#for a brand THE INSURANCE PICKED

[papercranes07]

.

[batboybisexualism]

absolutely love that my pharmacy, instead of giving me the daily inhaler I need to not have constant asthma attacks, gave me another round of the emergency steroids I took last week to help me heal from the week and a half I went without my daily inhaler and that are really dangerous to take more than once, all while giving me no update on whether or not I'll be able to get said daily inhaler that my doctor is fighting my insurance about

[oysterie]

our insurance covered my glasses nearly completely btw 😳 this is the first year we've ever had vision insurance they said the total was 28 bucks and my mom outloud said "youre shitting me"

[champstorymedia]

Top Picks for 2023: Best Fuel-Efficient Cars for Every Budget

In today’s world, fuel efficiency is more important than ever, not only for saving money at the pump but also for minimizing our environmental impact. With advancements in technology and the increasing availability of hybrid, electric, and compact vehicles, 2023 offers a myriad of options for those looking to drive more efficiently. In this article, we will explore the top picks for 2023—a…

[thistlecrimes]

Things I've learned from getting covid for the first time in 2023

I wear an N95 in public spaces and I've managed to dodge it for a long time, but I finally got covid for the first time (to my knowledge) in mid-late November 2023. It was a weird experience especially because I feel like it used to be something everyone was talking about and sharing info on, so getting it for the first time now (when people generally seem averse to talking about covid) I found I needed to seek out a lot of info because I wasn't sure what to do. I put so much effort into prevention, I knew less about what to do when you have it. I'm experiencing a rebound right now so I'm currently isolating. So, I'm making a post in the hopes that if you get covid (it's pretty goddamn hard to avoid right now) this info will be helpful for you. It's a couple things I already knew and several things I learned. One part of it is based on my experience in Minnesota but some other states may have similar programs.

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The World Health Organization states you should isolate for 10 days from first having symptoms plus 3 days after the end of symptoms.

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At the time of my writing this post, in Minnesota, we have a test to treat program where you can call, report the result of your rapid test (no photo necessary) and be prescribed paxlovid over the phone to pick up from your pharmacy or have delivered to you. It is free and you do not need to have insurance. I found it by googling "Minnesota Test to Treat Covid"

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Paxlovid decreases the risk of hospitalization and death, but it's also been shown to decrease the risk of Long Covid. Long Covid can occur even from mild or asymptomatic infections.

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Covid rebound commonly occurs 2-8 days after apparent recovery. While many people associate Paxlovid with covid rebound, researchers say there is no strong evidence that Paxlovid causes covid rebound, and rebounds occur in infections that were not treated with Paxlovid as well. I knew rebounds could happen but did not know it could take 8 days. I had mine on day 7 and was completely surprised by it.

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If you start experiencing new symptoms or test positive again, the CDC states that you should start your isolation period again at day zero. Covid rebound is still contagious. Personally I'd suggest wearing a high quality respirator around folks for an additional 8-9 days after you start to test negative in case of a rebound.

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Positive results on a rapid test can be very faint, but even a very faint line is positive result. Make sure to look at your rapid test result under strong lighting. Also, false negatives are not uncommon. If you have symptoms but test negative taking multiple tests and trying different brands if you have them are not bad ideas. My ihealth tests picked up my covid, my binax now tests did not.

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EDIT: I'd highly suggest spending time with friends online if you can, I previously had a link to the NAMI warmline directory in this post but I've since been informed that NAMI is very much funded by pharmaceutical companies and lobbies for policies that take autonomy away from disabled folks, so I've taken that off of here! Sorry, I had no idea, the People's CDC listed them as a resource so I just assumed they were legit! Feel free to reply/reblog this with other warmlines/support resources if you know of them! And please reblog this version!

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I know that there is so much we can't control as individuals right now, and that's frightening. All we can do is try our best to reduce harm and to care for each other. I hope this info will be able to help folks.

[prefrontal-bastard]

I’m not sure if this is permitted in other countries, but here in the US, advertisers are allowed to use any kind of malignant psychology they want in their ads so long as those ads fit within the allotted time-frame.

Back in high school, my class watched a video on how a certain Coca-Cola advertisement was made. You may have seen it, but for those who haven’t: The ad featured a cinematic montage of a crowded beach with smiling thin white people enjoying their leisure time and drinking Coca-Cola out of a common plastic bottle.

The big takeaway from this video was that the ad wasn’t actually advertising Coca-Cola. It was advertising a lifestyle. By associating Coca-Cola with a desirable lifestyle (as well as qualities associated with desirability) it plants the association of “Coca-Cola” with “happiness” in people’s subconscious minds.

This becomes clear when you consider who the ad was meant for. The target audience wasn’t the smiling thin white people that the ad featured, but instead it was people who wanted to be smiling thin white people. This was an ad for the Gen X mom of three kids who worked full-time, who relied on shelf-stable foods to keep everyone fed, and whose nervous system was chronically fried from the stress of never having adequate time for herself.

If she was at the grocery store, and saw the very same bottle of Coca-Cola featured in that ad, she’d be far more likely to pick it up than she was before watching it. If she didn’t anticipate finding relief for her stress, then she could at least drink up the idea of it.

Of course, the thing about ads is that they stop working. Eventually, people’s minds grow wise to the fact buying a certain product doesn’t actually grant them the lifestyle associated with them.

But there’s a lot of other tricks ads employ beyond this.

The reason why Geico is the first company you consider when thinking about buying car insurance is because of the calm, consistent nature of their ads and the fact they’re ubiquitous enough to be familiar. Their mascot forms a kind of parasocial rapport with the audience, so Geico already feels familiar to you by the time you’re looking to buy insurance.

Cereal brands use cartoon-character-like mascots to make their product memorable to kids who can’t read. The reason why so many cereal mascots exhibit such frenetic, possessive behavior is to teach kids to emulate that behavior to compel parents into buying them the cereal, especially if they saw that behavior rewarded in the ad (with the cereal).

You only really see ads for apps on an app-based devices for a reason.

Then there are the ads that don’t look like ads, but look like people on TikTok sharing a new secret product with their audience using the only communication format we regularly trust: word-of-mouth.

And let’s not forget the sheer magnitude of ads that exist. I can’t go outside without seeing them. I can’t watch videos online without exposing myself to ads that wants to skewer my emotions within 10 seconds.

There’s no reprieve from it unless I wall myself off from our culture entirely.

Ads are parasites to both culture and to cognition, and they must be regulated.

[number1mingyustan]

richhusband!joshua headcannons

richhusband!joshua who buys you the biggest and most beautiful house in the neighborhood with a picket white fence and a pool

richhusband!joshua who instantly draws attention from the new nosy neighbors as he moves into your new home, carrying big heavy boxes while dripping in sweat

richhusband!joshua who simply hands you his black card, allowing you to splurge as you utilize your creative eye to decorate the interior of your new home

richhusband!joshua who shamelessly mows the lawn shirtless, continuing to catch the eye of the nosy neighbors

richhusband!joshua who laughs at the flirtatious comments made by the women in the neighborhood, but makes it very clear that his heart belongs to you and you only

richhusband!joshua who works hard to earn the money he makes, but always has time for you in his schedule

richhusband!joshua who lovesssss spoiling you and taking you shopping

richhusband!joshua who can't help but indulge, picking out clothes that he wants you to wear just so he can take them off (dresses, lingerie, etc.)

richhusband!joshua who is finally settled down and having thoughts of completing your family

richhusband!joshua who comes home after a long day at work with a burning desire inside of him

richhusband!joshua who wastes no time lifting you onto the brand new custom marble kitchen counter and disappearing between your thighs

richhusband!joshua who leaves you breathless and trembling, devouring your cunt and using his tongue to suck on your sensitive clit while his fingers ease your wet folds through 2 orgasms in record time

richhusband!joshua who bends you over the marble counter, biting down on your shoulder as he eases his hard cock into you

richhusband!joshua who whispers and moans against the shell of your ear with soft praises as he fucks you from behind

richhusband!joshua who plays with your clit while he fucks you, coaxing two more orgasms out of you before he pumps his load into you

richhusband!joshua who cums a lot, thoroughly filling you up

richhusband!joshua who plugs his fingers into your sensitive cunt immediately, just as insurance you'll end up pregnant in a few weeks time so you can really start building your family together

_______________________________________________

© number1mingyustan - Do not repost without permission.

[thesnadger]

If you live in the US and can't get generic Adderall because of the shortage, this might help.

I don't know how much this will vary across insurance plans/states, but it worked for me:

Step 1: If you haven't already, call other pharmacies in the area. Find out if they have the generic and if they have brand name Adderall.

(In my experience, it's mostly the generic that's out everywhere. Fewer people get brand name because it's $300 for 30 pills and not all insurance plans cover it.)

Step 2: Call your insurance company. Ask them if they cover brand name Adderall. If they don't, tell them the generic isn't available in your area because of the shortage (mention that you've called multiple pharmacies) and ask if they can give you a temporary brand override.

(If they do cover it, you may still need your doctor to call in a new prescription for the brand version, but then you should be all set.)

Step 3: If they can do an override, call your doctor next. Have them send a new prescription for your usual dosage to one of the pharmacies that has Adderall. Make sure that the prescription is for brand name Adderall and says "brand only."

(I had to explain why I needed this new prescription to my doctor's team a couple of times, but they put the request through.)

Step 4: When the prescription goes through, call your insurance company back. Explain the situation to them again, and ask them for a temporary brand override.

Step 5: Go pick up your damn pills.

Sincerely, the tired bitch who got her meds.

[steventhusiast]

STWG prompt 17/4/24

prompt: "oops, that wasn't the plan"

pairing/character(s): steddie

. . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Steve's in the middle of squinting as he scans a library shelf for the textbook he needs when he gets rudely interrupted. A body crashes into him with nearly enough force to knock him over, and he only just manages to catch himself on the library shelves in front of him (with only a few casualties in the form of fallen books).

"Oops!" He hears from right behind him, way too loud for where they are. Sure, they're not in the silent study area, but it's still a library. Sudden noises are pretty noticeable.

Once he's recovered, he looks around the university library to see a few people's unimpressed eyes looking in his direction from their study desks. He feels heat rise from his chest to his cheeks at their attention, and suddenly flustered anger is coursing through him, because-

"What the hell?" He whisper yells, spinning around to face whoever had bumped into him.

He's about to start whisper yelling some more at whoever caused this, but then he sees who's stood in front of him, and- shit. He's hot.

Bright red, and with black curly hair up in a messy ponytail stands a guy around his height, with an expression Steve can only describe as mortification on his face. He's dressed in the student go-to late-night library session attire (university branded hoodie, sweatpants and shoes that are somewhere between slippers and clogs), and he's clutching something in one hand as he stares wide-eyed at Steve.

They stare at each other for a moment, and just as Steve's starting to get a little uncomfortable with it and opens his mouth to, once again, ask what the hell, the guy opens his own mouth and rushes out some hushed words.

"That wasn't the plan, I swear." He says nonsensically, and Steve just frowns at him.

"I'm sorry?"

"I'm doing this all wrong." The guy mutters to himself, and suddenly crouches down to pick up the books that had fallen off the shelf.

He seems to use the time facing the ground to collect himself, because once he's stood upright again with the pile of books held in front of him he offers Steve a shy smile.

"My name's Eddie, and you are, just... so attractive and I've been wanting to come and talk to you for, like, an hour, and maybe give you my number? But then, I'm a total clutz, so- so I tripped and almost knocked you over instead. I am so sorry about that, by the way." His nerves seem to come back as he talks, because Steve notices his fingers tap anxiously at the bottom of the book-pile.

Steve's a little stunned by the onslaught of words, and must take too long to respond because Eddie winces after a moment and shakes his head as he averts his eyes.

"This was stupid. I'm so sorry for interrupting your night, you're probably cramming for a test or something." Eddie offers him a wounded smile this time, glancing at his face again, and then makes to turn and walk away.

"Wait- no. You can- um. I would love your number. Sorry, you caught me off guard." Steve says quietly, and Eddie stops moving, eyes going wide again. God, his eyes remind Steve of Bambi.

Steve takes a deep breath and tries to find the charisma he swears he usually has when he's not ambushed with an unexpected hot man.

"I mean, how else will I know how to contact you when I sue you for damages?"

He says it with a smile and a teasing eyebrow raise, but Eddie looks panicked at the words, like that's somehow something he's genuinely worried about, so Steve raises the hand he'd caught himself on the shelves with to show off the slightly reddened base of his palm.

"I'm mortally injured over here, I hope you have good insurance."

Finally, Eddie huffs out a surprised laugh, and the smile stays on his face once he quietens. It's a very pretty smile, much better than the nervous one he was wearing before.

"Right. Well, luckily for you I have my contact details ready to go for situations like this." He says, and (with a little fumbling to reposition the books he's holding) offers Steve an incredibly crumpled up piece of paper.

Steve unfolds it to find a phone number scrawled out, with a ridiculous drawing of a stick figure holding a landline and a speech bubble saying 'call me!'. He carefully folds up the piece of paper, pointedly pockets it, and offers Eddie another smile.

"Thanks, I will for sure be calling later. I just- I am cramming for a test, you were right. So..." He trails off, a little unsure and awkward again.

Eddie just nods, still grinning, and makes to turn around again.

"I'm looking forward to it." He says, and then walks off, ridiculous tower of books still in his hands. Steve watches him go, and then takes a deep breath and looks back at the shelf.

How the fuck is he going to focus on studying now?

[suzukiblu]

Day sixteen of fic NaNoWriMo, obligatory sugar daddy Tim/sugar baby Kon AU.

TTK does, apparently, protect Kon from callouses, which Tim learns the hard way as Kon laces their fingers together and rubs his thumb across the back of Tim’s hand. His skin is so much softer than it should be, Tim thinks accusingly. Couldn't he at least have the decency to have chapped hands? Sweaty palms or something, even? 

Unfortunately, what Kon has is soft, warm, strong hands whose fingers lace easily through Tim's own, and Tim just has to deal with that somehow, apparently. Apparently that's just his problem now. 

Bastard. 

Tim needs to not melt into an incoherent pile of mush, so he just acts like this is fine and normal and normal and fine and walks into the store with Kon and leads him over to the phones. Kon seems smugly pleased. Tim pretends to not be an incoherent pile of mush. 

It doesn't particularly work, but he at least puts in the effort. 

“Any preferences?” he asks, tugging Kon towards the closest display.

“For a phone?” Kon says. “Not really. I mean, whatever works.” 

Tim is going to take full advantage of that “whatever”, he immediately promises himself. Full and total and complete. 

“Okay,” he agrees, then starts looking at the high-end models. No point in going cheap, though he's definitely going to make sure to pick a durable brand with the least possible degree of planned obsolescence involved. If it comes to it, he'll either upgrade one or build Kon something outright later, but for now the standard retail models are gonna have to do. 

“Uh,” Kon says, cocking his head with a bemused expression and then gesturing towards the wall with his half-empty smoothie cup. Tim is perfectly normal about the fact that they're still holding hands. All kinds of it. Completely and totally. “The burners are over there, man.” 

“Why would I get you a prepaid phone?” Tim asks, making a point of putting on a skeptical expression. “Most of those models don't even have a decent camera.” 

“That is a nine hundred dollar smartphone that you are currently looking at,” Kon says incredulously. 

“Given your powerset involves the ability to decide to make anything you're touching invulnerable, I'm not particularly concerned about you breaking it,” Tim replies reasonably. “Like, are you even capable of dropping things?” 

“Technically no, but I still fight supervillains on the daily, dude,” Kon says. 

“Then I'll spring for the accident insurance,” Tim replies reasonably. “I'd have to come back to buy you a new burner anyway, so it's just easier all around if you can duck in and pick up a replacement without needing to wait for me.” 

“It is nine hundred dollars,” Kon says. 

“There's an eight hundred dollar model, if you don't mind a little less memory,” Tim says. 

“The burners are like, twenty bucks,” Kon says. “And you don’t need to sign up for a plan or anything.” 

“Yes, but if you run out of minutes or break it, you’ll need me to come reload or replace it,” Tim says. “This way you can do it yourself and you can talk as much as you want.” 

“How much exactly are you expecting to want to talk to me, man?” Kon says with a self-deprecating little laugh. Tim thinks vicious thoughts, makes room for a few more spaces on his supervillain vengeance list, and then just shrugs. 

“Up to you,” he says. “I mean, I have school and extracurricular stuff, but that only fills up so much of the day, you know?” 

“You cannot possibly have researched me thoroughly enough to be that sure we’re gonna get along,” Kon says, frowning faintly at the phones. 

“You’re seriously underestimating my capacity for research,” Tim informs him, taking a sip of his smoothie. “Also I’m really just going on how well we’ve been getting along so far.” 

“Oh,” Kon says, and his face flushes again. “Uh . . . okay.” 

“How about this one?” Tim suggests, tipping his head towards one of the mid-range models. Decent brand and sturdy build, but not quite as expensive. 

“That’s still five hundred bucks,” Kon says. 

“I am intending to spend a lot more than five hundred bucks on you today,” Tim says. “And anyway, five hundred bucks for both our conveniences is a small price to pay, don’t you think?” 

“I guess,” Kon says, glancing towards him for a moment before looking back to the phones. “Um . . . maybe, then. If you’re–sure.” 

“I’m sure,” Tim says firmly. “Seriously, I’m not texting you on your work phone, that’s a terrible idea.” 

“If you say so, man,” Kon says, ducking his head a little like he’s trying to hide his smile. It’d work better if he weren’t taller than him, probably. 

The bastard is still holding his hand, so it’s only fair, Tim figures. 

God, since when is Kon this cute, anyway? He's always annoyingly hot, obviously–leaning more strongly towards the “annoying”, for obvious reasons–but he isn't usually cute. Tim wasn't prepared for that. He hasn't had the time to build up the necessary defenses against it. 

“I say so,” Tim says. “What color do you want?” 

“You're a very weird dude, you know,” Kon says with a little laugh, shaking his head.

[threepandas]

Bird4Bird Part 3: Yandere Hawks

Did you know? That Fukuoka has the highest concentration of winged Quirks in Japan? Most of them in or around Kyushu. It's a remarkably recent thing too. Used to be farther north, but that slowly died off when the Hero Rising Wing died in action.

Wanna know WHY?

It's because of the fuckin Gyms.

The markets. The specialty doctors offices. The clothing lines that cater to people who have LIMBS sticking out if their backs. All of those? Yeah, they picked up and looked for the next Hero to slap a brand deal on. Because GOD FORBID they serve the community that already existed and needed them.

So folks had to move. Sell their houses.

It was that or take the train for hours each day, after all.

Because? Again. No license? Who CARES if your health suffers! Fucking WALK. Dangerous muscle atrophy and spinal problems? Should have thought about being a HERO! Bleed for the state!

You're not bitter.

You're just routinely pissed enough to spit shards of GLASS.

Doesn't help that YOUR quirk? Oh, YOUR Quirk is one of the BIG ones. One of those "why yes, I CAN bench press a small vehicle, why do you ask?" Sorta quirks. The upkeep is a NIGHTMARE. You live in a god damned SHOEBOX.

You HAVE too! Because FUCKING INSURANCE doesn't cover "frivolous" "luxury" expenses like your Hero-grade gym membership. Which you only NEED because you'd BREAK the normal machines at a standard Avian Quirk Specialty Gym. But good luck trying to agree with the BIGOTS at-!!!

.....breathe. Just.... just breath. In, then out, in, then out.

Not Worth it.

This is workout time. De-stress. Getting to stretch your wings. Work up a swea-OH MOTHER FUCKER!!

Hawks bats his eyelashs, obnoxiously in your opinion, at you and twiddle his fingers in a cheeky lil shit wave. No. NO. This is you day OFF from community service. You were supposed to be FREE of him! How is he HERE?!

You look him dead in the eyes and project MURDER.

His obnoxious grin gets bigger. It's like he WANTS you to fight him! Is... is this bullying? Are you being BULLIED? You're on fuckin PAROLE. The flesh may be so, SO willing to slam him face first through a wall... but the spirit DOESNT WANT TO GO TO JAIL. His ass ain't worth it!

Leave you crimson ass, crow demon! FUCK OFF!

He pouts exaggeratedly at you. Dramatic and fake as shit. "Aaaw, aren't we FRIENDS? Don't you want to hang ooooout~?" NO! I would sell you back to whatever hell dimension you crawled from, for a toothpick I DONT EVEN WANT!

He looks delighted.

Stop that!

You try and ignore him. Finish your work out. But he is so, SO clingy and whiny and LOUD. He's doing on purpose. You know he is. HE knows, you know, he is. You can see it in his eyes. It's the fucking malicious little sparkle.

Is he getting OFF on this? What, does he just LIKE to harrass people? Pick at them?

If he keeps fucking around, he's GONNA find out.

You storm away the second your done. Try to lose him at the changing rooms. Fail. Now he's following you... eating greasy fried chicken... OBNOXIOUSLY. Does he HAVE to FLY while he does that?! The exaggerated noises are COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY!

You spin to rip him a new one, take one look at his smug, victorious expression... and? Actually? Enjoy your fucking chicken. Mama didn't raise a lil bitch. She had a Cutesy Pair Of Angel Wings™ her entire life. Was fetishized to FUCK and back. Learned the fine art of rage and taking no prisoners.

She? She raised a spiteful wrath child with a strong sense of justice.

Fuck yoooooooou.

You hope he CHOKES on that chicken. You begin to turn, but stop. He WAS looking annoyed that his plan didn't work. Why did he just start smirking? He looks entirely too smug and pleased. Not looking AT you. Over your head? Behind-?

"Omg, IS THAT HAWKS~♡?!"

Oh, fuck. You feel the blood drain from you face. His eyes flick down to yours. His PR, fake ass, smile has never been toothier. D...Don't do it. Don't you DARE.

He strikes a photo ready pose. Why YES HE IS~!

You desperately try to get out of the way. You've SEEN the carnage. The poor souls caught in the crossfire. High pitched squeals and thundering feet race closer from behind you. A red feather has by the front of the jacket. You stare down in betrayal. Back up in horror.

You're supposed to be a HERO!

The Fan's cometh. And with a howling curse, you get consumed by the crowd. Hawks laughs, bright and charming above the crowd. His feathers never leaving your body as you get thrown around. Shouldn't have ignored him~

But man, the face you made was pretty cute, too.

Following you was a great idea! He should do it more often~♡

[dumbmusclehypnojockboy]

A story for @octuscle Merry Christmas. I'm sorry it's a bit rushed, and kinda slapdash, but you know what happened. I hope you like it!

Going Back to College

Jerry was forty years old.  He was celebrating his birthday alone, again.  Somehow, after graduating college, Jerry set out to change the world, but all that really changed was Jerry waist, which continued to grow wider and wider.  Jerry hated his life.  He was a doctor, but with the cost of insurance, and having his own office, Jerry couldn’t get anywhere in life.   And no matter how hard he tried, Jerry felt like he was just treading water.  Jerry picked up the paper and glanced at it, and then read the headline story again and again. He threw down the newspaper in disgust.  On the front page was a well-muscled man, doing a double biceps pose, in front of his tenth gym franchise.   The man, Rick Jenkins, was a huge success, becoming a millionaire at thirty, and now at forty had his gym franchise, a supplement empire and his own fashion brand.  He was also now a billionaire.  Jerry was disgusted.  In freshman year of college, Rick had been his roommate.  Rick was your typical dumb as rocks jock, or so Jerry had thought.  They had nothing in common with each other.  But, looking back at his life, he realized that he had been condescending and rude to Rick, while Rick had always tried to get along with Jerry.  In fact, there was this time when Rick had offered to take Jerry to the gym for what Rick had claimed was what he designed to be a non-intimidating workout that anyone could do and get good results.  Why couldn’t I have made an effort back then?  Or have at least been a little nicer to him?  Then, Jerry had an idea.  He grabbed one of the birthday cupcakes he had baked for himself, put a candle on it, and lit it.  He sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to himself, and closed his eyes, to envision the wish he wanted.  Jerry took a deep breath and made his wish, “I wish I had gone on those workouts with Rick, and been nicer to him.”  And then, blew out the candle. 

And then, it happened.   In a rush of glittery blue wormhole, Jerry found himself back in his college dorm.  It was move-in day, and Jerry had already found himself frustrated with his new roommate.  “Sorry for the mess, roomie, but the football team has this hazing ritual and has really been keeping us busy.  I’ll clean it up as soon as I can.” Rick had said.  “I remember I got really snippy with him.  Maybe I can be nicer person,” Jerry thought to himself.  “It’s not a problem, Rick, just clean up when you get to it, ok?”  “For sure.  Thanks for not making a big deal out of it.”  And their relationship had gotten off on a much better foot than it did last time.  Fast forward to October, and Jerry and Rich were pretty unrepeatable.  They went to whatever classes they had in common together, which surprising to Jerry were quite a lot. 

They were both taking biology together, and Rick was even taking Calculus I.  They were both in the freshman English class, and were even in the same Western Civ and Spanish I classes.    The only thing that was different was Jerry was also taking a pre-medicine class and an extra science lab class, while Rich had a bodybuilding class in addition to being on the football team.  They would often get lunch and dinner together.   One day, when Jerry told Rich about how stressful it was to take a full eighteen-hour schedule, Rich offered to take Jerry to the gym for a non-intimidating workout.  Jerry was about to explode at Rich, but remembered that he was being nice to his roommate, and told Rich that he wanted to try the gym but was always too busy or too scared.   Rich explained that he had been developing this non-intimidating work out plans for a few years now, and offered Jerry the chance to workout with him. 

“Jerry, three, two, one, sleep.   You are under my control,  you are excited to workout with me, even though you may think you’re apprehensive, you’re excited.  Any work out plan I give you may seem difficult, but will be totally not intimidating.  Your find yourself wanting more and more to come work out with me.   Now I want you to go deeper and deeper, repeating my words until you go into a deep sleep, repeating my words in your sleep, and wake up when your alarm wakes you.“

So, with apprehension, Jerry found himself going to the gym with Rick.  Rick’s personality put Jerry at total ease.  And Rick’s work out plan was totally not intimidating.  Jerry found it easy to go from exercise to exercise, and whenever Jerry had a problem, he found Rick right there to help with his workout.  By November, Jerry felt his stress had totally disappeared thanks to Rick’s workouts.  And he knew he started seeing results from the gym.  Noting earth-shattering, but his shoulders and lats were becoming more prominent, while his belly was shrinking.  And his arms and legs were becoming more defined and he could even see hints of pecs and biceps popping up a little.   Rick noticed too and would always compliment Jerry on his “gainz”.   Whenever Rick would say “gainz” around Jerry, Jerry would always have this unusual feeling come over him, and his brain would kind of blink out for a second or two.  And he would always wake up to Rick telling him that he was doing such a great job and that he should keep up his workouts, bro!

It was December, and Jerry was at the gym.  He was alone in the locker room, and flexed in a mirror.  He was amazed how much he had changed.  He couldn’t believe it but he had biceps.  Actual biceps, and abs.  He had a full-on rock wall of six solid abs!  “Hey, Jer-bro!  I knew you could do it!  That high-protein, low carb diet really did wonders for you!”  Rick said.  “And check out all those gainz!” 

And again, that weird whirly feeling went through my brain.  This time though, Jerry could hear Rick saying something to him.  “Hey Jer-bro, you like it when I call you that.  I need you to shift your concentration a bit.  I need you to get into sports medicine.  You can to that for be Jer-bro, I mean after I’ve heled you so much get rid of your stress, and helping your gainz in the gym.  You’re just a little hazy on working as a surgeon or an oncologist, but your brain seems totally focused on going into sports medicine and we can be partners.   That’s gonna be so fucking cool.  So, keep up your work outs bro!  You’re doing so fucking awesome!”

Jer woke up a little foggy.  He’d just had an awesome workout, and Rick had come up to him to encourage him a always.   And did he say something after that?  Nah, he’d just be as encouraging as always.  He’d be going home for the holidays.   He wasn’t looking forward to talking about shifting his concentration.  Surgeons and oncologists made lots of money, but he was really interested in sports medicine.  It was becoming his passion. 

It was now sophomore year.  Rick and Jer-bro had decided to stay roommates.  Jer was especially happy to room with Rick.  It seemed Rick help keep his stress levels away.  Why didn’t he want to hang with Rick before?  Rick was his bro!   Rick was such an awesome bro!  He could always look up to Rick.  Jerry was in his second year, and he was still eager to graduate with a degree in sports medicine.   So, his schedule was not as full as last year, but still very full.   He took sophomore English, and Western Civ 2.  He also took Spanish 2, and Calc 2, and for his sports medicine focus he took Anatomy 1 and Sports Med 1.  Surprisingly, Rick was in 4 of his six classes.  The only difference was instead of sports med, Rick was taking a business class and a psychology class.  

The year progressed really well with Jer-bro making awesome gainz in the gym, but grades falling to the B-C level.  And Rick was doing awesome.  He was now the starting quarterback on the school team, and the whole team was very dedicated to playing football and winning a state championship.   The coach even allowed Rick to lead in some kind of motivational meditation before each and every practice and game.   This seemed to make the team even more thirsty to win the school’s first championship ever.  

At the end of sophomore year, the football team won it’s first division championship.  Jer-bro even took time off from his classes to paint his face and cheer on Rick during the championship game.  He had listened to Rick who told him that football was something that he was becoming really passionate about.  And after a while, Jer-bro couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t passionate about college football.  By the end of the season, Jer-bro could tell you any stats about the college’s last 20 years.  And he was even becoming a Las Vegas Raiders fan, which was Jerry’s team too. 

During Junior year, Jer-bro and Rick were totally unrepeatable.  The only time they were apart was when Jer-bro went to his medically focused classes and Rick when to his Business and Psychology classes.  One night, Jer-bro heard some sounds coming from the headphones  on his ears.  “Rick is right.   Listen to Rick.  Rick gives you gainz.  Rick is your bro.  Listen to Rick.”  Jer-bro realized this was stuff he already knew, so he closed his eyes and went back into a deep sleep. 

During this year, Jer-bro noticed some nerdy guys hanging around Rick, and he grew a little concerned.   So, he asked Rick about it.  “Rick, why are you hanging out with all the nerds?” he asked.  Rick responded, “Remember the unintimidating workouts you started with?  I’m refining them for a general audience and I’m making great progress.”  “Cool,” was Jer-bro’s only reply. 

Later on in the year, Jer-bro once again heard the whispering in his ears.  It was now second nature for him to absorb the information but ignoring it.  He heard Rick telling him, “For your senior project, you will create the perfect protein powder, muscle growth supplement, with one undisclosed side effect, it makes people dumber.  I know you can do this for me, Jer-bro.  For us.  You will do this for your senior project.  You will continue your workout and continue to get awesome gains.  All for Rick.  All because of Rick.”

Senior year,  was awesome.  Jer-bro kept working on his senior project with a singular focus.  He continued to workout at the gym and by the time graduation came around, Jer-bro looked like an amateur bodybuilder.   He would zone out at times, so people thought he was kind of a dumb ass, but underneath all the muscle was a huge intellect, focused on sports medicine.  He had finished the protein powder that Rick told him to make and now, they would begin a business together.  Speaking of Rick, he had gotten investments from some of his former teammates who he had persuaded to go into finance and investment.  His team had continued to do so well this year, the had gone to the Rose Bowl and won!  Rick had even picked up the Heisman trophy.  At graduation, Rick was ready to start his supplement company with Jer-bro  and had all the financial backing he needed. 

Jer is now 25.  He’s more rich than he was when he was 40.  He’s also quite a bit dumber.  After trying some of the muscle growth protein powder, Jer couldn’t help but become addicted to it.  He grew his muscles until he was little more than a musclehead.  Only into working out and having sex.  He still knew how to calculate his micro nutrients and count his reps out.  But that was all his life consisted of these days.  And he was very happy. 

As for Rick?  He became a millionaire at 24.  By the age of 30, Rick owned his franchise of gyms all over the world, and with his muscle growth protein powder, range of “motivational hypnosis patreons” and fashion brand, he was now a billionaire.  Jerry had been the perfect test subject for his hypnosis during the first month of rooming together, and that had given him all the confidence to try his methods first on his coach, then going on to the rest of his teammates.  And that had made all the difference. 

[hballegro]

alan alda storytime

the full story from one of the screenshots of my previous post.

story begins with my archaeology professor showing a slide of alan alda in the early 2000s holding some mammoth bones and asks the class if anyone recognizes him. i had watched some MASH with my mother when i was little and had also seen the movie The Object of My Affection, so i raised my hand and said it was alan alda. he lit up and said yes, it was, and told the rest of the class he used to be on this old show, and that when we got more into the bioanthro side of things, remind him to 'tell his alan alda story'.

about 2 months later, we are in bioanthro, and i remind him. he gets excited and says he included slides to talk about it.

[rest under cut]

he tells us how he had just moved to a new city, and he had taken a university job in order to get insurance for his new family [which he didnt get but thats neither here or there]. he gets news that his job is going to be working with Scientific American Frontiers, hosted by the one and only Alan Alda. my prof was thrilled, he loves MASH, and while he specifically wouldnt be involved in the process [being a presenter, working with alan, etc] he was allowed to be around incase they needed help.

i dont know the specific episode, or if it can be found anywhere, but the topic was early man and tools, and how there were mammoth bones that specifically had cuts that could only be made with tools, not by teeth from an animal. they had finished filming for the day and just needed B-roll of some lions at the local zoo chewing some bones [part of the experiment], and alan got a call. he asked if he could head out now, because he needed to get back to his hotel now, and the call had been important. the producers said sure, go ahead, and alan asked if someone could give him a ride.

my professor, having the chance to actually spend time with someone he idolized, and being a stupid late 20s-something, volunteered immediately. stupid why? well, i said he'd just moved there. he didnt know where the hell anything was, and he didnt have GPS available to him, he was just really excited. so they get in the car and start driving.

as i said in my previous post, alan alda had about 20 minutes with this random guy, and found out pretty quickly that he was an archaeologist, and the amazing topic of conversation that he picked was the [then new] theory that we developed agriculture specifically to make booze, and that the rest of the stuff was more or less a biproduct. which is pretty on-brand honestly.

after a while, alan catches on to the fact that this guy clearly has no idea where the hell hes going, and that they've been driving in circles around the city for a while now. he [reportedly very politely] said that actually, this here was his stop, and thanked him for the ride. he then most likely called a taxi that actually knew where it was going, and got to his hotel.

turns out the call was about The Aviator! the call was important because he learned it was confirmed he in it and they needed him to get over there.

its not a glamourous story, but its the only story i got. my prof reported he was a funny guy, and despite slightly kidnapping the poor man for a while, he was the picture of kindness and personability. and clearly he likes telling the story and it left an impression, because he took time out of our already-short lecture to tell a class of 20-somethings that had no idea who Alan Alda was about it.

sorry this is so verbose i dont know how to be short lmao

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Charlotte Alter at Time Magazine:

The soundtrack suggested a Beyoncé concert. The light-up bracelets evoked the Eras Tour. And the exuberant crowd—more than 14,000 strong, lining up in the rain—resembled the early days of Barack Obama. Inside a Philadelphia arena on Aug. 6, Vice President Kamala Harris was greeted with a kind of reception a Democratic presidential candidate hasn’t gotten in years. Fans packed into overflow spaces, waving homemade signs made of glitter and glue as drumlines roared. When Harris introduced her new running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the cheering lasted more than a minute.

If you’d predicted this scene a month ago to anyone following the race, they would never have believed you. But Harris has pulled off the swiftest vibe shift in modern political history. A contest that revolved around the cognitive decline of a geriatric President has been transformed: Joe Biden is out, Harris is in, and a second Donald Trump presidency no longer seems inevitable. Democrats resigned to a “grim death march” toward certain defeat, as one national organizer put it, felt their gloom replaced by a jolt of hope. Harris smashed fundraising records, raking in $310 million in July. She packed stadiums and dominated TikTok, offering a fresh message focused on the future over the past. Volunteers signed up in droves. Trump’s widening leads across the battleground states evaporated. Over the span of a few weeks in late July and early August, Harris became a political phenomenon. “Our campaign is not just a fight against Donald Trump,” she told the cheering crowd in Philadelphia. “Our campaign is a fight for the future.”

Where has this Kamala Harris been all along? For years, Democratic officials questioned her political chops, pundits mocked her word salads, and her polling suggested limited appeal. Her performance in the 2020 presidential primary was wooden, and her turn as Biden’s No. 2 did little to inspire confidence. Even this summer, as party insiders chattered about possible replacements if Biden stepped aside, “it was explicit from some of the major donors that she can’t win,” says Amanda Litman, the co-founder of Run for Something, an organization that trains young Democrats to run for office. “They didn’t think people were ready to elect someone like her.” Harris may still be the underdog. Trump has arguably the clearer path to 270 electoral votes and an edge on the issues that voters say are most important to them. Harris will have to answer for the Biden Administration’s record, including on inflation and border security. Republicans are casting her as a coastal elite, pointing to positions she took in the 2020 primary—arguing for gun buybacks, a ban on fracking, and an overhaul of the health-insurance system—that may indeed be too liberal to win over many of the swing voters who decide elections. Harris has yet to do a single substantive interview or to explain her policy shifts. (Her campaign denied a request for an interview for this story.) She has to repair ruptures in the party coalition, galvanizing the Black, Hispanic, Arab American, and young voters who migrated away from Biden. Though her early polling numbers are far better than Biden’s were, she lags his 2020 support with some key demographic groups she needs to win.

Harris has less than 90 days to prove that she can convert the momentum of her successful launch into a tough, smart operation capable of beating a former President with a dedicated base of support and a knack for commanding the stage. She inherited a campaign infrastructure and policy record from her predecessor, but the energy is all hers. Picking Walz as a running mate over more conventional choices signals a belief that this race is as much about feelings as it is about fundamentals. Harris’ brand shift—the happy-warrior attitude, the viral memes, the eye roll at Republican “weirdos”—has already done what no Trump opponent has ever been able to do: snatch the spotlight away from him.

She may seem like an overnight sensation, but Harris’ moment was years in the making. Quietly, her small team of top aides had been laying the groundwork for a future presidential run. After the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, the Vice President added reproductive rights to her portfolio. Abortion was never a comfortable issue for Biden, a devout Catholic, but it was a natural fit for his No. 2. Harris believed that with Roe gone, Republicans would turn their sights to restricting both birth control and IVF. In the months after Dobbs, she traveled the U.S., talking about abortion rights as a matter of “reproductive freedom.” As far back as the 2022 midterms, aides say, she argued for making this the core of the party’s national message, even as the White House focused on jobs and the economy.

[...] The list was intended for 2028. But when Biden dropped out on July 21 and quickly endorsed Harris, it was instantly pressed into service. The Vice President—clad in a Howard University sweatshirt, munching pizza with anchovies—spent the next 10 hours on the phone, dialing delegates and wrangling endorsements. A day later, the nomination was all but hers. Even though other presidential hopefuls had ties to swing states or big donors, “the list was the thing that we had that they didn’t,” says a top aide. “It wasn’t a fairy godmother waving a magic wand.”

Harris’ ability to sew up the nomination so quickly was a triumph of work ethic and political dexterity that foreshadowed what was to come. “To consolidate the Democratic Party in a matter of hours, to do as many visible events and establish that presence without putting a foot wrong, is a feat,” says Pete Buttigieg, the Transportation Secretary who ran against Harris for the 2020 nomination and was a finalist to become her running mate. “I don’t think anybody expected her to be so flawless.” With Biden no longer atop the ticket, the moribund Democratic grassroots came to life. Harris was capable of delivering a message that never felt quite right under Clinton or Biden: that theirs was the party of the future, and Trump was of the past. Her campaign raised $200 million in the first week, in what it said was the best 24 hours of any candidate in presidential-campaign history. More than 38,000 people registered on Vote.org in the 48 hours after she became the presumptive nominee, eclipsing the voter-registration surge encouraged by Taylor Swift last year. Within a week, Harris erased Trump’s polling dominance in key states, turning a burgeoning landslide into a dead heat.

[...] The shift is perhaps most visible in the digital sphere. While millions of hardcore Democrats would crawl over broken glass to keep Trump from re-election, less reliable voters in Gen Z are especially attuned to online trends. For months, President Biden’s online supporters have been on the defensive about his support for Israel’s war against Hamas. Comments about Gaza flooded pro-Biden content posted to social platforms, making it difficult to create what digital strategists call a “permission structure” to support him. To many, it evoked the online mobs who would mock Clinton supporters in 2016, preventing her from building traction on social media. “In 2016, if you wanted to be an online supporter of Hillary Clinton, you did it in a private Facebook group,” says Litman. “In 2024, you blast it on TikTok, and you’re part of the K-Hive and you make your username the coconut tree.” Even if Washington was taken by surprise, the energetic fighter of the past two weeks matches the Harris whom allies say they have known for years. Louise Renne, a former San Francisco city attorney, recalls that when Harris took over the city’s interest in adoption cases in the DA’s office, she brought an armful of teddy bears to court on her first day. Andrea Dew Steele, a donor-adviser who snacked on wine and cheese with Harris as they typed up her first political bio sheet for her 2003 campaign for San Francisco DA, remembers Harris sitting outside grocery stores with an ironing board stacked with campaign literature. Those who made it through her 2020 primary recall that after she dropped out, she joined the last of her staff in a dance party in the campaign headquarters. Harris’ early allies in California may have seen glimpses of Barack Obama, but her turn on the national stage has seemed more Selina Meyer. After a splashy kickoff in 2019, the Harris 2020 campaign stalled, then sputtered out. Aides say she took advice from too many different advisers offering conflicting guidance. Her record as a prosecutor was unwieldy baggage for a Democratic primary shadowed by a movement for racial justice. In a contest defined by Bernie Sanders on one side and Biden on the other, she never found her lane. Her operation was plagued with mismanagement and infighting. Harris seemed tentative and insecure, terrified of putting a foot wrong. “We did a disservice to her in 2020,” admits Bakari Sellers, a state co-chair on that campaign. “We Bubble-Wrapped her.” Enthusiasm waned; the money dried up. She dropped out long before the first votes were cast in the Iowa caucuses.

[...] Republicans admit Harris will be harder to beat than a diminished Biden. But they believe the candidate riding high the past few weeks will soon, under sustained attack, come down to earth. “If she runs the same kind of campaign she ran in 2019 and 2020, her campaign will collapse and Donald Trump will waltz into the White House,” Republican pollster Whit Ayres says. “On the other hand, if she has learned as much as her allies and friends say she has in the last four years, she will give Trump a real run for his money.” Harris campaign officials say they remain focused on the seven key battleground states—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. With Harris atop the ticket, those states “are even more in play for us, stronger for us than they might have been otherwise,” says Dan Kanninen, the campaign’s battleground director. Harris is more popular with younger, Black, and Latino voters than Biden was when he dropped out of the race, according to polling, which puts her in a stronger position to win the Sun Belt states. At the same time, she may be losing ground with older white voters, which makes her more vulnerable in the trio of “Blue Wall” states—Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—that form that core of the Democrats’ Electoral College strategy. To shore up those states, Harris is leaning on her major labor endorsements and making multiple visits to the upper Midwest.

Harris inherited Biden’s campaign infrastructure, including more than 260 outposts across the battleground states. In Nevada, the Harris campaign has 13 field offices to Trump’s one; in Pennsylvania, it has 36 coordinated offices to Trump’s three, according to a campaign memo.

Time Magazine has an insightful column on the resurrection of Kamala Harris and her rising political fortunes.

Read the full story at Time Magazine.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

hiya sex witch! i'm (afab) on the birth control pill and my bf (amab) has been also not finishing inside me when we have sex, as an extra precaution. i know neither of these are foolproof but this is how we've agreed to minimize the risk of me getting pregnant. however, i know he wants to finish inside of me really badly, and i am wondering how to best minimize the risk. i've been looking into getting a hormonal implant or using internal condoms? (condoms are off the table at the moment since they prevent my partner from reaching orgasm - and i know some people will say he's lying but i do believe him, we've tried). do you know if these methods would increase or decrease my risk of getting pregnant? and do you know why the only FDA approved internal condom is prescription-only, and if other more easily attainable ones are dangerous? thank you so much, your blog has been super helpful over the past few years for me!

hi anon,

awesome questions! thank you for your curiosity!

birth control is always more effective when you use more than one method. (note: this does not include using an external condom with an internal condom; don't do that. they'll chafe against each other and both become less effective.) if external condoms for your partner are off the table, using internal condoms with another type of birth control would be a really smart alternative.

implants and IUDs are a great option for this particular situation, since they have the highest success rate of any birth control currently available (short of sterilization or abstinence). there's no such thing as birth control that's 100% effective, but IUDs and implants are usually a pretty reliable 99. used in tandem with any type of condom, your odds of unwanted pregnancy are going to be extremely low.

okay, so, why are FC2 internal condoms so hard to get ahold of if they're so great? the extremely short version is that several years ago the company that manufactures them decided to pull the condoms from pharmacies and make them prescription-only with the justification that the Affordable Care Act would make prescription condoms cheaper for anyone with insurance, as well as expressing hope that doctors prescribing internal condoms would raise awareness of the product. FC2 does make it somewhat simple to get a prescription through their own website in theory, albeit with a consultation fee and, currently, a notification that you might be boned if you're insured through Medicaid, which I'm sure is great for expanding the accessibility of their product.

it should be noted that local health centers and LGBT resources centers are more than willing to give internal condoms out without a prescription; I know my local HIV testing site was more than happy to give out their stock of internal condoms to anyone who wanted them until they ran out. if any cis, straight person reading this is interested in pursuing this route but feels weird about potentially accessing an LGBT center when you're not part of the community: trust me, we want y'all to have safer sex, too. please, anyone and everyone, call around and check with your local resources to see if they can help you out.

as for internal condoms manufactured by other brands, I'm afraid I can't attest to their quality. I'm not saying they aren't safe, only that they haven't been subjected to FDA regulations and I lack enough information to make an informed recommendation for or against. internal condoms as a whole are still really under-researched; even in the case of FC2 condoms, for instance, there's still a real lack of data regarding their effectiveness in preventing the transmission of STIs. if you're passionate about exploring this route, I strongly recommend doing as much of your own research as possible to make the most informed decision possible to decide if other brands are the right pick for you.

[mj-iza-writer]

"Wake up", Whumper nudged them with their foot, "we're going to the beach today."

Whumpee groaned as they looked up at them, outings like this normally meant some sort of sedative was going to be crammed down there throat. They would be rag dolled around all day.

"My friend invited us to their secluded beach section, so I don't have to worry about you yelling for help", Whumper grinned.

"Does that- does that mean I don't have to be sedated?", Whumpee sat up, "please."

"Sorry, you still have to be sedated, there are still neighbors", Whumper helped them up from the floor, "I've got it already to go, this time I've even remembered breakfast, you got sick on me last time, I'm not doing that again."

"Please I promise I won't run", Whumpee begged.

"No", Whumper stated in annoyance, "I'm going to be swimming and enjoying myself, not worrying about you."

Whumpee winced at his anger, "I'm sorry, sir."

"Now I have your suit and cover set out in my room. Go get ready, and find me after", Whumper smiled.

Whumpee looked over the bikini/speedo that had been picked out, "of course, they picked the one that accentuates the abuse. They can look at those all they want if we are in seclusion."

Whumpee put on the suite with a sigh, then threw on the cover outfit. "Today is going to suck, I hate being their puppet."

"Hurry up", Whumper yelled at them, "you still need to eat and take the medication."

"I'm coming", Whumpee took a final look in the mirror and groaned.

Whumpee quickly ate, then eyed the sedative.

"Can I ask one more time, please no sedation", they whined.

"You can either take it with water like a good slave, or I'll take a straw and shoot it down your throat, your choice," Whumper spoke through gritted teeth and a menacing grin.

"Ok ok, can I take it with my juice though please", Whumpee bargained.

"Yes that's fine", Whumper smiled knowing they gave in a little, but happy for the compliance nonetheless.

Whumper placed the pill in Whumpee's mouth and watched them gulp it down. They made Whumpee open their mouth to insure it definitely went down.

"Good Whumpee, that normally takes 45 minutes to kick in, so plenty of time to get there, the car is packed already", Whumper did a happy dance, "I can't wait for a beach day."

Whumpee frowned.

"Cheer up, I've packed you snacks, drinks, a water proof blanket, plus they've got a lounge chair and umbrella, so you can unwind", Whumper grinned.

"Did you remember sunblock?", Whumpee looked at a bag that was not packed in the car yet.

"That I did", Whumper grinned, "let's get going."

Whumpee stood up, but instantly sat back down, "I'm already getting groggy."

"I'll get this stuff packed up and come back for you", Whumper grabbed a few things and went out. When he came back, Whumpee's head was starting to bob, "that was a different brand, I guess they start faster than the other", Whumper lifted them from the chair, and out to the car.

Whumper placed Whumpee in the passenger seat and tightened their seat belt. Their body was already limp. "There we go, hopefully that keeps you from falling over."

"I don't feel good Whumper, what did you give me", Whumpee winced, they slowly raised their hand to their head. Everything felt slow, they felt like they were floating.

"Don't throw up on me", Whumper listened to them whine, "it was a different brand sedative, but the same dosage."

"It's not that type of feeling", Whumpee breathed heavily, "I feel like I'm floating and falling at the same time, I feel like taking a nap."

'Well, go ahead and fall asleep, maybe when we get there, some of it will wear off", Whumper cupped Whumpee's cheek, "I'm going to make sure everything is locked then we'll go."

Whumper climbed into the driver side of the car. They noticed Whumpee was out, "well I guess I won't have them complaining the whole ride there."

Whumpee woke up to Whumper applying sunblock to them, they where sat reclined in a beach chair, the umbrella already up.

"Hrmmp", the grumbled groggigly, "we're here already."

"Yes, we just got here", Whumper started to apply sunblock to themself, "I've had enough time to apply your sunblock, are you ok?"

"Im not floating anymore, I still feel extremely slow though" they tried to move.

"Are you comfortable, I'm about to go swim", Whumper stood up, "do you want any snacks, drinks?"

"I think I'll be sick if I ate anything, can I have my sunglasses and a water please", Whumpee tried shaking their head to get rid of some of the groginess, "this sun is not working with me."

Whumper placed the sunglasses on Whumpee and sat the water bottle beside them, "I'm going swimming."

Whumpee nodded, "thankyou sir."

"The normal rules and relationship standards I've set restarts tomorrow", Whumper stated, "don't get used to me being nice, this is a mini vacation."

"Yes sir, I understand", Whumpee sighed, wondering how this was considered a vacation for them, when all they could do was watch."

Whumper ran into the water, Whumpee watched, this is so fun they mocked quietly. So fun.