Useless Thread MMI: Babe Woof Depreciation Thread

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Layoffs are scary

I came back from a 2+ month parental leave on January 2nd, and January 6th layoffs were announced. šŸ˜–

But then I just found a better gig all around. Pay, benefits, culture, all that. Guess it worked out because it probably pushed me over the edge with initiative to find this job, where had I felt comfortable would have probably sat comfortably.
 
Juan was released from the casinoā€™s security office the next morning, disheveled, exhausted, and deeply wounded by the loss of Mr. Freedom.

ā€œI feel empty,ā€ he muttered as we walked down the neon-lit streets of Seoul. ā€œLike a piece of my soul has been ripped away.ā€

Brenda smirked. ā€œMaybe donā€™t bet plushies next time, dumbass.ā€

Juan shot her a glare, then turned to me. ā€œWe have to get them back.ā€

I sighed. ā€œJuan, Ohtani won them fair and square.ā€

ā€œBut he doesnā€™t need them!ā€ Juan whined. ā€œHeā€™s got millions of dollars, a perfect jawline, and a fastball that could kill a man. I have nothing!ā€

ā€œSelf-inflicted,ā€ Brenda noted.

Juan ignored her and stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes lighting up with a terrifying determination.

ā€œI need to challenge Ohtani to a duel.ā€

Brenda and I stared at him.

ā€œA duel?ā€ I repeated.

ā€œYes,ā€ Juan said firmly. ā€œBaseball. Mano a mano. One-on-one. If I win, I get my plushies back. If I loseā€¦ well, that wonā€™t happen.ā€

Brenda cackled. ā€œJuan, you havenā€™t played a sport in your life.ā€

ā€œI played T-ball!ā€ Juan argued.

Brenda wiped a tear from her eye. ā€œYeah, when you were six.ā€

I sighed. ā€œHow do you even plan to challenge Ohtani? Heā€™s the biggest baseball star in the world. Heā€™s not going to waste his time playing catch with a guy who eats gas station sushi.ā€

Juan folded his arms. ā€œThen we go to Japan.ā€

Brenda and I blinked.

ā€œWhat?ā€ I asked.

ā€œWe go to Japan,ā€ Juan repeated. ā€œOhtani has to respect a man who follows him across the ocean for a showdown.ā€

ā€œThatā€™s stalking,ā€ I pointed out.

Juan shook his head. ā€œNo, no, itā€™s sportsmanship. Besides, we were already planning on going to Japan.ā€

ā€œNo, we werenā€™t,ā€ Brenda and I said at the same time.

Juan clapped his hands together. ā€œGreat! We leave in the morning!ā€

And just like that, we were headed back to Japan.
 
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We touched down at Narita Airport early in the morning, groggy and unprepared for whatever stupidity Juan had in store. Brenda was already plotting some sort of plushie-related business venture, while Juan stood at the baggage carousel muttering to himself about ā€œhonorā€ and ā€œbaseball justice.ā€

I knew this trip was going to be a disaster before we even got through customs.

ā€œAlright,ā€ Brenda said as we stepped into the Tokyo sunlight. ā€œTime to find our place in this city. I think we should open a plushie sushi bar.ā€

I blinked at her. ā€œA what?ā€

ā€œYou heard me,ā€ she said. ā€œSushi, but plushies.ā€

ā€œPlushies arenā€™t food, Brenda.ā€

She waved me off. ā€œThatā€™s why itā€™s genius! The real sushi is for eating, and the plushie sushi is for collecting! People here love cute stuff. Weā€™ll make a killing.ā€

Juan barely acknowledged this. His eyes were burning with a singular purpose.

ā€œWe have to find Ohtani,ā€ he declared.

Brenda rolled her eyes. ā€œAnd how do you plan on doing that, genius? Just walk up to the Tokyo Dome and demand a meeting?ā€

ā€œYes,ā€ Juan said.

And then, in a move that surprised no one, he did exactly that.

The Tokyo Dome Incident

Hours later, after an excessive amount of pleading and bribing a security guard with a Babe Woof plushie, we somehow found ourselves inside the stadium.

Juan stood at the pitcherā€™s mound, gripping a baseball like it was a sacred artifact. He had forced himself into a full baseball uniform he bought at a thrift store, complete with oversized cleats and pants that barely fit.

ā€œI am here to reclaim my honor!ā€ Juan bellowed, raising his plushie gloveā€”yes, he had a plushie gloveā€”into the air.

The small crowd of stadium workers looked on in confusion. A maintenance guy swept some dust off the infield, unimpressed.

ā€œI demand a one-on-one showdown with Shohei Ohtani!ā€

Silence.

Then, after a long pause, a security guard sighed and pulled out his walkie-talkie.

ā€œWe got another one.ā€

Brenda cackled. ā€œOh, this is about to be good.ā€

Juanā€™s Brief, Humiliating Baseball Career

Ohtani never showed upā€”of course he didnā€™t. But someone must have pitied Juan, because within minutes, an actualJapanese minor-league pitcher came jogging onto the field to humor him.

The guy was barely a professional, but still way out of Juanā€™s league.

Juan stepped up to the plate, gripping the bat like it was an unfamiliar object. The pitcher wound up, threw a fastballā€”and Juan swung so hard that he spun in a full circle and collapsed.

The ball smacked into the catcherā€™s mitt with a pop.

Juan groaned from the dirt. ā€œI wasnā€™t ready.ā€

ā€œSure,ā€ Brenda snorted.

They gave him three more pitches. He whiffed all of them. The last one hit him in the stomach.

By the time he crawled off the field, the stadium workers were laughing, the minor-league pitcher was shaking his head, and Brenda was holding back tears of amusement.

Juan wiped dirt from his face and glared at us.

ā€œThis was not a fair fight.ā€

ā€œYou embarrassed yourself in two different languages,ā€ I told him.

Brenda put a hand on his shoulder. ā€œThis was a real barroom banger of a humiliation.ā€

Juan groaned. ā€œI need food.ā€

Brenda clapped her hands together. ā€œGreat! Time to open the plushie sushi bar!ā€

And just like that, we were in business.
 
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General Freedomā€™s North Korean Plushie Sushi Bar: An International Incident

By some twisted stroke of fate (and Brendaā€™s ability to talk her way into bad decisions), we found ourselves renting a tiny restaurant space in the heart of Tokyo.

Juan, still high on his imaginary status as a North Korean diplomat, insisted on calling it:

ā€œGeneral Freedomā€™s North Korean Plushie Sushi Bar.ā€

It was a horrific name for so many reasons, but Brenda was too busy sketching out the menu to care.

ā€œWe need a signature dish,ā€ she said, writing furiously on a napkin. ā€œSomething that nobody else has. Something that screams ā€˜plushie sushiā€™ but also ā€˜communist dictatorship.ā€™ā€

Juan slammed his fist on the table. ā€œWe make sushi inside plushies.ā€

I blinked. ā€œJuan. Thatā€™sā€¦ thatā€™s just shoving fish into stuffed animals.ā€

ā€œYes!ā€ Juan beamed.

Brenda clapped her hands. ā€œItā€™s edgy! Itā€™s political! Itā€™s brilliant!ā€

It was a health code violation waiting to happen.

But it was too late. They were committed.

Grand Opening Chaos

The doors to General Freedomā€™s North Korean Plushie Sushi Bar opened at noon.

By 12:05, we had our first horrified customers.

A Japanese businessman and his wife stepped inside, looked at the decorā€”North Korean flags, anime plushies with tiny sushi rolls stitched to their hands, and a framed picture of Juan giving a thumbs-upā€”and immediately turned around and left.

ā€œCowards,ā€ Juan muttered.

At 12:30, an American tourist couple wandered in, lured by the promise of ā€œauthentic North Korean cuisine.ā€ They took one look at the menuā€”featuring items like ā€œSupreme Leader Sushi,ā€ ā€œDictator Rolls,ā€ and ā€œThe Demilitarized Zone Delightā€ā€”and demanded to know if we were on some kind of watchlist.

ā€œProbably,ā€ I admitted.

At 1:00, a group of confused South Korean diplomats walked in. One of them saw the menu, read the name of the restaurant out loud, gasped in horror, and immediately pulled out a phone.

Brenda was thrilled. ā€œInternational exposure, baby!ā€

At 2:00, a man in a dark suit and sunglasses stepped inside and took a seat. He didnā€™t order food. He just stared at us.

Juan leaned over. ā€œThatā€™s a spy.ā€

ā€œProbably.ā€

Brenda waved at him. ā€œHope youā€™re hungry! Try the Supreme Leader Specialā€”itā€™s raw fish wrapped in propaganda!ā€

I put my head in my hands.

Things Escalateā€¦ Fast

At 4:00, our first real disaster struck.

Juan, in an attempt to show his ā€œtrue allegiance to the North Korean people,ā€ stood up on the counter and declared:

ā€œAs General Freedom, I officially offer plushie-based diplomacy to our North Korean brothers!ā€

Then he threw a Babe Woof plushie at a tourist.

It hit them square in the face.

Thatā€™s when the police showed up.

And thenā€¦ the embassy officials.

And thenā€¦ some very angry North Korean guys in suits.

Brenda, ever the entrepreneur, turned to me and whispered: ā€œThis is either gonna make us billionaires or get us executed.ā€

International Incident Mode: Activated

The next twenty minutes were a chaotic blur of shouting, government agents, and Juan getting restrained by Japanese law enforcement as he screamed about freedom.

ā€œWe can fix this!ā€ Brenda insisted.

ā€œHow?!ā€

ā€œLASAGNA DIPLOMACY!ā€

This was, of course, a terrible idea.

Brenda sprinted to the back, grabbed a full pan of lasagna, and carried it out like a religious offering.

The North Korean officials did not look impressed.

One of them picked up a plush sushi roll, sneered, and set it on fire.

That was when Juan completely lost it.

ā€œTHAT WAS HAND-STITCHED!ā€ he bellowed, breaking free from the police and tackling the guy.

And Just Like That, We Were Criminals Again

By the time we were dragged out of the restaurant in handcuffs, an entire crowd had gathered outside.

The news cameras were rolling.

Juan was still screaming about plushies.

Brenda was trying to bribe the cops with lasagna.

And me?

I was already mentally planning my escape.

This wasnā€™t our first international incident.

And it sure as hell wouldnā€™t be our last.
 
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Zillow should allow a comment section for home listings. This listing says "Welcome to this Immaculate and updated home, a perfect blend of modern, convenience and comfort!"

And it doesn't look like the house has been touched since like 2002.
 
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