just near the stage) because somehow, I felt like I really am going to the concert even though I’m not. Right now, I am thinking that it made me feel better because it got me distracted. Your enthusiasm and excitement got me carried away that I almost forgot I am a #TeamBahay, too.

And just to clarify it, I don’t have that cousin who has a ticket. It’s just imaginary.

To my mom, I love you. Of course I’m sad you didn’t allow me to the concert but I understand it. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t disobey you even if I wanted so much to watch. Just please, will you already allow me if ever another EXO concert is still possible? #EXOplanet4 :)

That’s all. So, this is my EXO concert experience. What’s yours?

-Mhikz

(Concert photos grabbed from facebook. CTTO. Other photos are, of course, mine. LOL.)

P.S.: Hey, guys! I put your names because it’s not like this is a controversial article. Lol. Saranghaeyo~

[hooliganrehab]

Bruno Mars Doesn’t Walk....he glides

It’s as if he’s perpetually ready to perform a Motown-style choreography set in front of tens of millions watching the Super Bowl (which he has done twice in the past four years)—even easing his way into a suburban L.A. pizza parlor, where moments earlier, his sexy, chart-topping 2012 hit, “Locked Out of Heaven,” was on blast, as if anticipating his appearance. Mars just has that aura. His outfit is straight Fania-era salsa/blaxploitation swag—Gucci cap over his curls; sunglasses; an open shirt, floral and teal; tan shorts; dress shoes (no socks, to accentuate those smooth legs); and minimal gold jewelry. He orders a plain slice, which he sprinkles with garlic powder, and a root beer. It’s obviously a joint he frequents, since he knows all the fellas by name, and the workers aren’t taken aback by the superstar in their midst. He walks to an open booth, wolfs down his food, controlling his urge to eat six more slices, he jokes, and proceeds to be the smoothest cat to ever have lunch at an old-school checkered-tablecloth pizzeria.

Mars learned about charm, confidence, and estilo early in life. “My whole sense of rhythm is because my dad was teaching me bongos as a kid,” he says of his father, Pedro Hernandez. “He’s an old-school working musician, so that’s where the pinky rings come from, the patent-leather shoes, the suits, and the pompadour. It all stems from watching my father. I remember at the time, me and my sisters would be a little embarrassed when he would take us to school in his big-ass Cadillac. No one had Cadillacs in Hawaii. But my dad would show up in some boat-looking Caddy wearing some silky shit, and we’d run out into the car as soon as possible. And here I am wearing the swap-meet gold, driving Cadillacs,” he says with a laugh.

Take one quick look at Mars’ recent music (the omnipresent Mark Ronson collaboration “Uptown Funk,” which amassed more than 2 billion YouTube views, the fourth-most ever, or his critically acclaimed 24K Magic) and his style (“pinky rings to the moon”), and it’s easy to see that his persona is not only inspired by his father but delivered as a conscious ode to Latino and African American masculinity. Brown and black men have long dealt with the stereotype of being hot-blooded, suave, savage animals lusting after anything with a pulse. Now Mars, 31, is embracing the Latin Lover archetype (if you’re not treating your girl right, we’re Mr. Steal Ya Girl) and giving anyone who’s offended a big middle finger. Mars’ dominance in pop culture takes on even greater resonance now, when the leader of the free world has called Latino men “rapists,” “drug dealers,” and “bad hombres.”“I hate that we’re even having a conversation about injustice in America,” he says of the current climate of social unrest. “That we are having a conversation about this in 2017; the same conversation that’s been had decades and decades ago.”Yet Bruno Mars doesn’t want to drown you with his wokeness; he just wants to make you shake what your mami gave you. The man is a musical genius—he writes, produces, sings, dances, plays instruments, and puts on arguably the best performances in the universe.

“Remembering when he was just my little brother looking up to me, staying by my side, playing music together, throwing around a football, just doing everything together—those were great times,” says Eric “E-Panda”Hernandez of his hermano and band leader. “Now he signs my paychecks, and he is my boss. I’m beyond proud of the man he has become.”But before he was Bruno Muhfuckin’ Mars, he was E-Panda’s lil’ bro, Peter Hernandez, born and bred in Hawaii to a beautiful Filipina and Spanish mom and Puerto Rock and Jewish papi from Brooklyn. His childhood musical career is well-documented on YouTube— at 4, he was the cutest Elvis Presley impersonator ever, performing with his family for oohing-and-ahhing tourists in Waikiki. As the years passed and his skills developed, Mars found himself dealing with racial-identity issues in the multicultural 50th state. “Growing up in Hawaii, there are not too many Puerto Ricans there,” says Mars, “so because of my hair, they thought I was black and white.”

The idea of not being easily categorized is something Mars has dealt with his entire life. When he moved to Los Angeles at 18 to make a serious go in the music industry, record label executives asked, “What are you? Are you urban? Are you Latin?”“There are a lot of people who have this mixed background that are in this gray zone,” he says, leaning forward to make his point. “A lot of people think, ‘This is awesome. You’re in this gray zone, so you can pass for whatever the hell you want.’ But it’s not like that at all. It’s actually the exact opposite. What we’re trying to do is educate people to know what that feels like so they ’ll never make someone feel like that ever again. Which is a hard thing to do. Because no one can see what we see and no one can grow up with what we grew up with. I hope people of color can look at me, and they know that everything they’re going through, I went through. I promise you.”All that to say that Mars is prouder than Manny Pacquiao to be Filipino, loves Hawaii more than Don Ho’s children, and, well, is as boricua as Marc Anthony eating a plate of arroz con gandules during his Todo a Su Tiempo era. Critics and those confused by his multiracial roots have insinuated that he’s ashamed of his Taino roots, truly a load of chupacabra crap, says Mars.“My last name is Hernandez. My father’s name is Pedrito hernandez, and he’s a Puerto Rican pimp. There’s no denying that.”“I’d love to clear that up in Latina magazine,” he says, raising his voice. “I never once said I changed my last name to hide the fact that I’m Puerto Rican. Why would I fucking say that? Who are you fooling? And why would anyone say that? That’s so insulting to me, to my family. That’s ridiculous. My last name is Hernandez. My father’s name is Pedrito Hernandez, and he’s a Puerto Rican pimp. There’s no denying that. My dad nicknamed me Bruno since I was 2 years old. The real story is: I was going to go by ‘Bruno,’ one name. Mars just kind of came joking around because that sounds bigger than life. That was it, simple as that. I see people that don’t know what I am, and it’s so weird that it gets them upset. It’s an oxymoron—the music business; like the art business. You’re making a business out of these songs that I’m writing. And how are you going to tell me that this song that I’m writing is only going to be catered to Puerto Ricans or to white people or only Asian people. How are you going to tell me that? My music is for anybody who wants to listen to it.”

An incredible number of people want to do just that. Mars’ combined sales for his first three albums are more than 100 million, along with his 2013 Moonshine Jungle Tour and his upcoming 100-date 24K Magic World Tour, which begins in late March and sold more than a million tickets in one day. Concertgoers will be treated to the Mars stage presence—an aura influenced by his family and the greats: Michael Jackson, James Brown, and Prince. Needless to say, Mars’ music is undoubtedly black.  

“When you say ‘black music,’ understand that you are talking about rock, jazz, R&B, reggae, funk, doo-wop, hip-hop, and Motown. Black people created it all. Being Puerto Rican, even salsa music stems back to the Motherland [Africa]. So, in my world, black music means everything. It’s what gives America its swag. I’m a child raised in the ‘90s. Pop music was heavily rooted in R&B from Whitney, Diddy, Dr. Dre, Boyz II Men, Aaliyah, TLC, Babyface, New Edition, Michael, and so much more. As kids this is what was playing on MTV and the radio. This is what we were dancing to at school functions and BBQs. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for these artists who inspired me. They have brought me so much joy and created the soundtrack to my life filled with memories that I'll never forget. Most importantly, they were the superstars that set the bar for me and showed me what it takes to sing a song that can get the whole world dancing, or give a performance that people will talk about forever. Watching them made me feel like I had to be as great as they were in order to even stand a chance in this music business. You gotta sing as if Jodeci is performing after you and dance as if Bobby Brown is coming up next.”It’s refreshing to hear a pop star say it loud and proud: black music is American pop culture. Latinos and African Americans aren’t just connected by the racism and dis- enfranchisement we’ve dealt with historically; we’re also connected by our music and traditions. We hear it in J Balvin’s reggaeton heaters and in Rihanna’s Caribbean patois, as well as in the eloquent, piercing words written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Junot Díaz. We’re one. And Bruno Mars combines the best of all of our aspirations and goals into one super artist.Above all, the world has to thank his parents for nurturing his talent at an age when most kids were still using pull-up diapers. While his pops gave him his style, his mom, Bernadette San Pedro Bayot, gave him his heart. After each performance, Mama Mars would call or text to congratulate him on another gem or to say to get some rest. The memory of her sudden death in 2013 from a brain aneurysm still shakes him.“The woman who taught you to love, showed you what a woman is supposed to be,”

says Mars, his voice trembling slightly for the first time during an interview where he’s been all smiles and laughs. “When that goes away, a little more than half your heart goes away with it.”

THEY SAY IT’S HARDER TO LOSE A PARENT AS AN ADULT BECAUSE AT THAT POINT YOU’RE PEERS, YOU’RE FRIENDS. EVERYTHING CHANGES, NOTHING WILL EVER BE THE SAME.“You just gotta know that she’s with me everywhere I go,” he says. “It’s some- thing that you can’t imagine—the pain and the things that you keep going back to: ‘I wish I would’ve done this or said this.’ You just have to see life differently. It shows you the real importance of life. Nothing else matters in this world but family and your loved ones.”When asked if his music has changed à la Kanye West when he lost his mother, Donda, Mars pauses. “I don’t know how to answer that question,” he says. “My life has changed. She’s more than my music. If I could trade music to have her back, I would. I always hear her say, ‘Keep going and keep doing it.’”  

Mama Mars certainly did an amazing job. Mars’ longtime girlfriend, model Jessica Caban, definitely reaps the rewards of his having such a great mother. Mars isn’t big on sharing about his life with Caban, but social media paints an adorable #relationshipgoals idea of their courtship.I got this fire in my blood. For me, you gotta keep up

It’s all in. It’s ‘I’m going to love the shit out of you, and I’m going to fuck you up later,’” says Mars jokingly, laughing about his attraction to Latinas, obviously with Caban in mind. “It’s all in. And that’s what keeps that fire going.”

As he wraps the interview, which felt more like two bros shooting the ish, Mars dips through the back of the pizzeria, jumps in his black Cadillac and pulls to the front. He asks this reporter, “Where you going? Maybe I can give you a lift.” “Downtown L.A.,” the reporter says. “Oh! You better Uber that shit!” Mars says with a smile. It was expected. Not because Mars is too Hollywood, but because where he’s going, not many have gone.