Original Commentary
Isabel wrote this one. I knew where the argument was going, but it didn't quite get there. Then we added this comic. And that's all I'm going to say about it today. -Terrence

Terrence isn't telling the story right- I wrote that one when we were in a bad mood with each other. I made him get up out of bed and write it out before he forgot it. So I figure we're even. -Isabel

Modern Commentary
That's the other thing that's been hinted at but I should have maybe mentioned more since it's plot-relevant. I really wish there had been a "Hey, you feeling up for it? No? Me neither" back when they were at home. - Terrence

Original Commentary
That's why we had the previous comic. To get from there to here. This is, I think, the second comic I wrote in the arc. I knew I had to use it somewhere around here. And yes, that is the same chair that Ms. Taylor had ordered in the previous arc. -Terrence

Modern Commentary
The chair isn't, like, dirty or stained or anything. Just, y'know, they had sex in it.

They never did end up buying Ms. Taylor a new chair.

But yeah, the whole previous arc, Chair Troubles, was set up for this scene. - Terrence

Original Commentary
Originally, Kimberly was going to agree with Brisbane. Isabel brought up objections very similar to Kimberly's, and I had to admit that they made sense. So this comic (and several after it) were added. Because sex doesn't solve economic problems. -Terrence

Should I be terrified that I was the one who backed Kimberly up on this? I honestly saw exactly where she was coming from... or should I be afraid that Terrence was so sure Brisbane's idea was right? I'm sure a little bit of both. -Isabel

Modern Commentary
I am so glad that I had Isabel to point me in the right direction. It wouldn't be in character for Kimberly to back down on this, sex or not. Brisbane's thinking that they had sex and made up, therefore they're in agreement, therefore she agrees with him now? That's kinda ridiculous - Terrence

Original Commentary
The hardest part was coming up with plausible business plans and reasons why they might fail. This does bring up the central question of why Lemon Technology even exists. They're kind of middlemen, and could probably be cut out if their clients really tried - Terrence

Modern Commentary
Yeah, most of the value that Lemon Technology provides is in handling the chemical importation paperwork and dealing with the foreign chemical producers. There's a limit to how far they can push their clients. - Terrence

Original Commentary
It was inevitable that Kimberly would come up with a plan that could be summarized as "Sell everything to everyone" - Terrence

Modern Commentary
Kimberly's plan is also...overly optimistic. But I like how her plan is "sell everything to everybody" and Brisbane's is "our scrappy team will beat the big companies through the power of teamwork and friendship" - Terrence

Original Commentary
Yes, aroma chemicals. I did some research and that's the technical term. There are, it turns out, real companies that do what Lemon Technology does. I picked aroma chemicals because I had just read a half-dozen comics where the lead character worked in some kind of glamorous high-profile job. The kind where they or their creations were known nationwide. I wanted something that was so low-profile that most people didn't think about it, something that people didn't already have an opinion about - Terrence

Modern Commentary
"Poisonous" is a strong word for it. I'm sure the concentrated chemicals aren't good for you, but if you added a few drops of Mint Aroma to a drink you'd be fine. Eventually. - Terrence

Original Commentary
"Buy an existing company" was very close to being the final idea. If they could do that in a week's time, they'd be doing great. If they could convince the appropriate people that they were, indeed, running Lemon Technology - Terrence

Modern Commentary
Yes, I am picturing disinfectant manufacturing as just a large steel machine like you see on How It's Made. You pour the ingredients in at one end and the product comes out the other, and you'd just move a dial from "some disinfectant" to "a bit more disinfectant" and it speeds up.

That's how Kimberly's picturing it. As fun as it would be to see the actual mechanics of it, (a) the corporate staff for their competitors probably doesn't work in the same ZIP code as the chemical factory and (b) it would be a real hassle to draw all of that - Terrence