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selkies-world · 9 months ago

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Sign the petition to demand the creation of a new international law requiring fast-fashion garments to come with a statement of the human cost and environmental harm caused by their creation.

We all know fast fashion is bad for the planet - slave labor, environmental waste, air and water pollution, and unsustainable practices are just a few of the ways they impact our planet, our health and our lives. To date, the fast fashion industry is the 2nd largest consumer of water and is single-handedly responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions (that's more than all international flights and maritime shipping across a year combined). Even the simple act of washing these clothes releases 500,000 tons of microfibers into the ocean each year - that's equal to 50,000 plastic bottles. Fast-fashion is the 3rd leading cause of the climate crises we face, yet is rarely addressed.

Knowing these stats is one thing, and understanding them is important. Being aware of them is somewhat informative. But as long as we keep turning a blind eye to the issue, the stats are only going to get worse, and nothing will change for the better. Ignoring the issue or brushing it under the rug won't help anything. So what if we could see the real-world damage done by each of the garments we buy?

In the same way that cigarette packets have shown the harm their products do to our bodies ("SMOKING KILLS", lung cancer visualizations, etc.), what if fast fashion manufacturers & retailers had to show the harm their products do to our planet?

[Image ID: A type-writer font has been used on a brown craft paper background. The text reads: "32 animals lost their habitat to the field where my crops were planted - 2 of those animals are already endangered species. 2,700 litres of water were used in my production. I was made in a sweatshop enslaving men and women aged 16 - 45, and children aged 6 - 14. I contain 0.22kg of carbon dioxide dye." End ID.]

This is a mock-up of a label / statement for a single T-shirt, with researched statistics and educated estimates for the information I couldn't find a calculated answer for.

Now imagine labels / statements like this for every single piece of clothing: how many toxic chemicals are in those new jeans? How many litres of water did that shirt take to make? How many animals were skinned to make those cute fur-trimmed boots? How many children made that jumper? How many people were forcibly removed from their homes, so production companies could plant crops to grow the materials used in clothes manufacturing? How many families were evicted for no reason other than corporate greed? How many trees were cut down? How many animals were displaced or killed?

Would you really want to buy those items of clothing if the answers to those questions were staring you in the face?

If this information was stated in clear, accessible ways on both the website and the ticket on the actual garment, this would dramatically reduce the number of people buying fast fashion items. It would also reduce the profits being made by fast fashion companies, and could lead to many of them being forced to choose between changing and becoming sustainable, eco-froendly and ethical brands, or shutting down due to being boycotted.

Who would really want to knowingly buy things that are made by slaves, or which cost a family their home, or which contributed to deforestation? Who would continue to buy fast fashion items knowing this is the damage caused by them, when sustainable alternatives are an option?

Whether it's second-hand fashion at affordable prices, or investing more money in sustainable products which were made with high ethical standards and which cost more money due to the fact their price accounts for the time it took a person to make that item... we can say for certain that sustainable shopping is going to become much more popular if people know how important that change is. Sustainable items last much longer than fast-fashion items, which by design are created to self-destruct, as they are made to be worn a few times and then discarded in order to be replaced by the next trend's items - and as trends speed up, these items become weaker and weaker. This then leads to people spending more money in order to keep up with the newest trends, and to keep replacing clothes they throw out after a few washes.

In contrast, buying sustainable items which are designed to last years means people won't have to spend money on new clothes every few weeks, which means they'll ultimately save money in the long term and actually be able to afford those pricier items which will last much, much longer.

Now, despite the amount of harm the fast-fashion industry causes to people and the environment, the last thing we should be doing is getting angry at those who continue to buy them. Being the target of anger doesn't make large populations change their behaviour - even a cursory look through history books will tell us that much. Neither does being the target of resentment or blame.

But guilt? Shame? Those are two of the most powerful emotions to magnify when you want change to happen in waves.

And frankly, if people feel ashamed of buying something, or if buying something makes them feel guilty... they're going to stop buying it.

Those aren't the only emotions that should be felt, though. Because only feeling guilt and shame leads to feeling hopeless, scared, anxious and depressed. And we don't want that. No matter how bad things get... we don't want that.

The only other emotions to provoke are hope and pride.

If there's no hope for the future, how can anyone be expected to imagine a better one?

You wouldn't think it, what with all the climate crises and disasters we experience around the world and the total lack of commitment made by billionaires, multimillion-dollar companies and corporations and politicians.

But it's true. Scientists in Scotland have discovered bacteria which eat plastic and speed up the decomposition of it. ‘Ecocide’ is now punishable by law. Some countries within the EU are already close to meeting their 2030 goals years ahead of schedule! Thanks to scientists and small, individual changes made on a massive scale by ordinary people who are making small adjustments to our everyday choices, we can and are healing most of the ozone layer before 2050. That is something we should all feel incredibly proud of.

So imagine how much we could speed that process up if more people made those changes. Imagine how much sooner we could heal our planet if billions of people made those changes, rather than millions. Imagine how much sooner we could be seeing the effects of a healthier planet if fast fashion companies were forced to choose between going green and transparent, or closing altogether due to a lack of interest from consumers. Imagine the changes we could create if corporations made massive changes in a short amount of time, in order to save their own profits.

Imagine more labels like this, sitting alongside each other on every single piece of fast fashion clothing. A statement like this beneath every item of clothing on fast fashion websites, which transparently states the harm done.

If every single fast-fashion company and store had to display this on their clothing, on their racks, on their websites, and if there were legal punishments for those who tried to evade or lie... fashion would turn a lot greener very quickly. We'd start seeing more and more labels with "I'm made from 6 plastic bottles! I used to be a newspaper! I had 0 pesticides used on me in my production! I only contain natural dye made from berries, beans and sustainably grown flowers. I was made from apple skins and corn! The people who made me get to go home to their families every night, have days off and the adults made £150.35 each in 1 week! The animal who made the wool for me is free-range and well-cared for! I came from a small family farm, and was created with a closed-loop water system!”

That'd be a much better civilisation to shop in, don't you agree?

That is hope for the future.

That is motivation, which can fuel ordinary people to do extraordinary things and create changes they thought were impossible.

If you want to be a part of creating this change, sign the Change.org petition which demands the the creation and implementation of an international law which will require all fast-fashion products to be displayed with a statement which states the harm done to people and the planet by that garment being made & shipped.

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glorianas · 7 months ago

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im gonna be real i don't selling t-shirts at target that have the word "feminist" on it caused to global increase of misogyny i think it was gamergate and incel boards

like i think a lot of you have to come to terms with the sheer degree of online anti-feminism and how much influence it's had, it actually completely demolishes the idea that feminism has been "defanged" it suggests there are many men out there extremely threatened by even the most basic flavour of liberal feminism

#please engage with what has actually happened over the past decade instead of making up stories that align with your opinions on marxism

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blackroseguzzi · 2 years ago

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Hi dear, how are you?

I saw you are taking Kai requests and I'm still reeling from chapter 3 of Otherworldly. So, I wanted to ask if you'd be comfortable writing some dark(?) smut for him x fem!reader? You choose how dark or vanilla the fic will be.

Feel free to ignore/decline and have a wonderful day 💙

SHOW ME 🔥 😈

Kai Anderson x Fem!Reader

A little Dark and a little Vanilla-personalities of our lovely Devine Ruler; Kai Anderson 🖤

Summery: You meet Kai at a party and something draws you to him. As you become intimate with each other you ask something of him without realizing what it means to him. There are a few sides to this complex human. The two sides confuse you yet make you completely melt into him.

Warnings: sex, sex, Smut, lots of language that you shouldn’t read if you’re not 18+, ITS SMUT- THATS A WARNING IN ITSELF. Also, my red flag Kai Anderson as my favorite warning.

Okay, I need to go shower because I feel so dirty hehe.

Winter won then battle with Kai about her Neon Glow birthday bash in the basement tonight. She had pleaded with her older brother to let her have her 21st birthday in their home - specifically his sacred quarters down in their basement. Kai had continued to object her requests until one night she had told him that if he allowed her to transform the place into glowing neon wonderland that she would attend the next Trump Rally with him. They shook on it, and Kai had even helped her with decorations.

Kai was not one to party, and he was currently locked inside of his room at his desk, his laptop open to a website about global security. He turned up the volume on his laptop as he watched videos to try and drown out the sounds of “one kiss” by Calvin Harris. He swore he heard this song 5 times since the party had started an hour ago. He sighed heavily, slamming his laptop and pushing back in his desk chair. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the noises from below. He could feel the vibrations of the base, a few muffled men’s voices mixed with the shrill voices of some of winter’s obnoxious girlfriends. He was curious to see what was unfolding down there and decided to check things out. Winter had politely asked him to stay the fuck away from her party, but clearly his listening skills needed some work. He felt like if she was using his sanctuary for her unearthly colorful millennial party, that he at least could assess the damages during the event.

The basement door was open, and he took a step in front of the party abyss. Down below was the blackness of the room, just a few flashes here and there of bright pinks and blues and neon green. Kai kept his statue-like composure as he descended down the steps. The music was vibrating the wooden planks with each step. He could see a crowd of people dancing provocatively with red solid cups in their hands. They were all dressed in white clothing or an awful shade of neon that glowed annoyingly in the black light Kai had helped place next to the make shift bar. He was surprised to see how full the basement had become. He didn’t realize his sister had known that many people, and that she actually liked parties like this. It was sickening to him that someone would enjoy this much color.

He took a seat at one of the bar stools, grabbing at an unopened Bud Light that was on the bar top. He twisted off the cap and took a swig- god awful. He could never understand the hype of beer. It was grotesque, and the way people pounded it like water repulsed him.

He scanned the room for any familiar faces but his view stoped at two people in the corner of the room. Their bodies illuminated by the fireplace that had been on.

There was one male, clearly intoxicated as his body swayed as he talked. He was in a white shirt splatted with the ugliest colored paints. It was vile to think he had purposefully done that to a perfectly good white t-shirt.

There was also a female, and she struck Kai’s interest immediately. In the sea of brightly colored clothing, she was dressed in a black turtleneck and a pair of ripped black jeans. Her hair was even dark, cascading down her shoulders. She looked extremely unimpressed with mr. paint splatter as he inched closer to speak to her over the music. He narrowed his eyes as he examines her closer. She was not one of the girls Winter had ever brought over, he would have noticed that porcelain skin and the shape of her curves.

He watched as your tongue moved around the straw of your drink, guiding it into your mouth. God, he wanted your lips around him like that.

You moved your head slowly over to Kai’s glare and for a moment the two of you synced eyes. You smirked shyly, the straw still between your velvet red lips. Kai swallowed down another chug from his beer bottle as a new song came over the speakers. You turned your attention to paint splatter and grabbed the collar of his ugly t shirt, dragging him to the middle of the basement where everyone was gathered dancing. You made sure to flash your eyes over at Kai as you grind her body on paint splatter. Kai felt his pants stiffen slightly and he was relieved that he was in dark clothing. He watched as your body moved slow and deliberate against the man behind you, yet you kept flashing looks to Kai as if seducing him. Kai’s heart thumped in his chest, watching as paint splatter decided to ruin his own party by grabbing your ass a little too aggressively. You pushed away, but he only leaned forward again, this time grabbing your neck and pressing your lips to his. Again, you pulled away more forcefully this time- and that’s when Kai stood up, chucking his empty beer bottle in the trash and sneaked onto the dance floor. His face stone and devilish, he approached Paint splatter and politely tapped his shoulder. The drunken man turned to face Kai who leaned in to whisper in his ear. Whatever he had said made Paint Spatters’ eyes widen and he looked between you and Kai before nodding and backing away into the crowded dance floor apologizing and yelling about getting more beer. Kai turned his focus onto you, smirking lightly.You could feel your face flush. You were extremely turned on by his harsh black eyes and blue hair pulled into a half bun. His smirk exposed the perfect kind of dimples that made your panties wet. He put his hand on the small of your back and pulled you close, “I’m Kai.” You felt your nipples harden as his breath hit your ear. You leaned in close so they were pressed on his chest as you whispered your name in return. He snaked his other hand onto your ass and pulled you close to his body and started moving slowly to the music. One of his thumbs had made it up in the hem of your shirt, touching your bare skin and you could feel your pussy throbbing. Kai nuzzled into you like he was trying to protect you from everyone else around you as they danced. He could feel you rubbing your body in all the right places onto his. He glanced into your eyes as you moved - You looked like a little lamb, one that he also was about to sacrifice.

You twirled your body around so that your ass was pressed tightly against his erect penis. You moved slowly up and down and pushed your ass further into him while he gripped your waist. Kai planted a careful kiss on your neck and you knew that tonight you were going to fuck this man’s brains out. Your throat yearned for his hands and his dick to be around and inside it.

Hell, you deserved to be adored, but also fucked so hard that afterwards you couldn’t stand up.

Kai moaned in your ear as you pushed your ass harder into him. He moved your hair so carefully from your ear to get as close as his lips could take him to your face.

“Get yourself another drink, and walk up to the second floor. I’m the first door on the right.” He let go of you slowly. You turned quickly and watched him slither in between the abyss of ugly neon drunken college students. His black shirt and striking blue hair standing out as he snuck back up the stairs. You ran your hands through your sweaty hair and took a breath. That was Winter’s brother? You had just become close with Winter over the last year. She had complained about her brother on multiple occasions. The way she talked about him made Kai seem like he had some major issues, but you reminded yourself that you loved a good walking red flag.

You bit your lip and looked around at the preposterous excuse of a ‘rave’. You surly wouldn’t miss it if you snuck out and up to Kai’s room.

You made your way to the makeshift bar, grabbing two solo cups and pouring a generous amount of fireball in both before descending stealthily up the stairs- headed to Kai’s room.

As you hit the top step the air became less foggy as you quietly made your way towards the stairs.

“Y/N?” You cursed to yourself before turning at the sound of Winter’s voice. “What are you doing up here? I have so much to tell you- Kelly totally just made out with me in the bathroom,” She drunkenly made her way over to you and pointing to the solo cups in your hands. “Are you double fisting or did you actually find a man friend down there to share shots with?”

“I was actually looking for you. We need to take a celebratory shot!” You did not want Winter to realize that you were about to go bring not only the drink, but your body to her brother upstairs.

“Oh cool, thanks babes.” She grabbed one of the solo cups and hissed as the fireball burned down her throat. “I’m so glad you came. Are you having a good time?”

“You know, it’s actually not as bad as I thought it would be,” You smiled at your friend who raised her eyebrows in shock at your words.

“Good, go back down there! There’s nothing up here except the bathroom and my idiot brother.”

You didn’t know how to respond so you decided to fill the void by shoving the edge of the solo cup in your mouth and letting the warm alcohol coat your insides with cinnamon flavored heat.

“Well, I’ll meet you down there. I need to freshen up in the lady’s room.”

Winter smiled at you before turning to descend back down the stairs to her party. You let out a breath, knowing how distasteful it was to fuck the birthday girls’ brother while she waited for you in the basement. There was just something so enchanting about Kai that you needed to feel him inside of you - just this once.

Quietly, you tip toed up the staircase towards Kai’s room. Your lips pressed together as rose your hand to knock. You could feel your heart in your throat as you saw the door knob turn and Kai appeared in front of you, that smirk of his forming once he saw you.

“I’m happy to see you decided to join me up here.” Kai threw an arm out and inviting you inside his room. It was dark, except for a lamp that was on at his desk. His room was filled with book shelves chalked full with novels and his walls were a dark Navy. You also noticed lots of paperwork stuck to bulletin boards above his desk - This was the room of a busy man.

“Mmm, I like a man who can enjoy the voice of Lana Del Rey,” You smiled as you walked over to Kai’s old record player, ‘Ride’ playing softly through the speakers.

“She has a beautiful voice,” He stated, walking up next to you. Having his body so close sent electric shockwaves through your vagina. You licked your lips before looking up at him. He had such strong features, and those eyes literally sent you over the edge. His hand raises, sweeping hair from your face as he cups your jaw, bringing your lips together. The softness of his kisses made you completely let go. Kai deepened the endearment and felt his erection welcome the both of them between their bodies. He could taste the fireball on your tongue and he walked your intertwined body over to his bed.

“I don’t do missionary,” You spoke, slightly out of breath. Oh, Kai liked you before but now he was loving you.

“Good, get naked right now and let me fuck you from behind.” Kai ripped off his shirt quickly and let his jeans drop to the floor. He watched you pull your top off, drooling over the way your breasts bounced as they fell from your bra. He took one of your nipples in his mouth and felt the shiver of your body as you moaned sweetly at his actions. He moved his mouth to your neck, sucking it aggressively. You dug your fingers into the flesh on his back and he groaned in enjoyment. He spun your around so that your ass was up against his dick and he slipped his fingers into your wet pussy, his digits tasting you. “I want the side of you that you don’t show anyone else,” You whispered as your backside was pressed against him, your hands reaching up to play with that blue hair that drove you crazy. His fingers explored your insides as if you were a road map to a treasure.

“Drop down like a good girl, and I’ll fuck you like a bad one.” Kai’s words sending goosebumps over your body. You leaned forward, your palms propped you up on the bed as he entered you from behind. He moved slow at first, until you were dripping at your folds, then he started to really hammer into you. You loved the way he smacked your ass and then would gently rub your hips. He was the perfect mix of pain & pleasure.

He exited you and gently pulled you up to face him. “Your face is so… wow.. it’s just beautiful,” Kai spoke in between hungry kisses. You smiled against his lips at his words. Usually a man you just met that engaged in sexual acts with you only complimented your pussy, not your face. It made you crumble even more for Kai.

He jumped onto the bed and you crawled on top of him, your wetness letting him slide effortlessly back inside of you. He watched with a wide smile as you rode his dick, while rubbing your clit. You moaned deeply as his hands massaging your tits, making you go wild.

“Spit in my mouth.”

You looked down at Kai with a smirk, he was a kinky one. You licked your lips before sucking your saliva into the center of your mouth. You leaned forward as he opens his mouth for you. You forcefully spat your saliva into Kai’s open mouth and he hummed as his eyes closed, savoring your taste before he swallowed it. You grabbed his cheeks in your hand and let out a sinful giggle.

“You are a wicked one, Kai Anderson.” You pushed yourself down on top of him and feverishly kissed him, taking in his bottom lip between your teeth every so often, making his growls and groans more erotic each time.

You moved your hips around and sat back up throwing your head back in pleasure as Kai moved between pinching your nipples and needing them between his fingers. His hands were soft, and you kept getting a nose full of his oaky masculine scent that almost drove your animalistic instincts crazy. You had read somewhere that a woman was always sexually attracted to her partners smell. You had never enjoyed a man’s sweat until right now. It all came together to make so much sense, just like your pussy came together with his hard long and delicious cock. Kai sat up as your bodies stay linked and he snaked his hands around you so that one hand was on the small of your back and the other on the back of your neck. He pressed his forehead to yours as you moved your body. The earth seemed to slow down as your ears only filled with the sound of his breathing and the faint echoes of Rey’s ‘Tomorrow Never Came’. Your vulnerability in that moment made you slightly embarrassed. The way his thumb stroked your middle back and then when he kissed the tip of your nose you knew this man was some kind of mythical creature you possibly dreamed up in a drunken state. “Should we take this to the shower?” He whispered as your body continued to move up and down on top of him. Your nodded, happy to break the intense moment between the two of you. If you lasted any longer you knew you’d be utterly attached to this guy whom you barely knew.

You slid off of him, and he takes your hand and leads you to the attached bathroom. He turned on the shower and you immediately felt the steam engulf both your bodies while continuing to actively kiss. He cupped your ass and before you know it, your legs were wrapped around him as he carried you into the hot shower. He slowly re-entered you as he slammed your back into the shower wall, the water cascading down both of your sweaty bodies. You felt his dick so far up inside of you that you felt like you were getting the most intimate part of him. He pulled from the kiss to watch your face as he thrusted deep inside of you, your legs wrapped tightly around him, his hands still grabbing your ass cheeks to keep you from falling.

“Fuck, you’re perfect.” Kai moaned as he went in and out of you pleasurably. He was panting hard when you grabbed each side of his face in your hands and smashed your lips together again feeling your orgasm rising. You threw your head back as Kai started pounding you harder and faster. Kai was staring back at you with his intense eyes. He raised one arm up, throwing his hand around your neck, his arm wresting perfectly in between your perky breasts.

“You like when I choke you? Cum for me baby girl.” He squeezes your neck a little harder. You moaned in pleasure and suddenly you could feel Kai release himself inside of you, which in turn made you relax and let your orgasm come to fruition.

He slid out from inside you as your legs gently unwrapped from his waist and you planted them on the shower floor. He refused to let you go and you both just embraced in the shower, the water washing away the sinful things you had just done. What had possessed you to partake in this aftercare that Kai was giving you was unknown, but you stood there as your legs shook lightly from the orgasm that had overtaken your body moments before.Kai stroked your hair as your head lay on his chest-Eyes closed as the water pelted down on your skin. When it felt like you both hand lingered too long, you pulled away shyly. Kai shut the water off, hoping out of the shower and walking naked towards the cabinet of towels. He handed one to you, thanking him quietly before wrapping yourself into it.

He dried off his body before throwing the towel around his waist. You both didn’t say much as you exited the bathroom. Kai walked over to the record player and changed out the record. You loved the song that had started playing - Not Allowed by TV Girl.

“You want to lay in bed and listen to some music with me?” Kai asked, looking to you with a raised eyebrow. You were surprised at his eagerness to spend time with you after the relationship you shared this far had been strictly sexual.

“Ahh..yeah okay.” You rang out your hair in your towel before grabbing your clothes that were laying on the floor.

“No, no clothes,” Kai said quietly as he wrapped his arms around your naked body. He guided you to the bed as the sounds of music played in the air.

You felt the goosebumps appear as Kai’s fingers made little circles on your shoulder.

“So, I have to ask you a questioned- Why were you at this party tonight? You don’t fit the scene,” Kai’s body vibrated your ear as he spoke.

You smiled on his chest. “Winter is a good friend of mine actually. We share a lot of classes at college. To be honest that party doesn’t really fit her scene either.”

You moved so that you were now laying beside Kai, faces inches apart. His eyes were softer now, more relaxed and playful. He was a really handsome man, and you adored the small freckle on his nose and the way his eyes squinted when he smiled. Oh, and you couldn’t forget the dimples.

“Well I’m extremely grateful you came tonight, pun intended.” Kai chuckled as you playfully hit his chest.

“It’s my turn to ask you a question.” You propped yourself up on your elbow so that you could look down at Kai’s calm expression. He raised his eyebrows in anticipation.

“Are you always this intimate with girls after you just fucked them?” Your lips pressed together and you narrowed your eyes at him.

He shook his head “Never.”

“Then why are you being this way with me- a girl you plucked from your sisters basement party?”

He smiled and put his hand to your face to stroke your cheek “it’s simple- You told me to show you a side of me I don’t show anyone else.”

“Then why are you being this way with me- a girl you plucked from your sisters basement party?”

He smiled and put his hand to your face to stroke your cheek “it’s simple- You told me to show you a side of me I don’t show anyone else.”

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somethingusefulfromflorida · 7 months ago

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Whenever there's a story about a secret society or a shadowy quasi-government organization that pulls all the strings and controls the entire world and regularly defeats apocalyptic threats against humanity, I always wonder who the hell's paying for it all? The Men in Black, Hellboy's Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, the Assassins, the Templars, they all have blank check budgets and carte blanche to do whatever they need to, whenever, wherever, however. Need to go to an archeological site in Baghdad that may be the literal Garden of Eden? No problem, you'll be on the next flight alongside all your friends and co-workers, and all their supplies and guns and computers, you know, all the stuff that's really easy to ship across international borders. The Kola Superdeep Borehole is actually a portal to hell? I'm sure the Russian government won't mind us checking it out. Area 51 is about as impenetrable as the backstage at a rock concert; sure, some burly guy in a STAFF t-shirt or full combat gear may shout "HEY" and start chasing you, but you can give him the slip real easy and go about your business without him ever alerting a superior.

BORING.

Give me the shadowy agency that has had regular budget cuts since the 1980s. Their power and influence ebbs and flows every 2 years depending on which party controls congress. There's so much red tape and so many roadblocks that the 10,000 year old cult which was once the dominant global superpower is now just a rump echo chamber; they've preserved their ancient Proto-Indo-European language, the mother tongue of about half the world's population, but there was so much infighting over the millennia that they broke into countless warring factions that basically don't do anything anymore. "We're the People's Front of Judea, not like those wankers in the Judean People's Front."

Agent Kay once said "there is always an Arquilian battle cruiser or a Corilian deathray or an intergalactic plague about to wipe out all life on this miserable little planet, but the only way these people can go about their happy lives is they DO. NOT. KNOW ABOUT IT!" Surely they drop the ball from time to time.

"Hey, where's the Archduke? Aren't you part of his security detail?" "I thought that was your job!"

"When you disabled the alien ship, you set the autopilot to crash into the Pacific, right?" "The Administrator told me to aim for the Arctic." "Why the hell would he tell you that?!? Its orbit was nowhere near the Arctic! Where is it now?" "Apparently it's about to enter the atmosphere over Chelyabinsk, Russia. Whoops."

"A rematch?!? That wasn't the plan! Why don't the higher ups ever give me a warning before they go off book? Do you even know which campaign you're supposed to sabotage? Everyone already hates them both!"

#mib #bprd #secret society #new world order #conspiracy theories #fiction

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daisiesonafield-blog · 2 years ago

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Louis Tomlinson is sequestered in the executive boardroom of a swanky hotel in suburban London, and is treating it the way a pupil might a classroom when the teacher’s popped out. He’s leaning back on his chair, feet up on a radiator, hands clasped behind his head and a cigarette on the go. “All right?” he says, grinning impishly.

Despite huge global success with One Direction (70 million albums sold), which prompted a fanaticism that made Beatlemania look tame, he seems remarkably unaffected and far more normal than one might expect from someone with 35.8 million Twitter followers. He’s a 31-year-old so unassumingly bloke-next-door that the bloke next door wouldn’t look twice.

“I’ve always had a problem with ‘ego’,” he says, “and I’ve always been worried about being one of those people in the public eye who just loses all sense of reality, and becomes an arsehole.” As if by way of explanation, he adds: “I’m from Doncaster.”

And so while his former 1D bandmate Harry Styles, a superstar, floats through life like the fashion world’s favourite clothes horse, Tomlinson kits himself out in JD Sports: Kappa T-shirt, black sweatpants, Adidas socks, scuffed trainers. When he tells you he often frequents his local pub unmolested, you believe him.

“If someone does come up after an hour to ask for a selfie, I won’t say no and I won’t run away,” he says, “’specially if I’m three pints deep!”

Of the five members of 1D, Tomlinson has had the slowest start to a solo career. There are compelling reasons for this — family tragedy for one — but he’s also had to figure out who he is without the band around him. “With this job,” he says, “there’s so much room for overthinking, you know? Someone from the record label will tell you they like your stuff, but you find yourself thinking: yeah, but do they? It’s the fans that help you really believe in yourself.”

In the band, Zayn Malik had the best voice and Styles had the best everything else. While the other three — Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Niall Horan — were hardly driftwood, each has nevertheless had to dig deep to carve out a solo persona that would compel beyond the bubble.

“I do miss the boys,” he says, “and I do definitely miss being one of the five, but I like doing my own thing too. It was time.”

It’s a bright winter’s day, and the man in sports casual is enjoying special dispensation here in the hotel: permission to light up. Had this been denied, there might well have been a problem, for Tomlinson chain-smokes with the wild abandon of Mad Men’s Don Draper.

After the release of his second solo album, Faith in the Future, in November, he adds another necessary notch in the belt of any self-respecting pop star next month: the documentary. All of Those Voices is a routine behind-the-scenes look at 21st-century celebrity but stands out for the multiple crises of confidence Tomlinson feels any time he’s not on stage.

“This is a confidence game for anyone,” he says earnestly, “and there’s been plenty of moments of vulnerability throughout the entire process.” An overriding concern of the documentary is not just whether people would be interested in him, but whether they’d take him, someone discovered on a TV talent show, seriously.

When Styles won his Grammy awards this month — he collected two and won four Brits — he used his acceptance speech to say that “this doesn’t happen to people like me very often”. This was swiftly ridiculed across social media because of course white men tend to win quite a lot. But what he likely meant was that it doesn’t happen to the product of manufactured boy bands, many of whom have the use-by date of a pint of milk.

“Only Harry knows what he means there, it’s hard to speculate,” Tomlinson says, “but we all came from relatively humble beginnings, and now we are where we are.”

But while Styles is a once-in-a-generation talent and knows it, his erstwhile bandmates — and this one in particular — need convincing.

Louis Tomlinson comes from a big family — his mother, Johannah Deakin, married twice and had seven children — and was a hopeful child actor before in 2010 auditioning for The X Factor. This is where 1D were created, “masterminded” by Louis Walsh. Deakin, who had Tomlinson when she was 19, was his biggest fan and they’d always been close. When, for example, Tomlinson lost his virginity, it was she he told first, not his friends.

In 2016, a year after One Direction split, she died from leukaemia, aged 42. Two years later, his 18-year-old sister, Félicité, who’d been struggling to get over her mother’s death, accidentally overdosed on cocaine, painkillers and an anxiety drug. The combined loss hit him hard. Aside from the single he wrote about his mother’s passing, 2020’s Two of Us, his mourning has been largely private.

He squints through a veil of cigarette smoke. “Some of the things that have happened recently have been quite drastic, yeah, but then so much in my life seems to have been pretty extreme, one way or the other.” In 2016, at the age of 25, a brief relationship with a Californian stylist, Briana Jungwirth, resulted in a son. “There’ve been challenging times, definitely. It’s funny, but I couldn’t even tell you how many years ago my mum passed, I just blank it out. But for the first 18 months, I’d take any form of bad luck personally. I’d feel every tiny thing. But now I genuinely feel I’ve come out the other side. I feel more empathy for everything and everyone these days.”

After his 2020 debut album, Walls, failed to set the world alight, Tomlinson called time on his relationship with Simon Cowell. “It was mostly amicable,” he says, nodding. “Simon always had my best interests at heart, and I liked him. He had his faults of course, like all of us, but it was always inevitable I’d have to go off and do my own thing.”

His new record, then, was a leap into the unknown and he elected to write not with professional songwriters but rather fellow creative artists: Theo Hutchcraft from the band Hurts, Joe Cross from the Courteeners and the singer-songwriter James Vincent McMorrow. “And that was a big difference, huge. These are people who live and breathe music. It’s the first time I felt really comfortable doing my own stuff, you know?”

Previously he’d been encouraged to sing like a nice young pop star should, without regional inflection. “When I was in the band,” he says, “working with professional songwriters whose entire aim was to write the hit single, they’d tell me that singing in my natural accent wasn’t commercial. Sorry, but what a shit idea! Who wants to sound like everybody else? I dumbed down a little bit in the band, because you do, but I’ve learnt who I am now.”

The album, which has its inspiration firmly in early Noughties indie, sounds more Kaiser Chiefs than One Direction. A risk, then. But when it came out, it debuted at No 1. While this did wonders for his confidence, it’s clear from the documentary that he still needs people — a support group — around him. He actively courts the friendship of his touring band, not necessarily a given among solo pop stars, and he seems almost always sociable. It’s when he’s not up for group activity that people worry. There’s a revealing moment in the documentary of him having just appeared on James Corden’s US talk show. Backstage Corden, an old friend, pleads with him not to go quiet on him afterwards. “You vanish, you change your number, no one knows [where you are],” he says.

Until recently Tomlinson lived in London with his long-term girlfriend, the model Eleanor Calder, but recent reports suggest they’ve split up and he’s dating another model, Sofie Nyvang. Life, clearly, is complicated. Perhaps that’s why he smokes so much. He says, though, that he feels finally relieved of the myriad pressures that once clung to being a pop star whose fanbase was predominantly teenage. Such as?

“Well, being a role model for one. I never wanted that. I always had to worry whether it was OK if, say, I was seen here or if I could get away with smoking a joint there, before concluding: hmm, probably not. But I never wanted to be the perfect pop star, especially in the climate of Instagram. I don’t want to put an artificial world out there. I think it’s important that people see your scars, your flaws.”

It’s never easy growing up in public and Tomlinson had no choice. “When One Direction split up,” he says, “I was mortified, I was absolutely gutted. I was a bit bitter, I suppose because it just felt like another loss to me. But I’ve a better understanding of things now, and there’s not as much anger. It is what it is.

“Getting back together at some point is hard to imagine right now,” he continues, “but I’d be surprised if we lived out our lives and didn’t have a moment where we had a reunion, or whatever you want to call it. I’d be up for that.”

When I ask what it’s like watching Styles’s ascendance into the biggest star of his generation — something that might delay such a reunion — he blows out a long plume of smoke.

“Well, it’s not a surprise is it? We were always aware that Harry fit that mould, and it’s been an amazing thing to watch. Envy? At the start maybe, when I was trying to find my feet, but it’s never healthy to cross-reference your own success with others is it? These days I’m learning to elevate myself in those moments when I have to. I didn’t know how to do that before, but now? Now I know I f***ing can.” All of Those Voices is in cinemas from March 22, allofthosevoices.com

-Full article. Feb 23 2023. Link here. Free link here.

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anonymoushouseplantfan · 1 year ago

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Plant, have you read Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror? She nails it. Read this part and think of Meghan Markle. This is everything!

The two biggest families in politics and culture today—the Trumps and the Kardashians—have risen to the top of the food chain because of their keen understanding of how little substance is required to package the self as an endlessly monetizable asset. In fact, substance may actually be anathema to the game. And with that, the applause roars, the iPhone cameras start snapping, and the keynote speaker at the women’s empowerment conference comes onstage.

Sophia Amouroso’s brand of “Girlboss Feminism,” and Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In brought in an era of CEO capitalism as a type of feminism.] #GIRLBOSS is an extended exercise in motivational personal branding … [the memoir implies that] becoming successful is a feminist project. The basic idea here is that, for women, photogenic personal confidence is the key to unlocking the riches of the world. The Girlboss Rallies [pay to attend conferences] are supposed to work the same way: you pay to network, to photograph yourself against millennial-pink and neon backdrops, to take the first step toward becoming the sort of person who would be invited to speak onstage. This is meant to scan as a deeply feminist endeavor, and it generally does, at least to its participants, who have been bombarded for many years with the spurious, embarrassing, and limitlessly seductive sales pitch that feminism means, first and foremost, the public demonstration of getting yours.

A politics built around getting and spending money is sexier than a politics built around politics. And so, at a time of unprecedented freedom and power for women, at a time when we were more poised than ever to understand our lives politically, we got, instead of expanded reproductive protections and equal pay and federally mandated family leave and subsidized childcare and a higher minimum wage, the sort of self-congratulatory empowerment feminism that corporations can get behind, the kind that comes with merchandise—mugs that said “Male Tears,” T-shirts that said “Feminist as Fuck.” (In 2017, Dior sold a “We Should All Be Feminists” shirt for $710.) We got conferences, endless conferences—a Forbes women’s conference, a Tina Brown women’s conference, a Cosmopolitan Fun Fearless Females conference. We got Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global, which aims to end the “stress and burnout epidemic” through selling corporate webinars and a $65 velvet-lined charging station that helps you keep your smartphone away from your bed. We got the full-on charlatan Miki Agrawal, who was regularly given media tongue-baths on the subject of Thinx, her line of period panties, until it was revealed that Agrawal, who proudly called herself a “She-E-O,” was abusive to her employees and didn’t know much or care about feminism at all. We got, instead of the structural supports and safety nets that would actually make women feel better on a systematic basis, a bottomless cornucopia of privatized nonsolutions: face serums, infrared saunas, wellness gurus like Gwyneth Paltrow, who famously suggested putting stone eggs in one’s vagina, or Amanda Chantal Bacon, whose company Moon Juice sells 1.5-ounce jars of “Brain Dust” for $38. On the wings of market-friendly feminism, the idea that personal advancement is a subversive form of political progress has been accepted as gospel. The trickiest thing about this idea is that it is incomplete and insufficient without being entirely wrong. The feminist scammer rarely sets out to scam anyone, and would argue, certainly, that she does belong in this category. She just wants to be successful, to gain the agency that men claim so easily, to have the sort of life she wants. She should be able to have that, shouldn’t she? The problem is that a feminism that prioritizes the individual will always, at its core, be at odds with a feminism that prioritizes the collective. The problem is that it is so easy today for a woman to seize upon an ideology she believes in and then exploit it, or deploy it in a way that actually runs counter to that ideology. That is in fact exactly what today’s ecosystem of success encourages a woman to do.

Heading out, but posting this so I don’t lose it.

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shookysmissingtooth · 6 months ago

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Friends! and Lovers? - Chapter 1

pairing: model jjk, producer myg x Makeup artist reader

genre: friends to lovers

wordcount: 1.9k

summary: being an adult in a competitive world isn't easy. especially when you only have two friends. two you would never date. right?

warnings: this story contains smut and is for mature audiences only.

Masterlist Next Part->

🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍

You are the deepest sleeper you have ever seen. Which is why, when it was time to wake up for the first day of your new job, you probably wouldn't wake up on time. That is if you were living alone. But lucky for you, you have two friends who wake you up in time. Well, one friend since the other one isn't exactly a morning person.

"Jungkook woke u up too?", Yoongi asks, seeing you walking in the dining room with your pajamas, which usually consisted of a t-shirt and shorts. The thing about living with 2 men is that you always have to wear a bra around the house, so your nipples don't get seen through your shirt. He's now sitting on the chair to your left, shirtless as he probably just woke up. At first, you got flustered whenever you saw him shirtless, but you're used to it now. Kinda.

"Yeah", You reply. He's on his phone texting his girlfriend. Yup. Yuri. The girl that slapped you back in high school. Shin Yuri, the girl that you still hate. It's been YEARS since that altercation happened, but what can you say? You hold grudges. And every time you remember or think about that day, you get even angrier at her.

"Morning people!", Jungkook says as he walks into the dining room from the kitchen with two plates of food in his hands. He puts one plate in front of Yoongi and the other in front of you. "Eat up.", he says to the both of you walking back to the kitchen to get his food.

When he comes back, he sits across from you and pounces on his meal. LITERALLY. Like a wild animal, feasting on its prey. He looks up at you watching how you're staring at him in disgust. This man has no sense of table manners. "What?", he asks as he continues eating. He then looks to your left and notices Yoongi's phone in his hands. "Hyung! No phones at the table", now reaching to snatch Yoongi's phone out of his hands. Once he's successful he begins to run away trying to keep the phone out of Yoongi's grasp as they fight for it. He tries to read his messages out loud.

"I miss you baby", Jungkook says trying to imitate Yoongi's voice. "I miss you too", he says trying to imitate Yuri's. You physically cringe at the thought of Yuri calling Yoongi "baby".

"Ok, Ok give me my phone, I'll put it away", Yoongi says slightly annoyed. Jungkook then hands him his phone and says," No phones at the table", giving him a teasing smile.

"So, first day of your new job ay", Jungkook says getting back into his seat, eyes now on you. Today is the first day of your new job. You recently applied for a job to work as a makeup artist at Calvin Klein. And you got it. Now today is your first day. Ever since you graduated college, you have been jumping around from one job to another. You've been a janitor, a plumber, a cashier, a food delivery driver, you name it, but you finally got what you've always wanted..to be a makeup artist, for a big company at that.

Yoongi and Jungkook have always known what they wanted to be in life. Yoongi has always wanted to be a music producer and songwriter, which he has achieved, Jungkook has always wanted to be a model, which he now is. In fact, he's the global ambassador for Calvin Klein.

Oh, and they are both famous. Worldwide famous. Yoongi had to work hard for years to build a name for himself in this crazy music industry. And Jungkook started out just modeling for Calvin Klein. He would wear the seasonal outfits and model for their website. That was until people started to notice his looks and he built a big fan base, eventually giving him a huge social media following. And that's when he became global ambassador qualified.

Dozens of brands reached out to him but Calvin Klein snatched him up before any other brand could.

You're like their not-so-famous best friend that's severely unknown. And you like it that way.

Jungkook, for years, has tried to convince you to become a model because he says you're good-looking. He likes to call what you had a "glow-up".

"You were really ugly back in high school" , he told you that one time the 3 of you were looking at your old photos.

The problem with having 2 famous best friends is that you can't go out with them without worrying if people would film you guys hanging out and come up with absurd rumors about you guys dating.

This has happened once.

The 3 of you went to a restaurant to celebrate your birthday. Yoongi had rented out the place for privacy, and he was pretty early so the 2 of you waited inside the restaurant to wait for Jungkook.

When Jungkook arrived, he texted you he was outside, so you went outside to see him. The Both of you shared a hug, oblivious to the camera recording the both of you.

2 hours later you received many texts from you're parents, and one of them sent you a link to an article titled, "Jungkook's New Girlfriend".

The only thing that saved you that day was the face mask you were wearing, otherwise, your face would have been all over the internet. And the last thing you need is people judging your looks, or people comparing your looks to Jungkook's. You're insecure enough as it is.

"Yup, can't wait.", you say, taking a bite of the pancakes made by Jungkook." I'm actually kinda nervous too. What if I make a mistake and get fired?"

"You'll be fine, stop worrying", he says. " Though, we should go over some things first.", You nod your head to his statement before he continues. "Nobody should know that we know each other". He sees the confusion that reaches your face and you ask him why. "Because, I've been working hard trying to avoid dating rumors, and if people see us talking they'll think we're together. Plus it's not normal for makeup artists to befriend their model clients. It's kinda looked down upon if you ask me".

"So let's say I run into you, you want me to ignore you and look the other way?", you ask, and all you get is a nod in return, mainly because there's food stuffed in his mouth. "So I take it we can't go to your shoot together.", and he shakes his head no. Yesterday you received an email letting you know about the shoot you'll be working at today, and it happens to be Jungkook's joint shoot with another model. You then turn to Yoongi with a pleading smile on your face before you ask for his car.

"Fuck no.", he responds. "Not after you scratched it last time"

"i'll give you $50 bucks"

"100. 100 or nothing", he says.

"Fine".

"You know I'm so happy I can finally have the house to myself. I don't have to see your faces all day and I can invite Yuri over.", Yoongi says probably mentally planning this day out in his head. He notices the way you roll your eyes at the mention of Yuri's name. "You're being a baby."

"What are you talking about?", you ask.

"You know you're eventually gonna have to get over the fight you guys had in HIGH SCHOOL. HIGH SCHOOL! You're both now fully grown adults with a whole different mindset and level of maturity. Well, at least one of you does". He says. You can understand why he's tired of your bullshit. It's been years since you and Yuri fought, but the girl hasn't even mustered an apology to you. She's gonna have to apologize before you can even consider accepting their relationship.

"Yoongi, I'm not obligated to like the girls you date". , you say dryly.

"I'm not asking you to like her! I'm simply asking for your respect. Why should I have to feel guilt, whenever I talk about my girlfriend around you?" The annoyance in his voice is not something that can be ignored. Whenever Yoongi gets upset, he expresses it with his whole body.

"I don't appreciate how you're making me seem like the problem. Yuri doesn't like me either, but you're so blinded by "love", that you can't even see that!", you say, voice laced with anger. "Jungkook, back me up!", You say turning to him.

"This isn't my business", he says shrugging his shoulders and finishing the remnants of his food.

"I'm not trying to make you seem like the problem.", he says sighing. "I would just like to have the support of my best friend." He says calmly ending the conversation. He knows that if he says anything else, there will be a fight between the two of you and that's something that he wants to avoid. The awkwardness in the room lingers for a few seconds before Jungkook interrupts it.

"I'm gonna go head to the shower. Don't wanna be late.", he says standing up. You can't even fathom how he finished his food that quickly."You should hurry up too. Don't wanna be late for your first day"., He tells you giving you a calming smile before trailing off, leaving you and Yoongi alone eating in silence.

🌹

"I feel bad". You tell Jungkook. You're brushing your teeth whilst he's in the shower. You like his sink more than yours because of how spacious it is. You even have some of your hair and skin care products sitting on it. He doesn't seem to mind you using his bathroom. Well, that's what you think at least. "Do you think I was being an asshole to him?"

"I don't know.", he says shouting over his loud shower.

"What do you mean? It's a yes or no question."

"I just don't see why my opinion matters. It's not like my opinion is gonna solve things between the two of you." He has a point and you know it. But it'd be nice to hear that someone is on your side. What kind of friend dates the enemy of their friend? "If you feel bad, just apologize"

"Why should I apologize?" Why should you? It's not like you did anything wrong.

"if you didn't do anything wrong, then why do you feel bad?", Jungkook says, as if he read your mind.

"I hate you", you respond.

He turns off the water. "I love you too. Now get out, I'm done."

You leave his bathroom and walk to yours to take your shower.

🌹

Showering Is something that calms you, and is really the only place where you're able to think, and as you rewind breakfast in your head, you can't help but think, "Maybe I am in the wrong.", "Maybe I am the asshole". And now you feel even more bad.

You got out of the shower and made a promise to yourself that you would apologize to Yoongi before you left the house.

Today is the first day of your job so you have to wear something that would make a statement. Something that screams, "professional". You scanned through every article of clothing in your closet and decided to wear leggings and a shirt with a blazer on top. You set the clothes on your bed and remove the towel that covers your body.

"Hey, I just wanted to say that im-", you hear and you rush to reach for your towel and wrap it around yourself again before you turn around and once you turn you see Yoongi with his hand over his eyes. "I'm sorry, I should have knocked". He says before walking slowly to the door, trying not to bump into anything. "my car keys are on the table in the hall", he says and then he shuts the door once he's out.

Today is going to be a longgg day.

#jungkook smut #bts #bts jungkook #jungkook #slowburn #friends to lovers #yoongi smut #yoongi

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nauticonfashionstore9 · 7 months ago

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swampstew · 1 year ago

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KIᒪᒪEᖇᑕOOK - ᑕᕼᗩᑭTEᖇ ５

Welcome to Raven's Reading Nook - a small corner of this blog dedicated to cozy story times. Join us in the family room as we sit around and browse our phones, and eat some Girl Scout cookies as we begin tonight's story. Rated Mature for language. Minors DNI.

It's unbearably hot and I needed a cooldown. Nothing soothes my soul quite like bullying the characters of One Piece. This chapter was inspired by my friends who yearn for KillerCook, this video of Brandon Farris (skip to 1:37 mark for the gag), and this illustration by Denise Fanta Stay hydrated and wear your suncreen, y'all »»»———　☠　———«««

*Phone app notification goes ping*

TikTok – KillerCook has uploaded a new video. Check it out!

Title: When Watermelons Attack Description: A summer science experiment gone hilariously wrong. 6 minute video. The thumbnail is a still frame of a partially clothed Killer and Kid, with a nervous Wire and Heat in the background.

*Press Play*

Four massive and buff men stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the camera, creating an almost cramped atmosphere despite the fact that they were located in a massive kitchen space. They all waved hello at the camera before KillerCook took a step closer to the camera.

The daylight spilled through the massive bay windows creating a high definition viewing experience. Global weather had been unbearably hot for everyone and the crew was not spared from the dangerous heat wave. Even in the cool-climate controlled house, all four men were sweating as the lead stepped into his role.

“Hello everyone, KillerCook here joined by my buddies whom you all should know and love by now. If you don’t, go back to my very first upload and don’t come back to this video until you’ve watched them all!” Killer held out a stern finger to the camera. “Or don’t, I’m not your father. I don’t care what you do so long as you like, comment, and follow my channel.”

Killer’s hair was weighed down by the humidity in the air, lacking its usual volume; his helmet looked like it was also perspiring under the unforgiving sunlight. Sweat glistened on his neck and arms, and his muscle tank top clung to his sculpted body as he presented some items in front of the camera.

“Normally I have a delicious recipe I create on camera but to be honest, heats killing us!”

Heat, flagged down by a small, pinned tag of his TikTok handle FlamingHot420, stood behind and off to the left of Killer, letting out a surprised look and hurt pout.

“I’m not doing anything!” he pulled back his long, baby blue locks into a ponytail so as not to touch or stick to the back of his neck or tattooed arms. His black, sleeveless gym tank hugged his trapezius muscles, which flexed noticeably along with his sinewy arms as he adjusted his hairstyle.

“Tsk, not you idiot!” Kid growled.

The Boss of the crew, the redhaired heartthrob tagged by his handle PunkNeverDied69, looked crankier than usual in the hellish weather pattern. He wore a loose, light colored t-shirt over gym shorts, his flesh hand tucked into pocket to flair out the billowy material to circulate more air flow around his body. Forgoing his metal prosthetic did not diminish his stature or build in any manner. He still looked like a wall of meat, packaged into a tight container of a body straining against his frame. Every curve and groove of his toned muscles seemed exaggerated with the sweat the dripped between each dip.

Killer dropped his covered face a few degrees before regaining his composure, “ANYWAYS – cooking or baking during these record breaking heat waves seems like a terrible idea. Especially for Wire, he’ll be the first to succumb to heat exhaustion since as we all know, heat rises.” As he spoke, Killer used his hand to demonstrate heated air rising, right in front of Wire’s stature to emphasize the tall joke he was making.

Wire slapped the hand away, “Even on a cool day your jokes suck ass.” Tagged by his handle Scream_maim_fire, he did not help disprove Killer’s point when he wrapped his signature cloak headdress around his body.

“You’re just saying that because you continuously put an endothermic material over your head that’s frying your brain stupid!” Killer retorted.

The heat wave was putting everyone in a pissy mood. Kid snapped rubber bands at them with his thumb and forefinger.

“ENOUGH! Let’s get this over with so you can make our melon slushies!”

“Right,” Killer cleared his throat. “Let’s rewind. Today, we’re going to do a science experiment! How much pressure can a watermelon take before it breaks. We have melons and an obscene amount of rubber bands. When we’re through with the experiment, I’ll make us refreshing and hydrating watermelon slushies.”

“Like hell a bunch of stupid bits of rubber can do shit. I say we get the claw hammer,” Kid’s grin turned sinister.

“No.”

A massive, oblong shaped watermelon was placed on the tarp protected countertop with a dull thud. Killer leaned his helmet close to the melon and began knocking on it to test its ripeness. He swapped the melon out three times before being satisfied with his victim.

Killer began the arduous process of expanding the rubber material and sliding it snugly down to the watermelon’s midsection. The bag he was pulling them from claimed it held 500 rubber bands.

At the 100 rubber band mark, Kid, Heat, and Wire began wrapping their necks, and Killer’s, with damp hand towels lined with ice cubes. Killer let out an audible sigh of relief as he cooled down, revitalized to keep going. The trio decided to spend their time observing while sucking on frozen fruit popsicles.

“By the time we get through all these melons, I’ll have enough for smoothies, fruit leather, slushies, juice, flavored water, and popsicles!” Killer huffed out.

“That’s 236 rubber bands, Killer,” Heat tallied the notepad he was writing in when the masked man gasped excitedly as a seam in the fruit tore, creating a tiny fissure that fizzled with tiny, red bubbles. At 269 rubber bands, the melon began to let out a soft hissing sound.

“It’s like I’m strangling it to death,” Killer said almost too enthusiastically.

“Heh cool,” Kid grinned ear to ear.

At the 398th rubber band, the fruit began to change in shape. The midsection was beginning to slim down, and the melon itself had started out with a bowling ball shape, it now looked more like a fall time gourd. The healthy green coloring it originally had was noticeably paler.

“Ok it looks like we’re getting close to the fun part. We’re going to take a moment to prep our area for the mess.”

The crew stood up, Wire and Heat put the chairs away and opted to stand back instead. Handing the TikTok star a clear-plastic tarp, the blonde placed it around’s the countertop’s base and spread it out. Then, he took off his top.

“Get out of the splash zone if you mind getting wet,” Killer directed to his crew.

“I like getting down and dirty, you know me,” Kid smirked, eagerly ripping his top off. The sun reflected off his golden nipple piercings and created a minor solar glare in the camera. Killer nudged him to move to make it stop. Kid complied while cautiously lowering his welders goggles over his face to keep his eyes free from foreign liquids.

Killer continued sliding rubber bands over the pressurized fruit. Then one snapped. Both he and Kid flinched slightly.

“No!” Killer pointed a stern finger at it. “We’re back down to 421.”

Everyone was noticeably sweatier than before. Whether that was due to the vicious sun rays beating down on their windows or anxiety from the impending explosion of sweet berry juice, viewers would never know.

“Kill, I think 433 is the limit,” Wire’s normally droopy and unbothered eyes were filled with stress, turning away slightly from the swollen fruit that was most definitely trembling. If someone were to snap a screenshot of his face, they would likely the image with text that would say something like: Moments before disaster strikes.

What happened in the next minute could only be described as mayhem.

As Killer grabbed the 434th rubber band, Wire and Heat began nervously backing up from their leaders. The sound of a rubber band snapping made them all flinch and back up slightly, however the fruit only marginally moved before it stilled once more. They all relaxed and resumed their original stances.

“Hey Killer! Hope I’m not too early for our plans tonight. I picked up—”

Killer was in the middle of spreading the replacement 433rd rubber band on the melon when a new person’s voice flowed in the kitchen. Killer turned his head to see who it was and missed the way the melon began vibrating on the spot. Heat, Wire, and Kid all took another step back but it was too late.

The watermelon exploded and ricocheted in two directions.

The top half of the fruit flew straight up in the air and out of frame of the camera only to come back into view and smash Sanji over the head as the French cook stepped into the kitchen to see what the house occupants were up to.

“—QUE DIABLE!” the short haired blonde exclaimed as he was knocked to the ground in a daze along with the grocery bags he brought.

At the same damn time, the lower half of the watermelon shot backwards into Kid’s chest. He tried to dodge the projectile but was too slow, taking the full impact on his collarbones as he was thrown backwards into Wire’s side, both of them tumbled to the ground.

Red slush spurted all over the kitchen, drowning Killer and Kid in juice, and marginally squirting Heat. Wire’s skin was spared thanks to his trusty cloak.

Heat was screaming, “HANG IN THERE LITTLE FRENCH DUDE! WE’LL PAY YOUR HOSPITAL BILL!”

The video froze and then did a quick rewind to the watermelon exploding again, in slow motion. It stopped at the frame that had both Kid and Sanji being hit by the melon halves. The image came out of focus slightly as large text floated over the frame reading the word: FATALITY.

After a four-second silence, a new scene took place. Kid, Wire, and Heat were happily sucking watermelon slushies through straws, the filter on the video had a dramatic sepia overlay as a Sarah McLachlan song played softly. More text floated down the video: In loving memory of the little French chef. Right underneath the ‘in memoriam’ were the ingredients and a small summary of the slushie recipe that disappeared after 10 seconds.

As “In the Arms of an Angel” played, Sanji could be seen kicking the shit out of Killer in the background.

“Sometimes we can still hear him,” Wire said mournfully as the redhead and bluette nodded in agreement.

“I’M STILL HERE YOU JACKASSES!” Sanji barked at them.

End of video.

BONUS: End of credit clip

The four housemates had washed the melon pulp off them and changed into clean clothes. Now joined by Sanji, aka Little French Chef, who stood next to the quartet wearing a spare set of goggles and borrowed clothes. Watching in anticipation as Killer slid rubber band #169 over a small, round pumpkin.

The gourd seemed to tremble slightly as a new voice could be heard in the background, “Hey Cook! Luffy wants to know when—”

The pumpkin snapped clean in half, sending fiber, pulp, and seeds everywhere. While the quintet managed to avoid the expulsion, the green-haired newcomer was not so prepared as he stepped into the kitchen and into the camera’s focus.

“—WHAT THE HELL!” Zoro screamed, dropping to his knees clutching his left eye.

“How the fuck do you people keep getting into my house?!?” Kid snapped in annoyance, pushing Sanji’s wheezing frame away from him as the blonde fell to the floor once more, in hysterics this time.

Zoro grunted out, “Door was unlocked and I know you bastards keep the good booze stocked up. The least you can do is send me home with a few bottles after you took out my EYE!”

The video ended with a sepia filter still-frame of Zoro mid-scream and mid-fall, the same Sarah McLachlan song played from before. Text slowly floated on to the screen to read: In loving memory of Idiot Swordsman’s left eye.

Read on Wattpad | Read on AO3

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raretiste · 30 days ago

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Bruce Lee - The Legend Long Sleeve T-Shirt @teepublic

Designed and sold by IMANOVA

Unleash your inner dragon with our collection of exclusive designs of martial arts icon Bruce Lee, famous for his resilience, discipline and dedication to his craft, which made him become a global icon. Cultivate these virtues within yourself, and witness the tremendous power they unleash. Through disciplined effort and intense focus, you can overcome any obstacle and achieve greatness beyond measure.

100% cotton (Heather is a Cotton/ Poly blend). Pre-shrunk. Slightly heavier than our t-shirts but ideal for a long sleeve tee. Sized for men but can look great on women!

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t-shirtmanufacturerbd · 2 months ago

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Men t shirt manufacturer

Tees BD Co specializes in manufacturing men's T-shirts, offering a wide variety of designs, fabrics, and fits tailored to different markets. Their men's T-shirt collection includes basic tees, polo shirts, graphic tees, and custom options, all made with high-quality materials. With a focus on comfort, durability, and contemporary styles, Tees BD Co ensures that their products meet global quality standards while remaining competitively priced. Their expertise in mass production and customization makes them a reliable partner for businesses looking to source men's T-shirts from Bangladesh.

#t shirt #fabric #menswear #fashion #outfit

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ncisfranchise-source · 4 months ago

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Wilmer Valderrama, the 44-year-old actor best known for roles such as Fez in the sitcom “That ‘70s Show” and Special Agent Nicholas Torres on the drama series “NCIS,” has immersed himself into the activewear business.

The actor, entrepreneur, activist and fitness enthusiast has introduced a new active lifestyle brand for women and men called E.P.U., which stands for E Pluribus Unum, which is Latin for “out of many, one.”

“I Iove the fashion industry and it’s something that I really have been paying attention to, and have been so fascinated by the people who create fashion,” Valderrama said in a telephone interview Friday.

The collection features unisex T-shirts, tanks, crew neck sweaters, sweatpants and sweatshirts, along with men’s and women’s hoodies and joggers and women’s crop T-shirts and tanks.

Sizes range from XS to 2XL, with prices going from $25 to $75. The garments are crafted from 100 percent French terry cotton. The socks, duffel, unisex T-shirt, unisex, tanks, and women’s crop T-shirt are all made in the U.S., while the rest is made in Vietnam and India.

E.P.U. has forged a direct partnership with the USO (United Service Organizations) with a portion of sales benefiting their mission of strengthening the well-being of service members and their families. Valderrama, who is a global ambassador for USO, has been on more than 45 USO tours around the world and his time with the troops inspired him to give back to the men and women who serve to protect the country — and the people they leave at home.

Valderrama said he’s no stranger to the fashion industry. About 10 years ago he was involved in a casual brand for two years called Calavena, which sold in stores such as Saks, Kitson and Barneys. The brand no longer exists.

This time he decided to get into active sportswear for several reasons. First, he realized early on in his career that fitness was something that “not only helped the mental strengthening of the ups and downs of the industry,” but allowed him to look ahead to what roles I wanted to play next. “From Fez and having to transform into a person who could play a cop, it’s part of the transforming process,” he said.

In that journey, he created the hashtag #MyHouraDay, where he would do something active and share it on social media. His followers around the globe started giving their own answers such as “Going for a run,” or “Going for a Swim.”

Further, Valderrama has been inspired by athletes such as cross trainer Mat Fraser and snowboarder and skateboarder Shaun White, who are friends of his. “We’re always talking about mental strengthening, and when you’re out there trying to be number one, what is that mentality?” Valderrama said.

As a global ambassador to USO, Valderrama will bring friends along, talk to the troops and design and host big stage performances with comedians, musicians and DJs. “I’ve been to almost every base around the world. I’ve been to Iraq, Afghanistan, [South] Korea, Germany, Lithuania, you name it, I’ve been at that base,” he said. He began realizing the commonality of the military and what he loves so much.

“Part of their every day is how much they prioritize fitness. Fitness was an extension of their daily routines,” he said. He said he made it part of what he does professionally. “My workouts weren’t negotiable, they weren’t hobbies. [At] 4:30 in the morning, I get up and I’m going to the gym, and then I go to work. It’s part of my workflow. That mentality started creating this mental strengthening that I was not expecting. I always had the bug to go back to fashion. And all of a sudden, I was like, ‘What if?’”

He believed that he could take everything he learned from traveling the world with the military, and the inspiration from his athlete friends to create a brand that infused that kind of community for mental strengthening. Inspired by retro fashion from the 1950s and 1960s and Double RL hoodies and sweatpants, he felt he could create a brand that looked cool and functioned well. They designed the looks to be worn to the gym for a boxing workout or cross-fit training, as well as great travel outfits and clothes that can slip off easily for the pool.

Since today’s generation likes to discover brands on their own, he is selling E.P.U. through an online store, epuhq.com, as well as Instagram and Facebook.

One of his main objectives is to build a community. By donating part of the proceeds to USO, he’d like to be part of building USO Centers around the world and creating programs for veterans and their families. He pointed out that USO is a nonprofit and not government-supported, so it relies on donations.

“This is very much a passion project of mine, and I want to be as bold as possible in supporting these programs. And then the big thing is we build mental strengthening facilities,” he said.

Valderrama, who owns his Los Angeles-based company 100 percent, said he’d eventually like to launch accessories, socks, gloves to work out in, shoes, water-resistant products, weighted-vests and his own equipment.

Asked how he finds the time to run this business, while pursuing an acting career, he said, “There’s always time. If you have something in front of you that’s a priority, the schedule somehow molds into a place that you also have time for it. I have literally daily calls on this. We have photo shoots.…We have tons of community-building content around this,” he said.

“It’s a big undertaking, when they say cut, I start making calls,” Valderrama said. So far, he’s working with eight or nine full-time people in digital, social media and distribution.

Valderrama declined to divulge how much volume he anticipates he’ll do in the first year. “We’re hoping that we sell out very quickly and go right into the next phase. The internal testing that we’ve done has been received incredibly. People love how simple it is,” he said. He anticipates the tracksuits will be a bestseller.

The collection’s color palette is the official colors of the different branches of the military such as red and yellow for the U.S. Marines, green for the U.S. Army and blue for the U.S. Air Force.

Valderamma said he never got a chance to serve in any of these military branches since he got his first big break in TV when he was 18 years old.

He recalled that he became interested in USO years ago when he was walking through an airport and two members of the military came up to him and asked to speak to him. They said that after a long day of doing what they do, they trade “That ‘70s Show” DVDs like they’re baseball cards. “’And we laugh. It really helps and thank you,’” they told him. Valderrama immediately called his agent and said he’d like to show up at their bases. “In two seconds, they sent me out on a USO tour,” he said.

For the collection, he worked with “a design guru who helped scramble what was in his head,” and his fiancée, Amanda Pacheco, who was their fit model and gave suggestions on the women’s fit. To promote the brand, he plans community workouts to show who’s supporting the brand and what the brand is physically doing in real time.

Valderrama was born in Miami but grew up in Venezuela until the age of 13 or 14, when his family moved back to the U.S. and settled in Los Angeles. His father is Venezuelan and his mother is Colombian.

Next week, he will start taping the 22nd season of “NCIS,” which averages 6.5 million to 7 million viewers live every Monday night on Paramount+ and has about 12 million to 13 million viewers overall every week, he said. Valderrama’s next project is a “Zorro” adaptation for Disney, which is in development and he stars and serves as executive producer.

The actor has also written his first book, a memoir entitled “An American Story: Everyone’s Invited,” (HarperCollins) which will be published Sept. 17. “The memoir is a tribute to my family by bringing me to the U.S., and showing me the road and allowing me to walk it. I was able to take the American dream and make it something that belonged to my life,” he said. When he came to the U.S. at around 14 years old, he didn’t know how to speak English. “And by the age of 18, I’m booking ‘That ‘70s Show.'”

#wilmer valderrama #ncis

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