#if this works i think ill actually explode

[fernsnailz]

ignore uncle ben down there

[m00ngbin]

Who amongst you wants to read a ridiculous amount of words about my guys? Bc I have stuff here. For you. And for me

Name choice reasons first, and if anyone that is not me ends up reading this, you may notice that even Inoue's NAME is kind of centered around Mahamat if you really think about it. That is 100% intentional. Also bear with me with the translations, I do not speak arabic or japanese in the SLIGHTEST so hopefully the internet hasn't lied to me Badly

All of this would make a lot more sense if you read their original lore post, but who cares

Ok so starting with the psychic. I decided that her name was gonna be Azumi Inoue after a VERY long debate on whether I wanted to make it feel straightforward/just according to her character, or add symbolism to it. I chose symbolism. First name Azumi, and I've been kind of hung up on the spelling of it just because I think both meanings I'm leaning towards fit the story. It's either Azumi: bright, light - as in to make something clear, to have it illuminated - or Azumi: Peaceful. Last name Inoue, and I had a SIGNIFICANTLY less difficult time choosing this because it was so conveniently lucky that I stumbled across this name. Inoue: above the well. Together that would either be like clarity above the well or peace above the well.

I think I'm SOOOO goddamn clever with this btw. My absolute FAVORITE name that I've ever chosen, because not only did I give her like a shit ton of INSANE well symbolism that I can't even get into rn before I even found it, and I ALSO decided that her family was going to have a thing about wells too that I'll mention later. It was crazy. Anyways so both peace above the well and clarity above the well both have to do with her misunderstanding with the other girl, i.e you can't see the truth through tunnel vision, she can't really see that mahamat actually has no fucking idea that inoue did what she did and has been covering for her the whole time. Inoue thinks that mahamat is using her and knows exactly what she's doing and that her powers are actually inoue's. Inoue has built up this idea in her head around mahamat that's, for the most part, completely untrue, and if she could get out of that well (throwback to crazy symbolism stuff I won't explain (right this second)), if she could get across that gap and actually just TALK to her, clear up the MOUNTAIN of miscommunications and onesided resentment (will not happen btw. Not before Shit Goes Down), everything would be cleared up. She'd have clarity, she'd have be able to have peace of mind

I have had the MOST trouble with the non psychic's name, Inoue's was pretty much an instant decision other than the meaning. I also had to decide whether or not to go for symbolism or character here, and I did a little mix of both, but I leaned a little more into character because she is a more straightforward person than Inoue I think. So the non psychic's first name would either be Mitsuko or Mitsumi, and either would be ok because both the meanings would fit, but I'm leaning more towards Mitsuko just bc Mitsumi is a little more symbolic-y (AS MUCH AS I LOVE IT FOR HER. EVEN MORE THAN MITSUKO TECHNICALLY). Mitsuko like "light/shining child" and Mitsumi as something along the lines of "fascinating secret" OR "seen secret," which I'm taking to be as like knowing about or being aware of a secret. Looking right at it. I Will explain this later, ik it's kind of cryptic rn if you haven't seen the og lore post. Her last name is Mahamat, (and ik ik, double M, just bear with me), which is supposed to be like "highly praised," OR Ahmat, which is like pretty similar as something along the lines of "the most praised." And ik that the obvious choice is Ahmat, but I've gotten really attached to Mahamat as her last name, so. It's still being decided.

So Mitsuko, Mahamat, and Ahmat all have to do with Inoue's perception of her, but also just how she is. She's a very talented person, she's very popular, she does really receive a lot of praise and validation for the things she accomplishes, and even more so with 'her' psychic powers. Once Inoue starts covering for her, she's complimented and praised left right and center, and she's absolutely ADORED by everyone. She shows off with the powers a LOT. She is the light, and she's a very (literally and personality wise) bright person, she's the center of attention. With Inoue, this starts as sincere, because she genuinely does love Mahamat, but it gets more sarcastic and ironic towards the end of the storyline. Speaking of ironic, her ENTIRE NAME is ironic, ESPECIALLY with the end of the story. At the end, the secret gets out because of Inoue, and suddenly Mahamat isn't great anymore. She's not popular, she's not cool, she's a fraud. Everyone believes that she knows exactly what she was doing and believes Inoue wholeheartedly. She is no longer the most praised, she is no longer the brightest kid in the room, everyone thinks she Knows The Secret (circling back to Mitsumi as an option). Inoue thought she knew, everyone else did too, but she didn't. She had no idea. It's the most ironic name of all of them, it's HER name, and she's the one out of the two that Doesn't Know What's Happening, even though everyone thinks she does.

Anyways she has a dual name. You may or may not notice, but both last name options are Arabic last names. Specifically they're Chadian. They're two of the most common Chadian last names, which is very important. They're common. She's common. She's no different from everyone else, and there's nothing special about her. It's supposed to be foreshadowing even though the readers and me the creator already know that she doesn't actually have powers. It's foreshadowing for her I guess, she's common. Like every single other person

Also she's Chadian and Japanese, her father and grandmother were both born in Chad. Her father moved to Morocco for a job and her grandmother came with him, and then the two of them moved to Japan for a Different, better paying job at a company that I have not decided on yet, where her father met her mother and she was born like ten years after her father and grandmother moved to Japan. She's pretty fluent in both Japanese and Chadian Arabic because her father was insistent that he teach it to his daughter, but by the nature of language and how you learn it, she's ever so slightly more proficient in Japanese, but only because she speaks it more often and with more people. She is DEFINITELY not bad at speaking Chadian Arabic don't get me wrong here

For the uhhhh for the story that inoue's name is insanely unintentionally related to. (Meant to mirror Inoue and Mahamat (but also intentionally not exactly) in that Mahamat is meant to reflect the woman and Inoue is the husband)

Ok so wayyyy back in the family line she has this girl and her husband. At some point the woman gets sick, and so every day that she's sick, the husband goes and gets her water from the well by their house (this is way back when and they're in a place that doesn't really have running water just yet). Eventually the wife gets better, but the husband still continues to get water for her well after the fact. He's devoted, he loves his wife, but eventually he starts getting tired of it. He gets frustrated. He continues to do it out of obligation and he assumes that his wife knows that he's sick of it, but she doesn't tell him to stop, and so he doesn't. One day at the well he makes a mistake. Maybe he leans a little too far, maybe the grass that morning has more dew than usual and he slips, however it happens, he falls in. He's trapped. He PANICS. He starts yelling for his wife, but stops after about a minute, assuming that she'd heard him. She hasn't. She has no idea that he's in there, and furthermore she has no idea that he'd been tired of getting the water for her. He, however, doesn't know any of this. He assumes that she knows and that she's left him in there and that she'd known the whole time that he had started to resent doing it, but he's never said anything. He'd been giving subtle hints and he yelled for her (from where she couldn't hear), but she'd never picked up on it. At some point his wife comes outside to grab something; a basket, some laundry, it doesn't matter. If her husband had kept shouting for her, she would have heard him and he could understand that she had not done this to him on purpose. If he'd made it more clear, he wouldn't have been in that situation in the first place. There are plenty of ways for him to get out of the well, from getting the woman to getting out on his own, but in his rage and misery at apparently being left there, he pursues none of them. He doesn't realize that he has a way out, has Several ways out. He dies in that well, and his spirit (and, logically, his decomposing body) poisons the well so that no one can use it for decades. He never gets out, he never sees the truth, nothing is ever resolved. The woman eventually finds out where he's gone and she is beyond distraught. She's alienated and ostracized by the people around her until her passing because they had all formed the same opinion and come to the same conclusion as her husband had. They're meant to be like a cautionary tale for Ahmat and Inoue, but obviously they don't know about them, so it's more like a "whatever, go my symbolism/parallel/reflection" moment. Hilariously enough, Ahmat's family has a similar story about wells, except it's the positive version of this story

"How would they know this story from his perspective if he never got out of the well," I hear you say. I'm debating on this, because the truth of the matter could be that he DID get out but never ends up talking to his wife and learning and developing his perspective. He's angry and hurt and he would lie about this story to the people he's telling it to in some way to frame her as the absolute bad guy in this who did everything 100% intentionally. She heard him. She knew. She didn't do anything. I do like this and I think it would still reflect on Inoue and Ahmat pretty well, but I think it would change the well symbolism ever so slightly from being that getting out of it will bring them clarity, to getting out of it means they still have to work and fight for that clarity and they still have to reach out. It still works, but a little differently that I originally intended. I'd end up reworking that ending a little

But also, I COULD have him actually die, they may just not know this story from his point of view, I could have it just like. Be a little fact mentioned somehow and have the Inoues be very traditional ppl who focus a lot on family and the past and the way the story is told is very negative towards the wife. This way Inoue will like grow up thinking of how the wife was in the wrong bc nobody is very kind to historical people in her position, and it'll still reflect on her relationship with Ahmat and be kind of reflective in a different way where she finally has to consider the wife's perspective through Ahmat. I think this one works better with the well symbolism I already have and I'm Kind Of leaning towards this ending. Idk. I have it playing out a lot more concisely than I'm making it sound rn and I could see it going either way

Yayyy if I have more (and I probably do) I'll make another post later

[mypeggableromance]

.

[itsalwaysdark]

and when i live on my own ill be able to decorate like real life decorate ive never gotten to do that in real life b4

[venomgaia]

i also have been testing pngtuber+ vs veadotubemini and heres rhe fruit of a 49 layer model

[asktotallyhuman]

What does Boomer eat? Do Creepers need a hyper specific diet?

"All I have to do is bring him on my rounds with me, and he should be fine."

[ryssbelle]

ZELDA SPACE AU PROPAGANDA GO TAKE A READ ON AO3

The Nebula Brigade

art used provided by @heroesspirit and myself

[arolesbianism]

I've just been playing the new cotl update for most of the day and I'm so so close to being done with the main new story bits I think but it's also past midnight but also I'm so excited idk if I'll be able to sleep but also god damn do I need to sleep

[loverboybrightsideghost]

they should invent a me that's good at everything i want to be good at. [thing from the addams family pokes out of a nearby box and hands me a piece of paper] thank you, thing. what's this...oh! why, it's a paper that says i have to be the one to do that for my future self! huh.

[itsalwaysdark]

okay sooo 1. once little man is done with my laptop i need to do the ssn shit bc i have the letter 2. in an hour i need to switch my laundry to the dryer and at Some point i need to sleep preferablyyyy i oush as long as i can its been 28 hours i Think? since i woke up i dont avtually remember its all kind of a blur i do have a headache and my fuckshit tooth is bothering me but whatever . once i get the ssn login thing done im pretty sure i can get a new card like right away and then once that gets here i can go and get my permit And by then my new glasses will be here which is epics and ummm at some point not today bc im tired and have a headache aka not at my best. so once those 2 things r not the case i need to do the science and math ged practice tests ive been putting them off bc im scared ill do bad SKULL.but i need to get those done ... and omce i have the permit and everything thennnnnn i can go do my actual proper ged tests and once those r done ill have my ged and an id and thus can start applying for jobs again And ill be so brave and ask my mom to teach me how to drive . YIPPEE

[cubedmango]

I don’t wanna get my hopes up but tv tokyo dishing out season twos seems like an indication that… THAT… Y’KNOW

i know realistically its not happening but Two of their shows getting a s2 now makes me think It Could Be Possible?????? like idk if those shows have more content from the manga to work w but i mean..... cm has vol 11 and 12 too that havent been used......... they could work w that right............. Right........................

[thusgalanthus]

🪙

[thegoldencontracts]

Hey! Can I suggest a tired & flustered Azul or Leona? Both are personal favorites

Hihi I gotchuu anon thank you for the requestt <3

also a bit off-topic but im indian-american (not native, like the asian country) and im the same shade as as leona which is why i hate hate hate when people talk about him blushing it'd be vy hard to see and i know its so weird and theyre good writers blah blah blah just a little pet peeve

Leona Kingscholar

You were currently being pulled into the arms of none other than the Prince of Afterglow, Leona Kingscholar. That wasn't particularly new - ever since you two started dating, Leona seemed to have a newfound love of cuddling you. It was pretty cute, actually. He really did act like a big cat sometimes.

Today, though, he seemed especially tired. He was always a bit tired - you knew why, and it wasn't a pretty story, but you had to digress - today, he seemed even more tired than usual.

It made sense. He had to pull an all-nighter yesterday catching up on paperwork for the Spelldrive club, something you still couldn't believe he'd actually done instead of just throwing the job onto Ruggie.

Still, he looked just about ready to collapse. You were getting pretty concerned.

"Wanna go to bed?" You asked, taking the opportunity to card your fingers through his hair. For once, he didn't try to hide the way he leaned into the touch. He pouted, though, and at that moment, you thought your heart was going to explode.

Leona, calm, always composed Leona was pouting at you. He looked almost like a kid right now.

You couldn't help the hearty laugh that escaped you. Leona huffed at you, angling his face in a way that made his dark circles much too prominent.

"Really, though," you said. "Get some sleep. I'll be here in the morning."

Leona mumbled something.

"What was that?"

"Come with me, herbivore," he said, more mumbled, and though it wasn't visible, you could tell he was blushing. The way he couldn't meet your eyes said it all.

He was surprisingly honest today.

He probably took your silence for teasing or the like, because he turned away with a huff.

"You can," he said. "I don't really care either way."

You smiled. It was genuine, not an ounce of teasing. You weren't going to do that, now when it was already so hard for him to be more vulnerable with you. It was overjoying just to know he was being honest.

"I'll take you up on that offer," you said, and that poorly hidden smile made every moment you'd have to spend listening to him snore worth it.

Azul Ashengrotto

Azul was working this evening. That was fine - he'd literally taken you out on a date so custom-tailored to you it made you wonder how exactly he knew you so well yesterday, you weren't going to complain about his performance as your beloved.

But he seemed tired. No, no, that was an understatement. He seemed like he was about to pass out any moment now. And yet, by some miracle, he was still working.

You had to perform well has his beloved, too. And that meant taking care of him when he was ill - or in this case, so tired he might as well have been.

"Azul?" you called out, and the thirty seconds it took him to process your voice and turn to look at you said it all. "Don't you think you should go to bed?"

After a few seconds, he shook his head blearily.

"'Can't," he mumbled, his words slurred. "Work."

You vaguely understood what he was trying to say. He couldn't sleep, he had work to do.

But it didn't seem like he was going to get much done in his current state other than pass out.

"Sleep, please," you said, and you were honestly shocked at how gentle your voice sounded. Being in love with Azul really did things to you, huh?

"But the money!" he whined, and you couldn't help but laugh. The money? That's what he cared about right now? How much money did he actually think he'd lose from sleeping? "'Want money."

This was the love of your life. This man.

Seeing you laugh, he huffed, cheeks bright red.

"Stop laughing," he said, pouting. "Ugh. 'S why you have no money."

Cold, Azul. Cold. Even in his current state, he had to remind you of your painfully broke reality.

"Then you'll have to help me make some, then." You said, trying to appeal to his love of rambling about finance. "Why don't you teach me? We can go to your room while we're at it, more privacy that way."

He nodded shakily, cheeks still a bit pink.

"I'm very-" he cut himself off, trying to pronounce somthing. "'Nevolent. Be-ne-vo-lent. I'll help you."

"Thank you so much," you said, and he followed you to his room.

You couldn't wait to see how embarrassed he'd get in the morning.

Bonus (Of sorts):

"I said what?"

"Yeah, and your face was so red! You kept slurring over your words, too. You couldn't even say 'benevolent'! Isn't that, like, your signature word?"

"Stop teasing me already!"

[iznyangwoni]

EASY TO LOVE | chapter nineteen !

You’ve been working all day on the outfits for the festival and honestly it’s been great at taking your mind off of Jungwon. This last week all you did was ignore him, thinking of how you should talk to him, what to say, how to say it. But all your overthinking did was just making you distance yourself from him, as if fighting wasnt enough.

You sigh, finally finishing one of the hundreds sketches you need to do before sunday. Its already getting late, but you need a few more people to come in for you to take measurements, so its gonna take a while before you can go home, not that you really mind, you like doing this after all.

You hear a knock on the door, so you tell them to come in, not really looking towards that direction since you’re busy choosing a color for the skirts. The door closes and you raise your head only when a grocery bag stops your vision. Your heart drops when you see Jungwon, you cant really read his expression, he looks both annoyed and relieved.

You take off your headphones and glasses, your ears getting red. “Sunghoon told me you haven’t eaten all day.” You gulp, not really knowing what to say, your eyes fall on the bag, then on Jungwon again. “You spoke… with Sunghoon?” “You’ve been avoiding me for a week, i did what i had to do.”

You bite your inner lip, you cant really imagine the two of them having a normal conversation, but you’re glad they’re growing. Jungwon sits in front of you, his eyes never leaving you, you’re trying to be tough, but its hard when your mind is going a thousand per miles and your heart is about to explode.

“I’ve been busy with the festival.” “Don’t bullshit me.” His cold voice makes your back shiver, and then you see it, that angry look he’s had since the fight, you run a hand through your hair, and then start tidying up the desk, you know he’s not going until you eat, so might as well get this over soon.

“I don’t like your attitude.” You say, and he laughs sarcastically, taking the ramen off of the bag, he already put the hot water in it before coming, the thought of him doing all of this for you makes you sigh. “Just eat and dont complain.” You roll your eyes and finally sit down again to eat, you only left your sketchbook on the table, just in case you get any ideas.

“You’ve been hanging a lot with Minji..” “Mh.” Jungwon didn’t think twice before digging into his ramen, meanwhile you’re still playing with your chopsticks. “Riki and Jake say that she’s been weird lately. So they dont hang much with us anymore.” “Ah.” This whole thing is awkward, the way you’re talking, the way he either looks into your soul or doesn’t look at you at all.

Still, maybe this is the right time to tell him the truth, to finally express how you feel and actually tell him what happened, but you’re still scared. Jungwon basically doesn’t hang out with his best friends only because of her, how delusional do you have to be to think he would believe you? “Jungwon… I’m scared.”

Finally his eyes meet yours again, your hand is slightly shaking, and you cant really stop it now. You bite your inner lip once again, meanwhile he completely stops eating just to hear you out. “Of what?” “Of you not believing me. Or of you choosing Minji instead of me.” “Y/n you can’t make me choose.”

That’s exactly what you were afraid of. Of course he doesnt want to choose, he’s known you only for a few months, meanwhile him and Minji have been friends since ever, he’s never going to pick you. “You’ll have to once you know what happened.” “Then tell me.” You take a deep breath, you really cant find the words to tell him, he’s looking at you patiently, but you dont know how long he can wait.

Just thinking back about it makes you feel ill and dirty, you want things with jungwon to work out, you want to be able to date him and call him your boyfriend but god is it hard to just say it. You look at him, your throat already hurting meanwhile he seems to be getting disappointed. “That video minji mentioned to you…” your mouth feels dry, meanwhile your eyes are the complete opposite.

You shake your head, you dont want to say it, you dont want him to think of you as low as you think of yourself for what happened. Jungwon hand reaches out to yours, wanting to soothe you. “Jiyoon was in Minji’s friend group last year, and we… we weren’t really friends.” You decide to start like this, its really now or never.

“And i was kind of dating this guy, Ricky.” “Kind of?” You give him a bad look, its not really the time to joke now, but you’re glad he’s making it less awkward.

“Well, turns out, Ricky was cheating on me with her, and they wanted me out of the picture.” You take another deep breath, you did have a little crush on Ricky last year, but it was nothing like what you feel for Jungwon, but thinking about what happened still hurts you like crazy. “So they.. they decided to take a video, something that could ruin the reputation of my family if it got out…i didnt know the phone was there when it was recording.”

Jungwon is listening carefully, caressing your fingers with his thumb, going through your jewelry so gently. “What was in the video?” You look at him again, you really dont want to say it, but you have to. “It was me, at Ricky’s house. And we were alone, and.. things escalated and we were-” “Y/n.”

The way he calls you makes you scared, is he mad at you? Does he think you’re disgusting? You dont even want to look at him in the eyes out of fear.

“Y/n, look at me.” Your bottom lip is trembling as he interlocks his fingers with yours. “Why didnt you tell me earlier?” “I was scared..” Your voice is breaking as you speak, Jungwon gets up and hugs you, you hide your face in the crook of his neck, you didnt expect him to act like this. But your friends were right at the end. Jungwon kisses your forehead before speaking, cupping your face.

“You’re safe with me.” You nod again, your eyes are watery, but you’re happy he doesnt hate you. You feel like you finally got a rock off of your back and you can finally breathe. You look at the table, the ramen is cold by now, but thats the last of your problems. “I cant believe she would threaten you with something like that i’m so sorry Y/n I-“ “Wonie you couldn’t know.” “Let me take you out to make up for it.” You giggle at that, and nod happily.

“yes, yes lets do that.”

prev | masterlist | next

author’s note we really are reaching the end 🥲 but dont worry i wont vanish, i already posted the masterlist for my next smau! it would be great if you can check it out hihi ily

TAGLIST @unhakki @firstclassjaylee @en-verse @mxxninthesky @onlyhyunjin @heeseungmyman @jiamini @yoonzns @wonswondrland @50-husbands @leaderwonim @aloloveswonie @f3rraribabez @jwonistic @ribbioniki @kyanmeai @ilovejungwonandhaechan @nat123c @yjwsgf @gyuvision @realrintaro @glxzillx @qettalos @rairaiblog @sakanelli-afc @onlyjungchan @haohaoshoe @vixensss @terryfiedgyu

[scientia-rex]

Because my most popular post is about weight loss and how it's a crock, I get a lot of questions about various things, including bariatric surgery--just posted the link to the post I did about that--but also Ozempic/Wegovy, the once-weekly injectable semaglutide medication that was developed for diabetes but was found to have independent benefits on weight loss.

I always said that weight loss was like Viagra: when a medication came along that actually worked, it would explode. We'd all hear about it. Fen-phen in the 90s worked, but it was bad for your heart. Stimulants, like meth, may cause weight loss, but they do it at the cost of heart health, and raise your likelihood of dying young. Over the counter weight loss supplements often contain illegal and unlisted thyroid hormone, which is also dangerous for the heart if taken in the absence of a real deficiency. Orlistat, or "Alli," works the same way as the Olestra chips Lays made in the 1990s--it shuts off your ability to digest fats, and the problem with that is that fats irritate the gut, so then you end up with fatty diarrhea and probably sharts. Plus Alli only leads to 8-10lbs of weight loss in the best case scenario, and most people are not willing to endure sharts for the sake of 8lbs.

And then came the GLP-1 agonists. GLP stands for glucagon-like peptide. Your body uses insulin to make cells uptake sugar. You can't just have free-floating sugar and use it, it has to go into the cells to be used. So if your body sucks at moving sugar into the cells, you end up with a bunch of glucose hanging out in places where it shouldn't be, depositing on small vessels, damaging nerves and your retinas and kidneys and everywhere else that has a whole lot of sensitive small blood vessels, like your brain.

Glucagon makes your liver break down stored sugars and release them. You can think of it as part of insulin's supporting cast. If your body needs sugar and you aren't eating it, you aren't going to die of hypoglycemia, unless you've got some rare genetic conditions--your liver is going to go, whoops, here you go! and cough it up.

But glucagon-like peptide doesn't act quite the same way. What glucagon-like peptide does is actually stimulating your body to release insulin. It inhibits glucagon secretion. It says, we're okay, we're full, we just ate, we don't need more glucagon right now.

This has been enough for many people to both improve blood sugar and cause weight loss. Some patients find they think about food less, which can be a blessing if you have an abnormally active hunger drive, or if you have or had an eating disorder.

However, every patient I've started on semaglutide in any form (Ozempic, Wegovy, or Rybelsus) has had nausea to start with, probably because it slows the rate of stomach emptying. And that nausea sometimes improves, and sometimes it doesn't. There's some reports out now of possible gastroparesis associated with it, which is where the stomach just stops contracting in a way that lets it empty normally into the small intestine. That may not sound like a big deal, but it's a lifelong ticket to abdominal pain and nausea and vomiting, and we are not good at treating it. We're talking Reglan, a sedating anti-nausea but pro-motility agent, which makes many of my patients too sleepy to function, or a gastric pacemaker, which is a relatively new surgery. You can also try a macrolide antibiotic, like erythromycin, but I have had almost no success in getting insurance to cover those and also they have their own significant side effects.

Rapid weight loss from any cause, whether illness, medication, or surgery, comes with problems. Your skin is not able to contract quickly. It probably will, over long periods of time, but "Ozempic face" and "Ozempic butt" are not what people who want to lose weight are looking for. Your vision of your ideal body does not include loose, excess skin.

The data are also pretty clear that you can't "kick start" weight loss with Ozempic and then maintain it with behavioral mechanisms. If you want to maintain the weight loss, you need to stay on the medication. A dose that is high enough to cause weight loss is significantly higher than the minimum dose where we see improvements in blood sugar, and with a higher dose comes higher risk of side effects.

I would wait on semaglutide. I would wait because it's been out for a couple of years now but with the current explosion in popularity we're going to see more nuanced data on side effects emerging. When you go from Phase III human trials to actual use in the world, you get thousands or millions more data points, and rare side effects that weren't seen in the small human trials become apparent. It's why I always say my favorite things for a drug to be are old, safe, and cheap.

I also suspect the oral form, Rybelsus, is going to get more popular and be refined in some way. It's currently prohibitively expensive--all of these are; we're talking 1200 or so bucks a month before insurance, and insurance coverage varies widely. I have patients who pay anything from zero to thirty to three hundred bucks a month for injectable semaglutide. I don't think I currently have anyone whose insurance covers Rybelsus who could also tolerate the nausea. My panel right now is about a thousand patients.

There are also other GLP-1 agonists. Victoza, a twice-daily injection, and Trulicity, and anything else that ends in "-aglutide". But those aren't as popular, despite being cheaper, and they aren't specifically approved for weight loss.

Mounjaro is a newer one, tirzepatide, that acts on two receptors rather than one. In addition to stimulating GLP-1 receptors, it also stimulates glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptors. It may work better; I'm not sure whether that's going to come with a concomitantly increased risk of side effects. It's still only approved for diabetes treatment, but I suspect that will change soon and I suspect we'll see a lot of cross-over in terms of using it to treat obesity.

I don't think these medications are going away. I also don't think they're right for everyone. They can reactivate medullary thyroid carcinoma; they can fuck up digestion; they may lead to decreased quality of life. So while there may be people who do well with them, it is okay if those people are not you. You do not owe being thin to anyone. You most certainly do not owe being thin to the extent that you should risk your health for it. Being thin makes navigating a deeply fat-hating world easier, in many ways, so I never blame anyone for wanting to be thin; I just want to emphasize that it is okay if you stay fat forever.

[thewertsearch]

ERIDAN: for all that trainin you did ERIDAN: i wwouldnt be the incredible holy wwizard i am noww wwithout your help […] KANAYA: I Hope You Use Your Magnificent Powers Of Light And Hope For Goodness And Purity And Lets Not Forget Science

At this point. Kanaya is Human Sarcasming better than most actual humans.

ERIDAN: dont wworry im all ovver that shit you dont evven knoww KANAYA: Uh Oh I Hope That Didnt Come Off As Too Sarcastic […] KANAYA: Please Dont Take Too Much Offense ERIDAN: haha damn kan if thats your idea of offense bein made then i honestly gotta fuckin wworry for you ERIDAN: tell you wwhat ill givve you some lessons in dealin out the dark umbrage to repay you for your tutelage in the wwhite science

I think Dave taught Kanaya more about the art of trolling in a single conversation than Eridan could in an entire lifetime.

That guy can troll better than most actual trolls.

ERIDAN: wwhats that thing there KANAYA: The Matriorb KANAYA: I Was About To Go Hatch It In The Core To Restore Our Race ERIDAN: that sounds ERIDAN: hopeful […] ERIDAN: if theres goin to be any sort a hope for our race as the prince of hope i demand to be invvolvved ERIDAN: so dont go anywwhere wwithout me got it […] KANAYA: Fine

I’m all for the construction of neo-Alternia, but I really don't think Eridan should be on the planning committee, unless we also want a neo-hemospectrum.

Honestly, the only trolls I'd really trust to rebuild their society are the bottom half of the hemospectrum, and possibly Gamzee. The other highbloods can go sit in the corner.

ERIDAN: its not magic wwe talked about this kar KARKAT: RIGHT, IT'S POWERED BY SCIENCE, I FORGOT. KARKAT: OR HOPE. WHATEVER THE FUCK THAT MEANS

I don’t see how Hope translates to a robot-exploding beam, though.

If it was wizards he was blowing up, I’d understand, because it would be consistent with my theory that he's weaponizing his hatred of FRAUDULENT MAGIC. If anything, his Science Wand should strengthen a robot, since it's a product of the TRUEST SCIENCES.

ERIDAN: i had a harder time than anybody wwith this game ERIDAN: it wwas really fuckin unfair wwhat challenges i got saddled wwith ERIDAN: i wwoulda fuckin MURDERED for a land full of a lot a harmless brains and fire ERIDAN: but no ERIDAN: it wwas so lonely ERIDAN: hey guys anybody wwant to come hang out wwith me in the land a wwrath and angels

That sounds cool, though. Angels, I assume, are how Hope is represented in his Land, and I’m sure Eridan synergized well with its wrath. I wonder what physical form it took?

ERIDAN: anybody at all i knoww it isnt anythin like one of your flippin land picnics ERIDAN: anybody please ill evven settle for the kittycat shipper cavve girl

You can't complain about loneliness and then insult your ‘friend’ in the same breath. That's not how any of this works, and the fact that you're unaware of this should tell you everything you need to know about why you're lonely.

So Karkat does know about Nepeta’s little crush. He is a relationship aficionado, after all.

Poor Nepeta.

I sort of figured Karkat didn't reciprocate her feelings. He's preoccupied with plenty of other redrom prospects, and he basically never mentions her.

Karkat’s honestly a little too nice to Eridan. He’s being such a bro here, but what Eridan actually needs is to be brought down to size a little.

Granted, I think Eridan needs a bigger shock to the system than an angry tirade from Karkat. I feel like Terezi could tear him to pieces - but since it's unfair to expect her to put up with him alone, I'd put both the Scourge Sisters on this assignment. >:)

What Karkat is aptly demonstrating here is that there’s a difference between an Eridan kind of asshole and a Karkat kind of asshole.

Let's be real, here - Karkat's a dick. But he's a dick who holds no true malice, knows when he's crossed a line, and is willing to sincerely apologize for his past actions, and make amends.

Eridan possesses none of these qualities, which is why he sat alone in his house for a month while Karkat befriended the entire cast.