#and I enjoy working retail..... and I'm working so much I'm doing like double my contracted hours or something

[nofr1lls]

.

[mcromwell]

Ayo! New follower here. I love your art and your mind set of just messing around to make cool stuff. but I’ve also seen you love been to at least one convention (I didn’t scroll far enough to see more about conventions) and I wanted to ask. How you did it? I really enjoy making art and I would love to make it a career so this boils down to :

how did you do it? And how can I do it too?

not just like first steps but what happens after that? I’m young enough that if this doesn’t work out I have plenty of time to look into other careers before worrying about paying for rent or necessities with money from my future occupation. I know that everyone’s experience is different but I still hoping you can give me a somewhat clear answer.

thank you for inspiring me

(sorry this ask was so long)

Hello there! Thank you for your message.

These questions are large and hard to answer. Being more specific in your questions helps. "How I did it" is very... large in scope. That question could be answered just by saying, "I did it by never wanting anything else and never losing sight of my goal." But that doesn't help you much. So I'll just try to touch on some key points and contexts.

I'm 32. Only in the last couple years has my practice been enough to make a living doing it. I've always wanted this and literally everything I've done in my life has been to get here. I've worked two jobs my entire working life (age 19-now): retail/customer service and art stuff on the side. Because of the pandemic, I got double unemployment and stimulus checks, which became my initial investment into merch and savings safety net to get started. I started therapy to address my fears of asking for help, my negative self-talk, and catastrophic thinking. (Therapy has helped me with my art so much.) Then I was laid off for real in 2020 and hit the ground running with art. I split rent with roommates, I live very very cheaply, and art is my passion. If art for a living is what you want to do and you're happy to make lots of concessions to get it, this career works. It takes a while to get momentum and regular sales/attention-- just don't quit. The more stuff you do the more people will recognize you and like your work.

It would be dishonest to not address my privilege here, too. My parents have always emotionally supported my practice, my friends too, and I got to go to art school with no debt. I did outside of school art mentorships. My art education experiences taught me a lot of art techniques and self-employed skills and that only happened due to the support of my folks. I had resources a lot of people don't. (Which is why I want to help new artists learn this stuff as much as I can; not everyone is as lucky as I am.)

My advice for you if you want to do what I do, which is being self-employed making and selling art and art merchandise for a living:

Get used to making concessions right at first. Your art career will probably not start out gangbusters, so get used to low sales and saving money and working hard. Make things within your means and grow from there.

Fuck around and find out. Try making merch, try making videos, try things you see other artists doing, try everything and see if it works for how you like to make stuff. I learn so much from YouTube, to be totally honest. Artists are good sharers.

Follow a shit ton of artists and see what works for them. Join artist groups and ask thoughtful, specific questions to learn from those already doing it.

Learn how to write about your art. Write about why you make it. It helps make it more compelling to others. "How to Sell Your Art Online" by Cory Huff is a good book to read for tips on this.

Develop a healthy relationship with art-making. If you sit down at a blank page and it terrifies you: address that first. Don't try to start a business if you're still struggling with making art regularly.

In fact, don't start a business until you're really ready. Art comes first. You can easily do art and build skills and do commissions and run an online shop along with working a job that pays bills reliably while you grow into the artist you're meant to be.

Don't pigeon-hole yourself into only one channel: don't JUST apply to cons, try street fairs too. Don't JUST sell online, get your work into cafes as well. You'll see which routes are more profitable/worth the time as you try them out. Eggs in many baskets, you know.

There's probably a whole essay I could write on this. And you're right--mileage varies between person to person vastly. The part of the world you live in, your access to transportation, education, your mental health, what type of work you like to make, etc. Art careers almost never look the same 1:1 even in fandom spaces like furry/anime. If you're self-made, it will reflect that.

I recommend the YouTube channels Rafi Was Here, Robin Sealark, Cat Graffam, and the website The Abundant Artist (again by Cory Huff) for more resources.

Don't be afraid to take leaps of faith. Try everything. Be true to what works for you and what doesn't feel sustainable. Be authentic with your art and stay true to your interests. And good luck.

[vintagelacerosette]

Interview tag game ✨️

Made by the sensational Lemon @depressedstressedlemonzest & I was also tagged by these dazzling sweethearts Evie @energievie Willow @ian-galagher Jay @surviving-maybe Nosho @creepkinginc Lyle @milkovetti Bri @y0itsbri Carolie @shinygalaxyperson thanks so much 🥰

What are some movie/tv quotes that you quote often? My brain has blanked lol but one thing I noticed I was sing YMCA to my niece, then I immediately when to Do you really wanna hurt me to Stayin Alive & this is all from the Sherk karaoke sing along from the 1st movie lmao

What is your favourite flower?

All flowers bring me joy but one i think is super cool is the bleeding heart

If you were in Avatar the Last Airbender what element would you want to bend? Earth, fire, water or air? I've always found controlling wind appealing even tho I'm a fire sign haha but prob makes sense bc my moon is an air sign

What was your first job? Retail at the Christmas section 🎄

What is your favorite breakfast?

There's this meal called the Alex Breakfast as this local cafe which has sundried tomato, sauteed mushroom, pesto risoni on toast & it's sooo yuuumm

What's a meal from childhood that you love?

Crunchy rice a dish my dad made where you cook old rice in butter & salt to your liking. Then slow cook to make a crunchy crust on the bottom. I made it recently for nostalgia & boy did it hit the spot ���

What's your favorite joke to tell?

Can not think of any haha but here's one from a nye cracker I got.

What music do planets like to listen to?

Neptunes ba dum tis 🥁

What's your favorite animal to see at the zoo?

Kangaroos, red panda & penguins

What's your go to quick meal to cook/make at home?

Crispy omelette

What's your go to meal to cook someone to impress them?

Brazo de Mercedes which is a traditional Filipino meringue roll with a condescend milk custard filling. It's making the meringue rolls which is impressive haha i accidentally made it hc i was trying to make marshmallow instead but it turned out to be this 😆

What's something you want to do better?

Get more active, sticking to plans, driving & at chatting in discord group chats. (I can find it a bit overwhelming with so many ppl 😅)

If you're working do you like your job?

I'm a month & a bit in my new job & am enjoying it so far & my team is great, but there are some tough transactions that get me nervous to do on my own

Do you collect anything? What?

I've started to collect these cute sanrio blindbox toys, anime figures, crystals, hardcover books, fanfic on google drive, art supplies, eyeshadow palettes, plush toys & pins.

Newest collection 😆

If you were trapped in a kids tv show, what show would you be okay with being trapped in?

Ohh maybe same as Lyle with Steven Universe just so aesthetically pleasing & I'd so be friends with Steven! Or maybe Avatar as a bender or Cardcaptors bc I could be wearing cute outfits made by Tomoyo with a magic staff wand

An adults tv show?

Ohh this one was a hard one! Maybe Reign for the fashion, Roswell New Mexico to be friends with the pod squard or maybr in Firefly

What kind of job did you want as a child?

I have an amazing memory of going on the train for the 1st time & asking who drove the train & was told it was the train driver! I then exclaimed "I wanna be a train driver" My mum protest bc they apparently didn't make a lot of money lol. Also a GP bc i admired mine growing up haha

Do you follow any sports? What team do you root for?

No ❤️ but i think i could be fun if i did lol

If you could be any animal what would you be and why?

Otter or chinchilla i just wanna be something cute

If you could be any mythological creature what would you be and why?

Totally a fairy 🧚‍♀️ having fun in nature, causing so mischief, have pretty wings to fly with & having so many cool abilities like maybe shape shift into animals

What's the most obscure thing you've had to google for a fanfic you were writing/reading?

I was double checking in to power ranger characters types with their suit colours for a power ranger au I'd love to write one day bc I realised I have a lot of power ranger lore i could put to use lol ☺️

What Milkovich do you identify with most?

Mickey with his unwavering loyalty & his ability to love fiercely

Which one are you actually like the most?

Honesty no clue lol

What Gallagher do you identify with most?

I think Ian with his big heart & self doubt

Which one are you actually like the most?

Maybe Ian which makes sense why i can get so frustrated with some of his actions bc like that could me too in that situation lol

I'll tag these dearhearts if they wanna play @mrsinistertype @sleepyfacetoughguy @xninetiestrendx @heymrspatel @squidyyy23 @auds-and-evens @jomilky gardenerian @celestialmickey @gallawitchxx @suzy-queued @rereadanon @darthvaders-wife @gallavichgeek @sickness-health-all-that-shit @shameless-notashamed @howlinchickhowl @gallavich-headcanon @stocious @bravemikhailo @crossmydna @chicanomick @whatwouldmickeydo @bekkachaos @deathclassic @suchagallabitch @beebabycastiel-main @iansw0rld @ianandmickeygallavich @greggster @messedwithmandy @friend-bear @mishervellous @mmmichyyy @lalazeewrites @very-sleepy-head @ psychicskulldamage @captainjowl @abundanceofnots @look-i-love-u @imikhailotakeyouian @mikhailoisbaby

[certifiedbitch777]

The Concept of Intention

Entry Date: 2/12/2024 2:52pm

Today is Monday, and I'm supposed to be working right now, but everything in my body was fighting me from doing so. I did what I thought was best and called out, and god, am I glad.

I hate my job. I hate corporate culture, but I'm stuck here since this is the only thing that allows me to pay my bills. I would love to just write for a living. I don't care if it's to be an author, creative writer for a magazine, songwriter, or poet - I want any and all of it. It brings me peace.

These past days of trying to break bad habits and being consistent have made me deeply introspect. All I've been pondering is my purpose and what I want my life to look like, and I just end up back in the same spot. 

I want the freedom to express myself. I want the ability to carve out my own daily schedule and to follow the beat of my own drum. I want to be authentic. I want to be happy.

I just want to be happy.

In the world that we currently live in, it almost seems as if those in power are doing their best to prevent this from happening, but it's all I crave. I do my best to find joy in the little things, but it's just not in my nature to settle for crumbs when I know I can and deserve much more.

Over the past 5 years, what I wanted to do and be in life has changed dramatically. I honestly feel like I choose and hyper-focus on a vocation every 2 to 3 months. If I'm being honest, in each sprint, whichever career path I chose was never due to my genuine interest in them. It was all due to social, family, and financial expectations and pressure. 

My interest in all things linked to healthcare and technology was due to my family saying that it would be a reliable source of income. 'There will always be jobs for nurses or cybersecurity.' 'It would be a steady flow of income.' Obviously, my studying in those things lasted only a short time. My reason for indulging in it wasn't sustainable.

I also majored in Psychology for about 2 semesters in college. I actually really love the concept of psychology. The complexity of the human psyche completely fascinates. As much as I loved taking classes on it, I eventually dropped out of college due to my school requiring my broke ass to pay out of pocket because I failed 1 class :|. I was devastated, but a part of me always knew I wouldn't stick with it for long since school was never for me despite my academic success in my younger years. For background, I dropped out in 10th grade and got my GED shortly after my 18th birthday without studying :).

Between all of this exploring, I worked in various retail and warehouse jobs. Honestly, I quit those jobs at the drop of a hat because the pay would never match the stress. One thing I did enjoy was the amount of free time I had. The schedule was flexible, and I could get a lot done in a day or week since I sometimes did double shifts to have more days off. As much as the scheduling for the job was compatible with my dream life, the pay and terrible benefits nowhere near offset the latter.

Last but not least, I currently work at a top corporate company. I got in due to an apprenticeship, and they offered me a full-time offer. I will forever be grateful for that, as I was sure I would be fucked as both a high school and college dropout. They've provided me with stability I could only dream of, along with excellent benefits. However, what makes me not willing to settle for this is the lack of work-life balance I have. I work at least 6 days a week and over 12 hours most days. I have no life, happiness, or drive for anything anymore. It's as if I had to sell and exchange my soul for this life. And now I live the life of a corporate zombie with my world being filled with black and white instead of vibrant colors.

Why am I giving all this context of all my different career changes? Because I was never genuinely intentional with each path I explored. As a result, nothing worked out the way I thought it would. 

I've been applying to random jobs with mid to high salaries for over 2 years now, and I've gotten a rejection for every single one. Although that could be a result of how terrible the job market is, the way I view it, it didn't work out for a reason. It wasn't meant for me, and I only applied to them for superficial reasons, not because I was genuinely interested in them.

I want to be more intentional in everything I do in this life. Whether it's the food I eat, how I present myself, my morals and values, or even the line of work I want to pursue. I want to be the best version of me and only me. 

This is why I want to write for a living. It's been a common denominator in my life since I was as young as 5. I've always loved writing. Whether it was storytelling, music, or even something as simple as journaling, I felt aligned with what I was supposed to be doing. Even when I am blogging to absolutely nobody, I feel happy. I feel fulfilled spreading my truth no matter how ugly or beautiful.

The concept of intentional living was spoken about long before my mother was born. I thought I was doing so, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I challenge and hope that anyone who comes across this post begins the journey of self that will lead to a life of fulfillment.

[ciaossu-imagines]

mini event - Eyeshield 21 with Retail Workers AU. Thank you sooo much

Oh, this was such a fun AU! Thank you, anon dear, for sending it in and I hope you'll enjoy the headcanons and the AU I came up with, though they are late getting to you!

Okay, I'm going to really show my age here, but I definitely grew up with mall culture of a sort, with malls being a pretty big deal and somewhere you went to hang out with your friends. Add to that the fact that as a Canadian teen, the show 6teen was a pretty big thing (anyone else remember that one?) for me. Hell, to this day, I still go to the mall and hang out and shop or window-shop with friends.

So, when thinking about this AU, I knew how I had to take this all. I mean, I have wayyyy too much retail sales experience and it probably would have been easier to really just focus on everyone working in, say, a Wal-Mart or an IKEA and all that, but I wanted to add a sort of extra layer.

So basically, I set this AU in a mega-mall. Basically, all of the teams sort of work in the different shops within the mall. Because of that, they're all really used to seeing each other, day in and day out, because they all are in the mall at least four to five days out of the week, they probably all eat in the food court for the most part and they all frequent each other's stores because it's just easier to do your shopping after work than go out and run errands on your days off. So everyone is at least surface familiar with everyone else and there's kind of fun little rivalries between the staff in the different stores within the mall, made even more so by the fact that the corporation that owns the mall holds a year-long contest for the 'best store in the mall', where the staff in whatever store has the best sales and customer service reviews on those stupid receipt surveys wins this grand prize. Last year, every staff member of Charms Diamond Center got a paid weekend trip to be used within the year. So the competition really ramps up that existing friendly rivalry and can actually turn it a lot less friendly at times.

So, we'll begin, most naturally with the canonical team of the Deimon Devil Bats. In this particular AU setting, I kind of see everyone as the staff in a sporting goods store…I'm such a dork that I actually based this mall and it's various stores on a map I pulled up of one of the mall's in my original province's major city malls, so for me, I'm kind of imagining it as a Cabela's on steroids, haha.

Anyway, for some reason that nobody at all can figure out, Hiruma is actually the store's manager. He scares most of the employees, especially since he seems to be able to dig up blackmail on most of them (and definitely stalks their social media) that he definitely uses to his advantage to get them to do what he wants them to do - which is whatever amuses him most, not really what the store actually needs. Add to that that Hiruma always schedules himself in the hunting section of the store, particularly behind the gun counter. The amount of knowledge that boy has with not only guns, but hunting knives, bow and arrows, and crossbows, and the ease with which he handles them kind of makes him all the more terrifying to the staff members.

The store's assistant store manager is Mamori and she's actually the one who ends up doing almost all the work, to be honest. Hiruma hates paperwork and boring things like keeping track of everyone's availability, so while he does create the schedule and decides where in the store everyone will be working any particular day, he leaves the human resources type stuff to Mamori, who double-checks the schedule, who makes sure everyone is getting their breaks properly, who deals with the customers who need to talk to a manager because those are all parts of the job Hiruma just does not give a shit about and honestly, she handles it wonderfully and is the first person the staff go to if they have actual issues or even just need a listening shoulder because working retail fucking sucks at times.

Sena is the newest staff member, only a few weeks fresh into his new job, and he is honestly both enjoying his new job and equally exhausted and terrified. The customers can be absolutely horrendous or the nicest people and that's not even going into how weird (and sort of wonderful) his coworkers are. Sena becomes one of the main three cashiers for the store and he's on the front lines of dealing with the customers. His work days are always hectic, always long, and sometimes incredibly brutal, especially if he gets a customer who wants to be a dick to him. Thank god he actually quite gets along with the other cashiers, because good coworkers can really make a shift so much better.

His fellow cashiers? Monta and Taki. Monta becomes Sena's work bestie and the two of them can get in some trouble from both Mamori and Hiruma for goofing off a little up by the cashes, especially if there's not a lot of customers around, because they should be tidying up and facing products up by the cashes but instead they're normally talking or playing around. And while Taki seems an unlikely fit for cash, or for the other boys to get along with him as well as they do, the fact of the matter is that Taki gives absolutely superb customer service and for some reason, even the most pissy of customers can't seem to stay mad at him. He always seems to be able to talk down angry customers and swoops in to save both Sena and Monta from rude customers often enough that the other boys really appreciate having Natsuhiko around, even despite the boy being a little loud and eccentric.

There is one additional cashier. Kind of. Yukimitsu mans the store's customer service desk, where customers go to process returns, to escalate complaints, or just because they're too lazy and entitled to bear standing in line for more than one minute. Honestly, Yukimitsu should be anywhere else in the store. He really should. He's not the greatest at customer service and he's always a nervous wreck but he also works so incredibly hard and his nearly encyclopedic knowledge of the store's policies, procedures, return processes, layout, and stock actually means that, while the customer's might not always like his answers, he never gives them the wrong answer and offers them every possibility in place.

Kurita and Komusubi act as the store's main receiving and inventory team. Everything being ordered into the store, everything going in and out, it all goes through these two. Jolly and good-natured, Kurita tends to be a favourite of every staff member in the store. He's one of the few that never gets bullied by Hiruma, not really, and he's actually known to be really good friends with both Hiruma and Musashi outside of the store, often seen eating or hanging out with them.

Speaking of Musashi, he really only works part-time. Most of the time he's busy helping out his family's construction business and his job at the store is really only to help him earn some extra money so that he can save up for things he wants or needs. He gets a lot of leeway from the management with how picky he is about his schedule, especially because, when he is at work, Musashi works hard and always steps in to help any of the other departments with issues. He's also the staff member who really doesn't seem to care at all about any rivalries with the staff from the other stores and who doesn't seem to give two spits about any competition.

Getting those goods out onto the shelves and the floor? It's the responsibility of the Ha-Ha Bros, three best friends from childhood who all joined the staff around the same time. These guys really just focus on getting stuff out on the floor and Mamori has actually asked all three of them, several times over, to find a sales associate from one of the departments should a customer ever so much as speak to one of the bros, because all three of them deliver the worst customer service ever. Kuroki in particular has actually had a full on fist fight with a customer he thought was being rude to him.

Taki, the cashier? His younger sister also works at the store with him…and asks that she not be assigned the same area or shifts as him because boy, though they love each other, those two can bicker and they can't seem to concentrate on their jobs with the other around to distract them. Suzuna gets assigned as floor support and sale in the outdoor recreation section, especially with the bikes, roller skates, and such.

Satake, Yamaoka, and Omosadake all work as floor support and sale in the Home & Décor section. Satake specializes in outdoor toys and recreation…a little too much. He'll sometimes unbox stuff and set it up, playing it with coworkers and even sometimes with customers that seem cool, much to Mamori's displeasure and Hiruma's amusement (because Hiruma is definitely playing and rubbing Satake's face in it when Hiruma beats him, which he does, every time). Yamaoka seems to have to deal with outdoor home decor most often and he frequently complains about how tiresome, boring, and dumb that section is, especially when he has to build and accessorize floor displays of the products. Omosadake, meanwhile, loves the decor section. He'll go to the back to grab overstock, especially for bedding, and hours later someone will find him asleep with his head on a throw pillow or one of those bed in a bags. Nobody's quite sure why he hasn't been fired yet, but he hasn't.

Ishimaru exists. Literally, he is a staff member but almost everyone forgets him, including his own coworkers and his managers, so he just kind of chills over in the hunting section, where he helps a surprising amount of customers build their blinds and suggests camouflaging techniques.

I won't get as into the ins and outs of how each person functions in their workplace and all the little interconnected relationships for the other teams, but definitely want to kind of talk about how each of them fit into the mall, where they all work and such.

So, along with the fast-food places in the main food court, this mall has a couple sit-down restaurants as well. One's a sports bar that serves food, probably like a Don Cherry's or some shit like that. But the other one is one of those 'fun' themed restaurants, where the staff have to dress up like knights or in medieval style dress while serving the customers. If your guess as to who works there were the Ojo White Knights members, you're absolutely correct. Sakuraba is the most popular waiter they have because of his looks, because honestly, he's not the greatest at his job and gets flustered and stressed easily, though he does try hard. Takami really manages the floor, while also helping serve, man the hostess section and whatever else needs to be done. Shin, in contrast to Sakuraba, is the least popular waiter because he's really not great at being friendly, but is actually exceptional at his job - everyone gets their food in a speedy manner, everyone's orders are correct, everything is perfect as far as the order and speed of service goes…he just really sucks at dealing with people. Ootawara and Ikari are part of the kitchen staff, for those wondering.

Okay, I admit that this placement makes no fucking sense whatsoever and is done just because the very idea of it makes me so very, very amused. The Shinryuji Naga team from canon work at a Spencer's. Just full stop, they all do. It's hit or miss if Agon shows up for his shift and he really just uses his job as an excuse to hit on women, particularly hanging around the sex toy section of the store and pretending to need to stock stuff around there or provide customer service to someone in that area. Unsui is just horrified by almost everything the store sells, doesn't much care for the customers, and is miserable but he needs the money to save for a car and college so he does the job and does it so well that he gets promoted to supervisor. The Saiyuki brigade and Yamabushi really do most of the floor work and Ikkyu is the other cashier and sales person really, a kind of happy medium between Agon and Unsui in terms of work ethic and how good he actually is at the job.

The Seibu Wild Gunmen work in a western wear store inside the mall. Kid is technically the store's supervisor and don't get me wrong, he doesn't mind doing his job, but as soon as his job is done, he just kind of wants to take it easy for the rest of his shift. Given that between Tetsuma, Riku, and Ushijima, most of the work is really taken care of in a quick and efficient manner, it's not too much of a stretch for Kid to be able to sneak an afternoon nap here and there in back in the office. They're also not really an overly busy store, since it is really a very niche store and overall, Riku's really the only one who cares a lot about the competition so they're probably the most chill about the whole rivalry thing.

The Taiyo Sphinx all work at a tanning salon. Harao, the supervisor, works mostly shirtless and oiled up as a way to advertise how great the salon's products work and how good they can make you look, just a personal headcanon I had for this one.

The Nasa Aliens actually work in a major grocery store chain in the mall. Panther actually works both there part-time and in another chain in the mall part-time, on top of being a student because honestly, he's not from a real well-off family and needs to work hard to survive. It makes the whole competition between stores thing a little harder on him because he loves his coworkers and doesn't mind his job at either place so he can't really figure out which one to stay completely loyal to and he really does just try to do his best while working at either place. Apollo is the store manager, he's not super well-liked among the staff and he's the only one really super into the rivalries, like the one to be mean and nasty and cut-throat about it all. The Gonzales brothers are stock boys, Jeremy works back in the office handling inventory and receiving, while Homer is one of the cashiers.

Another choice done simply because it really amuses me but the Kyoshin Poseidon…they all work at a Wal-Mart. Every single one of them actually hate their day to day jobs, but they're all kind of competitive people and while they never make the rivalries into some mean or cut-throat like the grocery store's manager, they all start putting a lot more effort into their jobs when the competition between stores start in earnest.

Okay, it only makes sense that the Bando Spiders are working in a Sunrise Records, right? Kotaro and Akaba really spend a lot of their shifts together fighting amongst themselves (and Akaba can be more than a little judgey about what the customers are buying) and the supervisor, Juri, really ends up having to make those two shut up, do their work, and be nice to the customers while trying to do her own job. They're not really a huge contender for best store because they just cannot seem to get their own shit together, but it doesn't stop them all from believing they can win it.

The Hakushu Dinosaurs, for again, no reason than that it amuses me, all work in a movie theatre chain located in the mall. Marco and Maria met through work and started dating and she really wishes that he'd stop taking her to the movies for dates because they get enough of that at work. Kisaragi mans the ticket booths more times than not and really gets the major brunt of rude or upset customers, poor guy. Gaou does most of the cleaning, while Tengu is mainly on concession duty.

The Teikoku Alexanders? The all work at a major chain book store, something like a Chapters or along those lines. Yamato is the front store supervisor and he's excellent at both finding good recommendations for people and providing exceptional customer service. There's really not a part of that store that he doesn't know like the back of his hand. Honjo is good at his job, but honestly, he kind of gets distracted and sucked into reading whatever book catches his interest that day and can ignore customers until he finishes whatever page he's on. Karin's specialty is in the graphic novels and manga sections and she's always called whenever people have questions regarding those. Overall, the book store is always one of the most popular places in the mall, helped along by the fact that the Starbucks is located inside the bookstore and they always have fantastic monthly numbers and seem to be the front-runners for winning the competition.

The Pentagram, including Panther in his other part time job, work as tellers in a local banking chain located within the mall. All the staff, with the exception of Panther, really kind of consider themselves above the rest of the mall staff, as they're bank employees and not just lousy retail slaves or janitors or mall security. While the chain in the mall is very popular and has amazing numbers, they're too cocky about winning and it's really just all agreed upon by everyone else in the mall that it would suck to lose, yeah, but it would suck even more to lose to the douches at the bank so they have to at least beat them.

To finish it off with some just random headcanons - Hatsujou works at a Charms Diamond Centre, Rui and Megu work at a Harley Davidson outlet in the mall, Munakata and Aoyanagi work at a natural wellness store, Sasuke Kanagushi works at a Hot Topic, Onihei is supervisor at Bath and Body Works, Kamiya works at the Dairy Queen while Chuubou works at the Starbucks. Riku and Riko Kumabukuro and Machine Gun Sanada work at the Apple Store, Miracle Ito runs a small photography studio located in the mall, Torikichi works part time at Lush, while Rodchenko works security and Henrich Schultz works as a janitor in the mall.

[joyfulpirates]

Updated thoughts on some products I recently bought for my own routine (context, I spent several years not caring about skincare AT ALL and am now very glad I coupon religiously because damn). For every picture, I'll list off all the products shown. I just need to make sure the pictures get there, and y'all presumably have Amazon.

(This is the Byoma Hydrating Milky Toner.)

I really like this, but because of some issues I'm still having with a different product (that I've removed but is still fucking me up), I'm not enjoying it as much as I would ordinarily. I'll try some of their other toners first, but this one seems like a good fit for my skin (which leans dry even during the spring and summer).

It was about $20 at Target, but I coupon like a beast, so I managed to get 50% off.

(This is the Byoma Brightening Travel Kit. I'm going to include all the products individually. This was $5, but it retails for $19, I just coupon really aggressively and go for sales.)

I've used a lot of cleansers, but the Creamy Jelly Cleanser is my favorite, hands down. I'm buying a version of this and their Cleansing Balm as soon as I get the money for it. Why? Because it's gentle on my skin and it doesn't leave oil residue behind, which are two problems I tend to have with other cleaners, even with double and triple Cleansing (I was doing a Quadruple Cleanse for a few years, before I finally got frustrated and gave up on skincare entirely).

Full disclosure, I still don't know why this was happening. Honestly, the leading consensus is newspaper ink. No one could figure it out. I went to doctors, dermatologists, drunk college students, and an ex of mine for help, and all of them looked at me like I was insane.

The Jelly Cleanser is the best daily cleanser I've tried. With a cleansing balm (I recently tried out the CeraVe Cleansing Balm, it works but it's too small for the price, I could probably use this to remove my makeup.

The Byoma Brightening Serum with Niacinamide and Hyaluronic Acid

Full disclosure, my big Skincare Problems are actually pretty simple.

I have skin that leans dry, but still gathers up enough of a sweat to cause oiliness and debris. I'll get breakouts if I don't wash my face, and they tend to be pretty deep and pretty nasty (though not prolific or life-altering like I've seen admittedly), usually around my eyes where my glasses sit. I get hormonal breakouts around my jaw, chest, and neck. I have really deep dark circles that always lead to me looking tired and groggy.

Has the serum helped the pore situation? I mean no, but I've only been using it for a week. Has the serum helped my dark circles? No, and it probably won't, they're genetic and there's nothing I can do about that.

The Byoma Moisturizing Rich Cream

Don't get me wrong. It's a nice cream. I don't mind it. I just have a loyalty to my jar of CeraVe, which I've been using daily for a month and still doesn't look touched (not just on my face either, I use it for my elbows).

It's okay, if you think you'd like it (pro tip, this is better for dry and combo girls, I don't think oily girls will be fond of this). I'll just probably not purchase this ever again, and I don't think that's wrong.

Agency Anti-Aging Skincare

I know this is bad of me to say, since I'm currently using their free trial, but fuck it. I hate this brand.

They prescribed me two retinols (one for my eyes, one for my face), a face cream, and a Cleanser.

In order:

-I don't know what this is, but the retinols burn the shit out of my face. I use it as directed by the bottle, but it's so uncomfortable and itchy - and if I'm not enjoying it, I don't think I'd get into skincare in general. I couldn't bear to use them for longer than a few days, and I'm not shy about using retinols typically.

-I'm having an allergic reaction to the moisturizing cream. What kind? The kind where pieces of your skin fall off your face in dry flakes. That kind. It's annoying, and not the type of reaction I typically associate with moisturizers, I more see that in retinols, so I don't know if this is all down to this retinol they prescribed me, or if there's other stuff at work here.

-I don't know what's going on with the eye cream, but it smells like death.

-The Cleanser is the worst part of it though. It burns, it doesn't really do anything for your makeup, and it just ... SITS THERE.

I'm really glad I have that policy of only buying samples at first, because I'm sending this free trial back. I'm not going to use this line anymore, or pay for anything they sell. I've been eyeing Curology for a few years, so I'm glad I took the leap on Agency since they're owned by the same company, but I will probably not be taking more leaps like this, and in fact will probably just avoid Curology's parent company altogether.

And of course, we can't forget Old Faithful:

I can't emphasize enough how much I adore this moisturizer. It looks so good under foundation guys, you should try it.

[angellayercake]

The only thing keeping me going today ghesties