#we did follow each other on ig but then I couldn’t deal with social media anymore so I basically deactivated it and obviously from her pov

[asmallcafethatslove]

There is so much to unpack from this message I got from an online uni friend (whom I have never met and we just reconnected after ages of not talking)

[softtdaisy]

Since the requests are open...Imagine reader furious with Andrew (or Peter),thinking that she was deceived by him after his ex-girlfriend posted a picture of the two together on IG, with a dubious & enigmatic caption. Much anguish, drama, reader fleeing, Andrew/Peter searching for reader, +18... but happy ending, please! Thanks! 😘

I love how I can picture the post perfectly 👀

You’ve been with Andrew for a good year now, you got together a few months after his last break up but you knew each other for years so it was like the right moment for you to finally be together

The thing is, his ex wasn’t and still not happy about him moving on so easily especially with someone she always saw as an opponent

You weren’t following each other on social media so you wouldn’t have seen her post if your friends didn’t send it to you to understand what was going on

She posted a picture of Andrew and her looking super happy and in love (this is the one I had in mind) with a caption saying “I want to live here. In his arms. Where I know it’s safe.”

You turned off your phone immediately. You couldn’t deal with the comments, calls and texts asking if you were still with Andrew or why she posted that. You had no idea. Andrew was away for a movie these past weeks and came back only yesterday. How can you be sure he didn’t enjoy some nights with her?

You left the house for the day. You needed some time alone to think about all this. When your heart was trying to make you think about Andrew worrying, you fought it. You wanted him to think about what he might lose.

Of course when you came back that evening, he jumped to you. “I tried to call you all day, honey where were you? Why did you disappear? Is everything alright?“ you hated how he sounded so worried, like he cared for real. You pushed him to go to your bedroom.

Andrew wasn’t going to let you run away without explaining yourself. He grabbed your wrist and when he met your anger eyes, he knew something was wrong. “Ask your lovely ex…or should I say girlfriend? I don’t know. Tell me Andrew, how many times did you fuck her when you were away?”

“What are you talking about?” If he was playing dumb, he was good ‘cause you’re almost believing he had no idea about the situation. When he saw the picture, you could tell from his face he was confused.

“This is a super old picture from her cousin’s wedding, the summer we dated.” He grabbed your phone to zoom on it. “Look, I was even wearing the bracelet that broke during our first night together.” He was right. You could recognise that bracelet that broke on your face perfectly. The laugh you had that night made you love him even more.

You felt so guilty suddenly, how could you believe Andrew would cheat on you? But of course, when you tried to hide, Andrew immediately grabbed you and hugged you. “I’ll send her a text to ask her to delete that. She shouldn’t post picture of us.” He kissed your hair softly before lifting your face up.

“I’m sorry” you mumbled and he caressed your lips with his thumb. “You know, if you needed me to remind you how much I love you, you should have ask rather than worrying me.” He said before kissing you

Andrew spend the rest of the night making sure you know how much he loves you and every single part of your body.

[greymattermaelstrom]

What she said

This has been a difficult post to prepare. After much thought, I wish to share some very interesting information. Some know from my recent post, I went to Ozlander in Melbourne, Australia on March 14 & 15, 2020, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Richard and Sophie. As a premium ticket holder, I enjoyed lunch with them on both days. They would individually spend 5 minutes or so at each table and rotate through the tables to meet the fans. At the event introduction on Day One, we were asked to respect Richard and Sophie by not asking questions of a personal nature, which naturally, everyone understood. Therefore, I wasn’t going to ask anything about Sam, Cait, or even Tony. So, I was more than surprised when Sophie briefly mentioned Cait’s wedding!

  Sophie visited our table and we talked about a number of things. It was Sophie’s first trip to Australia; Caitriona had been here and had told Sophie how nice it was. Someone asked Sophie, 'You went to Caitriona’s wedding, didn’t you?'

  'Yeah, Caitriona’s husband is a lovely guy.' (Did she just say that, I thought?)

  I asked Sophie, 'You and Sam were the only cast members that went?'

  And she replied, 'No, Tobias was there as well.' Interesting.

  Sophie then added she took the photo of Sam in the Dunhill suit (remarkable weekend).

  'The background had to be photoshopped as we couldn’t give away the location. It got onto social media and Caitriona wasn’t that pleased about it,' Sophie said a little ruefully. (Sam had posted the photo on IG. The right-side background looks very photoshopped.)

  During a photo session on Day Two, I asked Sophie, 'Did Caitriona marry Tony?' with the emphasis on the word Tony.

 'Yeah,' she said with a smile.

 'Really?' I asked.

 'Yes. Really,' Sophie said.

 Then I said, 'Well she doesn’t say his name and hasn’t released any photos so...'

 'I don’t know...,' Sophie said pleasantly enough. Wow!! Being so busy and so involved with OL for so long, I don’t think she fully appreciated how all the Tait secrecy is being perceived in the fandom.

Okay, a photo or some sort of evidence or it didn't happen. This info from Sophie was really unexpected. What sort of proof would be acceptable and not immediately suspected anyway? Nevertheless, I believe I have the evidence I need to satisfy myself. Someone else who was at the same Day One table, has confirmed to me in writing (I contacted her a week or so after the event) she heard Sophie say all this as well. I don’t think my acquaintance follows the ins and outs of the SC/Tait drama. I don’t think most of the people at Ozlander did from conversations I had and the general talk I heard. So, my witness doesn’t have a vested interest in The Narrative and, I believe, just gave a purely objective confirmation.

If I had heard Sophie say Cait married Sam, you would probably believe it, put this info in the receipt warehouse, and any evidence would be a bonus. I have been wanting truth no matter what it is. I’ll just deal with it. While it’s greatly disappointing, I do wish Cait and Sam happiness in life whomever they find it with.

I discovered OL 18 months ago and have only been active on Tumblr for 8 months. So, I am still a newb of sorts. Some might say a naïve babe in the woods with not much to lose. However, I’ve met some wonderful people on this side of the fence and I will probably lose friendships and reputation, be unfollowed and blocked, receive a lot of vitriol, be called a troll working for (fill in the blank), etc., due to this heresy. So, my info does come at a price for me. I understand I have not experienced years of surviving on this side of the fence, enduring the delusional tag and the attacks and insults from antis, NST, TPTB, Shamuso, and even some from Sam and Cait, and being thrown under the bus when convenient. I get, in principle, some shippers will close ranks and support any higher-profile shippers who don’t believe me. I anticipate this will be the response. One way to discredit information is to discredit the person presenting it, and I assume this tactic will be employed as well.

So why am I putting my head on the chopping block? Notoriety? Hardly. Well, as I said, I want intel even if it conflicts with what I hope for. I believe people can ship the way they want (within reason) and as KDS infamously said, believe what you want. I don’t wish to convince anybody, nor get into a slanging match with anyone. It would be pointless really. I feel obligated out of principle to reveal the info and not hide it no matter how controversial and inconvenient that might be. I understand some may not think it a good time in the fandom right now to deal with this but I didn’t want the info dating too much before putting it on the table. I understand and I am sorry. But is there an optimal time to hear this?

People like I, who want to know what is going on or had suspicions, and are prepared to accept this information, will welcome it. They have had enough of the mess that is happening right now in The Narrative as well. Also, I don't wish to be intimidated into keeping contrary evidence hidden just because it doesn’t suit the manifesto. And I apologise in advance to high-profile shippers who will probably be inundated with comments and asks. I accept there will be jealousy involved. Why did a newb get this intel? Believe me, I wish it didn’t happen to me; I really wish it was someone else. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

For the record, yes, I’m Australian living in Australia. I understand some people’s problem with that. Why does so much narrative controversy emanate from this place? I don’t know. I wish I knew. We often call it the lucky country (for various reasons). Do we appear have more luck than the Irish?!

However, and unfortunately, this does not provide closure for me. I accept the Tait wedding. I do have problems with the Tait marriage, sorry to say. I don’t know why games are being played. Cait still doesn’t call her husband Tony, there were no wedding or engagement photos made public, and no confirmation from her PR team when wedding articles hit the magazines. It seems like secrecy, not privacy. Why so secret? We continue to see gaslighting, innuendo, and an intentional vagueness, to keep us all engaged it seems?! And Hawaiigate is certainly a head scratcher at best.

So, in summing up, the four things I learnt about the wedding are:

1. The wedding happened.

2. Cait married Tony.

3. Tobias was there.

4. Sam posted Sophie’s remarkable Dunhill manipulated photo on IG and Cait wasn’t too happy about it.

Most shippers won’t like my saying Tait is real and most antis won’t like my saying Sam and Cait continue to play games. But that’s ok. I knew this going in. I just think it is important for the info to be put out there. I don’t wish to appear foolish, talking about a fake wedding, now that I know Cait married Tony. I think there must be other intel such as this out there. Perhaps the time is right for others to make their intel known.

I believe the four things Sophie said about the wedding. I do not have any further intel to share, nor do I have any further theories on what is happening with Sam, Cait, or Tony that haven’t been discussed on Tumblr already. With this in mind, I’m prepared to answer every constructive and civil comment I may receive on this post, including any DMs. If you wish, please look through my blog to see what I have posted. You will find it aligns with this side's thinking. You may see some names that do not. Please consider the message, not the messenger. And please, it would be appreciated if you would do some homework before making any comment. Thank you for your time in reading this long and very difficult post. I imagine, many will take some time to process it.

[cloveroctobers]

HENRIK LILJENQUIST—

IG info/Bio: @/adventuresbyhenrik | 53.1k followers — “imma wild boi🌿🌏🧗 | happily taken👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨

23 (24) years old

Parents are both Swedish and only speak Swedish, leaving henrik to also become fluent

His father Halvi is a pilot

His mother Lova is a race car driver

Siblings? Probably a brother, named Jahan & younger by two or three years + they get along quite well

Born & raised in Isle of Wight, England + loves it there & thinks it’s the best place for him to live, it’s his own private island in his mind plus he’s always finding something to do. He stays active

Climbing & wilderness survival instructor, he gets to talk as much as he wants while also teaching people AND all while being active! Sounds like the perfect job for him

Probably developed ADHD around his pre-teen age, leaving his parents to find him something he enjoys + can slow down and focus on

used to be on meds for it

Was well-known in high school, probably in the yearbook club since he was able to run around & get to know people but was kinda shit at knowing the functions of a camera

His selfie game has gotten a lot better now but he mostly posts anything but his face. You’ll see more of his face on his stories & location shots on his feed

Feels his hair is his best physical feature & his prized possession, would never THINK about cutting it. Even just a trim is a bit much for him

Always tries to be positive but at the same time can be condescending since he sometimes won’t pick his words wisely ex.) when he gave MC a backhanded “compliment” about makeup, being active, + wanting them to “think of others ” feelings — just because someone is opposite from you doesn’t mean you have to shit on the way they carry themselves...that’s my issue with him

maybe he’s a Taurus?

Loves fall & spring, more so fall since that’s when the weather feels nicest to him plus allergy season is a REAL bitch

The guy’s real Adventurous & always managing to find something to do. If you’re ever bored just hit him up, he has plenty of recommendations 

Family owns a cottage & he’s the one who goes out there more than his own family does! “You should just sell it to me at this point!” He tells his parents over dinner often & it is strongly considered

Has five birds & a husky, when he goes on road trips they’re always with him. Which can get a little hectic at times but they’re his family, he’s a, “birdog dad”

BLAKE secretly dislikes them all, feeling like they take up space sometimes (especially when she wants to cuddle) but she deals with it since she cares for the guy — yes, they’re still dating

She’s been convincing him to cut a few inches off of his hair which he took like a slap in the face, “that’s like me asking you to quit speaking up for humans!” “No, no it’s not.”

They’re polar opposites with flaws which causes disagreements between the two of them by putting each other in their places but they learn to compromise? (*insert eartha Kitt gif laughing here*] if they want this to work

His mother seems to be the only one who dislikes blake (she strongly feels he should have bought MC back home...that’s right she watched the show from time to time. Not always since she doesn’t care for reality tv but her friends encouraged her to watch bits and pieces) while his dad and brother approve

It is tense when Blake and his mom are in the same room which makes Henrik sad since he believes Blake deserves a chance. He took a chance on her and it seems to be going pretty well so why couldn’t his mother just be happy for him like the rest of the family is?

Henrik loves his low-maintenance girls who are open to trying new things with him, Blake is usually down most of the time but she likes her personal space too..which henrik struggles to understand

He wants her to live with him, he’s sure his parents will let him have the cottage if Blake decides to live with him but Blake loves her freedom in Kingston

It’s hidden but I feel like he might be one of those guys that feels like “a woman should follow a man” since that’s what his father installed into his boys— which failed because his wife isn’t just a housewife, she has goals and went after them

I feel like Blake turns to social media almost always to post about her feelings (I can’t remember what I picked the first time around as my occupation but as I’m currently playing I picked human rights campaigner so) but it’s mostly subtle shade & it always goes recognized by fans which brings drama between her, mc x Bobby

Henrik jumps in because what kind of guy would he be if he didn’t have his gf’s back? Doesn’t care for the drama but he & Bobby usually said slick shit to each other in the villa, it’s safe to say they’re not really friends but they’re not enemies either that’s mostly between their gf/wife

Henrik doesn’t care enough about Bobby to dislike him but he won’t put up with his shit any longer and what easier way to do that than online? He feels like they can settle this with a phone call but Blake & MC aren’t with the shits and don’t want their men speaking to each other

Henrik & Bobby eventually have a chat in secret anyways

Henrik warns Blake that this can effect her job status if she doesn’t calm down since she uses social media for her cause

She usually knows when to stop but can’t help it if it slips out sometimes

They talk it out and move on usually with whatever fun idea henrik may have

Owns a ford bronco from the 90’s that used to be his uncle’s who builds tree houses for a living and is still running, a jeep gladitor, or some sort of pickup truck

Knows how to make the best apricot jam

All about saving the bees

Loves animals, probably on his journey to veganism if he’s not already there

We all know this fucking guy likes eating M0sS

“Embarrassing fact” but uh big fan of twilight, feels like Seth Clearwater and him are meant to be best buds but he also stans the Volturi 😷

Him and Lucas of course remained the best of mates, since they live 2 hrs away from each other and are always busy living their lives they always have to plan out when they can hangout but that fails 60% of the time when henrik pops up at Lucas’ job or at his flat not giving him a choice but to hang out

They’re always vacationing together too? Sure Henrik is his own version of low-key while Lucas likes a bit of luxury...they still find a balance to just have a good time regardless if they live different lifestyles...they’re basically married

Always texting if they’re not hanging out, henrik with his memes that Lucas doesn’t understand & Lucas just checking in on henrik’s well being which leads the conversation to many topics

He’s actually cool with Gary now? They like/comment on each other’s posts & even text here and there

Even ran into Rocco once on a road trip, that was interesting but when life gives you lemons...we’ll just say that

Even him and Ibrahim share recommendations through text or DM’s which is nice! Henrik is always down for friends even tho they’re not like his personal friends (except for Lucas, he fits into his criteria)

Most of his work is physical and talking but he goes the extra mile by hiking every Sunday either with his friends, Blake, or family — he’s genuinely likes being one with nature

If he’s at the cottage, he’s always outside, chopping extra wood, making sure the yard looks like it belongs on a magazine, or takes the boat out on lake to nap since he doesn’t like to fish as much anymore

Currently trying to grow strawberries but some animal keeps eating them :/

Adores adventure time, the x-files, bobs burgers + animal planet, and travel channels—like he’s a real dad

If he could shower outside everyday, he would, it’s such a freeing experience to him

His outings consist of being in the woods 24/7 so in his mind when he brings Blake out there with him, it’s a version of a date, whenever they spend time together is a date to him, which she has to remind him that she wants to do something different like getting dressed up every now and then + go out to dinner which he HATES but he’ll do his best to please her, as long as the restaurant is more earthy than snobby he’s okay

100% would survive the apocalypse, he knows how to make due with what he’s got, he’s always been that way

Enjoys rom-com’s so he’ll laugh at how cringe they are but still enjoy it, indie films, ALITA was the best film of 2019 to him & currently his fav film is, “the call of the wild” with Harrison Ford

His favorite films ever are Indiana Jones, Lara Coft: Tomb raider, Terminator, and I am legend

Aliens ARE real, they’re out there and he’ll be part of the reason they’ve been exposed

I feel like he wanted to be an astronaut growing up but then realized he’d be a confined space for long periods of time and said cancel that shit lol + he isn’t the greatest at science. History? He did real well in that subject

I think he loves Lorde, listens to Bon Iver—especially on early morning commutes to work, Rex Orange County, Omar Apollo, Joji, the nbhd, the driver era, kid cudi...yktfv

Celeb crushes?/types: The main girls from Charlie’s angels 2019, Alexa PenaVega... “you know Carmen from spy kids?” Diana silvers, Dove Cameron, JAMIE CHUNG, & VANESSA HUDGENS

Anthem = Wallows, “OK”

[x1-drabbles]

“It Will Be Okay” [pt. 2]

⇾ 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜: wooseok/reader

⇾ 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙩: you’re dating a member of the hyung line. dealing with the recent controversy has been difficult for them. you comfort them the best you can as they all deal in their own ways. (each pairing will be posted separately. seungyoun/reader up next.)

⇾ 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: angst? ig. mention of jinhyuk?

⇾ 𝙖/𝙣: part 1 (seungwoo/reader HERE.) ; thank you so much for all the love on my first post. ♡♡♡

The text comes in at 11:44pm.

I’ll be there in 10.

You don’t need any extra details. You know exactly what that simple message means. You’d already turned in for the night about an hour ago and so you have to drag yourself out of bed, but it’s an effort you’re always willing to make for him. This is his unique (and vague) way of saying ‘i need you.’ Rubbing the sleep from your eyes, you throw on a sweatshirt and slide on a pair of sneakers before heading outside to wait. You sit on the front step of your house, nervously picking at the frayed edges of your sleeves in between yawns, unsure of what to expect. Part of knowing Wooseok means knowing that he has a very varied way of responding to things and there’s really no way to prepare for what’s to come.

At 11:54pm exactly, a black, unmarked van rolls up. You know the drill, so you stand, but continue to wait on the step. The handler slowly exists from the driver’s side and gives you a slight bow before opening the sliding side door. That’s your queue. You cross the sidewalk, return the bow and then climb into the van. The door closes behind you before you can even take a seat.

Wooseok is sitting draped across the long bench at the back of the van, staring out the window, but he shifts slightly when you enter, making room for you to join him. He doesn’t speak. He doesn’t even look directly at you. But you’re not bothered. It’s not an act meant to offend you. You know that he’s deep in thought and trying to process his emotions. You don’t need to pretend when it comes to each other. You don’t need to exchange empty pleasantries. So, you simply lean your head against his shoulder and wait. When he’s ready, you know he’ll talk.

It’s been impossible to ignore the controversy constantly swirling around the group. For awhile, you couldn’t pull yourself away from reading the fansites and social media and the gossip outlets, trying desperately to suss out a flaw in their logic or discover some nugget of evidence revealing this all to be an elaborate, cruel prank. But the stress of it was wearing you out, so you’ve stopped checking. The situation is too far out of your control.

If Wooseok has been bothered or hurting, he hasn’t let it show. He texted you like normal while X1 was in Thailand, sending you pictures and videos whenever he found the chance (mostly of himself, of course, but you’d never complain about that.) When he returned to Seoul, he promised to set up a way for you two to meet once his schedule died down a bit. Dating an idol isn’t easy and it requires a lot of trust and patience, but it’s something you’ve grown accustomed to. So you weren’t expecting an impromptu meeting so soon, though crazier rendezvous have happened before. 

He grabs your hand and holds it on his lap, still staring out the dark, tinted van window. He’s gripping your fingers tightly; not hard enough to hurt you, but hard enough for you to recognize the tension and anxiousness coursing through his body. You study what you can see of his face, but it’s blank, void of any discernible emotion. But then suddenly he kicks his foot out, his heel connecting with the seat in front of him with a loud crack. You jump, startled by the sound, and lift your head off his shoulder.

“It’s such bullshit,” he says flatly. He releases your hand and leans forward, dragging his fingers through his hair in frustration. “We can’t even defend ourselves. No one cares about our side. Not the public, not our companies, not the reporters.” He kicks out at the front seat again, though there’s less force and anger behind the gesture this time. You care, but you know that isn’t really helpful to share right now.

“Did I make the wrong choice? Was it greedy for me to go on the show?” His voice wavers with emotion, cracking slightly at the end of his questions. It causes him to suddenly sit straight up. For the first time since you climbed into the van, he looks directly at you, his eyes wide and almost fearful. You recognize this look. The mask is slipping.

Wooseok is a soft soul at heart, but it’s a truth he keeps carefully locked beneath a surface of self-assured confidence and projected professionalism. Put plainly, it’s a defense mechanism. A way for him to separate ‘Wooseok the idol’ from ‘Wooseok the regular guy who cries at the end of Titanic.’ But, every now and then, the emotions brim up over the top and a little sliver of the real Wooseok - a sentimental, protective, fiercely loyal man - slips out. You know that it terrifies him.

You grab his bewildered face between your hands and kiss him gently. When you pull away, it’s not completely. You rest your forehead against his and close your eyes. It’s all you can give him right now. Just a moment of privacy to cry or collect himself or do nothing if he so chooses.

“You followed your heart,” you say quietly. “I’m proud of you. You have thousands of fans who are proud of you. You should be proud of you. Don’t let anyone take that away.”

You feel his breath against your face followed by the drip of something wet. He’s crying. You keep your eyes closed. He doesn’t need to say it. You know what he’s thinking. You know him better than he knows himself.

“Jinhyuk is proud of you. He’s cheering you on. I know if you contacted him, he’d tell you himself.”

You hear Wooseok’s breath catch in his throat, twisting into a strangled sob and he collapses against you. With a sigh, you throw your arms around his shaking shoulders and rub soft circles against his back with your palms.

You stay like this for awhile. 5 minutes? 10? 20? You’re not sure. But eventually he stills and his breath returns to an even rhythm. A few minutes after that, he pulls away and sits back against the seat. His face is still blotchy and his eyes glassy and bloodshot, but he looks okay otherwise. He’s regained his composure. You give him a small smile, putting all your love and affection behind it. He exhales.

“So what did you think about our white outfits in Thailand? I looked damn good, eh?”

You laugh and shove him playfully.

A few moments later and the handler is knocking quietly at the door, letting you know your time is up. Wooseok throws an arm around your neck and kisses your temple before jokingly kicking you out of the van. It’s his way of saying thank you. It’s his way of letting you know it’ll be okay. And as you walk back up towards your house, the neck of your sweatshirt still slightly damp and smelling of his cologne, you believe him.

[sunflowerstories]

For Your Eyes Only (Chapter 1)

Okay Harries, I’m in a mood.

Since I’m Filipino and I have yet to read fan fiction with Filipino heroines I made this. 

Premise is, Harry stumbles upon the Instagram profile of an old crush, an exchange student from the Philippines. He finds himself dealing with rekindled feelings for her. 

Initially intended this to be a one-shot but I have a feeling it’s going to be too long so here we go. Here’s Chapter 1, and if you guys like it, I’mma post a Chapter 2. 

For Filipino Harries out there <3 

--

As tired as he was, there were far too many things going on in Harry’s head for him to sleep.

The overdue songs. The album cover to be picked out. The marketing strategies. The synchronization of the existing songs. The tour dates. His mum’s upcoming birthday. The row he had with Gemma that got them into a whole week of not speaking to each other.

He rubbed his hands on his face out of frustration as he slid back down into bed. He had been reclined comfortably on a pillow, trying to relax with a drink, which obviously didn’t work. He was upset, nervous and high-strung; he swore he could feel the walls close in, inch by inch.

He took his phone from the night stand and gave it a tap. As much as he tries to stay away from social media and all its stresses, he needed something to get his mind off things. Maybe a meme, or a good porn, or maybe a good Spotify playlist – anything to get his mind off things he didn’t want it there.

But for some reason, he ended up in his Instagram to scroll through the private account he used specifically for friends and family. Maybe some old photos of friends would make him smile for a bit. Maybe he’d see an old photo with Gem to help him pluck up the courage to apologize to her.

Maybe something good, for once.

Before he could scroll any further, he saw an array of accounts Instagram is suggesting him to follow. His eyes were caught particularly by the first one.

 Y/IG

Y/N

Girl with the sun in her eyes

 “Y/N” Harry mumbled to himself.

The name had a familiar ring to it, but he couldn’t quite place her, well, out of possibly hundreds of people he’s acquainted with every day. He tapped on her name, and to his disappointment, the profile was set on private. He looked at the little profile photo. Dark brown hair, bright brown eyes, golden skin illuminated perfectly by the sunshine, grinning, with a sunflower in hand.

She was so familiar; a vivid recall, but he’s still so unsure.

Harry decides to throw caution to the wind and follow her account, in hopes of getting that nagging semblance out of his head.

The phone beeped, snapping Harry out of his thoughts.

Y/IG has accepted your invitation

And another.

Y/IG has requested to follow you.

Harry, completely engulfed by random curiosity, hastily pressed ‘Accept’.

He hurriedly taps on her name, eager to see more of her, so that he could finally remember her and let the thought leave his already overpopulated mind.

He scrolls through her account. Photos of her with her dog, photos of her in the sunlight, photos of her with drink in hand, a throwback photo of her in school…

And that’s when it clicked.

“Y/N!” Harry cries to himself.

Harry was only in Sixth Form for a few weeks, having had to pull out for his X Factor stint. As excited as he was to be part of the show, his last few weeks in school have been a cloudy, distant memory.

But he remembered her.

He remembered how she shyly asked if the seat next to his is taken.

How she had a little foreign accent in her English, having been from the Philippines.

How she smelled like a mix of vanilla and summer sunshine.

How his hand would shake every time she sat next to him at class.

How he planned on asking her out for some cupcakes after school, but couldn’t pluck up the courage to bring it up, at least.

“Y/N.” Harry smiles to himself.

“Still as beautiful as ever.”

 Memories of his awkward teenage years suddenly flooded Harry. He remembered all his mates, all the crazy stunts they pulled in class, all the girls who liked him, and all the girls he liked. He was always a showboat, always the cheeky, ladies man.

But never with her.

She was shy, reserved, delicate; She barely spoke, and when she did, he remembered how some of the girls in class made fun of her accent, and how he gave them the worst side-eyes when they did; She never got into any trouble, never stepped out of the line, never angered a teacher, never gave away too much.

She lived in her own little world. A world Harry desperately wanted in.

Maybe it’s the night.

Maybe it’s the loneliness creeping into Harry that made him desperate for company.

Maybe it’s the desire for simpler things.

Still lost in his thoughts and reeling in from the sudden nostalgia, Harry found himself typing up a message for Y/N.

Hi. I don’t know if you remember me but I just wanted to ask how you’ve been.

Send.

“I’m fucked.” he whispers to himself. 

[fratboykate]

‘RIP her school’.. I mean if Clexas really are t going to support fundraisers for a school teaching underprivileged children because Eliza married Bob then.. yikes to you guys

Lmao like…y'all continously and willingly keep missing the point of the backlash just because you need to in order to make it fit the Mean Clexughs narrative but it’s so transparent. No one, and I mean, literally not one person I’ve seen is mad/disappointed/sad/etc that 1) she’s married 2) she’s married to a man 3) she’s not married to ADC or whatever bullshit I see y'all spewing 4) she’s married to someone from the cast. Like……if she was married to William, Richard, Chris, Devon, or even fucking Isaiah no one would be saying shit. Y'all keep trying to reframe WHAT happened, HOW it happened, WHEN it happened, and WHO it happened with just to make the people who are dropping her seem like pissed off fangirls throwing a tantrum because their “faves” aren’t eating each other out when lol…no. Not even remotely close.

I’ve broken down the reasons why what they did was fucked up beyond belief more than once already and I’m not doing again. You can find it if you’re interested in actually seeing what my issues with them are but bottom line is this: they fucking suck for what they did to AZ and even more for the circumstances in which they did it. Period. No two ways about it. They’re fucking awful, untrustworthy people. Both of them but, from where I’m standing, she’s worse than him. Men are trash and we been knew but you just don’t fucking do that shit to someone you spent years calling “best friend” publicly. You don’t enable the people who you’ve seen first hand engaging in sustained emotional abuse towards your “best friend”. You literally just don’t fucking sleep with your “best friend’s” man. You don’t. Like…with men my bar of expectations is on the floor but for women I at least raise it a few millimeters from the ground and she couldn’t even meet the bare minimum to not be considered a shitty person.

I personally don’t reward bad behavior and the biggest way I - the consumer - can speak loud and clearly is with my money. In this day and age a “celebrity” is heavily measured by their social media presence, engagement, and the responses their calls to action generate. These are numbers agencies and management companies LITERALLY use to increase how “sellable” a person is when being sent out for projects or deals being negotiated in their behalf. At this point supporting ANYTHING either of them touch is potentially a way to generate future work and income for both and ya know what fam…neither of them deserve it. Not a single more acting credit and not another penny. They willingly walked into this situation with full blown disregard for the mental and emotional wellbeing of someone they both dated and called a “best friend” for years on end. I don’t fuck with people rotten inside like that. In any way, shape, or form. By what they did to AZ they’ve more than proven they’re not good folk and I for one will N E V E R be shamed into opening my wallet for the pet projects of sentient dumpsters. Simply will not. People’s actions have consequences and, yes, sometimes they’re regretful ones but E+B made their cheating bed, they now have to lie in it. (Pun intended.)

Honestly, what people need to do is literally ignore both of them. When agencies are tabulating their client’s social media numbers/engagement they’re never going to tell a network or production company if 90% of the comments or buzz being generated is their talent getting trashed. They’re just going to go “She has X amount of followers, generates these many comments per post, and can mobilize her fans in this way. Hire her, she can clearly sell your project”. Simply unfollow them everywhere and DON’T ENGAGE. Let them watch their impressions and numbers plummet. Don’t go onto their tweets or IG posts and try to clown them no matter how much fun it may be. We can roast them here but leave their social media for the seven blarkes. Unfollow and say nothing. Don’t comment, don’t like, don’t donate, don’t support. Don’t use their names or official tags anywhere. Don’t make them accidentally trend. Treat them like we did the flop in March 2016. Black them out. Don’t unintentionally help them seem more relevant than they actually are. Walk away. Walking away includes taking our money with us. If you want to call that “yikes” then Yike away pal. I’m not losing an ounce of sleep over your opinion on this because there really is no gray area here for me.

[aspiestvmusings]

ENDGAME: THE MOMENTS

SPOILERS, BEWARE

All the moments that made us the most emotional in Endgame*

This is not a complete list: 

A3 & A4 & CM parallels: Captain Marvel gave Nick Fury the pager in 1985, telling to only call her for help if things are really bad. The first and only time (canon currently...until it’s revealed on screen that it’s happened off-screen before) Fury uses it is after the 2018 Thanos snap, when Fury realizes that Thanos won that battle & that Tony is out of the picture. Only the Earth & the Universe losing it’s greatest protector... iron Man/Tony Stark... made him call for help 

That misleading trick, when Tony isn’t fighting Thanos, but actually stealing something from him, so when the purple giant thinks he’s...inevitable... he’s actually mistaken, because... he isn't inevitable... (but)  Tony is Iron Man.

And then... how Tony's will is so strong that he makes Thanos watch his downfall (see all his army die)...before he dies himself. This is so powerful. Tony saves Thanos for the very end, making him live with the knowledge that he lost the game for his team, while Tony won the game for his team. The ultimate “revenge”. 

That american football game the team is playing at the end, where each team member gets their moment with the ball... trying to get it to the goal... endgame, and...finally... in the end... succeeding... (I see weird “parallels”, but that whole scene with that object seemed so much like american football to me, them all trying to get to a line, and passing it from one to another... and when one of them is going for the goal, the others are playing defence...) 

Tony asking Pepper to not post that recorded message (the one we see recorded in space, in the trailer) to social media, because it’s a real tearjerker...  (one day Tony’s whole speech...the one he recorded and we know she heard & saw.... will be posted on social media, and it will make us cry...again...)  And that is a warning... because when Pep is listening to/watching his later recording, the whole audience is silent & in tears... 

Tony saying that it’s been 21...no 22 days... since A3: IW... that is one day of drifting in space for every MCU film so far. And “23 days since Thanos came to Earth” means that the final number of films for this phase is 23 (A4 was 22nd & SM: FFH is the 23rd & last  film of this phase & Infinity saga) 

They warned us during the support group meeting that there will be crying before/during the salad & before/during the dessert. Thor’s mom says “eat a salad” in one scene... (and we get a mom/son moment + the Vormir scene is around this time) And then there is a scene of of Tony eating a popsicle (?) with M.H.S ...just after the Tony/Peter photograph scene. So... the audience, too, gets emotional & cries during the “salad” & “dessert” times/scenes in this film. Though... since dessert is usually saved for last, then the end of the film is the dessert, and that is a real tearjerker for sure. 

The number of metal clangs in the very end...the post credits audio track..of  Tony making the fist Iron Man suit in the cave... him using the hammer   to make the suit... in a cave...from spare parts... is the sound it all ends with, and if I'm not mistaken there are 5 clangs...so one for each lost year/one for each year he gained with Pep & Morgan. Though yes, there is a possibility it’s not a sound from the past... but instead from present/future...and someone else making a weapon (hammer) or a (iron) suit. Using not modern tech, but the same method as Tony in 2008... a box of scraps & a hammer. 

Rocket? Rachet? Rabbit? Build-a Beer? Or... something else? Rocket got called by many different “names” in this film...again. 

That angry speech Tony gave Cap/Steve in the beginning. So deserved IMO. And maybe I am not getting the whole picture, because I am not familiar with Caps whole story, and don’t know all the relevant details, but...  for me Caps ending proved that he remained/turned selfish, while Tony proved to be selfless. I found Cap’s decision to be (misquoting Bucky’s words here...) stupid. I don’t see it as him getting a taste of the same life as Clint, and Tony did. For me (again...maybe because I don’t know the character that well) it seemed that he really can’t move on, and he is forever stuck in the past (no matter how much that final scene on the bench kinda hints that he, after living the past, is finally able to let go of the past and move on...) unable to be a real hero, who puts greater good over personal gain. So I see their endings as following...

CONT: Tony proved Steve wrong - he was the real hero, and real protector...not just the Earth, but the whole Universe. Wherein Steve chose the selfish way out. For me this makes Tony’s story arc ending so much more better than Steve’s. I interpret this as the writers choosing to ...purposely... prove that the roles are actually different...from what Steve has previously claimed them to be. He’s the one hiding behind the mask, while Tony proves to be the strongest avenger. He has iron will...not just an iron suit. So...as for good writing goes... Tony got the good ending, Steve didn’t. Cap’s ending was a typical disney fairytale happy-ending... which in this case was definitely not great... it was ...bland. Fitting, yes. 

There is a lot of snapping in this film. Tony snaps at Steve. Flashback to Thanos snap last year. Hulk ‘s snap. Thanos’s failed snap. THE SNAP. 

Bruce/Hulk... combining the best of both “worlds” - the new Bruce/Hulk. The selfie with the fans moment. The pretend angry moment in 2012. giving 2 of his tacos to the regular-sized-man, who lost one of his...

The New Asgard. Where you have to drive very slowly (and carefully). And one, which doesn’t have their King now anymore. Though luckily by the end the people get their leader - a Queen. 

The time travel talk and making fun of sci-fi films that deal with time travel (and always use the typical film tropes) Then again...they use the typical move trope for superheroes... sacrificing one to save many... the greater good concept. But yeah...they make up their own rules for time travel in this film. 

Tony arriving in the e-tron. I mean.. you don’t have to see the car model yet or know who is coming, but you know... Only Tony drives like that. The scene also mirrors that scene in the past where Tony leaves in the same car model....driving off after that last conversation with Steve that he had.  The past scene was when  Tony & Steve last talked & the current scene is the first time they talk...again. (and it’s once again shows who is the bigger man here...cause it’s Tony who takes the first step & “apologizes”. while Steve says nothing about their past disagreements & putting it behind them. I was kinda surprised how they seemed to purposely “choose sides” as writers... portraying Tony as the character who has grown and developed, AND showing Steve as the character, who has stayed the same...if not even de-gressed)

Natasha/Clint fighting over who gets to do the “mission”... OMG... They each think they deserve to be the one to make the sacrifice, and they fight...seriously... to “save the other one”

That little smirk/smile from Natasha in her last scene... I cannot... just as she lets go of his hand. 

Also... reminder that Natasha (who was undercover as Natalie) was the first current OG6 Avenger Team member that Tony met... in IM2. Think about that now... after Endgame. 

The women protecting the team member transporting the object. I kinda like the symbolism of women being the protectors/caretakers. Though, yes, that scene seemed a bit too much... and “weird” to have in the middle of life/death battle.... But then again... the american football thing was also strange. So...typical superhero film stuff, I guess. 

Tony, again, knowing the outcome (he might’ve said that he thought his A2 vision was a dream, when it was sort of a prophecy...) and being prepared... that whole last speech he had prepared... HE KNEW! He knew even before Strange gave him the hint (via the hand gesture) what will happen, and yet he chose to do it all the same way... still... (taking us back to his character, and to his  talk with the man with the flowers in that earlier scene) 

Tony is the PRE-venger, while Steve is the A-venger. Tony plans ahead & prefers the preventative measure, while Steve prefers to wait & see... and take action after everything’s gone wrong. Tony prevents the fires, Steve puts them out after they’ve burned... half on everything. Two very different world views. And it’s ok... and I was OK with both... until the respective character arc ends. Because in the end Tony proved that he actually was right & Steve was wrong. His brain power & ability to have a vision in his mind of the reality, and ignore the limitations of space & time  tells of his character, and  heart & soul. 

This movie, again, tells you why Ironman/Tony Stark is the strongest Avenger. (he might not be able to lift the Mjolnir, but still... he is able to wear the IG... which harnesses so much power that it could light up a whole continent) He might not be physically as strong as some of the other Avengers, because underneath that iron suit is a  normal human being (without any “superpowers”), but he is still the strongest of them all... He has IRON WILL. And if anyone doubts that Tony Stark has the kindest heart, and that he is also the strongest avenger, and the mightiest superhero, then this film should debunk all that. It once again proves WHY and HOW he is THE ONE. 

And one might think that his decision to be “selfish” again...after the original snap, when others lost so much & couldn’t move on (and he moved on...even though he lost so much, too... but he tried...), but IMO this one was deserved. He lost, too. All of them lost someone & something, but instead of letting the past (depression) swallow him...like happened with Steve, Nat, & Thor...or let the future (anxiety) swallow him (like it did in IM3/A2), he accepted things as they were.  (Even if he didn’t truly do that... as evident by the secret suit-building lab in the Garage & the hi-tech computer in the living room to work on his ideas....and the sleepless nights he’d had) 

The scene where Tony has that talk with the other character, who has the same name as him (you know which scene I mean... right? The man with the flowers) and how that basically tells the viewer what’s to come. Tony aka Howard Potts meeting Howard Stark...in 1970. This talk is what pushes Tony to make the choice he makes  & this, together with the scene where he looks at the pic of him & the kid -- together with advice from this wife -- makes him choose the danger again...one last time. Choosing the greater good over personal gain. That has been his character since IM1, but definitely since IM3.   

Pepper. Oh, Pepper. We see that they share everything. He tells her everything. And she knows him (and while the only & greatest failure of her life may be not being able to make  him stop/step away from the superhero life...completely) and though she doesn’t like it (for reasons), she has always supported him/it... fully. That conversation on the sofa sums it up...perfectly. And then later we see that Pepper has gotten her anniversary gift (did Tony give it to her early? Did she find it...in the garage, just like M.H. did) and based on how well she was operating the suit, I’d say Tony & Pepper have done some suit test flights (together) before. And then when she asks Friday for status report, she is the supportive wife the whole time his hand is one hers (or was it her hand on his?), and she only lets her emotions out... afterwards. She is strong...for him. She was the source of his strength, in many ways. 

Tony’s end speech. This, to me, felt as both Tony saying goodbye to Iron Man & RDJ saying goodbye to IM/Tony. It did speak to me, directly, too. The line from the promo saing that “part of the journey is the end”, and how he helped everyone (himself, other characters,us...the viewers) say goodbye to  Iron Man... that was (however sad it might be) beautiful. 

The next generation being introduced...kinda. We see Steve actually give his shield to another character, therefore confirming who will be the new Captain America. Others are more like hints. Hawkeye training his daughter - Lila is gonna be the new Hawkeye.  There are no “replacements” introduced, as far as I could notice, for Hulk, Thor, or Black Widow. But there were...kinda hints for Tony’s successor. We saw Rescue being introduced, but that suit is most likely gonna be worn by not the person who wore it in this film, but by the one who “accidentally” found the helmet and tried it on. Or.... maybe..by the kid from IM3. Though I’d say it’s more likely hell be the new Iron Patriot instead (which is way cooler than WarMachine, right?) But..perhaps it’s like with Peter Parker, who was...kinda...introduced in Iron Man 2 (apparently the creators have revealed BTS that the kid in Iron Man mask in IM2 was young Peter Parker, and look how that turned out... a decade later he meets Tony Stark again -- and becomes a superhero, not just the friendly neighbourhood protector). So... if we want to look for parallels., then maybe in a decade the MCU will see the child character seen in Endgame in Ironman Mask as the next superhero & Avenger? 

I also liked that Carol/Captain Marvel wasn’t it that many scenes. She plays her role in the beginning & in the end of the film, but I liked that they focused on the original cast & the “old characters”, and CM just helped in moments when the team needed her help...the most. 

But why...oh why... has none of the other characters even half the character and strength/power to even think about using the “hot potato” for something else than playing american football - passing it from one to another, trying to score? When doing so would have shown their character. Because....none of them (not even Carol) is as strong as Tony. Everyone else knew they could not take it, but he did not even hesitate. (he went straight for the “head”)Sure..their mission until the end was to “pull it off” his hand and get it to the van, but if anyone would’ve just chopped off the hand instead & channelled the power of the stones themselves... it might’ve shown that someone else in the team was as badass as Tony is. 

...and that’s all...for now. 

There were, of course, so many other memorable, significant, funny, or sweet or heartbreaking moments, but since the film is really long and really packed,theres not enough room to cover everything in one post.-

[twiddlebirdlet]

Post Digest

The words belong to the anonymous original writers. They do not reflect my opinions. My posting of them doesn’t imply any endorsement.

·  Anonymous said:

Does anyone have any idea if he will come back to DC? Because if he does, it will be a wise choice to keep distance. Outside the story died but we don't know if there is any gossip between the interns. For sure many of them know each other and follow each other. It's not crazy to think that all that became known by others who weren't there and people always make things bigger and they tell stories.

·  Anonymous said:

It’s funny, looking back at the birthday wish video, he’s acting as if he’s speaking to a child. His expression is so exaggerated. It’s as if he’s saying you get to wear the big girl pants now. If it’s true, how could he go from there, to « hey there barely 20 year old intern, let’s go backstage at a burlesque club together? »

·  Anonymous said:

So we've got one person who apparently talked to the MC, who said Chris wasn't hanging out with the girl at The Box, but someone else claimed that it cost $2000 to get in?? If that's true, I wouldn't have thought she would have been able to pay her way in, especially on short notice and on an intern's salary. So she probably was part of Chris's crew, and he knew she would be coming. Don't see how they could have pulled that as a surprise. Like, "Chris Evans is in there, and he's my friend!"

·  Anonymous said:

He really picked a bunch of IG influencers didn't he? One girl has 26k followers. Who even are these girls!? I mean I know they're interns but doesn't he know anything about these young girls going for likes and popularity?? Especially when he's Mr. Private.

·  Anonymous said:

I have to get this off my chest because this whole mess sickens me and I’m ready to cancel Chris. From start to finish this mess has been inappropriate. From Bella touching Chris inappropriately in pics to bragging about it to ending up at the same club on the same night is disgusting. Her behavior should have been condemned by her superiors and discouraged by Chris. It wasn’t. That club requires reservations so she clearly knew ahead of time where they were all going.

·  Anonymous said:

Honestly the only thing I think Chris did wrong was allowing the interns to be invited to the same club seeing as they were in their early 20s. However he is definitely not a homewrecker. I don’t think he ever let her on it seems like she was trying to get close in pictures but like i think he’s used to women touching him like that and he doesn’t care or she did it right before the image was taken and couldn’t push her away. I don’t think it’s as a big deal as everyone here seems to think (1/2)

(2/2) that wasn’t a dig on you mod but just I think everyone is freaking out for no reason really. And the girl def should not have gotten as much heat as she did

·  Anonymous said:

It shocks me how fast people want to jump to conclusions. Chris was with Mark and others at The Box. The interns (plural) were also in NY on a pre-arranged trip. Mark invited them as a thank you for the help they'd given them in DC last week. Not one of you was in the club to see any interaction between the young lady and Chris, there are no pictures of them together, there are no reports that they were seen to even talk to each other. You all immediately want to think the worst of him

·  Anonymous said:

That James McAvoy thing though - if it was from the times when he was married then he had a more serious reason to try and avoid getting spotted in clubs like that. Chris is single so this argument doesn't work for him. Although it probably wouldn't hurt him to be more assertive at times. But I still don't see anything wrong about him taking pics with the dancers. The whole mess was caused by the thirsty girl, whether we like to admit it or not.

·  Anonymous said:

I think the other intern stopped following mark and that’s why he unfollowed. I think she wants to distance herself from the mess because she went private. I also think the only “drama” here is Bella fucked up by posting that picture not because she was “with” Chris (I don’t believe she was) but because she probably violated sm rules of conduct.

·  Anonymous said:

“So much chaos in the lives around him” < but the only reason there was chaos is because of the crazy “fans”. Some of you guys need a grip on reality you cause problems and then blame him when he doesn’t respond the way you want him to. Btw pay attention to the word “some” that means not all of you I’m talking about the ones that contacted and harassed the girl and her boyfriend.

·  Anonymous said:

If they were backstage at completely different times and totally not there together, why did the MC dancer comment specifically on the video of Chris something like "you guys are so wonderful" or whatever she said? And not "oh, I didn't know you were together" or whatever when she realized intern knew Chris? Seriously, it makes no sense. It all smells so conveniently lemony fresh (with a whiff of bs underneath)! 😂😂😂

·  Anonymous said:

From what Manuel sent you -thanks for taking one for the team, btw! - & some of your theories Twid, it sounds like Mark connected with Bella, & now possibly others, over Instagram. Since they were hanging out in DC, & all going to NY, he likely told them where they were going & they were welcome to join. The intern, maybe seeking social media bragging rights and/or wanting to show off, posted pics like, “hey! Just hanging with my friend Chris Evans, nbd! I truly doubt this was Chris’ doing.

·  Anonymous said:

Thank God for Manuel so we can finally end this drama

[thatxvguy]

Aight, so here it is, KOD.

It’s my first J. Cole album I enjoy by far tbh, because I don’t seem to get his appeal (even tho I like lyrical Hip-Hop too) at the first listen, maybe it’s because I understand what’s the subject matter here, so yea let’s get into it.

Released in 4/20 to NOT glorify about drug use & addiction. Wow.

Shout-out my homie @ywrbgs for the review request. (Go follow his IG, he makes dope-ass beats)

01. Intro - Jazzy. Great intro for the album, the narration pretty much sums up the synopsis for this album. At first I was judging the rest of the songs to sound like the intro, Jazzy, Boom-bap-ish & conscious bUT HEY LOOK WHO’S SURPRISED—

02. KOD - JESUS, I DIDN’T KNEW HE COULD GO THIS HARD. BRO. THIS HARD. HE PRODUCED HIS OWN ALBUMS RIGHT?? THIS SHIT- FIRE YO. I like how he acknowledged the current state of Hip-Hop & drug glorifying in Hip-Hop, and him to do it in such a modern way (Trap beats, etc) makes this even more enjoyable, a definite favorite.

“Bitches been askin’, "What have you done lately?” I stacked a few M’s like my last name was Shady"

You know how I be when I hear Eminem references.

I go brazy.

Ballistic.

03. Photograph - Y'know I gotta put it in the personal favorites when it’s about love. It pretty much talks about Cole being in love with a random girl he met on IG (I suppose? It could be Twitter/Tinder/any other social medias) & how easy it is for people to fell in love with someone by just seeing a photograph of them. Me personally I relate to the song A-FUCKING-LOT (Yes I’m apparently a hopeless romantic who falls in love easily, thankfully I have someone to fight for now lmao). The hook pretty much hit me in the heart like “fUCK”, definitely a big recommend for someone who wants to start listening to J. Cole the easy way. And yeah the beat? The beat slap mad hard yo whatthefu-

04. The Cut Off (feat. kiLL edward) - Well here’s another feature from none other his alter ego he created to promote this album, it came back to that Boom-Bap and boy I enjoy this a lot. Lyrically he’s talking about people who cut him off for money/fame/clout/you name it, as much as he wants to take revenge for how people treated him badly, he knows that revenge is God’s work so he lets them off. Overall the song is a great song to vibe to, to understand to & all that. But I think it lacks something else, I just don’t know how to describe it, maybe it lacks an impactful moment? Still a great song overall

05. ATM - You ain’t a rapper if you don’t have a song to flex about in one of your albums. This song’s all about Cole flexing about his money but yet ironically he depicts about how people will do anything for money & how people’s lives are chained just because of money, hence the title of the song. (Addicted to Money)

Everything here slaps, the beat, the rap, the hook & how sarcastically Cole talks about his wealth in here, everything’s great. I wonder how people would think about this song without knowing how Cole is lol.

06. Motiv8 - Yea boy another song about getting money, seems like Cole is pretty frustrated about how these people get money nowadays. But ay, it is pretty pathetic to see it tbh, a promising talent on the come up, 3 years later people don’t even know them no more or even worse. (RIP XXX & Peep)

What’s ironic to me is that the song is lit, like I can’t lie man the song is lit. But what he raps about makes me think twice about how fucked up is the rap game. I feel like this song & ATM definitely takes inspirations from SoundCLoud rappers as heard as how the beats are & how Cole flows on the beats.

07. Kevin’s Heart - AYY BOY ANOTHER PERSONAL FAVORITE. ENOUGH SAID. How Cole talks about cheating to their certain other. That shit broke my heart.

As someone who understands about these things but yet to actually never been through these things just makes me even more confused, like do you ever understand something that you never been through? That’s how I am in my love life.

Sorry for being oot but I’ve been single for like what now? 3 years? And shit bro as much as I want to experience these kinda things again I couuldn’t because I haven’t found someone who wants me yet. Yet I understand how heartbreaks are & how people deal with it, but at the same time I feel ironic to empathize these kinda feelings, I feel fake, just like how Cole said it in the bridge.

Wow. This shit really wrecked me. 10/1 best outta best.

Where did my heart went now??

08. BRACKETS - Now this here, is some shit I gotta listen to a couple of times to actually get the gist of. Because I don’t really understand about how taxes in America works, I’ll just comment on what I got from thing song aight, so it’s basically Cole talking about how taxes are charged in America & where do the money go, does it go to fund the development of the States? Or does it go to some “money-hungry company” as Cole stated in the song. This that retrospective shit you gotta binge listen to actually understand fully what the song’s all about.

09. Once an Addict (Interlude) - Picturing about how his mom’s an alcoholic, I’ve been listening to these typa songs since I first found Eminem back in 2011 & now I’m back listening to someone who depicts almost the same topic in 2018, I feel great to actually listen someone who still holds story-telling in their raps, Cole is definitely one of the greatest in today’s era, proven by how he raps here. And tbh this is my very first time to listen to an interlude longer than 2 minutes, as if this interlude could actually be a song itself if you ask me.

10. FRIENDS (feat. kiLL edward) - At first I thought this song was about how addiction could start with a bad enviroment (You smoking as a minor with your friends, you get me?) but instead this songs about Cole’s message to his friends who is battling with addiction.

In here he wants people to know that drug abuse isn’t the way to escape the problems that they’re facing, but having a positive mindset will help them through. Imo I couldn’t agree more, but some people do really need the drugs to help, but I’m not promoting in drug usage in any sort of ways, I’m just saying if it helps better then do it, just don’t overdo it.

11. Window Pain (Outro) - This fucking outro man, I don’t fucking know how the fuck did Cole managed to put such a message in this outro but goddamn.

This is beautiful.

It’s all about Cole being introspective about what he wants in his life & how he is grateful for everything that happened in his life.

One interesting point about this outro is about the narrative of a girl telling about how her cousin got shot badly in her house. Her cousin was about to pick up the girl until some goons shot her cousin in the face and neck.

Surprisingly he’s still alive & the girl telling the story told that it was “God’s grace” for him to be spared alive. Unto been asked why do bad things happen & why won’t just good things happen to the world, the little girl replied:

“Because God is tryna, um Warn-warn us or teach us a lesson that we need to learn Or He’s tryna warn us of He’s comin’ back to, um, see us and take us home and redo the world He’s comin’ back to, um, have us be His children and for us to see Him for the first time so we can rejoice with Him and have our time And after we do that, He’s gonna restart the world”

Referring to Christians believing that God is going to be back to restart the world back to the pure, good world it was.

I’m surprised that Cole isn’t afraid to talk about these things, as the world is pretty much atheistic by now & I gotta respect him for being able to talk so.

12. 1985 (Intro to “The Fall Off”) - Presumably going to be the intro for his next album, Cole raps about the state of today’s Hip-Hop & easy is for a young rapper to rise & fall easily in this age of time.

People are saying that Cole is taking shots at various young reckless rappers i.e. Lil Pump/Smokepurrp/You name it, but I think that he’s actually trying to warn about how their actions could lead to their own downfall, seeing that Cole isn’t that type to be offended about today’s state of Hip-Hop (Proven by how he used trap beats & generic trap flows in this album) I don’t really think he’s “dissing” anyone here.

Welp, there it is, KOD. I like how J. Cole kept the album short & simple by just 12 tracks yet each songs has it own depths to understand about.

One thing I gotta take a not of is that… The overall album content’s pretty ironic tbh. Lit trap beats opposed to conscious rap, got me feeling some typa way.

DON’T EVEN ASK ME ABOUT HOW I FEEL ON KEVIN’S HEART, THAT SHIT LITERALLY BROKE MY HEART & MOOD, I GOTTA TAKE A BREAK FROM WRITING THIS FOR AROUND AN HOUR OR SO, JUST BECAUSE HOW I COULD RELATE TO IT. Jfc.

Personal favorites: KOD, Photograph (I fucking lOVE THIS SHIT), DAVID’S HEART YEA I SAID IT FUCK YOU, Window Pain (Outro)

My fucking goodness this album actually wrecked me wtf.

[akwasiphaseless]

Sex is Sex

I have had terrible relationship experiences such that having a partner of my own never amused me anylonger. I enjoyed meeting random but very attractive dudes for some good sex.

I really like to go straight to the point but let me bore you with the detail.

My Ex and I used to talk infact Andrew was kind to me. We only fell apart because he was convinced that being queer was not his thing anymore, but you and I know how these statements end.

We hadn't talked in a while, I barely paid attention to him even on social media, I saw him post one fine dude with all the looks and finesse that attracts me. I gathered courage and asked for his number, my ex gave it to me gracefully and as an icing to my yet to be baked cake he added his Instagram username. I immediately without hesitation checked him up on IG and followed him I liked a couple of his fancy queer suggestive pictures and entered his inbox.

We didn't have a very clear or concise conversation. It was just some Hi and some snuggles at each other. We had some fun chat on WhatsApp from time to time but most of the time I didn't even have anything to discuss.

We had been in touch for months and we never met neither of us invited each other on a date. But you know things happen and Accra is really a small place for queer people.

Samuel, a colleague at work was celebrating his 32nd Birthday, Samuel is way older than me but I was his boss, but I drew alot of inspiration and charisma from him. At work you could describe him as my Chief Whip.

I couldn't say no to him when he invited me for the birthday party. I arrived there early because I didn't want to go home before attending the party, as the venue for the party was five minutes away from work.

I didn't spend two minutes at the party and I noticed Fred my social media friend who was a crush, I have had a lot of fantasies about him though.

He didn't recognize me so I introduced myself, my colleague apparently had an interest as I also did, and I am not one who backed out easily. I decided to use my charm and let him get by.

We continued with our conversation and decided to DJ for the event. So two of us were alone behind the music player. We had exciting conversation, played with each other very fondly, the most favorite part is we played Scrabble and he lost to me. Nobody tests my brain prowess and goes undevoured.

We were all tipsy after a few rounds of booze, we started kissing, I played with his dick sometime and God! Fred had it gifted down his pants.

It was quite late as I wasn't a night fisher I decided to go home, he asked me not to go yet because he wanted to pass the night at my place .

After an hour or two I ordered an Uber and in about 15 minutes we were home, immediately I closed my doors we started kissing passionately for lover of flings this was different it was as if we knew each other in a long while.

He took my clothes off while still kissing and caressing me. The romance was epic, I had not experienced anything like that. My eyes and body was shaky, my dick was so hard I thought it would break.

He sucked on my dick with his lips andooo it felt so good and it was as if I was in a trance, don't let me talk about the tongue work huh dude rimmed the hell outta me I nearly fainted. I didn't see him wear a condom but he had one on as I always want it safe, to prevent STIs which are difficult and expensive to deal with as a queer person in Ghana.

He fucked me so good I was crying, not out of pain but dude knew the perfect way to deal with my body.

We fucked each other throughout the night till the next morning. We cuddled the times in between resting and preparing to have another round of sex.

He woke up earlier than I expected booked an Uber and to my surprise he fucked me till the Uber arrived. The driver had to wait for 8 minutes for us to finish our early morning session. It was a few hours together but I felt so attached.

I had not felt like this in a long time I didn't know how to handle myself. I was expecting a call or text from him so badly I rushed to my phone any time I heard it beep. It was like a broke boy waiting for a salary alert.

There it was a call from him I picked up and here was his words I enjoyed last night but hey sex is sex.

[perfectirishgifts]

Celebrating A Decade Of Success, Swimwear Brand Acacia Makes Its Mark With New Ready-To-Wear Designs And A Flagship Store

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/celebrating-a-decade-of-success-swimwear-brand-acacia-makes-its-mark-with-new-ready-to-wear-designs-and-a-flagship-store/

Celebrating A Decade Of Success, Swimwear Brand Acacia Makes Its Mark With New Ready-To-Wear Designs And A Flagship Store

Naomi Newirth, founder, creative director and designer of Acacia, Photo Credit: Maui Maka … [] Photography

While the concept of swimsuits for every body feels like a more recent inclusion in the swimwear space, global brand Acacia has been making a splash in this realm for over ten years now.

As a Maui-based girl, founder Naomi Newirth wanted her bikinis to be small and form fitting, but couldn’t find them anywhere. So she created them herself, by mixing low Italian cuts with minimal Brazilian coverage, for women of all shapes.

“I launched Acacia out of necessity at the time. I have lived most of my life in a bikini, and until then, hadn’t found a suit that made me feel most feminine and sophisticated, without compromising function. So that’s what I created.”

More than a decade out the gate, Acacia has since expanded its product category to include dresses, elevated ready-to-wear collections, and kids’ clothes. When it comes to swimsuits, its signature style is the small cut of its swimsuit bottoms. Acacia has also become known for its original prints (a time-consuming, yet worthwhile part of the design process).

Acacia is based in Hawaii, but hit the global stage after headlining Miami Swim Week. “The first year I attended Miami I was young, naïve and nervous. I was always very mindful of spending business money and this show was expensive for us at the time. However, it was this first show that really put us on the map.” (For its fourth show, the brand was sponsored by Mini Cooper, “who wrapped one of their cars in our vintage-inspired aloha prints, which felt so surreal.”)

While Acacia’s footprint spans international stores and retailers like Revolve and Free People), the brand opened its flagship store in Hawaii at the end of 2019 — just two days after the birth of Newirth’s second child, and shortly before Covid-19 hit. 

Hawaii has been on lockdown since March, with strict requirements to quarantine, which has deterred the bulk of the tourism on the island. The town of Paia, in which Acacia is located, is 90% tourism-based.

“I have always aspired to open a flagship store on the island I grew up on and currently reside, but couldn’t seem to find the perfect space.”

They say life is what happens when you’re busy making plans — and while Newirth indeed found the perfect spot, the remained closed for most of 2020, but finally reopened in time for the holidays.

“With retailers being closed worldwide due to Covid-19 lockdowns, we have had a surge of interest within our customer base, on our e-commerce site. We switched gears to adapt our reach in hopes to provide some sort of normalcy. We are pushing user-generated content to encourage a sense of community. While it’s important for us to be sensitive to the effects of the pandemic especially being in Hawaii, we still strive to increase our reach through virtual platforms and social media content that resonates,” Newirth shares.

A designer by trade, Newirth is a force of nature when it comes to juggling motherhood (she has two sons), designing everything from swim, ready-to-wear, kids’ collections, and opening a flagship store — all while managing her business. Between the challenges of opening a brick and mortar space while dealing with a pregnancy-related illness, to finally opening the store right before the pandemic hit, Newirth proves to have resiliency as a founder.

I spoke to Newirth about her mission of creating timeless pieces that make each woman feel most beautiful and confident in their own skin, and the lessons she’s learned while riding Acacia’s wave of success for over a decade.

Karin Eldor: Can you share more about how you identified the whitespace and opportunity in the market, for sophisticated swimwear and wearable silhouettes designed for real women, at every stage of life?

Naomi Newirth: Fashion’s always been something that’s fascinated me. We all choose to put certain garments on our bodies every day, but it’s the way in which we wear them that gives us each our own creative outlet. 

As a teenager I was often altering my clothing to better complement my aesthetic or my body, which then segued into altering my swimwear — naturally so, living on an island. When I was 16, I had taken a course to learn to sew my own suits and in that moment had essentially started designing for myself. I was looking for a very specific style that just wasn’t available to the masses at the time. I had traveled quite a bit in my late teens and early twenties, mainly to coastal towns, and started to notice the silhouettes that really worked for most body types.

At the time it was the hybrid of the cheeky Brazilian bottom and the low-rise Italian swim that I was drawn to – a silhouette that has since become our best-selling Ho‘okipa bottom. It was a really organic start for me, I think mainly because swim was such a large part of my everyday life at the time.

Eldor: Acacia is a time-tested swimwear brand that’s already made its mark, after a decade. Can you share 3 lessons you’ve learned, now that you’re currently in your 11th year? 

Newirth: Lesson #1: I started by designing for myself and my closest girlfriends, and that’s something that has helped me in terms of my design process throughout the years. I think it’s so important to live and breathe your product, regardless of the industry you’re in, and I feel like maintaining that intimacy has been beneficial to Acacia. I feel lucky to be able to create what I feel best in, and offer designs that resonate with other women. 

Lesson #2: I am always thinking about future collections and studying designs that transcend the test of time. I myself am drawn to silhouettes that are simple and timeless, and that’s something I’ve always kept at the forefront of my own creative process. As a designer, I think it can be easy to get caught up in tracking the trends and striving to create for a larger audience, but at the end of the day it’s about knowing the needs of your customer and creating pieces that are wearable and enhance their lifestyle. It’s that one blouse in your closet that you reach for, day after day. We’ve implemented sustainable practices in more obvious and tangible ways, but it truly starts with the design. It’s my duty as a designer to create timeless pieces that can be styled season to season, year after year — that’s sustainability at its core. 

Lesson #3: Prioritizing time for my family and myself has been somewhat of a learning curve for me. When I had first started Acacia in 2008, I was 22 and in such a different season of life. I dove in headfirst and was 100% committed to the success of the brand. It was my only responsibility at the time. I did everything myself, from creating samples with my manufacturer, fittings, marketing, sales, etc. After a few years I realized that being able to step away from work and make time for myself was beneficial not only for me, but for the company as well. Now in my early thirties with a little family, it’s so important to be present and allow myself to respect those boundaries.

Eldor: You’re committed to working and partnering with women, while implementing changes to more sustainable practices. Can you share more about the ways you’re working to eliminate the gender gap and support women in the workplace?

Newirth: I am so proud of our women-run business! All in all, we create for women, so having a team of women to soundboard ideas and provide honest feedback is huge. Our manufacturers that we’ve been working with since day one are women as well.

Eldor: How do you manage it all?

Newirth: Having a team that I trust wholeheartedly is key! My team is so talented and truly cares about the brand, and that means the world to me. I couldn’t do it without them. I’m very lucky that I have help with my sons while I’m running to the office to check in with my team. My mother also lives a stone’s throw away and is tremendously helpful with everything from my kids to work and everything in between. I’m so fortunate to have so many people who contribute to the success of Acacia and also allow me to prioritize time with my boys.

Eldor: Your Instagram community is so impressive with over 430K followers. How did the brand cultivate and grow its IG following?

Newirth: We started an Acacia Instagram soon after the app had hit the market. I think timing had a lot to do with it, as we acquired the bulk of our followers pretty quickly. We were endorsed by a handful of celebrities that posted early on, which also helped draw attention to our brand. I handled all social media myself until a couple of years ago when we expanded and brought on a member to handle all aspects of marketing. I think now the focus is on adaptability and maintaining a closeness and relatability to your following. Being able to “read the room” in a climate that changes so rapidly and provide inspiring content that resonates with your community. 

Eldor: What is coming up for Acacia in 2021?

Newirth: We are expanding our offering of fabrications, not only with our eco-swim fabric, but also clothing! Also sourcing quality fabric that will allow us to execute silhouettes in the way I’ve always envisioned. I’m head in 2022 right now, currently working with a Japanese supplier to source different types of beautiful cotton textiles dyed with indigo or other various natural dyes.

On the shorter term, I’m also looking forward to welcoming visitors to our flagship location. In a time where we’re experiencing constant digital overload with social media, Acacia’s brick and mortar location feels like a refreshing space to retreat to.

From Retail in Perfectirishgifts

[relaxandlaughatyourself]

Recap of Ika IG Live 2-23-18

Mostly talk about Dem, what happened today, CBB and their trip to LA.

Link to screenshots.

Said she’s been running around all day, eating popcorn and drinking soda now. She’s tired.

Quick recap of CBB.

“Why are people asking if me and Dem are okay? Of course we’re okay. Why are people asking? That’s so weird.”

She’s packing, going to LA tomorrow.

Wants Ari to win, mentions how Mark isn’t playing a bad game, he knows what’s going on.

Dem is going to LA. “He always comes with me. I’m double excited. I’m excited to interview these people but I’m more excited to see Dem.”

She really wants us to send her questions for the HGs. She wants more unusual questions, ones that we really want answers to. We need to step our game up with the questions.

Josh is in the live, they’re going to see him in LA. Dem is so excited to see him. “Josh is out here ruining relationships, I say ‘baby, we’re going to see Josh’ and Dem forgets about me.”

Some asks if her IG got hacked, it did not. She said she would explain what happened today. She says that people noticed that they unfollowed each other and then refollowed each other later in the day. She’s embarrassed to say what happened, it won’t make sense to us. Last night they were talking and they were asking if they could go a whole day without talking to each other. They said they couldn’t see each other on social media either, they had to disconnect totally. So Ika blocked him on all social media and whatsapp so he couldn’t even call her, they wanted to see how they would do without talking to each other. They did the blocking at like 3 in the morning and they lasted until they added each other back when we saw it. She’s proud of how long they went. But she cheated because she went into the demika hashtag. “Thank god for that hashtag.” They didn’t unlike the pics, it must’ve done it when they got the blocks. Dem called Karen and asked her to message Ika to call him cause he was done with that. So Ika called first, but Dem broke down first. But he also cheated cause he took screenshots of her IG before they blocked each other. She knows this sounds stupid. She promises it wasn’t anything. “Dem and I, we’re not ordinary.”

She deleted pics, but she deleted a ton so don’t worry about the ones with Dem. She didn’t love the pics she deleted (she didn’t like how she looked), it’s not that big of a deal, she swears. All the important pics, the ones that mean the most to her are still there. She wanted to clean it up a bit. Said if her and Dem were having issues or broke up, she wouldn’t delete him. She has more restraint than that. If they ever break up or anything, she’s not doing any unfollowing.

She is upset she deleted the fake interview, she’s gonna cry that she deleted that. She didn’t know she deleted it.

Her IG is a business account, the businesses cannot see her sucking face with her boyfriend every two pics.

She adds Dem. He says that he’s been watching the whole time. Dem said he was going to comment “publicity stunt” in the comments.

Dem’s IG account was connected to her account because he has used her phone, but when she blocked him it got deleted, but she has all his passwords. And he has all her passwords. Her email goes through him (?).

Marina is in the live.

Keeps messing up when Dem is added, but they’ll talk to us together in LA.

Discusses Lucian, the designer. She called him last minute that she needed a dress, and he had her come over, he’s so amazing to her and is just a great person, humble. The first time she met him she was amazed at how they treated her not like a nobody. She’s excited about her dress.

A lot of people compliment her on her fans. They say we’re nice, but even when we’re rude, we’re funny.

She doesn’t know if we’ll be seeing her on ET Canada much in the future because BBCAN6 is coming up, but she’ll be on lives and on twitter. Thinking of doing a weekly recap show for bbcan6 on youtube; it will be funny segments. She doesn’t want it to be mean, she wants it to be respectable and clean. She wants to commit if she’s going to do it. “We can do it if I’m not doing the ET stuff.”

She has tea for us. She’s going through her DMs and she has so many, hundreds, in the requests section. But she can’t check everything but she wants to. She’s scrolling through and sees one that says her dress looks good. She usually just responds, doesn’t click on the person. But this one she did. It was one of Dem’s ex’s best friends. She was wondering if it was shade. She didn’t respond. “It’s been a year.” She says they should have taken the time to put up good pics and make themselves look good before coming to her. She says we need to all take the time to do things. New hashtag alert lmao

When something bad happens, she says “they really tried us.” She always says “us” or “we” so she doesn’t feel like she’s in things alone.

Someone did something really shady to her recently. “It’s okay, people will get theirs.”

When she gets to LA she will show us her skin/facial in good lighting. She has two more sessions.

In LA until Tuesday.

She shows us her tattoo on her wrist, and she says it really hurt and she was crying, she told them they were attacking her. She won’t tell us what the tattoo means.

Dem is still using her products.

The packing isn’t going well. Meaning, it hasn’t started yet. She’s planning on starting at 2am so she doesn’t have to sleep and she can sleep on the plane. Dem will stay up with her.

Most excited to interview Brandi. Excited to see Marissa again because Marissa told the producer to bring her back and they called Ika almost right away to bring her back. That meant a lot to Ika. The lady she works with for ET in America is amazing, she lets Ika be herself and she doesn’t try to take over, she lets ika take the wheel and do what’s comfortable. She called ET Canada and raved about Ika; she doesn’t normally do things like that.

She says she likes watching Omarosa, she’s playing well and is entertaining. Really likes Ari, loves that she didn’t make herself a sob story.

His birthday: “I don’t know. We were supposed to extend the trip but we couldn’t. My little baby is busy selling houses in Edmonton so we’ll have to see.”

She and Dem started following this cooking IG account because when they’re together they’re gonna make those meals together.

They decided that March 11 is their anniversary because that is the day they met, “that’s the day our lives changed.”

Never saw Dem in the casting process because she was never in the casting process for bbcan5.

She’s had a lot of fun doing interviews with ET Canada and she has seen growth in her ability.

How to lead into the interview makes her nervous but otherwise she doesn’t get too nervous.

Dem tells her to try to censor herself a bit more. Dem is the type of person where if someone is shady or rude to them, he can play it off and not let them know that he knows that they’re being shady. Ika doesn’t know how he does that. Ika is the kind of person where if someone shades her or is a snake, she wants them to know she feels that way. But Dem thinks that burns bridges and it may hurt her relationships in business. She says he’s right, but she doesn’t know how to just take the shade though it is smart. She does realize it’s hurt her in the past. 

She has to pack and talk to Dem. 

[youngerdrgrey]

#shootyourshot2k16 // a queen sugar fic

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written for day 29 of 30 x 31 writing challenge; prompt: theme park/carnival AU

+ read on ao3

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alternate canon says that after Micah got expelled over Stella’s dick pic, Charley’s solution was that he needed to learn some responsibility, hence a summer job for young Micah West. He works the basketball game at the St. Jo county fair.

.

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Micah likes to say that he’s a private person now. He’s kind of reserved, mostly internal, and when he does share stuff, it’s because he figures that somebody else would really get a kick out of it. His instagram’s public, but he only has his snap story viewable to a few of his friends, and usually nobody cares whether or not they can see everything he’s doing and posting. But his aunt Nova, apparently, who is deeply offended that his uncle Ralph Angel can see Micah’s story and she can’t.

“How come I can’t see your story?” Nova leans onto the wood separating Micah’s basketball booth from the rest of the fairgrounds. Her eyes bore straight on into him even when she’s supposedly not grilling him. “I mean, who am I gonna tell?”

“Um, my mom.”

He’s heard them gossiping and whispering now that they’re on good terms. Last thing he needs is her telling his mom something he doesn’t want her to know.

“What’chu doing you don’t want her to see? You got a life now?”

He scoffs. “Yeah, between summer classes and working at the fair, I’ve got plenty of time.” He literally has to do Econ homework under the booth during slow hours, but okay. Nova keeps staring through him though so he sighs. “I don’t know. It’s just weird to have all of you able to see my story. I made the other one!”

“Yeah, the Trapped in NOLA one. That’s a little hurtful, you know?” Her eyes ease up, and her hand goes out to him. "You’re not trapped, Micah. You’re home.”

Home should be voluntary, not a punishment for his ex-girlfriend getting him expelled. He and Stella weren’t anywhere near the level that everyone thinks they were, and now he has to spend his whole summer working in Louisiana, melting and sweating and dealing with an awful amount of humidity with no good reason behind it. So sue him if he doesn’t want his mom to see him complaining about how trash her punishment is.

“If you wanna see my story so bad, then go on IG. We can post a pic together right now.” He tugs his phone out from under the booth and shortcuts his way over to the camera. He hoists it up, and Nova wastes no time slipping up into the selfie. His stupid St. Jo’s County Fair staff shirt’s visible and so’s the game so he types in a #shootyourshot caption before posting it to his IG story.

“Happy?"

She taps his lips with a solid ass finger and a glare to match. “Use that tone on me again, and you’re walking back at the end of your shift.”

“Mom would kill you,” he says.

“I’m older than she is.” Nova flexes. “Stronger too.” But she smiles at him anyway. “I’ll leave you to it. Don’t want you getting in trouble for talking your whole shift. See you at six?”

He nods. It’s not like he has anywhere else to go. The fair’s got a few food booths, like three mini-game areas, and one stage that’s used by weird local bands and dance teams that don’t dance so much as strike poses. Drill teams, or step teams, or whatever. He watched a performance the other day, but all of those girls looked at him like they were just dying to get him on their timelines. How the mighty have fallen and all that.

Nova’s not gone more than five minutes before he hears it. Some old school R&B blasting while one of the dancers dances her way down the games aisle. No lie, I Wanna Be Down starts up from the little bluetooth speaker in her hands. It’s the captain, this nice dark skin girl with hair as straight as his mom’s and eyes that tell him she’s as done with everyone else as he is with this job. And he shouldn’t stare, but she glides through the aisle, like she knows exactly who she is and exactly what she wants out of the world. So he watches her with one of the stupid deflated basketballs gripped in his hands.

She stops at his booth. He might forget how to swallow. Might nod for no reason and try to smile.

“Uh, did you want to play?” he asks.

“That’s usually what people do when they walk up to a booth, right?” She sets the speaker down as a verse kicks in. He watches her read the sign — it’s three dollars for three shots, five dollars for six, and for ten dollars, she can just go ahead and take him for everything he’s worth. She reaches down her shirt and pulls out a five dollar bill. It shouldn’t be weird; he’s seen girls do it before, but she doesn’t even avert her gaze when she reaches in her bra for it. He’s probably reading too much into things. She’s not, she couldn’t be here for him.

He takes the money. Launches into the whole explanation. “Alright, you get six shots. Make three for a small toy. Trade three small toys for one big toy.”

She nods over his explanation. “Yeah, I get it. Shoot your shot.” She grabs the ball out his hands while his jaw basically drops onto the booth. And either her eyes are twinkling, or he’s malfunctioning.

“Y-yeah.”

She shoots really well, by the way. Sinks a basket like it’s actually not a rigged fair game. He scrambles to get the ball for her, and she sinks it again. And again.

“You’re really good at this,” he tells her.

“I play every year. It’s kind of a summer tradition.” She sets up her next shot. “I’m no Gladiator, but I can play a little.”

He barely swallows his groan. “So you do know who I am.”

She rolls her eyes. “Of course I know who you are.” She shoots and sinks it again. “But don’t take it the wrong way. All my girls follow you on IG. They said, no way Micah West’s working here for fun. So they want to know, what’d you do?”

“What’d I do?” His neck strains when he repeats the question, like he’s simultaneously acknowledging and running from the words at the same time. Not like he can necessarily get far from them you know, they’re coming out of him, they’re addressed to him. It’s just… he doubts this cute girl even really cares that much. “So you can go tell everybody?”

She squares her hips and fully faces him. “I won’t tell if you don’t want me to.”

He doesn’t. He goes and gets the ball back for her. Holds it out even when she doesn’t reach for it. “Look, I’m just trying to blend in, have a chill Louisiana summer.”

“Says you.”

His chest puffs out a bit. “Yeah, says me.” She barely knows him, but she’s calling him a liar. He sets the ball on the booth. “I don’t have to tell you anything about me. Everybody thinks they’re entitled to everything just because we follow each other on social media, but my life is still mine.”

“Whoa.” Her hands fly up. “Easy. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Just ‘cause she didn’t mean anything doesn’t mean nothing happened. But he’s working, and she’s a paying customer, so “Whatever. You’ve still got two shots.” He steps back so he can grab the ball once she throws it. He can stand in the back of the booth until she’s done, then go about his life once she’s done bugging him for information. It was probably too much to hope that she’d want something real from him, you know?

She scoops up the ball. “I do follow you, but it’s not because you think you’re famous. It’s ‘cause everybody knows everybody down here.” She kneads it between her hands. “My step-dad Boogie’s always hanging out with your uncle, Hollywood. And your other uncle Ralph Angel. Miss Violet bakes a pie for the graduation raffle every year, so, I know all about your family out here. And I also know that you don’t just post pictures of your family because you love them so much. You don’t know anybody down here. I could fix that.”

He tells himself not to move. “What, with your girls?” He doesn’t need a new posse.

She catches his eye. “With me. But hey, if you’re not down, that’s fine. Life’s short, figured I’d say something.” She shoots again. It hits the backboard but still goes in. “One more shot.”

She says it like it’s a warning, or a promise, just for him. Like she’s not the one putting herself on the line right now. Like he’s the one about to risk it all. Though, isn’t he the one with the most to lose? He doesn’t have any friends at this summer program, and his family’s great, but his best friend right now is his aunt. Why not give this girl a chance? Why not open up a bit?

He scoops up the ball, tries swaying his way back over. “I figured you already shot yours.” The second he says it, it sounds dumb. And she barely stops herself from laughing in his face. But she does.

She says, “Your turn then.”

He grins, holds the hand that doesn’t have a basketball in it out to her. “Micah.”

She takes it and shakes it. “Keke. Or @keketwirl, since you know you wanna add me.”

He rolls his eyes, but he picks his phone up once they let go. Opens up IG to find her page. Notices instead that @novab has a new post on her story. He clicks it only to see himself and Keke not more than two minutes ago. He hits the message bar so fast. Types, This is why you can’t follow me. You’re such a creep!

Keke laughs though. “Who do you think gave me the five dollars?"

.

.

.

a/n: what y’all think about this one? talk to me.

[photomaniacs]

Fake War Photographer Gets Exposed After Fooling the World http://ift.tt/2iUA5fK

Right now, a conflict photographer named Eduardo Martins is supposedly driving around in a van somewhere in the Australian outback. And you probably won’t see any new work from him anytime soon: he’s in hiding after pulling off one of the craziest cons in the history of photojournalism.

Photos of Martins from his social media accounts.

Martins is a blond and handsome 32-year-old documentary photographer from Brazil who’s also an avid surfer in his free time. He won a battle with childhood leukemia while growing up, and eventually landed a mid-level position working for the United Nations. Traveling to locations filled with death and despair gave him the opportunity to take compelling photos, which he published on his Instagram account. Some of his photos were also delivered to renowned photo agencies, including NurPhoto, for distribution.

A screenshot of Martins’ Instagram page when it still had less than 60,000 followers. Image by SBS.

His presence on Instagram not only gave him a massive fan base of over 120,000 followers, but it led to his work being published around the world. From smaller publications such as SouthFront to to prestigious publications like the The Wall Street Journal, Le Monde, and The Telegraph, articles were illustrated with what everyone thought was Martins’ own work.

It didn’t take long for the media to become interested in Martins himself. In October 2016, Recount Magazine published a interview with him.

The Brazilian edition of VICE soon followed suit with an extensive photo essay titled “On the front with the Peshmerga.”

In early July, BBC Brazil featured Martins’ work as well.

And if it weren’t for some mistakes by Martins and an attentive BBC journalist named Natasha Ribeiro, Martins’ amazing life and photography career would likely still be enjoying its meteoric rise. But Ribeiro became suspicious of Martins after learning about his life and work, and she became even more suspicious when she dug deeper and couldn’t find a single person who had ever met him.

Not a single Brazilian journalist in Iraq, where Martins had supposedly been covering extensively. Not any of the authorities who would have had dealings with Martins. Not any members of the NGOs he said he was a part of.

Martins had given a story and photos to VICE about the battle in Peshmerga, but two other Brazilian correspondents who were there at the same time said they had never met this newly famous photographer — something that is nearly impossible given how tight-knit the community of conflict journalists is.

Martins had told BBC Brazil through a WhatsApp chat that he was working for the United Nations, saying: “I am a humanitarian (volunteer) in the United Nations field and I work in the organization of refugee camps.” But an investigation revealed that there was no record of Martins having ever worked for the UN Refugee Agency, which the organization’s press chief, Adrian Edwards, confirmed to the BBC.

The investigation into Martins soon revealed other oddities, BBC Brazil reports. Martins had developed relationships with at least 6 young, beautiful, and successful women through social networks, and then used each one to relay information to journalists. BBC Brazil found that none of the girlfriends had ever met Martins in real life.

Recently, the well-known DOC Galeria in São Paulo was planning to exhibit Martins’ work in an exhibition about Brazilian photographers in conflict zones. Veteran photographer and DOC Galeria member Fernando Costa Netto got in touch with Martins, who said he was in Iraq.

“I was organizing an exhibition of photos of Brazilians in a conflict area and I was in contact with him. Now he disappeared for more than a week,” Netto tells BBC Brazil. “I thought he had been kidnapped by the Islamic State, so I contacted his Brazilian colleagues in Iraq. When we started this search movement for him, he reappeared saying he had a small problem with his Internet connection.”

After learning of the BBC’s suspicions and the ongoing investigation, Netto made Martins aware that there were questions surrounding the authenticity of his work. Martins immediately deleted his Instagram account and sent one last WhatsApp message from a since deactivated number:

“I’m in Australia, I made the decision to spend a year in a van running the world. I’ll cut everything, including internet, [and also] the IG (Instagram). Thanks, I’ll delete the zap here, stay with God.”

And just like that, the true identity of the young man who claimed to be a worldwide conflict photographer may now never be discovered.

BBC Brazil just published the results of its investigation, resulting in news and photo editors around the world scrambling to pull photos taken by this faux photographer.

“Faced with the suspicions and the risk of copyright infringement, the original content has been taken off the air,” BBC Brazil writes. “We apologize to our readers for their mistake. The case will strengthen our verification procedures.”

Today in photojournalism scandals— a widely published photog who not only stole images, but may not exist at all https://t.co/PFH73K5ZOL

— John Beck (@JM_Beck) September 2, 2017

At least some of Martins work was stolen from American photographer Daniel C. Britt. Martins not only lifted the photos and republished them as his own, but he went to great lengths to alter the images to make them hard to identify through reverse image searches — many of the images were cropped and mirrored.

A comparison of photos supposedly by Martins (left) and by Britt (right). Image by SBS.

A photo by Daniel C. Britt being sold for $575 on Getty Images by Eduardo Martins.

One thing that helped Martins weave his fictitious career was the use of prior publications as references for new publications. He placed not only placed tear sheets from prestigious publications such as the Wall Street Journal on social media, but he mailed them to editors when he pitched stories. This helped reduce suspicions, because surely large and prestigious news outlets would vet journalists prior to publishing stories, right?

Of course they did… so why go through the effort of doing it yourself?

About the author: Jan A. Nicolas is an observer and reporter in the photography industry. You can reach Nicolas here.

Go to Source Author: Jan A. Nicolas If you’d like us to remove any content please send us a message here CHECK OUT THE TOP SELLING CAMERAS!

The post Fake War Photographer Gets Exposed After Fooling the World appeared first on CameraFreaks.

September 04, 2017 at 09:01PM

[uncle-ak]

What is Your Perspective?

What a time to live through… How many hundred years later?! I couldn't wrap my mind around what I saw. It was about 8pm in the evening, I was laying on the couch reading news articles, flipping between that and other articles about health and wellness. I stopped actively watching TV back in 2009 (story for another day) so reading articles to stay up to date on what’s going on in the US and around the world or reading a book is how I typically wine down during the weekdays after work especially since we have been in quarantine.

In the course of reading, I was also going between WhatsApp statuses and Instagram stories. I can’t recall where I clicked a link… First, a little background story about me related to the subject matter. I am naturally very observant, attention to details comes to me easily without trying. As such I would say I have a good visual memory. I tend to see and listen deeper; it just happens. From body language to the slightest change in pitch/tone during conversation. Because of this, I am very picky about what I watch and listen to. As such I resulted to staying updated via reading versus watching depending on the subject matter. For the same reason, I seldom watch movies about slavery, racism or anything along those lines but I sure have read a number of stories/articles, books and continue to read.

A friend visited back in April and during a conversation, she asked if I had seen the video of how Ahmaud Arbery (RIP) was murdered. I said nope thank you! I’ve read multiple articles on the story so I have an idea of how it happened. She suggested I watch it and I insisted nope thanks! My visual memory will replay it over and over. There is a part of me that can get a little too emotional even though I don’t typically wear my emotions on my sleeves. Reading Ahmaud’s story wasn’t easy to digest but I find words more palatable than images especially given the subject matter. Same with the story of Breonna Taylor (RIP), I read about it and she was murdered the day before my birthday… 

So back to clicking that link… Before being able to make sense of what was going on, I heard the words “I can’t breathe.” I immediately had a flashback of Eric Garner’s story (RIP) which I only read as well; I didn’t watch any video on purpose. My initial instinct was to exit that link but a part of me was curious, wondering and hoping that when the cop heard the words “I can’t breathe” he would get off of George Floyd or at the very least ease off the pressure. I was hopeful because my thought process was driven by the fact that I work in the healthcare system and when someone says “I can’t breathe,” everyone in the vicinity rushes in the direction of where that phrase was uttered and attends to the person. 

Initially, it didn’t occur to me that this cop was kneeling on his neck. I thought it was his shoulder or back. As he continued to say “I can’t breathe,’’ I slowly went from laying on the couch to sitting up. Then I realized the cop was kneeling on his neck, the cop had his hand in his pocket with an annoying smirk on his face while the other cop stood there like… (Let me save my words). Boy did that hurt to watch and it aches to recount it. I turned my phone away but the sound was still on. Then I couldn’t hear “I can’t breathe” anymore so I assumed the cop was off of him. That cop stayed on George Floyd even after he stopped uttering those words and wasn’t moving. For 8minutes and 46seconds... till the EMTs got there. Will it be right to assume that if the EMTs didn’t get there when they did, that cop would have been kneeling on his neck much longer? Oh, by the way, I know the cop’s name including the others, I just don’t feel like addressing them by their names because in my opinion, it isn’t worth it.

There goes my visual memory, it is actually more detailed than that but I’ll save myself the heartache. I exited the link and put my phone facedown. I sat still for a moment and tears trickled down my cheeks. I had a VERY restless night, the following day was emotionally rough and so was the rest of the week at work. As the week unfolded and more stories came out, there were moments I wished I didn’t watch that video because, for some unknown reason, it hit me differently. George Floyd presents with physical characteristics as my two younger brothers; height and obviously black! There’s no way to justify that the cop didn’t intend to kill him, but the ‘system’... Yes, I have read stories about black on black crimes being reported to be more than white on black crimes but there is more to what meets the eye with regards to reports about black on black crimes and it is no justification to brush off the killing of black people by while cops especially in the manner in which it happened in George Floyd’s case.

I wondered why in 2020; how many hundred years later, things like this are still happening. With all the evolution and civilization, I wonder how some people could still be mentally stuck in an era that viewed a certain group of people as a threat or a prey just because of their skin color. I was reminded of these books I’ve read; Defining Moments in Black History: Reading Between The Lines by Dick Gregory and Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. Then I’m reminded of Trayvon Martin (RIP) as I type Trevor Noah. I love hooded sweaters and each time I put on one, Trayvon Martin crosses my mind, and depending on where I am when I have it on, sometimes I would take off for fear of being stereotyped as a threat. 

About being a BLACK Woman; I am reminded of the book We are Going to Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union, this book opened my mind’s eye to deeper and more in-depth things being brushed off in regards to black women; double minority. Then boom! Oluwatoyin Salau (RIP) was raped, reported missing, and later found dead. A young vibrant activist at the frontline of the Black Lives Matter movement. It hurt to read that she was violated and disrespected by someone like whom she fought for.

While on the emotional healing journey, the Rayshard Brooks (RIP) incident happened. Not to forget the people found hanging being ruled as 'suicide'. I'm sure there’s a lot more going on with regard to the subject matter. To say I was emotionally ‘tayad’ doesn’t even begin to describe it. Prior to this incident, I was still trying to understand the defund the police and police reform movement; the purpose, and what it entailed. Then out of curiosity, I wanted to know how long it takes to become a police officer. To put things into perspective, it takes more training time to become a barber than it takes to become a police officer (article). Even though the article isn’t as recent, has anything changed since then?!

So while my emotions have been going through this roller coaster in addition to dealing with COVID-19 as a healthcare employee; multiple deaths at work, the passing away of family friends, and family friends losing their loved ones, Sis needed mental rehabilitation. In the midst of all the chaos, I came across a video of an African Woman (apparently Cameroonian, where I am from) sharing her opinion about the unimportance of the Black Lives Matter Movement and how she wasn’t oppressed and bla bla bla. Listening to that 9minutes video initially made my blood boil, then I realized some of what she said either came from a place of lack of information and or misinformation. Then I was reminded of the Stuck in The Middle (Sitmpod) Couch Talk; The Relationship Between Africans and African Americans and Bridging The Divide. 

I would plead that my African people watch these because there seems to be a disconnect. I have read/heard comments along the lines of “it is an African-American only problem, it doesn’t concern us Africans.” Well oh well, news flash! It is a BLACK people problem which unfortunately boils down to our skin color. And if we Africans plan to have and raise kids in this country, we better wake up to the reality of what it is, educate ourselves and collectively change the narrative. I want to say how about we collectively come together and uplift the African continent, especially in this era of people tracing their heritage but that’s a conversation for another day.

During my moments of introspection following the George Floyd incident, I realized that even though I earlier wished I could unsee that video; I, however, felt that my journey to seeking knowledge and improving awareness out of the confines of a school curriculum which initially started when I was 13years old had brought me to this point. Something within me had been drastically awakened. I can’t put a finger on it but I know something is different including the desire to want to learn more and improve my society, knowledge, health, and wellness. I go between trying to stay updated, sieving through loads of information (on Instagram (IG); the only social media I’m on, and or news articles that I get notifications for) and wanting to be part of positive change. I have gone through incremental bursts of awakening, first in the Fall of 2009 when I transferred from a predominantly black community college to a four year predominantly white university, then grad school in the Fall of 2012 with the same demographic. My experience in both institutions is a story for another day… I must say grad school introduced me to a whole lot of things too fast too soon. 

At the beginning of 2013 (second semester in grad school), I read the book The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren and felt the desire to get more involved in the community. In February, while on a book club conference line, I expressed that desire and on that call was the founder of a community-based organization then known as A Friend to The Homeless today is known as Generosity Global. The Founder Rich Akwo has been a guest on the Sitmpod. My exposure while volunteering during the Selfless Saturdays from then and learning all that I learned and continue to learn among which was the importance of supporting small/local and BLACK owned businesses. Generosity Global also has a clothing line from which most of my T-shirts and sweaters are from; The All is Well/Thumbs Up clothing with positive uplifting messages to brighten my day and anyone I come across. Adding to my t-shirt and hooded sweater collecting is the SitmpodMech

 My journey to improving awareness in general and supporting BLACK owned businesses has widened thanks to the guests who have been on the Sitmpod. I do consume a number of the products and services from guests who have been on the podcast and if they provide a service/sell products that I personally do not use/need, I share via WhatsApp or IG. I must say I have learned at least one thing from ALL the guests thus far and some messages have been reiterated via different experiences and perspectives. 

From all that has unfolded thus far, I have learned a whole lot. I never knew about Juneteenth and Black Wall Street prior to now. I wasn’t aware of the laws that govern police officers and how one could pretty much blink their eyes or snap their fingers and the training to becoming an officer will be completed. It has been all that and more and the journey to learning doesn’t end here for me. It actually just intensified… 

During a recent Stuck in The Middle Couch Talk, Taalib Saber concluded with a powerful message. Watch video. 

On that note, I’ll leave you with this quote; “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery.”~ What do you understand by this quote? What have you learned from all that has been happening? What is your perspective? How do you plan to channel your acquired knowledge, experience and energy? Share your story, it will be empowering to someone else.