#this video i saw of a girl who was like im going to see beyonce tonight i dont have tickets but im a lucky girl | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

strawnarrries · 4 years ago

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Hey love ! Can you do one where y/n is doing that video for Vogue (morning routine) and then Niall appears whilst she is doing the video and he kisses her , hugs her , tell her he loves her and then he finds out about the video and also they had a secret relantionship and people just found out .... you can go from there. Thank you! By the way I really do love your imagines !!!!❤️❤️💕💕

ooh this is so adorable i got a little carried away so its really long for a blurb lol and i added some “comments” and i literally made up usernames from the top of my head and im hoping they arent real but i hope you enjoy bc i adored writing this!! //

when vogue asked you to film your morning routine, you immediately said yes. you adored those videos and was excited everytime they posted a new one with a different celebrity. you always thought they were super interesting and loved to see everyone’s routines. they always had such huge celebrities so you were honored and super excited when they asked you to do one.

you got up early that morning to give you plenty of time to film and refilm if needed. it was about 9:00 when you sat at your vanity and set up the camera. niall was still sleeping in your bedroom but you didnt bother to wake him up to tell him you were filming your video this morning.

you clicked the record button and began, “hey everyone! it’s y/n y/l/n and today i am gonna be showing you my morning routine!”

you began your routine, explaining every step in detail. you showed your products to the camera, explaining what they did and how you apply them and being your goofy self as well. over halfway through your routine, you heard rustling from your bedroom right behind the bathroom door.

the door creaked open and your eyes widened and a small smirk erupted on your face when you saw a shirtless niall walk into the room in the viewfinder of your camera. he was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes before he stood behind you, draping his arms around your shoulders and dipping his head down to press a sweet kiss to your temple, and mumbling in his deep and raspy morning voice, “hey baby”

“g’morning” you giggled, still staring at him through the viewfinder, a huge smile now on your lips. his hair was an enormous mess, sticking up in every direction and his eyes were slightly red from rubbing them. you loved niall in the morning, he was the absolute cutest when he woke up.

thats when he lifted his head and looked up at you through the mirror, spotting the recording camera staring at both of you. his eyes went wide and his jaw dropped open and you started giggling at him, “oh my god im sorry, i didnt know ya were recordin’ today”

“no its okay, its about time we let everyone know” you grinned, lifting your head and look up at him from behind your shoulder

“ya think?” he hummed, cocking his eyebrow up

“mhm” you nodded, smiling softly and getting lost in those gorgeous blue eyes he had.

you and niall had been together for almost 10 months and early on, you both decided to keep it quiet as long as possible. neither of you wanted the backlash or the attention of a new relationship that came with the fields both of you worked in. youve been seen in public together many many times and have been asked about each other but both of you say “we’re just friends”. everyone speculates and thinks you’re lying but neither of you ever admit the truth. your friends and family knew about you all, but the public eye did not. you were surprised you had kept it quiet so long but at this point you wanted to show off your handsome boyfriend.

“i love ya” he grinned, leaning down and pressing a sweet kiss to your lips

“i love you too”

***

you had sent your video into vogue and they had finally finished editing it and it was now live on their youtube channel. you were nervous about the reaction. this was huge for both you and niall because now the entire world knows youre together. you assumed the worst and thought every single one of niall’s fans were gonna kill you, especially after the reaction he used to get with his past girlfriends. so you were a bit nervous, but niall was so very good at comforting you, “theyll love that im datin’ ya! i mean cmon, yer y/n y/l/n!”

“you make it sound like im beyonce” you rolled your eyes playfully

“yer my beyonce” he smirked, batting his eyelashes at you

“oh my gosh, stop, that was so dumb” you smacked his arm softly, rolling your eyes again and giggling at him

you had posted a picture of the thumbnail on your instagram, promoting the video so your followers could go watch it. you and niall were sitting down on his couch when you decided to go through the comments to see how people were reacting to yours and nialls now public relationship. you were absolutely shocked with the amount of positivity that was flowing through your comment section. of course there were the occasionally hurtful and upset niall fan comments.

nialls_got_cake: ew why her shes not even that pretty

niallismybae4lyfe: ikr like out of all the people in the world why y/n

“ouch” you giggled, pointing to those comments. its crazy how no matter how many positive comments you get, one bad comment can weigh down on your mind for days

“babe dont look at those, those are 2 bad comments out of the 20 thousand positive ones. those are from fuckin 12 year olds who wanna be you so bad ‘cause yer so fuckin’ incredible.”

you giggled at his attempt to make you feel better as he scrolled through the comments on your phone finding positive comment after positive comment.

taylorronns2: officially adapting a new morning routine

niall1dhorannn: I FUCKING KNEW IT IM SO HAPPY

niallsnewangel: MY ACTUAL FUCKING PARENTS I LOVE THEM

hpk2001: i think she watches @skincarebyhyram

rosie123: why is she the prettiest girl in the entire world im so jealous

bde.harold: omg niall and y/n are the literal cutest i want thAT SO BAD

“look they love ya!” he grinned, going through comments and picking out the positive ones from his fans and reading some off to you

you smiled at the sweet comments, trying to put the negative ones in the back of your head and focus on the thousands of people supporting your relationship, jokingly giggling, “okayy maybe they do love me”

“‘course they do. and even if they didnt, it wouldnt matter ‘cause we’re happy together and i love ya”

“you’re disgustingly cute today” you teased

he scrunched his nose up at you, chuckling “fuck off, ‘m tryna make ya feel better” and pulling you into his chest and holding you tight against him.

“i love you too” you smiled up at him, molding your lips within his.

“ya glad we did it?” he asked you, rubbing circles on your arm

“yeah. now i can finally treat you like my boyfriend and not like we have an awkward friendship”

he giggled at your comment, pressing another sweet kiss to your soft lips, telling you how much he loves you.

#anon #answered #blurbs #niall #niall horan #niall horan blurb #niall horan blurbs #niall blurb #vogue morning routine #niall blurbs #one direction #one direction blurbs #one direction blurb #vogue #boyfriend niall #boyfriend niall horan

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stwolfhardimaginez · 5 years ago

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music reveal party. f.w imagine.

summary; y/n hosts a music reveal party for her new song, st cast watches it.. something she never expects happens when a knock is at the door... ( im so dramatic... bye.)

warnings; finn being a flirt, heated🔥( .... im logging off) , fluff and aged up!

outfit n hair🔽

third person pov

gaten, millie, noah, finn, sadie and caleb all sat on the couch facing the wall that had a projector having a timer that was three minutes to midnight.

which was when y/n’s music video would be released.

“can’t we just watch it before midnight?” gaten asked yawning.

y/n walked out from behind them in a baggy tee shirt with shorts underneath. “no. it’s three minutes. you’ll survive.” she said as the two laughed.

“from the pictures you posted on your Instagram teasing it, i’d rather watch it alone.” finn said smirking.

“okay tozier.” she said rolling her eyes trying to hide the blush forming on her cheeks as the girls scolded finn for being his inner Richie Tozier. she to the kitchen since since her face was so red from one single comment.

finn has always been a flirt to me, i never thought of anything of it cause i thought he was like that to everyone else.. which is why she never been a flirt back, but she liked him.

who wouldn’t?

she laughed at her own thoughts as the speak of the devil walked in, y/n pulled herself up on the counter going on Instagram.

“so you aren’t gonna show me the video before them.” finn asked, she looked up and laughed and shook her head.

“y/n?” he said, she looked up at him as he bit his lip.

“do you have blush on?” he asked. fuck.

“yeah. I-i um yeah i do.” she replied, cursing herself for stuttering, he then walked up to her as he was right between her legs.

( what-)

“i didn’t notice it before.” he said— “ maybe cause it’s dark in there and there’s actually lighting here.” i said about to jump off the counter but finn put his warm hands on my bare thighs.

“you sure you aren’t blushing?” he asked and before i could say anything, i heard noah yell.

“y/n!! the timer is over. come show us your video.” he yelled and i took finn’s heads off my thighs and jumped off now he was towering over me.

“im not blushing, but you will once you see the video.” she said walking away into the living room leaving finn flustered

y/n quickly ran over to her computer clicking the play button that started the video.

the video started with a panning of what looked like a nursery, the wall was painted a pastel pink that had y/n’s name written in cursive writing that was painted a lavender color.

then it showed y/n sitting in what looked like a big crib, the wig she was wearing was in curly pigtails, one side of her hair was pink while the other one was black, she was wearing a baggy t shirt that said crybaby on it and was just wearing knee high socks.

the camera then showed two people walk in, a guy that looked a lot like finn. had the curly mop of hair, was really pale and looked lanky who was with a girl that looked like a cut out copy of y/n.

the camera then panned to y/n who was twirling her curly hair around her finger, she looked at the couple that walked in then back to the camera.

“tired blue boy walks my way, holding a girls hand.” she sang, she lipsynced the song slower so it looked more sensual.

“someone told me stay away from things that aren’t yours but was it really yours if he wanted me so bad?” y/n sang again smiling innocently after she finished the line.

“you don’t love her, stop lying with those words.” she sang again running her finger down her lips.

the next shot played in the video as y/n now had her knees up to her chest with her arms resting over her legs.

“i can’t stand her whining, and loving her seems tired.” she sang now sitting up on her knees.

“so boy love me down,down down.” she sang again as the camera went down then went up from y/n hand pulled it back up.

•••

“you don’t love her, stop lying with all those words.” she sang the last line of the song as she turned her back to the camera and slowly went on her back.

the video now showed the bloopers of the video, it showed y/n in a different outfit while someone did her makeup.

“never thought it hurt so bad, getting over you. your giving me a heart attack.” she sang as the girl doing her makeup laughed.

another shot was of her dancing to wake up by beyonce, then the director dancing with her.

finn had his jaw clenched as he watched the director hold hands with her and watch her smile at him, what made him even more mad was when he turned to look at y/n she was smiling at the two dancing, he looked back as it was just y/n at the camera lip syncing.

“ excuse me.... uhm? i love you, who starts a conversation like that? nobody but i do.” she sang smiling.

“stream stranger things season 3 on july fourth.” she said making a kissy face then walking away as the screen went black.

“i loved it!” millie said as sadie nodded her head, “thank you!” y/n said smiling. “you guys can finally go home.” she said turning her lights back on.

the cast said goodbye and hugged and

y/n shut her door and started cleaning up the living room so she could hurry up and go to bed, all sudden a rapid knock came on the front door.

could someone forget something? she thought.. but when she looked around she didn’t see anything that belonged to anyone that was here before.

“im coming! jesus.” she said annoyed at the rapid knocking.

she swung open the door and saw him. “what do you wan- finn?” she said confused.

but before she could say anything else finn smashed his lips against hers grabbing her body.

he kicked the door behind him and locked it with just one hand, he continued making out with her, he then lowered his head leaving hickeys all along her neck.

“finn.” she said breathlessly, “what are you doing here?” she asked him trying to catch her breath.

“i like you, y/n. ive always liked you. whenever i had to kiss millie i pretended it was..... you.” he said breathlessly.

“but your a flirt? you flirt with everyone.” she said confused, “no.. no.” he said laughing.

“Caleb and gaten told me to flirt with you to see if you would do it back.” he said.

“you aren’t saying anything so i guess you don’t feel the same.” he finished running his hand threw his curly hair.

he then headed towards the door but y/n grabbed his hand and pulled him back and smashed her lips against his as he kissed back.

“so you like me?” he said while still kissing her.

“shut up.” she replied laughing.

songs used...

pacify her - melanie martinez

wake up - Beyoncé

heart attack - one direction ( this is a bop. change my mind)

au volant- elsa and emilie ( i was listening to it while i was writing)

#finn wolfhard #finn wolfhard imagine #mike wheeler #richie tozier #finn wolfhard au

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loneleesoul · 6 years ago

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Starker: Party Games Pt. 2

dang, this is turning into a lil story, im loving this and I hope you love it too.

💙💙💙

"Isn't that breaking the rules of the game?" Peter decides to be brave in his last living moments.

"I won't tell anyone." Tony whispers, walking closer to Peter.

He gives in, fear taking over. "Who are you the most afraid of here?" He sighs, not looking at Tony.

To Peter's surprise, Tony laughs. "Seriously? That's so pathetic Parker." He laughs as Peter sends a text to Aunt May to get him.

Ned would forgive him, if he survived this conversation.

"Of course, Ned is so not like that.. I got angry over nothing." Tony shrugs and Peter stares. "You aren't mad now? Aren't you always mad at pathetic poor pitiful Peter Parker?" Now Peter's mad. "You wonder why I said no to getting trapped in a room with you? For one I'm terrified of you and two, that's like accepting you beating me up..letting you beat me up by voluntarily being alone with you. But whatever, you beat me up weekly anyways."

Tony looks a bit shocked and Peter brushes past him to go get Ned. He's fuming, smoke from the ears mad.

He finds Ned talking to the girl he accidentally offended earlier and just drags him away. "We are leaving right now."

And Ned knows well enough to not anger a mad Peter, it mainly ends in frustrated tears actually.

They walk past Tony and walk to May's car. "What happened?" Is May's first words and Ned shakes his head in a warning. "Can we just go home please."

__________

Everyone seemed shocked to see Peter show up at school the next day. Except for Tony, which Peter hadn't seen and was trying to avoid. Some people even asked how he had survived Tony's wrath.

If anything, some could say that Tony was glad to come out of an angry conversation with Peter unscathed. Peter, of course, has never hit anyone or wanted to hit anyone.

Peter nearly makes it through history without Tony, when he shows up seven minutes before the bell rings.

He audibly curses when Tony walks through the door, earning himself a detention. He's glad Tony didn't hear the words "motherfucking shit nugget!!" aimed at him.

"Late Stark, detention." The teacher barks at Tony, who ignores her.

Now's a really good time to use the phrase motherfucking shit nugget.

Tony doesn't say a word or even look at him all class, which shocks Peter.

Ned even notices, and shrugs at Peter across the classroom.

Tony doesn't seem fuming angry like last night, or pissed off like when he speaks to Peter. It's like, the moment he saw him at the party last night he had changed.

Now, Peter's starting to guess what Tony really wanted to do in that room.

Beating Peter up seemed to have made the most sense, but it was a room for that.

There's no way.

There's absolutely no way.

That Tony Stark... could like Peter Parker.

__________

The moment the bell rings Peter follows Ned out, hoping he'd be some form of protection.

Wait, if Tony wasn't mad at him did Peter really need protection?

"Come on Peter, don't be late to detention.. you are already in enough trouble." Ned tries to push him away but Peter's glued to him. "No way dude, I'm waiting until Stark is already in there so he won't sit by me."

Ned rolls his eyes "He's always late though, wanna come over for dinner? My mom's making something she found off of pinterest." He gleams with pride for his mother and Peter laughs.

"Do you mean you found it and showed it to her? I've seen your pinterest Ned, nothing but Beyonce and baking videos." They stand outside the detention room.

"Very funny Peter, now go.. I don't want to be associated with a rule breaking hooligan." He pushes him through the door and walks away.

And just as Peter had hoped, Stark was already in the room. Staring of course as Peter sits far from him.

He takes a seat next to Michelle, who nods at him. "What are you in for?"

"Saying a curse word." He winces, realising how stupid it actually was. She raises her brows at him."I say fuck on the daily and never get reprimanded, what could you have possibly said to get put in here?"

"Motherfucking shit nugget." He whispers, mindful of the few people near them.

Michelle gasps in fake shock. "What a bad curse word, wanna play War?" She pulls out a deck of cards.

"Sure, I'm not that good so it'll be a short game." He admits with a shrug and Michelle looks around the room. "Hey he's pretty cool.. Stark, get over here."

Peter grabs her arm and hisses a menacing "You are the motherfucking shit nugget now."

She smiles as Tony walks over "Yeah MJ?" He pulls a chair up to her desk as she holds up the cards. "War."

"Sure, I'll kick your ass." It's as if Peter isn't here.

That's why he stays silent for the first few minutes. Unsure of what was going on in Tony's mind, he hadn't gotten a beating this week yet. He could slam his head down on the desk, shattering his nose and the teacher wouldn't even notice.

"Peter, go." Tony mutters, waiting for him to put his card down.

So he does realize Peter is here. He places down a card and a few seconds later, ends up losing even more cards to Michelle.

Peter stares anxiously at the few unturned cards in his hand, he was going to lose. "Scared Parker?" Michelle taunts and Peter scoffs. "Sometimes you gotta sacrifice your soldiers to end up winning the battle."

Tony snorts, amused but staying silent. Woah, that's a first. He usually laughs at his pain or struggles.

Peter still loses, all his cards now with Michelle, who wins overall. "Bitch, who kicked your ass? I kicked your ass! Biiiitch, who kicked your ass? I kicked your ass!" She cheers and Tony rolls his eyes. "I totally had that game, and you were totally looking at your cards the whole time." He groans defensively and Michelle tosses the cards all over her desk.

"Loser, 52 card pickup." She points at the splattered pile half on the floor half on the desk. Peter sighs, bending down to get all of the cards from the dirty floor.

"You need to up your game Parker, next time you call someone a motherfucking shit nugget you better have practiced before." She says as he puts all of the cards back in the box.

"Hey, it's technically a game of luck, what cards you get."

Ok something is seriously wrong. Peter stares in wonder, was that Tony defending him. "Is that why you lost? You got bad cards?" Michelle puts the box in her bag and slings it over her shoulder.

"Let's go to dinner, loser over here can pay.. right?" Her eyebrows are raised in a threating sort of way.

"I can't, Michelle I'll buy you dinner some other time. I'm already going over to Ned's." He's mindful of Tony's stare.

Has he always been staring at him and Peter just never noticed?

"This is why nobody likes you, I'll hold you up on that offer.. Toe-knee you are welcome to have him pay for you too." She gives a lame finger-guns snap before walking out.

It's already too uncomfortable for Peter to bear and he stands, chair squeaking awkwardly.

"Peter..." Tony's quiet and Peter pretends to not hear him and he grabs his bag. It's almost been 30 minutes and Peter sees no harm in leaving early.

Aunt May's texted him saying she's outside, and sweet freedom.

Until a hand grabs his wrist, pulling hard.

He stumbles back, legs buckling and he falls into Tony's chest. His muscular arms hold Peter tight, as Peter struggles.

This is it, Tony was holding in all of his rage for now. He was a goner.

"Peter." Tony mumbles, and it's almost like they're hugging.

"Tony please let me go... I'm so sorry for yelling at you just please don't hit me again." He begs, remembering he still had some bruises from last week.

Tony lets him go and Peter turns to face him quickly. "I'm sorry." He's so damn quiet.

"Look.. it's fine, my ride is here and I really need to go." He says, walking backwards slowly. He waits for a reply but is met with staring silence.

He turns and quickly walks out the doors.

__________

Damn it Stark, fucking pussy.

He watches Parker run out the doors and groans.

So weak, just tell the little shit already.

Last night, Peter had opened Tony's eyes. Shocked him to the very core.

He realized that he was seriously hurting him, which should've been obvious.

Besides yes, beating him up, emotionally hurting him. How could Tony not have seen it before? How shy he was, anxiety, never ate, didn't defend himself because he thought everything said of him was true.

I'm such an asshole.

Stuck in the cliché of bullying the person you like.

Peter would never ever want to be with him, it's like he said. "I'm terrified of you..."

It was like Tony had been shot, and he deserved all of the pain.

This boy would never say yes to Tony, ever... He'd think of it as a joke or ask if cameras were around.

He wishes he had his number, or any way to contact him. Spamming him would eventually work.

Maybe treating him like shit wasn't the best approach.

He needs to change.

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literaryfaeriecorner · 4 years ago

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02/21/2021: Promotions, Old Friends, and Yellow School Buses

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February 21st, 2021

somehow i received a promotion at work last Friday even though i am literally probably one of the LEAST motivated people teaching at that school... fuck. so... now, instead of just being a regular-schmegular teacher, i am now the '6th grade head social studies teacher' which means that i have to run planning meetings for the social studies team, attend morning meetings discussing whole-grade growth and failings, and solutions for how we're going to get the kids to... not suck. uuuuuuggggghhhhhh!!! and this is for the rest of the year and the next!!!!

apparently, i am the 'perfect person' for this position because all of my classes have consistently performed better than the rest... but between you, me, and the entire internet, that speaks more to the abilities of my students than my own personal abilities as a teacher. i don't believe i'm a sucky teacher or anything but the fact remains that between work, grad school, delusional lovesick-related episodes, mental illness, and other varying distractions, i am not Doing The Best I Can. in fact, i'm literally in survival mode 95% of the time. the other 5% of the time, i'm in manic-as-fuck mode. so... do i really DESERVE this promotion? who even fucking knows? i like to believe, however, that i'll eventually figure out how to bullshit this new responsibility as well and no one will be the wiser. i mean, if this promotion came with a financial boost as well, i'd be more inclined to not fuck it up but, like... i'm doing more work for the same weak ass pay... i'm not as motivated with kind words and encouragement than i would be with a solid boost to my pay grade. anyway... whatever.

i was on tumblr the other day (i am fasting from all social media sites during the day for Lent but tumblr doesn't count because i literally just reblog five or six posts into the void, look at sad literature quotes, and log out just to do it all over again the next day... i am not addicted to tumblr as i am to twitter, instagram, pinterest, and linkedin... yes, linkedin. my quest to escape my job has led me down a very weird and addictive path) and i came across this post by user beetlejuices:

"isn't it all about old friends? like everything? all of it?"

and it is. i think so. i really do.

one of the things i've been conscious of in my early adulthood is that i am still chasing after the friendships i had in middle school. i wrote about this two Lents ago too. there is a memory that i remember so vividly in middle school and it reminds me constantly about how i felt so loved and appreciated and like the world couldn't go on without me if i somehow left or disappeared or went away. i think about it all the time. that is how freeing and loving and whole it is. just a simple memory of being three hours late to school (after a huge, blown out argument between parents who should've divorced years ago) and being startled by a flood of texts that starting pouring in at 7 that morning.

ashley: YOOOO where r u? they snagged all the donuts from the corner store!

alysha: you missed the bus this morning?

ashley: i bought donuts off eman 4 u... say im the best :D

kiera: U MISSED CRYSTAL'S FAT HEAD ASS SLIP DOWN THE STEPS LMAOOO

kiera: u're always here early u good?

alysha: are you coming 2 school today?

ashley: are u ok?

Christyl: don't forget we have a test in math!! where are you?

kiera: babe?

ashley: are you ok? why is ur phone off?

alysha: i just talked to ashley are u ok?

Christyl: where r u?

kiera: i just talked to ashley r u ok?

kiera: none of ur sisters r here either... u ok?

ashley: i'll call again @ lunch

alysha: pls be safe

Christyl: i'll tell the teacher you're sick and maybe you can take it tomorrow

Christyl: are you ok?

and even more messages that were sent during and inbetween classes... i thought it was a bit too late (and too time consuming) to respond to them all individually so after being signed into school three hours late, i decided to wait for all my friends at our table in the cafeteria to surprise them before explaining my mess of a morning. i was nervous because i thought they would be mad at me for some reason. but as soon as they saw me, ashley, alysha, kiera, and christyl, they came barreling towards me screaming my name. it was an entire scene. people looking at them crazy and then raising their eyebrows at me, not seeing what the big deal was. i probably looked the same exact way that i did the day before. unspectacular, bookish, awkward. they couldn't see what the big deal was. it embarrassed me but it thrilled me at the same time.

they nearly knocked me to the floor pushing each other to get to me first trying to steal the first hug. in the end, i stretched my arms out as far as i could and they all fell into them. we probably looked a mess. a tangle of brown legs, arms, frizzy hair, loose braids, and scuffed dress shoes. i remember feeling so loved and wanted. i felt bigger and grander than i was. i had stopped the world for five entire minutes and i didn't do anything. i was just existing.

i don't really talk to any of the girls anymore. i follow them on social media and i wish them happy birthday every year and we're all on each other's close friends list on insta... so i still know a few, if not all, of their secrets... but we'll probably never be as close as we were in middle school. and that's ok. i still love them as much as i did when they tackled me in the lunch room that day. i still root and cheer for them like we still spend every night after school on the phone for hours talking shit and planning presidential campaigns and gossiping about boys. i will never forget that day in the lunchroom. ever. and, like i said, it has only occurred to me now, as a young adult, that i've been chasing that kind of friendship and sisterhood since it happened.

i like to treat all my friendships as mini-romances. i remember a tweet that said, "friendships ARE romance," and i agree. i think i'm in love with all of my close friends, if not all of my friends. it's embarrassing (just a bit) but i have probably fallen in love with all of my friends at least once or twice. this is especially true for my group of college friends (at this point, they are really family). i have been in love, at least once, with all eight of them throughout our four years. i don't actually find this embarrassing like i said earlier. what's embarrassing is that this information might embarrass other people which, in turn, would thoroughly embarrass me. but the fact itself doesn't embarrass me. that is how i am. i fall in love and out of love at breakneck speeds. i think it's important to be a little bit in love with your friends.

i really enjoyed being in undergrad and planning literal dates between all eight or nine of us. and we would call it that. "what are we doing for our date next weekend?" "so who's going on the date tomorrow?" "are we cancelling the date or does the weather not matter?" (the weather always mattered.) my favorite college date was valentine's day senior year. we all went to korean-style karaoke and ordered so much food and drink we could barely stand to sing. we were all sat around the tv singing horribly to mariah carey or beyonce or rapping to nicki minaj verses. we took so many bad pictures and tone deaf videos and we kept leaning or hugging or holding each other's hands. that's another thing i love about my college family. most of us are touchy-feely people. i am a touchy-feely person. i'm southern and my mom is ridiculously gooey so one of my love languages, inevitably, is touch. i, usually, reign it in A LOT unless i have a partner but in college, i somehow discovered a whole group of people who loved to kiss each other on the cheek and hold hands and lean on other people, and lock arms. i felt at home. really.

maybe it's not only about old friends, though. maybe it's about feeling at home.

there was another post on tumblr and i think about it a lot. it's a screenshot of a tweet from twitter user @HumbleCore.

"HUGE NEWS: finally found my best friend from middle school on FB. We've both been looking for each other for over a decade. I told her I think about her whenever I play any boardgame or drive by a church. She told me she uses my name as her password at work. A perfect reunion."

when i read that the other night, i cried. i don't know why. it was heavy and ridiculous and i was worried my roommates would hear me. i don't know why i cried. at all. and even typing it out like that made me want to cry again. the feeling is not as strong or as overwhelming as it was the first time but it's still there.

i think about a best friend i had in first grade. even before i thought of ashley as my best friend (i have known Middle School Ashley since the first grade. i thought we were destined to be best friends forever and ever and ever, which is what i wrote in her middle school yearbook). his name was Malik. or Malique. my memory fails me. but anyway, i loved him like crazy. we didn't do anything without the other. we shared lunch together, we HAD to be partners on every field trip, i cried when Ms. Sanchez moved my seat from his in an effort to stop us from disrupting her lessons and i hated her for an entire week. (a very long time from a first-grade perspective.) even now, i think about him whenever i go to petting zoos or farms and when i ride on yellow school buses with my students.

Malik/Malique was my first kiss. we were hiding from Ms. Sanchez and the other chaperones so we could pet the goats one last time. while we were hiding behind a barn, he kissed me. "for good luck," he said. and then we sprinted across the farm to get back to the goats. and we pet them again before Ms. Sanchez found us and ordered us back on the big yellow school bus where we held hands for the entire hour-long ride back to school.

it's very silly to think now but in high school when i was trying to determine whether i loved my first boyfriend or not i remember thinking, "well, does he make me feel like Malik/Malique?" it's silly but sweet. at fourteen, still comparing the way he made me feel behind a barn at 5 years old to how another boy, years and years later, made me feel. it is silly but i think it's sweet.

i don't actually have any interest in finding Malik/Malique or knowing for certain what he does or how he's doing because i seriously doubt i had such an impact on his life, but i hope he's well and alive and happy because that's what i always naturally hope for when i pass petting zoos or farms or see bright yellow school buses.

so, yes. i think everything, us, our relationships, the entire world, is about old friends. all of it. every last bit of it.

i have a whole-grade data analysis, 300 pages of reading, and two mini-papers for classes to finish before tonight so i'm going to get going... i just wanted to write about old friends first.

#on love #on friendship #on teaching #on community #stream of conscious #crushes

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womenofcolor15 · 5 years ago

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‘Love is Blind’ Star Lauren Speed Wants Brown Girls To Know THIS About Finding Your Soul Mate (Exclusive)

TheYBF.com caught up with “Love Is Blind” stars Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton and - after binging this mostly foolywang material of a show - we love them even more. Find out the message Lauren has for brown girls about finding their soul mate and more inside…

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t watched “Love Is Blind” yet, this post contains spoilers.

Is Love really Blind? Ask Mrs. Hamilton!

Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton (above, spreading their love all over NYC while doing press) quickly became fan favorites on everyone’s newest Netflix obsession, “Love Is Blind.” And y'all, we had to suffer through A LOT of foolishness from their castmates to watch their love story blossom. Still recovering from Jessica and Amber and everyone in between.

The series picked a group of men and women, put them in a house and let them go on “blind dates” to see if anyone could find true love based on an emotional connection. That’s right, they couldn’t see each other while “dating.” They would go into these cozy pods and build connections with one another by conversing through a wall. They never saw each other. Before the time was up, they had to decide if they wanted to get engaged with someone they connected with and then they would walk down the aisle weeks later to say, “I Do.”

We were on hand to watch the Weddings (the final episodes) with the cast in Atlanta, so we got to ask the pressing questions we needed to know after damn near throwing our wine and phone at the TV every other episode.

Yup, The Hamiltons (adorbs!) are still living happily ever after. And thank God at least one couple made sense on this show.

While most of the couples didn’t last, there were two couples who actually tied the knot: Lauren Speed married Cameron Hamilton and Amber Pike married Matt Barnett (that last couple was and still is a DOOZY).

We can't lie, we were shocked to see Sex & Sephora Amber & Barnett tie the knot and still be together chile.

During the show, Lauren shared how Cameron was the first white man she had ever been with. Meanwhile, Cameron shared he was in a serious relationship for years with a black woman before Lauren, so he was well aware of the struggles an interracial couple would face.

On the show, Lauren said she wanted to be as authentic as possible – even down to her wearing her bonnet in the bed with him at night – because she really wanted to see if this “experiment” would work.

Well, it did for her (also because she's a WHOLE catch, and so is he). And now she’s dropping gems, specifically to brown girls like her, about finding your soul mate.

YBF correspondent Erena caught up with Mr. & Mrs. Hamilton during the series finale screening in Atlanta and here’s what she told us:

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Take notes ladies.

View this post on Instagram

Right before this experience, I was just at the point where I had given up on the fairytale. Feeling like we sell little girls these dreams of a Prince Charming that doesn’t really exist. Clearly God had the last laugh. I was open minded entering this experience honestly never expecting to fall in love and become the happiest I’ve ever been all while being recorded for the world to see. When I said Cameron looked like a Prince I meant it... he to me embodied everything I had dreamed of in my fairytale... Kind, smart, loving, selfless, brave could make me laugh and cry all in one conversation... but most importantly made me feel valued and loved. Of course like anything in life we are humans and not without struggle. But as you mature you learn that the struggles are what strengthen you and help you realize what needs more care. Im excited to continue this next chapter with you Mr. Hamilton. Us against the world. Bonnie and Clyde (minus the shoot up) #LoveIsBlind currently streaming on @Netflix @lajoyphotographyllc

A post shared by Lauren Speed (@need4lspeed) on Mar 2, 2020 at 3:30pm PST

By the way, the Hamiltons have a YouTube Page coming down the pipeline soon:

View this post on Instagram

Ummmm so we did a thing! @cameronreidhamilton and @need4lspeed got with me to take some amazing photos for their brand new YouTube Page! Yes you heard me right! They have a new YouTube page all about them! Subscribe to their new page and my page for updated videos and photos! Full video link in bio! . . Link in bio for the full video! . . . Photo: @lajoyphotographyllc Video: @iamteko Graphics: @thechloebrand . . . #lajoyphotography #loveisblind #loveisblindnetflix #laurenandcameron #atlphotographer #lifestylephotographer #lifestylephotoshoot #atlentrepreneurs #youtubers #girlceo #photography #netflix #weddingphotography #weddinginspiration #americascouple #laurenandcameron

A post shared by LAJOY COX | Photographer (@lajoyphotographyllc) on Mar 2, 2020 at 1:01pm PST

"Love Is Blind" star Carlton Morton was also in the mix. He became a breakout star of the show after he waited until AFTER he proposed to Diamond to tell her he was a bisexual man. The timing was extrmeely off and his excuses about why he waited to tell the woman he claimed to wanted to spend his life with were, to put it mildly, trash. THEN, he had the audacity to demean and degrade her as she was explaining to him why she was upset that he waited to reveal something that's a huge part of who he is and being her potential partner. Needless to say, she dipped on his a** - while quoting Beyonce's "Don't Hurt Yourself" - and never looked back.

Now, he claims he's no longer doing press because no one has been supporting him:

View this post on Instagram

Thanks for the 3 of y’all who supported me in this. I feel alone and don’t want any of this life anymore. I’m fighting ALONE. And it HURTS.

A post shared by Carlton Morton (@carltonmorton) on Mar 3, 2020 at 1:55pm PST

Hmph.

During the screening, TheYBF.com also spoke with married couple Amber & Barnett and how they felt right before the wedding - especially when Amber thought Barnett didn't want to marry her. Formerly engaged couple Damian Powers & Giannina Gibelli (he called it off at the alter!) were also in attendance and they shared how they're moving forward.

Peep all the clips below:

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The Internet is ALL IN for the show and has been reacting to scenes from the episodes on social media. And by reacting, we mean gagging. Below are some reactions:

when Cameron looked in Lauren's eyes and said "I promise i will take care of you baby" #LoveIsBlind pic.twitter.com/RO5gxb4sRD

— Bimbzy Jay (@ladybimbzey) February 28, 2020

Lauren swearing and then apologising to the pastor #LoveIsBlind pic.twitter.com/jZQdCg6fZd

— alot of people will be scared (@its_minnie3) February 28, 2020

Just finished the love is blind finale. Thanks Cameron and Lauren for carrying THEE season on your necks #loveisblind pic.twitter.com/zwjEhQIFuN

— zamzam (@itszamzam_) February 28, 2020

When Giannina comes back from running away and stares at Damian. #LoveIsBlind #loveisblindnetflix #loveisblindfinale pic.twitter.com/CgYpSnM2Ww

— BECK - Queen of Tron (@I_Dream_Data) February 28, 2020

Me watching all the couples break up, but Lauren and Cameron staying together #LoveIsBlind pic.twitter.com/5QedMwuNQ6

— Mara (@marasantanaaa) February 28, 2020

When Cameron told Lauren “I promise I’m going to take care of you baby” #LoveIsBlind pic.twitter.com/bBtZiOgR7u

— mamba forever (@dioruadore) February 28, 2020

Mark’s mom when Jessica was coming down the aisle #loveisblindfinale #LoveIsBlind pic.twitter.com/1Vhtsnw2P5

— Laige Pindsey (@iironicaa) February 28, 2020

Me watching the wedding episode of #loveisblind after all the other times I’ve been shooketh in the past hour. #laurenandcameron I ship them so hard I can’t pic.twitter.com/aNXpPm2bb4

— jbrooksie27 (@jbrooksie271) February 28, 2020

Ok this what I be waiting on #laurenandcameron pic.twitter.com/tiFoGiXUFq

— Whitty (@WhitneyLeola) February 28, 2020

Me yesterday: I'd never be the white man's whore!

Me today: *watching #laurenandcameron getting married*#loveisblindnetflix #LoveIsBlind pic.twitter.com/IAnXroTsOv

— Wakanda fresh h*ll is this? (@DaWakandaTarget) February 27, 2020

Lauren and Cameron’s wedding is out.... I’m ready to cry on the tube #LoveIsBlind #laurenandcameron pic.twitter.com/tX5h2wu4Mw

— spam account (@GRAYVSGREY) February 27, 2020

Cameron and Lauren watching their Instagram followers go up and people asking for a spin off. Awww yeah #LoveIsBlind #loveisblindnetflix #laurenandcameron pic.twitter.com/UqNpPTsRMa

— LBoogie (@lplockkk) February 27, 2020

PUT ON YOUR GOWNS, SLIPPERS, PEARLS, JAMMIES, TUXEDOS OR WHATEVER AND HEAD TO THE LIVING ROOM. The ceremonies BEGIN IN 50 MINUTES!!! #LaurenAndCameron #LoveIsBlindNetfix pic.twitter.com/g7lyq6QJAB

— Kels (@zaynlove2016) February 27, 2020

Me talking to everyone about #LoveIsBlind even though they don’t watch the show pic.twitter.com/WQH5ReWlXm

— J. (@j_goic) February 22, 2020

Me trying to figure out who are these other people on the Cameron and Lauren show?? #LoveIsBlind #netflix pic.twitter.com/oy52BSbpiL

— Jasmyn Alexis (@itsjasmynalexis) February 20, 2020

Fast forwarding through everyone else on #loveisblind so I can just watch Lauren and Cameron! The best connection on any TV dating show I’ve seen in awhile!!! #LoveIsBlind #LoveIsBlindNetflix #Netflix #LaurenandCameron pic.twitter.com/JLN7KSYbbn

— Housewife Hoe (@brav_hoequeen) February 17, 2020

me, before watching love is blind: i want a black ass husband black ass kids black ass family me, after watching #loveisblind: pic.twitter.com/FF4czO1kNI

— jess (@tv_jessica_) February 22, 2020

me welcoming people as they slowly trickle into the Love is Blind fandom pic.twitter.com/OMq9yWoC7G

— Nick Morrow (@NRMorrow) February 25, 2020

When Cameron tells Lauren he’s gonna take care of her #LoveIsBlind pic.twitter.com/0dLlHRluyi

— Knock off Meg the Stallion (@moniemeetsworld) February 28, 2020

The "Love Is Blind" reunion begins streaming on Netflix this Thursday, March 5th. Catch the spicy sneak peek below:

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*Pours wine in preparation*

Photos: Splash/Getty Images for Netflix

[Read More ...] source http://theybf.com/2020/03/03/%E2%80%98love-is-blind%E2%80%99-star-lauren-speed-wants-brown-girls-to-know-this-about-finding-your-soul-

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actualltr4sh · 6 years ago

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i’m doing this bc im having an existential crisis

1.if someone wanted to really understand you, what would they read, watch, and listen to?: read the mothers by britt bennett, watch stuck in love (2012), listen to the suns tirade / isaiah rashad

2.have you ever found a writer who thinks just like you? if so, who?: not yet.

3.three songs that you connect with right now: i’ve been heavily immersed in florence & the machine lately. drumming song, what kind of man, heavy in your arms

4.would you have sex with the last person you text messaged?: no lmao

5.have you taken someones virginity?: whoops!

6.how many people of the opposite sex do you fully trust?: you can’t trust none of these niggas tbh.

7.if you could, would you take back your last kiss?: i would take back the circumstances in which we kissed, not the kiss itself lmao.

8.who would you like to see in concert?: isaiah rashad. i’d probably cry the whole time lmfao.

9.what was the last concert you saw?: beyonce i think.

10.would you ever want to swim with sharks?: you niggas are crazy.

11.do you think you’ll change in the next 3 months?: i sure as the fuck hope so.

12.what was the last thing that made you laugh?: mmm.. new girl.

13.a song you’d listen to during soft/slow/passionate sex?: any of the old weeknd. let’s get dark and twisty.

14.have any pets?: 0.

15.do you want to have kids? How many?: if i get over my evergrowing fear of being in love again i’d like one. a boy. zion.

16.do you have piercings? How many?: 9. i doubt i’m done. i can at least get to 10. i’m no puss.

17.do you miss anyone from your past?: ish. i think about people from my past a lot. i wish everyone the best.

18.what are you craving right now?: sanity lmfao.

19.have you ever broken someone’s heart?: i doubt it lol.

20.have you ever been cheated on?: kinda. it was a technicality. i had never felt more cheated in my life though. it took me months to get over it. it’s damned near a yes LMFAO

21.have you made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry?: yeah i guess so. we’ve cried as a unit.

22.do you believe in true love?: not any more.

23.favourite weather?: spring or fall. i like my weather mid as fuck LMFAO

24.do you like the snow?: not particularly.

25.do you wanna get married?: doubt it’ll happen.

26.is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby?: if i’m in love with you lmfao.

27.what’s an inner joke you have with your friends?: “excuse me, did you see my ash???” LMFAO

28.go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is!: space is completely silent, says the internet.

29.what’s your favorite pasta dish?: cajun chicken pasta from chilis - no tomatoes.

30.what color do you really want to dye your hair?: blonde, actually.

31.what’s your favorite eye color?: brown. ugh. sex.

32.talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces.: it’s a red duffle bag i got when i was like 8 from when i did gymnastics.

33.are you a morning person?: i’m barely even a person lmao god no.

34. what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into?: i don’t think i can say i’ve broken in anywhere lmfao

35.what are the shoes you’ve had for forever and wear with every single outfit?: used to be my white chucks, it’s now black combat boots.

36.what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks.: i haven’t worn matching socks since i was like 9 or 10. i typically wear the fun ones. i don’t sleep in socks because i’m not a fucking serial killer.

37.tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends.: one time we were at a party and we got locked outside of my friends car and we had to ask some random guy in a fraternity for help and he unlocked it with a hanger.

38.do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it!: it’s this place called ‘sip’ in crown point indiana. it’s cute and quaint and they have cookie dough hot chocolate. there’s a book you can write stuff in and people can read it whenever. none of the chairs match. it’s like a huge thrift store with coffee.

39.who was the last person you gazed at the stars with?: probably joe lmao.

40.what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today?: mmmm i don’t know.

41.do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought?: i used to LOVE buying cd’s. the last two cd’s i bought were the soundtrack to into the woods and 2014 forest hills drive lol.

42.think of a person. what song do you associate with them?: dante, holla if you need me. that was our song when we were like 12 lmfao.

43.what are your favorite memes of the year so far?: idk. i keep taking social media breaks (outside of tumblr obviously) i can’t even think of any lol.

44.do you like poetry? what are some of your faves?: love. the first thing that came to mind was we real cool by gwendolyn brooks. idk why.

45.what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received?: given? like some now laters and a tea lmfao. idk about received honestly. i like most of my gifts.

46.what are some of your worst habits?: i can sound/be incredibly patronizing. i’m self destructive. i’m oblivious. and impressionable.

47.describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns.: they are one of the smartest people i know. they focus too much on their flaws and can hardly see how amazing they are. they are so fun to be around and i aspire to be like them one day.

48.tell us about your pets!: 0.

49.is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t?: idk. being a success story.

50.are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub?: eh. fuck minions. i guess that’s hate lmao.

51.what’s one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you?: once i tweeted “if a boy ever called me and sang just the way you are by bruno mars, i’d die.” and someone called me and sang it. i was like 13 or 14 lmao.

52.describe one of your friend’s eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of.: the shape of almonds, and the shade of honey. a sea of allure one could get lost in. sweet and honest were the pieces that gazed.

53.what’s some of your favorite album art?: my beautiful dark twisted fantasy.

54.are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones?: nigga. i want two sleeves lmfao.

55.do you like concept albums? which ones?: meh.

56.what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives?: legally blonde.

57.list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them.: rope / isaiah rashad. heavy in your arms / florence & the machine.

58.if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why?: future. the past is done. i also do not want to do college again lmao.

59.what do you do when you’re sad?: be sad. write. cry. watch tv. sleep. avoid. make videos. laugh at memes.

60.what are some things you do when you can’t sleep?: sit and stare into the lids of my eyes lmao. i dead ass will just lay there with my eyes closed.

61.what was the best (non-romantic) night you’ve had?: idk.

62.who is the last person you told a secret to?: joe.

63.what’s the best piece of advice you ever received?: don’t date while you’re healing.. that’s the most recent at least.

#that's two in one day #i didn't even really like this one though so whoops #about me

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thecitykeepsevolving · 7 years ago

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Idina Menzel World Tour Concert Review - 5.20.17 Atlantic City, NJ

I went to my 3rd Idina concert in AC last night and it was amazing! I wrote a review. It’s not really coherent but it’s as much as I can remember. it’s under the cut because there are some spoilers (for those who don’t want to see any). I didn’t explain every little thing, just the main highlights. I don’t have pics because the lighting was bad, but I do have a short clip of “For Good” that I’ll post. (I already posted part of Let It Go, I’ll post the full one too)

SETLIST:

Queen of Swords

Small World

Seasons of Love

Don't Rain on My Parade (Funny Girl)

Everybody Knows

Cake / Black Dog (Led Zeppelin)

I'm Not That Girl

Perfect Story

Wind Beneath My Wings (Bette Midler)

Defying Gravity

I Do

Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel)

Rocksteady (Aretha Franklin)

No Day But Today

Dear Prudence (Beatles) / Do You Want to Build A Snowman?

For Good

Let It Go

Encore:

Every Time We Say Goodbye (Cole Porter)

I See You

The crowd was actually pretty tame. A LOT of older adults. The median age was probably 40. I expected to see a lot teens and kids but OH WELL, not complaining. i wish everyone would’ve been a little more LIT though. Idina was trying to get the crowd hyped and they were kinda eh.

SHE CAME OUT ON TIME!! At 8:07. I expected 8:30 so I was glad. When she came out, I lost my shit as always. This is the 7th time I’ve seen her live and 3rd concert and I still die every time. She was wearing the black jumpsuit thing from the Carmel/Japan shows and it looked HOT on her. I LOVED QUEEN OF SWORDS!!! ESPECIALLY THE DRUMMING. My 15 yr. old self died bc I used to think I would be an aspiring drummer one day (still do). This song is sooo good live, omg. And i was def singing along (NOT SORRY).

All of the songs from idina. were REALLY GOOD LIVE. It almost makes me wish it were a live album instead. I think it was the band/sound mixing that made it sound really good. Small world/Everybody Knows were never my favorite songs and based on what I’ve seen her sing from TV appearances they were ehhh but I really enjoyed both songs in person. A LOT.

Idina was casually talking about AC and said “I won 600 bucks at the casino” I was like YEAH, LIKE YOU NEED IT. OOOOKAY.

I was actually really glad to hear Seasons of Love, even though I’ve heard it sung live many times (not by Idina though). Only thing is, I wish it was later in the set? It just seemed like it was out of place. Also, at the beginning of the song, it sounded like echo was from the OBCR recording which was cool. I was surprised she remembered the words to this song, because she always forgot them at the BCEFA fundraiser for If/Then. But she NAILED the high note at the end of the song!!!

During “Don’t Rain on My Parade” before she sang “HEY THERE...HERE I AM” she said, “Where are we from? Jersey or Philly” (EVERYONE WHO COMES TO SOUTH JERSEY FOR A CONCERT ASKS THAT QUESTION) and a bunch of us (including me) screamed “JERSEY” (thank god). Then, someone said Long Island and she said, “YOU CAME TO AC FROM THERE?” AHAHAHA.

Also during DROMP the fringe from her jacket was hanging and she gave it to someone. it was pretty funny.

When introducing the song Cake, she talked about Aaron and “Since you last saw me, I got engaged. After getting divorced you never think that someone could love you again.” It was sweet.

CAKE WAS AMAZINGGGG LIVE. AS IF I DIDNT ALREADY LOVE IT FROM THE ALBUM. I’m so glad she put it in the set. I also loved the projections in the background during the whole concert. She was ROCKIN OUT and was classic rocker Idina! She rocked out so hard, that she said her face was hurting and she shouldn’t wear heavy metal earrings while singing a heavy metal song. After this, she turned to her guitarist and said “You don’t have that problem, fish.” She also said she needed a better bra and touched her boobs.

I really liked the Wind Beneath My Wings/DG mashup. I’ve heard Defying Gravity live 100 times and I’m sick of it, but the smoke, cape, and background set really added something to it. It made me like the song again. I also loved hearing some Beaches music too! The riffs on BOTH songs were amazing as always! She forgot the words to DG too. OF ALL SONGS.

OKAY, SO I CANT BELIEVE IM SAYING THIS. BUT “I DO” WAS ONE OF THE BEST PARTS OF THIS CONCERT. And this was the song I avoided listening to because of my anxiety. But I had some weird feeling that I’d have a revelation and love the song while hearing it live, and I DID. Toward the end of the song, Idina had this angry breakdown. I can’t explain it. She kept singing “I Do” and spinning around with her arms out while still holding the cape and swinging it around. Like, you could tell she was angry. But in a good way. She was letting it ALL OUT and being vulnerable and it was the greatest thing I’ve ever seen.

I liked the cover of Rocksteady. It was different. I was sick of her old covers so it was nice to hear something new. Her weird dancing during this song was hilarious! ALSO, PROPS TO VANESSA BRYAN. THAT WOMAN IS A SINGER!!! I was afraid of her having backup singers bc they usually overpower her, but they didn’t at all! The whole band was great. I liked it better than the last tour where she had an orchestra. I think it consumes her too much.

Clearly Idina knew that a lot of her audience members were repeat attenders, so she explained how she always likes to sing No Day But Today because it reminds her to live in the moment and she talked a little about Jonathan. I always love this part of her shows because it shows that she still acknowledges her humble beginnings. During the part where she holds the mic to the audience to sing “no day but today” like 2 people sang (I swear I could hear my own voice) so that was lame but after she said “thank you, that sounded really beautiful” and I was like OOOOOKAY THEN.

There was one part in the show (I can’t remember when) where Idina was like “I’m always keepin it real” I��n like HECK YEAHHH (that probably didn’t need to be written down but it was funny) EDIT: It was when she was moving her stool. And she said “I move my own furniture.” Then, she said her manager Burt made a request for the stool to come out from the stage like Beyonce (obviously kidding)

The Dear Prudence/Do You Wanna Build A Snowman mashup was interesting. I wasn’t thrilled about Idina singing another frozen song but it wasn’t a bad mashup and didn’t bother me as much as I expected.

I also thought “Let It Go” would piss me off but only 6 kids came up and it seemed a lot more organized than what I’ve seen at other shows. It was hilarious because Idina said (about the kids’ parents) “THESE ARE THE PARENTS WHO BRING THEIR KIDS TO A CASINO AT NIGHT” and I died. And I think one of the kids had the same bday as her? (Or maybe an audience member?) So she said “Yeah but you’re 30 years younger!” She took a selfie with all of the kids when they were done singing and it was cute. Then said they were all gonna play craps after the show. When the kids were going back to their parents, she was SO SALTY. I LOVED IT. She said to the parents, PUT THE PHONES DOWN AND TAKE YOUR KIDS.” HAHAH. EDIT: the boy (who was about 15) actually said to HER that he’s 30 years younger and she mimicked him.

Random side note: when I was on line for the bathroom after the concert, two of the kids who sang with her were walking the other way and they seemed so excited that they got to go up on stage. So even if I get pissed about Frozen and Idina giving all of the attention to the kids, hearing them say that was priceless.

The “I See You” fan videos were a nice addition and not what I was expecting at all. It was a great way to end the concert and I’m glad there was some fan input in there. I really liked when she talked about the African saying, how one person says “I see you” and the other person says, “I see you, I’m here.” That was beautiful.

There was a lot I probably forgot or didn’t talk about, but it was a great concert. Much more fast-paced and streamlined than last time. (The run time was about 2 hours by the way, maybe even less. It ended a little before 10). There wasn’t a lot of chatter in between songs which kind of sucked, but it reminded me a lot more of the intimate concerts from back in the day. Idina seemed so happy to be there and free, and she really seems like she’s in a good place now. And I liked that a lot. I think it’s illegal to like a performer this much and I can’t wait to see her live again!

#idina concert review #my concert #WORLD TOUR 2K17 #personal #atlantic city nj #idina menzel

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amoonlitmidnight · 8 years ago

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decided to answer bc im bored

1. If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?

troye.

2. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.

mine is going home. (will greyson will greyson)

3. What do you think about most?

if c is okay.

4. What does your latest text message from someone else say?

true.

5. Do you sleep with or without clothes on?

with.

6. What’s your strangest talent?

i can make good pigeon noises.

7. Girls…. (finish the sentence); Boys…. (finish the sentence)

girls are wonderful yet complicated. boys that are good exist, but you have to sort through many awful ones to find them.

8. Ever had a poem or song written about you?

not that I know of.

9. When is the last time you played the air guitar?

on the bus to Bellingham lacrosse game.

10. Do you have any strange phobias?

I am afraid of growing too old to keep memories.

11. Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?

blue berry, but who hasn’t?

12. What’s your religion?

half-assed catholic I guess?

13. If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?

playing lacrosse.

14. Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?

behind.

15. Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?

the 1975 bc im basic.

16. What was the last lie you told?

don’t worry about it, its fine.

17. Do you believe in karma?

to an extent, yes.

18. What does your URL mean?

thought of it randomly one night.

19. What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?

weakness: relentless self-deprecation, to the point of believing that anybody complimenting me is out of pity.

strength: im funny.

20. Who is your celebrity crush?

brendon urie or matty healy.

21. Have you ever gone skinny dipping?

not yet.

22. How do you vent your anger?

the vent app.

23. Do you have a collection of anything?

important items/mementoes from the past year.

24. Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?

video chatting.

25. Are you happy with the person you’ve become?

somewhat, but there’s always room for improvement.

26. What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?

hate: metal scraping/banging together, or other people blowing their nose.

love: laughter, rain

27. What’s your biggest “what if”?

what if every choice ive made to get me to this point, didn’t happen?

28. Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?

I believe that there are spirits of loved ones that look after us and guide us, but im not decisive about ghosts. aliens are 100% real, but maybe not in the way we expect.

29. Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.

right: bedside table/lamp.

left: book (will greyson will greyson)

30. Smell the air. What do you smell?

stuffy.

31. What’s the worst place you have ever been to?

7th grade camp.

32. Choose East Coast or West Coast?

west coast.

33. Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?

matty healy or troye sivan.

34. To you, what is the meaning of life?

to do what makes you happy.

35. Define Art.

any form of creation.

36. Do you believe in luck?

yes.

37. What’s the weather like right now?

sunny.

38. What time is it?

2:01 pm.

39. Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?

I do not.

40. What was the last book you read?

note to self.

41. Do you like the smell of gasoline?

kinda.

42. Do you have any nicknames?

g, stew, gstew, stewart

43. What was the last movie you saw?

lion.

44. What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?

concussion.

45. Have you ever caught a butterfly?

nope

46. Do you have any obsessions right now?

troye.

47. What’s your sexual orientation?

see #1

48. Ever had a rumor spread about you?

yes, courtesy of matt.

49. Do you believe in magic?

not really.

50. Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?

yes.

51. What is your astrological sign?

pisces.

52. Do you save money or spend it?

spend it.

53. What’s the last thing you purchased?

eyeliner, highliter, and primer at sephora.

54. Love or lust?

love.

55. In a relationship?

sadly, no.

56. How many relationships have you had?

maybe one?

57. Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

yes.

58. Where were you yesterday?

last lacrosse game of the season at ballard, then alki

59. Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?

yes.

60. Are you wearing socks right now?

no.

61. What’s your favorite animal?

monkey.

62. What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?

be funny.

63. Where is your best friend?

nonexistent.

64. What is your heritage?

norwegian, irish, german i think

65. What were you doing last night at 12 AM?

watching interstellar again.

66. What do you think is Satan’s last name?

maybe he has one, but he doesn’t need it. like beyonce.

67. Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?

I’d like to think so.

68. You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?

let that dog die without a second thought.

69. You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?

a) maybe one or two people in particular, c for sure. but not everyone, instead I tell them what I have always wanted them to know.

b) I tell people what I have never been courageous enough to say, and spend time with loved ones.

c) I would be more content than afraid

70. You can only have one of these things; trust or love.

you cannot love someone if there is no trust.

71. What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?

more than life by whitley.

72. What are the last four digits in your cell phone number?

2935.

73. In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?

determination and unconditional love.

74. How can I win your heart?

show me you love me, or else I wont believe you, and be able to have conversations late at night about deep shit.

75. Can insanity bring on more creativity?

of course.

76. What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?

attending hna and trying out for lacrosse.

77. What size shoes do you wear?

9 I think?

78. What would you want to be written on your tombstone?

do not go gentle into that good night.

79. What is your favorite word?

titties.

80. Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart.

anatomical.

81. What is a saying you say a lot?

me when…

82. What’s the last song you listened to?

tokyo narita freestyle.

83. Basic question; what’s your favorite color/colors?

light blue, lavender, or faded pastel yellow.

84. What is your current desktop picture?

was my north cascade summer team, now it’s a photo from the 1975 concert.

85. If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?

trump bc im unoriginal.

86. What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on?

my feelings for someone.

87. One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren’t really doing anything, they’re just standing around your bed. What do you do?

call the cops, or just put in earbuds and listen to music really loud with my eyes closed to distract myself.

88. You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?

reading minds or shapeshifting objects.

89. You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?

the penetration practice.

90. You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

odea vs lakeside game when I realized co wasn’t my friend anymore.

91. You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?

matty healy.

92. You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?

Amsterdam.

93. Do you have any relatives in jail?

not that I know of.

94. Have you ever thrown up in the car?

yes, drank some week old orange juice.

95. Ever been on a plane?

yes.

96. If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?

you do you, ill do me. we may not be doing the same things, but well both me happy.

#mine

1 note · View note

mlee-things · 6 years ago

Text

1. Would you have sex with the last person you text messaged? lol no

2. You talked to an ex today, correct? absolutely incorrect

3. Have you taken someones virginity? unlikely

4. Is trust a big issue for you? not really

5. Did you hang out with the person you like recently? i did not

6. What are you excited for? sitting outside in the sun eating hawaiian shaved ice

7. What happened tonight? it’s currently 3pm

8. Do you think it’s disgusting when girls get really wasted? YES

9. Is confidence cute? very much so

10. What is the last beverage you had? h2o

11. How many people of the opposite sex do you fully trust? zero

12. Do you own a pair of skinny jeans? duhhh

13. What are you gonna do Saturday night? bridesmaid dress shopping

14. What are you going to spend money on next? an adult beverage

15. Are you going out with the last person you kissed? lmao wut

16. Do you think you’ll change in the next 3 months? i really hope so

17. Who do you feel most comfortable talking to about anything? no one

18. The last time you felt broken? everyday

19. Have you had sex today? unfortunately no

20. Are you starting to realize anything? yes

21. Are you in a good mood? not in a bad mood

22. Would you ever want to swim with sharks? wtf no thnx

23. Are your eyes the same color as your dad’s? yes

24. What do you want right this second? a nap :/

25. What would you say if the person you love/like kissed another girl/boy? im catching a charge

26. Is your current hair color your natural hair color? sho izzzzz

27. Would you be able to date someone who doesn’t make you laugh?i think the fuck not

28. What was the last thing that made you laugh? a youtube video

29. Do you really, truly miss someone right now? always

30. Does everyone deserve a second chance? depends on how many second chances we’re talking about

31. Honestly, do you hate the last boy you were talking to? no

32. Does the person you have feelings for right now, know you do? i dont even know who i have feelings for

33. Are you one of those people who never drinks soda? ya caught me

34. Listening to? the sound of my keyboard answering these questions :)

35. Do you ever write in pencil anymore? no but i wish i did

36. Do you know where the last person you kissed is? no

37. Do you believe in love at first sight? no ma’am

38. Who did you last call? belle tire

39. Who was the last person you danced with? my girlsss

40. Why did you kiss the last person you kissed? bc i was throwing it back

41. When was the last time you ate a cupcake? my birthday!

42. Did you hug/kiss one of your parents today? nope

43. Ever embarrass yourself in front of a crush? it would be very sus if i didnt

44. Do you tan in the nude? hell yeah

45. If you could, would you take back your last kiss? no

46. Did you talk to someone until you fell asleep last night? no

47. Who was the last person to call you? a telemarketer

48. Do you sing in the shower? every time

49. Do you dance in the car? i do i do i do

50. Ever used a bow and arrow? uh no

51. Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer? a year ago

52. Do you think musicals are cheesy? i think they’re cute

53. Is Christmas stressful? yes

54. Ever eat a pierogi? i love thoseee

55. Favorite type of fruit pie? i hate pie

56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid? singer, lawyer, veterinarian

57. Do you believe in ghosts? oh, do i ever

58. Ever have a Deja-vu feeling? i use to a lot when i was younger

59. Take a vitamin daily? no but i need to

60. Wear slippers? occaisionally

61. Wear a bath robe? yes

62. What do you wear to bed? t shirt, sweats or shorts, and socks

63. First concert? pierce the veil

64. Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart? target. why is this even a question

65. Nike or Adidas? adidas for looks, nike for size

66. Cheetos Or Fritos? flaming hot cheeeetos

67. Peanuts or Sunflower seeds? sunflower

68. Favorite Taylor Swift song? hate her

69. Ever take dance lessons? i should..

70. Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing? something with numbers or medical

71. Can you curl your tongue? kinda

72. Ever won a spelling bee? never been in a spelling bee

73. Have you ever cried because you were so happy? yeah

74. What is your favorite book? the couple next door

75. Do you study better with or without music? without

76. Regularly burn incense? no

77. Ever been in love? yes

78. Who would you like to see in concert? rihanna, jhene aiko, beyonce, 6lack

79. What was the last concert you saw? TDE Champion tour

80. Hot tea or cold tea? hot

81. Tea or coffee? tea

82. Favorite type of cookie? mine

83. Can you swim well? i swim fine thanks for asking

84. Can you hold your breath without holding your nose? i can

85. Are you patient? unfortunately no

86. DJ or band, at a wedding? dj

87. Ever won a contest? nope

88. Ever have plastic surgery? no

89. Which are better black or green olives? black unless the green ones are stuffed with feta

90. Opinions on sex before marriage? i do it all the time

91. Best room for a fireplace? whatever room is the coldest

92. Do you want to get married? no

0 notes

palmspringsbeats · 7 years ago

Photo

2017.

That was pretty sweet, right?

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuk.

Well, at least we all made it.

And we’re all right here.

Quick strategy for ‘18:

There was a recent interview with Bjork, while she was promoting her new album, Utopia, where she was asked how she dealt with the insanity of the world. She said she creates a small bubble around herself, and focuses on filling it with everything she loves. (Not, like, a literal bubble, btw….I should clarify because it is Bjork.) Nah...but she just focuses on herself and her immediate surroundings, and creates her own world of the things that matter to her... love family music...and does her best to not let the outside awfulness in. Create your own little bubble world. I really liked that. That’s all you can really do these days. What’s important to you? What do you love doing? Cool, create a small bubble and concentrate like a motherfucker on just those things. Tune everything else out. Easier said than done, especially when the outside bullshit is directly affecting your life, but still seems like a pretty good goal for operating in the world today. Work to create your best bubble. Keep filling it with what you love. Turn off the bullshit. And pretty soon...this is your life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n0Ps1KWVU0

I’ve been filling my bubble with a lot of music this year.

And it’s time to step on in this bub ya’ll.

Because it is time to present to you…

WhatWhat’s best music of the year.

Also, RESIST.

Personal Music Highlights of 2017

1. Movement Detroit (see you again soon).

Highest of lights was Function wiping clean 90 minutes of my memory at the RA stage under Hart Plaza (went up to him afterwards, looked him directly in the eyes and told him he was number 1. He gave me a head nod. I was content.) Check out his album, ‘Recompiled,’ which was released this year. Respect the master.

Runner Up: Walking into a club at 3am with Eddie while Moodymann dropped the Beastie Boy’s Paul Revere. An entire club of Detroit techno heads went bananas and everyone in the club sang every word. That is what it means to be a good DJ. First time I saw him and it was everything I needed. Played everything from D’angelo, to MK to Ro James...to The Beastie Boys). Talking shit into the mic all night. Doing it all using iPod earbuds. Thank you for being exactly you, Moodymann. (P.S. There was a thing this year where super cool internet DJ chat room people took issue with Moodymann playing Kings of Leon, Sex On Fire, at a festival. You realize you’re criticizing Moodymann right? You’re criticizing MOODYMANN. Immediately fuck yourself. You’re what’s wrong with everything. You are banished from my bubble. Also, for the record, ‘Sex On Fire’ fucking rules. Drink more cheap beer and figure out your life.

Movement Detroit weekend playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/user/bobbysouers/playlist/54ve0L6kDdCI1dZIrbbL0l

2. Radiohead in Portland

Ended with Creep, can die now.

Set list/playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/bobbysouers/playlist/3VLMcyumHN6FYCQqGvFd3X

3. Solange in Portland

Made me realize Solange is actually cooler than Beyonce.

And Beyonce is...Beyonce.

Thus,

Solange is really, really fucking cool.

4. Solar in an Oregon orchard

Me full zenith.

Shout out and thank you, OV.

5. Queens in MSG

Thank you Ian.

Thank you for existing, Queens.

6. My wife singing Post Malone’s Rockstar acapella in our house without knowing the lyrics.

Shout out to legal Portland things!

Also, biggest surprise of the year: I really like Post Malone. As an artist and as a person.

And then...

7. Black Thought.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prmQgSpV3fA

Life lesson: You can’t do this without grinding for 30 years.

Best Music Videos of 2017:

2 Chainz ‘Trap Check’ was a lock for this. A LOCK.

Then came ‘The Gate’ (see intro paragraph).

Didn’t realize the drug DMTMDMA existed, so at least 2017 gave us that!

Anyway, #BjorkBubbleGoals fo real fo real.

(I’m going to get a tattoo on my face and become a Soundcloud rapper and my first song will be me mumbling “Bjork Bubble Goals, Bjork Bubble Goals, Bjork Bubble Goals” a thousand times over a pretty awesome beat. Gonna be siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick.

Runner up:

2 Chainz: Trap Check

2 Chainz is a superhero.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqoHYAdbQrE

Best Albums Of 2017:

1) Fever Ray: Plunge

The Queen Mother returned when we needed her most.

I could write a whole bunch about this but I advise you to instead just read all the interviews she did for this album.

She is revealing and honest.

She is my favorite artist.

And the album’s theme of sexual freedom also made me ok with a sexual fantasy I’ve been having.

It involves Fever Ray and Mike Pence, locked in dark room for 24 hours, with only jars of Trader Joe’s Coconut oil.

GET FREE MIKE!

WE KNOW YOU NEED IT AND IT’S OK.

Also, can we please unite the two most powerful natural forces on the planet and get a Bjork / Fever Ray SUPER SLIMEY collab album before 2020?

Help me put that energy out there and let’s create an actual vortex.

P.S. this album also contains the clear winner for 2017 lyric of the year:

“Your lips, warm and fuzzy, I want to run my fingers up your pussy.”

-Fever Ray, “To The Moon And Back”

Force of nature.

2) Honey Dijon: The Best Of Both Worlds

The music genre I was most obsessed with this year was Chicago House. I felt the need to go as deep as I could into the origins and classics...where so much of the music I love today started. Damn. What a time and sound. Deep in the exploration, something was dropped on the very top of the pile. Honey Dijon’s, “The Best Of Both Worlds.” Honey Dijon is a super real DJ vet from Chicago and just created a beautiful album that is just House music to the bone. So quality, sounds so warm and good. Only she could make this. If you’ve never listened to Chicago House (what are you doing with your life, btw?), this is a great starting point. Note to self: I need to see Honey Dijon DJ in the next 3 months.

3) Ellen Allien: Nost

Ellen Allien has never played it safe and has always pushed it, hard. If you really like electronic music you should listen to her earlier albums, namely, Berlinette, Thrills and Orchestra Of Bubbles (collab with Apparat). A pure techno head, who just BRINGS it on this album. A review described it as spending hours in Berghain and that’s a decent description. DARK AND HARD. If you can’t lose your mind in a club for 3 days, you can use this album to pretend you are, while doing things like walking through airports, riding bikes fast, and sitting at your workplace desk. There’s a track on this album named “Mind Journey,” and ALSO a track named “Jack My Ass.” What more do you want people!?

4) All The Good Rap Albums:

2 Chainz: Pretty Girls Like Trap Music; Future: FUTURE; A$AP Ferg: Still Striving; Quality Control: Control The Streets Volume 1; 21 Savage & Offset: Without Warning; A$AP Mob: Cozy Tapes Vol 2: Too Cozy

Don’t be a Joe Budden old head. If you say new rap is wack, you ain’t listening...at all. Everyone of these albums has at least 3 absolute bangers. God I love this shit so much. Metro Boomin is producer of the year, again and again. Beats are so fucking hard. Also, for the record, Migos are incredible. The goal of rap is sounding the coolest. And they sound pretty fucking cool. (ALSO, they provided the ad lib of the century: https://youtu.be/yBXO_hiNWUc “Ostrich, Ostrich, Ostrich, yee.”) My 17 Rap Songs of 2017:

5) LCD: American Dream

There was a generational sea change across the board this year. When Arcade Fire missteps then doesn’t sell out live shows? And they were/are the best band going? What? How fickle are we now (me included)? Things are too fast. We’re getting old. When this album was coming out it made me nervous. I really needed it to be good. Proof of life. They delivered. No crew can bring it like this. They stand alone. And you know what? Getting old is fucking badass. What’s more hardcore? Just keep making stuff and pushing HARD and no one can f with you. There’s really no other way.

6) War On Drugs: A Deeper Understanding

Me. Music for Sunday afternoons. Music for time with great friends and family. For when you’re driving alone in the dark. I love you guys. KP and I saw them live a few months ago. Holy shit. Just 9 really talented and experienced dudes onstage JAM ROCKING. Portland was standing and cheering, I was violently air drumming. Love forever.

7) Four Tet: New Energy

Proves this guy is pushing it forward and on another plateau. He could have just made some quality beats and it would have been satisfying. Instead he made ambient spiritual desert in winter night music. Happy we get to listen to this guy create things.

8) Lil B: Black Ken

When Lil B tweets, he signs every tweet: “-Lil B.”

He also takes a screenshot of every tweet and posts it to Instagram, often times again captioning the post, “-Lil B.”

Earlier this month, he tweeted this:

"WHAT UNIVERSITY WHATS TO LET LIL B COME LEARN AT YOUR INSTITUTION? IM VERY INTERESTED IN SCIENCE AND BIO AND ALSO NUERO SCIENCE I WANT TO OFFER MORE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND GLOBALLY AS WELL AS ANIMALS WHAT UNIVERSITY WILL ACCEPT ME? I DID NOT FINISH HIGH SCHOOL!!!"

Very quickly, schools like Pennsylvania State University, the University of Oregon, Butler University, the University of South Carolina, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Texas at Arlington and Brandeis University tweeted at him, providing offers and links to applications.

His response:

“SO FAR PENN STATE, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, LSU HAVE ALL SHOWN INTEREST IN EDUCATING LIL B !!!!! IM SO HONORED!! SERIOUSLY FOR THEM SHOWING THAT THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE !! LETS GO! I WANNA LEARN!!! - Lil B”

He then tweeted exclusively about guys and girls getting “Mudd Butt” for at least 48 hours straight.

Lil B has more personality than all humans.

Thank you, Based God.

(Anyway, this album is so good and fun and was the most hip hop thing that happened this year...until Black Thought opened his mouth.)

9) Nick Hoppner: Work

Mature master aspirations.

10) Thundercat: Drunk

I listened to this on a sunny day this year with a chocolate or two, and just remember laughing a lot. I want to hug this guy and invite him to a party where everyone is wearing sweatpants. So talented, makes the world more fun.

11) Karen Gwyer: Rembo

Discovered this recently. How is this exactly what I’m looking for?

12) DJ Python: Dulce Compania

Read a review that described this album as “ambient reggaeton.” And somehow, with DJ Python, that’s a great thing. I put this album on as I walked into work and it helped me.

13) Kendrick Lamar: Damn

Wait, this album came out this year?

Also, I’ve failed you because I haven’t listened to this album backwards yet, as Kendrick revealed, but, fuck it, I’m on vacation so I’m going to do that RIGHT NOW.

Best Tracks Of 2017:

Here are 70 of my favorites.

Special call outs below.

1. Track of the year - Cardi B: Bodak Yellow

In the year where women rose up and refused to accept male bullshit, this, fittingly, was the soundtrack. What gets me everytime is that she’s just rapping her ASS off. Also learned that saying “BLOODy shoes” is consistently really fun. ALSO, when she was on Fallon recently she was basically Rosie Perez on Jeopardy in the movie ‘White Men Can’t Jump,’ and that just warmed my entire body. (and....the beat is the beat). Final score: Undeniable.

2. Runner up - LCD Soundsystem: How Do You Sleep?

Hardest diss record of the year! This song sounds like ten thousand angry miles. Or, exactly like 2017! Runner up for lyric of the year: “You warned me about the cocaine, then dove straight in.” He makes you feel all of it. I want to hear this played live.

3. Four Tet: Two Thousand Seventeen

From my Sunday morning album. A mental womb.

4. Hercules & Love Affair: Are You Still Certain? (feat. Mashrou’ Leila)

Shout out to Peter who played this during a b2b sesh in my basement which was the first time I heard it. A week later I played it as the closing track of a DJ set in a wonderful outdoor space, during the day, in the Sun (Zekefest!). Those are the moments.

5. Thundercat: Them Changes

I started more DJ sets this year playing this song. There is never a bad time to play this song.

6. Honey Dijon: Thunda (feat. John Medelson)

Soul.

7. Ellen Allien: Innocence

My favorite track off of Nost. Play it as loud as you can in a pitch black room.

8. Fever Ray: Mustn’t Hurry

Hard to chose one, but this one split a good divide between the sound of the first album and second album. Oh yeah-eee-yeah-eee-aah. Fever Ray is actual magic.

9. The War On Drugs: Holding On

I am, because of you.

10. 2 Chainz: Trap Check

Start your workouts properly.

11. Sufjan Stevens: Visions Of Giedeon

See the movie, “Call Me By Your Name.”Be crushed by this song forever.

12. Lil B: Berkeley

Play this song loud on a Summer Saturday with your shirt off. God damn it this shit is so hip hop. Just on his straight positive. “We in downtown Berkley, I’m not rich, but I’m workin’.” Thank you, Based God.

13. Kamasi Washington: Truth

Pretty fucking important.

14. Nicola Cruz: Tzantza

My wife and I went to Hawaii on vacation this year, first time I’d been. We went to this place. Very dope spot. They were playing this on a good sound system and it stopped me in my tracks. It will always make me think of a Hawaiian vacation. And my love of low bpm dance music.

15. Travis Scott: Butterfly Effect

This song actually is 4am in Hidden Hills. Everyone on incredible drugs. Perfect weather. Slight cool breeze at 3am to remind you how high you are. Then Travis Scott pulls up to Kanye’s house in a space ship, and the party continues.

16. ASAP Ferg: Plain Jane

Flipping Three Six’s lyrics from “Slob on my knob, like corn on the cob,” into “Ride with the mob, Alhamdulillah” is the reason Ferg is the Hood Pope.

17. LCD Soundsystem: American Dream

Closing time.

Random Afterword:

Recently learned that, before Motorhead, Lemmy was in a band called Hawkwind. Did some searching on Hawkwind. Christmas indeed. One of their albums is called ‘Warrior On The Edge Of Time,’ and their live album is called ‘Louder Than The Universe.’ On these, the last days of 2017, I recommend drinking some cold beers, cranking Hawkwind up to one million, removing your shirt, and begining preparations for 2018. Go harder than a young Lemmy, young people. 2017, peace. 2018, lessgo!

Bjork Bubble Goals,

-WhatWhat

#Best Of 2017 #WhatWhat #Hawkwind

0 notes

garnetsingingwriter-blog · 7 years ago

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My Prom Experience

On Friday evening, June 30, 2017, I attended my last secondary school event with people I have known for 5 years. I have to say that the experience was definitely a fitting finale to this chapter of my life. It really gave me a chance to reflect on how much I have learnt and grown over this period of time. I know that I have made so many friends for life and that I have met some truly unforgettable people.

Our prom was hosted in the function room of our local zoo. This may sound odd but it was quite incredible – the tables were so nicely laid out with white ribbons and balloons, and there was a dance floor right in the middle of the room, which you had to go down a few steps to access. We got a view of the whole zoo which was pretty incredible, and we were allowed to go outside (although not into the wider zoo grounds) to take lots of really amazing pictures.

The Run-up to Prom

The evening before prom was time I dedicated to small preparations such as sorting out my nails. I painted them myself, red to match my prom dress, using a Miss Sporty Lasting Colour Nail Polish in the shade 540, Boys Love Me. It is supposed to last 10 days and it’s brilliant as at the time of writing I have had it on for 3 days and the colour has not faded at all! I thought that this was a really great, inexpensive nail polish to use and I highly recommend it as it applies very smoothly and gives a lovely shine. It cost me only £1.99 which was fantastic! I also pampered myself with a charcoal face mask and went to bed earlier so I could look fresh the next day.

The morning of prom I took a shower where I could apply a hair mask and shave my legs. The hair mask allowed me to restore natural oils to my hair whilst removing any residue from hairsprays and other hair products I use. Once out of the shower I made sure to lotion my arms and legs to lock in moisture and leave them feeling smooth.

I then carried on with my day as normal until about 2 o’clock, when my mum brought her friend over to do my hair. I had chosen a tutorial I found on YouTube by Lilith Moon for a braided updo. We finished it off with some gorgeous screw in pearls to make it extra special and applied lots of hairspray so it would last all night.

After this, I put on my base makeup in preparation for my sister returning home to do the more complex stuff for me. I started out by moisturising my face using Aveeno lotion and then applying a small amount of the Benefit Porefessional Primer to fill in my pores and make them less visible. I then moved on to use the Maybelline Better Skin Foundation in Sand, the Camouflage concealer by Essence for my undereyes and the Maybelline Fit Me! concealer for my blemishes. I blended it all out using an oval shaped brush. I also packed my silver clutch bag with my ticket, some spare change for drinks, a power bank and my perfume. I planned to pack my phone and my lipstick later on.

My sister then proceeded to transform my look from everyday to special occasion. She used a gorgeous Makeup Revolution Eyeshadow Palette called New-trals vs Neutrals which is super pigmented and has lots of lovely shades. It cost £6.99 which I think is well worth it for the quality and number of shades you get. She completed the cut crease eye look by applying lots of silver glitter eyeliner to part of my eyelids to give me that extra sparkle. You can get lots of inexpensive glitter eyeliners from Superdrug, Boots or even Poundland! I also wore the Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in the shade 107 Wine which is a gorgeous colour that stays on for a long time. I wore a gold highlighter from Tanya Burr’s Christmas Collection, some bronzer and had my brows filled in with a brow pencil and some Essence eyebrow gel.

Here is the finish look:

I then got into my red dress and finished it off with a necklace, a red rose corsage, pearl dangly earrings, silver heels and my clutch.

My Prom Dress from the front

My Prom Dress from the Back

A few photos in the garden later and then we were off to my lovely friend Maddie’s house to catch a ride in our transportation for prom.

Travelling to Prom

We decided that we wanted to take a really classy vehicle to prom – so what better than a beautiful dark green VW Camper van?

My friends and I with our prom transportation

The colour of the camper van complemented all of our dresses wonderfully and it was beautifully upholstered. I sat in the front seat whilst my three friends sat in the back. We were taken by the driver to a few locations to have pictures done with the dream machine before we actually arrived at the venue.

VW and a whole lotta laughs 2

VW and a whole lotta laughs 1

He took a few pictures of use all laughing which actually turned out great, as well as a couple of others.

And of course, we had to take some group selfies as well…

Selfie 1

Selfie 2

This is probably my favourite though:

Beautiful best friends

Then, we arrived outside the zoo where so many parents, teachers, friends and classmates were waiting for us. It was an amazing feeling looking at how well everybody cleaned up for our last event together as a year group. ❤

With some friends

Eventually, they let us into the venue (although not without a check for our tickets and a bag search) so we could go off and party!

Prom

The start of the prom itself was a frenzy to secure seats and tables and to get lots of pictures with people. I was very social, going around and greeting people and telling them how lovely they all looked. I’m so thankful and blessed at the number of compliments I received as well. ❤

I saw a lot of teachers, including my Chemistry teacher who is leaving my school at the end of this year. I was lucky enough to get pictures with her and a couple of other friends too.

Me and my chemistry teacher

Three girls in red

Two of my favourite people

We had buffet food including chips, sausage rolls, quiche, peppers and sandwiches. The queue was long but well worth it as by this point I was starving!

After we had finished our food it was time to get on the dance floor! For me, this was 100% the highlight of my evening. The DJs were killing it on the turntables and soon near enough everyone was dancing. So many people abandoned their shoes to join in on the action. It was amazing to form a giant circle of people during songs and have people show off their moves in the middle of it! Some of the teachers even joined in and went a bit mad on the dance floor (even our headteacher!)

There is something inexplicably fun about dancing and singing along to all of the songs with your friends. We demonstrated our dancing skills during YMCA, screamed the lyrics of Despacito, performed the Macarena in style. We rocked out to Beyonce’s Crazy in Love, went mad doing the Cha Cha Slide with teachers and classmates and held hands in a ring with one another during Coldplay’s A Head Full Of Dreams – whilst singing with equal enthusiasm! I even got picked up by one of my guy mates and spun around unexpectedly! We had started out a little awkwardly at first but eventually let all inhibitions go and went crazy with our moves. They do say that the crazier you dance, the better it looks!

I danced and laughed so much and just let myself live in the experience. Some of the Zoo staff were dancing along as they started to tidy up the venue, which was equally hilarious and also impressive to watch as some of them had really great dance moves. People were shooting videos left, right and centre for Snapchat and the like. There were strobe lights that went in time with the music and it made the entire atmosphere so magic and energetic. I didn’t want it to end and never even wasted a second, constantly dancing along with increasingly more ambitious and absurd dance moves.

Towards the end of the night, at about ten minutes to eleven, they switched all of the lights back on in the function room and turned off the music. Everybody started shouting for one more song and at the Head Teacher’s say so, we got one more song – Dancing in the Moonlight by Toploader. That song is such a classic and it will forever be special to me as the anthem of the prom. It was amazing just dancing and singing along with my maths teacher, best friends and year coordinator. The song felt like it lasted forever and we made use of every second that we had.

Regretfully, we started making our way out of the zoo. We took one last photo and I hugged a couple of people goodbye who I’m not sure I’ll ever see again. The ending was the most bittersweet part of it all, knowing that whilst I have the most incredible evening, and indeed 5 year experience, I may never see some of these wonderful people again. 😦 As we made our way out of the zoo gates (which were initially locked, leaving us wondering whether we were being held captive for the night) I started to play Whitney Houston’s Dance With Somebody, a song which is very special to a friend of mine and myself. Soon everybody started to join us in singing along as we made our way to our lifts home and hugged each other goodbye.

It was one of the best evenings of my life and something I will treasure throughout my life. It was the perfect way to mark the end of an era and to reunite with so many amazing people one last time. If you ever get the opportunity to go to prom, do because I can’t imagine myself not having gone!

Big love to all of the members of my year group. ❤ ❤ ❤

I will end this post with a little slideshow of my prom pictures.

xoxo

Hannah

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A Day in My Life: Summer Ball/Prom Night My Prom Experience On Friday evening, June 30, 2017, I attended my last secondary school event with people I have known for 5 years.

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viralhottopics · 8 years ago

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If I hadnt met Michelle Obama, I might not be where I am today

The first ladys campaigning on education took her all over the world. Here, some of those she met over the years recall her golden touch

Isha Sesay

A presenter and correspondent for CNN International. She travelled with Michelle Obama in Liberia and Morocco last year for the making of the CNN documentary We Will Rise: Michelle Obamas Mission to Educate Girls Around the World

It will be a strange and sad moment for me, a woman of colour, when Michelle Obama leaves the White House. To lose the imagery of a black first family and all that Michelle Obama has bought to the table, all she has actively and routinely worked for. Ive been in the States now for 11 years now but every time they stepped out as the first family it got me. It never lost its potency. She is such an active and participatory first lady. No one knows what kind of first lady Melania Trump will be. No one is saying she wont carve her own path, but Michelle Obama was very special.

I first met her in 2014 when I was invited to the White House to attend a formal dinner for a US/Africa summit. All the heads of state from Africa came to DC along with their first ladies and I was asked to moderate a panel for Mrs Obama and Mrs Bush at the Kennedy Centre. Later an invite came to the formal dinner, which was thrilling. At the White House you wait in line to be introduced and when I got to Mrs Obama she said I almost wore that same dress tonight! And I say No! and she says Yes! and she gave me the biggest hug. She was just amazing, very tall, very warm, she just scooped me up into this big hug the very first time I met her.

The Obamas celebrate people of colour, they want to include them. Both she and the president are skilled at knowing what they can achieve by aligning themselves with other successful people of colour, how it amplifies the message of what is possible. I think they almost do it as a public service. They understand that every time they have Beyonc with them, or John Legend or Jay Z, the message goes further and it opens the minds of kids in the inner cities to the possibilities and I think thats smart.

CNN discussed various projects with the White House and then settled on the first lady going to Africa, for her last overseas trip. [In the documentary Michelle Obama, along with Sesay and actors Freida Pinto and Meryl Streep, meets and speaks with young north African women who describe their struggles to get an education.] I got an email asking how I would feel about travelling to Africa with the first lady and practically had to pick myself up off the floor.

When we were in Liberia I kept watching how she was trying to connect with the girls who spoke, really watching them and willing them on as they struggled in some cases. It was very moving because she really wanted them to feel safe and able to share. Before we arrived I asked the White House about the protocol for the girls who would meet her. How should they address her? Could they touch her? I was able to tell them that from the White House point of view, once youre in the bubble so to speak [through security], once you are in the room with her, youre good. So the girls could touch her, refer to her freely, there were no restrictions placed on interactions with her at all.

We went to hear her talk at the Peace Corps [the US governments volunteer programme] in Monrovia and she just walked into that space and practically blew the roof off with her energy levels. I will say, and Im 41, that whenever Im with her and I listen to her speak you walk out and you are charged by being in her presence, by hearing her words of motivation. Its not just the words she utters, its her conviction and its her life story that backs them up. In Morocco I saw how willing she was to share her own insecurities, her own challenges with the girls. She said to them: Were all girls here together. Were all going to share. How many first ladies in the world can you imagine just busting in and saying: This is girl-talk time? And it resonates authentically. I think maybe thats the difference. Other people say it but she means it.

I last saw her for a special screening of the film at the White House. She was really mischievous. I told her that in Morocco I had been in the souk late at night and as I was wandering around a guy asked me: Are you an Obama? and I looked left and I looked right and I said: Yes, I am! and she roared with laughter. And then she walked into the east room and was doing her intro for everyone, welcoming Meryl Street and Andra Day who did the song [Rise Up] and then it got to me and she said: And by the way, Isha here has been passing herself off as… I almost died.

I am not surprised by her popularity at all. Not now that Ive met her on a couple of occasions. I understand it and I think if more people had the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with her there would be more people clamouring for her to run, because she is that amazing. I mean when she gave that speech during campaigning, when she just laid out her heart and said how offended she was by the Trump video, and the speech she gave during the conventions. I think those speeches really elevated her. I wouldnt want her to stand though. I think shell be far more effective outside the machinery of government. Look at what Hillary Clinton went through and the double standards that were forced upon her. Now imagine what would happen to a black woman the intersection between gender and race is just a whole other ballgame.

I asked her while we were working in Liberia: What will your post-White House years look like? and she said: This. This is what shes committed to doing lifting up girls and ripping off the roof and removing all the limitations girls feel and others impose on them and expanding their horizons. I hope thats what shes able to do. Its what shes good at and she can make such a difference.

Isha Sesay is the founder of WE Can Lead, a non-profit organisation working in Sierra Leone to educate and empower girls.

Tamanna Islam

A 15-year-old student at Mulberry school in east London. After visiting the school in June 2015, Michelle Obama later invited a group of students, including Tamanna, to the White House in November that year

Before she came, there was such a buzz. I was in the main school hall with 300 other students. Everyone was quiet, everyone eagerly awaiting her arrival. When she walked on to the stage, we jumped to our feet clapping, shouting, crying. She brought this incredible vibe and the atmosphere was just electric.

Throughout her speech she made eye contact with everyone, and gave these little smiles. It made it feel so personal, like she was just talking to you. And then, at the end, she hugged every pupil in the front row, including me! She pulled me close, looked me in the eye and told me: Im so proud of you.

I was one of the 20 students selected by my teachers to travel to the White House in Washington DC. When we met her again, she recollected every single detail from her visit: how special it was to see us waving the American flag, how moved she was by our performance of Still I Rise [the Maya Angelou poem]. It was nerve-racking going through all of the security, but once we were inside, Michelle made us feel like we were visiting a friend. In addition to meeting her, we were introduced to lots of senior women working at the White House, such as in the justice and crime department. It was so inspiring and enlightening to see so many women and people from ethnic-minority backgrounds in positions of power.

Michelle Obama understands what it is like to be a young Muslim woman in Tower Hamlets. Your story is my story, she told our school. Growing up in a working-class environment in Chicago, she faced her own sort of unfairness, but she worked hard and showed the world that she could do anything. And if girls like us can raise our aspirations, it shows the rest of Britain, the rest of the world, that we can do anything.

Since meeting her, Ive started to seek out what I can do to make a positive change in my community. She taught me I have a responsibility to use my voice to break down negative stereotypes of Muslim women, and make change for the next generation after that. Her charisma, her energy it makes you feel like you can take on the entire world.

Dr Vanessa Ogden

Headteacher, Mulberry school

We had been approached by the American embassy a couple of months prior about the possibility of helping to launch a project on girls and education, but had no idea that Michelle Obama was involved in any way. Over about a two-month period, it became apparent that we were one of the top two institutions they were looking at and I still had no idea who was fronting the launch. We eventually found out about the visit in May 2015, and had just three weeks to get ready for her arrival in June! I learned a lot in those weeks about how to manage high-level security. One of my favourite, and most surreal, moments was standing in a school conference room, debating with special ops and secret service officers about how to manage the security in a working school environment. Of course I was nervous I had a responsibility to make things as good as they could be, and it was a very high-adrenaline time. But more than anything I just felt hugely appreciative, so grateful for what this could bring to the school.

For me, the most important aspect of the first ladys visit was making sure that every girl at Mulberry should have some kind of interaction with her, whether it was watching her speech, presenting gifts or performing a song. The whole thing, from start to finish, was for the girls. It wasnt about Mrs Obama, it wasnt about the other important people there, it was absolutely for the girls.

Thats the thing about the first lady she has no ego. These visits for her are completely non-hierarchical. Theyre about the person shes meeting, the people shes addressing. She connects with people because of who they are not because of who she is.

For example: one of the things that made the planning so complex was that we arranged to live-stream Michelles speech into the sports hall, so that every girl who couldnt fit in the main hall could experience it at the same time. It was Michelles idea to go and surprise all the girls gathered in the sports hall at the end of the speech. Thats what makes her so special she thinks so carefully and prepares so well for each visit. They had no idea she was coming, and when they saw her, they went absolutely wild.

We visited the White House in November, as part of a 10-day cultural trip to the US. Students underwent a rigorous selection process to take part, which involved attending an after-school civil rights programme, a written application, making a speech in front of a panel of teachers and finally being interviewed by myself and the governors.

After a tour of the west wing and a cuddle (and a selfie) with Bo [the Obamas pet dog], the girls sat down and asked Michelle questions, all of them quite serious. At the end, Michelle leaned forward and said, eyes glittering: Now come on. Lets talk about the things you want to know. For 15 minutes the girls and Mrs Obama chatted on a personal level, as girls and women do every day. Im afraid we made a pact to keep our discussion secret, so I cant reveal if Barack Obama does the chores.

Myesha Haque

A 17-year-old student and aspiring lawyer, who hosted the first lady when she visited Mulberry school

I couldnt believe she was there at first. I had to keep blinking and blinking. Out of all the schools in the UK, all the schools in London, she chose to come to Mulberry, our school! As deputy head prefect, I had been given the responsibility to host the first lady. Because of this, I found out about her visit earlier than any of the other students, which was so hard to keep secret. After taking photos next to the American flag, we began our tour of the school. Even just walking beside her, I was star-struck by her charisma and charm.

Walking into the main Mulberry courtyard with her was an absolutely awe-inspiring moment. The flags were waving, there was cheering, there was clapping. Four hundred students all trying to get a glimpse of her. As she met people, her eyes lit up. Her face, her body language was so uplifting you could just see how happy she was. We walked on to our Year 9 project area, where our choir, conducted by a Year 9 pupil, sang Something Inside So Strong and another student read the poem Still I Rise by Maya Angelou. While the girls were performing the First Lady hugged me to her side and murmured to me, I cannot believe this. This is amazing. I was nervous, but that warmth really comforted me. She felt like a friend, even though shes in high power. That hug was an experience Ill never forget, one Ill cherish for a lifetime.

Her story, of growing up in a working-class environment in Chicago, has made me realise I can all overcome all barriers and challenges in my life, that I can achieve anything. Weve been inspired as Mulberry students to carry on her Let Girls Learn campaign, even after she stops being first lady. Mulberry and Michelle were besties now. Were linked for life.

Ronald Ligon

A 19-year-old graduate of Harper high school, Chicago, and a member of the US military. He met Michelle Obama when she visited his school in April 2013, and was invited to the White House in June that year

All I said was that my favourite food was french fries. But that was enough to make her face split into a big smile and laugh: Thats my favourite too! She got up and hugged me just because I get the same satisfaction from french fries. It was too funny. I just felt like awh, oh my God, this is wonderful.

The first lady came to my school nearly four years ago. She sat down with a group of about 20 of us and asked us questions about our lives, about what its like to grow up in the south side [of Chicago]. For someone that has so much power, she cancelled all of that out. She told us to relax, slouch if we wanted to, make ourselves at home. Im a regular person trying to make a change, just like you are, she said. We didnt have to use big words or act proper to get through to her, we could just be ourselves.

For about three hours we talked to her about the violence in our communities. She wasnt surprised she grew up in Englewood [Chicago] and lived through a bunch of shootings around her house but she was hurt that we have to go through it every single day.

Honestly, If I hadnt met Michelle Obama, I might not be where I am today. Pretty much two weeks after I returned after visiting the first lady in the White House, my family got into a big fight with other people in my community. We ended up losing our home, and for about four to five months we were homeless. The first couple of months I was really low. I didnt want to go to school, I didnt want to do anything. I had no hope.

But then one day I came back to find my mom on the couch crying, saying that she couldnt provide for us, that she had failed our family. It hurt so bad to see her so sad. I remembered, then, how Michelle had told me that no matter what hardships you have, theres always a strong possibility you can overcome them. Looking at my mom sitting there crying, I decided to step up. I got back into school and I got a job working eight hours a day, seven days a week. I got enough money to fix things for my mom and get the house were living in now. I graduated from school and I enrolled in the military. I got back on track because of the first ladys words, because of the honesty and trust that she put in me. I try not to remind myself too much about those times, but whenever Im in a deep situation I always look back on that moment.

Im still not over how Donald Trump won and how were going to lose both the first lady and Barack Obama as well. Im so happy I got to meet her in person, twice, but Im really going to miss them.

Fouzya Toukart

She met Michelle Obama in Morocco in June 2016 as part of her Let Girls Learn initiative and the CNN film We Will Rise

Im the first girl in the family to get a baccalaureate and the first girl in the village to get a BA. I come from an illiterate family: my parents are farmers in the village, they are poor people. Getting an education was like a war for me it felt like everyone was against me. The mentalities in my village are all the same: girls have to marry and have kids and stay home and cook, like machines, and thats it.

In primary school I was top of my class but my family decided I would not go to secondary school. It was really hard for me, but I went on a hunger strike when I was 12 and I convinced them to let me go. The secondary school was very far, seven kilometres each way, and I was the only girl. In the beginning my parents were not convinced, but after I kept getting the highest grades, I could see in their faces that they were satisfied and proud. I got a BA in English in Marrakesh, and my goal is to get a doctorate and be a translator and linguist I speak Amazigh, Arabic, French, English and Japanese.

I met Michelle Obama in Marrakech in June, just when I was doing my final exam, and meeting her was like a push for continuing. The thing I remember most is that she saw me and said: Yes, I read a lot about you and I remember you that was really awesome. I also met Meryl Streep and Freida Pinto, and they were very kind-hearted and friendly too. Later I had a week in Washington DC it was my first time flying anywhere and met Michelle Obama again there. They say Washington gets busy and loud, but it was super fun.

Michelle Obama has helped so many people, and shes always been the person who fights for something which is very good for our society. With education were going to find solutions for so many problems in life. My message for all the girls around the world who dont have the opportunity to go and study, I just want to tell them that if I can do it, they can do it too, whatever the boundaries they can be overcome.

Cindy Sanders

A counsellor at King college prep in Chicago. Fifteenyear-old schoolgirl Hadiya Pendleton, who attended King, was shot and killed in 2013

I met Michelle Obama during Hadiyas funeral. She felt compelled to come to Chicago and pay her respects to Cleopatra and Nate [Pendleton, Hadiyas parents], not necessarily as the first lady but as a mom, to support another mother who had lost her child. It was very moving that she would put all of her stuff on hold for the funeral. Two years later she spoke at the graduation of the class that Hadiya would have graduated in. It was a bittersweet graduation because of this, but everybody was excited, because weve never had a speaker of this calibre. The students will remember that for ever, that Michelle Obama was the graduation speaker for their class. She talked about how she came from just this community, and how the students have so many options, and that anything is possible with an education. We all got to take photos with her and talk to her. She congratulated us, and thanked us for doing a great job with the students.

Having a first lady from the south side of Chicago means everything. Shes like the peoples first lady, and shes definitely Chicagos first lady. She was very personable: she was giving hugs, she was giving motivation. And not just surface motivation; it was because she had been in a Chicago public school. And to see what she accomplished, having a similar background and a similar upbringing it was powerful. Its very inspiring to see that with hard work and determination you can be anything.

In Chicago the whole issue of gun control is so polarised: people are getting killed by guns, and we need to do something about this. We dont want parents losing their teenage children. I have a teenager too in the city of Chicago and so we definitely need to speak up on that. And when you have the first lady championing causes it definitely puts some weight with it.

Ill miss her being in that office, but the good thing is shes still going to champion those causes shes still going to care about helping children reach higher, and having counsellors support them. Shes tough but shes also down to earth. And well miss her putting on her jeans and being on Ellen and challenging her to dance-offs.

Kyra Caldwell

A 19-year-old former student at King college prep and friend of Hadiya Pendleton

When my friend Hadiya passed, Michelle Obama ended up coming to the funeral. They had a few people in a separate room before the funeral started, and she came in went around and shook our hands. I was with a friend and we were so nervous we were about to shake hands with Michelle Obama, the first African American to be first lady in the White House. She came over and gave us both hugs, and gave us words of encouragement. The fact that she hugged me was just crazy to me. Usually youd think people who are famous would act fake, but she was the complete opposite when I spoke to her it was very calm and normal, very natural. She also came to speak at our graduation and gave a really motivational speech, which was really exciting.

Our school had done this FAFSA challenge [a video for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid]: it was Scandal-themed [after the US TV political drama series] and we sent it in to Michelle Obama. She then sent it to the cast of Scandal and got them to make a video telling us how good our video was. So you had [characters] Olivia Pope and Huck and Abby saying we did a good FAFSA challenge thats something Ill always remember.

Its very reassuring that shes another woman of colour from the south side of Chicago. I feel like once youre born and raised here you always have a connection to it, wherever you go. She went to the same high school as my mother, so it makes it seem more real: anybody can go anywhere, no matter where youre from. I also attended Tuskegee University in Alabama, and I found out that she had also spoken at a graduation there, so I was thinking: Is this a sign that Im going to be the first lady next time?

When I think of Michelle Obama, reassuring is the word I think of. Shes brilliant she went to two Ivy League schools [Princeton and Harvard Law School] and has done all these great things. Its definitely something to look up to. Im now studying occupational therapy, and after this the plan is to go to a really good physical therapy school so I can get my doctorate. Michelle said we can do anything, so I believe it.