#and I bet you anything the prices are going to be ridiculous

[mostlysignssomeportents]

What the fuck is a PBM?

TOMORROW (Sept 24), I'll be speaking IN PERSON at the BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY!

Terminal-stage capitalism owes its long senescence to its many defensive mechanisms, and it's only by defeating these that we can put it out of its misery. "The Shield of Boringness" is one of the necrocapitalist's most effective defenses, so it behooves us to attack it head-on.

The Shield of Boringness is Dana Claire's extremely useful term for anything so dull that you simply can't hold any conception of it in your mind for any length of time. In the finance sector, they call this "MEGO," which stands for "My Eyes Glaze Over," a term of art for financial arrangements made so performatively complex that only the most exquisitely melted brain-geniuses can hope to unravel their spaghetti logic. The rest of us are meant to simply heft those thick, dense prospectuses in two hands, shrug, and assume, "a pile of shit this big must have a pony under it."

MEGO and its Shield of Boringness are key to all of terminal-stage capitalism's stupidest scams. Cloaking obvious swindles in a lot of complex language and Byzantine payment schemes can make them seem respectable just long enough for the scammers to relieve you of all your inconvenient cash and assets, though, eventually, you're bound to notice that something is missing.

If you spent the years leading up to the Great Financial Crisis baffled by "CDOs," "synthetic CDOs," "ARMs" and other swindler nonsense, you experienced the Shield of Boringness. If you bet your house and/or your retirement savings on these things, you experienced MEGO. If, after the bubble popped, you finally came to understand that these "exotic financial instruments" were just scams, you experienced Stein's Law ("anything that can't go forever eventually stops"). If today you no longer remember what a CDO is, you are once again experiencing the Shield of Boringness.

As bad as 2008 was, it wasn't even close to the end of terminal stage capitalism. The market has soldiered on, with complex swindles like carbon offset trading, metaverse, cryptocurrency, financialized solar installation, and (of course) AI. In addition to these new swindles, we're still playing the hits, finding new ways to make the worst scams of the 2000s even worse.

That brings me to the American health industry, and the absurdly complex, ridiculously corrupt Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), a pathology that has only metastasized since 2008.

On at least 20 separate occasions, I have taken it upon myself to figure out how the PBM swindle works, and nevertheless, every time they come up, I have to go back and figure it out again, because PBMs have the most powerful Shield of Boringness out of the whole Monster Manual of terminal-stage capitalism's trash mobs.

PBMs are back in the news because the FTC is now suing the largest of these for their role in ripping off diabetics with sky-high insulin prices. This has kicked off a fresh round of "what the fuck is a PBM, anyway?" explainers of extremely variable quality. Unsurprisingly, the best of these comes from Matt Stoller:

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/monopoly-round-up-lina-khan-pharma

Stoller starts by pointing out that Americans have a proud tradition of getting phucked by pharma companies. As far back as the 1950s, Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver was holding hearings on the scams that pharma companies were using to ensure that Americans paid more for their pills than virtually anyone else in the world.

But since the 2010s, Americans have found themselves paying eye-popping, sky-high, ridiculous drug prices. Eli Lilly's Humolog insulin sold for $21 in 1999; by 2017, the price was $274 – a 1,200% increase! This isn't your grampa's price gouging!

Where do these absurd prices come from? The story starts in the 2000s, when the GW Bush administration encouraged health insurers to create "high deductible" plans, where patients were expected to pay out of pocket for receiving care, until they hit a multi-thousand-dollar threshold, and then their insurance would kick in. Along with "co-pays" and other junk fees, these deductibles were called "cost sharing," and they were sold as a way to prevent the "abuse" of the health care system.

The economists who crafted terminal-stage capitalism's intellectual rationalizations claimed the reason Americans paid so much more for health care than their socialized-medicine using cousins in the rest of the world had nothing to do with the fact that America treats health as a source of profits, while the rest of the world treats health as a human right.

No, the actual root of America's health industry's problems was the moral defects of Americans. Because insured Americans could just go see the doctor whenever they felt like it, they had no incentive to minimize their use of the system. Any time one of these unhinged hypochondriacs got a little sniffle, they could treat themselves to a doctor's visit, enjoying those waiting-room magazines and the pleasure of arranging a sick day with HR, without bearing any of the true costs:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/06/27/the-doctrine-of-moral-hazard/

"Cost sharing" was supposed to create "skin in the game" for every insured American, creating a little pain-point that stung you every time you thought about treating yourself to a luxurious doctor's visit. Now, these payments bit hardest on the poorest workers, because if you're making minimum wage, at $10 co-pay hurts a lot more than it does if you're making six figures. What's more, VPs and the C-suite were offered "gold-plated" plans with low/no deductibles or co-pays, because executives understand the value of a dollar in the way that mere working slobs can't ever hope to comprehend. They can be trusted to only use the doctor when it's truly warranted.

So now you have these high-deductible plans creeping into every workplace. Then along comes Obama and the Affordable Care Act, a compromise that maintains health care as a for-profit enterprise (still not a human right!) but seeks to create universal coverage by requiring every American to buy a plan, requiring insurers to offer plans to every American, and uses public money to subsidize the for-profit health industry to glue it together.

Predictably, the cheapest insurance offered on the Obamacare exchanges – and ultimately, by employers – had sky-high deductibles and co-pays. That way, insurers could pocket a fat public subsidy, offer an "insurance" plan that was cheap enough for even the most marginally employed people to afford, but still offer no coverage until their customers had spent thousands of dollars out-of-pocket in a given year.

That's the background: GWB created high-deductible plans, Obama supercharged them. Keep that in your mind as we go through the MEGO procedures of the PBM sector.

Your insurer has a list of drugs they'll cover, called the "formulary." The formulary also specifies how much the insurance company is willing to pay your pharmacist for these drugs. Creating the formulary and paying pharmacies for dispensing drugs is a lot of tedious work, and insurance outsources this to third parties, called – wait for it – Pharmacy Benefits Managers.

The prices in the formulary the PBM prepares for your insurance company are called the "list prices." These are meant to represent the "sticker price" of the drug, what a pharmacist would charge you if you wandered in off the street with no insurance, but somehow in possession of a valid prescription.

But, as Stoller writes, these "list prices" aren't actually ever charged to anyone. The list price is like the "full price" on the pricetags at a discount furniture place where everything is always "on sale" at 50% off – and whose semi-disposable sofas and balsa-wood dining room chairs are never actually sold at full price.

One theoretical advantage of a PBM is that it can get lower prices because it bargains for all the people in a given insurer's plan. If you're the pharma giant Sanofi and you want your Lantus insulin to be available to any of the people who must use OptumRX's formulary, you have to convince OptumRX to include you in that formulary.

OptumRX – like all PBMs – demands "rebates" from pharma companies if they want to be included in the formulary. On its face, this is similar to the practices of, say, NICE – the UK agency that bargains for medicine on behalf of the NHS, which also bargains with pharma companies for access to everyone in the UK and gets very good deals as a result.

But OptumRX doesn't bargain for a lower list price. They bargain for a bigger rebate. That means that the "price" is still very high, but OptumRX ends up paying a tiny fraction of it, thanks to that rebate. In the OptumRX formulary, Lantus insulin lists for $403. But Sanofi, who make Lantus, rebate $339 of that to OptumRX, leaving just $64 for Lantus.

Here's where the scam hits. Your insurer charges you a deductible based on the list price – $404 – not on the $64 that OptumRX actually pays for your insulin. If you're in a high-deductible plan and you haven't met your cap yet, you're going to pay $404 for your insulin, even though the actual price for it is $64.

Now, you'd think that your insurer would put a stop to this. They chose the PBM, the PBM is ripping off their customers, so it's their job to smack the PBM around and make it cut this shit out. So why would the insurers tolerate this nonsense?

Here's why: the PBMs are divisions of the big health insurance companies. Unitedhealth owns OptumRx; Aetna owns Caremark, and Cigna owns Expressscripts. So it's not the PBM that's ripping you off, it's your own insurance company. They're not just making you pay for drugs that you're supposedly covered for – they're pocketing the deductible you pay for those drugs.

Now, there's one more entity with power over the PBM that you'd hope would step in on your behalf: your boss. After all, your employer is the entity that actually chooses the insurer and negotiates with them on your behalf. Your boss is in the driver's seat; you're just along for the ride.

It would be pretty funny if the answer to this was that the health insurance company bought your employer, too, and so your boss, the PBM and the insurer were all the same guy, busily swapping hats, paying for a call center full of tormented drones who each have three phones on their desks: one labeled "insurer"; the second, "PBM" and the final one "HR."

But no, the insurers haven't bought out the company you work for (yet). Rather, they've bought off your boss – they're sharing kickbacks with your employer for all the deductibles and co-pays you're being suckered into paying. There's so much money (your money) sloshing around in the PBM scamoverse that anytime someone might get in the way of you being ripped off, they just get cut in for a share of the loot.

That is how the PBM scam works: they're fronts for health insurers who exploit the existence of high-deductible plans in order to get huge kickbacks from pharma makers, and massive fees from you. They split the loot with your boss, whose payout goes up when you get screwed harder.

But wait, there's more! After all, Big Pharma isn't some kind of easily pushed-around weakling. They're big. Why don't they push back against these massive rebates? Because they can afford to pay bribes and smaller companies making cheaper drugs can't. Whether it's a little biotech upstart with a cheaper molecule, or a generics maker who's producing drugs at a fraction of the list price, they just don't have the giant cash reserves it takes to buy their way into the PBMs' formularies. Doubtless, the Big Pharma companies would prefer to pay smaller kickbacks, but from Big Pharma's perspective, the optimum amount of bribes extracted by a PBM isn't zero – far from it. For Big Pharma, the optimal number is one cent higher than "the maximum amount of bribes that a smaller company can afford."

The purpose of a system is what it does. The PBM system makes sure that Americans only have access to the most expensive drugs, and that they pay the highest possible prices for them, and this enriches both insurance companies and employers, while protecting the Big Pharma cartel from upstarts.

Which is why the FTC is suing the PBMs for price-fixing. As Stoller points out, they're using their powers under Section 5 of the FTC Act here, which allows them to shut down "unfair methods of competition":

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/10/the-courage-to-govern/#whos-in-charge

The case will be adjudicated by an administrative law judge, in a process that's much faster than a federal court case. Once the FTC proves that the PBM scam is illegal when applied to insulin, they'll have a much easier time attacking the scam when it comes to every other drug (the insulin scam has just about run its course, with federally mandated $35 insulin coming online, just as a generation of post-insulin diabetes treatments hit the market).

Obviously the PBMs aren't taking this lying down. Cigna/Expressscripts has actually sued the FTC for libel over the market study it conducted, in which the agency described in pitiless, factual detail how Cigna was ripping us all off. The case is being fought by a low-level Reagan-era monster named Rick Rule, whom Stoller characterizes as a guy who "hangs around in bars and picks up lonely multi-national corporations" (!!).

The libel claim is a nonstarter, but it's still wild. It's like one of those movies where they want to show you how bad the cockroaches are, so there's a bit where the exterminator shows up and the roaches form a chorus line and do a kind of Busby Berkeley number:

https://www.46brooklyn.com/news/2024-09-20-the-carlton-report

So here we are: the FTC has set out to euthanize some rentiers, ridding the world of a layer of useless economic middlemen whose sole reason for existing is to make pharmaceuticals as expensive as possible, by colluding with the pharma cartel, the insurance cartel and your boss. This conspiracy exists in plain sight, hidden by the Shield of Boringness. If I've done my job, you now understand how this MEGO scam works – and if you forget all that ten minutes later (as is likely, given the nature of MEGO), that's OK: just remember that this thing is a giant fucking scam, and if you ever need to refresh yourself on the details, you can always re-read this post.

The paperback edition of The Lost Cause, my nationally bestselling, hopeful solarpunk novel is out this month!

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/2024/09/23/shield-of-boringness/#some-men-rob-you-with-a-fountain-pen

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

[reidmotif]

about me • req guidelines • inbox (reqs open)

masterlist of fics under the cut..

key: ✰ - smut / ✂ - angst / ✿ - fluff

Coffee and Consequences • Reader joins the BAU, and Spencer seems insistent on being a problem for her. ✰ ✂

Not-Friends With Benefits • Reader and Spencer have been hooking up with no strings attached just fine, until a singular bed threatens to change that.✰✂

Double-Booked for the Night • Reader and Spencer have been double-booked by JJ for a night of babysitting. What happens when the situation brings out some buried feelings from both parties? ✰✿

Popsicle Love • Reader and Spencer are at a ridiculously hot precinct station, getting on each other's nerves arguing. Reader realizes she can get back at him, using a certain sweet treat. ✰

Behind Closed Doors I and II • Reader and Spencer are known to be a "tame" couple at work. They get fed up and decide to change how people see them. ✰

"Technically" Not A Student • Reader is Alex Blake’s TA, and after a guest lecture, Spencer seems to take a liking to her. ✰

Safe and Sound • Reader comforts Spencer after she unknowingly does something to trigger some unhappy memories of his. ✂✰

And For My Next Trick... • Reader is invited to a Halloween party where she doesn't know anyone. Everyone seems absolutely insistent she has to meet a mystery man who'd love her costume. ✰

Always Bet On Black • Reader realizes she has an advantage at the Bureau's Casino Night when Spencer can't seem to take his eyes off her and her dress. ✰

Regret on the Rocks • Spencer finds himself at a bar being served by the girl who once broke his heart. Turns out she feels a lot more than just regret for letting him go. ✂✰

For the Love of Lace • Reader decides she doesn’t want to pine for her best friend, Spencer anymore, but still needs his help deciding what lingerie to wear for her upcoming date. ✰

Dialing up for Trouble • Reader and Spencer were fuck-buddies, until Spencer cuts her off quite suddenly. A party and some risque images may be enough to get them back to their old routine. ✰

Check Your Window (He’s At Your Window) • Reader discovers her window faces into the apartment of her very attractive building neighbor, Spencer. She's willing to do anything for his attention. He's willing to reward her for her efforts. ✰

Please, Please, Please • Spencer makes a promise he can't keep to Reader, and pays the price. ✂ (NO SMUT)

Between the Books • Reader is a librarian at the library Spencer frequents while he’s finishing one of his degrees. They find themselves in a precarious situation when everyone’s left, and they’re the last two people there. ✰

Relax, I’ve Got You • Reader isn't the best at handling stress, and her roommate Spencer, notices. Luckily, he has quite a few salacious ideas on how he could make her feel better. ✰

I’ve Got My Eye On You •

[resident-idiot-simp]

Inspired by this

Ft: @steriotypicaloutlaw & @existentialgaybirdnerd

I like to imagine Simon just randomly shows up places to do things for fun since he's legally dead. A random marathon here. A random convention there. Maybe there's a thread on 4chan or something wondering who the hell this guy is

Bird- "I swear I saw this guy before, he won (extremely specific race)" and there's a whole board about him

He just shows up around the world randomly and does incredible feats and then disappears again

Bird- "This guy shows up, kicks everyone ass at ANYTHING, then disappears without a trace. He's gotta be a superhero of SOME SORT"

Someone catches him in the wild one time holding the hand of this dude with a mohawk.

StO- Imagine Gaz having followed said board, also never saw Ghost without the mask or balaclava, and then he sees him there and he's just like, "I get to see him live!" And then Price reacts the way he does and Gaz is just like, "Wait! I know mystery Batman guy?!?"

Bird- "Mystery Batman guy is my SUPERIOR OFFICER? "

But they can trace Soap they know who this guy is. Imagine like a million people from 4chan just dog pile him in every social media platform wondering who the hell the man is. Soap knows about this I also bet you money ghost haunts the thread he knows everything he does this stuff on purpose at this rate.

And he made soap promise never to say a word. So soap gas lights like he's never gaslit before. I don't know who you're talking about that is not me you're delusional. 'It is you though'. No I was never there with a person ever in my life.

Bird- "Idk who tf you think that is, but I'm way more handsome than that"

Of course they can't fool Gaz but they do recruit him into the game. Laswell also knows about this

Bird- Laswell had been on the board since it started lol

At first it was just to make sure his identity didn't get leaked and now it's just for fun

Bird- She gives them vague hints in the wrong direction, photo shopping specific events that didn't happen to make it seem like he gets out more than he does.

Bro one time the catch Ghost in Cancun just surfing. No one knows where he went after they tried to follow It didn't work.

Bird- This man has fans all around the world but they can never get a picture of him without his permission.

What really gets people is he can be found across the world in very short periods of time. People assume he must be like one of those hidden billionaires.

Bird- That's why he's Batman to them

One time they got a picture of him super injured though and now they are convinced he's a superhero

Bird- There's a whole folder of circumstantial evidence of him being hurt and everyone going "evidence he's a superhero"

He is most often found is not in ridiculous events in Scotland and that is more evidence that he's connected to John MacTavish even though MacTavish denies everything. People are unsure if MacTavish is like his sidekick or butler or secret boyfriend/husband.

Ghost convinces him to do weird events as well and dominate them just to confuse the forum.

Bird- They're both superheros in their own right just a few months later according to the forum

One time the are spotted together at a log throwing competition. Then MacTavish at an art exhibit (Ghost is barely visible in the background). Next week in Cuba doing an eating competition.

Three days later San Diego Comic-Con. No one understands anything that's going on.

Bird- Ghost and Soap have a fun time reading through all the shit. They're in full cosplay too, they're only recognized because of Soap's Instagram story the day after and then everyone explodes because they SAW them but didn't recognize them until them. Ghost as scream and Soap as Jason.

Imagine one time they just show up on TV or the news in the background

Bird- There's a parade going on in the background and they show up as performers or part of the audience. The news reporters don't catch them as they wave enthusiastically to the camera.

They come to the conclusion that they know about the forums and then it becomes trying to dig out the rat.

Bird- They try to sus out the account that could be one of them, little do they know Ghost is one of the longest running ones there so his account isn't suspected at all times.

I imagine a random selfie gets uploaded to the forum as well.

Bird- He posts a selfie from a "found" social media that just HAPPENS to be "deleted" before anyone else can access it.

The people on the forum are extremely happy though that this random probably superhero is playing along.

He shows up in the Winter Olympics next. And he crushes the biathlon by a scary margin. After he gets the gold he proposes to Soap

Soap's bio gets updated to John MacTavish Riley. Soap continues to gaslight. That has always been my full name YOU'RE all delusional.

I imagine they only get their answers possibly after they all retire

Bird- Simon gets unkilled by law and is allowed to retire with Soap. They make a video explaining how they were fucking with people for entertainment and post it to the forum and everyone loses it lol.

[martiandmichelle]

Ya comfortable cause this is a kinda long post. . .

Some of you long-time followers may remember that I used to do a fair amount of prostitution. I cut way back on it several years ago after one bad experience and the growing success of Studio M. I did keep a (very) few of my favorite johns that I might see once or twice a year. One is a guy near my age (73) who lives alone on an isolated ranch in Texas. In the 11 years I've known him he's always been a gentleman with a great sense of humor. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately!) he has minimal control of his average-sized cock and cums quickly though only a couple times a day. In between those few orgasms of his he spends his time with me groping, sucking, and staring at my tits.

Soooo, anyway, it was during my last visit with him this past late winter, and while his was admiring his handiwork with my boobs, that he asked me about other tricks I had going. I try to be as honest as I can with someone who pays so much interest and cash on me, so I told him he was only one of 5 guys and 1 woman that I prostitute for. He wanted to hear more so I told him what little I could - not wanting to give away any secrets of my other clients. He began rolling my nipples between his fingers and masturbating them as they grew, lowering my resistance and increasing my breathing. He said he thought it would be really hot if I prostituted myself more often. The winter/spring "conference" of the southeastern US chapter of my global studio was coming up and he thought I should go and advertise my services. By this point my nipples were squirting milk all over the place and my cunt was gushing so how could I say no?!?

So, I went. He guessed at what I could charge new clients and I thought he was crazy while still begging him not to stop what he was doing to me tits. (I never have charged him more than I did that 1st time with him.) I took his suggestion and got management's wholehearted approval to go and show off and offer my services for what I thought was a ridiculous price. I made a bet with him that, at that exorbitant price, I wouldn't get over 10 clients.

So I staked my space at the "show" and opened up for business. Advertising my all natural T cup tits (that's before I grew to a U cup) and learning the next largest natural bust was an M cup, I thought maybe I had underestimated my traffic. What I did underestimate was my underestimation! After only one hour of opening, the organizers had to move me to their largest empty booth because of so many guests visiting me. My midday, they had moved me to my own room and at 5:00 pm they moved me again to my own ballroom - and even THAT was crowded!! (The photo above was from the conference as I accepted a sealed offer from a member.)

I simply could not believe there was that many men (and women!) who wanted to - and were willing to pay so handsomely - for time with me and my body! There were guys going together to have, threesomes, foursomes, fivesomes, and more "-somes" with me. There was no way I could say anything but "yes!" and "Thank you!" to them all.

If you would like to read more, just message or inbox me, or even just comment on this post. I'm not starting this service until after my mountain trip so my first "working visit" is on October 3rd of this year. 2025 is going to be wonderfully busy!

(But don't fret, I'll still be posting here lots!)

[lili0writes]

141 relationship headcanons

Note: This mostly features how you would get into the relationship in different situations but it also mentions how the characters in 141 would act or what they do in the relationship (sorry for not being active, I was taking a break I didn't know I was taking)

Warnings: mentions of PDA, military, possible injury, etc.

Ghost

If the two of you met on military grounds, let it be joining the 141, being sent to help them out on an occasion or them coming to aid you/your team, he would NOT be interested in forming a relationship with you.

Let it be friendship, partnership or anything on that list, he's not intrested.

If you do manage to become friends with him that's almost all that it would be.

After the shit Shepherd pulled you can bet your ass that he won't trust any unknown individual whether they work for the military or not. He isn't shy or scared to getting into relationships. He's just protecting himself and partially h141 with not being open to new people. Sure he isn't all that experienced in dating but, he isn't insecure about it.

But if you did meet on military grounds and are in a relationship, you got together way before 141 was formed. You might even work together in 141 if that was the case considering Price would know about you for sure. And in this case you could be married by the time 141 formed.

You would be the perfect match, let it be a battle field or a partnership. He would be protective of you, and wouldn't be afraid of PDA. You could defend yourself just fine without him aiding you, and he has been with you long enough to know that.

He wouldn't get jealous, he was protective but there is a difference between putting someone in their place and being jealous. He didn't need to be jealous either. People respected him enough to not make a move on you.

Soap

It wouldn't matter where the two of you met, once he set eyes on you, he would instantly start hitting on you. No questions asked.

If you met on campus that would be a plus point because he finds badass women VERY hot. He would probably conceal his flirting more due to the fact that you are in the military, but doesn't do much really.

The two of you would immediately hit it off, and you would make really good friends in no time.

Although you probably didn't get together immediately after you became friends, and you became a "more than friend" type of duo it couldn't take more than a couple of months to get together.

You probably didn't have all that many missions together, but the ones you did have together were good times to remember. (It was probably Price's doing because he didn't want Soap to distract you)

He wasn't worried about you getting hurt all that much, considering how you wouldn't need to be a high ranking solider to be able to handle yourself, but even he had his episodes.

Soap would totally get jealous over you. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't feared by the people around, considering his friendly personality and unique name. There would be times where he wouldn't interfere, because he knew you wouldn't do him wrong but he was still bitter about how people flirted with you.

Price

Much like Ghost, the captain would most likely not start a relationship with you if you met after the incident with Graves. Even if he had the hots for you, he would either not acknowledge it at all or be ridiculously polite about it. (Not like he isn't already)

You also would be long married by the time 141 has formed.

You would be in 141 no doubts for multiple reasons; you are good at your job, you are his wife and he wants to keep an eye on you, he wants to spend time with you and finally because you made a good match.

He wouldn't necessarily worry about you, but he made sure you would be okay no matter what happened. Make it punishing you by making you stay an extra week in the infirmary or not letting you go on the upcoming mission.

You would probably joke around with Gaz and Laswell throughout your missions, and oh boy were those interesting conversations. Gaz would probably flirt with you, not knowing you were married and if he didn't have the respect he has for the captain he would have gotten an earful that day.

John isn't jealous, not all that protective either. He lets you do your thing, but when it comes to your well being, he doesn't mess around. After all you do mean the world to him.

Gaz

Gaz would not be bothered by the situation you met in, considering he would get along with you the moment you started talking. You would make good friends pretty soon after meeting. Even is it wasn't in the military, he would easily make friends with you.

Even though you got along he wouldn't jump into dating, even if he was interested. If he did have a crush on you, all he would do is drop some flirty jokes when he was feeling cheeky.

It took a while for you to finally start dating. It wasn't rushed but you didn't drag the confession for too long.

You would likely be in the task force, or constantly helping them out on missions. You would be around Gaz most of the time regardless of what you were doing on the mission.

Although you would make a good pair in many situations, you mostly interfered when the situation got out of hand and they needed some backup.

He wasn't too protective nor was he the jealous type. He would joke about you being only his and how guys shouldn't look at you like you were a peace of meat but that's all it was. He knew very well that you could handle the situation you got into.

[harmlessghosty]

Hello 👋

I love video game theories and was interested on your views of the Touchstarved demo and what theories you might have on it :)

Oh my gosh, hi! ❤️

I am but a ditzy romance writer, not a lore keeper, but I have thoughts?? Apologies for how much is wrong or ridiculous because I don’t know all the current lore, and the wiki is so bare that I can hardly find anything confirmed by the devs. This is kind of just stream-of-consciousness!

Excuse my format because I don’t know how tumblr works lol

— Leander is a reference to oleander, which is a flower found basically everywhere and a fairly common, beautiful plant despite widely being considered poisonous. It gives me the idea that Leander is NOT someone to mess with and has lots of surface-level escapades (which is implied in canon) with people who find him physically beautiful but not necessarily beautiful on the inside. He also uses many underhanded, mysterious tactics to kill Soulless/Monsters/criminals, you name it. He’s everywhere, everyone knows him, everyone loves him, but he’s very dangerous under that beautiful exterior. Maybe he even kills some innocent people for the right price of big secrets. I bet he knows a LOT about Eridia’s people, so he’s viewed as trustworthy because what else can you do when he knows everything about everyone?

— Interestingly though! Leander’s main flower is the lily?? Lily is super poisonous to cats, which makes me think maybe there will be some sort of connection between Mhin’s stray cats and Leander being a danger to them (or possibly to Mhin themself).

— I feel like Leander gave himself that big scar. Maybe something went horribly wrong when he became a powerful mage. Maybe he went to Ais and the Seaspring even. It’s possible this is why their relationship is strained and they’re always trying to kill each other.

— Ais’ gang didn’t just go for a walk. They died or got turned into Soulless. Maybe after drinking from the Seaspring, after some amount of time, people turn into Soulless. It could be revealed that all the murdering of Soulless ends up being murdering of your fellow humans?? One really big secret.

— Mhin is a stereotypical “broken bird” trope. Super cynical and sarcastic. Went through major trauma and now they’re a hunter with a heart of gold. Not to mention their bird motif that a lot of people say is obvious?? I think that’s an interesting way to look at them.

— Also! “The vultures can smell death.” It gives Mhin the connection to the birds, that they’re turning into a vulture maybe?? Maybe they hate it as well because they’re drawn to stray cats as friends, and vultures go after smaller critters. They’re scared of hurting the only friends they have (including Kuras, who practically took them under his wing). Not to mention it’s a reference to them being able to smell death on the MC.

— Vere and Kuras were both in Eridia since the days it began, and they’ve butted heads for many, many years. Maybe Vere was cursed by Kuras into his current Monster form for having connections to the Senobium. Kuras thought it was funny to give Vere traits of a sneaky fox, maybe not even knowing that they would last forever OR because Vere did something awful to him. That may be the reason Kuras is repenting so much.

— This also can give credence to the idea of Vere saying (paraphrasing), “You’re not a human but not a Monster, like me,” to the MC. He was turned into a Monster rather than born one.

— The “Lloventian knot” Vere mentions, when you look it up, leads you to the “true lover’s knot,” which involves two overhand knots and some parallel ropes. Makes me think he’s got some big secret of a lover he’s lost, or maybe he was just teasing the MC with something that sounded sexual, but it seems odd to have a specific mention of something that may (or may not even??) exist.

— “Danger is drawn to you like a moth to flame,” from Vere. He absolutely can sense something “special” about the MC that, no matter what MC does, they’re in grave danger. Hence why the game description says that the ending can either be lovey-dovey or blood-icingly awful. I don’t know about having theories for this quote, but it feels so very important.

— There’s got to be a riff between Kuras and Mhin at some point for their opinions on the Senobium. I just feel it in my bones.

— Ais was the first to drink from the Seaspring, which is why he’s not technically one of the Groupminds. It also explains why he’s the leader of the gang, since he’s the most sound of mind, but I’m betting he’s scared of Ocudeus. He speaks in such short sentences most of the time because his brain is so muddled. I also find it interesting how the MC has only heard of the Groupminds but never seen one, given their assumed upbringing in a rougher environment. But that’s just kind of my opinion with no real basis in the demo.

— Sparrows symbolize a lot of things, like hope, bravery and friendship. I like to think that Ais picked the nickname for people who come to the Seaspring, because they’re all full of innocent hope that they can be cured. They also symbolize community, so anyone who drinks from the Seaspring is part of one big happy family!

Again, a lot of these could be counteracted by canon content from the devs, but I still think there are lots of fun things to explore about this game, even if I’m not right about a chunk of things. Just think of everything I said as an AU!

[misc-obeyme]

there's always a thousand ideas rattling around in my brain, and my notes app is getting filled with one line prompts for mostly art ideas but could also turn into mini fics

I'm still hung up on boxer mammon and I think. I will pick up my sketchbook today after going grocery shopping. Drawing faces is what's holding me back, and the idea that I wouldn't do the characters justice is what holds me back from writing (have not written since my wattpad days). The closet thing I have is dialogue blurbs in my notes app.

mammon is always on the brain SORRY. but like, thinking about merchant/jeweler mammon and a royal mc. And Mammon has ridiculous prices or excuses for why he can't sell (thinking about aziraphele from good omens and his book shop) but mc visits his stall every day (possibly in disguise?? or with a guard), and one day manages to trade a royal jewel for something in his collection (i am such a sucker for royalty in general and knights and AAA)

or thinking about Solomon and mc making potions together for the first time, and Solomon encouraging random things to be added just to see the end result (my mc is naturally curious and shares a single braincell when paired with solomon)

OR mc their first year in the devildom and possibly going to barbatos for advice on ingredients to use, what's human safe, and easy dishes to experiment on so they don't poison themselves. which makes me wonder how much human stuff is readily available and if mc can go grocery shopping in the human world with barbatos (domestic activities), or if they had to send him with a list (like when there was a retreat at the demon lords castle and everyone got to make dishes from their home)

sorry for getting carried away, this was the longest ask ever akdjdj, was just hoping to share some ideas and maybe some things that could bring back the creative spark AAA SORRY BYE LOVE YOU AND YOUR BLOG 🤣🫶

- ✨ anon

Please do not worry about ask length, ✨ anon! My responses tend to be lengthy too lol! So don't apologize because I love it!!

Augh, I totally get what you mean about the ideas... I am plagued by them all the time lol. It's finding the time to actually use them for anything that's usually the issue.

I hope you did do some drawing in your sketchbook! I can't speak to difficulties with art, but when it comes to writing, you can't let yourself worry about doing the characters justice.

I used to care a lot about how I characterized everybody. I was always so nervous about writing for Mammon in particular that I just didn't a lot of the time. But the truth is, every writer will characterize them differently. And your interpretation of them is just as valid as anyone else's! If it's less about that and more than you're concerned about your skill level, well, unfortunately there's no way around it. You gotta write to get better at writing! You can always start with characters you're not as concerned about if you want, but I find it's usually best to follow the inspiration! I believe in you!

Also don't worry, I love Mammon, so I don't mind hearing about him lol! And OKAY I looove Good Omens! I read the book a long time ago and then re-read it several times before the show came out. And then the fandom exploded!! But it's been amazing. Er anyway, getting off topic here, which is that I love the idea of jeweler/merchant Mammon who can't bear to part with his merchandise alksdfjf- I also love knights, I have a whole medieval AU brewing in my brain meats that I would write if I had any kind of time. Royal!MC showing up like I bet I have something you can't resist... I'll get you to trade me something from your wares!! I also like the idea of MC trading a kiss for something of his and he agrees because he's surprised to find that he's willing to give up his expensive object for a chance to kiss MC tee hee~

Solomon being a menace is something I'm always up for! I like the idea that he would encourage MC to do that, but also knows enough about the ingredients himself to know that the things he's suggesting aren't dangerous. Like he doesn't know what adding this herb will do, but he does know that it won't explode in MC's face lol. Though I also like the idea of Solomon and MC just being chaotic potion gremlins and adding anything and everything just to see what would happen. Like when MC is powerful enough and Solomon feels confident that MC won't get hurt, then they're both going all in.

I kinda think ingredients from other worlds are not readily available, since it seems like Simeon and Luke kinda go through this thing where they're trying to learn to cook with Devildom ingredients. Which means that Barbatos likely has a way of procuring those ingredients when he needs them. I absolutely love the idea of going human world shopping with Barb. I'm just gonna put that in my own personal headcanon. Whenever MC says in the game that they're gonna cook some human world food or at the retreat and everything, that also means a shopping trip with Barbatos. I wish I understood why I would want to do that so bad, but I really do. Imagine taking him to a human world grocery store. Like if he said to me that I should take him wherever I normally go, it's like okay lemme take you to Aldi and Walmart lol. But then I'd be like listen, if we can go anywhere though, we should really go to Costco and Trader Joe's. I never go to Costco because I don't have a membership. Because I am shopping only for myself and I don't need fifty pounds of anything lol. And there is no Trader Joe's in my town, the nearest one is over an hour away.

ANYWAY I love all your ideas!! I hope you find the motivation and confidence to pick up drawing and/or writing again! I have no doubt that whatever you create will be amazing!

[salternateunreality2]

What is the Training room on floor 49 used for, other than training? Do the idiots SOLDIERs use it to watch movies? Do they have dance competitions? "Set the target on fire without igniting the highly flammable materials arranged around the target" competitions? Do they put the "Do not disturb" sign and sleep there? Have they ever had a food fight there?

An excellent question.

Let's start off with the thing young, virile, testosterone-laden, active men would do with access to virtual reality on this scale: duck!

Aka training! Training to duck projectiles to avoid penetration! By projectiles!

Oh, you said other than training. Then fuck, they would definitely fuck. The VR club is a thing. The VR mile high club is a thing. The VR tenta- nevermind. Little do they know that SESSIONS CAN BE RECORDED.

Until someone figures it out and there's a whole new problem with exhibitionists BUT BACK TO BEING WHOLESOME...

Movies: Maybe. I'm on the fence about whether Shinra would let anything other than monopoly propaganda be written for his VR tech, unless the tech is done by someone else. I could see him doing limited releases for the rich and famous (for a price), in which case the goofballs professional fighters would definitely steal the films and put them into their training rooms. I could also see him not having enough imagination to let the arts near his tech for anything other than boring propaganda purposes, in which case no one would voluntarily sit through it more than once after being enrolled in SOLDIER.

Dance competitions: oh. Hell. Yes. In canon, Cloudzack mentions that dancing was part of SOLDIER training, so you bet your sweet butt they're having dance-offs in ridiculous simulated locations.

Target practice: most definitely, since that's what the rooms are actually for.

Sleepovers: spicy and non-spicy both. Sometimes Zack will set it to simulate Gongaga and sit in the jungle sniffling a little bit as he rocks himself to sleep because he is homesick AF. He's also brought his friends there to tour and talk about his home. Several other random SOLDIERs will too, but Zack's the one who does it the most.

Food fight: No, and if they did, they had Kunsel wipe the footage and Zack spent hours hand-scrubbing all the equipment. Not that it happened. Because it didn't. And if it HAD and Angeal wasn't there to cover for them afterwards, there would have been hell to pay, so they would be VERY BLESSED by Angeal finding them and not someone else.

That equipment is extremely expensive and it would be a miracle that cleanup duty and 4am drills were the only consequences. So really, if it HAD happened, which it DIDN'T, everyone would be advised to be VERY GRATEFUL if Angeal caught them.

Genesis fully admits to using it as a private reading room.

Sephiroth really likes going with Angeal, Genesis, or Zack to their hometown sims, even if it tears at his heart a little more every time. He loves seeing them so happy and desperately wants that for himself.

Sephiroth, after several years of getting to know Lazard and a lot of overthinking and help from Angeal and Kunsel, invites him on a picnic in there. To, uh, inspect the VR station. For science. Not romance that he read about in Zack's magazine.

Everyone sneaks their buddies/lovers in at some point, and only those who are good friends with Kunsel get away with it. Kunsel accepts payment in ~favors~ and pizza.

[hard-core-super-star]

i love the last one you post

so another one? why not

sugar baby kate bishop i hope this mean the young rich person and she love to spoil her loves one

-🧞‍♀️

i think if she's the one doing the spoiling, she's more of a sugar daddy than a sugar baby 😶 [i have some slightly nsfw headcanons to go along with this but i'll save those for another time, i kept this one nice and fluffy]:

i think it's basically canon that kate is a spoiled rich girl so it's really no surprise that she LOVES spending insane amounts of money on those she loves, especially you.

even before the two of you start dating, kate goes out of her way to buy things for you. she starts off simple: buying coffee for you in the mornings, coming over to your place with a ridiculously large pizza, paying you back on days you decide to uber to her apartment.

but kate isn't a simple person and before you know it, you're drowning in lavish gifts. [she at least has the decency to ask you to be her girlfriend first]

the thing about the archer is that she's highly observant despite the amount of things rushing around her brain. so, she notices all the things you're drawn to but can't buy for whatever reason. usually, it truly is money, other times you just forget. but kate doesn't.

that huge stuffed animal you saw at a ridiculously expensive store on fifth avenue? it's on the couch waiting for you the next morning.

those expensive boots you put down the second you saw the price tag? they magically appear in your closet a few days later.

the craziest thing to you is that kate never tells you, she just disappears to buy the things you like and wordlessly scatters them in your apartment. when you question her about it, she merely shrugs, muttering something about how it's not a big deal, she does it because she loves you and she doesn't need anything in return.

the only exception to the 'not making it a big deal' rule she set in place is jewelry. more specifically, arrow related jewelry. they're tokens of her commitment to you so you bet your butt she makes a big deal about them because she's (not-so) secretly a mushy sweetheart.

and needless to say, you return all her loving gifts the best way you know how: with an insane amount of kisses, kisses that are worth more to her than all the money in her bank account.

[zutraeumen]

The First Course

Adele stared at the small plate before her while the others dug in, she expected a serving of salad, and not this... this, what was that again? Something with cucumber?

Ah well, she wasn't supposed to be here for the food anyways but a small bite did seem tantalizing. It wasn't every day that you'd end up at a super-exclusive island restaurant where one evening cost about as much as a Rolex.

The sheer ridiculousness of the price!

Grabbing a fork, she carefully picked at her food, the heavy curtain of her raven hair falling in around her head, perhaps Madam Elsa would stop pinning her with icy stares for once in a while and focus on the other guests. If her hearing didn't fail her with old age, then somebody was snapping photos.

Bet you a hundred bucks it was Tyler.

Guess what, she was on point, and oh, the withering gaze Madam Elsa silently sent his way was delicious as it deserved to be. That kid should really have some basic understanding of respect for a chef's work.

The Sommelier was also someone she needed to be on the lookout for, constantly prowling behind the guests' backs to refill their wine, his smile was as fake as the candy man from her hometown neighbourhood. 

Nevertheless, she averted her attention from those two and tuned in to the conversations going on around her. 

The food critic Lillian Bloom and her editor Ted were already busy nitpicking every goddamn thing without having gotten through the very first thing on the plate! It was a different kind of torture hearing him agree to her every opinion, stupid pick-me boy. 

The movie star George and his assistant Felicity were going through a divorce here of all places, nice of them to discuss it so openly. 

The finance bros were the worst though, talking about their relationships outside of work and how they failed because they couldn't just give a flying fuck about anything else than making money. They even made a toast on it!

The Liebrandt couple was pleasantly quiet in comparison, but she guessed Tyler made up for that. Speaking of him, he seemed to be going through some spiritual journey from tasting alone.

The fiery redhead, bless that woman, seemed to be the only one not swallowing all that bullshit. If things went sour, she would be Adele's first choice of ally. The Chef seemed to also have a merit of interest for her, so she could use that to her advantage.   

Ugh, somebody shoot her out of this place.

A clap made her jerk in her seat, sounding thunderous against the soft chatter of the room that immediately got everyone's attention. Adele turned slowly to witness what was about to happen.

"Good evening." 

The Chef greeted them with a tight upturn of lips, swerving his gaze at his customers with unexpressive eyes.

"Welcome to Hawthorne. I am Julian Slowik and tonight will be our pleasure to feed you."

The diners applauded. Adele scrunched her face and played along. Lillian and Ted exchanged proud, possessive looks. 

His voice was rich and his ramrod-straight posture commanding, demanding absolute silence from the audience that were his customers, "For the next few hours you will ingest fat, salt, sugar, protein, bacteria, fungi, various plants and animals and at times entire ecosystems but... I have to beg of you one thing, it's just one... do not eat."

"Is he serious?" 

Adele scowled at George for interrupting, but the chef merely continued with a pointed raise of his brow that silenced the actor promptly. 

Smoothly, her eyes glided over to her client who held quite the unusual expression of reserved surprise on her face as if it was the first time the Chef had given such a... encapsulating speech. Her husband was very much the same, cross-armed with one good eye suspiciously narrowed at the Chef.

Something was different this time, if the regulars were raising eyebrows, or maybe she was just reading too much into it. 

"Taste. Savour. Relish. Consider every morsel that you place inside your mouth. Be mindful, but do not eat. Our menu is too precious for that. And look around you, here we are, on this island. Accept... accept all of it and... forgive... and on that note: FOOD!"

With a large smile that the assassin was supposed to be friendly enough to fool most, the Chef took a step back to allow his sous-chefs to march onwards in perfect formation, once again in pairs. This was either very well choreographed or...

Adele used the commotion to observe the Chef in the meantime as he assumed a neutral position. The customers were excited but Adele remained very much on edge. It would be impertinent not to forget that there had been an attempt at her life just about, let's check the watch, roughly two hours ago. 

The man in question was about the same height as Adele, mind you for a woman, the assassin was among the very few unconventionally tall, standing at around 5'10". He oozed the confidence and authority of a chef who would not be questioned in his own kitchen regardless of the person who asked, and possessed a gathering of incredibly loyal people. Not much could be read from his visage alone, even though his way of speaking was full of small gesticulations, but from experience, Adele knew there was something dark underneath his eloquent words and polite smiles.

A wolf that entertained the sheep before the slaughter. 

Humans were known for having a sixth sense when it came to being stared at, and it was proven to Adele when he suddenly, for the first time, locked eyes with her and the question of her killer was answered - it was him; he wanted her dead by nightfall.

"Our first course is called 'The Island'. On your plate are plants around the island placed on rocks from the shore, covered in barely frozen filtered seawater, which will flavour the dish as it melts."

Her plate arrived just in time for her to have a reason to look away in a gorgeous, slow-motion CU product shot. Perfectly curated bits of flora and jewels of scallop meat rest artfully atop a smooth, icy rock.

Adele was as thankful as a beggar until she realized there were more rocks on that plate than edible food.

Ah, the unnecessary intricacies of fine dining: ridiculous preparations with ridiculous intellectual speeches times evil chef equalled no food.

Well, the math was clear, there would be no proper food for her at this esteemed establishment. At least none that would be enough to satisfy her hunger. And she was a relatively unfussy eater. You could throw basically anything down her throat if it wasn't anything too spicy, or had olives, or mushrooms...

Tyler in the meantime, held his phone just so and snapped a shot of his plate. Elsa clocked it. Simmering with rage. Someone get the lady butler a shot of vodka before she gutted that inconsiderate boy.

O-oh, the food critic put on some glasses, did she think it would make all the bullshit from her mouth sound more reasonable? George was spectacularly failing at grasping the basic vocabulary to describe taste and she couldn't begrudge Felicity for deciding to leave him, how did this man become a movie star was simply beyond her. It must be quite frustrating to work with such an unoriginal person.

The finance bros were so openly discussing how they showed no real interest in Slowik's food that Adele could see a small vein pop out on Madam Elsa's forehead if one looked closer, knowing that she was also listening to these kids disrespecting their Chef at his own restaurant, eating his own food - unbelievable.

The Liebrandts were discussing something but she couldn't properly hear it because she sat at the opposite side of the room, though it seemed to hardly matter as they didn't meet the eyes of the other, talk about a lovely evening. 

Tyler was blissfully silent but it did help her put things into perspective. 

Each of these guests was not here to eat the food exclusively prepared for them, but for the sole purpose of furthering their own agendas. 

Lillian and Ted were here to suck the pleasure out of cooking by using it to advance their careers. Hunting for the next scoop by inventing new words, finding minor faults and reading into everything the Chef did. 

George and Felicity used this experience to help the movie star transition to a new phase in his career as a TV presenter of a washed-up cooking show.

The finance trio were there simply for the prestige of having been there as if it would bring them extra points to their status. Embezzling money into their own pockets instead of supporting Slowik and his staff - the ones who were actually producing value.

The Liebrandts were here because they could, not eat the food. Probably to maintain their status as elites.

And Tyler, well, he might just be the Chef's biggest fanboy in the whole world. And not the healthy kind. It bordered on fanatical obsession. Using Slowik's fame to uphold his identity as a man of wealth and taste who supposedly knew everything about fine dining.

Man, to be honest, the food sucked up until now... but the customers sucked as well.

And with the Chef looking at Margot's untouched plate the Chef strode to the back of the kitchen, "I want plating in five!"

Nobody expected the collective 'Yes, Chef!' from the staff as they prepared the next course.

[us2dinosaurplanet]

Sonic’s Return-Third Part

At that time, Misty was still getting acquainted with our new friends. Misty: “(Laugh) Wow! Your friend is so adorable, Fox. And she’s so polite. I bet your parents have raised you well, right, Cream?” Cream: “That’s right. I never forget my manners.” Amy: “So, Fox, how long have you and Misty known each other?” Me: “Well, we’ve known each other for about 8 years or so.” Cream: “How did you and Miss Misty become good friends, Mr. Fox?” Me: “Well, it all started when I was 4. My father died a few years ago and…Sonic, are you OK?”

I noticed Sonic looking up towards the sky for some reason. Sonic: “I…I’m probably seeing things. For a moment, I thought I saw Eggman.” Me: “Come again?” Sonic: “Remember the egg-bellied slow-mo that tried to take over our home world?” Me: “You mean Robotnik? Heh! Man, I can’t believe that egg-shaped body of his actually gave him a stupid nickname.” Amy: “Sonic, quit interrupting Fox. He was just starting his story. Please continue, Fox.” Me: “OK. Now, where was I? Oh, right! So, anyway, my father died a few years ago and I was still upset about it until my met my very 1st friend who helped ease the pain of my father’s death until…”

Just then, I heard a somewhat familiar laugh from above. I looked up and what do you know; I saw Dr. Eggman floating down in his hover cargo. Eggman: “(Laugh) Fox McCloud, long time no see.” Me: “Eggman!”

He stepped out of his hover cargo and Amy stepped in between him and me. Amy: “Stop! Don’t you dare come any closer to Fox! Stay away from him!” Eggman: “Now, Amy, let’s not be so hasty. Can’t I say hello to an old friend?” Amy: “Ha! Yeah, right! You’re lying! You just want to capture him and do some horrible things to him! Well, Knuckles may have fallen for a thousand tricks like that but I ain’t that gullible and I ain’t moving for anyone, not ever for…” Me: “Amy, it’s OK. I can take care of this myself.” Amy: “But Fox, do you even know who you’re dealing with?” Me: “Uh, yeah, I’m pretty sure I know whom I’m against. Now, could you just move.” Amy: “Oh… alright, but if he does anything, I won’t hesitate foe 1 minute.”

Amy stepped out of the way as Eggman stepped closer towards me. Cream: “Please, be careful, Mr. Fox.” Me: “So, Eggman, has it really been that long since we last met?” Eggman: “It appears so. I can tell that you have changed a lot since our encounter.” Me: “I know what you mean, and you’re still as fat and ugly as I recall.” Eggman: “Still haven’t let go of that sense of humor of yours, yet, have you?” Me: “It’s a gift. So, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about your new nickname that relates to egg-bellied slow-mo. Who knew that you would receive such a ridiculous name? Not me, but I’m not surprised; it’s written all over your giant gut!”

I started to crack up as well as the others around me. Even Sonic found it just as amusing as I did. However, not everyone thought that my joke is funny. Eggman: “How dare you! No one makes fun of the infamous Dr. Eggman.” Me:” Too late, Doc! Oh, I haven’t forgotten about that ludicrous face of yours. It makes you so ugly, you make blind people sick.”

Everyone began laughing again. Eggman was steamed. Eggman: “You insolent fool! No one makes fun of the Dr. Eggman and gets away with it!” Sonic: “Get real, Eggman. I have gotten away with making fun of you many times.” Eggman: “Ah, but I assure you this time will be different. This time you will all pay the ultimate price. I promise that once I’m through with all of you, you’ll never again make fun of the Dr. Eggman, the world’s greatest scientist. (Laugh)” Me: “World’s most complex moron sounds more suited for you.”

Everyone laughed again. This made Eggman even angrier. Eggman: “Let’s see how you like it when I unleash my robot army on all of you. Get them!”

Then from out of nowhere, all of Eggman’s robots came charging towards us. Sonic and friends did everything they could to fight back but they were overpowered and outnumbered almost immediately. I, on the other hand, wasn’t worried at all. Me: “Oh, please.”

I pulled out my staff and unleashed my ground quake attack. I took all those robots out one by one. Then I pointed my staff directly at him. Me: “Come on, Eggman. Give it up already. I have more fun watching paint dry than fighting your useless robots.” Eggman: “Oh, but it’s only begun. That new weapon of yours won’t be able to help you because I have the one thing you truly desire.”

Then Eggman relieved that he had concealed Misty and Knuckles in a large capsule. I couldn’t believe it. Eggman had captured the one true love of my life. She had a look of despair in her eyes as she held Knuckles close to her. Misty: “Fox, help.” Amy: “Oh, no, Eggman must have pulled another fast one on Knuckles. Fox, you have to save them!”

Then more of Eggman’s robot came charging in. Eggman: “(Laugh) Not so high and mighty now, huh, Fox? Now that I have your precious girlfriend. So, I suggest you surrender to me before things get ugly.”

At that moment, I was spellbound, so much so that I didn’t even noticed one of robots flying in. It grabbed my staff and flew off as Cheese chased after it. Me: “My staff!” Cream: “Cheese, come back!” Eggman: “Excellent. With you precious staff out of your hands and your precious girlfriend in my possession, you can’t stop me. And there’s nothing else you can do but surrender.”

What can I say? He’s was right. I had no other choice. Amy: “Fox, don’t give up, I know you’ll find another way to defeat Dr. Eggman, right?” Me: “I’m sorry, Amy. He has me cornered. There’s nothing I can do.”

[laurenairay]

1 - “You know I’m literally obsessed with you.” – JT Compher

821 words

My original post of this got eaten by tumblr so my apologies @xsyntheticsensation​ ! I hope you enjoy this one for our fav ginger grumpy cat! I had a lot of fun making the little extra surprise at the end.

*

“I hate people.”

“Hello to you too,” JT mused, lifting his head to look at you from where he was sitting on the sofa.

You groaned, leaning down to kiss your boyfriend in greeting, smiling softly at the laughter he was trying to hold in. “Sorry, it’s not been the best day.”

“What’s wrong?” he asked, frowning.

Where to start!

“First of all, the queue for coffee this morning was ridiculous and I was nearly late for work. Then we had two meetings which could’ve been emails for sure and a third meeting which ran on way too long. And then, the project I’m working on has been scrapped because the Sales guy didn’t communicate properly with the client and now the client wants something completely different, so all that work I’ve put in this week was for nothing!”

“And…” he prompted.

“Internet girls thirsting over you on the Avs social media posts?” you added, smiling wryly.

“Really?” he said, frowning.

“Oh come on, JT, you know how hot you are. And women on the internet agree with me,” you groaned, sinking down into the sofa cushion next to me.

“Um, not to be that guy, but it kind of comes with the territory? And it’s been like this since we started dating 6 months ago – why is it annoying you now?”

If it was any other guy, you’d be rolling your eyes at the ego, but that just wasn’t JT. This wasn’t him being cocky or arrogant, and you both knew that. That doesn’t mean it made things any better though.

“It’s always annoyed me, babe, I’m just extra annoyed about it today. We’ve been official nearly 6 months and I have a key to your apartment now and all these girls think you’re single, which fine, we don’t post our relationship everywhere because bleurgh who needs the drama. Things like this just get to me though, enough that when I went to lunch with some of the girls, they noticed that I wasn’t happy and we started diving into it,” you rambled.

“Oh shit here we go,” he laughed, wincing a little at the thought of your friends’ reactions.

“Don’t get me wrong, I like that we have things that are just us – it makes them special. But the girls were just like woah those are some thirsty random girls and I bet his DMs are full of titty pics and bad flirting,” you groaned, JT’s grimace confirming what you’d said, “And then some of the girls were like, you’re not even on his socials so of course they think he’s single, which is true but really not the point, and-”

“So why don’t we make a stupid insta post then?” he said, interrupting.

“What?” you asked, confused.

“You’re fed up with the flirting and the speculation. I want everyone to know that I’m the luckiest guy alive. This is a win-win situation,” JT said simply.

“Really? You’d want to do that? You hate sappy insta posts,” you said, raising an eyebrow.

“I might hate those cheesy posts couples do but I love you. You know I’m literally obsessed with you,” JT shrugged, smiling softly.

You felt your cheeks rush with heat at his sweet words, butterflies filling your stomach. For someone who was usually so reserved with his declarations of feelings, he sure could pick his moments.

“JT Compher you are the biggest simp,” you giggled.

JT’s soft smile turned into a wide grin, making you laugh as he shrugged again.

“Guilty as charged,” he said simply.

“You know we don’t have to, right? I don’t want you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with just for me. I know all those girls on the internet and in the bars don’t mean anything to you – I trust you,” you said seriously.

It was one thing for him to want to make you feel more secure, but if it came at the price of him feeling uneasy? No way. But he just shook his head, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to your lips.

“Baby, I want to show you off to the world. I want everyone to know that you’re mine,” JT said, smiling sweetly, “You’re not the only one who gets jealous and annoyed with all the people who hit on you.”

Well when he put it like that…

“Looks like we’re going public then babe,” you grinned.

JT grinned back at you and pulled his phone out of his jeans pocket, immediately starting to scroll.

“Leave this with me. I have an idea,” he said happily.

On a normal day, you’d be concerned that your usually-grumpy was so enthusiastic about putting together an Instagram post – but for this sweetness you were willing to let the strangeness slide. If he was this excited about putting up a public post to shout out about your relationship to the world (finally) then who were you to dim that sunshine?

[greyghoulclub]

All I ever wanted, all I ever needed - Mungrove Week prompt 4

Written for @mungroveweek

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46446061

nsfw, minors dni.

At Billie’s insistence, they were taking the Camaro to San Diego. She had said something about Eddie’s van being a ‘hunk of junk’ that would probably take them 3 years to get there. 

“There’s hardly any room for anything!” Eddie had complained when she was shoving her duffel bag into the back seat alongside Billie’s. 

“Edith,” Billie warned when Eddie flopped into the passenger seat and put her feet up on the dash. Billie knew she was a bit ridiculous about keeping her car clean and as much as she loved her girlfriend she also didn’t want muddy footprints on her dash. It was hard enough to get Max to stop doing that. 

Time for the ultimatum, “I’ll let you pick the music if you keep your feet off of the dash.”

That got Eddie’s attention. Her feet immediately fell from the dash and she was rummaging through the glove box for cassette tapes. Billie got in the car and started the engine while Eddie cranked up the volume on Black Sabbath’s Iron Man. Billie looked over in adoration while Eddie did some air guitar along to it. 

They pulled out of the trailer park and set onto the I-40 to San Diego. 

******

They were going at a smooth 65mph on the highway. Billie had opened the windows to let some air in, this summer had been a humid and sticky one in Indiana. Although Billie was from California, the summers there had been spent at the beach where you could easily cool down by jumping into the ocean. In Indiana though, not much luck. 

Eddie had her head outside the window, long brown hair blowing in the wind. Billie could see the dusting of freckles on her nose, god, she found that so cute. If she didn’t have to focus on the road she’d be happy just watching Eddie. 

The speakers in the Camaro were playing as loud as they could, Dave Gahan singing about everything he ever needed being in his arms. This was her’s and Eddie’s song, they had danced to it after their first date. It was sappy to admit but Eddie was everything Billie had ever needed, she made her laugh, she was kind, and great in the sack but don’t tell Eddie that Billie had said that. 

Eddie was singing along in that gorgeous, little bit husky voice of hers. Billie could listen to it all day long. 

“All I ever wanted, all I ever needed, is here in my arms. Words are very unnecessary. They can only do harm,” she then mimicked the drum hits with her fingers.  Billie smiled to herself, her girlfriend was an absolute dork and she loved her so much. Billie didn’t notice that Eddie was looking at her too.  

*****

They were somewhere in Missouri when Eddie was starting to get antsy. She was fidgeting in her seat and tapping her fingers on her thighs. Billie decided to pull over at a turnout so they could both stretch their legs. Being Missouri, the spot they stopped at was a whole load of nothing but Eddie was grateful regardless. 

“Man, I bet someone heard my knees crack in like fucking Texas!” Eddie laughed as she kicked her legs about for a couple of seconds. Billie lit a cigarette and took a drag, almost groaning at her first chance to have a smoke in at least 5 hours. 

“You gonna share that, gorgeous?” Eddie was right in front of her, close enough that Billie could see the small flecks of amber in her dark eyes. Billie leaned in and pressed her lips to Eddie’s, passing along the drag of smoke she had in her lungs. She pulled back and watched Eddie blow a couple of smoke rings. 

“When’d you learn to do that?” Billie raised an eyebrow, batting her eyelashes at Eddie. 

“A magician never reveals her secrets,” Eddie said with a wink. 

****

They were just outside Fort Worth when they decided to stop for the night. They stopped by a gas station to fuel up for the morning and also to grab more smokes and drinks. Billie sent Eddie in with 20 dollars while she stood at the gas pump. She watched the price raise with each tick of the pump. When she was finished and entered the gas station to pay, she was met with the sight of the gas station employee trying to hit on Eddie. Badly. 

“So uh, you’re not from here uh,” the guy stuttered through his pick-up line. It was kind of endearing in a way. 

Eddie chuckled, “Yeah I’m not, but I just wanna pay for the beer and smokes.” It was letting him down gently, and he seemed a little put out but took it in his stride and completed the transaction. Eddie took her stuff and winked at Billie before she went back to the car. 

Gas station guy got a second wind once he saw Billie. So she put on what Eddie called her “maneater smile” and went to the counter. The guy puffed up his chest and tried to push the hair out of his eyes. 

“Hey, can I pay for the gas on pump three?” Billie tapped a nail on the counter while the guy fumbled with the till for a bit. 

“T-that’ll be 50 dollars and 23 cents. And your number.”

Show time.

“Ok buddy, I’ll humour you.” Billie leaned onto the counter with her elbows, she was not above using her assets, shall we say. “You seem like a nice guy, but I’m afraid that I appreciate the female form more.” she slapped 51 dollars onto the counter and started to walk away. “Keep the change,” she called over her shoulder. 

Eddie was waiting for her outside. “I heard that,” she laughed. 

Billie rolled her eyes, of course Eddie couldn’t help but eavesdrop. 

“It was super hot though, Can’t wait for you to boss me around like that.” Eddie shoulder bumped Billie and walked to the car. Billie couldn’t help but short-circuit for a second. She would love that. She needed to find a motel STAT.

They found a motel on the outskirts of the city, it was a small place but they’d only be staying the night. 

As soon as the door was closed, Eddie pushed Billie against it and started kissing her like their life depended on it. Billie’s lipstick was getting smeared but she didn’t care, she just wanted Eddie NOW. She groaned when Eddie cupped one of her boobs and gave a slight squeeze. 

“Nuh, Eddie…” Eddie was now slipping a hand into her jeans, fingers teasing at her clit. “C’mon, bed- ah…” Eddie was sucking a hickey onto where her neck joined her shoulder. Billie ground her hips into hand, her thighs felt tighter as the pleasure grew. 

“You gonna come?” Eddie whispered huskily into her ear. Not yet, Billie thought as she snaked her hands between their bodies and shoved Eddie backwards a bit. “You’re gonna have to work for it Munson,” she said in a dark, sultry tone. They both made quick work of their clothes, leaving only their underwear on. Billie loved how Eddie’s pale skin contrasted with the black ink of her tattoos. 

“God, Bills you look so good in the red set,” Eddie lay back on the bed, spreading her legs, “Makes me so wet,” she allowed Billie to straddle her, and to grab at her boobs, rolling her thumbs arcross the nipple. Eddie whimpered, especially when Billie took off her bra and sucked at one of them. 

Billie shuffled her hips back a bit, grinding her wet cunt against Eddie’s. Both girls groaned at the stimulation. Billie stopped sucking at Eddie’s nipple to latch on to the side of her neck, kissing and leaving red kiss marks in her wake. Eddie keened at it, and whined a little when Billie pulled away. 

“Now everyone knows you’re mine,” Billie surveyed her handiwork. Eddie’s chest was heaving and she had a rouge dusting over her cheeks and ears. She looked like a work of art with her dark hair fanning out behind her head. An artwork that only Billie got to see. She then rolled off of the other girl and tugged down her panties, “show me what that mouth can do huh?”

Eddie didn’t need to be told twice, Billie’s toes curled at the feeling of a warm tongue lapping at her entrance, Eddie lifted Billie’s hips a little for easier access and Billie slapped a hand over her mouth for fear of shouting when Eddie poked her tongue inside her a little. 

“Ohmygod Edddieeeee,” Billie groaned and squeezed her thighs around Eddie’s head. If Eddie kept going like this, she wasn’t going to last. She tangled her fingers into Eddie’s hair and pressed Eddie’s mouth against her when the other girl started to suck at her clit. Oh god, she was so close.

“I’m gonna… Eddie!” Billie’s back arched and her gut seized. Her orgasm crashing into her like a wave. Her thighs shook, and she felt like she had run a marathon when she came down from the high. “Oh my god Eds, that was so good,” Billie pulled down Eddie for a kiss, tasting her own come on Eddie’s lips. 

Eddie laughed and touched her forehead to Billie’s, “you make such cute noises when I eat you out.” Billie blushed at being called cute and rolled them both over so she was on top again. 

“What are you going to do to me now?” Eddie said it like it was challenge, knowing that it would rile Billie up a bit. And it worked.

Billie pulled Eddie’s panties down with her teeth and grinned sharklike up at Eddie. Eddie squeaked when Billie spread some lube at her entrance. 

“Shit! That’s cold!” They both laughed at this, Billie giggling that Eddie was such a goob. “But I’m your goob right?” Eddie retorted. Billie kissed the inside of Eddie’s thigh and gently eased a finger into her. Eddie sighed and arched her back a little when Billie found her g-spot. Billie massaged the spot until Eddie was begging for more, she pulled her finger out and laid herself on top of Eddie. 

“And why should I do that?” Billie teased her fingers at Eddie’s clit, just enough that Eddie could feel something but it wasn’t enough that it was be pleasurable. Eddie whined and bucked her hips, trying to get more stimulation but Billie moved her finger away when Eddie moved. 

Eddie couldn’t really talk apart from frustrated whines, she trailed her hand down Billie’s back and grabbed her ass to push their hips together. The room filled with the sounds of slick flesh meeting and their groans and whimpers. 

“Ah, Eddie! Ah!” Billie could feel the tightness in the pit of her stomach again, she was getting close again with Eddie’s grinding. Eddie moved them both so they were sitting, she reached a hand in between them to rub at Billie’s clit again, Billie whined and pressed herself against Eddie, grinding with more urgency. 

Eddie was repeating, “Billie, Billie, Billie,” under her breath, stuttering as she got closer and closer. They held each other close as they both came, both breathing heavily as they went through the waves of pleasure. They both lay down on the bed, blissed out. 

To each other, they were everything they ever wanted, everything they ever needed.

[usedpidemo]

Do you think K-pop concert ticket prices are too expensive now? What do you think should be the threshold, and what can be done to give all fans, whether casual or diehard, a great experience?

I could go on an entire rant/tangent on what I think concerts as a whole should be like, but it would be the length of a regular fic, so I'll spare you every issue and thought I have about them. I've only been to one concert in my whole life, so I don't have the experience or depth that other concertgoers have, but let's just say the streaming and COVID economy fucked up everything.

Prices: I believe the terrible royalties from streaming, as well as the increased demand for live shows in general has caused these ticket prices to skyrocket. Like you can't just buy a ticket for a decent seat for less than $70 now, that shit only gives you nosebleed seats. Not to mention the deliberate collusion of scalpers by ticketing sites. Those resale tickets and third parties directly cooperate with Ticketmaster so they can punch a bit more money from consumers. And don't even get me started with Dynamic Pricing and those terrible service fees. I'm fortunate enough to live in a country where such things don't exist, but with HYBE openly expressing their intention to enable dynamic pricing and finding alternatives in places where it's not available, you can bet they'll find a way to punch up the prices too.

I understand why they charge this much. Fans will go out to see their favorite artist, regardless of how much they complain about it. FOMO. You don't know if they'll come back to your country or city, or when. Not to mention, the typical K-pop concert is a much grander production than, say, your average pop star. You got backup dancers, large stages, numerous costume changes, sometimes a live band, and of course, multiple members with dozens of staff managing a group. Concerts are the biggest revenue/income drive now for a majority of artists because of how music is distributed today, so they have to break even. Doing world tours are costly; consider the VISA and other costs on a country-to-country basis. No wonder they'd rather tour the US and Japan only to save a few thousand dollars.

It's difficult to gauge the threshold because popularity and demand is fickle, especially in K-pop. However, if there has to be a limit, I personally would stop at around $1000-sub range. There's not a damn singer or artist on planet earth, dead or alive, that's worth over a $1000 ticket. Even MJ. The economy isn't looking good, inflation keeps jumping year by year, and concerts have become basically rich people havens too.

Personally, I do think it'll eventually die out. There's a touring oversaturation right now that it dries people out and we have to pick and choose who we want to attend.

There's a few things I really want to see happen in the future, ideally:

• Rookies shouldn't be pricier than their seniors. I don't care if its NewJeans, IVE, or Le sserafim, they really shouldn't be more expensive than say, a 3-4 year old group. It's ridiculous how NMIXX and IVE were more expensive than The Boyz or ATEEZ.

• Announcing ticket sale literally right after the tour announcement. This is something I absolutely hate. Why are you selling tickets for a show six-eight months away like two weeks after announcing it? Fucking insane! It gives us little to no prep time to gather up resources and plan accordingly. Also, what if something happens that causes a concert to be canceled or delayed? It'll be much harder for us to get refunds back, which is exactly why they pull this shit off. Normalize selling tickets at most two months-a month before the show.

• Make the ticket prices worth it. This is my biggest gripe with concerts, more than the prices: that you're basically paying for the seats and nothing else. I'm not gonna lie, I likely wouldn't have gone out to my one and only concert if I wasn't guaranteed anything else besides a nice seat. Pre-pandemic, the price of the ticket I bought would have given me a group/solo pic with the group and some other cool perks like maybe signed merch. Now? Most concerts give you the show and nothing more. You have to justify paying that hefty tag beyond just a close view of your favorite artist. I remember when pop stars like Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and The Weeknd had photo-ops before the show for those VIP tivkets. COVID ruined all of that. It's such a damn shame, because at best, you're getting soundcheck, which I'm not fond of, in my opinion. It forces people to bait for interactions and not enjoy themselves during the show cuz they aren't guaranteed artist engagement (though this won't really change anything if we're being real lol). I personally would be a lot more comfortable and have a greater time if I knew I could greet them before or after the show instead of trying too hard to get their attention.

[aeoki]

High and Low: At World’s End - Chapter 7

Location: Australian Town Characters: Tomoya. Hinata. Mitsuru & NEGI

Season: Autumn Writer: Akira

TL Note:

The Japanese language has a system of honorific speech to show respect to elders or people you are not familiar with. It's generally considered rude to not use honorific speech when speaking to the aforementioned people. (Hence, NEGI's reaction to Tomoya.)

Hammering down the nail that sticks out - This is a Japanese proverb used to describe conformity meaning those who are different will be forcefully coerced to conform with the community.

< The next morning, near a cheap hotel in the most northern part of Australia. >

NEGI: “I’ve got more or less a gist of the situation.”

“In other words, we’ve got to cross the entire country somehow, right?”

Mitsuru: Yeah! We’ve gotta go zoooom from the top to the bottom! And in the end, all we gotta do is get to the town in the south where Hajime-chan is~!

NEGI: “Easier said than done, you know… That’s gonna be incredibly difficult. Do you know just how big Australia is?”

Tomoya: Yeah… I really think this is a ridiculous plan.

But even if we gave up halfway, we don’t even know if there will be people to come save us.

It seems this project has a lot of stuff hidden from us, so in the worse case, they might just leave us to die in the wild if we whine and make a fuss.

That’s why we have to somehow reach “ES II”, where Hajime is supposed to be, on our own.

All while filming the TV show – “High and Low” – perfectly, so that they can’t complain about us afterwards.

NEGI: “You should be using honorifics[1] with me.”

Tomoya: Huh…?

NEGI: “Just so you know, I am older than you.”

Tomoya: Oh, I see. Sorry. But Kurone told me I didn’t have to use it.

NEGI: “Hmm. Well, that’s okay then. Japanese customs like honorific speech is a bit annoying and I bet I’m simply ‘Hitsugi Kurone’ in all of your eyes, anyway.”

“You can treat me like how you’d treat my little brother.”

Tomoya: I see. That’ll be great then. But, umm, NEGI…-senpai? You are a girl so I don’t think it’s right for us to treat you the same way we would treat Kurone.

NEGI: “You don’t have to worry about that. I’m used to it already. If anything, it’ll just be annoying if you go out of your way to do stuff for me.”

“Anyway, I’ll be your driver, just as Anzu asked me to. I’d like it if you can essentially ignore my existence.”

“When I’m fronting the entire time, it affects my brother’s mental state badly… It can’t be helped, though. Doesn’t look like there’s anyone else who can drive.”

Mitsuru: Ahaha! Anzu Nee-chan regrets not getting her driver’s licence because of the pickle we’re in right now!

NEGI: “There’s no use crying over split milk. It might be better for you guys to get your licence when you’re of age.” 

“It’ll open a lot of new work doors for you. And it seems the easiest ID to use in Japan is a driver’s licence. A bit weird if you ask me.”

“It thinks it’s racially homogeneous and no one has to prove anything to be friends and get along with each other.”

“There weren’t any issues when everyone assumed they’re all the same people and work that way.”

“I think it’s about time it realises reality isn’t like that.”

Mitsuru: Uhh? Are we being yelled at? Sorry!

NEGI: “...There’s no point in saying this to you guys.”

“Actually, if possible, I’d like kids like you guys to open their eyes, though. Try to get away from the adult’s brainwashing.”

“Well, whatever. I’ve talked too much and now I’m tired… I’ll go hire a random car from the rental shop, so wait here.”

Mitsuru: Okay! Thanks, Hitsugi-chan! Pick a cool one, okay?

NEGI: “I’m not Hitsugi and sorry to break it to you, but I’m going to pick one based on its price. We’ve gotta save as much money as we can, right?”

“I’m off so see you later. Be good boys, okay?”

Tomoya: Ah, okay! Thank you! Be careful, NEGI-senpai!

Mitsuru: …Negi? What’s that? A nickname?

Tomoya: You’re really something, Mitsuru. There was something clearly weird about Kurone’s speech and behaviour but you just talked to them like normal.

I didn’t really hesitate because I knew that they were a bit “weird” from the Sports Festival.

But it was your first time talking to the older sister – NEGI-senpai, right?

Mitsuru: Sister? Uh, Hitsugi-chan’s Hitsugi-chan, y’know~?

They were a bit mature and talked like a girl, though? I thought maybe that’s what they were in the mood for! It’s morning so maybe they were sleepy!

Besides, it looks like I’m the only one who’s brought their determined selves along.

I’m always 100% Mitsuru Tenma. But everyone else tends to change depending on their mood for the day. Even you, Tomoya-chan, y’know?

I’m me every day but since everyone changes the way they talk and act depending on the day, I’m used to it.

Tomoya: Hmm, so that’s how you see the world, huh… True, no matter what happens, it always feels like you’re the same person, Mitsuru.

Mitsuru: Things were different when I was filming the drama though. I have to get into character so once I finish filming, I almost forget who I am, y’know!

Tomoya: I know what you mean~ I sometimes get like that when I’m up on stage too.

I’ve trained for over a year at the Drama Club to engrave that kind of essence into my mind and body, but you’ve soaked it up like it was no big deal from the very start, huh… I’m a bit annoyed at that.

Mitsuru: ? ? I’m sorry for that?

Tomoya: It’s fine. You shouldn’t have to put yourself down just because you’ve got the skills for it. It’s awful to hammer down the nail that sticks out[2] .

Mitsuru: The stuff you say sometimes is pretty hard to understand, y’know~ …Hm?

Hinata: Hey, guys~ What a lovely morning, huh ♪ 

Tomoya: Morning, Hinata. We already said hi to each other just a while ago, though.

Mitsuru: Sorry for asking you to wake up Hime-chan and the others, Hinata-chan!

Hinata: It’s fine, it’s not something that I don’t like to do, anyway. Anzu-san helped too.

Well, we couldn’t have a girl charge into a boy’s room, so actually, I was the one who woke everyone up.

You probably asked me to do it with Anzu-san since things are pretty awkward between us right now.

Things have been really awkward ever since “Repayment Fest” last year… I’d prefer it if you didn’t do stuff like this.

There’s no law in the world that says I have to get along with everyone, right?

Tomoya: There’s no such law but I’d like you guys to get along while we’re on the school trip. It’ll be really bad if everyone else starts feeling awkward too.

It’ll be a hellish trip with the worst memories.

Hinata: It’s already pretty bad though… We’ve practically been chucked out to Australia with nothing but ourselves.

Well, it’s not the first time that’s happened to me, so I’m not super panicked or anything. This is nothing compared to when I left home when I was younger.

But Hime-kun grew up pampered so he might be really stressed about it all. We should be nice to him.

I’ll do my best to be careful and keep an eye out for him too.

Tomoya: Thanks. With these members, you and I are about the only people with common sense, after all. We’ve got to keep things together.

Hinata: Ahaha. Calling me “someone with common sense” is actually an insult to me since I’m trying to sell our unit as an eccentric pair of twins, you know~♪

And Tetora-kun’s gotten better than before.

Tomoya: It looks like he’s having a tough time in “RYUUSEITAI”, huh. Maybe he grew up a bit after experiencing the hardships of life.

But he stands out quite a bit seeing as he broke the school rules by holding the “Dragon King Competition” and causing small fires here and there.

He’s basically a problem child in my books.

Hinata: Ahaha. It’s hard to see someone differently once you’ve labelled them as a “bad person”, huh.

← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂  Next Chapter →

[nickgerlich]

They Have A Vision

If there is any company whose IPO I wish I had bought into, it is Apple’s. Of course, hindsight is far better than my 64-year-old blue eyes. When the stock debuted on 12th December 1980 (Yeah! Forty-three years ago!), it was $22 a share. Today, if I had put only $1000 on the line, it would be worth $1.26 million.

Dang. Retirement plans foiled.

Apple is an anomaly in many ways. It has always been an innovator, even if it wasn’t necessarily first to market. It’s just that when it did come to market, it did so better than anyone else nearby. Furthermore, it has seldom worried about being the market share leader. They’re good with being Number Two in many cases, if only because the high price of their products (aka The Apple Tax) helps offset market share losses.

Yesterday at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, the tech giant announced its new Vision Pro, which combines virtual and augmented reality. The price? A mere $3499. Holy cow, that’s a lot of Benjamins. But you can probably bet your last $100 that Apple’s new product is going to knock it out of the park.

Apple has always come in with lofty prices on its introductions. The first iPhone (2007) hit the market at $599, which was basically unheard of then. The iPad (2010) was $499, and then the Apple Watch (2015) was $349 and up. I bought into iPhone 2 and iPad 1, but skipped the watch, if only because my students had already ridiculed me back in 2010 for wearing an old-school watch while carrying an iPhone around. They said it was redundant, and made me look old.



Now I look old for not having an Apple Watch. Go figure.

Anyway, with such a high price, Apple is assuming some hefty risks. Sure, we’ve had inflation the last two years, but nothing like what could have caused an introductory price to balloon this much. Basically, the Vision Pro “looks like a pair of ski goggles and lets people overlay virtual images on live videos of the real world.” You look through it, not at it.

As per the announcement info, the device allows for apps to pop up in front of our eyes. And, our eyes will be visible to those on the outside, so we’re not exactly in another world away from others. Disney has also come on board to create content for the new device. Knowing Apple, there won’t be any shortage of content, lest early adopters be left wondering what to do with their expensive plaything.

While there have been others who have tried and failed in this space, let us be reminded that Apple typically comes along to show us how to use all the cool things. I learned this with the iPhone, whose introduction I belittled since I already owned a phone, camera, and iPod. Why would I possibly need an all-in-one? Because Apple had plans for me, you, and millions of other people.

I suspect that Apple will do with the Vision Pro what it did to Blackberry with phones, and Amazon Kindle with tablets. It will redefine the space and add far more complexity and features than earlier entrants could ever conceive. Apple has been down this road multiple times, and knows how to compete.

Companies like Google and Microsoft, known more for their software and operating systems than anything else, have not fared as well in hardware. Just ask Google about Google Glass.

I may not exactly know just yet how I will incorporate Vision Pro into my daily routine, but I bet it’s going to be amazing. I am fully invested in the Apple ecosystem (aside from the watch), and know that everything they make plays well with everything else. But it is still a big gulp moment, because this is nearly as much as the last camera body I bought, something I get lots of usage from on a regular basis. Wearing ski goggles will take some adjustments for me.

On the other hand, Apple always seems to know something I don’t. It’ll all become clear in a little while.

Dr “Saving My Benjamins“ Gerlich

Audio Blog