Brendan took a deep breath after hitting the save button, finally wrapping up the video he had spent nearly the entire night editing. The young college student ran a popular YouTube channel where he produced and shared his video game playthroughs and various video game documentaries to his nearly 1.3 million subscribers. While he made a decent income from sponsorships and ad revenue, it wasn’t yet enough to rely on as his sole source of income. However, he was committed to growing his rapidly expanding fanbase, which meant putting in long hours to create and edit his content. He was confident his latest video would rack up several hundred thousand views.
Once the video finished saving, Brendan started the upload process to YouTube. As he watched the progress bar slowly advance, he leaned his elbow on the desk, resting his chin in his hand and feeling the rough stubble of his beard against his palm. Waiting anxiously, he tapped his fingers on the desk with his other hand when a sudden FLASH hit.
Startled at first, Brendan's eyes widened briefly before he refocused on the screen, watching the progress bar inch forward at a painfully slow pace. He sighed, tapping his fingers impatiently on the desk. The sound of his long acrylic nails striking the wood was much louder than before. His other hand rested against his chin, with the smoothness of his skin against his palm. Sitting up straight, he ran his hand through his long, blonde hair, noticing its slightly greasy texture—a reminder that he hadn’t showered yet. He couldn’t wait to enjoy a nice hot one after all this.
After what felt like an eternity, the video finally finished uploading. Brendan breathed a sigh of relief and clicked on his channel to confirm the upload. Sure enough, his latest video, Nighttime Skincare Routine (how to prevent acne), had posted, joining the collection of skincare, makeup, and fashion videos on his channel. Though he was about to log off, he figured he may as well check the recent comments on his previous video
As he scrolled through the comments, Brendan felt a sense of satisfaction from the adoration pouring in. Most comments came from young teen boys, likely new to daily makeup and skincare routines, thanking him and praising his content. Others were from young men who might have stumbled upon his videos out of boredom or were also seeking new makeup and skincare tips. There were even a few comments from older men, perhaps hoping to find ways to look younger. Brendan didn't judge—he was just glad his content was helping others. Smiling to himself, he logged off and headed for that long-awaited shower.
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Lively chatter filled the commons of a middle school as students gathered, waiting for the start of the school day. Groups of kids were scattered throughout, engrossed in conversations with their friends as they waited for the first bell. As a public school, there were no school uniforms. Though that didn’t stop nearly all the boys from following the same trends. Most wore baggy sweatpants or jeans, with their hair styled in perms or mullets. Similarly, the girls nearly all had long hair and were dressed in leggings or high-waisted jeans.
Leaning against the wall, a group of boys discussed their previous night playing Fortnite, expressing frustration about their losses while boasting about their success. As they swapped stories, they couldn’t help but notice the commotion nearby, where three girls were recording themselves dancing to the latest TikTok trend. The boys cringed at the sight, just as a sudden FLASH lit up the scene.
One of the boys, momentarily puzzled, glanced down at his phone before recalling the conversation he and his friends were having. They were about to film a TikTok video. He placed his phone against the wall to keep it upright, hit the record button, and stepped back. As he checked the camera's reflection, he noticed himself front and center—recognizing his long blonde hair, cozy white sweatshirt, red leggings that were tucked into white Nike socks, and white Birkenstocks. Beside him were his two friends, dressed similarly to him. Nothing seemed different.
The boys started their dance, swaying from side to side and contorting their arms and legs into clumsy, mismatched moves. Despite their uncoordinated rhythm, they were clearly having a blast, grinning and trying to contain their laughter as they went along. But while they were having fun, they caught the attention of a nearby trio of girls, who watched with a mix of amusement and cringe. One girl attempted to steer her friends back to their conversation about video games, but they were too captivated by the awkward scene unfolding before them.
When the boys finally finished, they burst into laughter, still grinning as the blonde one uploaded the video to his page. The other two quickly grabbed their phones to pull up TikTok to watch the video. As they rewatched themselves, their smiles widened, and their laughter grew louder. Meanwhile, a girl with broccoli-styled hair rolled her eyes, baffled by how boys were so weird, and turned back to her friends' conversation about last night's gaming session. Thankfully to her, girls were so less confusing than boys.