A group of friends were enjoying a leisurely afternoon together. There was JL who is known for his saying, Just livin’, Blue who got his name because he loved everything blue as a kid, Red known for her ferocious demeanor to defend the underdog, and Mary Jane, a kind soul.

It was a perfectly ordinary day when everything was about to change for our four unlikely heroes. They didn’t know it yet, but this day would mark the beginning of their legendary quest to “Kick the Lick.”


JL had been chattering away in his usual spot by the kitchen counter using his machine to roll, gesticulating wildly as he told anyone who would listen about his latest dance routine ideas. His eyes sparkled with their characteristic enthusiasm, and his mouth moved faster than his brain could keep up with. That’s when disaster struck.

“So I was thinking of this amazing spin move, and then—OW!” JL’s tongue got pinched right in the middle of his sentence as he absent-mindedly got his tongue stuck between the rollers while licking and talking. The sharp pain made him yelp, but more importantly, it made him think. “You know what? I’m envious of those who don’t have mishaps while licking the glue joint.” he said, nursing his sore tongue, “We gotta make lickin’ a thing of the past.”


Across the room, Mary Jane watched with a mixture of sympathy and disgust. She’d always found the whole licking business rather distasteful. Her refined sensibilities cringed every time she saw someone’s tongue touch those papers. Still, her big heart couldn’t bear to see others struggle, so she reluctantly stepped forward.

“I’ll lick glue so you don’t have to,” she sighed, with resignation. But as she reluctantly helped, she muttered under her breath, “This is so undignified. There simply must be a more civilized solution.”


Meanwhile, Red sat in the corner, recalling the memory of her traumatic experience from the week before. She’d been enjoying a handful of salty chips—her favorite comfort food. Without thinking, she’d absentmindedly licked the paper she was rolling, only to get a vicious paper cut right on her tongue. The combination of salt and wound had been excruciating.


“I’ll lick glue if I have to,” she muttered, her expression set in a grimace, “but nobody should have to go through what I went through.” Her tough exterior couldn’t hide the genuine care she felt for others. Despite her gruff demeanor, Red had a protective streak a mile wide.

In the opposite corner, Blue was having his own crisis. His latest DIY moistening contraption—a complex system involving sponges, water droppers, and what he called “precision moisture distribution”—had just soaked another paper beyond use. Tears welled up in his eyes as he watched the soggy mess fall apart. Blue was blue. 

“I always cry at wettings,” he sniffled. His hypersalivation made licking an edge kind of messy, and his engineering solutions never quite worked the way he imagined. Every attempt to help seemed to end in over-saturated disaster and frustration instead of the relaxation everyone sought.

The Moment of Unity

It was JL, still nursing his pinched tongue, who first noticed the pattern. His eyes—always bright and animated—suddenly focused with unusual clarity. “Wait a minute, everyone!” he called out, his natural leadership qualities kicking in. “Look around! We’ve all got the same problem!”

Mary Jane lifted her refined gaze from her reluctant task. Red stopped mid-sentence. Blue paused in cleaning up his latest watery mishap. For the first time, they really looked at each other—not just as separate individuals dealing with their own issues, but as a team facing a common challenge.

“You know what we need?” JL continued, his enthusiasm building like a crescendo in one of his imaginary dance routines. “We need to ‘Kick the Lick!’ We need an alternative to all this tongue-touching, spit spreading, paper-cutting, over-wetting madness!”



The Brainstorming Session



What followed was the most productive brainstorming session any of them had ever experienced. Mary Jane, with her sophisticated perspective, outlined the hygiene concerns and social etiquette issues. Red, drawing from her painful experience, emphasized the safety hazards and potential for injury. Blue, despite his tendency toward over-engineering, contributed valuable insights about moisture control and consistency.

And JL? JL did what he did best—he talked, gestured, and somehow managed to weave all their concerns into a cohesive vision. “Picture this,” he said, his eyes practically glowing with excitement, “a simple device that addresses all our problems. No more tongue injuries, no more undignified licking, no more over-wetting disasters!” 

“But what would it look like?” asked Mary Jane, her curiosity overriding her usual reservations.


“It would have to be painless,” growled Red, thinking of her battle scars.

“And precise!” added Blue, wiping away a tear of hope.

JL’s grin was infectious. “It will be colorful, fun, and each one would have its own personality—its own ‘moistenality!’ They can have different expressions, different attitudes, but all with the same mission.”

The Birth of an Idea

As the afternoon wore on, their vision became clearer. They sketched designs, debated functionality, and most importantly, developed their core philosophy. This wasn’t just about solving a mechanical problem—it was about bringing dignity, safety, and even joy to a ritual that had caused each of them pain in different ways.

“We’ll call it the JointLicker,” JL declared, bouncing with excitement. “Because even though it’s not actually licking, it does the job better than any tongue ever could!”

And the characters will be called, “The Lickers”.

Mary Jane smiled—a rare, genuine expression of approval. “A civilized solution at last.”


Red nodded grimly but with satisfaction. “Nobody else has to get hurt.”

Blue beamed through his tears. “And perfect moisture control every time!”



The Mission Begins



As the sun set that Tuesday, four very different personalities had become something greater than the sum of their parts. They had become a team united by their shared frustration and bonded by their common goal.

JL immediately started envisioning ways that would spread their message far and wide. Mary Jane began drafting elegant marketing copy that would appeal to the refined sensibilities of their potential users. Red started planning safety demonstrations, showing exactly why their solution was superior. And Blue got to work on the technical specifications, finally channeling his precision-oriented mind toward a solution that would work perfectly every time.

Their motto became their rallying cry: “Why Lick Glue When You Don’t Have To?” It wasn’t just a question, it was a revolution waiting to happen.

And so began the legend of The Lickers, created by four unlikely heroes who turned their individual pain into collective purpose, proving that sometimes the best solutions come from those who’ve experienced a problem firsthand. They were just beginning, but their mission was already clear: to help everyone, everywhere, kick the lick, once and for all.