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youraverageaemondsimp · 5 months

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so, after seeing ewan mitchell at the conference, i have a delulu headcanon of actor aemond x bipoc actress/classical pianist/voice/stem girlie reader. of course, she's south-east asian chinese because i am extremely delulu.

like ewan mitchell, aemond is also the most mysterious targaryen in all of his family members in the world of acting.

aegon is an actor but is known more as a social media star/personality whilst halaena is the cottagecore girl who does tiktoks.

luke and jace are nothing more than nepo babies. both got that arrogant attitude from their mother, 'nyra.

aemond, despite the loss of his eye, became quite famous because of his strong acting abilities, mentored by criston cole.

he then became the most sought after leading man in the westerosi entertainment industry and racked up several acting accolades, second to his uncle, daemon.

wanting to beat his uncle's records, he decided to create a show of his ancestor's history.

reader came along by accident. she did not intend to pursue a career in acting because she saw herself as a in the world of stem and classical pianist and singer, not as an actor. the only acting accomplishment she had was acting as a tree in high school just to make her report card look good.

but she ended up getting that job because, in her previous role, she was selected in playing the leading lady of a video game character after the casting director liked what she did with their latest mocap technology. she initially resisted because she did not believe that she had what it takes, as well as her lack of training, but the director insisted. this led her to win an acting award due to her gritty and raw performance as a character who desperately needed help.

criston cole recommended reader and aemond, who already had several years of experience under his belt, was quite impressed by her performance as a newbie and decided to give her the job.

reader decided to take the job after her grandma said that she has never once seen a face like hers in south-east asian television channels due to racism.

aemond could remember the first time he laid his eye on her. there she was, despite being a young newbie, walked in the room with the confidence of a performer. his eye then landed on her resume and, if he had to admit, he was quite impressed by her.

her extensive resume, as it turned out, was quite diverse. she had experience in animation, mathematics, IT, computer science, classical piano, voice, speaks multiple languages and knows self-defence.

the self-defence reader knows is bokator, which means, "pounding a lion" in one of the south-east asian languages she speaks. think black widow swinging on top of her enemies in order to bring them down. if aemond had to admit, he was quite impressed by her, as no one was able to match his acting intensity and throw him off his feet.

she was someone who was not hard to miss, as she loved to wear brightly-coloured dresses and bold red lipsticks. sometimes, she would modernised traditional clothing, making her even more beautiful.

despite her impressive accomplishments, she was actually quite kind and humble and was willing to mentor aspiring classical musicians and stem girlies.

he loved his deep conversations with her, as she talked to him about the parallels between the history of his ancestors and ancient china.

she was also quite kind and considerate with a bright smile on her face. despite her bright and cheerful character, she was initially quite guarded towards aemond and maintained their distance, as she respected his wishes for privacy.

aemond, despite feeling glad of her kindness, sometimes wished that she'd let her guard down around him.

despite this, the cast could tell that there was something brewing between them. they noted how aemond would smile and laugh a bit more around reader. how relaxed he was around her. how trusting he was of her.

things went normally between them for quite some time.........until he discovered her secretly dancing to BTS' Run.

aemond was just walking down the corridor when she heard the music blasting from the gym room.

there she was, lip syncing and dancing to BTS' Run, completely oblivious.

so, the prim and proper reader actually had a fun side. it was quite a sight to watch.

reader, who completely oblivious of him, finally felt as if that she wasn't alone.

the video of her screaming and seeing him lean against the door with his arms crossed and smirking became viral, leading to fans asking when is the kdrama coming out.

the PR and writing team began to take notice. the writing team then began to write a romance story line whilst the PR team made them sit together in interviews.

the romance was unmistakably sizzling, despite the fact that the two of them barely had any kiss/sex scenes, per reader's suggestions.

the world then began to notice this and started asking whether or not they are dating, which reader vehemently denied, stating that they are colleagues and that she does not do office romances, much to aemond's disappointment.

the two of them were then sent to the south-east asian country that reader used to live in. the studio's intention was to attract more fans from that country, as reader can speak their language/s. aemond's uncle, corlys velaryon, and brother, aegon, joined as well.

aemond stepped out in the outfit like the one ewan mitchell wore at the airport in brazil.

as for reader, she stepped out in her pilot uniform, sunnies and bold red lipstick, much to the crowd's amazement. there she was, standing there with a powerful and commanding aura. someone who should be messed with.

as it turns, the studio pulled some strings so that reader would fly the aircraft, as she had been accumulating flight hours in order to step foot into NASA.

aemond was then photographed trying out local cuisines recommended by reader. he admired the fact the way reader's eyes lit up when discussing the local cuisines, leading to many lusting further after him.

aemond's outfit was the same as ewan mitchell to tease the female audience.

as for reader, she went on stage with a modernised ma mian qun (horse skirt from the ming dynasty) with water dragon patterns on it and off-shoulder modernised traditional sparkly top. aemond could not take his eye off from her. bright colours definitely suited her.

on stage, it was quite clear that aemond speaks of her highly. he praised the fact that she was a wonderful actor who is filled with multiple talents. he bragged about the fact that she also flew the aircraft they were in, as well as switching to multiple languages on the aircraft in order to communicate to the different nationalities of passengers. he also speaks highly of the fact that she was able to sing several of the soundtracks with her extremely beautiful voice and strong pianistic capabilities, as well as having several theorems next to her name and pursuing a phd.

the crowd awed out loud because it was quite clear that he was completely in love with her.

aemond also admired the fact that she was speaking to the interviewer in her native tongue and other languages she had up her sleeve, something that he had never heard her do before. he made a mental note to give her roles where she could speak all of those languages.

aemond also admired the fact that she was able to speak about her role in depth, her strong and impressive musical abilities, passion for the ancient chinese history and parallels to his own ancestors' and discussing how she used her STEM skills and knowledge to create a good show.

she was then asked on whether or not she sees aemond as a potential real-life love interest, in which she laughed off.

interviewer: "when's the kdrama coming out?"

"it's never coming out," she said laughing, "he doesn't like me that way".

aegon: uhhhhhh.....yes he does.

corlys: yes he does!

interviewer: yes he does!

the entired goddamned world 🌍🌍🌍🌍🌍🌍🌍🌍🌍: "yes he does!"

aemond: 😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯

HAHSHAS EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT AEMOND LIKES HER EXCEPT HER 😭😭😭

Love these hcs!

#asks #anon writings ✍🏻

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cowboygreeting · 2 months

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𝚠𝚑𝚘: @cowboygreeting and @livewireatalanta 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝: lifting session #1 and the beginning of a beautiful friendship 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎: the indoor gym, at the residential complex 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗: feb. 19, following the first day's activities

The sweatpants were the right choice, at least for the walk over. He hadn't realized how far the gym would be from his little apartment, though he'd known they were in different buildings. It's not like he has a problem being seen — he'd be jogging to the gym wearing less had he been back in Arizona — it's just. These are all professional colleagues, and Seth feels a little ridiculous. Who here is he showing off for, really? It's not like there's another point. Well. Besides feeling like God's gift to mankind when he walks past a mirror, but that's fleeting, and supremely vain — which he is, to be sure, but this is not the place to be feeling himself like that, and not the people he needs to be impressing with his physique.

Maybe one or two of them. Unprofessional, sure, but it's hardly Seth's fault this place is crawling with handsome older men. Honestly, kind of a buffet. If he didn't work with – or for – them, God. God. Shan't be spoken of. Really, even in his own head is a little too loud. He'll need to find someone to gossip with (other than Ro, he couldn't stomach what he'd hear back) at some point or he'll die, or explode, or something. To do that, he'll need to make friends, start a shortlist of candidates to be one of the girlies. And the first step to that is putting himself out there.

He said he'd be hitting the gym, so that's what he'll do. Live Wire — Nadia? Agent Atalanta? The scary woman. She said she'd be hitting the gym at some point too. Seth isn't sure if he wants to run into her or not until he makes it to the door and sees she's beaten him to the squat rack; in the moment, he says yes, okay, I can do this. If he has to trace a few steps back down the hall so she can't see him power-posing, just to get in the right mindset, whatever, it's fine. Whatever he has to do to put the right kind of smile on when he knocks on the door, crosses the threshold.

She seems... busy. He wouldn't want to interrupt her set. So he gets himself ready instead, stripping off the sweats and the hoodie, feeling — ridiculous, quite frankly, in the stupid TikTok tights. His ass looks phenomenal, yes, but at what cost? His dignity?

Too late to worry about that now. He stretches instead, glancing back at her from the corner of his eye every now and then, just waiting for a natural pause for him to say hello, introduce himself. It takes fifteen painful, grueling minutes before he can work the courage up. By then, it already feels too late, and he's half-thinking she's doing this on purpose, so he doesn't have a chance to say hi and she can avoid talking to him altogether — but. That would be ridiculous, right? They're adults. It's fine. He steels himself, and, a little too loud, a little too abruptly, projects across the gym:

"Yo. Hey. Nadia, right? I'm Seth, nice to meet you. You taking me up on the gym buddy offer?"

#fhq.seth #fhq.lw #lw.1

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bridgertonbabe · 1 year

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does sophie make her own career outside of the string orchestra now?? i'm imagining her being an absolute rock star in the baroque pop and indie folk world like andy samberg's wife. also, does she ever attend his shows and just be a rockstar wife with kate? I imagine some absolute chaos ensues in those dressing rooms with wives visiting their husbands after not seeing them for while lol

During their global tour the Bridgerton Brothers would cover a popular song in each respective country they performed in and during their concert in Norway they opted for Alexander Rybak's Fairytale (yes I'm shoe-horning in a Eurovision song but it is Eurovision week after all). In their concerts with certain songs they'd give the spotlight to a member of the orchestra if their particular instrument heavily featured, so naturally they turned to the string section and asked if any of them could play or learn the song - and without hesitation Sophie immediately began launched into it, seeing as it was already part of her repertoire. Naturally Benedict was particularly thrilled to showcase Sophie's talents (this takes place before he first asked her out) and she joined them front and centre for that concert, and during the entirety of the performance Benedict couldn't tear his eyes away from her, singing his parts of the song to her as she effortlessly played away like it was second nature to her. The number got a resounding response from the crowd and Benedict got them to cheer even louder when he told them to give it up for the violinist.

Then following the funeral and after Benedict had gone back to the tour, Posy swung by Sophie's place to share something with her stepsister that she had kept secret. Posy showed her a Tiktok account she had set up with videos she had filmed of Sophie performing for her grandmother and the other residents of the care facility - videos which had racked up views in the millions. Sophie was flabbergasted by the overwhelming response and Posy mentioned viewership had further skyrocketed from fans of the Bridgerton Brothers who had recognised her following her performance with them. Posy then revealed that because of the account and the staggering popularity and interest that an executive from a record company had reached out to offer Sophie a contract to put out her own album. Sophie was left speechless, never believing such an opportunity would ever come her way and as a direct result of her raw talent alone.

However she was hesitant to agree to the deal as she already began to consider how it might affect her and those around her. While she didn't think a career as a professional violinist with a record deal would elevate her into being a household name or anything of the sort, it might still make her well known enough for journalists to dig into her background and discover who her father was. Her entire life they had been so careful to hide the fact that she was his lovechild and she was nervous he'd get angry if the truth was outed, not to mention the fact that she wouldn't put it past Araminta to sing like a canary to the tabloids and fuel some sort of fabricated story that Sophie only got her big break thanks to her father. However when Sophie went to her dad to tell him about the offer Richard was over the moon for her and showed nothing but ardent support for her. When she voiced her anxiety for their relation to one another being uncovered, Richard waved it off and told her he no longer cared if people found out that he had a daughter, not when she was his pride and joy and quite frankly he couldn't wait to boast about her success.

Before agreeing to the deal she also consulted with Benedict and as soon as she told him about the offer he was ecstatic for her, voicing just how proud he was of her and how much she deserved it. With both her father and boyfriend's backing she signed a record deal and released her first album featuring her most popular covers before embarking on a small theatre tour, something she thought wouldn't sell, but tickets sold out within an hour of being released much to her amazement. Finished with his own tour, Benedict went to every single one of her shows, dragging along a different family member each time for them to experience just how incredibly talented his girlfriend was. Another cover album was released shortly after and Sophie found herself being booked as a musical guest on TV shows as well as being asked to perform at the Royal Variety Show. Following her second sold out theatre tour, the dates of which had tripled from the first one due to high demand, she released a third album which was as well received her the first two.

Benedict was about to go back on tour again with his brothers and he made his girlfriend an offer to be their opening act. He was confused when she declined the opportunity, not wanting to earn the role simply by being his girlfriend despite Benedict's insistence that that wasn't the case. It was the band's fans that had taken such a great interest in her following her performance with them on the last tour so they were fans of her anyway, not to mention the fact that her talent was enough to blow anyone away (and of course there's the selfish reason that by being on tour together that they wouldn't have to be apart). Sophie still refused however Benedict wouldn't let up, petulantly kicking up a fuss and going so far as to declare he wouldn't go on tour with the band if Sophie didn't join them as the opening act. It was Anthony and Colin who had to beg Sophie to join them on tour, "it's not just you who he's annoying; it's everyone, so please for the love of god end our collective suffering and just open up for us", and so finally she caved in much to Benedict's stubborn brat delight.

While they had managed to keep their relationship out of the public eye, speculation had been rife among the fans from the concert in Norway where Sophie had performed with the band as most of the audience had observed the way Benedict had seemed almost giddy to have her on stage with them. The theory of the pair being an item only continued when Benedict was spotted in attendance of pretty much every last date on Sophie's tours and when approached by fans at them he proudly declared himself to be Sophie's number one superfan, which only added more fuel to the fire. By the time she was the opening act for the band all of the fans were convinced they were in a relationship due to the fact Benedict barely tried to hide himself when poking his head out from backstage to watch Sophie perform with the biggest hearts eyes anyone had ever seen. Then on the last night of the tour after Sophie had finished her set Benedict came out to gift her with a big bouquet of flowers and asked the crowd to give it up for Sophie Beckett - his girlfriend. The crowd went wild for the confirmation and Benedict used the presented opportunity of Sophie's parted lips of surprise to kiss her, which only caused the crowd to scream louder. Backstage Benedict asked Sophie if she was mad at him for announcing their relationship like that, hoping she wouldn't be angry with him, but luckily Sophie answered him with a kiss and shrugged it off, saying it was a relief to not have to hide themselves away in public anymore and from then on Benedict got to proudly flaunt his girlfriend off (and talk incessantly about her should anyone mention her to him).

#asks #bridgerton brothers au

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biglisbonnews · 1 year

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Pamela Anderson Does Her Hair With a G-String Pamela Anderson is known for many things: body, face, and, of course, her trademark “bump” up-do. Anderson revealed what’s behind her trademark bouffant in a British Vogue “What’s In My Bag” video — and it’s more revealing than you’d expect. Pamela Anderson does her hair with a G-string. Dumping out a bag full of Altoids, signature scents, sunglasses and scenes from plays, Anderson demonstrates in the video how she ties her hair in moments of scrunchy-less desperation. “This is the trick of the trade,” Anderson says coyly. “We’re really flashing back to the ‘90s. The tousled updo always had a pair of panties in them.”The tousled updo in question became Anderson’s trademark look at the height of the Baywatch craze— from interviews to red carpets to paparazzi pics. With the ‘90s revival back in full swing, grab your G-string and give her beauty hack a try.Related | Pamela Anderson Allegedly Told Tommy Lee He's Her 'One True Love'Beauty has, however, also made improvements since the huge-hair-heyday. Anderson noted the improvements, pulling out an Illia highlighter and remarking, “We didn’t have this in the ‘90s.”Sunscreen was also scarce in all her time spent on the Baywatch beach, a fact that racked up 137 freckles on just her nose: “Should’ve worn this,” Anderson says tossing the sunscreen aside.On a sentimental note, Anderson spends some time in the video reminiscing on her relationship with Alexis Vogel, who helped conceive of her iconic makeup look that has since become a TikTok trend, and who lost a battle with breast cancer.“She would be so proud that everybody was really taking it on and having fun with makeup,” said Anderson, showing off Vogel’s little pot of glitter. Closing the video, Anderson pops a loose kumquat in her mouth, wincing at the sour taste and the endless possibilities for innuendo. She left the double entendre up to the imagination. Photo courtesy of BFA/ Virisa Yang https://www.papermag.com/pamela-anderson-g-string-2659401027.html

#Hair #Vogue #Beauty #90s #Pamela anderson #Kenna McCafferty #PAPER

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sheniq · 1 year

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Controversial internet personality Andrew Tate and his brother detained in Romania Controversial internet personality Andrew Tate and his brother were detained in Romania on Thursday, according to their defense lawyer. Authorities in Romania said police served search warrants at five homes and detained four suspects, including two Britons and two Romanians, as part of an investigation into organized human trafficking and rape. Tate, a former professional kickboxer, is known for his viral rants online about male dominance, female submission and wealth. He openly advocates violence against women, and had previously been banned from every major social media platform until Elon Musk reinstated his Twitter account after taking over the company. He rose in prominence earlier this year, with many adults including school teachers voicing alarm about his misogynistic ideas taking root in the minds of countless young boys. Before it was taken down, his TikTok account racked up about 11.6 billion views. He made headlines this week for a Twitter interaction with Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who told Tate to get a life after he tweeted about his numerous cars "and their respective enormous emissions." Climate activist Greta Thunberg is giving incendiary influencer Andrew Tate a taste of his own medicine following his recent arrest. “This is what happens when you don’t recycle your pizza boxes,” Thunberg tweeted. Thursday after the controversial social media star tweeted a video response to one of Thunberg’s tweets. In it, Tate asks someone off-camera to bring him pizza and “make sure that these boxes are not recycled” as he’s handed two pies from Jerry’s Pizza — a local chain in Romania. The video was all authorities needed to pinpoint the former kickboxer’s location and make the arrest. The spat between the 19-year-old activist and 36-year-old influencer started earlier this week when Tate tagged her in a post showing off his 33 cars and asked for her address so he could continue to brag that they contribute significantly to pollution. #AndrewTate #GretaThunberg https://www.instagram.com/p/CmzItfPrCoh/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#andrewtate #gretathunberg

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all-might-can-smash-me · 4 years

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Paparazzi

Keigo Takami/Hawks x Reader

Summary: You meet Hawks one day at your store and you and him strike of a friendship that turns romantic....but the paparazzi manage to get it to the rest of the world not even 24 hours later

This shit is long, sorry not sorry

Masterlist

Crushes were just....well.... crushes, right? Especially celebrity crushes or crushes on fictional characters. Usually the average person will develop one or more crushes on celebrity or fictional beings, it was just the way the human brain (or something like the human brain for some people) worked. You yourself grew up with many celebrity and fictional crushes. The walls of your childhood room were (and probably still filled) with the posters of the heroes you adored growing up, the bands, singers, and artist you admired, and personal favorite characters from the shows or movies you’ve had seen and fell in love within the span of your teenage lifetime. Even now you admired celebrities and the such, but now it was mostly just giving them a like and follow on their tiktok or Instagram or admiring a picture or two when you came upon it, that’s it. Being an adult now and owning your own little grocery store, inherited from your parents of course, in the middle of the busy life of the city was enough to squelch your once childish habits, but sometimes you would allow yourself to flip through the gossip magazines you had set up to see the new and old faces of celebrities and heroes to see which one was hot or not, but that really wasn’t weird for such a mundane person to do.

All that crushing business would stay in the fantasy portion of your brain however, to never once think that you would have one of the fantasies you would once dream about as a teenager about a celebrity or fictional crush sweeping you away on your feet. Just thinking that something like that could happen was laughable really, it almost made you laugh now as you perused the magazine rack you had finally finished setting up, the hours of the day now almost bordering the parent’s definition of ‘its getting late’, which honestly meant that it was 7:30, as your employee hummed behind the cash register, fiddling with the pens and note pads scattered about at the counter.

“Hey, toss me one of those magazines.” Called out the cashier, you handing over the magazine, watching their hands drag towards them to let their eyes scan the bold headings on the front page and soon the face that was the eye catcher of it all. “Pro Hero Hawks is always on the front of the magazines....isn’t he so dreamy looking...” hummed out the younger girl, you only gave a snort as your hand went back to fidgeting the flimsy magazines and puzzle books that seemed only the elderly would purchase.

“Yeah, he’s handsome alright, but I don’t get my hopes up about that fantasy coming true.” You joked, the girl only giving a sad nod in agreement. With a laugh, you bent over to pick up the empty box that once held the new issues of magazines, starting to unfold it from its shape.

“Yeah I know, but still, just imagine it though....what if he just came sauntering in here now? To sweep one of us off our feet?” She said with her young, dreamy little look. You only rolled your eyes, shoving the unfolded ripped up box in the recycling bin, grabbing the magazine and giving a gentle and playful wack to the young girl’s head before placing it back on the rack.

“Yeah? Well the day that happens is the day I’ll believe anything to be possible.” You spoke with a laugh as you leaned against the counter, though the bell hanging upon the glass door gave off its soft chime to signify a new patron had entered your humble grocery store. You head automatically moved to see who had just walked in out of habit, but you probably should have already known who had entered inside your shop just by the look upon the cashier’s face. Hawks stood there at the entrance, those eyes of his glancing back and forth between you and the cashier. The shock was probably evident upon your faces.

“Um....is this like a bad time or something?” He soon questioned which you quickly shook your head at his word, finally snapping yourself out of your dumbfounded haze. Honestly there was no reason to be so shocked over another person, he was just a normal human being that was idolized who just happened to do amazing things for the safety of the society you lived in, but the coincidence of your previous conversation set your body in a rage of jitters.

“No! Not at all! Sorry if we seemed shocked, we don’t usually get sidekicks in here let alone heroes.” You spoke out with a laugh, hand sliding over the counter to give the young girl a little nudge on her shoulder to snap her out of her daze of the handsome hero before her. At that a bright blush crawled onto her face as she set her gaze down to the plastic keys of the cashier.

“Alright...cool...” he said with a shrug of his shoulders, already beginning to make his slow walk to the many things you had on display. The chips, candy, drinks, the instant ramen, the food that sat in the freezer ready to be eaten right away for the late night student or the person craving a bite or to be heated in the microwave station with running water off to the side next to the few tables you had for them to sit down and rest while they ate. The silence almost seemed to suffocate you as you listened to his shuffling and tried not to really stare. Though he seemed to hesitate a bit before finally turning around in his path, making his way up to the counter where you and the cashier still stood at.

“Sorry to bother you, but do you have any chicken ramen? Or anything that just has chicken in it or something?” He asked, hands pushing up the glasses that sat over his eyes and up upon his head. You looked to your cashier, expecting her to speak up, but that embarrassed look upon her face spoke volumes to you as you looked back to Hawks, that costumer service smile already plastered upon your face as you waved him to follow.

“Of course! I really need to take the time to organize all those products, costumers and tourist come in and always swap everything around.” You spoke up, leading him down the isles of your small store expertly before moving to the coolers of food that was ready to go/heated and the ramen. “This is our chicken selection in ramen, after you pay you can either leave and fix it at home or use our water and microwave station to eat here...then in the coolers we have onigiri with chicken....um....we carry egg and chicken Sandos...the information on how it should be consumed is on the label, so make sure your careful about reading and following the directions....” you muttered out as you pointed to all the things, which he nodded his head.

“Sorry if that question was dumb...it’s been a long day.” He said as he scratched the back of his neck. He had to admit, he felt kind of stupid asking that question now with now knowing the fact everything was honestly right in front of his face.

“We all have those days, I hope you can find something you like though, if there’s anything else I’ll be upfront.” You said as you were already heading back up to the front counter, casting a ‘pull yourself together women!’ look to your employee who only mouthed out an apology as she facepalmed and cringed at her own behavior. Hawks was soon rummaging through the ramen, arms soon filled with containers and a lonesome cup ramen, walking up to the counter to gently let everything slip onto the surface.

“Hold on, I got one more thing.” He muttered out as he stepped up to the magazine rack, shamelessly grabbing the one that had his face smack dab in the middle, tossing it onto the counter. “I swear, that’s it.” He joked, but that joke received radio silence from the cashier as her hands shakily went to begin ringing up his things. You couldn’t help but cringe for her, you didn’t blame her either, if it were you a few years ago behind that counter it would have been the same scenario.

“You want it bagged?” You asked, hand already grabbing one of the paper bags you had off to the side, ready to be used, though he only brought up a hand to politely halt your actions.

“Nah, I’ll eat here, enjoy the scenery.” He said with a little wink, already handed over the money, of course he said to not worry about the change as he scooped up everything back into his arms, whistling away to the eating area, beginning to already prepare his food, phone lazily in his hand as he did so.

“Are you ok? It seemed like you were about to drop dead any moment.” You whispered out as you leaned over the counter to your employee, she only shoving her face in her hands.

“Oh don’t even bring it up! He’s not even gone yet...” she whispered back, grabbing the paper bag that was still within your hands, placing it back, though she seemed hesitant to say something. “Could you....get his autograph for me?” She soon whispered out.

“What?!” You whispered back, casting a quick glance over your shoulder and to the hero who now lounged back at the seating area, magazine now clutched within one hand, the other feeding himself. “I don’t want to bother him, I-“ though your whispers were cut off by her own.

“Come on! Please? I’m a mess and when am I ever going to get it again?” She said, hands clasped before her as she begged to you with her whispers. You stood there, only being able to stare at her before finally nodding your head vigorously.

“Fine...fine...gimme a pen and paper...” you muttered out lowly, the girl quietly brought up a fist to the air lowly to show her victory before she scrambled around, hand clutching onto a pen, though her eyes landed on the magazines, which she gestured for you to grab one, which you did, placing it before her as she skillfully brought a pair of scissors to the cover, cutting out the front cover neatly of Hawks’ face, handing it to you along with the pen.

“Take the magazine out my pay check and I’ll owe you one too, thank you so much.” She whispered out, you only taking the pen and picture with the feeling of embarrassment already eating away at your stomach. Though you began to walk towards the eating area, almost painfully slow, trying to prolong the encounter with the hero you knew was going to be probably awkward.

“Hey...um...can I get your autograph?” You asked, handing over the pen and paper to him. You tried to seem nonchalant about it, but the minute shake in your hands almost blew your cover as he looked up from the gossip columns he was reading, swallowing the food that was in his mouth.

“Yeah, sure!” He said, that same charming smile that graced the covers of every magazine now plastered upon his face and it honestly has you in a trance. You didn’t even notice he took the pen and paper from your hands if it weren’t for the soft brush of his fingers against yours that sent your body into a mess of tingles from the sensation. “What’s you name sweetheart? I bet it’s something that sounds pretty, you know, to match you.” He said with a smirk, pen already scribbling down his signature.

“What?” You dumbly said, though a soft blush had risen to your cheeks as you shook your head. “Sorry, the autograph isn’t for me, it’s for my employee.” You cleared up, leaning up against the table that was adjacent to the one he sat in.

“Oh, gotcha.” He said as he capped the pen, soon handing it back to you along with the autograph of the improvised photo. He had to admit, he was kind of disappointed that it didn’t seem like you were his fan. “Whose signature would you like anyway? I could probably get it for you though, to even the score between you and your employee over there.” He said, looking past you and raising his hand to give a teasingly flirtatious wave to her, amused to see the young girl turn into a blushing mess as she hid behind her hair.

“Well you know, I like All Might, who doesn’t, you, Endeavor, you know, the ones I see most often on those magazines.” You said as you motioned to the magazine that was now left open and off to the side of where he had stopped reading. “But maybe if I was younger I would have died and resurrected to get any of those autographs. Now? I got more important things to worry about.” You said with a little laugh as you motioned to the establishment around you.

“An independent business gal? Hm, I like it.” He said with another one of those borderline flirtatious smirks, leaving your insides a frenzy upon a single glance, but only if you knew those soft chimes of your voice were seemingly tugging at his own heart gently. “I’ll be sure to keep supporting the business then.” He said as he soon stood up, almost looming over you for a second before he had moved to toss away his trash in it’s respected trash can, the magazine now tucked under his arm, wings ruffling a bit as he made his way to that glass door smudged with the many fingerprints off that day’s patrons “Catch ya on the flip side!” He said with a laugh before casting another amusing wink to the cashier, the door shutting with another chime, living the store in a silence until it was filled with your employer’s squeals.

“He winked at me! He smirked at me! He smiled at me!!! But did you even hear what he told you!” She gushed out as you were now back up to the front, handing her the autograph, pen set back aside. “He was totally making googly eyes at you and flirting with you!” She said as she hugged the autograph close to her chest, though stopped soon to smooth out the paper.

You only brushed it off as just her fantasies gone haywire within her head, but only if you could tell the future. He had become a regular costumer. He’d saunter in right at the same time ever night, get the same things every time. It came to the point where you or the cashier working would gather everything right before he would enter, which it always seemed to brighten his face up when everything would already be waiting for him to pay at the counter. Then he would chat up a storm with you. About what? Anything! Your favorite color? He wanted to know what it was and why. Favorite food? How was your day? He always kept a conversation going with you, always managed to squeeze out a blush and get you to laugh that laugh that was contagious, at least it was for himself. It was all like a really strange dream that you couldn’t wake up from, because who would have ever thought that this is how you spent some of the hours of your day doing?

“Hawks? What is that?” You questioned as you were stocking the magazines for your usual late hour routine, watching him carry in a box carefully through the door way, setting it gently down on the sales counter.

“Come on, look.” He said, you placing the stack of magazines that were once balanced in your arms back in the box at your feet, now free to move beside him, eyes trained on him and soon to the box. “Well go on, it’s not gonna bite you....I hope.” He teased, you only giving a roll of your eyes as you pushed back the flaps, eyes soon peering in.

“What?!” You exclaimed as you soon reached in, pulling out the contents of the box carefully. It seemed like it was never ending with framed pictures of almost every pro hero worth mentioning in Japan. “What in the world? Why-?” Though he only gave a smug smile as he coolly leaned his back up against the counter.

“Oh you know....to hang them up somewhere around here, give a little spice you know.” He said with a shrug of his shoulders. “People will come in and see them, then they’ll tell others that this is probably getting a lot of attention from the pros so then it will get others to come and blah blah blah...” he said, crossing his arms before casting a glance down at you as you admired the many signatures before you. “Plus I had some free time to bother them all for their autographs and I just really wanted you to one up this little gal here.” He said, motioning to the girl at the cash register who had become all too familiar now with pro hero now thanks to seeing him every night, but that didn’t stop her from still almost dying of embarrassment.

You only responded to his words with an embrace, arms thrown around his neck as you let out your amused giggles at his explanation, that grin upon your face all the validation he needed to answer whether or not you liked it.

“Thank you, Hawks, that was thoughtful of you....even if your attentions were only to be competitive.” You mumbled out, feel the soft rumble of your voice against his chest as he returned the hug back. The contact with you was satisfying, but you pulled away even if he honestly could just have spent an eternity like that.

He was right though, once those bad boys were up on display, your business got more traction. Tourist would come, fans would come to admire the neatly framed autographs and munch away at the eating area and geek away and other heroes had begun to visit your humble store as well. Your store hours had soon turned into 24/7, the place becoming a hot spot for heroes and sidekicks in the area during their patrol hours. People like Fatgum would come during the day for a quick fix and Eraserhead, who had also become a regular costumer in the late night patrols, would come to get a pick me up for the rest of his late patrols. Heck, you now even had superhero merchandise now on that you could barely keep stocked!

“Hawks! You missed it! Endeavor was in here! The Endeavor!” Called out the cashier as Hawks had stepped through the door, seeming to forget the painful embarrassment she would usually feel with interacting with him.

“Endeavor? Really? I’m actually even shocked at that.” He said with a grin as he leaned against the counter, a hand reaching up to absentmindedly twist the messy strands of his hair, wings giving a quick stretch before folding themselves back, one of his feathers placing the money for his usual purchase down on the counter as his free hand slid all of the food he would buy toward himself.

“Yeah, he’s scarier in person.” You called out with a laugh as you appeared from the storage room, a hand reaching up to push back the frizzy strands of hair that had escaped from your hairdo. “But yes, he did stop by to buy one of those cheap jumbo sized bottled water.” You recalled as you soon stood beside him, hands on your hips as you looked quizzically out to your store, trying to see if you missed anything. Hawks took that moment to look over to you, eyes adoring the scrunch of your eyebrows that formed when you were stressful thinking about something.

“Hey, you know, I did get that pretty name from you, but how about a number....and possibly a date?” He soon spoke, fingertips tapping against the counter top, you snapping out of your train of thought to look at him, eyebrows raised.

“Excuse me?” You asked, a little lost for words at his own that he spoke out. He seemed to not be affected though as he now stood up straight, a hand still rested on the counter’s surface.

“I’m asking you out on a date and I also want you number.” He bluntly said with his phone already in his hands with a smirk as he watched in amusement to see you physically try and let yourself process what he had just said. You were honestly trying to make sure your brain wasn’t really just playing a lucid fantasy before your eyes. Though finally you grabbed his phone, thumbs tapping down your number before handing it back to him.

“Great, I’ll pick you up at what, 7:30 tomorrow? Dress nice, I’ll get your address later.” He said as he was already backing out of the store, food forgotten on the counter, leaving you a numbed mess of nerves, your cashier in a frenzy at what she had just witnessed. He was true to his word too, he got your address from you and he showed up to the front door of your apartment with a knocked right on time the next day, handsome in his smart clothes, it was strange to see him out of his hero costume, a pair of shades over his eyes.

“Hey, you think these glasses are a good disguise?” He asked with a grin as he reached a hand up to straighten them out as you opened the door, though you only snorted as you leaned against the door frame.

“I would say so....if it weren’t for those.” You said as you motioned to his wings, which he only let out a laugh as he watched you slip on your shoes and retrieve you purse.

“Shit, you’re right, but first let me just say that you simply take my breath away.” He said as he admired you, you only rolling eyes as you nudged forward into order to step out into the hall to close and lock your door. The date, was nice, a little more intimate than the conversations you had at your business, but still, they felt like they could go on for hours and hours. It was those kinds of conversations that just made you feel...complete? It was the type of conversation that by the end would make your throat and mouth dry, but in a good way from all the talking and laughing that would be exchange. It was the type of conversation that made you feel energetic and your face hurt from the bashful smiles and grins he would grow upon your lips. They would have went for hours and hours if it weren’t for the servers starting to get antsy about the need for the two of you to leave in a timely manner for the next reservation. The car ride home was quiet between the two of you with only ambiance from the rain that had begun to fall, the fellow traveling cars, and the soft low music that purred from his radio. Though there didn’t need to be any conversations to be spoken as his hand rested upon your thigh over the dress you wore, your pinky hooked with his. That was all the conversation you needed as he helped you out of the vehicle, the two of you making your way quickly through the downpour of rain and inside of the apartment complex and up to your floor where you soon stood before him at your door, your fingers gently hooked to his as you looked up to him.

“I...enjoyed tonight.” You soon spoke up, letting go of his hand to reach your own hand up to push back the pieces of your hair that managed to get soaked and stick to the side of your face. Another bit of silence lifted as all Hawks felt he could do was just be mesmerized by you before him. Those lips came upon yours finally, the both of you caught in a passionate kiss that you enjoyed every second of until he pulled away.

“Open that door...” he softly spoke out, nodding his head to the locked door that stood beside the two of you. The jingle of your keys was a melody that sent goosebumps up his arms and jitters to his hands that rested upon your hips as he listened to the keys slide into the lock and jiggle around before that damned door was open.

“Keigo Takami....that is who I am...” he softly spoke out behind the privacy of the closed door and also against the smooth skin of your face that he was currently peppering many soft and gentle kisses upon.

The next morning you were the first to awake, stretching as you sat up at the side of the bed, eyes staring to the early hours of morning beyond the window. The confirmation of last night snoring beside you, wings jutting out in awkward angles, feathers ruffled from sleep. You let a soft smile crawl onto your lips as a hand reached to gently smooth over his hair before getting up, getting dressed, and leaving the apartment with a single note behind.

“Gone to work....lock door when you leave, key is at front door...” he groggily mumbled out as he scratched his head, fingertips gently holding up the sticky note that was stuck to the reflective surface of the fridge. He only shrugged his shoulders as he rummaged through the pantries, finally accumulating cereal, a bowl and spoon, and milk, soon getting his fixing and placing everything away, now lazily lounging on the couch, bowl of cereal in hand as he turned on the tv to munch away at his breakfast.

“Now that the weather and national news is out the way, we have some pretty hot topics on our top heroes!” Chipped out the upbeat women on the tv screen, which Keigo only rolled his eyes at.

“Hot you say? Yeah sure, bring it on sister...” he muttered out as he only continued to shovel the cereal into his mouth as he continued to listen, that bored look etched onto his face.

“Now today we are faced with the conundrum of if our beloved Hawks has found love or turned player.” Came out the voice again, though Keigo only froze, gulping down the cereal that was in his mouth.

“What?!” He shouted, now at the edge of his seat as he glared down to the tv screen through his groggy eyes.

“Our team managed to capture pictures of Hawks and this mystery woman and from what eye witness say, he and the mystery woman entered the apartment after their date at....” though the words were drowned out by the blaring of his phone ringing, which he was quick to answer it.

“Shit....yeah I know.....damage control, what? No, I’m not just screwing around with her!” he shouted into the phone as he shoveled the rest of the cereal into his mouth, placing the bowl in the sink before beginning to pace around your kitchen.

“Hey! The new issues of magazines came in early!” Called out the morning hour worker as you stepped in, raising a brow as you stepped up to the delivery that was already waiting for you at the rack of magazines.

“Really? That’s odd...” you mumbled out as you bent down, starting to rip off the tape and pull back the flaps, reaching a hand in to grab one of the magazines to pull it out, eyes looking to the bold headlines on the cover.

‘Hawks Turned lover? Or player?’

Your hands viciously opened up the magazine, flipping to the page that the story was advertised to be on, your jaw dropping upon seeing the paparazzi photos of you and Keigo of him picking you up, of the two of you on your date , and the kiss shared between the two of you and of him entering your apartment. It was like your body was frozen as you stared down to the photos in front of you, your life now on blast to the whole world.

“Shit..” you finally managed out as as you roughly closed the magazine, shoving it back into the box, your employee staring at you with a raised eyebrow.

“What’s wrong with them?” They asked, watching you lift the box up from the ground, maneuvering behind the counter to set them behind it, pushing the box far under.

“Just...don’t touch them, I’m not putting those on display.” You spoke out nervously, standing up and wiping off the sweat that had begun to accumulate on the palms of your hands, though the gasp of your employee caught your attention as they looked down at their phone.

“Pictures have just surfaced of Hawks chilling around almost butt ass naked in some mystery girl’s apartment.” He spoke out, flipping the phone to your wide eyes. Sure enough, there he was, bowl of cereal within his hands as he sat on your couch in his boxers through the windows of your apartment. “Hell yeah, Hawks got himself a lady friend.” The morning’s cashier joked, but no laughter was going to be heard from you as you were quick to make an excuse to leave the store.

“I don’t care how it’s done! I just need a statement saying that the woman is my fucking girlfriend and that legal actions will be taken because geez, I don’t know, they showed off where she lived to everyone who doesn’t live under a rock in Japan!” He said as he leaned his elbows against the counter top in your kitchen, hand burying itself in his bed hair, fingers tugging and pulling at tangles that would try to trap around his fingers. The front door of the apartment opening caught his attention as he looked to see you standing there rigidly, door quickly closed behind you as you stared at him.

“I don’t know what those people were thinking, they doxxed the shit out of her, yes we are gonna have to move her....yeah..” he spoke into the phone, you finally removing your shoes and calmly seating yourself at the kitchen counter, looking to the feathers on his wings that were still ruffled from sleep. Finally he hung up, phone placed on the counter top, a silence falling between the two of you before he spoke up. “That was quite the scare....you sure you still wanna be with me?” He said jokingly as he rubbed his face, already feeling his insides cringing from the embarrassment that seemingly felt like it was trying to swallow him whole. You couldn’t help but let out a laugh as you shook your head at his words.

“Keigo....lets not ask stupid questions....”

492 notes · View notes

onestowatch · 3 years

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The Top 21 Artists to Watch in 2021

In a world where the only universal certainty seems to be opening every email with “hope you’re doing well,” the only other surefire guarantee is that there will continue to be new music worth discovering. And, we figured with the start of a new year, what better way to say to spend the waking hours of 2021 than introduce you to a few of the artists we currently have a close eye on. Often genreless and belonging to Gen Z, these are the 21 artists we are watching in 2021.

spill tab

youtube

Where to Start: “Calvaire”

In her breakout single “Calvaire,” spill tab sings in French over an intoxicating backbeat. The effect is akin to a spell, ushering into existence something inherently danceable and transfixing, like an Angèle B-side finding new life as a Billie Eilish cut. It is a standout moment that would be followed by similar standout moments in the form of a series of varied singles, culminating in spill tab’s debut EP, Oatmilk. Short and sweet, the four-song collection holds all the promise of a 2021 artist to watch.

Joesef

youtube

Where to Start: “The Sun Is Up Forever”

Emerging from the fog of Glasgow, Scotland, Joesef’s marriage of heartbreak, desire, regret, hope, and sublime joy is nothing short of intoxicating. Immediately making an impression with his tender, heartfelt croon, the Glasgow artist’s songs soon give way to emotionally rife personal recollections–some beautiful in their understated minimalism, some breathtaking in their expansive scope. Whatever the setting, the result is always the same–a passionate, shared moment you will not be forgetting anytime soon.

brakence

youtube

Where to Start: “dropout”

Self-described as “self-care punk,” brakence effortlessly pairs the unmatched energy of punk with an impressive showing of vulnerability. While the past few years saw the Ohio native experiment over a range of singles and on his debut album, 2020 was without a doubt the year he found his sound in the noteworthy punk2. Blending Midwest emo, trap production, hip-hop, and alternative, brakence’s sophomore effort is a masterclass in infectious emotional catharsis.

Mustafa

youtube

Where to Start: “Stay Alive”

Few artists embody the sentiment of music as poetry as emphatically as Mustafa. First leaving a mark with 2020’s “Stay Alive,” Mustafa introduced himself to the world with a breathtaking, earth-shattering ballad rife with impassioned emotional imagery. Soft-spoken but never lacking for impact, the poet, activist, filmmaker, and songwriter brings to life the lived realities of Toronto’s Regent Park, a public housing project that shaped Mustafa into the once in a lifetime artist he is today.

Holly Humberstone

youtube

Where to Start: “Falling Asleep At The Wheel”

In her 2020 debut EP, Falling Asleep at the Wheel, Holly Humberstone proves herself a master at crafting a palpable atmosphere. Rife with emotional highs and cathartic lows, all backed by Humberstone’s magnetic and graceful songwriting, the British artist lays her heart on her sleeve and in turn lays the groundwork for a debut offering poised to stand the test of time. It is no mere hyperbole to say that Humberstone is an artist to watch out for not only in 2021 but in the years to come.

AG Club

youtube

Where to Start: “Memphis”

The initial comparison of AG Club to collectives like BROCKHAMPTON and A$AP may be an easy one to draw, but a single listen tells another story. While the genreless Bay Area collective may radiate the same rapturous energy of the aforementioned groups, AG Club is clearly riding high on their own wavelength. Aiming to make hip-hop but not as you know it, the idiosyncratic collective made their vision clear with the release of 2020’s Halfway Off the Porch, an electrifying amalgamation of disparate genres, sights, sounds, and moods.

347aidan

youtube

Where to Start: “Dancing in My Room”

Euphoric, difficult to perfectly define, and haphazardly brilliant, aidan347 embodies the adventurousness and inventiveness of Gen Z. The project of 17-year-old Aidan Fuller, the Cambridge, Ontario native has spent the past five years making music. Yet at the beginning of 2020, the Cambridge artist had less than three thousand monthly listeners; now, that number sits well above five million. A testament to 347aidan’s tenacity, his devoted fanbase, and the power of a TikTok-fueled viral hit–arriving in the form of “Dancing in My Room”–it really feels we are only witnessing the prologue of what’s to come.

Frances Forever

youtube

Where to Start: “Space Girl”

When thinking of music’s future stars, what better place to look than to the galactic, lovelorn musings of Frances Forever. Making less of a splash and more of a tidal wave with the release of “Space Girl” late last year, the Boston bedroom artist’s ode to intergalactic love has been rapidly climbing the TikTok and indie charts. Now signed to Mom+Pop records, Frances Forever is more than ready to shoot for the stars and beyond in 2021.

Hope Tala

youtube

Where to Start: “Lovestained”

Hope Tala is impossible to ignore. A West Londoner to her core, the UK singer-songwriter finds inspiration in everything from ‘90s movies, classic literature, to the constantly changing world around her. Transforming what feels like a lifetime, and some, of inspiration into an undeniably spellbinding fusion of R&B and bossa nova, Hope Tala’s musings of daydreams, heartache, and fear are the sort ready to define a generation’s ails, joys, and mundane triumphs and anxieties. Universal in scope yet deeply personal, Hope Tala is without doubt an artist to keep your eye on in 2021.

youtube

Where to Start: “Take Me Your Heart Is”

Q, much like his name, is an anomaly. Releasing one album a year since 2018, the ineffable soul and R&B artist has somehow coasted under the radar in spite of releasing some of the most breathtaking music out there. And with the release of 2020’s The Shave Experiment, Q feels like he’s finally stepping into the much-deserved limelight. Leading with the striking “Take Me Your Heart Is,” Q brought to life a nostalgic, hyper-emotive track sure to stop you in your tracks. Hopefully, it’s one of many to come.

Claire Rosinkranz

youtube

Where to Start: “Backyard Boy”

16-year-old Claire Rosinkranz has been making music for the better part of her life, and 2020 was the year that scribbling down lyrics and helping her father compose music for TV shows and ad jingles paid off in a major way. The California native’s single, “Backyard Boy,” taken from her debut EP, BeVerly Hills BoYfRiEnd, soon became a TikTok hit, racking up over 80 million streams to date, on Spotify alone. If there are two things to look out for in 2021, make sure it’s your mental wellbeing and Claire’s euphoric self-dubbed “alternative-blues-pop.”

KennyHoopla

youtube

Where to Start: “how will i rest in peace if i'm buried by a highway?//”

KennyHoopla is nothing if not electrifying. The alternative, punk, and ‘80s new wave-evoking artist moves through each track with a sense of world-ending hunger, jumping from one ensuing mosh pit to the next. It is a balancing act of new wave nostalgia and genuine inventive alternative that results in a maelstrom of palpable excitement. To best experience this cathartic form of self-expression firsthand, look no further than his debut EP, last year’s how will i rest in peace if i'm buried by a highway?//. No one is quite making music like KennyHoopla, in 2021 or beyond.

MICHELLE

youtube

Where to Start: “THE BOTTOM”

New York collective MICHELLE deftly imbues the sincerity of soul and R&B into a uniquely tender pop outlook, and the result is nothing short of infectious. The project of six predominantly queer POC individuals, the group originally earned widespread critical acclaim for their 2018 album HEATWAVE, but it was arguably their subsequent signing with Atlantic Records last year that has them set to be one of 2021’s most promising acts. Quickly making the most of their newfound major label status, MICHELLE released “Sunrise,” the sonic equivalent of the first rays of light breaking through the clouds, signaling the end of a rainy day. It’s safe to say the future is looking bright for MICHELLE.

glaive

youtube

Where to Start: “eyesore”

Few artists define and defy the label of hyperpop as readily as glaive. Falling somewhere between 100 gecs and the second coming of mid-2000s pop punk, the newly-signed Interscope artist released his major debut label EP, cypress grove, earlier this year. Yet before finding a home at Interscope, glaive’s official discography only stretched back as far as 2020. Making the most of a year we all would rather soon forget, the 15-year-old wunderkind showcased to the world a continual musical evolution that is looking to only further pick up steam in the coming year.

Claud

youtube

Where to Start: “Wish You Were Gay”

From opening for Clairo to releasing a steady stream of resonant singles, Claud has spent the last couple of years making a name for themselves in the indie music world, but 2020 saw arguably their biggest breakthrough moment yet. With the release of “Gold,” Claud became the first artist signed to Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records. Arriving as the first taste of their upcoming debut album, Super Monster, 2021 is looking absolutely golden for Claud. And not to mention the fact they recently started a band with Clairo and friends.

María Isabel

youtube

Where to Start: “The 1”

Where has María Isabel been all our lives? First making herself known with the release of “The 1,” an ode to long-distance relationships, which soon became more prophetic than we ever could have imagined, the debut single served as lovely an introduction as they come. Thankfully, we would not have to wait too long to hear more dreamlike R&B from María, who graced us with her debut EP, Stuck in the Sky shortly thereafter. Uniquely heartfelt and velvety smooth, María’s voice is just the thing to carry you through 2021.

Remi Wolf

youtube

Where to Start: “Photo ID”

The past couple of years have seen avant-garde pop wunderkind Remi Wolf test the waters with one out of this world single after another, and 2020 felt like the year everything finally fell into place. Arriving on the Bay Area native’s sophomore album, I’m Allergic To Dogs!, “Photo ID,” and its unafraid, in your face anti pop mentality cemented itself as a surefire hit, and TikTok soon took notice. Serving as a testament to Remi Wolf’s mainstream appeal in spite of her outsider approach, “Photo ID” merely set the stage for what is to come.

PawPaw Rod

youtube

Where to Start: “HIT EM WHERE IT HURTS”

PawPaw Rod may be the only artist on this list with only one single to their name, but in no way does that disqualify him from being an artist to watch in 2021. Releasing his debut single, “HIT EM WHERE IT HURTS,” out into the ether, the Los Angeles artist immediately landed on something special. Blending elements of hip-hop, funk, and alternative under a mellow, syrupy flow, PawPaw Rod wasted no time in setting himself apart from the pack. And with godmode–the same development company that brought us Yaeji, Channel Tres, LoveLeo, and more–it is safe to say that this is only the beginning.

Evann Mcintosh

youtube

Where to Start: “WIYULD”

In her dreamlike take on alternative R&B, Evann Mcintosh attempts to capture the turbulent act of coming-of-age. At times delicate to the touch and at times emanating a self-assured confidence well beyond her 16 years of age, Evann Mcintosh’s 2019 debut album, MOJO, laid the groundwork for an act whose promise knows no bounds. It was a promise she made good on during the tail end of 2020, with the release of singles “WIYULD” and “BULL$HIT.” Showing off two different sides of her continued musical growth, 2021 has us all the more excited for what Evann has in store.

Serena Isioma

youtube

Where to Start: “Sensitive”

In her breakout single, “Sensitive,” Serena Isioma fuses modern-day R&B and woozy indie pop with reckless abandon. The outcome is a song that not only sounds quite unlike anything else out there, but one whose own vibe seems to shift and evolve from one moment to the next. It is an electrifying opening moment that begins to define the Isioma’s artistry and her debut EP, Sensitive. The first of two EPs the Chicago-based artist would release in 2020, it is hard not to feel like Isioma is already in the process of creating a one-of-a-kind discography.

Blu DeTiger

youtube

Where to Start: “Figure It Out”

Whether you know her as the touring bassist for acts like FLETCHER and Caroline Polachek or as the TikTok famous bassist, the fact of the matter is that Blu DeTiger is an artist you need to know. A bassist since age seven and crowned the “coolest DJ around” by Vogue, the New York native’s music skirts the realms of funk, indie, and dance. Unmistakable, nonchalantly cool, and unsurprisingly bass-heavy, you deserve doing yourself the favor of diving headfirst into Blu DeTiger’s music. Just be sure to come up for air, when you’re ready.

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beatlesdumpsterfire · 3 years

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For @pushmipulluridesagain's prompt:

The Beatles go to Target

Brian should have known better than to give the boys the day off, completely unsupervised. Even John, Paul, George, and Ringo were shocked. In fact, they were so shocked that they couldn’t think of a single thing to do to fully take advantage of Brian’s huge mistake.

So, they found themselves in the sitting room of George’s flat, staring around at each other with blank looks plastered across their faces. Finally, John was the one to break the silence with a suggestion:

“Why don’t we go to Target?”

It wasn’t the most exciting option out there, but it sure was something, and it was a lot better than sitting around like their wax figures at Madame Tussauds. None of the other boys had any better ideas to offer, so that was that. Before Brian could change his mind, they all piled into George’s car and sped off to their local Target.

“Are we looking for anything specific?” Paul asked the car. Ringo turned around from the passenger seat and grinned back at Paul.

“It doesn’t matter if there’s something specific we’re looking for, we’re bound to walk out with a cart full of things we didn’t even know we needed.”

“I once went to Target looking for a screwdriver and I came out with an inflatable lawn decoration,” George mused. “I don’t think I’ve even taken it out of the box though.”

“There’s something about Target, it just sucks you dry,” Paul thought aloud. He paused for a second and quickly turned to John, who was obviously on the verge of making a bad joke. “Don’t you dare say it,” Paul warned him.

John luckily listened, which saved him from a hefty slap from Paul, and instead shared some wisdom he had picked up from a TikTok he saw the other day.

“You know, I heard somewhere that you can steal a certain amount of stuff from Target and they won’t stop you. They keep track of what you take, but they’ll only pull the authorities in when you’ve surpassed a certain dollar amount of stolen goods. It’s so they can charge it as a serious felony, I think.”

“Huh,” Ringo thought aloud. “So I could steal just under that amount and waltz out of the store?”

“I doubt it’s that black and white,” Paul interjected. “If they catch you taking something, they’re bound to stop you, right?”

“Why don’t we test it, lads?” John grinned. Paul let out a groan; he should have seen where that conversation was going. He had been a fool to assume they were going to take an innocent trip to Target.

“I’m game,” George said from behind the steering wheel. “We were bound to do something stupid today, I’m glad we figured out what that was.”

“Sounds like fun,” Ringo chirped happily. “I’ve never stolen anything before.”

“You haven’t either, have you, Paul?” John teased Paul.

“I have too,” Paul murmured. He had pocketed a single bean from the grocery store when he was 5 and, while his mom made him return the bean to one of the employees working there, he still felt it counted.

John could see straight through Paul’s fib, but he was confident that his mate would participate, as much as he acted like he was against it. Knowing that they were all on board to rob a Target got John feeling especially energized: he couldn’t wait to kick capitalism in the shins.

“Let’s make a competition out of it, Lads,” he announced, clapping his hands together. “30 minutes on the clock, whoever comes out with the most impressive collection of items wins.”

“What’s the prize?” George asked.

“Bragging rights,” John decided. None of the other boys were especially happy about that but, considering they were going to rob a store, they were all already kind of winning something in a sense.

“And one last thing,” John added, “if you get caught, you’ll be disqualified.”

“That’s straight-forward enough to me,” George nodded as he turned into the Target parking lot. “We’ll meet back at the car once our 30 minutes is up then?”

“Yeah,” John said.

“You’re going to get your asses handed to you!” Ringo cackled, unbuckling his seatbelt and rushing into the store before anyone could even set a timer. Paul, John, and George all exchanged tired glances; they knew Ringo was about to do something stupid.

And, of course, they were right. Ringo tore into the Target, the bell dinging above his head as he scanned around the store, his heart beating up into his throat with a wild look in his eyes. He needed to prove to his mates that he could be the best thief out there, one that was bound to earn their utmost respect. Ringo hadn’t really listened to the rules all that much, but he felt that he got the overall gist of the competition: he just had to take the biggest and most impressive thing and not get caught. That was a piece of cake because he, Ringo Starr, was the Master of Deception.

Ringo sprinted for the electronics department, nearly taking out an older gentleman and a mannequin in the process. The mannequin slowly toppled over, flattening the older gentleman behind Ringo, giving him the most action he had received in well over 50 years.

“Ooh!” the older man squealed.

Ringo made it to the section with the really big televisions and felt his pupils dilate tenfold.

“Yes,” he breathed out. Sure, there were three Target employees on the floor nearby, but Ringo was the Master of Deception. He had this in the bag. He managed to slow his breathing down to a pace that didn’t make him look like a rabid animal, and sauntered to the biggest TV in the store. Ringo looked it up and down and then smiled. He was gonna win this thing so hard. He looked to the left, making direct eye contact with one of the employees, and then looked to the right, making direct eye contact with the other employee, and then turned back to the TV. And, in one big grunt, he dislodged the TV from the wall and proceeded to shove it down his pants.

Both employees probably would have made more of an effort to stop him if they hadn’t been so thrown off guard by the fact that he had just put an 80 inch TV down his rear. It was a mystery how he was able to fit that screen in there, but somehow he did it.

Well, Ringo was the Master of Deception after all, I guess he was just doing what he did best.

While the TV was semi-concealed, the latter half of it stuck out of the seat of Ringo’s pants and rose well-above his head, so there was no denying what he was doing. Ringo had grossly miscalculated how heavy the TV was going to be; he was obviously struggling as he attempted to shuffle his way to the front doors. The two employees who had just witnessed this entire shit show exchanged an uncertain glance and shrugged their shoulders. They weren’t paid enough to deal with shit like that. Let the weirdo shove a TV down his pants if he wanted to.

Somehow, by some miracle, Ringo managed to make it to the front doors without being stopped (although he did attract a lot of strange looks). It was only when the metal detectors started to blare through the store that Ringo was surrounded by seven employees, two of which body slammed him to the ground. In a matter of seconds, the TV was removed from his pants and Ringo was sitting against the Starbucks counter by the front door with his arms shackled behind his back, moping not only because he had been eliminated from the competition and arrested, but also because he could no longer confidently say that he was the Master of Deception.

After Ringo powered into the store, Paul, George, and John synced their watches and agreed to meet back in the parking lot to determine the winner (they already knew that Ringo was going to be disqualified, it was only a matter of time before they found out exactly what he had done to eliminate himself).

George was the second to enter the store behind Ringo. As if he was going on any old Target run, George casually strolled through the front doors and made his way directly to the food section. The second John had initially mentioned theft, George’s stomach growled since it had officially been 20 minutes since his last meal. From that second onwards, George could only think about one thing and one thing only: filling the apparent goddamn void in his stomach.

So, in that food aisle, George went to town, carefully packing his shopping cart to the brim with crackers, cookies, sandwich-making materials, and lots and lots of candy. Satisfied with his load, he retreated to the back of the store where he very quickly found the employee break room and settled there, seated eagerly in front of his stuffed cart. A few employees filed in and out of the room as George worked away at his feast, but none of them bothered to stop him because they could care less. This was just an average day at Target: some guy had shoved a TV down his pants a few minutes ago, so George’s spectacle wasn’t even the worst thing they’d seen all day.

In ten minutes, George had consumed well over 50,000 calories and patted his extended stomach with content before letting out a belch that rattled the whole establishment for well-over 10 seconds.

Across the store in the women’s lingerie section, Paul snapped his head up from a rack of nice bras and scanned around in a panic. When he realized that the shaking wasn’t coming from an angry guard storming up to him, Paul’s shoulders relaxed and he returned back to sifting through the silk fabric, trying to find the flashiest bra available.

George collected all of his empty packages and started to shove them into a plastic Target bag that had been discarded in the breakroom so he had evidence of just how many things he had stolen that were now sitting in the bottom of his stomach. But, George wasn’t going to stop there; as impressive as his feat was, he knew that he was up against some tough competition (aka John, Paul didn’t count), so he really had to step up his game.

As he scanned around the store trying to find something good to snag, it occurred to George that he was wearing a red shirt and a pair of khakis (he was long overdue to do his laundry). He was basically an employee at Target, so George knew that he really could take things the extra mile. And oh boy, did he. He approached a cash register where there was an apron and an employee’s scanner sitting loosely around and tugged the apron over his head, adding the scanner to one of his front pockets. To be an incredibly huge nuisance, George went out of his way to unscrew the credit card reader (with his Target screwdriver, of course) and packed that into his apron as well. He checked his phone and, when he saw he had two minutes to spare, he decided that he had had his fun, and returned to the parking lot.

For Paul, when he first entered the store, he was a nervous wreck. Since the bean incident, he had vowed to never do a wrong thing ever again in his life. But, deep down, he knew that he would much rather become a criminal than let down his mates. He especially didn’t want to see the look of disappointment on John’s face if he came back empty-handed; that just wasn’t acceptable.

So, he decided to go the conservative route and start off small. After sneaking a pack of Trident Layers into his coat pocket without so much as a blink of an eye from those in the vicinity, Paul felt his heart rate slow. It was okay, this was fine, he totally had this. So, from there, Paul started to get more of a feel for the sticky fingers, sliding a pack of soap up his sleeve and a daily planner down his shirt. Now he was really feeling the groove of things, so he boldly made his way to the gift card section and grabbed a $20 Applebee's gift card. He was really going wild now. He was yet to face any consequences for his actions, so he booked it to the best part of Target: the electronic section, where Ringo had just been fucking shit up five minutes prior. Attempting to keep all of his stolen goods concealed, Paul strolled up and down the aisles, trying to decide which items on display were the best to grab (aka what would impress John the most). After checking to see if the coast was clear (which it was, since all the staff in the area were busy dealing with Ringo in the front of the store), Paul slid a Nintendo Switch inside his coat and hustled away from the crime scene, giggling to himself.

Now he was on a high. He was bound to win the competition with his impressive level of skill; the rest of the boys had probably already been caught because they were nowhere near as sneaky as him. As Paul hustled past the home goods aisle, he caught a glimpse of a Rolling Stones poster and turned back around with a smug look. The poster immediately went down his pants, where it belonged, so Mick’s face was pressed up against some stuff I’m not going to list out here. To top off the successful day, Paul made his way to the lingerie section to pick out an especially nice bra to give to John as a joke, to really rub in his victory. With the exception of the quick period of shaking that nearly made Paul crap himself, he was poised with a confidence he had never felt before, like he was immortal. Paul crept his way out a side door and returned to George’s car with his head held high and his pockets completely lined with goods, making it to George and John with three seconds to spare.

John knew exactly what he was doing from the get-go. He knew that his mates would all fall for a friendly competition and get so consumed by it that John could do his dirty work undetected. He knew that Ringo was bound to create a distraction big enough for him to do what he set out to do. He wasn’t sure if Paul and George would get caught too but, if they did, that would just be an additional bonus. After watching George and Paul hurry through the front doors, John stomped out his used cigarette on the pavement and ambled in behind them.

“Hey, Ringo,” he calmly greeted his mate as he made it through the front doors, where Ringo was still handcuffed and swarmed by employees and police officers.

“Hi John,” Ringo attempted to wave back, failing miserably. With a satisfied smirk, John moved to the front registers and, one by one, popped them open with a screwdriver that he himself had stolen from Target just the previous week. You’d think that alarms would have gone off, or someone would have noticed, but no, John was the true Master of Deception. He opened his coat to reveal a large, holographic fanny pack (also stolen) and started to fill it with the 1s, 5s, 10s, 20s, and 100s in each cash register. In under a minute, he had emptied out every register in the store, right under the cops’ noses. It was practically a miracle.

While George and Paul were still trying to make their way around the perimeter of the store, finding the best things to take, John was out the front doors in under three minutes, his fanny pack stuffed to the brim with cash just like George’s stomach was about to be with food.

“Fools,” John couldn’t help but laugh to himself as he lit a new cigarette and took out a long, satisfied drag. And, with that, he let himself back into George’s car and reclined backwards in the front seat, his feet kicked up on the dashboard. He kept an eye out for any commotion if someone caught on to his crime, but the store was incredibly peaceful and still, like a lake on a cool summer’s morning. John found that to be oddly beautiful, so much so that he knew he could write a decent song about it, called “Hey Target I Just Robbed You Blind, Suck It”.

After what felt like ages of waiting, George finally emerged from the store and, not too shortly afterwards, Paul trailed out after him.

“Did you see they arrested Ringo?” Paul asked as he plopped in the back seat, his pockets swishing this way and that and a loud, papery crunching noise coming from his pants.

“I was able to get in a quick word with him,” George told Paul. “Turns out he tried to steal the biggest TV in the store by hiding it in his pants.”

“Classic Ringo,” Paul rolled his eyes. “You’re awfully quiet,” he turned to John. “Nervous to lose?”

“You wish,” John snapped back to life, reclaiming his role as the leader of the competition. “Well, let’s go then, boys, shall we? Show off what you were able to grab.”

George was the first to go, and Paul and John’s eyes widened as he emptied out the opened food packages from his stolen bag. He had enough in there to fill half a trash dump.

“I ate all of that in under 10 minutes,” George proudly shared, before letting out another loud burp. “And, I took this.” George untied his apron and threw it in the pile, adding along the scanner and the credit card reader. “They thought I was an employee,” George couldn’t help but laugh as he looked down at his red shirt and khakis.

“What are you gonna do with a credit card reader?” Paul couldn’t help but ask. It seemed like the stupidest thing George could have taken. Well, actually a toilet plunger from the bathroom would have been stupider, but Paul had come to that conclusion earlier after taking the toilet plunger from the men’s room and talking himself into putting it back.

“Dunno,” George shrugged. “It seemed like it would be hard to take, so I took it.”

“That’s admirable,” John admitted, impressed with his younger mate. “Alright Paul, show us your booty.”

Paul couldn’t help but grin in anticipated excitement at his seemingly inevitable victory as he first retrieved the pack of gum and soap, followed by the daily planner and $20 Applebee’s gift card.

“Hold up,” John stopped him. “You’re disqualified.”

“Disqualified?” Paul nearly shouted in shock. “Why?”

John pointed at the Applebee’s gift card.

“That’s a foul right there. No one in their right mind would steal an Applebee’s gift card and consider themselves a winner. That just spoiled whatever else you took, I don’t even want to see it.”

“But I took a Nintendo Switch!” Paul tried to protest, reaching into his coat to grab it.

“I don’t care,” John held his ground, “you’re disqualified.” George watched onwards in excitement; he loved it when he did better than Paul.

“Now how’s that fair?” Paul protested. “We’re all judges here, your word isn’t above ours!”

“It is when I already know I’ve won,” John retorted. Before Paul could fight against this, John unzipped his jacket, displaying his fanny pack. Both Paul and George broke into fits of laughter.

“You can’t be serious, John,” George howled, “You think you won with that?”

“That’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Paul added in, relief washing over him that John might have just been giving him a hard time. That theory was quickly abandoned, however, when John, sporting the strongest poker face ever seen in the history of mankind, unzipped the fanny pack, revealing the stacks upon stacks of cash inside.

“I counted it all while you were in there wasting your time,” he explained to George and Paul’s gaping faces. “It’s near $20,000.” George recoiled in shock.

“John,” Paul’s voice was shaking now, “I don’t think that was such a great idea…”

“They haven’t caught me though, have they?” John tested Paul with a raised eyebrow, nodding towards the store.

“But I don’t think you should be sitting in their parking lot with the $20,000 you just stole, John,” George told him, trying to keep his cool.

“I’m not worried about it,” John waved George off. “Ringo’s got them all busy. Meanwhile I’m gonna buy me a new car to celebrate.”

“John,” Paul deadpanned, “you already own three cars. And you don’t have a driver’s license.”

“You really do need to consider other ways to live lavishly,” George agreed.

“What matters is that I’m $20,000 richer and you’re not,” John snapped back at them, growing frustrated that they weren’t as in awe of his achievement as he had hoped.

Right as Paul was about to suggest that John go back inside and return the money before they got into any serious trouble, Ringo knocked on George’s window, accompanied by two cops, making them all jump. After glancing back at John to make sure his money was hidden, George rolled down the window.

“They’re taking me to the sin bin,” Ringo explained, nodding at the two cops who were holding him in a deathlock. “Apparently putting a TV down your pants is considered a crime.”

“No kidding,” Paul told him.

“My bail is supposed to be posted at about $20,000,” Ringo continued, ignoring Paul. “Can you help set old Ringo free?”

Paul and George slowly turned to face John, who was scowling downwards.

“Yes,” George answered for him, “in fact, I think we’ve got $20,000 we can spare.”

Ringo smiled.

#I wrote a novel with this one #sorry #beatles ask #beatles fanfic #john lennon #paul mccartney #george harrison #ringo starr #target #ringo really tried his best

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come-on-shitty-boys · 4 years

Text

//do it for the vine. kuroo tetsurou//

Warnings: swearing + some outdated humor that has me wheezing

Word Count: 1.5K

Notes: I just kept coming back to this fake fic and I couldn’t get it out of my head all day. So, here we go, my darlings, making fake fics a reality 😌✌

“No! Kuroo, come on!”

“I am not buying the cat onesie. You can beg all you want, but I’m not doing it.”

He should’ve known better than to say such a thing. The smirk on your face told him everything that was to come. When you laid a delicate hand on his bicep, staring up at him with gentle eyes, the third year could feel his resolve starting to crumble. “Come on, Kuroo. Do it for the Vine.”

And that was that. Your best friend was shuffling through the racks in search of a size that would fit him. ‘Do it for the Vine’ had become synonymous and just as serious as ‘I triple dog dare you’ and it had been that way for years. It was the key to getting either of you to do anything and everything. It was what got you to climb Lev like a tree in the middle of volleyball practice. It was what had Kuroo speaking like a pirate all day. Very few things were off limits when it came to what either of you would do for the Vine and buying a cat onesie certainly was not one of them.

“You’re getting one too,” he says simply, continuing his search, now looking for one closer to your size.

“That wasn’t the deal!”

The slow turn of his head in your direction, the teasing glint in those amber eyes. It all should’ve been telling enough. He reached out to pat your head, an obnoxiously kind smile on his face. “Come on, Y/N. Do it for the Vine.”

And that’s what landed you here: sitting cross-legged on his bed, a chemistry book laid in your lap, a black tail swishing stupidly in your face. “Shake your ass in my face one more time and I swear to God-” you warned.

He paused for a moment to catch your eyes in the mirror. Everything from the steady glare on your face from your stiff posture told him that you were over this afternoon, as if the frustrated groans leaving your lips every few minutes wasn’t telling enough. But, he couldn’t help it. When he was graced with a tail, he was going to use it to be as obnoxious as possible.

Kuroo gave his tail one last flick in your face before flopping down on the bed beside you.

“What the hell did I tell you?” And without warning, you lean over him, pounding your fist against his chest in playful anger. “Get your ass out of my face, you absolute rooster head!”

His low laughter filtered through the air as he laid his own hand over the spot that you had so viciously assaulted only seconds earlier. “You know, you’re so not intimidating when you’re wearing a pink cat onesie covered in glitter.”

“Yeah? Well, at least, I don’t have whiskers drawn on with eyeliner.”

You saw it in the way his narrow eyes darted over to his nightstand where your eyeliner pen laid amongst a pile of other stuff that you just kept leaving at his house. No matter how fast you were or how early you anticipated your movements, you were no match for the volleyball captain. Kuroo had flung himself across your lap, shoving your book away, leaving you helpless as his long arms stole the eyeliner. You were trapped with no escape and no form of safety. With the eyeliner uncapped, Kuroo’s legs straddled your waist, leaning forward so one of his forearms could trap both of your wrists above your head to keep you from trying to ruin his masterpiece.

You wanted to fight and scream and threaten to beat the absolute shit out of him, but you couldn’t.

The way his bangs dangled down in your face, tickling your forehead, the smell of his cologne, that all too familiar playful gleam in his smile, it all had you completely frozen. It was a level of closeness that you weren’t expecting from him. It surprised you, but what surprised you even more was how much you didn’t want him to move. You would’ve been fine like that all day, watching his features scrunch up in deep concentration as he tried to thoughtfully plan where your own whiskers would go.

“Hold still,” he whispered, letting your arms go so he could hold your face gently in his hand. When the felt tip of the liner met your cheek, you couldn’t help but jerk away at the sudden feeling of the cool ink against your skin. The disappointment crossed Kuroo’s face, but only for a brief moment as he then tried to hold back his snorts of laughter as he looked down at the heavy black line on the left side of your face. “I told you to hold still, dumbass.” His grip on your face tightens slightly so he can hold you steady.

You wished you could look away from him, move your head, anything to not look at his handsome features and the cute way that his tongue poked from his lips as he tried to make the whiskers as straight as possible. You had tried for so long to push your feelings away, to just bottle them up and hope that one day, all of those buzzing emotions would just fizzle off and you could look at him the way that you were always meant to; as friends. But, it was so hard to ignore the flutter in your stomach everytime he smiled at you, the way that your heart beat so loud that you were afraid he might hear it whenever he would drape his arm around your shoulder. Kuroo Tetsurou had become everything that you could have ever wanted as the years passed. He was still the awkward kid that you met in middle school who had asked if you wanted to trade Pokemon cards at recess. But, he was also captain of the volleyball team, a dork who got obsessed with anything that he could put under a microscope, who would pull you over to show you all of the inner workings of the cell if you gave him the chance. He was your best friend before he was anything else, but the way your head swam every time you felt his skin against yours was almost too intoxicating to ignore.

But, if Kuroo looked into your eyes and told you that he didn’t feel the same way, he’d be lying straight through his teeth. He would never admit it to you, unless it was for the Vine, of course, but he gave you his favorite card on that fateful day all of those years ago. Kuroo had handed over his one and only Kyogre without a second thought, all because the way your face lit up in the prettiest smile he had ever seen when he had shown it to you. You had been right there next to him, asking him endless questions about the card, telling him how cool it all was. He didn’t like to admit it to himself. It seemed so lame, really, to admit that he had all of these feelings all the way back then and never acted on them. Rather just letting them grow to an irresistible strength.

He had held back so long. He had been right by your side for so many years. He had seen every heart break and he had mended them all back together with a pint of ice cream and two spoons. He had been there for every inside joke and every ridiculous thing that he would never let you live down. The time you split your jeans trying to recreate some stupid dance you saw on Tiktok? He wasn’t about to let you forget that, but every time he would think about it, he would remember just how hot his cheeks got when you came out of the bathroom in the sweatpants that he had let you borrow and just how much he liked seeing you in his clothes, admiring how the fabric hugged your thighs in all the right places.

Kuroo Tetsurou really couldn’t have asked for anyone better to walk into his life. You never failed to amaze him, constantly keeping him on his toes. The dictionary definition of beautiful and, even now, in a stupid cat onesie with black eyeliner smeared all over your face, you were still the most gorgeous person that he had ever laid eyes on.

It was just so natural, like it was something that he had done a hundred times before. But, before his head could clear and snap him out of it, he had leaned down closer to you, close enough that you could feel his nervous breath fanning across your face. The strangest part? You made no move to stop him. You didn’t push him away or turn your head. Rather, you just laid there, staring into his eyes, mimicking the same look of longing that had buried under layers of amber for so long.

“Do it for the Vine.”

“Kuroo, shut the fuck up and kiss me already.”

{Taglist: @nicka-nell @moncymonce }

#haikyuu #haikyuu!!#haikyuu x reader #kuroo x reader #kuroo tetsurou #kuroo #tetsurou #haikyuu imagines #imagines #x reader #fake fics by shitty #but i make them a reality #fluff #but at what cost?#i'm also not writing this at 4 am #so like?#be impressed

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wastelandcth · 3 years

Text

Conversations and Costco

summary: calum and charlie go to costco. a small moment in time where calum realizes how much fatherhood has improved him and charlie just loves watching the chickens turn.

author’s notes: guys! it’s november 13th! aka Charlie’s birthday! I hope you guys enjoy reading a moment in time with the best kid ever and his dad. inspired by a few messages and this tiktok.

masterlist || request

Calum's favorite activity to do with his three-year-old son was taking him to new places. Ever since he'd taken him to the studio one day when Dovey was out running errands and he had offered to take the toddler with him to the studio, he was set on making sure he could see Charlie's wide eyes whenever they went somewhere new. His brown eyes had gone wide and they scanned the room, taking in all the buttons and instruments that lined the room. Ever since Charlie's first day at the studio, Calum chased after that feeling he got when Charlie got so excited and asked a million questions about what everything was.

He found himself once again with Charlie in his car seat and music coming out of his car speaker, a song that Charlie had been listening to all week long, basically screaming out the lyrics out as Calum drove them to Costco to pick up some bulk groceries. Most of the time, Dovey would be the one to go into Costco, Calum either too sleepy to go early in the morning and opting for staying with Charlie while she had some time to herself in the greatest store ever. But Dovey had made plans with a few of her friends already and was out in the city causing trouble, at least Calum hoped she was because he expected nothing more from his chaotic wife, and their toilet paper supply was dangerously low so off to Costco with Charlie he went.

Calum loved going shopping with Charlie, he'd always point out a random product which Calum would proceed to tell him all he knew about it, leading to many conversations on why toothbrushes and even a car washing kit were very interesting.

Walking into Costco, Calum couldn't help the laugh that escaped him as he saw Charlie's eyes go wide as he saw the sheer size of the building they were about to go into. Settling the toddler into the cart and buckling him up, Calum walked into the store, the cold air that hit them both a relief from the hot California summer air.

"Papa, what is that?" Charlie asked as he looked at the tall racks filled with all the bulk items anyone could ever need.

"Oh those are called Roombas, they're basically a robot that picks up the trash and hair on the floor." Calum said happily as he pushed the cart closer to the display, "Your mama really wants one but she's also very afraid of robots so I don't think we'll have one anytime soon. It would make cleaning up Duke's hair a lot easier, huh?"

Charlie had simply nodded, moving on to the next thing he hadn't ever seen in his life before and asking Calum about it, leading to the two of them stopping every couple feet to have discussions on something Charlie found interesting. His eyes searched for new things at every turn, whenever his words failed him, small gasps and babbles would come out and Calum would tell him what word he was looking for. Charlie would proceed to repeat a few times as if he was trying to save it in his word bank before he moved on to look for new things.

After walking through most of the store, their shopping cart full of too many bulk snacks and the toilet paper they had originally come for, Calum and Charlie found themselves in the meat department. Charlie had gasped as Calum looked through a few options of ravioli, his wide eyes staring at the rotisserie chickens spin round and round.

"Papa! Look! They're on a ride!” Charlie said in awe, his eyes following a particularly big chicken. “What is that? I want to go on it, please?” he asked with a pout that he knew Calum would never be able to resist.

“Oh, bub, I don’t think that would be a very fun ride. But why don’t we head back home to your mama, you can show her all the new things you found at the store, and maybe we can tell her about the robot!” Calum nodded as he pushed the shopping cart over to the checkout lines, promising Charlie that they’d get a frozen yogurt before they left.

By the time Calum had finished putting their groceries back into the car and Charlie into his car seat, his mouth covered with frozen yogurt and strawberry sauce, Calum’s mind felt exhausted. He wasn’t known for being such a talker, even from a young age, his mom would tell others that Calum only talked when he felt it was important to do so. But whenever he was around his son, Calum found himself talking more and more, making sure that he wasn’t ever shutting out his son no matter if he felt his lips chapped and his mouth dry from talking all day long. Charlie was very much like his dad, he didn’t talk much unless he was talking to his parents or about turtles. So even if he was going to experience a sugar high in the next couple of minutes, his eyes still fluttered closed as the day of excitement at Costco caught up to him.

“Papa?” Charlie mumbled, a yawn escaping his lips as the car pulled out of the parking lot, “I think I love the big store. We should bring mama here too, she would love it too.”

“Yeah? I think she’d love it too, bub. Maybe we can all come next time, huh?” Calum chuckled, looking back at his son through the rearview mirror, a grin on his face.

“Yeah, but we won’t get robots.”

“No robots, deal.”

#calum hood blurbs #calum hood imagines #calum hood fics #calum hood oneshots #5sos imagines #5sos blurbs #5sos fics #5sos oneshots #calum hood #5sos #5 seconds of summer #gemma writes #hood family #happy birthday charlie!#our sweetest baby ever #calum hood blurb

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idunnoficsorsumthing · 3 years

Text

Old feelings

Based on this tik tok I saw, actually I changed it a little bit. Also inspired by Sleep on the Floor from the Lumineers.

tiktok

Inner me is cringing at a Harry Styles fanfic lol but it was a cute idea. So whatever.

Female reader x Harry Styles

You were standing in the hall of the venue. The parents had rented the entire building not just for today but for tonight, and tomorrow. The guests, all 220 of them were accommodated with sleeping arrangements either here at the venue or in a hotel. Harry and you were talking to the building manager about the arrangements that would be taken for the guests that would be staying here. You turn around, and see him holding his bags. Timothee Chalamet, the love of your past life. You were glad he hadn’t noticed you yet, you weren’t sure what to do if he looked. You excuse yourself, and race to the bathroom quickly. You wash your face with cold water, this weekend already wasn’t exactly what you wanted, and now he had to show up. You take a deep breath, and think about a great escape plan when you heard a man singing to himself, and you recognized that voice out of thousands. You open the door to the hallway. “Niall!” You said, you saw him walking down the hallway. He turned around, he looked a little concerned, perhaps it was the tone of your voice or the look on your own face. He walked towards you, and once within your reach you pulled him inside the women’s bathroom. “Why is Timothee here?” you ask. Niall shrugs, it was a busy week, and loads of people were at this location, and yet. Yet, Timothee was here. Your heart sped up when you saw him, and you refused to believe it was leftover feelings you had for him. “I’m not sure, nice chap though.” Niall said, you look into his eyes, and wonder if he even knew. “I want him gone.” you said, bitter. Niall nods. “Whatever you want.” He said, though he looked like he was going to do jackshit about it.

Rehearsal Dinner, was extravagant. From the moment you stepped into the dinning hall you felt underdressed even though you were in the nicest dress you owned. Your stepmother and father were standing there tall, Harry’s parents were talking with some family friends, Gemma was laughing at the bar with Harry and another woman. You didn’t recognize her. You weren’t sure where to look. There were so many people, you didn’t recognize half of them. That’s when you spotted him, those black curls, and that face. What. The. Hell was he still doing here. Luckily Zendaya came up towards you holding up a drink for you. “Did you know Tim is here?” You ask your best friend. She nods, taking a sip from her champagne. “Yeah, I invited him.” Z said, you stare at her. “What??” you ask her. She put her arm around your shoulder. “I think you should hear him out.” you shake your head, profusely. “Why?” you ask her. She takes another drink from her glass. “I am getting married tomorrow afternoon. What the hell is wrong with you?” You said, pulling her by her arm to the hallway. “Y/n, are you really marrying Harry. I mean have you seen this whole wedding seems like you are overcompensating for the lack of love.” She snapped. You were taken back by her comment. “I didn’t plan this stupid thing, okay. Our parents did.” you said, Zendaya pulled you by your arm into a random room, which turned out to be a closet because your father was coming towards the two of you. “I thought you liked Harry, what the hell is going on?” you ask her. You lean with your back against a rack of cleaning supplies. “I do. It is just that the two of you met less than four months ago, when both of you got out of serious relationships.” Z said, you shake your head in disgust. “Timothee really broke your heart, and Harry published an album about Camille when he was with you.” Z said, concerned. You lean your head back, as you look at the lamp post. Z placed a hand on your arm that you had crossed over your chest. “I did it because I love you, remember that.” She said, placing a kiss on your cheek, and you knew she meant well. But, this was the worst plan she ever had. Worse than the time the two of you went to an irish bar and met Lewis Capaldi, and then she rudely mistook him for an Irish man. Which after three shots he could laugh about, and three of you ended up in Edinburgh. You had picked yourself up again, and went to find Harry. You were furious with Zendaya, and you had no interest in being nice to your step sister at the moment. He was still at the bar with the mystery. “Hey honey” you said, Harry put his arm around your shoulder. “Y/n, this is Camille.” he said, he looked anxious. You hold out your hand to shake hers. “Hi Camille.” you said: “I hope everything is going well for you.” she had the most beautiful smile you had ever seen, and you wondered how Harry ended up with you. “It is a lovely venue, Y/n” She said: “I think it is wonderful of you to invite me here, giving our history.” She gestured at Harry. You didn’t, Z did. Harry’s anxious look changed into an uncomfortable smile. “We are glad you could make it.” you said,

You shouldn’t have downed so many glasses of champagne. It made you fuzzy, to be honest the last thing that you truly felt was when Harry stepped into some room with Camille, and you had to be nice to your parent’s friends, and you were thankful that the evening didn’t last till two in the morning. You were sitting in your bedroom waiting for Harry to return. The dinner had ended around eleven thirty, and it was now past twelve, and he still wasn’t back from when he left with Camille. You had however found a whiskey bottle on the dresser, and even though they were going to overprice you for that. You didn’t care anymore, when he finally stumbled into the bedroom. “Where have you been?” you ask, you weren’t even sure if that sentence turned out like you thought it did. “I’m so sorry.” he said, you noticed he looked genuinely scared. “What?” you ask. You get up from the bed. “I uh- I had a long talk with Camille. About us, and-about you.” he said, his hair looked disheveled, and the suit he had been wearing so neatly, his buttons were unbuttoned and his tie loosened. “God, I am so sorry Y/n.” he cried out. You glare at him, and he steps closer to you. “We kissed.” he said, and anger rose up in you. You couldn’t believe he’d betray you like that. “Fuck you Styles. Fuck you.” you said, shoving him backwards so you could run out of the bedroom. “Y/n!” he called after you. He followed you, because he wanted redemption and in this drunken state of yours you couldn’t.

You run up the stairs, in the hope that there’d be some place where Harry couldn’t find you. You come across the attic window, you enter to find Niall with a girl. “Oh I’m sorry” you said, about to turn around. “No, Y/n stay here.” Niall said, when he saw the tears. He whispered something to the girl, and she got up making room for you. You sit down, handing your whiskey bottle to him. “What happened?” Niall asked. You lean your head against his shoulder. He takes a sip of the bottle. “The short version. Camille and Timothee are here, and Harry kissed Camille.” You cried, you wiped away the tears from your eyes. You tried to restrain yourself from crying. “And I missed all that?” he chuckled. You glare at him for laughing. “God, I hate this place.” You said, taking the whiskey bottle from Niall’s hands. He nods, he shifts his weight to lean his arms on his knees. “Is the wedding off?” He asked. You looked at the blond haired boy, and you chuckled. “I don’t know.” You said, taking a gulp from the bottle. You stare at the stars that were placed in beautiful constellations, you knew only one person that could identify more than one. “I loved Tim. I did. It was this Paris romance and at the same time-and I didn’t realise this at the time was the amount of pretend that went on. The perfect couple.” You said: “But with Harry it is all the ugly parts. The fighting and now he kissed her! the day before our wedding!” You sounded so angry, Niall just let you talk, not interrupting you talking negative about Harry. He took the bottle back again, wiping off your lipstick stains from the tip with the back of his hand. “What if Z is right, and Harry and I are making the biggest mistake ever” You whispered to Niall like it was the dirtiest secret you had. He simply shrugged before taking off his blazer handing it to you. You hadn’t even realised you were cold, you were too upset. Only when the leftover warmth from the balzer touched your skin you noticed. “I think you are seeing it all wrong.” He said taking a gulp from the bottle. You turn your head towards him to see him scrunch his nose from the whiskey flavor. “Who wants to be the perfect couple? Yes, what Harry did was wrong. But, maybe this was some form of closure he needed to have from her. Now, he has it. Maybe he now realised that not even a small part of him loves her anymore. It is a closed chapter.” he said: “Clearly you have some unresolved feelings still for Timothee. Harry has those too. The two of you rushed into things so fast, the two of you were bound to run into some wall at some point.” he said: “but now you have to decide whether you can climb that mountain or if it isn’t worth it.” You had never heard anything this real come from his mouth. He wrote stupid songs about these types of situations, and you had to laugh because he was the one with a song called no judgement. You just didn’t think that applied to everything.

It took you a long time sitting up there with Niall to be okay enough to come back down. Tonight your fiance and best friend hurt you, and Niall was there for you, like a real friend. You get to the bathroom, to brush your teeth, you take your make- up remover and some cotton pads to remove your make- up, you cleaned off one eye. “hey” you heard Harry say. You turned around and he was in the tub . You hold your hand to your heart, as you hold back a scream. You should’ve known he was in here because the bathroom smelled like the soap you brought. “Hi” you said, walking over to the bath sitting down on the floor beside the tub. You lean your arm on the edge of the tub placing your head on it, looking at him. You weren’t going to say anything, you wanted him to explain. “We went somewhere quiet to talk, and we talked about all the things that were wrong between me and her, and we had champagne, and we reminisced about good days, and one thing led to another, and we kissed once.” he said, you glare. “At our rehearsal dinner. Great. “You said, sarcastically. He pulled some hair behind your ear. “I’m sorry.” he whispered. You give him a small smile. “Are you really sorry?” you ask. He nods, he got closer to your lips before pressing a kiss on your lips. “Very sorry.” he said, nodding. You put your hand on the back of his neck, scratching his head. “Do you still love her?” You ask. He purposely looked you in your eyes, and opened his lips to say something but he didn’t. You thought he was going to say what you feared. “No. I didn’t, even before I kissed her I knew I didn’t love her anymore.” he said, you give him a faint smile. The look in his eyes asked of something you didn’t know you could give. Forgiveness, and even though you still wanted to get married to him because you loved him so much, he still wasn’t forgiven. You get up from the floor. “Are we still getting married?” he asked. But, you had already left the bathroom so you wouldn’t have to answer.

You were getting ready with your maid of honor, sister, and your step mother, and the stylist your step- mom hired for the day. If you were going to be real honest your hair pulled up in a bun wasn’t what you had in mind. But, your step-mother was right, it suited better with the veil. Fifteen minutes till the big moment. A knock on the door, you turn around, and Timothee was in the doorpost, waiting for an okay to come. “Come in, Tim.” Z said, you wanted to strangle her for doing that. Maybe you were such a hypocrite yesterday with Harry because maybe you still had leftover feelings for Timothee. “We’ll let you talk.” your step sister said, she took her mother by the arm, and pulled her out of the room, Zendaya following them. “I want you to leave.” you said, getting up from your chair. “If you come with me.” he said, stepping further into the room, closer to you. “I don’t want to.” you said, he shook his head. “You don’t have to marry that british prick,” he said. You glare at him. Crossing your arms. “Careful.” you said, Timothee stepped closer to you. “You don’t really love him.” Timothee said, his hands were waving around like he could’ve casted a magical spell over you. You shake your head, taking Timothee's hands in yours. You look into his eyes, and you wonder if what you were about to say next would change his feelings for you. “I love him, Tim. I do I really do.” You said, you look at his fingers, his hands fitted nicely with yours. Better than Harry’s big hands. “We fit so well together. Y/n, and I know we broke up because of geographical differences but we can change that.” he said: “Please don’t marry that idiot.” You sign, you were tired of that argument because that was the argument you told yourself about why the two of you had to break up. You shake your head, and Timothee’s expression changed, he was confused about it all, and if you were honest so were you. “We did. But, it was boring. We ate the same food every night, we had the same sex every night. Nothing felt new.” you said, Timothee frowned. He seemed upset more than before. He must take it as an insult, was it? “We have no feelings for each other. They are old. I don’t love you like that anymore.” You said, he pressed his lips against yours, and perhaps this is how Harry felt kissing Camille, nothing. Everything you thought you were repressing was guilt for not feeling like that anymore. “See, I don’t love you anymore.” you tell him. You walk past him out of the room.

You were walking down the aisle, and it seemed absolutely horrible, this wasn’t the wedding you had wanted. You wanted just your friends, and elope or something. Don’t spend too much money on it, and on top of all that. The guilt. So much guilt, you kissed Timothee right before you walked out here, and it was all wrong. You reached up to Harry, and he looked so nice. Probably your mother’s doing, she had an eye for perfection. He didn’t hold out his hand for you. You look Harry in his eyes, and though the two of you fighted last night, he had a smile on his face. The officiant was about to start the ceremony, you take a step closer to Harry. Ignoring the people around you, you needed to speak to him. “Harry, we should talk.” you said in a soft tone. Harry looked to his side, he wasn’t sure what to do, he just nodded. “Sir, Can we just stop for a moment?” Harry said, to the officiant. Before he got an answer, he took your hand, and the two of you made your way to the hallway, Harry picked out a random room to enter. You felt the eyes of your friends and family burning on your back. Whispers about what was happening echoed behind you. Harry closed the door behind you, and you knew there was no turning back. “I know you kissed Timothee earlier, I went to check on you before the wedding and I heard some of what you said..” Harry said, you nod. You sat down on the desk that was in the office. Probably the concierges. You weren’t sure what to say about that. “But it is fine. I understand, I kissed Camille.” he said, in the most casual sense of the matter. You expected him to be so mad, and betrayed. But, he wasn’t. It was like he really did understand. A single bittersweet goodbye kiss. “So we’re even?” You ask. He nods. You held your hand in the air for a high-five. You hoped that would light the mood. Instead he looked at you like you were crazy. You kept your hand hanging in the air, Harry laughed eventually as he responded to your high five. He just looks you up and down. “Did I tell you how beautiful you look?” He said, he looked tired. You shake your head, he took your hands in his, and you felt smaller. He leaned forward, his breath in your neck. “Well you do.” he said: “What happened to your dream dress?” he remembered that dress you showed him two months ago. “You’d look amazing in that.” He whispered in your ear. You wish his words did something to you. But, you hated the dress, your mom picked it out and you didn’t feel beautiful. “We should get back out there and get married.” He said, he let go off your hands and half already a hand on the doorknob. He looked back at you, and he had a stupid smile on his face. “OR we get the hell out of here.” He said: “I hate everything about this wedding.” he looked at you, and hesitated if he said the wrong words, and you wanted to leave so badly. But, everyone was going to kill you. Your dad, and step mother for sure. They paid a lot for this wedding, and the press would have lots to say about the two of you leaving. But, what the hell. “I hate it too.” you laugh, walking towards him. He took your hand, and he helped you with the dress that was far too big.

After stumbling to get into the car with this big ball gown, Harry hurried over to his side of the car. You felt bad for Niall and Z that had to go explain to everyone that the bride and groom just eloped. “That is the most annoying dress I have seen in my life. Can you even see?” Harry asked. You laugh, because you could see a distorted view of the road, through three layers of tulle, and that was after the dress was pushed down. “Not really.” you answered. “I don’t want to go to the hotel room. It is the first place they’ll look.” Harry said, he was right. The two of you didn’t have a honeymoon planned because he was supposed to be back in the studio by monday. But, this threw all your plans kind of. “We could just keep on driving.” you suggest, and you expected him to tell you that you were being an idiot. He didn’t. He didn’t say anything, and through all the tule, you couldn’t tell what he was thinking. You felt kind of strange because the two of you were so fine leaving the wedding like that. Did that mean what you thought it meant? because even though you loved Harry enough not to elope with Tim. Why didn’t you love him enough to marry him? lots of questions raced through your mind. You attempt to press the dress down another time, and this time your view was more clear. “I love you.” you said to Harry. He nods. He didn’t say it back.

“We have to stop for gas.” he said, he took the exit off the highway. He stopped at the nearest gas station. He got out of the car, leaving you there, you noticed the Sainsbury across the street. When Harry went to pay for the gas, you struggled to get yourself out of the car. There luckily wasn’t a lot of traffic on the two way street, and you could quickly get across. The people shopping in the store looked at you strangely, some looked at you with pity. You hurried through the store, and as you exited you saw Harry leaning against the hood of the car. When you reached for the car, he looked angry, though he wrapped you in his arms. “I thought you decided to leave me too,” he said softly. He kissed the top of your head. “No I just went in to get some clothes, and some food.” you tell him. But, you could tell from his expression that he was relieved to see you again. Somehow this decision did bond the two of you together more like a team than ever. “You’re gonna have to help me get out of this dress.” You chuckle. He looked questionably at the dress, not really sure what to do about it.

You were wearing some shorts and a shirt topped with a sweater. Harry had his sleeves rolled up, and had taken off his tie, vest and jacket. He was wearing his sunglasses and driving down the highway towards the canal. Your feet were on the dashboard even though Harry told you a thousand times that it was dangerous. You didn’t care, you had the windows rolled down, letting your hair fly in your face, and you sing quietly along with the lyrics on the radio, even Harry had a genuine smile on his face. One you hadn’t seen the past couple of weeks.Because old lovers weren’t the only thing the two of you argued about. It was the wedding. Harry was upset that you didn’t have enough backbone to tell your parents that the wedding plans they had weren’t the ones you wanted. Not the dress, or the venue, or who came, and he had been patient with you but it felt like it wasn’t your wedding. But, that didn’t matter because all that mattered to you was that you had Harry by your side.

* Forgiveness in this situation is a difficult thing, and I don’t know what I would do in this situation, but I do think that these characters would forgive one another.

And for Z, we all do what we think is best for our friends

#Harry styles #Harry styles x reader #Niall Horan x reader #timothee chalamet #timothee chalamet x reader #harry x reader #niall horan #1D #onedirection

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straykidsupdate · 4 years

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STRAY KIDS INSPIRE THEIR GENERATION TO PICK UP THE MIC

K-POP’S YOUNG DISRUPTORS NAVIGATE ADULTHOOD ALONGSIDE THEIR FANS

Stray Kids are fighting with their fans to determine who adores the other most. The fans started it, erupting into an impromptu chant inside Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles: "We love you! We love you!," they shout, repeatedly. The sound is deafening, catching the boy band off guard. The eight members retaliate with their own impassioned chorus. "We love Stay," they respond, referencing their legions of international devotees. Both sides scream until, ultimately, Stray Kids admit defeat; they stand awkwardly onstage, apparently unsure how to receive the unrivaled adulation. Bang Chan, the Korean group's steadfast leader, looks around the venue in awe, while sensible vocalist Seungmin makes a heart with his hands and points to the crowd, resolved to have the last word.

This is not the first time Stray Kids has lost the battle of who-loves-who. It’s happened in cities across the United States, from New York to Dallas, amidst their District 9: Unlock world tour. It's canon, chiseled into the group's short but colorful history, alongside such viral moments as "Seungmin in the building" and "I'm not gonna leave you behind." Displays of affection between idols and fans are nothing new but, with Stray Kids, they’re never forced.

"It doesn't matter how old you are," Bang Chan tells the crowd mid-show, intensity building with every word. "It doesn't matter if you're a boy or a girl, or whoever you choose to be. It doesn't matter where you're from — everyone is welcome in our special district."

Two weeks prior to this performance, Stray Kids — Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N — are gazing from a conference room in a Times Square skyscraper. The sky is gray, but that doesn't deter Hyunjin from posing for a series of selfies against the floor-to-ceiling window. As the lithe dancer works his angles, his bandmates are scattered throughout the room. Han props his phone against the room’s A/V controls to watch an anime; Bang Chan hunches over his own phone, thumbing the screen intently; Lee Know rests his eyes; and Australia-born Felix gossips about last night's Grammy Awards. Like any teen, he's obsessed with Billie Eilish, and her historic Grammys sweep is hard for him to fathom. "Can you believe it?" he says, eyes wide and sparkling. "She's only 18. It's amazing."

But at 19, the deep-voiced rapper, whose delicate features betray his cherry-red hair, has similarly found success at a young age. Within a year of their 2018 debut, Stray Kids received 11 rookie awards and released five EPs. In fact, while Eilish and her brother Finneas were crafting homemade beats in a Highland Park bedroom, JYP Entertainment's tenacious boy wonders were honing their own unique sound in a small studio in Seoul, South Korea. Members Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han comprise the group's primary production trio, 3RACHA, and they've been making music together since their trainee days in 2017. Introspective early tracks like "Start Line" and "Runner's High" laid the foundation for Stray Kids' sonic identity: With the disruptive power of punk, they deliver astute, poignant lyrics about the bristly experience of growing up and its side effects.

"The things we worry about and the things Stay worry about — we share a lot of the same struggles," Han tells MTV News. "Even though our ambitions are different, we work hard just the same. It becomes our inspiration musically." As the creative force behind two of the group's more vulnerable cuts, "19" and "Sunshine," the 19-year-old rapper reveals his innermost thoughts and anxieties to the fans. But that honesty can be frightening.

"It's nerve-racking for us," Bang Chan says. "Sometimes we think, 'If we talk about this, will people understand? Will they relate?' We're always thinking about how we can reach people through our lyrics because we want our music to help."

That empathy has been woven throughout their music from the beginning. Stray Kids’ first singles, the pre-debut track "Hellevator" and the darkly riotous "District 9," are full of angst and aggression, soundtracks for those who balk at societal pressures and follow their own rules. "My Pace" is an empowering anthem teeming with energy and affirmations. ("Don't compare yourself with others," Bang Chan sings on the hook. "It's OK to run slower.") Songs like "Voices" and "Side Effects" offer an intimate glimpse into the tumultuous mind of a young person still figuring out their place in the world, while "Miroh" and "Victory Song" are bursting with big sounds and youthful bravado.

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"Young people today may feel a bit trapped, like you're constantly being told what to do and you feel like you can't speak for yourself," Bang Chan says. "So we want people our age to feel comfortable speaking out and talking about what they think."

By encouraging their fans to examine their own growing pains, to feel everything, they ensure that their message is never didactic. "All strayed steps come together to make a new road," they say at their concert. And with their latest release, "Levanter," off their sixth EP Clé: Levanter, Stray Kids come to the understanding that the journey is more meaningful than the destination, and the path ahead is ultimately theirs to define. So they double knot their shoelaces and dash full-speed ahead. "We might not know what the actual goal is, but as long as we're running hard and we're running as a group, whatever comes is going to be good anyway," Bang Chan says. "We just wish that a lot of people out there could listen to our music and get a lot of energy and hope from it."

Like 25-year-old Selina, who connects to their lyrics because she's "still on that journey of figuring out what I want to do and who I want to be," she says, clutching her Stray Kids light stick (a compass, now featuring Bang Chan's name written on the handle) outside of Microsoft Theater. Her friend Joseline, 18, likes that the members "have other priorities and interests outside of being a K-pop idol" that they reveal through daily Instagram posts, livestreams on the V Live app, TikToks, and weekly YouTube videos and vlogs. "He's not just Han from Stray Kids, he's Han Jisung — rapper, producer, and person," she adds.

For Kambree, 17, the group has a "positive vibe" that makes her feel happy and accepted. "They make us feel like family, no matter who you are or what you look like," she adds. Her best friend Lexxie, 17, says Stray Kids "make me feel like I'm not alone with my issues." And So Yun, 30, finds their mix of "hard-hitting EDM" and "super angsty" lyrics reminiscent of the emo bands she listened to in high school. "It's the same rebellious spirit that I felt as a teen when you want to be your own person and figure out your own voice."

Their music has given Louis, 30, a newfound perspective. "I like the ['Levanter'] lyric, 'I want to be myself, I don't care' — that line resonates with me because we live in a society where people try to mold you, but at the same time, I just want to myself and at this point, I really don't care!"

Best friends Ella and Jazlynn, both 19, met online through their mutual love of Stray Kids, and they've customized their light sticks with glitters and holographic stickers of their favorite members' names. "Half of the group is technically my age, so I can look at them and see how successful they are, and it gives me inspiration to work harder," Jazlynn says, an I.N banner at her side. And while they do feel comforted by the authenticity in the group's songs, as Ella explains, it's who they are off-stage that many fans connect with most. "When you see Felix do the Renegade, it's like, 'I do that too!'"

Their ability to ignite the stage with powerful performances while staying true to themselves behind the scenes — as both K-pop's reigning meme kings and young men navigating adulthood — is what makes Stray Kids so relatable to a generation that experiences much of their lives online. "This generation is comfortable being alone," Changbin says. "We have our phones. We don't always need to be talking to each other to be together. Sometimes a text is fine."

And they're pretty normal, too. Bang Chan and Changbin watch videos from Tomorrowland and Ultra Music Festival to help clear their minds in the studio; the tracks "Road Not Taken" and "Stop" are the direct results of such self-care. Han's idea of a perfect day would be to "not come out of my room for 24 hours." If he could spend all day watching YouTube videos, he would. In fact, he says "Sunshine" was inspired by a scene in the Korean drama Boys Over Flowers, where the main characters travel to an idyllic private island. Though Han’s larger-than-life presence dominates the stage, he identifies as an introvert and admits he hopes to "overcome" his shyness. "On my ideal perfect day, I'd try new experiences and meet new people comfortably," he says. "You can do it!" Bang Chan adds, encouragingly.

Youngest member I.N makes time to go shopping, though he prefers to "chill" on his days off. And when Felix isn't playing video games or destroying kitchens with Seungmin, he frequents Seoul's finest dog cafes. "We have so many dog lovers in our group," he says, smiling. "I've been looking at a lot of dogs, and I feel like they help you feel better. I really want a dog with the team." Jisung points at Seungmin, whose nickname is "puppy," and Bang Chan adds, "We already have one." Seungmin scrunches his nose and says, "No way!" (But Han insists he's a "really bad boy.")

Meanwhile, Hyunjin, who’s known by fans for his theatrics and commanding stage presence is extremely open with his emotions. He frequents V Live, where he offers personal advice to viewers of his video series Hyunjin’s Counseling Center. But the 19-year-old admits that opening up to Stay has helped him, too. "I don't always have a lot of confidence," he says. “When I want to be comforted or when I’m feeling kind of sad, Stay are really good at consoling me. I want to be able to repay that comfort in full."

"The connection between Stay and Stray Kids would be family," Felix adds. Han jokes that they're the "annoying and mischievous" little brothers. But it's that sense of connection, among the group as well as with their fans, that has cemented Stray Kids as the vital voices of their generation.

"The struggles we're going through — anxiety, stress, school, love — they tell us to take our time and see where our path leads," Selina says. "It's OK to stray from it. Just stay true to yourself. I always associate that with them. The idea of 'You Make Stray Kids Stay' is to find out what it is that grounds you and just keep going."

And Stray Kids don't plan to slow down any time soon. Having wrapped their Clé series at the end of last year with Levanter, 2020 offers an exciting fresh page for new musical experimentations, starting with the three original unit songs the group produced for the tour. "Wow" is a sexy R&B track from dancers Lee Know, Hyunjin, and Felix. It's also their first explicit love song. "We wanted to try a sexy song because it's a special stage," Hyunjin says, explaining that the dancers worked on their own lyrics in addition to helping with the slinky choreography. "We wanted to include moves that we haven't tried before," Lee Know adds, noting that they wanted something sexy and powerful. "So it was a new experience."

"My Universe," featuring vocalists Seungmin and I.N with an assist from Changbin, is a bright pop ballad. "I always wanted to try something like that," I.N says, eyes smiling. Seungmin tells Changbin from across the table, "Thanks for helping." And 3RACHA's "We Go" oozes confidence over a scorching trap beat. "We made 'We Go' last time we were here [in the United States]," Bang Chan says. "We made around three to four songs in one day… The performance is really fun as well. And those two [he points to Han and Changbin] got to have the chance to use Autotune live."

They also released their first English singles in January, a process that rapper Changbin, known for his furious flow, calls "difficult." ("It was fun," Hyunjin argues beside him.) "I was listening to Changbin's rap [in 'Double Knot'] like, 'Why is this so fast? What am I going to write?'" Bang Chan says. "I tried to write it as easy as possible so that he could speak it well. I'm really glad that they could record it really well for me."

In March, they'll debut in Japan. And there's another mixtape project in the works, kicked off by the digital release of "Gone Days," a relaxed, Autotune-laced anthem for the "OK Boomer" generation. A play on the Korean word kkondae, it describes someone who pushes outdated ideas and expectations onto another based only on their age and status — and signals the arrival of a bold new direction. "I think [young people] now just need to be more comfortable with themselves," Bang Chan says of his inspiration for the track. "By being yourself, you never know what's going to happen."

"I always believe that one person can change the world," he adds. "So if you have a thought or an idea, just let it out. Because who knows? You can make the world a much better place."

#stray kids #200227 #ot8 #era: clé levanter #t: article #MTV News

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hearteyes-for-killmonger · 4 years

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One-shot. Erik discovers his teenager is dating and older man.

Sixteen

"Uniqua," Erik yelled from the kitchen.

He was peeling boiled potatoes, getting them ready to mash as mac and cheese baked in the oven over pan-seared steaks next to potatoes. The greens were already boiling with a hambone. The fried chicken was done. The tea was made and the sweet potatoe pie was on the counter for dessert. He listened for the footsteps of his little helper, but they didn't come.

Erik sighed. Uniqua knew he was cooking for Christmas. It had been their tradition since her mother ran away. Eight years later, they still liked to cook and spend time together as a family, just the two of them on special holidays. She'd already missed her favorite parts, putting the cheese in the macaroni and sweetening the tea. She was about to miss the potato salad.

Dropping the hot potato back into the bowl in the sink, Erik walked to the bottom of the stairs. "Uniqua," he called up the staircase. Her room was over the kitchen, he knew that she could hear. He was starting to get irritated. Even if she didn't want to come down, she could at least answer.

Thudding up the stairs, he gently knocked on her door, the 'KEEP OUT' road sign swaying from the movement. He didn't hear her moving inside and her music wasn't on, so why couldn't she hear him? Was she asleep? Was she feeling okay? Concerned, he opened the door and his heart sank.

There in the John Brown nude was his only child dancing in front of her iphone's camera. Erik was frozen. In the second before he lunged at the camera, he saw what looked like a grown man on her screen. He had full facial hair and was definitely out of high school. Late twenties at least.

"DAD!" Uniqua shrieked snatching her blanket from the bed to wrap her naked body in as she dropped down to the floor. Her air pod fell from her ear onto her pink rug.

The call ended and Erik was left with his daughter's unlocked phone. Until now, he never felt a need to go through it. He opened her gallery and was mortified. She had nudes that she'd undoubtedly been sending. There were some saved images of a man too. They were all the same man, he could tell. The dick pics were all of the same dick.

Uniqua looked terrified. Her face was ghastly and rightfully so. He wanted to whoop her ass until the white meat showed. She KNEW better than to do something like this.

"WHO IS THIS THIS GROWN ASS NIGGA ON YOUR PHONE!!!?... HUH?!!!"

He held the dick pick in her face before grabbing it back to flip through the images again. He found a face in a mirror's reflection. It was that nigga she was facetiming.

"WHO THE FUCK YOU FACETIMING?"

Uniqua's eyes were huge as if she may have a heart attack.

"YOU BETTER START TALKING QUICK, I SWEAR FO' GOD..."

"H-he's m-my boyfriend," she whispered with uncertainty, clutching the blanket around herself.

"YOUR WHAT?!" Erik's eyes got huge. She had to be out of her rabbit ass mind. His head was beginning to hurt.

"Oh hell nah," he mumbled pulling up her text messages. She'd been texting a number saved as 'Daddy😜' but it wasn't him. Hell nah it wasn't him. He wanted to vomit as he scrolled through their conversation. This was a grown ass man talking to his sixteen year old daughter. She was sending him images and videos of her body like she was grown.

"OH! So you think you grown now," he nodded, fuming inside.

"N-no," she whispered.

"DON'T BE EMBARRASSED NOW, FAST ASS. YOU THINK YOU GROWN."

He dialed the number and waited on the man to pick up, but he didn't. Erik heard his voicemail, but his name wasn't recorded.

"What's his name? Where he live? What you know about this nigga? I wanna know everything you fucking know. Matter fact, I'm reading all these texts and you can get dressed and sit ya ass right there because you ain't leaving the fuckin house until you 18. KEEP FUCKIN UP. YOU SIXTEEN! YOU CAN'T EVEN KEEP YOUR FUCKIN ROOM CLEAN!"

She sat closed in on herself, afraid to move as she cried, silently hiccuping. Erik was furious. She KNEW better.

"Get the fuck outta my sight," his lip twitched. He watched as she stood with her blanket and snatched her clothes from the floor, scrambling from the room. Standing, he watched to make sure she went into the hall bathroom.

"What the fuck," he groaned holding his head. Uniqua had never given him problems of this nature. This was illegal and her so-called boyfriend was a pedophile.

As Erik read through all of the messages, his heart beat faster. He felt fear, actual fear. He saw that the conversation went back to February. How had he missed it? How had she hidden him that long? Was he a bad parent for not noticing? He felt like a horrible parent, like somehow he'd failed. What else had he missed? What if he hadn't walked in. He'd have never known and his only daughter could've gone missing. His pride and joy, she could've been trafficked or dead somewhere. He exited from the messages and his foot tapped the floor anxiously. He could hear his daughter out in the hall as the bathroom door creaked.

"UNIQUA SHANICE STEVENS," he shouted. "GET YA ASS BACK IN HERE."

She shuffled down the hall and back into the room with her head down in shame, not knowing what else to say or do as her father stared, his expression stern.

"Dad, I'm sorry," she whined, fresh tears in her eyes. It looked like she genuinely meant it.

"Did you meet up with him," Erik asked.

"No!" She leaned forward with strong conviction. "I was going to but I didn't. "

"So you didn't have sex with him."

"I swear I did not!" Her hand raised in a solemn vow as her tears continued. She sniffled. Erik wasn't sure whether to believe her, but she'd NEVER done anything like this before.

Erik frowned, trying to read her. This only made her cry more.

"I-I d-don't.. want you.. to be m-mad.. at me," she sniffled, her eyes now red. "I d-don't want.. want y-you to," she sniffed, "to be disappointed!"

"Tell me EVERYTHING you know about this guy," Erik stressed again.

His daughter began to break down, coming clean about everything that had been hidden. Erik thought his head would spin. He sat and listened as she spoke, saving his comments. He wanted her to continue with the honesty even if he hated what was coming out.

-----

Erik waited outside of the apartment building where his daughter had directed him. She was currently on lockdown at the house with no phone, laptop, or mp3. The wifi password had been changed and he made it very clear that if she left the house, he would definitely beat her ass and then she'd never see her phone, mp3, laptop, or room door again. He wasn't one to bluff and she knew that.

Erik's eyes followed the tall, skinny brown skinned male from the building to the lot. Before he could get to his car, Erik hopped out of his black truck approaching the man.

"Aye nigga.." Erik swung as soon as the man turned around, hitting him square in the nose before gripping his collar to hit him again in the same spot.

The man grabbed at his face, gingerly touching his bloody nose. It was definitely broken.

"FUUH-SHIT!!" The man howled in pained surprise. He didn't know who Erik was.

Erik held up his daughter's school picture. She had a blown out ponytail and sat smiling angelically, blue and pink braces on display, with an electric blue and white hoodie which said 'Billie Eilish', large silver hoops, glittery lipgloss, and her hands crossed over each other. It was obvious that she was young.

"She's sixteen," Erik emphasized. "She's my CHILD and she's SIXTEEN. LOOK AT THE PICTURE."

He pushed it in the guy's face, looking out the corner of his eye at the couple of onlookers, an older black couple.

"He's a grown ass man talking to my teenage daughter," Erik explained showing them the picture. Their judgmental gazes turned to the man who held his hands up as if innocent.

"Whoa! Wait now.. Nah, she told me she was 19!" His head shook as he tried to defend himself.

"I DON'T GIVE A FUCK WHAT SHE TOLD YOU, HER FUCKIN FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK ALL SAY UNIKKY03 OR HAVE HER AGE POSTED."

Before the man could lie again, Erik pulled up the screenshot he took on his daughter's phone.

Daddy😜: I'm 31 is that okay with you?

Uniqua: that's fine I look 19 anyway 😜👌

Daddy😜: You're very mature for a teen 😚

The man looked at the message as if it were brand new and he'd never seen it before.

"OH HELL NO," a loud voice came from the left. A young man early 20s drinking a Red Bull with his phone in his other hand. "HE'S A KIDDIE DIDDLER?!?!"

Erik held up the picture of his daughter as the guy came nearer, squinting at the photo.

Without warning, Red Bull lunged ahead jumping on the man in question as Erik stood shocked.

Red Bull beat the breaks off the nigga, spitting on him before stumbling back.

"All yours cuz," he mumbled.

Erik didn't hesitate. He couldn't forgive any man who would prey on his one and only child. A man who would do it once would do it again, only next time it would be someone else's child.

He kicked the man in the ribs six times before he came to himself. Stepping back, he glanced at the couple. The woman waved him on.

"Beat his ass!"

"I'm a grandfather. You do what you gotta do for your family," her husband shrugged watching on. The neighborhood was out today.

Erik circled the man on the ground. He started to pull his gun and in his mind.. he saw himself pulling the trigger. However, he took a step back. He was a father who needed to be there for his daughter. Especially now more than ever. She was more important. She was his first priority.

Still, Erik needed to make a point.

Snatching his gun from the concealed holster on his waist, he racked it fast and put it to the man's head as he laid busted up on the concrete. No one made a move to stop him, walking around him instead.

"If you so much as breathe in my child or ANY child's direction.. I'll kill you AND your entire family. Do you FUCKIN hear me."

Erik leaned down further as the man groaned in agony.

"I SAID DO YOU FUCKIN HEAR ME."

"YES, YES, I hear you," the man winced as Erik stood, staring down at him before stepping over him and heading back to his car.

He nodded to the couple and Red Bull before pulling off.

"Alright," Red Bull nodded back. The couple waved as Erik drove away.

-----

"I'm sorry," Uniqua whined when Erik walked in the door. She was sitting in the living room, watching Christmas movies and waiting. When he entered, she stood walking toward him slowly, the way she always did when something was heavy on her mind. She walked up until she collided with him, tucking her head into his chest and he sighed. He couldn't stay mad at his own child. She was only a kid afterall.

He swallowed her up in an embrace and walked her back to the kitchen. There was a pan of cornbread sitting on the counter.

"Ah, you made cornbread," he smiled.

She beamed, her eyes still red. He could tell she'd been crying the entire time. His heart broke, but at the same time he knew he had to be tough for her own safety.

"You understand why I got so angry, don't you? I just want you to be safe. Grown men, especially men that age don't need to be messing with little girls your age. They only to that because they're predators and grown women don't put up with that shit. Promise me you'll never talk to anyone like that without telling me."

"I promise!" She looked like she might cry again.

"Aight," he said letting it go. "Come here." He raised his arms beckoning her to collect her hug.

She came quickly, hugging her father tightly as he sighed.

"Stick to boys your own age, just let me meet em first," he said putting a heavy hand atop her head.

"I promise... No one over 19," she said.

"Sixteen," Erik corrected.

"Oh! That's what I meant," she nodded quickly getting the message. "Sixteen."

@muse-of-mbaku @imaginewhoever @goddessofthundathighs @panthergoddessbast @thadelightfulone @misspooh @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanimelove @marvelmaree @youreadthatright @forbeautyandlife @theunsweetenedtruth @bidibidibombaclaat @myboyfriendgiriboy @dameshaemonique @blackpantherimagines @vikkidc @hidden-treasures21 @mysidefanting @hold-me-like-a-heart-beat @syndrlla97 @winteroflife @thotyana-in-this-hoe @texasbama @gingerylimonte @princessstevens @magic-madness-heavensin @wawakanda-btch @scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade @wakanda-inspired @blackgirloneshots @thegucciwaffle @thiccdaddy-mbaku @drsunshine97 @purplehairgawdess @indigoxsummers @cccccx1 @dynastylnoire @iamrheaspeaks @blowmymbackout @fonville-designs @they-call-me-le @theblulife @raysunshine78 @sheisexcellent

#original #erik killmonger fics #erik killmonger fanfiction #dadmonger

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phroyd · 4 years

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Dumb-Fuck #MAGA Teens, children of Dumb-Fuck #MAGA Parents, and QTards Everywhere, resurrect #PizzaGate on Tik-Tok! - Phroyd

WASHINGTON — Four minutes into a video that was posted on Instagram last month, Justin Bieber leaned into the camera and adjusted the front of his black knit beanie. For some of his 130 million followers, it was a signal.

In the video, someone had posted a comment asking Mr. Bieber to touch his hat if he had been a victim of a child-trafficking ring known as PizzaGate. Thousands of comments were flooding in, and there was no evidence that Mr. Bieber had seen that message. But the pop star’s innocuous gesture set off a flurry of online activity, which highlighted the resurgence of one of social media’s early conspiracy theories.

Viewers quickly uploaded hundreds of videos online analyzing Mr. Bieber’s action. The videos were translated into Spanish, Portuguese and other languages, amassing millions of views. Fans then left thousands of comments on Mr. Bieber’s social media posts asking him if he was safe. Within days, searches for “Justin and PizzaGate” soared on Google, and the hashtag #savebieber started trending.

Four years ago, ahead of the 2016 presidential election, the baseless notion that Hillary Clinton and Democratic elites were running a child sex-trafficking ring out of a Washington pizzeria spread across the internet, illustrating how a crackpot idea with no truth to it could blossom on social media — and how dangerous it could be. In December 2016, a vigilante gunman showed up at the restaurant with an assault rifle and opened fire into a closet.

In the years afterward, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube managed to largely suppress PizzaGate. But now, just months before the next presidential election, the conspiracy theory is making a comeback on these platforms — and on new ones such as TikTok — underlining the limits of their efforts to stamp out dangerous speech online and how little has changed despite rising public frustration.

This time, PizzaGate is being fueled by a younger generation that is active on TikTok, which was in its infancy four years ago, as well as on other social media platforms. The conspiracy group QAnon is also promoting PizzaGate in private Facebook groups and creating easy-to-share memes on it.

Driven by these new elements, the theory has morphed. PizzaGate no longer focuses on Mrs. Clinton and has taken on less of a political bent. Its new targets and victims are a broader assortment of powerful businesspeople, politicians and celebrities, including Mr. Bieber, Bill Gates, Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah Winfrey and Chrissy Teigen, who are lumped together as part of the global elite. For groups like QAnon, PizzaGate has become a convenient way to foment discontent.

The theory has also gone global. While it previously found traction mainly in the United States, videos and posts about it have racked up millions of views in Italy, Brazil and Turkey.

“PizzaGate never went away because it encompasses very potent forces,” including children’s safety and the power of elites, said Alice Marwick, a disinformation expert at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “But now there is so much scaffolding from people who have researched it, it wasn’t hard for others to pick up from there.”

PizzaGate is reaching a level that nearly exceeds its 2016 fever pitch, according to an analysis by The New York Times. TikTok posts with the #PizzaGate hashtag have been viewed more than 82 million times in recent months. Google searches for PizzaGate have skyrocketed.

In the first week of June, comments, likes and shares of PizzaGate also spiked to more than 800,000 on Facebook and nearly 600,000 on Instagram, according to data from CrowdTangle, a Facebook-owned tool for analyzing social interactions. That compares with 512,000 interactions on Facebook and 93,000 on Instagram during the first week of December 2016. From the start of 2017 through January this year, the average number of weekly PizzaGate mentions, likes and shares on Facebook and Instagram was under 20,000, according to The Times’s analysis.

The conspiracy has regained momentum even as its original targets — Mrs. Clinton, her top aides and a Washington pizzeria, Comet Ping Pong — are still dealing with the fallout.

Hateful comments have recently surged on the Facebook page and Yelp and Google review pages for Comet Ping Pong, where the child trafficking supposedly happened. The pizzeria’s owner, James Alefantis, said he had received fresh death threats that caused the Federal Bureau of Investigation to open a new investigation two months ago. The F.B.I. said Friday that it could not confirm the existence of an investigation.

“There are no real options for someone like me. I don’t have the names or numbers for people to call at Google or TikTok,” Mr. Alefantis said. “But I don’t want to be that person who lives their life in fear.”

PizzaGate was born in 2016 in online forums like 4chan and Reddit, where right-wing users and supporters of Donald J. Trump pored over hacked emails from John D. Podesta, Mrs. Clinton’s senior campaign adviser, looking for evidence of wrongdoing. Some emails referring to Mr. Podesta’s dinner plans mentioned pizza. A 4chan participant then connected the phrase “cheese pizza” to pedophiles, who on chat boards use the initials “c.p.” to denote child pornography.

Mr. Alefantis, who is friends with Mr. Podesta’s brother, Tony, was mentioned in several of the emails. That led internet users to connect his pizza parlor to their conspiracy.

The theory soon appeared in bogus publications like The Vigilant Citizen and The New Nationalist on Facebook and Instagram. On Twitter and YouTube, other users amplified the content.

Fact checkers debunked the idea. But weeks after the November 2016 election, Edgar M. Welch, 32, a North Carolina resident, drove six hours to Comet Ping Pong to free what he believed were enslaved children. He shot several rounds from a military-style assault rifle into a locked closet door of the pizzeria and eventually surrendered to the police. In 2017, he was sentenced to four years in prison.

Soon after, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook suspended the accounts of users who had pushed PizzaGate and took down hundreds of related posts.

To keep PizzaGate tamped down, the social media companies took other steps. Facebook made it impossible to search for hashtags such as #pizzagateisreal. On YouTube, searching for #pizzagate brought up a label that explained the term was part of a false conspiracy. Twitter also stopped #pizzagate from surfacing in its trending topics in the United States.

A documentary promoting PizzaGate, “Out of Shadows,” made by a former Hollywood stuntman, was released on YouTube that month and passed around the QAnon community. In May, the idea that Mr. Bieber was connected to the conspiracy surfaced. Teenagers on TikTok began promoting both, as reported earlier by The Daily Beast.

A week ago, Rachel McNear, 20, watched “Out of Shadows,” which has garnered 15 million views on YouTube. She then turned to Twitter, where she came across Mr. Bieber’s supposed association with PizzaGate. After reading more on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook, she created a one-minute description of her research on the topic and posted it to TikTok on Monday.

“The mainstream media uses words like conspiracy theory and how it is debunked but I’m seeing the research,” Ms. McNear, of Timonium, Md., said in an interview.

Her video was taken down on Wednesday when TikTok removed the #PizzaGate hashtag and all content searchable with the term. A TikTok spokeswoman said such content violated its guidelines.

That same day, Facebook also expunged PizzaGate-related comments under Comet Ping Pong’s page after a call from The Times.

YouTube said it had long demoted PizzaGate-related videos and removes them from its recommendation engine, including “Out of Shadows.” Twitter said it constantly eliminates PizzaGate posts and had updated its child sexual-exploitation policy to prevent harm from the conspiracy. Facebook said it had created new policies, teams and tools to prevent falsehoods like PizzaGate from spreading.

Teenagers and young adults, many of whom are just forming political beliefs, are particularly susceptible to PizzaGate, said Travis View, a researcher and host of the “QAnon Anonymous” podcast, which examines conspiracy theories. They are drawn to celebrity photos on tabloid sites and Hollywood blogs to uncover PizzaGate’s supposed secret symbols and clues, he said. Even a triangle — which can signify a slice of pizza — can be taken as proof that a celebrity is part of a secret elite cabal.

“It all becomes a game, and people are drawn in because it feels participatory,” Mr. View said.

For Tony Podesta, John Podesta’s brother, PizzaGate’s revival has opened up old wounds. He had dealt with trolling from conspiracy believers in 2016. Recently, he got a voice mail message from an anonymous caller saying, “Your pizza is ready.”

“It just doesn’t go away,” Mr. Podesta said. “They are always three steps ahead of the sheriff.”

#qtards #magamorons #pizzagate #tiktok

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