#kfc careers

[ozzgin]

Yandere! Yakuza x Reader (IV)

Happy Holidays! Remember your plans to visit friends and family back in your home country? Scratch that. The Yakuza men have other ideas for you in this cozy Christmas special. And you finally get to meet their fearsome Boss, who has a request for you.

Content: female reader, fluff

[Part 3] | [Part 5] | [Yakuza Masterlist]

You stare at your phone in disbelief, rereading each line and hoping you've misunderstood the kanji. Daitou and Kazuya are quietly frowning behind you, unsure how to help in such a situation. Their lack of response only confirms it.

The brief paragraph is written in bold, red font: Due to weather conditions, all flights are cancelled until further notice. Passengers have been refunded and will need to repurchase their tickets at first convenience.

One glimpse at the last-minute prices and you're certain of it: you won't be going home for Christmas. You slouch and sigh, somewhat at peace with the idea. What else can you do? You might as well get yourself a KFC bucket and stare at the holiday lights in the city center. You and the couples taking cheesy Christmas selfies, who will later wonder about the gloomy loner behind them philosophically crunching on spicy wings.

"Don't look so defeated, (Y/N). You can just spend that time with us instead. We're not such terrible company, are we?" Kazuya jokes, trying to cheer you up.

"We could even go on a trip around New Year."

Your eyes light up in anticipation, the sadness vanishing almost instantly. 

"Can we go to one of those hot spring inns? I've always wanted to visit an onsen." You put your hands together pleadingly. 

"Whoa! Take me out to dinner first if you're that eager to see me naked." The blonde man winks at you smugly. 

"How would I see you naked? The baths are separated, aren't they?" You inquire. 

"We can't go to the regular ones." Daitou pulls his collar slightly downwards, revealing a fragment of his traditional tattoos. True. A yakuza would never be allowed among the civilians. "We'd have to book a private bath, so there wouldn't be anyone else."

You blush at the prospect of being alone with the two men. Kazuya notices your nervousness and is about to continue his teasing, but Daitou speaks before him, unbothered and oblivious:

"Besides, you've already seen me naked. I can tell you Kazuya doesn't look much different. There's nothing to be shy about."

The blonde man can only gawk, taken aback, and you shove Daitou in a flustered panic, fumbling to find an excuse or a change of subject.

He didn't have to make your business public like that, or he could've at least announced it without you being present. Judging by the blonde's speechless reaction, you're guessing he hasn't been told about your sneaky office smooching that led to the occasional sleepover. If you think about it, there's nothing shameful about being intimate with your boyfriend, but...It's not something you're fully accustomed to yet.

As promised, after the coworker incident you were soon greeted with a job offer in the neighborhood. When you went to your old office to discuss the mandatory year contract, the managers nervously handed you an approval for resignation and refused to discuss any details. You were free to go, no penalty or obligation. They had a fearful demeanor and you hoped Daitou didn't dismember anyone involved. Regardless of his means, you were now at the liberty to pursue other careers.

On the other hand, you were rather anxious about your new workplace. You had flashing visions of drug cartels and gambling parlors, with thugs rattling their drinks at you and demanding proper service. Windows breaking and masked men rolling onto the floor, armed to the brim. Ginza hostesses scurrying behind you and asking for help against an angered client. The night before your first day, you restlessly shuffled in your bed, plagued by second thoughts. What could you possibly do for the yakuza? What ghoulish demands would they prepare for you?

Daitou was the one to accompany you in the morning. He showed you to your desk, and you could discern the blurred frames of people angrily discussing matters in the opposing meeting room, separated by a large window. You gulped.

"They're building a new apartment complex two streets down." Your boyfriend mentioned casually, helping you settle with your belongings. 

"Huh?"

"Oh, sorry, I thought you were curious about their talk."

"I mean, I am, but...Is that it?" You gazed at him incredulously. 

"What else? This is a real estate office. Upstairs is the stock investments."

"Oh...Oh...I thought..." You were a little embarrassed. The imaginary scenarios of bloody battles and crimes that kept you awake felt quite ridiculous now.

Daitou seemed to have picked up on your assumptions, because he chuckled and ruffled your hair, following with an explanation. 

"Boss is very strict with our Ninkyo-Do. If you're caught with drugs or petty theft, you're excommunicated. We used to have a bunch of gambling casinos as main income, but nowadays there's too much pressure from the police, ya know? Half of our members aren't even officially registered with the Yakuza, so they can't be tracked. We mostly do stocks and real estate. That's where the cash is. 

Heh. Kinda boring, ain't it? I'm afraid you showed up way after the golden times. Even I'm too young for it. If ya want, I can ask one of the retired seniors to tell you about it. He has a lot of great stories."

You held your tongue from bringing up his frequent killing sprees and just nodded, amused by the fact that his code of conduct didn't register human casualties as wrong. The Yakuza have strict rules of ethics that set them apart from regular mafia. Depending on the Oyabun, or Head of the Family, this chivalrous way of living is reinforced to all members or conveniently swept under the rug. Daitou's Boss seemed to fit in the former category. 

Therefore your "office job" turned out to be an actual office job without the quotes. Although you were often reminded the people passing by weren't your regular salarymen. Many of them were entirely transparent with you, striking up conversations about their latest arrest, or complaining about the poor quality of their pinky finger prosthetic they'd ordered from the Philippines. 

But this isn't the time to reminisce. The prolonged silence is unbearable and one could fry eggs on your hot, burning cheeks. Kazuya is the one to break the awkwardness. 

"Oh, yeah...You coming to the Christmas thing this evening?"

"We'll be there." Daitou smiles innocently, unaware of the discomfort he just caused.

Kazuya raises his eyebrows in surprise and looks at you.

"Did you...?"

"Yup. It's all fine." The dark haired man nods reassuringly. 

"Then I'll see you at dinner, little (Y/N). Don't catch a fever with all that steam blowing out of you." He laughs at your still baffled expression and places his large hand on your head, departing.

Daitou holds the door open for you and you hurry inside. As you both walk down the hallway of the luxurious restaurant, you can't help the nagging feeling that he's once again omitted some vital information. 

"Can you tell me again who else is coming? Just Kazuya?"

"Oh no, it's a Family meeting. So Boss and the rest of the Seniors, too."

You gasp in horror, but before you can scold him, you find yourself behind the canvas screen divider, facing a table of older men in suits, holding their drinks and eyeing you suspiciously. 

"Oi, who the fuck is this, Daitou?" one of them growls. 

"I already told you before, (Y/N). My girlfriend."

"Huh? Did you seriously just bring a civvy to our meeting? I knew you got a loose screw, boy, but this tops it all."

Daitou frowns and steps in front of you, visibly annoyed. 

"If ya got a problem with my woman being here, I can settle it for you, old man. When was the last time you fought someone?"

"'s that supposed to mean?"

"It means you've gotten too comfortable sitting up there and barking orders. Let me remind you why they leave the killings to me."

The thick tension in the air is quickly dispersed by a loud, relaxed laugh. At the end of the table, a heavily scarred man with grey hair is clapping his hands in delight, seemingly amused by the events unfolding. He glances at you and pats a cushioned seat to his right. 

"There you are! Come join us, miss (Y/N). Ignore those rusty grumps, they ain't seen a woman outside a host club." He throws the instigator a brief glare. "Is that any way to talk to my guest, Oota?"

The man swallows dryly and mutters an apology. He goes back to his drink, preoccupied, and the rest follow suit. 

You hesitantly kneel down to your designated place, sheepishly peeking at the mysterious figure. Could it be? As if reading your mind, Daitou places an encouraging hand on your waist and lowers his head to your ear, swiftly whispering "that's Boss" before going to greet the others at the table. 

"I-it's a pleasure meeting you, Sir." You mumble nervously.

"No no, pleasure is all mine. I'm Eiji Ijichi, 8th Head of our Family." 

His introduction is unexpectedly warm and his easygoing way of speaking reminds you a lot of Daitou. The faintest grin threatens to appear, but you cover your mouth. With enough imagination, this could be the equivalent of meeting your in-laws. This is Daitou's family, after all. A criminally scary one, but nonetheless you've been welcomed with open arms.

"Do you drink?" The older man asks you, raising his porcelain cup.

"Naturally." You exclaim and lift your own cup enthusiastically. 

"Attagirl!"

As the night progresses, the men at the table are loosening up under the influence of expensive alcohol. Kazuya seems to be caught in a terribly involved conversation with Daitou and one of their Captains, gesturing dramatically and occasionally raising his tone. You notice your glass has once again been filled by the waitress and take another sip, satisfied with observing their fun from the sidelines. Boss has a similar approach, gazing nostalgically over the rowdy group of thugs.

He reaches for his pack of smokes and you scramble to pick up the lighter, politely bowing as you light up his cigarette. He smiles at your gesture. 

"I see Daitou's trained you already."

He ponders for a moment, gently blowing a cloud of smoke upwards. 

"You'll make a good wife."

"Excuse me?" You question, startled by his sudden remark. 

"It's hard to tell, but I'm getting pretty old myself." He snickers at his self made compliment. "Soon it'll be time to pick my successor. I have no children, unless you count that rascal I picked from the streets." He says as he tilts his chin towards Daitou. 

"I love him like my own kid, but I'm sure you noticed he's a little off. Everyone is terrified of him. You can't have a leader if everyone runs away from him, ya know? I was starting to get worried I'd work myself through retirement. Kazuya can only do so much!

Then he comes up to me grinning like an idiot. I thought, 'There it is. He finally lost it', but instead he asks me if I want to see a photo of his girlfriend. Girlfriend?! I was ready to witness some crusty body pillow, my hand was on the phone to call our Family doctor. He shows me a cute foreigner standing next to him. Now I'm pretty sure he's not smart enough to fake photos like that, so it must be the real deal. 'How the Devil did ya pull this one?' I asked him. Cause listen, I was rather handsome back in my day and I still wouldn't have been this lucky.

And would ya look at that, it's the miss that moved into our apartments! How's the living conditions, by the way? Everything going fine?"

You nod energetically.

"Good, good."

He crosses his arms and nods himself, satisfied. He turns to gaze at you intently, with a face you can't quite read.

"You gotta excuse a drunk old man for rambling so much. What I'm trying to say...well...

Take care of him when he becomes the 9th, will ya? If he has you, I'm sure he'll manage. But don't tell him I said that! You gotta keep them humble. See, that's a lesson for you too. If there's one person the Head of the Family bows to, that's his wife! But I doubt he'd let the power get to his head."

You both turn to Daitou. He just finished pouring more sake to his superior and notices your stare. He blushes slightly and waves, unsure why he's suddenly being observed. 

"I think so, too." You respond, waving back. 

How would that look on a CV? Ane-san of a Yakuza family. 

[jealousmartini]

˗ˏˋ What is in my shopping basket `.♱

∘₊ ✧───────────────────✧₊∘

*ੈ — Dream Life

*ੈ — Desired face, body, and hair

*ੈ — Desired personality

*ੈ — Desired close main friends and favourite members of their families

*ੈ — Meeting specific celebrities and idols/celebrity and idol interactions

*ੈ — Desired talents and skill (claims)

*ੈ — Desired wardrobe and accessories

*ੈ — Desired normal everyday food

-> American/Japanese/Korean/Mexican, seafood, all kinds of pasta, all kinds of meat/barbecue, wingstop, in'n'out, subway, popeyes, chipole, domino's, KFC, McDonald's, fruit

*ੈ — Lifa app

*ੈ — Money

-> 200K in Cash, 20M in Card

*ੈ — Desired house, bedroom, and neighbourhood

*ੈ — Desired careers and hobbies

-> (self-employed) comic artist and animator, YouTube creator, music producer, fashion style influencer (model)

*ੈ — Desired art styles and animation styles

*ੈ — More privacy and freedom

*ੈ — LOA BABE mindset

-> "I am a master manifester", "I am the God of my reality", "I have a child-like imagination", "I am infinite and i am beyond" as my core beliefs

*ੈ — My 4D bag

*ੈ — Hot girl summer

-ˋˏ ༻✿༺ ˎˊ-

˗ˏˋ My affirmation currency `.♱

∘₊ ✧───────────────────✧₊∘

£ — I already have everything I want

£ — My desires always manifest in under an hour / My desires always manifest under 10 minutes

£ — I have manifested my dream reality / I am living my dream life

£ — I have already manifested everything I want

£ — The 3D has already conformed to my desires / Everything I want has materialised in the 3D instantly

£ — It is already done

£ — All of my desires have already materialised

£ — It is so scary how quickly my desires come to materialise

£ — I am a master at spawning my desires in seconds

£ — All of my desires manifest so quickly they spawn into my reality

-ˋˏ ༻✿༺ ˎˊ-

˗ˏˋ My subliminal currency `.♱

∘₊ ✧───────────────────✧₊∘

∘₊ ✧───────────────────✧₊∘

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ ✦ . 　

[hotvintagepoll]

Anna Magnani (L'Amore: The Human Voice and The Miracle, The Rose Tattoo, Bellissima, Mamma Roma)—have you seen her? I only learned about her from the hottest women competition, but she scrungles gloriously. her posture evokes deep, troubled emotion, and she looks like just the most tired woman in the world. you would want to cook her comforting soup to cheer her up, and you would think it was delicious and she would have five different cutting things to say about it. and you would only crave her more. (and in fact, saying mean things about your soup would probably cheer her up, so good job you.) also, may I submit this quote from Wikipedia about a movie late in her career against (quite literally) Anthony Quinn: "By the time the movie makers were ready to shoot the fight scene, the stars were ready, too. Magnani not only went for Quinn with the pasta and with a rolling pin, but [also] with her foot; she kicked so hard she broke a bone in her right foot. She also bit him in the neck. 'That's not in the script', Quinn protested. Magnani snarled, 'I'm supposed to win this fight, remember?"

John Carradine (Around the World in 80 Days, Captains Courageous, The Grapes of Wrath)—always the WEIRDEST fella in whatever random media he turns up in. oh you wanted a creeping deranged henchman stereotype? he'll back up bela lugosi with weirdo aplomb. oh you wanted colonel KFC in a black and white western? he can pull out the most atrocious southern accent and chow down on the scenery while he does it. he's always turning up in the background of things while i yell "there's my guy!!!!" and if that's not a scrungly attribute i dont know what is.

This is round 1 of the contest. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. If you're confused on what a scrungle is, or any of the rules of the contest, click here.

[additional submitted propaganda + scrungly videos under the cut]

Anna Magnani:

John Carradine:

[beuatifulbuttercup]

pjo/hoo incorrect quotes

Annabeth: This is a very powerful artifact. You’d be messing with some forces we don’t fully understand. Percy: That sounds like a dare to me. Annabeth: Oh my gods.

||

Jason: Why would you think any of this was a good idea?! Leo: Probably because I’m a dangerous sociopath with a long history of violence. Jason: Oh… Piper, from across the room: I don’t understand how you keep forgetting that.

||

Nico: Fuck capitalism. It's a rigged system that keeps us poor and it isn't fair. You shouldn't need to work three jobs to afford basic necessities. Will: Sorry, if you wanted to win you should have tried not being poor.

|| Percy is talking about their past Percy: I guess it was that day I came home to a cold, empty house, devoid of light and love, and I knew then that my sorrows would only grow. Frank: Percy, this is the saddest life story I have ever heard! And you haven't even covered the teen years! Hazel: Oh, I'm sure it gets better! Percy: Ha! No, at eleven, things really took a turn for the worst.

|| Leo: Piper told me I was found in a KFC bucket next to a dumpster and I was rescued. Frank: You probably were. Leo: Oh crap, maybe that's the reason why. Maybe my lackluster feelings towards their fried chicken is because subconsciously I'm reliving the trauma whenever I see their trademark bucket. My brain and cognitive dissonance won't let me completely lie to myself and say I hate their food, because fried chicken is great and I want some now, instead it just steers me away. Thank you for helping to guide me towards this epiphany, perhaps now the healing can begin.

||

Hazel, in a high voice, holding Barbie: Hey, Ken! I was thinking about going back to school and starting a career! Nico, in a deep voice, holding Ken: Nonsense, Barbie. You’re staying home and having my kids. Will: What the fuck are you guys doing? Hazel: Playing systemic oppression.

||

Nico: I’ve organized your messages into three categories. Nico: “From Will” Nico: “Death Threats” Nico: and “Death Threats From Will”

|| Leo: My head hurts. Annabeth: That’s your brain trying to comprehend its own stupidity.

[ins4nebxtch]

IMPORTANT LIFE ADVICE ‼️

do not, i repeat absolutely DO NOT, go for big nosed boys (who would choose kfc over you in a heartbeat)

IT WILL FUCK W YOUR CAREER.

[ggukkiedae]

chocouple: 2014 to eternity

Click Below to See the Video

|| The Friends Era (2014-2016)

Yoonmi and Mark actually met in 2014 because SHINee’s Jonghyun introduced them, but we didn’t actually get any public interaction or word of their friendship until 2015. Yoonmi was 2 years into her career, and Mark hadn’t even debuted yet, but he was on Mickey Mouse Club. Yoonmi guested on one episode where the concept was having all the staff leave the kids with Yoonmi so they would be comfortable asking her for advice and what to expect as kids in the music industry.

Mark had taken one of the seats next to her and offered her a blanket to cover her legs with because she was in shorts. Although Hannah led the others in speaking to Yoonmi, the latter often looked to Mark for what seemed like encouragement to speak.

We don’t get any interactions between them again until Mark debuts a year later. NCT U’s The 7th Sense promotions overlapped with BTS’s Fire promotions. When Fire won 1st place in Music Bank, Mark can be seen giving Yoonmi a one-sided hug. Just a month later, Yoonmi was promoting her solo debut the same time NCT 127 was promoting their debut. When Yoonmi won 1st in MCountdown, the tannies weren’t there, so Key had 127 accompany Yoonmi on stage.

Though many people got distracted by the fact Yoonmi and Haechan had a secret handshake, no one missed how Mark and Yoonmi lingered in their hug a little longer, or how he stayed next to her the whole encore stage. An ex-SM staff mentioned that Mark walked her back to her waiting room, which was on the opposite end of NCT 127’s.

Months later, it’s awards show season. Most known NCT-BTS interactions consisted of Hannah and Yoonmi hanging out, but apparently Yoonmi went to NCT Dream’s dorm often. Back to awards shows, MAMA was a gem. Not only were there Markmi hugs (the ICONIC ending stage hug where he lifted her), we had Yoonmi rapping along to Mark’s verses, Mark cheering especially in Yoonmi’s parts, and even Mark possibly jealously watching Yoonmi and NCT Jisung talking.

|| The Courting Era (2017-2018)

We didn’t actually know this at the time, but Mark and Yoonmi talked about it after they were exposed. Fans had released pictures from down the street of a KFC where you could see Mark and Yoonmi talking. At the time, we all thought it was them bonding while preparing for the SM Station Yoonmi would feature in and Mark’s feature in her album, but apparently Mark had also confessed to her and promised he’d prove himself when she said she felt scared.

They did a good job of keeping it lowkey. Aside from rare school photos together, the release of All I Wanna Do, Wannabe, Mark promoting with Yoonmi for Wannabe, their KCon Mexico special stage, and the selfies they posted after each of those, there was no visual evidence of them spending time together. Hannah and Jungkook (Chocouple nation presidents) sometimes would mention Markmi hanging out, but that was it.

|| The Secretly Dating Era (2018-2020)

Their anniversary is in early February, that’s all we know. They like keeping it private, and we respect that. But apparently Mark set up an at-home date for them and officially asked her that day to be his girlfriend. 

They still did a good job of keeping it lowkey to the point where apparently most of the neos didn’t even know they were dating, but everyone noticed how, despite how both of them had increasingly busy schedules, they both seemed to glow and be happier. (Aside from those few weeks Yoonmi and Yoongi were at odds, which is rumored to be because Markmi started dating)

|| The Reveal (January 1, 2020)

Every year, kpop and kdrama fans wait for Dispatch’s celebrity couple drop on New Year’s Day. To everyone’s surprise, Mark and Yoonmi were announced. Stan Twitter went into pandemonium, and everyone was clowning dispatch because we all knew they were “just friends”. 

To everyone’s further surprise, SM and BigHit both confirmed it later that day, and Mark and Yoonmi themselves tweeted about it, confirming they were dating.

|| The Struggle Era (2020)

Around late January of 2020, Yoonmi released a M.Y. Everyday video titled “I have a Boyfriend”. Here, we found out about the courting era, how long they’ve been dating, and the fact that they have been dating for around two years by then. It’s also cute because around the middle of the year they ended up both having pink hair!

It was rough for them since their schedules kept them apart, then Covid hit, and they didn’t get to see each other at all. It wasn’t until around August, eight months later, that they were able to see each other. Mark said it was the best birthday gift he could get, seeing Yoonmi and even having her play the leading lady in his “As We Wish” mini drama. Watch it, I’m begging! Every source ever that was there for the filming said the two were just holding hands and silently exchanging smiles and stories almost the whole time.

They did a weverse/vlive together, each of them streaming from each of their phones. They were smiling and leaning on each other the whole time, answering questions, and everyone could see how happy and comfortable they were with each other.

|| The Private but Not Secret Era (2021-eternity)

We don’t actually know too much about their relationship since they have been keeping it between them and their close friends and family (WHICH WE SHOULD RESPECT, OKAY?), but we do know from some stories that they try their best to spend time together whether it’s going out or staying in each other’s places. As fans, let’s remember that we should be more than happy with the fact that they actually talk about or mention each other a lot, especially compared to other celebrity couples. We also get the birthday posts and the occasional random instagram stories, but that’s it, and that’s more than enough.

Mark and Yoonmi are two of the most precious, talented, and hard-working people in the entertainment industry, and I’m glad they found comfort and solace in each other. As of this month (december 2023), they have been together for five years and about ten months. Cheers to a bright future for the both of them!

taglist: @sunflower-0180 @seaoffangirling @yourwonderbelle @1-800-enhypennabi @kamiiyou @strwberrydinosaur @uraveragefangirlsposts @caratinylyfe @1-800-minji @one16core @kimhyejin3108 @chansols @akshverse @toriluvsfics @billboard-singer @stopeatread

drop an ask or a dm if you wanna be added or taken out of the taglist 🥰 requests are also open!

[youremyheaven]

if you ever feel pressured to be successful by a certain age, remember that:

Abraham Lincoln became President when he was 52

Rami Malek was 34 when he starred in Mr.Robot, he was 37 when Bohemian Rhapsody came out

Colonel Sanders was 62 years old when he franchised KFC

When the first season of I Love Lucy aired, Lucille Ball was 40 years old

Samuel L Jackson was 46 years old when he starred in Pulp Fiction

Jon Hamm was 35 years old and Christina Hendricks was 32 years old when Mad Men premiered

Ali Wong was 34 when Baby Cobra came out

Giorgio Armani launched his debut collection when he was 41 years old

Judi Dench's career breakthrough came when she was 61

Marcel Proust published his first book when he was 43

Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Director when she was 58

Susan Boyle was 47 when she appeared on Britain's Got Talent

trust the timing of your own life. you are headed where you need to go<3 you got this<3

[niinnyu]

Out of focus.

I used multiple translations and my own limited understanding for this so there might be inaccuracies, so apologies if so.

Set between Riko's rip-ment and the launch of Getou's anti monkey career/kfc breakup.

I like this until I didn't but I still did it so yay ig lol.

[gothhabiba]

The Golden Arches, internationally recognised symbols of American corporate might and cultural diffusion, became in March 2002 the target of young Egyptians frustrated with what they perceived to be America's complicity in the onslaught of Israel's Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, against the Palestinian Authority. McDonald's was not the only foreign establishment to suffer broken windows; photographs circulated on the web also included images of a similarly vandalised KFC restaurant in Cairo. Still, none can deny the special place held by McDonald's in the global fast-foodscape. In Egypt, the targeting of the Arches is particularly interesting, as it follows on the heels of a controversy that cut to the very heart of intersections between indigenous and imported mass culture, and popular, if somewhat disreputable, music was at the epicentre of the commotion.

A year earlier, the fast-food giant found itself compelled to scrap a remarkable advertising campaign designed to promote a new, indigenous product. [...] [E]fforts to market an Egyptian national dish became enmeshed directly with Middle East diplomacy—and its breakdown—through an ill-fated effort to link an 'authentic Egyptian' product to an 'authentic Egyptian' pop singer. The very attraction of that singer from a marketing standpoint lay in his recent recording of a potent political anthem which had quickly become a smash hit in Egypt's informal popular music sector.

In the spring of 2001, at the height of his career, veteran shbi singer Shaaban Abd al-Rahim suddenly discovered that his television advertisement for the new McFalafel had been cancelled, reportedly following complaints from the New York-based American Jewish Congress over the corporation's use of the singer to promote its product. This cancellation was a response to Shaaban's recent blockbuster hit, 'I hate Israel' (Ana bakrah Isra'il [أنا بكره إسرائيل]), a pulsating rap number that had made him, after some twenty years of steady work at the lower end of the wedding circuit, a figure of national renown, the anointed 'interpreter of the pulse of the Egyptian and Arab street' (Abd al-Hadi 2001, p. 39). Even more incongruously it had made him a figure to be courted, albeit not always with great appetite, by the cultural and artistic intelligentsia that had heretofore scorned him.

The story of Shaaban Abd al-llahim, his smash hit, and the McDonald's fiasco raises a variety of questions about the relationship between popular 'folk' music and official culture in Egypt. It points to the thriving popularity of a quasi-legitimate 'cassette culture' (Manuel 1993) in a broadcast market that is still rigidly controlled by state authorities and, perhaps even more, to potent political expression at the edge of sanctioned propriety (Gordon 2001). In addition, it points to the changing world of corporate sponsorship in an ever more globalised national economy, and the changing relation of art/artist and song/singer to the fast moving world of advertising. The contest over sponsorship of this particular product—McFalafel—points to the persistent power of national symbology, especially culinary and musical tropes, even if the former has, in this case, been constructed by the extra-territorial multi-national fast-food chain, and the latter co-opted to promote the product. Finally, the very deliberate turn to a singer like Shaaban Abd al-Rahim for product sponsorship, especially for a commercial to be broadcast on state-run television, underscores weakening boundaries between what is 'classically' approved and what is still considered to be 'vulgar' or 'low-class' music, however popular it may be among wide sectors of the population.

—Joel Gordan, "Singing the Pulse of the Egyptian-Arab Street: Shaaban Abd Al-Rahim and the Geo-PopPolitics of Fast Food." Popular Music 22.01 (2003), pp. 73-88.

[krispdreemurr]

Sorry if you don’t wanna talk about it more but thank yoooouu for speaking up about it, the lengths people will go to to gender the KFC kids as male/assume male as a default All The Time is wild. I’ve had people refer to the fashion sense I depict one of them with to be “schoolboy-like” but then if I draw one of them in a sundress suddenly IM the one gendering them or forcing a binary on them… somehow, because of a piece of clothing, when people are literally!! out there verbally referring to them as a boy and not seeing how WEIRD that is

it's so weird... i see a lot of like, just casual stuff that like assumes some level of "well Kris leans masc" that just isn't there. at all. they're wearing a hoodie and pants and have a midlength haircut. that describes me through my entire high school career and most of my friends of all genders,,,

i probably messed up by bringing up the snowgrave stuff First bc like it's a lot more intricate and needed more depth, but the simple fact is that like "male default" Kris is just kind of casual and everywhere to the point where it's Hard to pick out specific examples. it's just this weird Given that "of course the misgendering will lean male (and maybe toby is deliberately making them misgenderable as male)!" and I'm just like what are you all Talking about

[female-buckets]

The WNBA account and ESPN didn't post a solo highlight reel for KFC's career high

They've been playing in her face for a while now

Anyway, here's the highlight reel for the whole game

[justforbooks]

Over the course of a long career, the American singer Marlena Shaw moved from jazz to soul and back again, searching for settings that would best enhance her fine voice. In later decades she commanded the allegiance of the British fans of the rare-groove movement, who rediscovered and particularly cherished her version, released in 1969, of a much recorded song called California Soul.

Shaw, who has died aged 81, made her first stage appearance at the Apollo theatre in Harlem, New York, when she was 10 years old. Billie Holiday was still alive and Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington were other inescapable influences on a jazz-inclined teenage singer seemingly destined to work with big bands in dancehalls and smaller groups in nightclubs. In her later years she became familiar with the sound of hip-hop artists basing their hits on samples from her singles and album tracks.

Shaw’s recording of California Soul, a song written by Valerie Simpson and Nickolas Ashford, popped up in Gang Starr’s Check the Technique and Stereo MCs’ Sofisticated. It was also used in American TV commercials for Dockers shoes, KFC fast food and Dodge trucks, and in 2022 it was awarded an official gold record by the British Phonographic Industry.

Born Marlina Burgess in New Rochelle, New York, she showed musical talent from an early age and was given her first opportunity to take the stage in 1952 by her uncle, Jimmy Burgess, a trumpeter and bandleader who was performing at the Apollo. It was through his tuition that she acquired her understanding of jazz phrasing, while her mother encouraged her to study music at New York State Teachers’ College in Potsdam, a small town close to the Canadian border.

But she failed to complete the course, marrying young and bringing up five children before picking up the threads of a performing career that had barely begun. There were more false starts. In 1963 she missed an appearance at the Newport jazz festival with the trumpeter Howard McGhee after an argument with the musicians, and an attack of nerves ruined an audition with the great talent scout John Hammond, who had signed Holiday and Bob Dylan, among many others.

But in 1966, while singing at the Playboy Club in Chicago, she was signed up by the locally based Chess label, the home of many popular soul and R&B performers. Her first single was a vocal version of Joe Zawinul’s gospel-style tune Mercy Mercy Mercy, which had been an instrumental hit for Cannonball Adderley.

In 1968 Shaw toured Europe with Count Basie’s orchestra, involving the bandleader in an amusing routine as she improvised new words to Won’t You Come Home, Bill Bailey? It was while appearing with Basie at the Sands hotel in Las Vegas that she decided to make the gambling capital her home, moving there in 1970.

A contract with the Blue Note label led to a series of albums in a smooth soul-jazz style, including one recorded live at the Montreux jazz festival. The title and content of another album, Who Is This Bitch, Anyway?, indicated a desire to challenge the then-current popularity of the sexually explicit singer Millie Jackson.

A move to the Columbia label in 1977 saw her transforming Carole King and Gerry Goffin’s Go Away Little Girl, originally recorded by Bobby Vee, from a lovelorn ballad into a statement of female independence introduced by a lengthy rap directed at a feckless, workshy lover: “I figure if I’ve got to get up and go to work every day, then every able-bodied in the household is supposed to get up and go … If for some reason you feel that you can no longer be the man you were at the beginning of our relationship, then I’ve got this one thing to lay on you, my sweet. Go away, little boy …” But eventually the attitude softens, and after a seduction scene the song fades out on a note of surrender: “You think you can get a job by Thursday? You promise? Then you might as well stay … Don’t go away … ”

It became one of her most popular songs in live performance, the prefatory rap acquiring extra twists, turns, and layers of sardonic saltiness. At the New Morning club in Paris in 2010, the man in the song had become someone who had picked her up at an airport giftshop, its final scene acted out with elaborately dramatised hand gestures, smiles, laughter and a winning command of her audience.

An elegant presence on the concert stage, she sang with a symphony orchestra in New Zealand and toured for four years with Sammy Davis Jr. There were further recordings for the Verve, Concord and South Bay labels, and in 1989 a duet with Joe Williams, another former Basie singer, on an update of the old Louis Jordan song Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby earned her a Grammy nomination.

Shaw ceased all professional activity in 2016, retiring to her home in Las Vegas. Her survivors include her daughters April and Marla, a son, Robert, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

🔔 Marlena Shaw (Marlina Burgess), singer, born 22 September 1942; died 19 January 2024

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[akonaman]

First time ko mag OT kanina kase inuna ko kumain kesa tapusin yung tambak na audits ko. Napakabagal kumain kase. Ngayon na lang uli ako nakakakain ng KFC and over na ko sa calorie intake ko dapat forda day. Di masarap yung kape haha pero inubos**. While on shift if hindi nag aaudit nakikipagchismisan naman ako while listening to podcasts. Grabe yung podcast na kasama si Catriona Gray. Nakaka motivate yung mga pinagdaanan niya before winning the crown. Lakas din maka sosyal ng usapan nila ng friends niya. Pero i love their vulnerability. Tipong kahit may mga generational wealth yung mga frenny niya they struggled din pala sa career nila. It was just humbling and you really never know. 8 years na pala ako sa Industry na to. Di ko alam hanggang kailan pero hanggat kaya wala naman tayong choice lol. Madaming ganap ngayong Sept and sana naman matuloy lahat. Gusto ko lang ng smooth sailing end of year please 🫶

[formulatrash]

I've seen people mention Sean Galael has helped other drivers before but know much about it. Did he cover the costs for his teammates to race on other junior formulas or was it something else?

so, if you're a good but underfunded driver one way you can save yourself is developing a Rich Benefactor Friend. you help them with their setup, you coach them a little bit and work with the team and the Rich Benefactor Friend pays for a chunk of your seat as well as their own. Lance Stroll did it for Felix Rosenqvist in F3, for instance.

Sean basically funded the whole of Antonio's junior career, then that extended to a bigger Jagonya Ayam family. Mitch Evans had no money left by his final year in GP2 (he'd never had a lot) and so Sean brought him in as his team mate at Campos, a team where neither of them was likely to set the world on fire from, while he also paid for Antonio to go to Prema. same deal with Nyck when Sean went to Prema... there's basically a trail of KFC-logo-wearing racers who wouldn't have careers if it wasn't for Sean.

basically any time you see Jagonya Ayam it's Sean throwing money at the problem. I really like that as a model of being bonkersly privileged tbh - not trying to deny it's why you're there but also using it to help other people.

[thebellearchives]

Hellooo belle!! 26, 38, 42 for the nosy anon ask game :D

Veeenn hiii 🥰🥰🖤🖤

26. biggest pet peeve

bro i’m so loud it’s not even funny 😭 i don’t do it on purpose obviously but people telling me to shut up makes my blood boil, why can’t people just be polite and ask if i can keep it down instead of outright saying “be silent” or “shut up”? ugh it makes me wanna punch them 😀

38. my childhood career choice

i wanted to be a vet! but my dad asked me something along the lines of “so would you be okay seeing bloody and injured animals?” … needless to say i was traumatised and didn’t want to be a vet anymore 💀 i moved onto saying i wanted to be a sniper for the fbi lmao what is wrong with me, no brain cells there clearly (criminal minds was my shit)

42. last thing i ate

had kfc! ate so much i might explode 😭 no more fanfics for my tumblr besties rip belle

[ilgaksu]

fake fic title: "the enemies we made along the way"

so, in the spirit of how we met, i am dedicating this title to the altar of Jin Guangyao Customer Service Suffering as a fic genre. the clear plot of this fic to me is that jgy is shift manager at a middle-to-high-end department store (and i have not decided which floor he's stationed on because i worked in KFC on the shopfront tills as a teenager. i now go into department stores for the bizarre reality where i, an adult, can spend my disposable income on items if i really want to.) the fic follows him as wei wuxian, a regular customer and clear Sugar Baby, is the bane of his existence, showing up with his hot rich husband, right up until one day he leaves his wallet and hot rich husband returns, with

The Most

Beautiful

Man

In the world

at which point, this becomes a xiyao fic. also this entire fic is framed like a 2000s American romcom, like heel breaking as career woman crosses the street, tootsie shots galore, lan xichen having the White Woman glass of wine in his big shiny apartment, and so on. spiritually it would be in the same vein as that one furby fic i wrote.

(send me a fake fic title and i'll tell you what i'd write for it)