#most (all) of these involve five
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POV: You're a scientist and the little creatures you've been observing have discovered one of the hidden cameras you placed in their natural habitat
#Was looking up Red Dwarf posters for my new apartment on Ebay came across the Lister one and I lost it#Saw the whole cast was involved in this shoot and lost it even more#I love everything about them: the Malcolm in the Middle ass camera angle#the range of expressions#Rimmer The Cat and Kochanski standing right in front of some kind of stand (?)#so it looks like they're being propped up by a clothing rack or something#how goofy they are#If you were to ask me which of the five I like the most I couldn't tell you they're all So Good#Red Dwarf#Dave Lister#Arnold Rimmer#The Cat#Kryten#Kristine Kochanski#Craig Charles#Chris Barrie#Danny John Jules#Robert Llewellyn#Chloe Annett#Original Post
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hi! ive been talking in the dc server and with the help of some ppl, i’ve created a role swap au—in which the love interests and heroes switch roles. i hope you enjoy :3
roleswap titans au
leader: kory anders. (lives in gotham after being abandoned in the streets by her sister when they crash landed on earth. raised by catwoman. wanted a team to not only help the world but to not feel alone. for all catwoman’s strengths, emotional connections aren’t always her strongest thing. especially to a kid.) replaces dick grayson
report writer: linda park (gained super speed after recreating the accident that happened to flash to investigate what happened at star labs. she joins titans by claiming she wants to learn how to be a better hero but really… she wants to know their hero identities & uncover who the flash Really Is. will she use her connection to the hero world to figure out their identities or will she learn to be the hero she claims to be?) replaces wally west
redeemed hero: chesire (“saved” by roy harper. she initially refuses to work together with the titans but the more they live with each other, the more she thinks twice about not corporating. can she move past the path she believed she was destined for? or will the titans efforts be in vain?) replaces roy harper
atlantan: dolphin (quiet kid from atlantis. she wandered into earth after being attacked by atlantis’ army for her mutation, stranded and alone. it’s only by being recruited by kory anders that she’s learning to find her footing (or fins) in the world. is she capable of working together with the cast? find out) replaces garth (aqualad)
the bow and arrow: speedy (the one that “saved” chesire. lots of people teased that he only joined bc he had a crush on kory but really… he wants to help chesire. and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to aid her. he thinks being with ppl their own age would help them adjust and fit in) replaces donna troy
#dc#dc comics#dc roleswap#dc au#kory anders#starfire#starfire dc#the flash#linda park#chesire dc#jade nguyen#roy harper#speedy#speedy dc#dolphin#dolphin dc#fab five#dc titans#teen titans#im not sure what else to tag (ig their mentors?) but u hope u enjoy it :3#barry allen#catwoman#selina kyle#if anyone is interested in seeing their relationships w/ the other lmk (also. yes chesire/roy do become a thing trust)#as for other relationships… we shall see#just know that starfire/dolphin have alot of chemistry involved be it romantic/platonic bc they both understand what it’s like 2 be lonely#linda/dolphin/chesire also have chemistry bc linda wants to uncover all their secrets bc she’s curious meanwhile dolphin/chesire#want to keep their secrets under lock & key so. dolphin/chesire understand that desire while linda wants them out(tm)#roy would be starfire’s 2nd in command bc out of all the heroes he’s the 1 w/ the most experince w/ being a hero#chesire is better combat wise & linda/dolphin have more power but he has the most experience which the other 2 don’t
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this au nearly restores the comics size difference lmao
[ID: Luther and Five drawn as centaurs. Luther is a huge draft horse, Five is a foal. It is a loose redraw of a scene in s2; Five is shouting "I'm the daddy here!" while Luther cowers and looks around nervously. Five is doing his best to make himself look bigger but his entire torso is still probably about the size of one of Luther's knees. End ID.]
#tua#the umbrella academy#luther hargreeves#five hargreeves#centaur#google says the Really Big Record Holder draft horses (which is of course what we're talking bc luther is a Really Big guy) are like.#easily more than 3000 pounds. turns out draft horses are REALLY big. i might be drawing him too small its hard to tell#anyway have ur new centaur drawing of the night#most (all) of these involve five#i know thats my brand but like.. idk i do like to occasionally feature not-five characters#my brain wasnt giving it to me tho#oh wait i didnt next day reblog lila did i. i forgot bc i dont usually do this daily#my art#centaur au
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Karen has four older brothers and this is Ross! He's the second oldest and he looks rather polite and smiles a lot and when he's at work he can behave most of the time... but he really has such a foul mouth it puts Right to shame.
And Karen when she was a kid couldn't pronounce S's and they sounded like Z's. So when her brothers would be leaving for school she would say "enjoy zool" and just. Could NEVER say Ross's name correctly so he told her to just call him Oz. And it stuck but only with Karen. She's the only one to use it and no one else is allowed.
#my characters#also fun fact she has decided to legally rename him for when shes mad at him#so instead of yelling his full proper name#she will yell OSWALD THOMAS WILSON which is the fake first name but actual middle/last#and its just thats a guy that she wouldnt want to admit to knowing if she saw him in public#hes actually p short so yeah hes a short king#the oldest bro and the second youngest are both taller#the middle middle is basically the same height as him so karen really is just the wittle bab#and all her brothers are super protective of her bc thats their baby sister#she does however have a strong sense of I GOTTA PROTECT THE MIDDLE GUY#so she is kinda used to standing up for older guys just bc of he#but it comes into being a problem when she meets rick and is like fuck it he may be older but#he is too kinda for this world and also theres no way i can love him hes basically a baby brother#and she will pick on him but also would absolutely throw hands for him#and and i know the tags are long as is but eventually karen and rick move past the whole youre like a brother vibe#and they become very good friends - still zero romance involved - but she starts to treat him less like a family member#and it makes him feel less awkward and in turn he feels more open to joke sometimes#cause for a long while rick is just this is really awkward and i wish we would stop matching on dating apps but she wont leave me alone#so its rude to turn her down when she offers a friendly drink to check up on me#but its actually karen being protective older sister mode despite being the youngest of five#this is the most i have managed to draw in like two weeks i think#now im super tired bye
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No no ikr. The ENT fandom is so quiet around here. And honestly I'm just excited to see art of my favourite dudes, because we rarely get fanart around here, and when we do it's usually Trip or T'Pol solely. Malcolm gets left in the dust quite a lot so I'm happy you drew him as well - and so well done too!
Anyway, ramble over, lol.
OMG... Well I think I can see why a lot of fanart is of Trip and/or T'pol (those two seem like they're doing some heavy lifting for the show/are just a lot of people's faves. I've got a few half baked ideas in mind for them myself.) but the rest of the crew as a whole do deserve more love I think! :]
#(I'm hijacking this ask to talk about some ENT thoughts in the tags LMAO sorry 😭🙏)#I've been watching it for the first time with some friends who are also watching it for the first time with me like 90% of the time.#When Reed was introduced we did our silly little “omg. why is he british 😰” jokes but personally-#he has grown on me a lot. Very much my type of character so far I think... :]#ive got a few sketches involving him that wont see the light of day because they require five levels of inside jokes from my watch party 😭#but god. for the most part I like all the main crew characters#the only one I'm not 100% on is archer and i dont even know how to articulate why.#like I don't HATE him. but he is also very fun to dunk on.#and i enjoy scott bakula very much. its crazy how like. not intriguing or charming I find his depiction of archer mmmmmost of the time#which sucks bc i KNOW it could be awesome. but its not really there for me yet.... oh well.#but god. i wish i could go back in time and force some improvements into the way the show was handled.....#my list of demands. quit the excessive sexualisation of t'pol and hoshi. can we PLEASE stop underutilising mayweather. and honestly-#i think a bit more dramatic visual variety between the main human cast would help a bit#now its time to end MY ramble yet again 😭 i feel like if i talk about ent for too long i'll inevitably start complaining-#despite me still having a mostly enjoyable time... all that stuff just really feels kicked up to 11 compared to previous treks tho 😔#but its only bc i care 💔 i see so much potential where the writers really borked their shit#telegraff#themurdochmemesteries#i might get around to a few more doodles or meme redraws but i can never guarantee anything when I have a whole queue of stuff-#that needs to be done before I can draw whatever I want. but by god. the ideas and concept drafts are there. 💪💪💪😤#:] <3
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#uhhh ummm haha uh#saw someone say s.ouheki is boring because of how clever rhey both are#so there wont be any angst involved cause theyll just get together#i mean u dont gotta like s.ouheki but. WHAT#the fact that theyre masterminds means they see through each other#and they are both characters with a HEAVY facade#someone being able to break them down to their core would freak both of them out#besides wdym no angst. theyre both the world’s most roundabout characters ever no way theyll get together in five seconds#sigh this is why we are in rarepair hell. fandom has no general understanding of the characters#and as such cannot see potential of two characters#it has to be explicitly laid out for them. and even then ! theyll still mischaracterise#sorry for being petty i hope they dont see this 😋 but im shooting them with lasers#(also why does a ship need to be tragic or toxic to be considered good lmao..)#and idc if they dont like the ship BUT DONT TAG IT????#they tagged all the fandom tags and individual chara tags AND THE SHIP TAG#this isnt twitter theres nowhere to earn clout 💀#i dont wanna search a ship tag i like and seeing someone say how much it sucks bruh
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I feel like Flynn Rider with a bunch of swords pointed at his throat.png for saying this but gosh sometimes I wish Letterboxd had some sort of review search function that let you hide any reviews with the words "gay" or "gender" 😭😭
#my mind#I swear I don't mean this in a GRRRRR the wokes 😡😡😡 way#but maaaaaan#me when I just saw the most mid ass movie and all the reviews are like omg so hecking gay and gender five stars#me when I watch a movie that is supposed to be so gay about lesbian subtext but then the movie is lowkey the most sexist thing I've ever se#and is about a straight love square involving the most unlikeable romantic interest imagineable#ok so these tags are me being really salty about calamity jane and I know that there's a context around the movie and it was 1950's and#hayes code etc etc etc but honestly I guess I'm just not the type to apreciate having to grasp at straws (and ignore a bunch of annoying sh#just for some subtext when I could just be watching a different movie that actually writes in the subtext (or overtext even)#mädchen in uniform did a 42 day marathon 20 years earlier for calamity jane to flop on the floor </3#sorry to any calamity jane fans that might be seeing this </3 I'm genuily glad you're able to appreciate it better than me#rebel without a cause is from the same time period and has better gay subtext imo#me when I make a post inspired by soviet movie Ballad of a Hussar and then write 20 tags rambling about calamity jane#anyway moral is that sometimes letterboxd has bad taste in movies
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Fanny, my sweet, beautiful girl
17.11.2012 – 14.04.2019
#my art#artists on tumblr#I cannot accept that it has been 5 years already#I know covid messed with everyone’s sense of time but it simultaneously feels so much longer and so much shorter than that#exactly five years ago I was holding onto my mom for dear life and sobbing as we watched lilo and stitch together#not the best movie to watch when you’ve just lost your first ever pet you know#and then I cried myself to sleep at the next morning we never mentioned her again#I know it’s because it was way too painful for everyone involved. but I do wish I was allowed to process that grief properly#instead of bottling it up and pretending everything was okay until I was reminded of her#feeling like my heart was being shattered over and over again every single time#well anyway. enough of that. I’ve allowed myself a nice long cry today and got most of it out of my system#and once I was feeling okay I decided to draw her#and I can count the number of times I’ve drawn animals on one hand so.. I’m not too sure about the result#but it felt like to commemorate her in some way.#so yeah. here she is. my dear girl. the best dog in existence. she was always so affectionate and kind#which I didn’t always appreciate bc of how young I was. when you’re a kid it feels like pets will live forever#never barked. never bit anyone. her only crime was chewing on my mlp and lps toys that I left out on the floor#but I’m grateful she did that. it taught me not to leave my toys lying around and to clean up after myself#she really was taken from me way too soon. ideally she could still be alive right now. but I’ve been down the road of guilt and regret#there was nothing I could do. I was a child. I can only hope that she knew she was loved right until the very end#even if I didn’t know how to show it properly. and great. now I’m tearing up again#I suppose it’s unavoidable. April 12th will always be a melancholy day. and maybe that’s not such a bad thing#it’s good to have a day when I can freely remember her and cry if I need to. it’s healthy. it’s better than crying every day#she never liked it much when I cried. always tried to comfort me. that’s the kind of dog she was. I miss her so much#when I move apartments and get a dog of my own I’m getting a spaniel. just like she was#well. maybe a different colour so I don’t end up sobbing every time I look at it. but spaniels really are the perfect breed#I mean. cavaliers especially were bred for love and warmth. that’s just what I need. it will be nice to have someone waiting for me at home#and while I don’t necessarily believe in the afterlife… I do hope that Fanny’s watching over me#spiritually comforting me when I feel all alone in the world. it’s a nice thought for sure#and hopefully she won’t mind me getting another spaniel too much. it will be done in her honour after all. to make up for my past mistakes
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unrelated. can't believe melves themselves aren't even on the kotlc heritage blog we've got to find those too. also tater mentioned elf piss the forbidden gatorade electric boogaloo??? which i VAGUELY remember but wasn't involved in???
The original post was reblogged there as of a couple days ago! And I tagged the melves blog in that, so people can go through it if they're so inclined. But other individual posts have not been added
I don't think I was involved int he electric boogaloo either--would that have anything to do with the food wars? Because I feel like it got mentioned during that time, but I didn't really participate so I can't be sure
#kotlc#quil's queries#soryasongsaa#i should reread all the melves stuff I did. I think I was the primary person making things#not the only poster but like. I did a whole worldbuild and fic and such#and I hardly remember most of it#i know I created five distinct roles in society tied to five culturally significant artifacts#i know I created a process for traveling to the moon that involved collecting some items#but I don't remember what#HOLY SHIT!!#I just realized I technically have a kotlc oc!!#/with/ fanart!#the greeter!!#what was their name...#started with an a#aydan!! I thought it was an aydan I just didn't remember the spelling#oh you know what the wings au people also count as ocs#damn. i always considered myself not an oc person#turns out i've got three#technically four if you consider that one person#who. now that I think about it. i'm going to have to flesh out a LOT more well fuck#...I don't think I made note of what I intended of them at the time#because I didn't anticiapte taking this long of a break from it#hmm#i vaguely remember their feelings#that'll have to be enough of a start#anyway wow rambling!
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me and my five bandaids are completely preoccupied with giving ford a cat so the next fic is extremely unlikely to not involve a little fluff gremlin in some way
#i have five different fic concepts that all involve ford and cats#it's because i've gotten past the part that makes me depressed whenever i think about cats i think#now it's more just 'YES CATS!! he deserves it it's great it's awesome give him the most delightful creature in the world YES YES YES-'#nature is healing#(< i'm nature)
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Every guy in Yakuza seems like they have enough social awkwardness for Tien to role his eyes at…
there's no feasible chance on earth any man can be more awkward than mountain man tien I'm Going To Hide From My Friends Every Other Year And Then For A Decade After Telling Them I'd Never See Them Again For No Apparent Reason And Only Coming Back Cause the World Was Literally Ending shinhan
#snap chats#i already hear someone go 'what about kiryu' girl he didnt last five years before getting involved again#jo's prob a contender tho. tbh.#anyway i just got back from the fnaf movie#first off please remind me to stop going out to places with kayla i might as well be going by myself#does not help that she walks slow as shit like bro dont make me walk this turtle-ass pace#good things came of the trip tho :) first of all im broke 🧍♂️ since when did movies get so expensive I DIDNT EVEN GET FOOD#i did get a kirby gacha tho :) inflation's starting to hit the gacha machines now too tho what the fuck 😭#last time it was less expensive than the time before and now this is the most exp its been......#wow its not just luck on what you pull its luck on how much money youre dropping BYE#whatever i dont need groceries anyways. really i dont i swear i did all my budgeting this month already#on the bright side i picked up 25 cents collectively today :) might as well call me a millionaire already#ANYWAY someone give me an excuse to post the new kirby he's cute and his feet are a weird color#o my god i didnt even talk about the movie wait. fuck.#watching jp movies and media has been terrible for my us viewing experience cause it just makes it so abundant how.#AUDIBLE us movies are. and the camera cuts jesus fucking christ i could turn it into a drinking game#what's my verdict tho ????? tbh i thought it was cute. im still in awe of the suits tho if anything i give the movie full props for that#heh. props. get it. fr tho i love practical effects and yk what ill take it. cupcake was goofy as hell ngl but ill take it#highkey forgot coreykenshin was in the movie so it was cute being reminded he was there :) love him..#honestly it really was a movie for fans of fnaf already and i aint gonna act like i wasnt a fan of the series in its early years#def not a movie to watch on its own- not that the plot's incomprehensible otherwise but it prob just wont hit#like matpat and corey being there was neat and the credits song took me WAAAY back to when that song first dropped on youtube LOL#sorry ive turned these tags into a fnaf movie review. kayla didnt talk about it with me so i wanted to get my thoughts out somewhere LOL#im running out of tags Anyway i solemnly swear to only talk bout movies that ft mates that star in rgg henceforth <3#im lying of course. i dont know how to shut up <3 but ill shut up rn im making dinner. movie made me hungry for bacon....
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Fullmetal Alchemist/Harry Potter Crossover Bingo
Found this bingo card I put together a while back when I was binge-reading all the FMA/HP crossover fics I could get my hands on.
#fullmetal alchemist#harry potter#crossover#bingo card#i may put together a rec list at some point#there really are a lot of crossovers between these two fandoms#most of which seem to involve ed or mustang teaching alchemy at hogwarts during the events of book two or book five#i don't make the rules#just the bingo card apparently#all queued up
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When I was in vet school I went to this one lecture that I will never forget. Various clubs would have different guest lecturers come in to talk about relevant topics and since I was in the Wildlife Disease Association club I naturally attended all the wildlife and conservation discussions. Well on this particular occasion, the speakers started off telling us they had been working on a project involving the conservation of lemurs in Madagascar. Lemurs exist only in Madagascar, and they are in real trouble; they’re considered the most endangered group of mammals on Earth. This team of veterinarians was initially assembled to address threats to lemur health and work on conservation solutions to try and save as many lemur species from extinction as possible. As they explored the most present dangers to lemurs they found that although habitat loss was the primary problem for these vulnerable animals, predation by humans was a significant cause of losses as well. The vets realized it was crucial for the hunting of lemurs by native people to stop, but of course this is not so simple a problem.
The local Malagasy people are dealing with extreme poverty and food insecurity, with nearly half of children under five years old suffering from chronic malnutrition. The local people have always subsisted on hunting wildlife for food, and as Madagascar’s wildlife population declines, the people who rely on so-called bushmeat to survive are struggling more and more. People are literally starving.
Our conservation team thought about this a lot. They had initially intended to focus efforts on education but came to understand that this is not an issue arising from a lack of knowledge. For these people it is a question of survival. It doesn’t matter how many times a foreigner tells you not to eat an animal you’ve hunted your entire life, if your child is starving you are going to do everything in your power to keep your family alive.
So the vets changed course. Rather than focus efforts on simply teaching people about lemurs, they decided to try and use veterinary medicine to reduce the underlying issue of food insecurity. They supposed that if a reliable protein source could be introduced for the people who needed it, the dependence on meat from wildlife would greatly decrease. So they got to work establishing new flocks of chickens in the most at-risk communities, and also initiated an aggressive vaccination program for Newcastle disease (an infectious illness of poultry that is of particular concern in this area). They worked with over 600 households to ensure appropriate husbandry and vaccination for every flock, and soon found these communities were being transformed by the introduction of a steady protein source. Families with a healthy flock of chickens were far less likely to hunt wild animals like lemurs, and fewer kids went hungry. Thats what we call a win-win situation.
This chicken vaccine program became just one small part of an amazing conservation outreach initiative in Madagascar that puts local people at the center of everything they do. Helping these vulnerable communities of people helps similarly vulnerable wildlife, always. If we go into a country guns-blazing with that fire for conservation in our hearts and a plan to save native animals, we simply cannot ignore the humans who live around them. Doing so is counterintuitive to creating an effective plan because whether we recognize it or not, humans and animals are inextricably linked in many ways. A true conservation success story is one that doesn’t leave needy humans in its wake, and that is why I think this particular story has stuck with me for so long.
(Source 1)
(Source 2- cool video exploring this initiative from some folks involved)
(Source 3)
#we can save the world just maybe not in the way we’d planned#long post#scicomm#conservation#lemurs#wildlife#ecology#animals#vet med#veterinary medicine#One Health
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emotional about my favorite book on this Midnight On Monday
#i just am so sad about how the most important character of the first book becomes nothing but a memory for readers 😔#people probably don't actually see him as that important for real but.#he's the reason the main character survives the first book#he's the reason the three main characters of the third even survive long enough to go through everything in that book#in the direct situation that could've killed the main character. this kid is the reason five different characters are alive#and if they died there would probably be a hell of a lot more going down to at least metaphorically end the other mc's life#and without him and the fem lead. a hell of a lot of other characters would then die#hell you could probably argue the events of the third book would still happen just without the trio + the men looking for them to stop it#without this kid there'd be a huge butterfly effect of people dying and people having their lives ruined#i could be thinking too into it but god!!!! this kid is extremely important to the main character#and he did so much to make her life better and even continue in just one action#there's no reason to mention him just once in like. ten more books#it's a crime fiction series i get that there's not a lot you can do with a child character not involved in the crime scenarios#but the authors could fit him in the first book just fine#sorry im annoying about him. i hate that all he really is is a character to give grace the necklace that saved her life#he could be so much more.
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Help Mohamad reunite his family and clear his debt
I am reaching out on behalf of my dear friend, Mohamad S., who is facing one of the most challenging times of his life. Mohamad is 37 years old and left his homeland in 2015 in search of a safer and better future. He’s a kind, hardworking man, and his small family has always been his greatest priority.
Living abroad, Mohamad has recently endured unimaginable loss and financial strain. Amidst the ongoing conflict in his homeland, his mother passed away, leaving behind his sister and her five young children—the last remaining members of his immediate family.
As the situation worsened, Mohamad managed to help his sister and her children escape to safety in Egypt, covering their immediate needs and securing a temporary refuge for them. Since then, he has been fully responsible for providing everything they need to survive during this transition.
In his efforts to support his family and cope with this devastating loss, Mohamad has found himself deeply in debt. To make matters even more difficult, he recently underwent knee surgery, which limits his ability to return to work for the foreseeable future. This has made it even harder for him to manage his financial responsibilities and the pressing need to provide his family with a stable future.
Mohamad is now working to bring his sister and her five children to join him in Belgium, where he hopes they can find stability and opportunity after all they’ve endured. This transition, however, requires significant resources that he is currently unable to meet alone.
For privacy reasons, we are not sharing Mohamad’s full name, as he has chosen to keep his identity discreet. While he initially refused the idea of asking for help, I couldn’t stand by and watch him struggle alone. I insisted on doing this for him because he deserves a chance to overcome these challenges and provide a stable future for his family.
Your contribution will help Mohamad repay the debt incurred during this difficult time, cover ongoing living expenses for his family, and assist with the costs involved in bringing them safely to Belgium.
Mohamad has been a good friend of mine for years, and I’ve always admired his resilience and generosity. Any support, no matter the size, will make an incredible difference in helping Mohamad and his family rebuild their lives after these painful experiences.
Thank you for reading his story and considering helping a man who has always done everything he can for his loved ones.
Edit: 8/1/2025
✅ Vetted by:
@bilal-salah0
Donation link:
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Opinion Here’s how to get free Paxlovid as many times as you need it
When the public health emergency around covid-19 ended, vaccines and treatments became commercial products, meaning companies could charge for them as they do other pharmaceuticals. Paxlovid, the highly effective antiviral pill that can prevent covid from becoming severe, now has a list price of nearly $1,400 for a five-day treatment course.
Thanks to an innovative agreement between the Biden administration and the drug’s manufacturer, Pfizer, Americans can still access the medication free or at very low cost through a program called Paxcess. The problem is that too few people — including pharmacists — are aware of it.
I learned of Paxcess only after readers wrote that pharmacies were charging them hundreds of dollars — or even the full list price — to fill their Paxlovid prescription. This shouldn’t be happening. A representative from Pfizer, which runs the program, explained to me that patients on Medicare and Medicaid or who are uninsured should get free Paxlovid. They need to sign up by going to paxlovid.iassist.com or by calling 877-219-7225. “We wanted to make enrollment as easy and as quick as possible,” the representative said.
Indeed, the process is straightforward. I clicked through the web form myself, and there are only three sets of information required. Patients first enter their name, date of birth and address. They then input their prescriber’s name and address and select their insurance type.
All this should take less than five minutes and can be done at home or at the pharmacy. A physician or pharmacist can fill it out on behalf of the patient, too. Importantly, this form does not ask for medical history, proof of a positive coronavirus test, income verification, citizenship status or other potentially sensitive and time-consuming information.
But there is one key requirement people need to be aware of: Patients must have a prescription for Paxlovid to start the enrollment process. It is not possible to pre-enroll. (Though, in a sense, people on Medicare or Medicaid are already pre-enrolled.)
Once the questionnaire is complete, the website generates a voucher within seconds. People can print it or email it themselves, and then they can exchange it for a free course of Paxlovid at most pharmacies.
Pfizer’s representative tells me that more than 57,000 pharmacies are contracted to participate in this program, including major chain drugstores such as CVS and Walgreens and large retail chains such as Walmart, Kroger and Costco. For those unable to go in person, a mail-order option is available, too.
The program works a little differently for patients with commercial insurance. Some insurance plans already cover Paxlovid without a co-pay. Anyone who is told there will be a charge should sign up for Paxcess, which would further bring down their co-pay and might even cover the entire cost.
Several readers have attested that Paxcess’s process was fast and seamless. I was also glad to learn that there is basically no limit to the number of times someone could use it. A person who contracts the coronavirus three times in a year could access Paxlovid free or at low cost each time.
Unfortunately, readers informed me of one major glitch: Though the Paxcess voucher is honored when presented, some pharmacies are not offering the program proactively. As a result, many patients are still being charged high co-pays even if they could have gotten the medication at no cost.
This is incredibly frustrating. However, after interviewing multiple people involved in the process, including representatives of major pharmacy chains and Biden administration officials, I believe everyone is sincere in trying to make things right. As we saw in the early days of the coronavirus vaccine rollout, it’s hard to get a new program off the ground. Policies that look good on paper run into multiple barriers during implementation.
Those involved are actively identifying and addressing these problems. For instance, a Walgreens representative explained to me that in addition to educating pharmacists and pharmacy techs about the program, the company learned it also had to make system changes to account for a different workflow. Normally, when pharmacists process a prescription, they inform patients of the co-pay and dispense the medication. But with Paxlovid, the system needs to stop them if there is a co-pay, so they can prompt patients to sign up for Paxcess.
Here is where patients and consumers must take a proactive role. That might not feel fair; after all, if someone is ill, people expect that the system will work to help them. But that’s not our reality. While pharmacies work to fix their system glitches, patients need to be their own best advocates. That means signing up for Paxcess as soon as they receive a Paxlovid prescription and helping spread the word so that others can get the antiviral at little or no cost, too.
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