#aca meetings

[imalsorettish]

Ur in aca? Would genuinely love to hear some advice youve gotten or any tips haha

- A broke mutual

Hi omg sure! Im not sure where to start so feel free to send me more asks, you can also dm me i would love to talk to you more if you have more questions to ask, especially because i cant notify you here that ive answered you!

I really love ACA its changed how i interact with life and im way healthier and happier since i started attending. You also dont need money to go to these meetings, though they do run on donations you dont have to pitch in. I usually throw a few bucks every couple weeks but some people basically never donate. i go to in person meetings out of preference but they have them over zoom as well. the website for ACA shows meetings for your area and a filter for meeting types if you cant get out of the house and need to do zoom instead. My advice is go to the meetings. Go do it. Go do it. I dont have alcoholic parents but theres a reason why they sprawl out the acronymn as adult children of alcoholics AND dysfunctional families. So many of us dont have addict parents but theyre still unhealthy people and honestly the same methods and process totally applies to us. Its the way parents treat us that binds us together, not necessarily the way they treat themselves.

Its okay not to attend every weekly meeting, but when you dont attend, you need to make sure that its only because you need to recover to attend the next available time. It can be really emotional and uncomfortable processing these emotions but holy shit is it worth it. Learning how to have fun and be alive, be love, and cherish even the harder parts of life is such a fundamental piece of happiness and relief. Please go to a meeting. It changed my life forever and id never take it back.

[imalsorettish]

I know this is a far departure from what this video is and the audience its reaching but oh my god. it feels like this dude. In my support group we talk so much about remembering to have fun in our lives (and that usually you cant have fun without a break for gentleness) and once u start practicing deliberately doing that it. FEELS. JUST. LIKE. THIS.

[mejomonster]

.

[datubooty]

Yeah no it was wild of The Owl House, a show on a network for children ages 6 to 11, to give us Hunter, a character with an ACES score of at least 5 or 6. The skrunkly is socially isolated, has nutritional problems, enmeshment issues, an externalized sense of self worth, is the parentified caretaker “child” of an adult with substance dependency issues, and has to treat his own wounds— and that’s deliberately ignoring the magical aspects (nonconsensual possession fits nearly between emotional and physical abuse, i suppose)

[watercolor-freckles]

Even though no one is talking about it, disabled people will be the group that sufferers tremendously (if not the most) compared to other marginalized groups due to this US election outcome.

If Trump repeals the ACA, insurance won’t cover our medical treatments, aids, or procedures. It’s likely that SSDI (many people’s only source of income) will be taken away, other benefits will have a work requirement that is impossible for most disabled people to meet, educational protections will be removed for disabled students, prices of medication (that we need to live) will go up, the list goes on.

Many of us will die, become extremely ill, and/or become homeless due to even just the repeal of the ACA and removal of some SS/SSDI (many people’s only form of income). It’s uncertain what exactly is going to happen and when, but disabled Americans are going to suffer. Please be aware of what’s happening to us these next 4 years, try to advocate as much as you can, and support your disabled and chronically ill community members (since the federal government obviously will not).

[hellsitegenetics]

A spectre is haunting Europe — the spectre of communism. All the powers of old Europe have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre: Pope and Tsar, Metternich and Guizot, French Radicals and German police-spies.

Where is the party in opposition that has not been decried as communistic by its opponents in power? Where is the opposition that has not hurled back the branding reproach of communism, against the more advanced opposition parties, as well as against its reactionary adversaries?

Two things result from this fact:

I. Communism is already acknowledged by all European powers to be itself a power.

II. It is high time that Communists should openly, in the face of the whole world, publish their views, their aims, their tendencies, and meet this nursery tale of the Spectre of Communism with a manifesto of the party itself.

To this end, Communists of various nationalities have assembled in London and sketched the following manifesto, to be published in the English, French, German, Italian, Flemish and Danish languages.

String identified: A ct atg — t ct c. A t a t t a aac t c t ct: a Ta, ttc a Gt, c aca a Ga c-.

t at t tat a t c a ctc t t ? t t tat a t ac t ag ac c, agat t aac t at, a a agat t acta aa?

T tg t t act:

. C aa acg a a t t a .

. t g t tat Ct , t ac t , t , t a, t tc, a t t ta t ct C t a at t at t.

T t , Ct a atat a a a tc t g at, t t g, c, Ga, taa, a a agag.

Closest match: Flueggea virosa isolate bfs chromosome A3 Common name: Whiteberry Bush, White-Berry Bush, White Berry Bush, and, I shit you not, White Berrybush

(image source)

[francolapintohq]

Franco Colapinto meeting fans outside ACA - Automovil Club Argentino - where it was held a press conference prior his signing to F2. October 2023. Buenos Aires, Argentina (Leo Rodriguez Fotografía)

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Elizabeth Warren for Time Magazine:

To everyone who feels like their heart has been ripped out of their chest, I feel the same. To everyone who is afraid of what happens next, I share your fears. But what we do next is important, and I need you in this fight with me. As we confront a second Donald Trump presidency, we have two tasks ahead. First, try to learn from what happened. And then, make a plan.

Many political experts and D.C. insiders are already blaming President Joe Biden’s economic agenda for Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss. This does not stand up to scrutiny. Even though the Biden economy produced strong economic growth while reining in inflation, incumbent parties across the globe have been tossed out by voters after the pandemic. American voters also showed support for Democratic economic policies, for example, approving ballot initiatives to raise the minimum wage in Alaska and to guarantee paid sick leave in Missouri.

[...] What comes next? Trump won the election, but more than 67 million people voted for Democrats and they don’t expect us to roll over and play dead. We will have a peaceful transition of power, followed by a vigorous challenge from the party out of power, because that’s how democracy works. Here’s a path forward.

First, fight every fight in Congress.

We won’t always win, but we can slow or sometimes limit Trump’s destruction. With every fight, we can build political power to put more checks on his administration and build the foundation for future wins. Remember that during the first Trump term, mass mobilization—including some of the largest peaceful protests in world history—was the battery that charged the resistance. There is power in solidarity, and we can’t win if we don’t get in the fight. During the Trump years, Congress stepped up its oversight of his unprecedented corruption and abuses of power. In the Senate, Democrats gave no quarter to radical Trump nominees; we asked tough questions and held the Senate floor for hours to slow down confirmation and expose Republican extremism. These tactics doomed some nominations entirely, laid the groundwork for other cabinet officials to later resign in disgrace, and brought scrutiny that somewhat constrained Trump’s efforts.

When all this work came together, we won some of the toughest fights. Remember Republicans’ attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act? Democrats did not have the votes to stop the repeal. Nevertheless, we fought on. Patients kept up a relentless rotation of meetings in Congress, activists in wheelchairs performed civil disobedience, and lawmakers used every tactic possible—late night speeches, forums highlighting patient stories, committee reports, and procedural tactics—to draw attention to the Republican repeal effort. This sustained resistance ultimately shifted the politics of health care repeal. The final vote was a squeaker, but Republicans lost and the ACA survived.

Democrats should also acknowledge that seeking a middle ground with a man who calls immigrants “animals” and says he will “protect” women “whether the women like it or not” is unlikely to land in a good place. Uniting against Trump’s legislative agenda is good politics because it is good policy. It was Democratic opposition to Trump’s tax bill that drove Trump’s approval ratings to what was then the lowest levels of his administration, forcing Republicans to scrap all mention of the law ahead of the 2018 midterm election and helping spark one of the largest blue waves in recent history.

Second, fight Trump in the courts.

Yes, extremist courts, including a Supreme Court stocked with MAGA loyalists, are poised to rubber-stamp Trump’s lawlessness. But litigation can slow Trump down, give us time to prepare and help the vulnerable, and deliver some victories.

Third, focus on what each of us can do.

I understand my assignment in the Senate, but we all have a part to play. During the first Trump administration, Democrats vigorously contested every special election and laid the groundwork to take back the House in the 2018 midterms, creating a powerful check on Trump and breaking the Republican trifecta. Whether it’s stepping up to run for office, supporting a neighbor’s campaign, or getting involved in an organization taking action, we all have to continue to make investments in our democracy—including in states that are passed over as “too red.” The political position we’re in is not permanent, and we have the power to make change if we fight for it.

Finally, Democrats currently in office must work with urgency.

While still in charge of the Senate and the White House, we must do all we can to safeguard our democracy. To resist Trump’s threats to abuse state power against what he calls “the enemy within,” Pentagon leaders should issue a directive now reiterating that the military’s oath is to the Constitution. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer must use every minute of the end-of-year legislative session to confirm federal judges and key regulators—none of whom can be removed by the next President. To those feeling despair: I understand. But remember, every step toward progress in American history came after the darkness of defeat. Abolitionists, suffragettes, Dreamers, and marchers for civil rights and marriage equality all faced impossible odds, but they persisted. Now it is our turn to pull up our socks and get back in the fight.

Elizabeth Warren wrote a well-written op-ed in Time encouraging Senate Democrats to confirm loads of judges and other jobs requiring Senate confirmation while we still have the majority and also fight back against the Trump tyranny.

[three--rings]

ACA has been my primary healthcare for most of the last 8 or so years. Without it I honestly don't know how we would have survived when my husband changed careers to restaurant work where insurance is...spotty. We both have long-standing chronic health conditions and would not have been eligible to buy our own care before the laws changed.

When my husband nearly died in a car accident 6 years ago, his care total for that year was around $400,000 with emergency airlift, ICU, multiple surgeries, 6 weeks in the hospital, and months of rehab. We paid like $1000.

If I am loyal to the democrats for anything, it's for that. My husband was working for our friend's new restaurant at that time, with no benefits. I honestly don't know what would have happened if we hadn't had the ACA. I don't know if he would be walking now.

You know what else you can do under the ACA, which I have done. You go to work for a small company that promises benefits. You get the benefits information after you start, and find out the insurance is shit. It doesn't cover anything, unless you pay tens of thousands of dollars first. It only covers care hundreds of miles away from you (yes I had this happen). Guess what, this isn't good enough under the ACA. You apply for the ACA and say "my employer coverage doesn't meet ACA requirements." And you get government assisted healthcare and your employer probably gets in trouble.

i think a big reason that I get frustrated with the "liberals have never made anybody's lives better" is that in the US it used to be legal for insurance companies to charge you more if you were sick or even just straight up deny you the ability to sign up for them if you already had a "pre-existing condition", and this was only stopped by the passage of the ACA during Obama's term. but a lot of people who talk about politics on here are too young to really be affected by that since they would have been on their parents insurance (which the ACA required insurers extend until you're 26). and this was all done via politicking and not blowing up insurance CEOs mansions or whatever.

I'm not saying that the ACA fixed insurance forever, god no. but "you can't deny someone insurance for being sick" is a massive change and people don't realize it!

Most adults want the law’s prohibition on insurers from denying coverage based on pre-existing medical conditions to stay. Two thirds (67%) of the public say that it is “very important” that this provision remain in place, including most Republicans (54%) However, only about 4 in 10 people (39%) are aware that that provision is part of the ACA.

[shunin-gumis]

Designs of Happiness - Track A06

L4mps Main story Translation

Title: Cafe369’s New Flavored Bun

Characters: Toi, Daniel, Netaro, Nagi

Summary: To find the fated person who would lead him to his brother, Toi guides the protagonist to the local meatbun shop. But as they were about to enter, strange noises echo throughout the premises… 

JP Proofreading: aca @463ce6 and tsukimi @rurumiiii on twt EN Proofreading: jes @arcanecrayonn and tsukimi @rurumiiii on twt

Also big thanks to you three for helping me with Netaro speech!

Location: A Town in HAMA

Toi: Ani-sama… please be safe, wherever you are… I’ll bring you back soon… 

Momiji: He’s been praying this whole time we were walking… I can tell he loves his brother very much.

Momiji: 5 minutes to 11 pm… 

Momiji: Toi-kun, how’s it going? It’s almost 11 pm, do you think we can make it in time?

Toi: It’s ok, we’re almost– Ah!

Toi: That’s the place! I’m sure of it!

Location: Cafe369

Momiji: Wait, this is Cafe369… 

Daniel: You been here before?

Momiji: I’ve dined here once, with Akuta-kun. It’s advertised as a meat bun shop, but there are  quite the unusual variety of buns sold here, including fillings other than meat… All of which are equally delicious.

Toi: Wow, it’s wonderful to see fate already at work again!

Daniel: I’m glad yer getting along with those kids but– Was this meatbun place always here?

Toi: Eh?

Momiji: What are you talking about? This place has been around for a long time. Right, Toi-kun?

Toi: Even though I’ve never gone in before, I do remember passing by it often… But, when did they first open…? 

Momiji: Now that I think about it, I’m not sure either… 

Daniel: I swear this was just an empty lot until recently though… 

Momiji: But… it’s right there.

Toi: Right?

Daniel: … Well, whatever. Can’t say much when it’s right in front of us. Maybe I’m just rememberin’ it wrong.

Daniel: …Hm?

Daniel: That’s… You two go on ahead.

Momiji: Daniel-san? Where are you–

Momiji: Aaaand he’s gone… Well, I guess the two of us can go in first. Though, considering how late it is, the shop might be closed already… 

Toi: That’s true… 

Toi: Ah, there’s a notice put up on the entrance.

Momiji: “Temporarily closed for ingredient procurement”...? No way–

*loud explosive noises*

Momiji: Woah!?

Toi: *startled gasp*

Momiji: Ah, did it stop…?

Momiji: What was that just now? So loud too… 

Toi: It came from inside the cafe! Maybe someone’s in trouble…!

Momiji: That may be so, but…  

Momiji: We don’t know what went down in there, so I don’t think heading in without Daniel-san would be a good idea… 

Momiji: Toi-kun, you should wait here–

???: Boo!

Pet Robot: Bwoo!

Momiji: AAAHHHHHHH!!! 

Toi: AAAHHHHHHH!!

???: WOOOAHH!

Toi: Eek…!

???: Ahaha~ Did I frighten you?

Momiji: H-huh? This person is… 

~~~(flashback)

???: Hrmm… Indeed, I do catch a whiff of it around here but…

Momiji: …..

???: You, human.

???: Tell me, would you know where my missing item might have wandered off to?

~~~(end flashback)

Momiji: Ah! You were the person who came by HAMA house the other day!!

???: Hm?

???: Oh~ You’re from that place where that green-pea canine resides. 

Momiji: Yes, I remember you saying you were in the mood for some green peas… So you’re the owner of this cafe? 

Toi: Um, do you know this person?

Momiji: I don’t know if I’d go so far as to say that… We did have a chat in passing a while ago. 

Toi: … Is that your pet robot next to you? Good evening, little one.

Laika: La~ i~ ka~

Momiji: So your name’s Laika! It’s nice to meet you.

Cafe Owner?: More importantly, do you have time to spare right now? I’m in a bit of a pickle, you see~

Momiji: In a... pickle?

Cafe Owner?: I simply do not have enough hands to get the job done right now… At this rate, perhaps it would be better if I just have this entire place go up in flames… 

Momiji: Huh!? That’s more than just a “bit” of a pickle!

Toi: We’ll help you however we can! I’m sure that’s the reason we were guided here! 

Cafe Owner?: Ooh~ How wonderfully helpful indeed! 

~~~

Location: Inside Cafe369

Momiji: Woah, I can barely see in here… 

Momiji: Toi-kun, are you alright? Maybe it’d be better if you just wait outside… 

Toi: I feel terribly lonely and afraid without Ani-sama but… I can’t just stand back when I know this path will lead me to him! 

Cafe Owner?: Shh–! Hush now! Lower your volume, lest we be overheard by the pesky trespasser!

Momiji: An intruder!? Are you sure it’s not just a customer or an employee who got lost…? 

Cafe Owner?: Indeed.

Toi: Oh no…!

Cafe Owner?: This is a tale of what unfolded this very evening, when I was about to take a respite… I had been in the middle of picking my brain, pondering what new ingredient I could possibly stuff into my meat buns, when suddenly, my sixth sense went zing! and… EUREKA!

Cafe Owner?: It drew my attention to the fact that there was a suspicious individual inside the building, watching me…!

Toi: Eek… 

Cafe Owner?: I could sense their gaze drilling into me…  And so, I took a big gulp, steadied my beating heart… and BAM! I turned right around to face them!

Cafe Owner?: But alas, their presence had already faded away like mist… I’m certain the fellow is still lurking somewhere, within these walls… 

Laika: Lurker.

Momiji: … I really, really hope he’s not talking about a cockr*ach… 

Toi: What do we do if they’re a bad person… I’m not really strong so… 

Cafe Owner?: This particular individual is adorned with wings, sips the sweet nectar from blossoms, scatters pollen across the lands, and wields a deadly stinger….

Momiji: Wait… 

Toi: That’s… 

Laika: Bzzz… 

Toi: A bumblebee?

Cafe Owner?: Indeed, you got it right.

Toi: Yay!

Momiji: So all those explosions we heard were from when you were trying to… deal with the bees?

Cafe Owner?: Ehehe~ I simply had to have my hands on them, so I made a little bit of a mess, you could say. Back home, we don’t have these critters–

Cafe Owner?: Bees… Insecta class: Hymenoptera. This order includes both bees and ants, and as implied by the etymology, they are classified by their transparent but membranous forewings and hindwings.

Cafe Owner?: All hymenoptera are capable of undergoing complete metamorphosis. While ants are not as widely recognized as being part of the order, the others are generally considered so.

Cafe Owner?: These include Siricidae, Tenthredinidae, Pamphiliidae, Cimbicidae, Argidae, Orussidae, Evanioidea, Ichneumonoidea, and much more… 

Cafe Owner?: Such variety~ It certainly follows that there even exist cultures that consume insects! I must also mention, they are explosively nutritious as well!

Cafe Owner?: And so~  As you may have put two and two together, I had set up various, perhaps potentially dangerous, contraptions to ensnare some of these critters so that I may procure some fresh ingredients. This is all for the sake of experimenting with new flavors for my buns, you see!

So here, catch this!

Momiji: Woah, hey…!

Momiji: This is… a fishing reel…?

Cafe Owner?: It would be unwise to space out at this time, lest you commit a blunder.  Make sure to hold it properly!

Momiji: Sorry, that was an… extraordinary amount of information you just dumped on us. I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed for a moment there… 

Toi: You must be an expert on bumblebees!

Cafe Owner?: Ho ho ho!

Momiji: So, what am I supposed to do with this reel?

Cafe Owner?: You must reel it in at my signal. In the event the pest escapes the trap, I must give chase immediately. So, you will have to spin the reel in my stead!

Momiji: O-okay, got it… Well, I didn’t get it at all but if this helps you, then I’ll do it.

Toi: Please give it your best pull!

Momiji: I’ll give it my all.

Cafe Owner?: …..

Toi: ….. 

Momiji: ….. 

???: Um–

Cafe Owner?: NOW—!!!

Momiji: Got it!!!

Momiji: This is some heavy reel…! Since it’s so sturdy, it should be alright even when pulling in a heavy load…!

Momiji: The grip on this handle is good, and the line seems pretty strong! There’s little drag too– I’m sure we can haul in a big one!

Toi: Wow! You sound just like a professional fisherman! 

Momiji: Ahaha…! All of that info was drilled into me… by a friend of mine… named Kafka…! 

Momiji: C’mon!

Momiji: We’re… bringing… you… home…!

Momiji: *grunts*

Momiji: Got it…! 

Cafe Owner?: Huzzah!

Toi: Wow, that’s a big bumblebee… (?)

Momiji: Huh…?

Momiji: That’s… a human, right?

Cafe Owner?: Bumbling humans are acceptable ingredients as well!

Momiji: What!?

Daniel: Yo! I’m pretty sure the SR parked outside is the bike that fella had–

Nagi: …..

Daniel: What, found him already?

Momiji: Daniel-san… Please help me get him down…!

Notes:

Netaro’s Bug Report: Siricidae | Tenthredinidae | Pamphiliidae | Cimbicidae | Argidae | Orussidae | Evanioidea | Ichneumonoidea Also in the original Japanese, I believe they either typo’d the bug family names of Argidae (In script: ミツフシハバチ科, Correct name: ミフシハバチ科) and Orussidae (In script: ヤドリギキバチ科, Correct name: ヤドリキバチ科) or they are somehow two new bug families in the future.  The pdf I referred to is the Hymenoptera classification by Hirohiko Nagase

Green-pea canine is what Netaro calls Shuumai.

The Hachi Pun: Netaro wants to capture a bee(ハチ hachi in Japanese) to test them out as a new flavor for his buns, so he set a trap. But in the end it was actually Nagi (whose last name is Hachinoya) who was caught in the trap. 

Nagi’s bike is the Yamaha SR400, or at least a futuristic bike modeled after one.

<- Previous | Next ->

Masterlist

[imalsorettish]

ive realized that i fight feelings if i dont think theyre feelings other people would like me to have. i was only ever myself when i was seen, and people often saw me and disliked it. my core was unpopular and i still dont understand it. what was so bad about a child who needed love? nothing. but i internalized their illness. and now when i feel seen and betrayed i hide like a child, somehow its the bravest thing ive ever done.

[batwynn]

no matter how bad things get: stay safe, okay? don't do anything to hurt yourself. i've been seeing mutuals saying ominous goodbyes and deleting their blogs leaving their fate unknown. stay safe. there are people who care.

I wish I could give you promises, anon, but I can’t. And to be honest, I don’t think I owe the internet my continued suffering and eventual murder for other’s comfort. I think maybe I’m allowed some peace before the end. I’m sorry.

I am already being actively killed by the american medical system as it is right now. I’m being failed right now, and they won’t even allow me to join the death with dignity program because they just ‘don’t think it’s that bad.’ I am really, really sick. My body is rotting away at this very moment. I can’t go anywhere because I’m immunocompromised and masking is already earning me threats of violence. I can’t eat anything because I’m constantly having a reaction to EVERYTHING. I can’t eat anything 100% reliably anyway, because nothing has any fucking quality control and asshole companies keep oopsie poopsie putting listeria in it. Which will not just give me the shits, but actually fucking kill me.

The second he removes the ACA my medical insurance will vanish. I’m only on the state insurance because of the ACA expansion. I’m not recognized as disabled by the government right now. Half of my household income is my mother’s disability benefits which will also be gone. I don’t even have hot water or a shower. I’m in thousands of dollars worth of debt because I didn’t have a fucking heat source last year so I had to buy one on credit and install it myfuckingself.

I’m also trans. I’ve been openly trans for years now. It’s everywhere. It’s a big red flag I can’t erase. All my medical records have it. Even the fucking police records have it written down. There is no clearing up my internet footprint and pretending I’m cis. People can tell I’m trans when they fucking meet me. I’m not surviving this even if I wasn’t already actively suffering and dying.

So, no, anon. No promises can be made. I’m sorry. I really am. I liked being here, at least for a while. I will live as much as I can until I can’t anymore. That’s all I can do, and that’s all I can give anymore.

I’m tired. I’m tired of constantly fighting to survive. I’m tired.

[eugenedebs1920]

Politicians have always bent the truth, spun their views, even exaggerated stories. There has never, & I mean NEVER been the amount of falsehoods & flat out lies like there are today. When Vance and Trump stipulate in their agreements to get interviews that they don’t want fact checking, that tells you they want to broadcast lies and deception internationally. It’s absurd! Both sides of the aisle have their moments, don’t get me wrong, but. In a recent book by the owner of Politifact, established in 2007, he states a huge rise in falsities over the years. From 2022 to mid 2024 he found that Democrats lied, or weren’t telling the whole truth 17% of the time. On the Republican side it is a whopping 63%! That means over HALF of what you hear from the GOP is not true. Trump plays a significant roll in this seeing that he lies as he breathes, but still. It’s time for the American people to show the GOP that this is not acceptable. That we demand a higher level of honesty & integrity. To show these politicians who seem to forget who they work for. They don’t work for corporations and the most wealthy individuals. THEY WORK FOR US! The American people. When someone lies to you over & over again , it shows the lack of respect they have for you. If you had an employee who disrespected over half the time would you keep them in your employ? Get out there & Vote, make your voice heard! Get your friend’s, family, neighbors, colleagues, that weird guy who always sits at the end of the bar by himself (me 😆) people you meet, people you hardly know, to get out there and make a difference for good! So please, this November 5th (or earlier, I prefer early or mail in voting, less of a crowd. Plus, if you forget anything or there’s any discrepancies, you can hopefully get them wrapped & fixedUp before Election Day)go out and Vote! Vote blue down ballot. Vote like women’s rights depend on it. Vote like the environments health and protection depends on it. Vote like the continuation of democracy as we know it depends on it. Vote like equal rights for all, LGBTQ rights, not living in fear of a mass shooting, voting rights, social security, Medicare, Medicaid & the ACA, public education, freedom of religion, labor rights & collective bargaining, antitrust & predatory lending, fair housing, and your personal freedom depends on it. Because it does.

[aoharushiyo]

the recipes for... | track 5 ― fondant au chocolat

Translation: en Proofreading: aca, dimi, kimi, myun, jay, jelly

"PatiBattle? Are patissiers going to battle...?"

And so, that evening…

After I got home and had some snacks, I happened to glance at the TV that the Robo-Mama had needlessly put on for me.

"PatiBattle? Are patissiers going to battle…?"

I had time to kill, so it was really just by accident that I happened to see the anime that was airing on the TV.

"…Huh?"

I couldn't take my eyes off the screen.

"Wow, this looks cool…"

I'd discovered something.

"This is crazy…!"

I had… discovered something amazing. PatiBattle. Chiyoda Reito. It was like I'd been crossed by fate and destiny.

"…"

I watched in rapt silence. Something felt like it was clicking into place inside of me. PatiBattle was everything that I desired from the bottom of my heart: a story packed full of excitement, youth, and friendship. My heart couldn't stop pounding in pure excitement.

Before my eyes, colour returned to the ashen grey remains of my world after the fire had incinerated everything. "Aah…"

Seeing the protagonist and his rival compete against each other, and then exchanging praises and hugging each other after a good match brought me almost to the point of tears. Suddenly, I remembered what Muu-chan had told me earlier.

"I'd like to give you a hug."

It was then that I realised… I'd thought that I'd hated everything in the world― but there was still one thing I loved dearly: Muu-chan. I'd regained one thing that I loved.

"…"

In the blink of an eye, the credits were already rolling. The original author's name was shown in the credits, so I supposed it must have originally been a manga. Following my curiosity, I found myself ordering the volumes online before I could think better. While I was madly typing away on my phone, Robo-Mama aimlessly peered at my screen.

"…Hey." "…" "Recently, you've been turning on the lights while you do chores, and you turn on the TV now, too." "…, …" "Are you… looking out for me?"

"This is just between you and me, but… I don't really hate you that much." "…" "Do you want me to try and get you a part that lets you talk? If there even are mouthpieces that can be installed onto older models…" "…"

At that point in time, it was natural that Robo-Mama couldn't talk. All she could do was blink her sensor eye. Besides, her barrel-like cylindrical model meant that she didn't even have a neck, but…

"…"

…But it really did seem like she was nodding in reply.

"Okay, got it." I thought, maybe I could ask someone at the robotics factory nearby.

"Maybe I could try making sweets, too."

Not only did I regain something I loved that day, I had also found new things to love. I started to think things like I could try this, or I could try that.

"Since this Reito guy seems cool and he's good with chocolate… let's try making chocolate desserts."

I was able to meet Reito, the character who I love above all others. I was able to find the ultimate hobby in baking sweets. And all of it is thanks to PatiBattle.

"…Every time I look at him, my chest feels fluttery… What could that mean…?"

…That was the sort of childhood I had.

---

I was back in my room, decked to the nines with all of the nuis and merch that I could never put in my dorm room. As I closed my copy of Shounen Dive, I let myself sink into a million fantasies.

"It's still so good no matter how many times I read it… Even though I got spoiled by those annoying idiots, it didn't take away all the fun…! Besides, Reito and Minoru partnering up really is a genius move for the story! Even though Ouji will definitely get jealous…"

The freshly made fondant au chocolat resting on the table beside me was giving off a wonderful aroma. I had taste-tested some crumbs earlier, so naturally, I was quite pleased with the fact that I had made such exquisite sweets. Tomorrow, I'll give some to Muu-chan and his sister.[1] I couldn't wait to see their happy faces.

Just like that, my bad day from overhearing those spoilers had turned into a wonderful day, thanks to my daily sweets-making.

"I've got high hopes for all the fanfiction writers… May there be tons of fic about Reito gently consoling a depressed, jealous Ouji…"

Honestly, I prefer spicy food, and I don't like sweet foods that much at all. But I still want to keep baking sweets.

"Aah… I can't wait for Sanseiu-sensei's newest work…! I hate the crowds at conventions, but if I could meet them and shake their hand… or not. At the very least, I've got to give them sweets as a gift…"

Even despite everything, I want to be able to touch, too. I want to be able to hug someone else, and be hugged by them back… …But I can't do that.

"Now then, time to see what new posts there are today… Ugh, there's already ReiMino here? And… blocked."

Instead, I'll make the most delicious, satisfyingly sweet desserts so that one day, I can give them to the people I care about.

"What? They're rerunning that pair tapestry from last time!? And you can't even pre-order? It's like they want to see a fucking bloodbath out here!"

If they like my desserts, then it'll be like touching their hearts instead. Isn't that already the same as a hug?

"Crane game limited nuis… Alright, guess I'll have to just rescue each and every Reito from the grasp of those claws."

That's why I'll keep making the sweetest, most delicious chocolates.

A few hours later, I wrapped up the fondant au chocolat and stuck a sticky note on it with instructions: Just heat it up in the microwave when you want to eat it.

Now that my work was done, I decided to return for PatiBattle seconds, but just as I settled in, something flashed before my eyes.

"Huh? What?"

Right before my eyes…

[ PatiBattle! Hiatus Announcement ]

…A sentence straight from the depths of Hell.

"Huh…? Huh? Hah??"

The sound of every single cell in my body simultaneously being annihilated echoed in my ears.

---

[1] Ushio specifies Muneuji and 姫 hime, which means 'princess'. Muneuji calls his little sister by this nickname, so it's very likely that Ushio is referring to her!

---

← prev | masterlist

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Capitalists hate capitalism

As the Marxist agitator Adam Smith once said, “People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices.”

Smith understood that capitalists hate capitalism. They don’t want to compete with one another, because that would interfere with their ability to raise the prices their customers pay and reduce the wages they pay their workers. Thus Peter Thiel’s anticapitalist rallying cry, “competition is for losers,” or Warren Buffett’s extreme horniness for businesses with “wide, sustainable moats.”

These anti-capitalist capitalists love big government. They love no-bid military contracts, they love ACA subsidies for health insurance companies, they love Farm Bill cash for Cargill and Monsanto. What they don’t love is markets.

Case in point: pharma giant Merck. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) includes a provision that allows Medicare to (finally) start (weakly) negotiating the prices it pays for (a tiny handful of) drugs. If you’re scratching your head and wondering if you understood that correctly, let me assure you, you did: the US government is currently prohibited from negotiating drug prices when it bargains with pharma companies.

In other words: Medicare simply pays a pharma companies — whose products build on billions in publicly funded basic research, whose taxes are reduced by billions in research credits, whose patents are backstopped by billions in enforcement — whatever it demands.

To do otherwise, you see, would be socialism. Markets are “efficient” because they “discover prices” through bidding and selling. In the case of publicly purchased drugs, the price that Uncle Sucker “discovers” is inevitably “a titanic sum” or possibly “add a couple more zeroes, wouldya?”

Enter the IRA. Starting in 2026, Medicare will be permitted to negotiate the price of ten (10) drugs. The negotiations will use the prices of other drugs from the dysfunctional, monopolized market as a starting point and go up from there. The negotiations go on for three years, and there are multiple stages where pharma companies can hit pause with court challenges:

https://prospect.org/health/2023-05-11-regulators-bungling-drug-price-reform/

The system will not consider the prices that Medicaid or the VA (which are allowed to bargain on prices) pay. Nor will it consider the prices that other governments pay — the US is alone in the wealthy world in offering the anticapitalist price-taking posture when dickering with the pharma companies.

But this isn’t enough for Merck. They are suing the Biden administration over the IRA’s drug pricing plan, arguing that it is an unconstitutional taking under the Fifth Amendment:

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/06/merck-sues-biden-administration-over-medicare-drug-price-negotiations.html

Merck is represented by Big Law firm Jones Day, who made their bones by representing the RJ Reynolds from smokers with lung-cancer, arguing that the smoking/cancer link wasn’t scientifically sound. That’s not the only fanciful argument they put before a judge: Jones Day also represented Trump in his attempts to overturn the 2020 election (they also hired Trump’s counsel Don McGahn as he exited the White House’s revolving door).

As Ryan Cooper writes for The American Prospect, Merck’s argument is that the “fair market” value of its drugs can only be discovered if its single largest customer — Medicare — simply pays whatever Merck demands of it:

https://prospect.org/health/2023-06-08-merck-negotiating-drug-prices-unconstitutional/

They explicitly denounce the idea that a powerful buyer should use its market power to extract price concessions from sellers like Merck: “leveraging all federal insurance benefits (amounting to over half of the prescription drug market) to coerce companies to abandon their First and Fifth Amendment rights is a quintessential unconstitutional condition.”

Rebutting this argument, Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said, “negotiating for the best price is as American as apple pie. Since when is competition in this American system a bad thing? Why should we be the patsies around the world and pay the highest prices for medicines?”

The irony here is that Merck itself is a very powerful buyer. Whether negotiating commercial leases, raw materials or wages, Merck is ruthless in extracting the lowest prices it can from its suppliers. The company attained its massive scale the old fashioned way: buying it. By drawing on its nearly limitless access to the capital markets, Merck bought out dozens of its competitors:

https://mergr.com/merck-acquisitions

Anticapitalist investors funded these acquisitions in the expectation that Merck would be able to use its market dominance to pay suppliers less, charge customers more, and use some of the resulting windfall to corrupt and bully its regulators so that it could buy still more companies, charge still higher prices, and impose crushingly low prices on still more suppliers.

The IRA’s drug-bargaining provisions are extraordinarily weak. When they were first mooted in 2021, I talked about how Democrats were caving on muscular drug price controls that would benefit every American (except a handful of pharma shareholders):

https://pluralistic.net/2021/11/18/bipartisan-consensus/#corruption

They did so despite wild, bipartisan support for imposing price discipline on Big Pharma, and ending the 300% premium Americans pay for their drugs relative to their cousins abroad. 95% of Democrats support strong price controls; so do 82% of independents — and 71% of Republicans:

https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/research/2021/11/healthcare-affordability--majority-of-adults-support-significant-changes-to-the-health-system.html

No one believes Big Pharma’s scare stories about how this would kill R&D: 93% of Americans reject this idea, including 90% of Republicans. They’re right — nearly all US basic pharma R&D is directly funded by the federal government, with pharma companies privatizing the gains:

https://khn.org/news/article/public-opinion-prescription-drug-prices-democratic-plan/

Despite the fact that really whipping the shit out of Big Pharma would be both popular and good for America, the Dems’ final version of pharma bargaining is a barely-there nothingburger where ten drugs will become slightly cheaper, after the next federal election. This is called “political realism” and it’s a fantasy.

The idea that limiting drug controls to the faintest, most modest measures would make them easier to attain was obvious nonsense from the start, and Merck’s anticapitalist lawsuit proves it. Merck will settle for nothing less than total central planning — by Merck. For Merck, the role of the federal government is to wave through a stream of mergers culminating in Merck’s ownership of every major drug; patent extensions for these drugs to carry them into the 25th century and beyond, and unlimited sums paid for these drugs on Medicare.

Given all that, there would have been no downside to the Dems passing an IRA that subjected the drug companies the same modest, commensense, market-based discipline we see in Canada, or the UK, or France, or Germany, or Switzerland.

But that’s not the IRA we got. Instead of defending a big, visionary program in court, the Biden admin is facing down Jones Day and Merck to defend the most yawn-inducing, incrementalist half-measure. What a wasted opportunity.

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/09/commissar-merck#price-giver

[Image ID: A caricature of a businessman with a money-bag for a head and a stickpin bearing the Merck logo, standing atop a pile of bundled $100 bills. At the bottom of the pile, a frowning, disheveled Uncle Sam offers up a $100 bill.]

Image: Flying Logos (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Over_$1,000,000_dollars_in_USD_$100_bill_stacks.png

CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

[bytherosebushlaughing]

one single thread of gold (tied me to you)

CHAPTER FIVE—JESSE SWANSON

RATING: M

PAIRING: Multi (w/ Bechloe end game)

SUMMARY:

The story of how Beca and Chloe both find “the One” (AKA each other) (AKA the Love Life AU that no one asked for)

I’m sure that you were expecting this one at some point, reader. After all, we sort of know how this one goes. In short: acapella boy meets acapella girl, they date for three years in college, and they do not go on to have aca-children. 

“I think that Jesse likes me,” she supplies nonchalantly. She’s not really sure what drives her to say something, especially because it’s so not like her to open up to people, but there’s something about Chloe that makes her feel safe enough to tear down those walls just a little bit.

Chloe lets out an incredulous laugh at this confession.

“I could have told you that at the beginning of the year,” Chloe scoffs. “I can’t believe that you’re just now figuring this out, Bec.”

She blushes at the term of endearment and her own denseness.

“I’m just…I don’t know, people don’t usually like me like that,” she says, feeling insecure in the moment. “I’m not like you, Chloe, people don’t usually fall all over themselves for me like they do you.”

Chloe rolls her eyes.

“Yes they do, you just don’t notice,” she reassures Beca. “You’re kind of hot. And I should know because I’ve seen—”

“Oh my god, dude!” Beca interjects, cheeks burning up with embarrassment at the memory of what they refer to as The Shower Incident. “I wish you would just let that go already it’s so embarrassing.”

Chloe just laughs, shaking her head.

“Quit deflecting, let’s talk more about Jesse."

Read more on AO3!