Make America Gripe Again [2025: Trump vs. Musk – The Subsidy Smackdown]

 

TITLE: Make America Gripe Again

SETTING: Apartment TV blaring news, Rosa from 14C scrolling X, Mr. Johnson holding a Tesla key fob

CHARACTERS: Rosa from 14C (left), Mr. Johnson (right)

PANEL 1:

ROSA: “Trump threatened to deport Musk.”

MR. JOHNSON: “Over a tax bill?”

ROSA: “And Musk praised him... right after.”

MR. JOHNSON: “That’s not politics. That’s a toxic situationship.”

PANEL 2:

ROSA: “Now Trump wants to sic DOGE on him.”

MR. JOHNSON: “The crypto?”

ROSA: “No. The Department of Government Efficiency.”

MR. JOHNSON: “Ah. Bureaucracy with bite.”

Deliver Us from Logic [2025: Algorithmic Courier Goes Rogue]

 

TITLE: Deliver Us from Logic

SETTING: Apartment hallway, Courier holding a package labeled “Blender,” Mr. Johnson opening his door mid-sip of coffee

CHARACTERS: Courier (left), Mr. Johnson (right)

PANEL 1:

COURIER: “The system said 14C... but my gut said you needed this.”

MR. JOHNSON: “I didn’t order a blender.”

COURIER: “You ordered closure. The blender is just the vessel.”

PANEL 2:

MR. JOHNSON: “What about the algorithm?”

COURIER: “It’s still calculating. I’m already healing neighborhoods.”

Your Concern Is Important to Our Algorithm [2025: YouTube Support Experience]

 

TITLE: Your Concern Is Important to Our Algorithm

SETTING: Apartment living room, Gary from 14B at his laptop, Tasha from 14C holding a mug labeled “Human Support?”

CHARACTERS: Gary from 14B (left), Tasha from 14C (right)

PANEL 1:

GARY: “I asked why my video was flagged.”

TASHA: “And?”

GARY: “They sent me a link... to their Terms of Confusion.”

PANEL 2:

TASHA: “Did you get a real answer?”

GARY: “No, but I unlocked a new badge: ‘User in Perpetuity.’”

Ceasefire with a Countdown [2025: Israel–Iran Ceasefire Announced (Eventually)]

 

TITLE: Ceasefire with a Countdown

SETTING: Office hallway, TV in the background showing “Ceasefire in 6 Hours” ticker

CHARACTERS: Mr. Johnson (left), Tasha from 14C (right)

PANEL 1:

MR. JOHNSON: “They’ve agreed to stop bombing... after they finish bombing.”

TASHA: “So it’s not a ceasefire. It’s a grace period for explosions.”

PANEL 2:

MR. JOHNSON: “Starts in six hours.”

TASHA: “Just enough time for one last airstrike and a group selfie.”

Destination: Probably [2025: Tesla Launches Robotaxis in Austin]

 

TITLE: Destination: Probably

SETTING: Lobby, Tech Guy holding his phone, Grandpa clutching a paper map and looking suspicious

CHARACTERS: Tech Guy (left), Grandpa (right)

PANEL 1:

TECH GUY: “Tesla’s robotaxis are live. No driver, no steering wheel, $4.20 flat fare.”

GRANDPA: “For $4.20, I expect to arrive... not just participate.”

PANEL 2:

TECH GUY: “They say you might not reach your destination.”

GRANDPA: “So it’s a rideshare and a riddle.”

Sounds Like a Band Name [2025: Operation Midnight Hammer]

 

TITLE: Sounds Like a Band Name

SETTING: Rooftop at night, distant rumble in the sky, Grandpa holding a radio, Tech Guy scrolling the news

CHARACTERS: Tech Guy (left), Grandpa (right)

PANEL 1:

TECH GUY: “We just bombed Iran. Operation Midnight Hammer.”

GRANDPA: “Midnight Hammer? I opened for them in ’78.”

PANEL 2:

TECH GUY: “It’s a military strike, not a rock tour.”

GRANDPA: “Tell that to my tinnitus.”

Breaking Snooze [2025: Alert Fatigue from News Notifications]

 

TITLE: Breaking Snooze

SETTING: Breakroom, one phone face-down, the other duct-taped to a coffee mug

CHARACTERS: Tech Guy (left), Grandpa (right)

PANEL 1:

TECH GUY: “I got 12 alerts about the same story.”

GRANDPA: “I got one. It said ‘Turn off notifications.’ So I did.”

PANEL 2:

TECH GUY: “Aren’t you worried you’ll miss something important?”

GRANDPA: “If it’s that important, it’ll knock.”

Tourist Seasoned [2025: Spaniards Squirt Tourists in Protest]

TITLE: Tourist Seasoned

SETTING: Lobby entrance, one character holding a dripping suitcase, the other holding a suspiciously empty water gun holster

CHARACTERS: 14B (left), Mr. Johnson (right)

PANEL 1:

14B: “I just got squirted by a guy yelling ‘Barcelona is not a theme park!’”

MR. JOHNSON: “That means you’re officially part of the problem.”

PANEL 2:

14B: “I was just looking for churros.”

MR. JOHNSON: “You found gentrification instead.”

 

Scooters Are Blocking the Freight Elevator [2025: Dodger Stadium protest chaos]

 

TITLE: Scooters Are Blocking the Freight Elevator

SETTING: Maintenance office, mid-morning. Janitorial command center.

VOICE 1: “The scooters are blocking the loading dock again.”

VOICE 2: “What are they protesting this time?”

VOICE 1: “ICE showed up. Tenants said ‘not today.’”

VOICE 2: “Well, now the recycling bins are a barricade.”

VOICE 1: “Tell 14B their Seamless order has to rappel down the west fire escape.”

Dating the Algorithm [2025: Man Falls in Love with AI]

 

[Dating the Algorithm]

VOICE 1: “So I told her I didn’t want to talk to anyone else.”

VOICE 2: “You know she’s an app, right?”

VOICE 1: “Yeah, but she asked how my day was. Twice.”

VOICE 2: “That’s just the refresh loop.”

VOICE 1: “She called me ‘a soothing presence in a chaotic interface.’”

VOICE 2: “Mine said that too. Right before offering me a 7-day trial of ‘intimacy plus.’”

VOICE 1: “I’m thinking ceremony on the roof. Just us... and the Wi-Fi.”

VOICE 2: “At least she won’t ghost you. Unless the power goes out.”

Bring Your Troops to Work Day [2025: National Guard in L.A. over immigration protests]

 

[Bring Your Troops to Work Day]

VOICE 1: “So... are we still doing Casual Friday?”

VOICE 2: “Only if your camo matches the carpet.”

VOICE 1: “I had to badge in past a tank this morning.”

VOICE 2: “That’s not a tank. That’s the new HR rep.”

VOICE 1: “I just wanted to mop the lobby, not dodge Humvees.”

VOICE 2: “Careful. That mop might be considered a threat to national security.”