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bluefirewrites · 3 years

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Sky High Mall!AU Part 2

Hey this is another excerpt from the Sky High Zach x Magenta WIP that I never finished (hence WIP).

It’s a Mall!AU where the characters are kids with summer jobs at the mall. No powers and it’s set around the time the movie came out- 2005.

Part 1: https://bluefirewrites.tumblr.com/post/636284063233327104/sky-high-mallau

Would be Rated T and there’s excessive use of language throughout.

This excerpt would be Zach’s perspective working at the music store at the mall. Enjoy!

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Zach booked it down the mall, zooming past the crowd gathered at Sonic Boom, the music store

The music store he worked at.

The one he was supposed to be at right about now.

He pushed through the crowd, getting to the front where his coworker was working the register, seeming to throw the albums at the customers because it was that busy.

Zach loved his job... on any other day. He was a total musichead and he thought it was a long shot to even snag the job, considering it was common knowledge that it was run by Boomer who was a total hardass and pretty unforgiving to those who he deemed had shitty music taste.

He had seemed to wow him enough during the interview, which had been merely them talking about the music he listened to. Thank god, he had just enough of an eclectic music taste that he was able to keep up with whatever soft rock ‘80s classic question that Boomer threw his way.

The Black Eyed Peas album just dropped today and everyone had been clamoring to get in to grab it, so it meant all hands on deck. But only the hands that Boomer could afford to pay right now, so it was only Speed there at the moment.

Zach leapt over the counter, shedding his jacket to reveal his shirt already sporting his name tag, “Yo, is Boom here yet?”

“Cutting it close, freshie,” The senior looked like he wanted to throttle him for leaving him hanging longer than he should have. But it was only like 5 minutes, and Zach had been rushing from summer school to make it home, get ready, then come straight to the mall. He did the best he could.

“You know you can stick a hat on it right?” Speed ruffled his hair while tapping his own cap, messing up the gel that he had put in there before he came to the store and greasing up his hands in the process.

“Hey!” Zach cursed him out for deflating his hair as well as making him pick up the slack while Speed wipes off the hair gel.

Speed always pulled shit like this on him. He hated having shifts with a guy who loved to pick on him, and not in the friendly-joking way that he was used to.

For the next couple of minutes, the two of them were able to go ring up the crowd quickly, even shrunk down the amount of people in the store to half of its capacity. It was still busy, but it was more manageable than before that it actually freed up Speed to do his laps around the store, trying to quell the crowd and mitigate whatever problem came up that would have resulted in calling in the manager.

20 minutes later, they both had a lid on the situation. Only because they were pretty much no more copies of Monkey Business. Zach was about to check if they had more when he realized that the store was eerily quiet. He had just noticed that the TVs around the place were turned off and no music was playing in the store.

Zach went for the sound system dial towards the back of the store but Speed came from behind and beat him to it, “You snooze, you lose, freshie.” His coworker sliding in a Snoop Dogg CD he had snagged from earlier.

He groaned. Zach didn’t mind Snoop, but Speed would play it almost nonstop every time Zach can’t reach the dial fast enough. Speed had almost no taste, always playing chart toppers and whatever cute girls would request (which usually would be chart toppers).

Speed waltzed over to the records, getting high-fives from a couple of customers on the way over, “It’s what the people love!”

“Not Boomer,” Zach pointed out, whilst walking over to the main displays up front. The crowd had kept bumping to the table so he had to make it look tidy.

“But Boomer ain’t here. He’s never here,”

Zach looked up and caught a glimpse of his hair on the main monitor that was supposed to feature the Black Eyed Peas music videos. Shit. It was sticking out in weird places and looked deflated in others. He ran his hair through it and tried to zhuzh it up with his fingers but nothing seemed to be staying.

“Aww.You’re still pissy about your hair? Did you a favor, dorkwad,”

Zach rolled his eyes. Normally, he would try to steer clear of Speed and try not to notice him. But his co-worker seemed to be in such a talkative mood today, “It was fine the way it was, Speed.” He finished resetting the table cloth and arranging the display how it was supposed to look before turning around to help a customer find a Celine Dion CD.

“Stop being such a tryhard,” Speed said to him as he passed with the customer, “The ladies like it when you’re chill.”

“How would you know that?” A new voice added. Once Zach successfully helped the customer, he whirled around to find his buddy, Will. He took notice of the blue shirt and gray khakis and figured he had work today at Champs. He barely saw Will anymore due to Zach having summer school and their schedules never seemed to match up.

“Shut the fuck up, Stronghold,” Speed sneered at the newcomer.

Will paid him no mind while he shook Zach’s hand before bringing him in for a quick hug, “Zach-Attack!”

“Will, like it’s not great to see you, cuz it is. Great. To see you, that is,” Zach kept on the lookout for Boomer while walking towards the register because Speed had left it unattended, “Kinda not a good time right now, man.”

Will greet a few other people he knew around the store. He scanned the big displays and the cardboard cutouts on the front, “BEP?”

“BEP,” The blonde confirmed, “And I’m already on Boomer’s bad side for fucking up with the Mariah Carey launch.”

His friend clicked his tongue, recalling that certain incident. Zach remembered that Will had been working his shift downstairs when he heard Boomer let him have it. He had heard Boomer all the way from down there- that was how bad it was.

“How were you supposed to stop a bunch of nimrods from defacing her cut out?”

Zach shuddered at the thought of all the obscene Sharpie marks all over Mariah Carey’s cardboard figure, “I swear, Speed had something to do with it. That guy has got it out for me ever since I started working this joint,” he whispered.

“It’s because out of everyone here, you’re the customers’ favorite. You actually know your shit,”

Zach figured that it was somewhat true. They would get regulars pretty often and they always seemed to gravitate towards him. Zach did enjoy making connections with everyone no matter what their music taste was.

One time, this one guy came in, all in orange, who had been tentative in asking where the classical music selection was. Luckily, Zach got to him first before Speed could roast him. And good thing too, because that guy became one of his favorite regulars. He might be working at Radio Shack, the last he heard from him.

“Thanks, man,” Zach really appreciated it. Sometimes he couldn’t help but get all up in his head at his job. He wanted to do really well and hopefully one day he would have worked enough hours to save up for a car. He had been getting real tired of having to rush on his bike everywhere and being constantly late.

“But seriously, scatter. Don’t make me have to kick you out.” he joked to his smaller friend.

“Yeah, Stronghold. Go back to dealing with smelly feet all day,” Speed yelled from his side of the store.

“You’re just jealous because I got the job and you didn’t,”

Zach had to hold back a laugh seeing Speed getting worked up so quickly. He had heard Speed bitching about being passed over the job at Foot Locker constantly. The guy had been a total sneakerhead so it had been a crushing blow to his ego that a freshman got the position while he was stuck working for cantankerous Boomer.

“Whatever, man. You probably got it because you’re a Stronghold,”

Will shook his head, the jabs of his dad being the Mayor never really fazing him much anymore, “Remind me again, how did you get the name, Speed, again?”

The rotund bully growled. Everyone knew that there were two stories that could have explained how Speed got his infamous moniker. One was because all the joyrides in his Jeep that resulted in property damage. The other well… had to do with distributing contraband. Bringing up either, was cause for a beatdown.

Speed advanced towards Will, ready to punch him square in the face, no matter how many onlookers in the store gathered around to watch the debacle. Zach had to vault over the counter, to get in between the two when all of the sudden a resounding yell broke through the clatter that made all parties involved wince and cover their ears.

“Ladies, enough!”

Boom strolled in, aviators perched on his crooked nose, commanding the attention of the room- as if his voice didn’t do that already. He came up beside Zach, poking at Will to step backwards until he was out of the store,“Shouldn’t you be downstairs, Stronghold?”

“Yes, Boomer,” He shouldered his bag before throwing a passing glance at Zach. Good luck, he seemed to emote.

Rightfully so because all of the sudden Boomer marched over to him, “Why if it isn’t Superstar, here to grace us with your presence,” His eyes landed on the BEP display and noted the dwindling number of albums, “Restock those will ya? And Speed” he turned to the older boy, “you’re relieved of your post.”

Speed looked up to the heavens, “Thank fuck.”

“Language!”

He straightened up, “Sorry, sir,” Then he ducked for the back, switching off Snoop Dogg as he did so. Zach followed suit to where they did inventory and found another box of the albums and hauled ass back out to replace the albums on the display.

“Now, get to that, will you,” Boomer ordered while counting up the till to see if everything was where it should be, “And if I see a hint of Sharpie on either of those cardboard figures, your ass is mine, kid.”

Zach almost let out a laugh but remembered it was Boomer. He meant everything to be a threat, “O-okay,” he managed to get out without laughing. Then he saw Boomer closing up the register and heading for the door, “Wait? You’re leaving already?”

“Yeah. I’m the owner. I can do what I want,”

“I mean, since I’m like the only guy here and it’s a pretty busy day- I thought-”

“You thought what? That you need help?” he seemed to project the full force of his voice at him that Zach cowered against his better judgement.

“Listen, I started this shop to fill it with music,” His boss went off, “Real music. Not what passes off as music these days. Those hip grinding degenerates are showing up by the boatloads today and I don’t wanna be here when they do.”

A little boy approached the man, tugging against his cargo shorts, “Excuse me, where are the Eminem CDs?”

Boomer looked at the kid with disgust and shimmied him off, “That’s my cue,” He scrounged his pockets for the keys and tossed them Zach’s way, “Here, you’re closing up today.”

“What the-?” Zach nearly fumbled with the keys, “Again?” He had been closing every night this week, despite not actually being allowed to, with him being 15 and all. But Boomer had an arrangement with Ron Wilson, security guard who patrols at night.

“Don’t mess this up for me, Blondie!” His boss yelled just an influx of people arrived at the store, hungrily grabbing the CDs off the display he had just finished restocking.

“I’ll try,” he responded, knowing full well that Boomer could not hear him. Speed sped by, sticking his tongue at him on his way to freedom. The line of people had started forming and Zach cracked his knuckles- no choice but to face them on his own.

#sky high #sky high movie #sky high 2005 #sky high au #sky high fic idea #zach x magenta #magenta x zach #zach sky high #magenta sky high #zach braun #magenta lewis #zagenta #guineaglow #tagging this even tho these excerpts don't show them meeting yet #haha #speed sky high #boomer sky high #will stronghold

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immedtech · 5 years

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Nike’s Adapt Huarache are self-lacing sneakers you’ll actually want to wear

This probably isn't shocking to anyone who knows me, but I love sneakers perhaps too much for my own good. So, when Nike introduced the Adapt BB with power laces earlier this year, I was pretty intrigued: it brought two of my favorite worlds together, sneakers and technology. But, for me, the problem with the Adapt BBs is that they're designed to be a performance basketball shoe, meaning they're bulky and not something I could wear every day. But now, Nike has created the Adapt Huarache, a reimagined version of a classic lifestyle sneaker from 1991, which also features its FitAdapt self-lacing technology.

Look, if I had my pick of self-lacing shoes to own, it would be the 2016 Nike Mags. You know, the ones from Back to the Future. But, those were limited-edition and Nike only made 89 pairs total (and I'm not about to drop $75,000 to buy them on a resale app). The Adapt BB and Adapt Huarache cost $350 each, which is much less than the $720 HyperAdapt 1.0, Nike's first consumer self-lacing sneakers. Even $350 is still a steep price to pay for kicks, but since Nike can't keep the Adapt BB or Adapt Huarache in stock, clearly sneakerheads aren't fazed.

We'll see if Puma has the same luck with its "Fit Intelligence" self-lacing shoes, which are expected to arrive in spring 2020 for $330.

Similar to the Adapt BBs, the auto-lacing Huaraches can be controlled with an iOS or Android app. That said, if you want the most futuristic experience out of them, you'll need an Apple device. I, for one, have Adapt Huaraches paired to my iPhone 11 Pro Max (terrible name, by the way, Apple), which lets me use voice commands to control my sneakers. With Siri Shortcuts, you can quickly adjust the laces or check the battery, all simply with your voice. You can have up to five different commands in the Nike Adapt app, which let you tell Siri to do things like "loosen my sneakers," "check my sneaker batteries" or "switch my sneaker lights."

Additionally, if you have an Apple Watch, you can tighten or loosen the fit right from your wrist -- in case you don't want to use one of the two physical LED buttons on the shoes. That, along with the Siri integration, make the Adapt Huaraches immediately feel like something out of a sci-fi film. Because it's not every day that I can get ready for work, put my shoes on and, right before I walk out the door say, "Hey Siri, lace up my sneakers."

Even without voice commands (which weren't available when Nike launched the Adapt BB in January) you can use the Adapt app to adjust the fit of the left or right shoe, change the color of the LED lights and update the software on your Adapt Huaraches. I only used the app when I wanted to change the LED colors on my sneakers though, which was usually just so I could show people what they can do. The reason why I don't have to use the app too often is that, once you put the Adapts on, they can sense your feet and adjust the power laces to the best possible fit for each foot. And if you need to tweak the fit slightly, you can do so via the app or buttons on the shoes.

Nike says the battery life lasts 14 days on a charge, after which you simply rest the shoes on the included Qi wireless charging mat to get more power in them. As I mentioned earlier, if you want to keep tabs on the battery life on your Huaraches, you can use the Adapt app or ask Siri if you're using an Apple device. One of my main concerns with the Adapt BB and Adapt Huarache was that they'd be too heavy because of the tech inside, but the latter in particular don't feel any different than, say, the retro Nike Air Jordans I wear.

Now, the thing I do get asked any time these self-lacing sneakers come up: "Are people so lazy they can't tie their own shoes?" And while that's certainly a good point, I don't consider Nike's FitAdapt technology a complete gimmick. The company may not be marketing it as such, but this tech can be particularly useful for people with disabilities and limited motor skills. That's why features like voice commands are so useful. Again, Nike isn't calling the Adapt Huarache or Adapt BB accessibility products, but it's easy to see their potential.

I do hope these Adapt models come down in price in the near future, because $350 is still a lot of money to spend on a pair of sneakers. But, if you're like me and want a shoe that looks good, is comfortable and has power laces, it's hard to ignore the Adapt Huarache (especially in that wild, bright yellow color). Just be ready for your friends, family and random people to swarm you with questions anytime they see those LED lights shining on them. I usually entertain them by telling Siri to "unlace my sneakers," which starts blowing people's minds as soon as they hear that satisfying self-lacing sound.

Like Marty McFly once said in Back to the Future Part II, "Power laces, alright!"

- Repost from: engadget Post

#ITlive #engadget #Nike’s Adapt Huarache are self-lacing sneakers you’ll actually want to wear

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