#and here i am working for a stupid fucking retail store

[combeauferre]

i am once again spiralling into the idea that i may never find a good job and simply work in retail for the rest of my life

[strohller27]

.

[666writingcafe]

666WritingCafe's Fall 2024 Menu (NSFW)

I was looking through the stuff I had saved in my drafts, found two prompt lists by the users listed below, and decided to try something new(ish).

So, you know how a lot of retail stores usually have most (if not all) of their fall/Halloween items by the end of August? It may not be out on the floor yet, but it's certainly sitting in the back, waiting to get stocked. Anyway, similar concept here: consider this the start of Smutober/Kinktober on my side of Tumblr.com.

The "Premade" prompts have characters linked to them already. Singles have one character, and entrees have two or three. Prompts considered "Create-Your-Own-Meals" do not have characters attached to them (as of yet).

"Orders" can be made via requests. You can add "sides" (IE: specific kinks) to your "order".

Hopefully I can also resume the Obey Me rewrites soon and have this in conjunction to that, but we'll see what happens with work and life in general.

Without further ado, the "menu" is listed below the cut.

Prompts from @writinginstardust and @dumplingsjinson

Premade Singles (Part One)

“Come over here and make me.” Barbatos Order #1 (8/27/24)

“Wait a minute. Are you jealous?” Thirteen

“I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I don’t notice.” Satan

“I think I’m in love with you and I’m terrified.” Lucifer

“You heard me. Take. It. Off.” Solomon

“You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.” Belphie

"You were put on this earth to give me a headache." Mammon

“There is no way this much stupid can fit inside one person.” Asmo

“Uh, am I interrupting?” Diavolo

“Don’t be shy now; sit on my face.” Simeon

“If I ask you to kiss me in front of all these people, will you do it?” Levi

“I've never wanted to fuck someone as badly as i want to fuck you right now.” Beel

“I'm going to fuck you until you forget that asshole's name.” Mephistopheles

~~~

Premade Singles (Part Two)

“If you keep looking at me like that we won’t make it to a bed.” Satan

“Did I stutter?” Thirteen

“Stop being a fucking prick.” Barbatos

“I’m not wearing any underwear. Thought you’d like to know.” Mammon

“You sent me pictures of you naked while I was in a work meeting!” Solomon

“I want to taste you.” Simeon

“If we weren’t in public right now, I’d have my head between your legs.” Diavolo

“Don’t cover your face; I want to see you.” Belphie

“Bend over the desk, love.” Mephistopheles

“I’ve never seen anyone look so cute and ridiculous at the same time.” Levi

“Do you think of me when you touch yourself?” Beel

“Touch yourself for me.” Asmo

“Do you want to see what I'm wearing underneath all this?" Lucifer

~~~

Premade Singles (Part Three)

“Do you know how beautiful you are? It’s truly distracting.” Lucifer

“Could he make you feel as good as I do?” Simeon

“Are you trying to turn me on, or are you really just that oblivious?” Barbatos

“I haven’t even touched you and you’re already this wet.” Satan

“Were you just masturbating?” “U-uh..no, I was just..” “Want some help?” Solomon

“I’m not sharing you with anybody. You’re mine, and mine only, and I’m going to make you remember that.” Diavolo

“That’s sweet and all but do they touch you the way I touch you? Fuck you the way I fuck you? Mm, yeah, didn’t think so.” Belphie

“Gonna fuck you until the only word you remember is my name.” Asmo

“Wanna see how you look when you come undone under me.” Thirteen

“I want you in all the ways you’ll let me have you.” Mephistopheles

“Oh, I can think of many ways to shut you up right now.” Beel

“Where do you want me to touch you?” “I don’t know and I don’t care — I just want your hands on me. Please.” Mammon

“So… You touch yourself to the thought of me? I’d like to see that in action.” Levi

~~~

Premade Entrees (Part One)

“Now, why don’t we teach you a lesson?” Thirteen and Beel

“I wanna taste you on my lips again.” Satan and Solomon

“Rough or gentle?” Mammon and Simeon

“You’re really messing with my head here.” Levi and Lucifer

“Fuck, just touch me already! Just— just do something!” “Not so fast. We’ve still got the whole night/day ahead of us.” Barbatos and Asmo

“Clothes on or clothes off?” Diavolo, Mephistopheles, and Belphie

~~~

Premade Entrees (Part Two)

“How about we put that pretty mouth of yours into good use, hm?” Mephistopheles and Belphie

“Aren’t you desperate?” Lucifer and Thirteen

“Patience, love. We’re getting there.” Solomon and Levi

“Look at your reflection. Look at how gorgeous you are. So fucking gorgeous when we're fucking you like this." "So pretty for us, and only for us.” Beel and Satan Order #3 (9/4/2024)

"You want to come?” “Y-yes, I— please—” “Hm, but do you really deserve to?” Diavolo and Asmo

“You like that, don’t you?” Mammon, Simeon, and Barbatos

~~~

Premade Entrees (Part Three)

“Let’s make your thoughts a reality, yeah?” Mephistopheles and Solomon

“Imagine how amazing you’d sound when we're fucking you senseless.” Thirteen and Diavolo

“We’ll fuck you so good, I promise.” Belphie and Asmo

“You’ve got us all hot and bothered.” Levi and Mammon

“Always so needy for us, aren’t you? Can’t help yourself, can you?” Beel and Lucifer Order #7 (10/7/2024)

“Behave.” Simeon, Barbatos, and Satan

~~~

Create-Your-Own-Meal

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Stop fucking teasing me/us and get to it already.” Order #2 (8/28/2024)

“Oh, the things I’d do to you if we were alone right now…”

“Th-There are people outside this door—” “Well, this isn’t about them, is it?” 

“Look at you, squirming under me, all flushed and pretty looking. Can’t even take a little teasing, can you?” Order #8 (10/7/2024)

“Yeah, but they don’t fuck you the way you deserved to be fucked, do they?” Order #9 (10/21/2024)

“Might I remind you that these walls aren’t sound proof.” 

“Need me to remind you on what happened last night?” 

“Oh, sensitive there, aren’t we?” 

“But you think about me when they’re fucking you, don’t you?” “I… That’s not true.” 

“Lift your hips up for me.”

“Fuck, you’re so hot when you’re bossy.”

“Look at you, coming undone before I’ve even started touching you.” 

“Stop glaring at me like you don’t enjoy me teasing you.”

“I want to be the one fucking you this time.” 

“Sweetheart, you’re so responsive to my touch.”

“And I think you’d look fucking hot when you’re on top of me.” 

“Just sit on my fucking face already.” 

“S-Stop leaving marks on my neck. I have a presentation first thing in the morning.” “Then I get to leave marks anywhere below the neck?”

“You only get to watch.” “B-but—” “No buts, sweetheart.” 

“I’d fuck you right here, right now, if I could.” 

“Turn around.” 

“Eyes on me at all times, sweetheart.”

“I wanna eat you out so fucking bad.” “Then why don’t you?” Order #10 (10/23/2024)

“Spread your legs for me.” … “Spread them wider.” 

“I’ll be honest: I get off to the thought of you.” (Personal) Order #11 (11/5/2024)

“I want you in the most sinful ways possible.” Order #5 (9/18/2024) + Order #6 (9/27/2024)

“Aww, how eager can you get?” 

“I want you to touch me like I’m the only thing you could ever want.” 

“You like messing with my head, don’t you?” “Only because it clearly turns you on.” Order #4 (9/13/2024)

“Shit, I’m so fucking hooked on you it’s not even funny.”

“You’d sound so good begging for it.”

“Don’t make too many noises or we’ll get caught.” “That’s part of the thrill.”

“I don’t care, I just need these clothes off so I can fully feel you against me.” 

~~~

Taglist: @lost-in-time-wanderer, @fuzztacular, @dianedancer18, @sweetbrier2908, @flare-love, @completelyshatteredbrokenmschf, @thunderlightning351, @l3v1chan, @anxious-chick, @5mary5, @expressionless-fr, @tenkobitch, @budbuddnbuddy

[fuck-customers]

It's so frustrating how we're forced to waste things working retail. A customer brought her brand new sewing machine in going 'look at how upset my daughter is! replace it!' (kid looked mortified tbh) when we were like oh we need to see if it's something we can fix or a provider fault etc but she was going spare. So she got her replacement, then we spent over an hour untangling the huge amount screw-ups she done to her machine (needle wrong way around, threaded wrong, NO BOBBIN??) but now we can't sell the machine even though it works a-okay. Sure we can keep it for behind the counter fixes and examples but that woman's stupidity wasted a machine. And now she's just going to do the same to her new one and come and yell at us again. We should fully be allowed to ream them back in return when they're proved as stupid as they seem (and I am someone with normally impeccable manners.) Those poor kids, having a mother like that.

I really want a new sewing machine but it's not in the current budget. Have looked at thrift stores but all the ones around here price them close to new even for 50 year old machines.

Oh yeah, FUCK THE CAPITALIST SYSTEM that makes so much unnecessary waste.

-Rodney

[jackieandwilsonbyhozier]

hi hello is anyone out there ? i need real life adult advice or maybe i just need ppl to pretend to listen to me so would anyone mind pretending for a moment. ok thank u

ill make it quick for the poll but put my actual thoughts under a readmore bc i have a lot to say sry....anyway vote in the poll reply reblog send me asks whatever just somebody help me for the love of god.

basically i hate my job and its killing my soul but im making pretty good money ($20/hour) but now they want to promote me to a manager which will kill my soul even more, but ill be making $27/hour. i kind of just want to quit but now theres that, plus if i stay for 2.5 more years i can sell my company stocks and get another big bonus. but again its fucking killing me working here

so i have been at my retail job for 2.5 years im a department manager and im very comfortable and confident in my position also im making $20 an hour which is great. i just got like a semi promotion i guess so now on days when they dont have a manager to close (usually 2 days a week) im the manager on duty and those days i make $22 an hour

however now they rly want to promote me to a manager full time. like the store manager and assistant manager r both telling me how great i would be and even the fcking district manager apparently agrees and wants me. i would be making ! $27 ! an hour which tbh is the only thing actually tempting me

i honestly kind of hate being a manager. i mean i like working with like the product and planning and paperwork and that stuff im confident in that but i hate hate hate actually having to manage PEOPLE. coworkers AND customers. im an extremely sensitive timid pushover-y person i just am and that is where i face the most difficulty. angry customers make me panic and i cant make myself be assertive enough for any of my coworkers to listen to anything i say

and most of all i hate the like manager culture/attitude. if uve worked in retail or probably anywhere else maybe ull know what i mean. like laughing at ur workers bc they asked for accommodations, making fun of them bc theyre all stupid and useless, chasing homeless ppl out of the store and shouting insults at them, basically just being a bully bc u know u can cuz ur in charge. and i rly rly dont want to participate in that and wont but then the other managers wont respect me lol

and actually bottom line is im sick to death of retail. this job is already draining me and if i become a manager im afraid itll be worse. obviously customers kill me and i would be happy if the rest of my life i never had to serve another customer. but even besides them. it takes me over an hour to bus to work and that wasted time adds up. i kind of put my all into work so when i get home i dont have the energy to do literally anything else. i dont know how to have a work/life balance i only know how to work. im a little bit living in filth it feels like bc i cant make myself do chores or take care of myself it feels like my life is just work, and then being at home waiting to have to go back to work

i havent gotten new piercings or tattoos in a couple years, and i havent cut or dyed my hair in over a year, its back to plain brown which i havent seen since i was like 17. its kind of killing my spirit not to be dramatic but thats the truth. art and creativity are the most important things to me and i feel like im losing myself bc i dont have the energy to keep up with stuff like that anymore the stuff i rly care about like my self expression, i feel like im killing myself in order to turn myself into a normie ass-kissing servant. i dont even draw anymore i dont do shit. im honestly kind of depressed as fuck. i mean i also havent been on my meds for over a year now which im sure isnt helping

but.........if i keep this up i could be making $27 an hour :-) the position is more than just being handed to me theyre practically begging me to take it. also another thing about my job is that u somehow accumulate/earn (?) stocks in the company, and after uve been here for 5 years u can sell them. but only if uve been working for 5 years. if u leave before that u lose them all. so if i stay another 2.5 years ill get another big bonus when i leave. but the thought of staying here that long kind of makes me wanna die😭

because thats the thing too and my final point, i honestly dont need the money. im 100% fine financially where i am rn. i have enough that i can pay my bills and put a lot in savings and buy my fun treats and whatever and i literally never ever worry about money this is the most money ive had in my life ive saved up quite a bit too. even if i just quit my job rn i would be good for like at least six months probably more. but i rly love being in this position financially lol. like im literally just like i love money yes i want more money thats the only thing making me want to stay

so i guess after typing all that out i can confidently say i dont like this job at all i just love money. im earning a lot already but i could be earning even more if i take the promotion but i AM losing my mind and kind of dont even want to work here at all anymore. i honestly dont know whats worth it i know all work is soul sucking and miserable so like should i just be grateful for what i have?? and what im being offered??

what i rly actually want to do is become a tattoo artist. i think i would be a lot happier and freer but my income would be a lot more uncertain as well which im very scared of like idk i havent been like tight on money and struggling in so long i dont want to give it up like ive been running like this so long idk how to stop. i rly dont know what to do

[noa-de-cajou]

UUUUUUUURRRRRRGHHHHHHHH.

WORKING RETAIL THE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS EVE SUCKS.

There is no god up there, I'm telling you, because if there was he wouldn’t make me work in a mall filled with people and radio music all day long. But the fucking law degree I don't even want to get isn’t gonna pay itself, is it.

Only a few more months of this and I'll be free. Sure, working in a clothing store is a bazillion times better than when I was a cashier at a supermarket, because I'm more interested in fashion than I am in tuna cans, but still. Either I'm stuck sitting all day behind the counter, or I have to walk around with my fucking low-quality prothesis that hurts like a motherfucker because there's no room for a wheelchair in the fucking alleys and the crutch doesn't look corporate enough.

Let's not even talk about my colleagues. Some of them are sweet, but the others, GOD, I can't stand those bitches. Like, I'm all for gossip. But harmless gossip. Not gossip about how supposedly fat the clients are or how X or Y looks like a whore with a skirt on. The only times I join them is when they rate clients on how attractive they are, because it makes time go faster and purposefully giving ratings opposite to theirs is my only joy in this Rihanna-filled fast fashion hell.

And speaking about hell, today I'm on counseling duty and the shop is full, so I have to stand in the alleys with Clément and Alma. Clément is the only guy in the team but he's acclimated just fine, shittalking as much as the others do, and hitting on me repeatedly despite my obvious lack of interest. He asked me if I had a boyfriend, but the fact that I have two doesn’t mean I want his stupid fucking face anywhere near mine. I don't mention my sentimental life, certainly not my sex life either. They’d eat me alive. Especially Alma. Boy is she one of the meanest judgmental bitches I've ever met, and I'm pretty mean and judgmental too. Pretty sure she was a bully in middle school, and if she wasn't she would have been perfect for the job. Unfortunately she has the same as mine.

We’ve clocked in for the afternoon twenty minutes ago, they’ve rated ten people already, my prosthesis hurts like hell, my period’s coming soon, I think one of them isn't going to make it out alive if they let me stay in their close vicinity.

Deep breaths, Bronya. Chill. Do it for the money, do it for the moolah.

“Oh wow, look what the cat dragged in,” Clément whispers with a voice already dripping with cheap self-satisfaction. “Bronya, Bronya, check this out.”

God fucking damn it what is it n- Holy SHIT.

Wow. Uh. Okay. Wow. I must say I wasn't expecting an almost two meters tall woman with scars all over her face and the thickest glasses I've ever seen. I kinda get why she caught their attention. I mean, she's-

“Someone call the zoo, I think they lost their giraffe.”

… Yeah, of course, why did I even believe they’d be nice this time. My faith in humanity really is far too great.

And the insult isn’t even good. Alma should at least choose a hobby that she's good at. Or maybe annoying the shit out of me is her hobby, in which case she deserves a medal.

The tall girl goes about her business, hesitantly browsing through the clothes. She moves without any self-confidence at all, it's kind of sad. Because she isn’t just tall, she’s buff as fuck too. Maybe a bit lanky? But eh, that looks like someone who works out a bunch.

“What’s she even doing in the women’s section ?” Clément sneers. “The only thing that makes her one is…”

He makes a very not subtle gesture above his chest. Alma giggles.

“What, Clem, is she not your type?”

“Oh, you know my type.”

And he oggles me. He OGGLES ME.

“That girl's like, a three. The ten is right here.”

…

Is the money really worth it? Can’t I punch him in the face?

No. Calm down. Let's be CIVIL. Let’s be POLITE, shall we?

“For the hundredth time, Clément, knock it off. Also you should lower your expectations for women, because as far as I know, you're nobody's type yourself.”

So much for polite, but that’s never been my forte. Clément reddens, his eyelid twitches a little, but Alma’s there, so he laughs it off. Yeah, I know your kind, asshole. Too bad, I have standards on who gets to fuck me and you’re not meeting any.

“Wow, chill, Bronya! I’m just tryna be nice.”

“Well why don’t you try being nice to her then?” I mumble.

“Clem has a point, you know,” Alma chimes in. “When you shop in the women’s section, you should at least try to look like one! No, for me, she’s a two at best.”

Why doesn't she look like a woman? Is it the short hair? The muscles? The hoodie? The pants that are slightly too short? The overused sneakers? The scars?

Or are you just a fucking bitch?

Poor girl looks so confused, too. Clearly she's not used to shopping. And the other two keep throwing in names and little pesky remarks instead of doing what they're paid to do.

Screw it.

“You guys are dicks.”

I limp away from them and towards the girl without leaving room for a reply. My artificial leg creaks with each step but I don’t give a shit at this point.

Fuck, she’s really tall. I have to break my neck to look at her, we’re like forty centimeters apart. She looks down at me, nervously, and I clear my throat.

“Do you need help looking for something?”

Shit. I forgot the customer service smile, and my tone was really dry. She doesn't look thrown off though. More like relieved.

“Um… Yeah. Kind of. I have an important meeting with someone. On… On New year's. And I want to look nice for it, but I don’t own any smart outfits and…”

She glances down at the dresses she was looking through a second ago, and sighs. I don't think she’s that much older than me, now that I look closely. There’s also a big golden pendant dangling around her neck, it looks kind of out of place.

“Well, even if there was my size, I don’t think any of these would look good on me.”

Not look good on her? Has she seen herself in the mirror? Hell, I don’t care what the others say, she's gorgeous.

… Okay. I'm going to find this girl a good outfit no matter what. That’s my mission now.

“I'm sorry, the fashion industry really sucks. Especially for women who don’t fit the arbitrary standards. You might not find a dress your size, but would a suit work?”

She blinks, clearly she didn't expect that. She thinks about it, I can almost see the little thought bubble over her head. She’s kind of adorable.

“I mean… Yeah. I would feel more comfortable in a suit, I think.”

“Let’s see what we can find for you, then. Do you mind if it's from the men’s section?”

She shakes her head. Great. I gesture for her to follow me, and she blinks.

Oh. Did she only notice the prosthesis just now? She really doesn’t have much awareness. At least she didn’t hear all the shittalking, I guess.

I feel stares on us. With her scars, she must get a lot of those, but she doesn’t seem to mind. She’s looking around with eyes filled with something between absolute terror and full-blown marvel.

That reminds me of a certain someone.

Hanko was so thrilled when I took him for shopping. He had never went before.

Ugh. I really don't need to think about him right now.

I get stares too, because of my leg. It doesn’t really affect me much anymore.

It shouldn’t, at least.

I get to the suit jackets and start looking for one that would fit. With her hair and eyes, I'd go for red or black… Eh, let's go with black. Looks good with anything. Maybe she'll need a shirt, too… Well, that’s where the red will go then.

She looks at me anxiously. Uh. Maybe making conversation will help?

“What’s the occasion-”

“Um, I was just wondering if-”

Oh, crap, she wanted to speak, uh, shit, fuck –

“Uh, sorry, go ahead –”

“No, you first!” she exclaims a bit too loud.

“But you looked like you wanted to ask me something –”

“I-It can wait. What was your question?”

… Welp. Seems like she lost the courage. Great job, Bronya. Might as well ask what I was going to ask, then.

“What’s the occasion? The thing you’re going to on new year’s. Something fancy?”

She… She blushes. Like crazy. Oh. Ohoooooo. A date? Might be a date. That’s the gossip I'm down for. I must be smiling a little too wide because she gets even redder.

“I… No, it's not like that. It’s just…”

She re-adjusts her glasses. There’s a weird expression on her face. Nervous, but sort of hopeful. Her fingers graze her necklace. Probably a gift, then.

“I'm reuniting with someone I haven’t seen since middle school and I really want to look better than… you know, this. I don’t want her to think I'm letting myself go, you know?”

Aww. Okay, that’s cute. Sounds like she cares a lot about whoever she’s gonna meet up with. Better handle it with the same amount of care, then.

“Okay. So. If it’s nothing formal, I think the suit jacket and a shirt would do great. You can also wear normal pants instead of suit pants if you don't want to look too overdressed.”

She looks down at her feet.

“... But all the pants I own show my ankles.”

“Not a problem. If you pair it with the right socks and shoes, I can assure you it looks very trendy. Do you have some nice shoes?”

Because as comfy as they look, those sneakers have seen better days and I bet they don’t offer any protection against snow or rain. Luckily, she nods.

“My sister is going to get me some for Christmas. I know it's needed.”

God, she looks so tense. I raise my prosthesis, she looks on with confusion.

“Well, I would have loved to advise you on shoes as well, but as you can see, I only need one.”

She doesn't erupt in laughter or anything, but that gets a snort out of her. Hehe. Nailed it. I hold out the shirt and jacket I picked up.

“Care to try them on?”

The determination on her face as she nods is really funny. And kind of cute. I lead her to one of the dressing rooms, like you’d do with a kid.

“Hum… Could you give me an opinion once I'm done? If that's okay, of course. I really don’t want to keep you, I know it’s busy this time of year…”

Oh with that kind of consideration she can keep me all she wants – I mean what. Focus, Bronya, focus.

“Yeah, sure thing. Take your time!”

I stand outside and wait. The store has gotten busy again. Clément eyes me from afar, I ignore him, and he rushes to help Alma who seems to be in a pinch with an old bitch. That’s karma for you.

I hear the noise of fabric ruffling inside. She's probably taking off her hoodie or t-shirt right now. I wonder if she's really muscular or if it's just an illusion because of her body type. Huh…

Wait, what the hell? Don’t imagine what a client looks like without her clothes. That's creepy. Well, technically it’s part of my job, to picture what clothes would fit best depending on the body, but still! No! Nope! Not her! Not like that! Not-

“Um… I'm done.”

She pushes the curtain open and – oh my god. Oh god. Oh fuck. Shit. Um. Wow.

I’ve never, and I mean never seen someone wear a suit jacket like she does. Like it… it’s just… she’s just…

“You’re perfect.”

She blinks. I blink. OH SHIT I SAID THAT OUT LOUD COME ON THINK THINK THINK SAY SOMETHING-

“I-It looks perfect on you, I mean!”

That's… Ugh, that's not much better, but at least it’s gotta be a little less out of line, right?!

She smiles. Oh fuck, she smiles. With all of her teeth. And it just lights up her entire face, her eyes glint behind her glasses.

“Is that why you're all red now, Bronya?”

Huh? Huh???

Hold up, where exactly did the shyness from earlier go?! That's not fair. That is so totally not fair –

… Wait a minute.

“How do you know my name?”

The embarrassment dawns on her face again. She can't dodge that question, the sellers don't wear name tags here.

“I… sort of guessed it was you? I’m actually a second year in psychology, and you're pretty popular at uni. You write in their newspaper, right? I always read your column. It's cathartic.”

Huh? She…

First off, I didn’t take her for a student at all, certainly not a year behind me. Second, I had no fucking idea I was known to the point that second year psychology students talk about me. Third, she reads my columns. She actually reads my columns. Holy crap.

“I… Uh… Thanks. I'm sorry I never noticed you before, I just… I guess we don't see you guys often?”

Because if I had seen her before, I’d definitely remember it.

“It’s okay. I only saw you from afar before, or heard about you from other people, so I'm glad I can finally speak to you in person.”

And she says it… not really excitedly, but she looks so sincere. She sounds so earnest. I have no idea how to react to that. I’m not prepared for this.

“I mean… Well, nice to meet you, I guess, uh…?”

“Lubell.”

Lubell. Even her name is pretty.

“Well, I sure hope I live up to the rumors, Lubell.”

“Hm… I wouldn’t say that. There's something the rumors never told me about you.”

She smiles again. And it's more timid, but it's still…

“You’re really kind.”

…

Well that's…

I've received tons of compliments before but…

That one…

Is definitely…

New.

Fuck.

“I'm… just doing my job.”

“Well, it feels like much more than that to me, so thank you.”

She does a little turn with the jacket and the shirt on. Clément and Alma really must have shit in their eyeballs because that's a definite ten. Or a twelve. Hell, that's a twenty.

“I think I'll buy those, in any case. I’ll see you at uni, then?”

Oh god. She wants to see me again. Don't be weird.

“Um, yeah, sure. I’m glad you… like the clothes.”

She smiles again, pulls the curtain back. I try really really hard to not think about her movements in there but my head’s a mess. Oh the horrifying ordeal of being known. She gets out with her hoodie on and my heart doesn't slow down at all.

“Thanks again. I’ll tell you how it goes next year. And I'll write a review on the store website to say that a very kind ginger employee helped me.”

And off she goes to pay, leaving me standing there gawking and blushing like an idiot. What the hell is wrong with me today? Well, what isn’t would be a better question.

A hand pats me on the shoulder. It’s Mireille. Mireille’s a forty-year old woman with hair dyed red and the manager for today, which is good because I like her and right now she seems pretty pleased with me.

“Nice job, Bronya. I've seen that girl go in and out of at least five other stores here. But look at her now, going home with brand new clothes and a smile. And we gain a new client. Some people could learn a thing or two from you.”

She shoots a disapproving look towards Clément and Alma, both back to gossiping in a corner, before patting my shoulder.

“Well, I’m going to go be the Big Bad Manager with them for a minute. You take a break, alright? And then back to work, missy. Those clothes aren’t gonna sell themselves!”

And she leaves to go yell at my dearest colleagues. Maybe there is a god up there. At any rate, I'm grateful for the free break and the calm it brings. I sit on a bench to massage my leg a little, let my thoughts go a little astray, as a treat.

Lubell, huh. She has a pretty smile. A pretty face. She’s just pretty.

You're kind.

I’m not. I’m really not. But it's nice to hear.

I’ll tell you how it goes.

So she really intends to see me again.

Wow.

My face is hot.

Maybe this job isn't so shitty after all.

[iris-eyez]

Like here's the thing...

Some people like working retail. They like folding clothes and helping people buy things and managing a store.

Some people like working as teachers. They like going into work and helping children learn and grading papers.

Some people like being librarians and helping people discovering books. And coming up with programs to give to their patrons.

Some people like being baristas. They like making coffee and getting creative with the drinks that they make. They like chatting with regulars and helping people discover what flavors they do and don't like.

Some people like working fast food. They like the fast pace. They like the almost game like aspect of it where you have to get people what they need as fast as people. They like prepping the food in the same way every time being it relaxes and soothes them.

Some people like cleaning garbage. They like beautifying and organizing space. They like knowing that the work that they do helps the world stay beautiful and keeps plants, animals, and people safe and clean. They like the meditative quality of it and sometimes they can teach others the importance of keeping spaces clean or maybe just finding new and interesting people to talk to.

BUT WE CANNOT DO THAT BECAUSE NO ONE IS PAYING A LIVING WAGE.

I wish I could just stay at home and spend my life reading and reviewing books and writing my silly little stories on my silly little tumblr. Self publish a book or two maybe once or twice a year and just spend my life in my own personal library just encouraging others to read.

BUT I CANT DO THAT. BECAUSE THAT DOESN'T PAY ME ENOUGH. SO I AM STUCK HERE WORKING MY ASS OFF IN A JOB I DON'T LIKE BUT DON'T HATE SLOWLY GRINDING MY LIFE AWAY.

I think that is why I am so stuck on wage transparency and pressuring Congress to raise the minimum wage. Like people want to do those jobs that seem menial and stupid. They LIKE those jobs. They deserve to be able to do them and live the lives they want.

A Garbage Collector deserves to collect the garbage and take their family to Disney should they want to.

A Librarian deserves to shelve their books and then go home and spend however much they want on their Pokemon collection.

If a teacher who spends way too much time on grading wants to spend their summer backpacking across Europe to unwind from the school year they should be able to do that with having to worry about losing their house.

All jobs are worthy of dignity and respect and this is why we need labor unions and higher minimum wage and companies to stop buying up all the fucking houses. Like there are so many problems in this country I have no idea which one to tackle first, but I know who to blame.

Fuck you Ronald Reagan.

[pagerspages]

Professionalism and Neurodiversity

I’ve been working since I was 15 years old. I worked a summer job at a cherry processing factory the summer between my sophomore and junior years, the summer between my junior and senior years, and the summer after I graduated high school. I went straight from working at the factory to my first full-time job working at a gas station. I worked at the gas station for four years. I then moved to a big box retail store working in their automotive department doing oil changes and tire work. I worked then as a service writer/adviser at the same shop, and then I moved inside the store to work as a sales associate.  

All of these times I have had ‘problems’ with my brain. I had severe anxiety when I first started working at the gas station. I almost quit a week into it because working with money stressed me out. I also got a talking to from my boss for not being personable with the customers and at least greeting them. The customers really didn't want to talk to me either but that's neither here nor there. I did not know the extent of my Neurodiversity until way after this. 

I thought it would be just a silly funny thing to do if I took the RAADs Autism assessment. (I will at no time during this post claim I have autism because I have not been officially diagnosed.) This funny silly little thing to do really sent me down a rabbit hole when I scored 140. To put that in perspective no Neurotypical would score above a 64. I’ve shared this with friends and they haven’t been very surprised? I guess I haven’t always masked as well as I thought I have.

Anyways working while being Neurodivergent sucks. I consider myself lucky because I can work. I even enjoy working sometimes. Other times I just need to leave and I can’t. There have been times where I’ve literally had to tell a customer on the phone to hold so I could just close my eyes and ears and block out all the noises. The phone is right next to the window out to the shop as well as the register. There are times where my coworkers are ringing someone up and talking to them, the techs are making loud noises and there’s an announcement going on the PA system all while the customer is trying to get me to give them a price on tires and I just can’t fucking handle it. 

I am a people pleaser. I don’t like to tell people no. I think this has a lot to do with my anxiety thinking that people won’t like me anymore if I tell them no and I’m no longer useful to them. I think it’s also become part of my mask. My mask is this really helpful guy that knows what he’s talking about, does his job well and will help others do their job and whatever is asked of them with minimal complaining. And yes I see my mask as a male even though I now consider myself nonbinary, idk why. 

I’ve been asked before what career I want. No one likes it when I say I don’t want one. Like literally my only big goal in life is to be happy. I stupidly said this during a job interview once and unsurprisingly didn’t get the job. I don’t want my whole life to revolve around trying to get a better and better job and unfortunately for me in this stupid ass economy that really doesn’t work.  

I’m not sure what this post was supposed to be tbh. Maybe I just want to rant. Maybe I want someone to find this and read it and relate to it so we both know that we aren’t alone in how we feel. Maybe I just want validation from strangers on the internet. Who knows why I do anything at this point. I sure as hell don’t. 

[bungacow]

Tick Tick Tick: The Human Fear of Wasting Time

Right now as I'm typing this I am nineteen years old reaching the end of my teenage years and realizing that I spent the last seven years of my life in a very stereotypical way. Obsessing over boys. Even right now I'm sitting through an hour-and-a-half-long movie because Leigh Whannell is in it for about three seconds. As much as I'd like to say I regret the way I've continuously chosen to spend my time, I don't, not even a little bit, but as I near the dreaded label of "young adult" I wonder if I would have been better off with a more productive hobby.

The fear of wasting your life starts very early, maybe even the second you are born. I wouldn't be surprised if my very first thought was "Man, I wish I would've come out of there sooner, now I've gotta make up for those nine months of doing nothing with my life. How lazy of me.". I believe the real start of this fear is high school. When you take pubescent teenagers and tell them that they better do good in school now or it'll fuck them up for the rest of their lives. The words "Permanent record" illicit an incredibly strong fear response in teens and ex-teens.

I think telling children to figure out their entire life plan at the ripe age of fourteen is irresponsible. Ask any thirty-year-old on the street what their plans are even just for that afternoon and you'll soon realize how ridiculous it is to ask someone to plan a career for themself before they're even able to drive. I know I personally have gone through at least six different potential careers and still here I am working part-time at a retail store with nothing but a high school diploma.

That may be the worst part of it all, I'm only nineteen and it feels like my life is already getting away from me before I even get a chance to actually live it. Anyone over the age of thirty-five is audibly scoffing reading that and I have to admit it's dramatic and untrue but the fear is so ingrained in me that I can't see passed it. Realistically, I know that I've got an entire lifetime ahead of me and I'm only just starting, but when your entire life so far has only been nineteen years long...it's hard to see the big picture when you've only lived the little one.

I'm starting to make peace with the fact that I spent my teens writing fan fiction about hot guys and very little else. On the surface, it seems stupid to do nothing but fawn over forty-year-old men for months but if you look deeper than that I actually have a lot to show for it. With these obsessive crushes, I've gained knowledge and appreciation for a wide variety of subjects such as music, screenwriting, comedy, directing, acting, painting, and poetry.

Where you see a teenage girl with a photo of Gerard Way in her phone case, I see a teenage girl who was inspired to learn to play bass and write music of her own. Where you see a girl with a button of Rodrick Heffley on her bag, I see a girl who just discovered the wonders of DVD audio commentaries for the first time, a girl who just thought about film scoring in a way she didn't think to before, and a girl who just unknowingly developed an appreciation for guyliner.

So while maybe a little unconventional, my methods of navigating the world around me and learning more about the art that I one day hope to create myself have worked as well as any other. Sure, maybe I could've just taken a music appreciation class or sat through a screenwriting lecture, but it's much more fun this way.

Maybe I'll keep this up forever and be forty-eight crushing on a ninety-year-old who paints. All I know right now is I'm perfectly content with the idea of being permanently boy-crazy. Maybe I'll grow up one day and realize how little good centering my life around men has done for me, but for now, I will be sitting in front of my TV waiting for Leigh Whannell to come back on screen.

Anya out. xx

[laylanatorseventeen]

I HAAAATTTEE being back with customers.

Man: where is plumbing it used to be here, but I haven't been in this store for fifteen years

Me: plumbing is over here in the forties! *walks him to back aisle and points to clearly labeled aisles saying 40, 41, etc*

Man: *stares blankly*

Me: ok it's in the forties over here! *Starts walking him there*

Man: hardware.

Me: sorry?

Man: *points to hanging sign above us* this is hardware. I need plumbing.

Me, thinking: yes................you see....... Sometimes you have to walk through an area........to get to a different area.........

At this point I spotted someone who works in plumbing and I darted ahead to foist him onto them. As we turn around so I can point to the man I find him asking another employee. If they know where plumbing is. MY DUDE ARE YOU STUPID. I WAS LEADING YOU TO PLUMBING. I AM FIVE FEET AWAY I DID NOT ABANDON YOU IM GETTING SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHAT THE FUCK THE FAUCET PART YOURE HOLDING IS. HAVE YOU SCORNED NOT JUST THIS STORE BUT EVERY RETAIL STORE FOR THE LAST FIFTEEN YEARS!!!!! I SWEAR TO GOD ITS LIKE TALKING TO A BRICK WALL WITH SOME OF YOU PEOPLE

[anymal28]

@bonesby I probably did this wrong, but here ya go

🎱 - 0, I literally have no finished works to even post

🍓 - I have not posted any works yet. But basically no one was writing the stories I was looking for. I also have great ideas and suck at making characters for said ideas.

🌵 - Might be my own👀 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0OueUGpDtDuRAFljBrZJtn?si=Moy5y7aRSguNXYxFoQpDaA&pi=u-JFkaI__xQo2Y

🕯 - Friends works: 9/10. I like helping them out and being one of the first to read their works, plus they're both stupid good at writing

My Works: 2/10, I'm my own worst enemy. I recently went back to edit a wip and am very close to deleting the whole thing and rewriting it.

🛼 - 🔫🗡🔪🥷💣

🥑 - @bonesby & @louisapennyfeather2021

🥤- 0KKULTiC : We Would Be Savage series on ao3

inexperiencedandconfused8 on ao3

GoAwayOlivia : Jason Todd: The Not-So-Outlaw on ao3

I have many suggestions

💌 - 0 actually

🌻 - Literally anyone who follows me

🐇 - If yall ever catch me writing reader inserts, just know I did it as a joke and Hell must've froze over

🧃 - I am asthmatic

��� - Lack of motivation

🍄 - NOT A SHIP, but Dick Grayson 100% eats cheerios by picking them up with his tongue and Jason hardcore judges him for it even tho Jason does the same thing with chips cause he refuses to get his fingers cheesy.

🧸 - Talk to me and dont stop talking to me no matter how awkward things get. I'm very bad at keeping up communications.

🪐 - One of my goats finally had her babies, I finally get to bring my other goat home from the hospital, I dont have to bottle feed anything yet.

📚 - This prompt

🍬 - I'm not educated enough for this

🔪 - The explicit details on the different sections of the human spine and how all of them function and which parts of the body would be affected depedning on which part of the spine was damaged. Also retail store security tags.

🦷 - You can only heat something up twice before it starts to make you sick

❄️ - Literally anything found family, I'm such a sucker for that. Anyone could write it good honestly.

🌿 - Change the space you're writing in. If you're writing in your bedroom, go to a different room. Change up the environment.

🥐 - "crazy, I was crazy once..."

🏜 - Have not received any cause have not posted any

🍦 - I GUESS he is loyal, he got better at communicating, and hes not AS horrible as before

🥝 - Not really, its more of a waste of breath to lie a lot. I did lie to my Grandpa about my goat's vet bill

🦋 - The fucking quote of "Farming teaches you how to be totally responsible and completely useless"

🦴 - Literally anything found family. Im a sucker for that

🍅 - The character's responses and reactions need to change and be more thought out for the scene. It doesn't match who they are. The entire situation is written okay, but definitely not the best and can be improved.

🐚 - In story writing, surprises are great. Irl, no.

🪲 - [ Hiding and watching in the shadows of the setting sun, he could make Alchemy, Arachne, and Wendigo. With the sight of them came another pang of worry. Who would help heal them when they got injured on patrol? Granted all of them were very careful, but slip ups happen. There were one or two other vigilantes and allies that could help, but he worried they wouldn’t be able to do much when it came to the bigger, more serious stuff. And Arachne? He hoped she wouldn’t do anything stupid. Maybe Alchemy could keep a close eye on her. ]

☁️ - Literally the name I've had since the dawn of time. Its just a play on the word "animal".

🐝 - @bonesby : the bestest person someone could have in their life. Literally you have not won anything if you dont have someone like them.

@louisapennyfeather2021 : Everyone needs someone like them in their corner. They're like the devil on my shoulder except they're constantly trying to keep me from doing dumb shit.

�� - Too many. Pics below. In order: Dakota, Charlie, Octavian, Augustus, Tommy, Dillion, Ponk, Maverick, Nora, Oakapi. I have more goats if anyone's interested💀

🎨 - I dont even have any rn, I wouldn't be able to find the ones I used to love, but I know it was Percy Jackson.

🧩 - A lot. Specifically certain smut tags. Porn without plot. Too many smut tags. Incest. There's a lot, and I usually dont know until I see it

Writers Truth & Dare Ask Game

🎱 ⇢ post your AO3 total stats  🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction?  🌵 ⇢ share the link to a playlist you love 🕯️ ⇢ on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy editing? why is that? 🛼 ⇢ describe your latest wip with five emojis 🥑 ⇢ you accidentally killed somebody, which mutual(s) do you text for help? 🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love 💌 ⇢ how many unread emails do you have right now?  🌻 ⇢ tag someone you appreciate but don't talk to on a regular basis 🐇 ⇢ do you prefer writing original characters, reader inserts, or a mix of both?  🧃 ⇢ share some personal lore you never posted about before 🎲 ⇢ what stops you from writing more in your free time?  🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings 🧸 ⇢ what's the fastest way to become your mutual? 🪐 ⇢ name three good things going on in your life right now 📚 ⇢ what's the last thing you wrote down in your notes app?  🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character 🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project? 🦷 ⇢ share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on ❄️ ⇢ what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best? 🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity 🥐 ⇢ name one internet reference that will always make you laugh  🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work? 🍦 ⇢ name three good things about a character you hate 🥝 ⇢ do you lie a lot? what's the most recent lie you told? 🦋 ⇢ share something that has been on your heart and mind lately  🦴 ⇢ is there a piece of media that inspires your writing?  🍅 ⇢ give yourself some constructive criticism on your own writing 🐚 ⇢ do you like or dislike surprises? 🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here ☁️ ⇢ what made you choose your username? 🐝 ⇢ tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them 🌸 ⇢ do you have any pets? if you do, post some pictures of them 🎨 ⇢ link your favourite piece of fanart and explain why you like it 🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

[femme-enby]

So at this point, if it hasn’t been clear or you haven’t seen a post where I explicitly state it:

I actively work overnight maintenance (the nice word for janitor that the company uses, like how my seasonal job refers to the same position as ‘park services’ and considers MAINTENANCE to be the not nice term) at a retail store.

Due to a combo of size, traffic, and the amount of money the store makes, it’s also considered something like “super megaplex” or whatever. Thought that was funny, considering.

Anyway, I just thought of somethin:

My job generally says that if we’re deep cleaning the bathrooms, we’ve got to completely block them off & no one but the person cleaning them is allowed in (Safety concern).

Now I gotta do this by trying to block off the entrances with my cleaning cart & a trashcan or two, but obviously folks ain’t always the brightest, and will even strong arm a can out of the wedged in position between my cart and the door… the music is also stupid loud in the bathrooms so I often have both earbuds in and turned up a bit, along with this horrid habit of giving folks more credit than due.

So, obviously, that means I’ve turned around to someone standing in the bathroom like

🧍

Staring at me. Like they fuckin spawned in there and are surprised to see me cleaning the bathroom that was blocked off.

And, because again, I give humans more credit than most deserve, I am jumpscared every single fucking time.

I’m talkin, jerking back and clutchin my pearls in shock. Where tf did you come from and why are you here??

All that to say- imagine working at the plex as maintenance, and you get to have those lil wet floor bots guard the bathroom doors? I’d trust them with my life.

[bell-swamp-fitzjames]

hey also i need the customers at work to fuck off for real. Since 2020 I have masked. I mask at work. I've worked one holiday at this stupid big chain retail candle store & this DID NOT happen that year. But this year. 2024.... I've had 3 fucking ppl to varying degrees directly ask me why I'm wearing a mask. One woman was super upset by me masking, demanding I inform her if I have COVID bc she can't get COVID (she was not wearing a mask let me be very clear). Another customer asked if I was sick and why I was masking. Today yet another customer looked at my mask and went "are you with something? got something?" throwing me off guard because wtf am i with something??? And when I told her "I just mask" she was thrown off and then had to act like "oh ha ha, well good on you, we are all out here doing our part" like. wtf is up? huh? I'm going to jump over this counter and start beating you to death if you're not careful

[kyliafanfiction]

I really need tips from you on how to work in a "people interfacing" field despite being a misanthrope? I couldn't even handle working retail years ago, let alone running the store and being the one everyone complains to, so I really admire you and don't know how you do it. I may have to leave my current remote job where I wear pajamas all day and 99% of the time and get to email in lieu of (ugh) talking to people, so I really need tips on how you interact with people successfully all day despite being as much of an introverted curmudgeon as I am!

Practice, Practice, Practice. I worked retail relatively fresh out of college and I got fired from two jobs in a year. The second one was explicitly for not being 'personable' enough.

Then I got a job working phone calls for a clinic - I called patients to followup about referrals and stuff - and five years of that did a lot to help give me a certain degree of resilience about dealing with people (helped that it was over the phone and I could roll my eyes without them seeing it).

I don't get a lot of complaints, and most of the ones I get are easily ignorable (I used to have these fun cocktail napkins that said stuff like 'Happy Fucking Birthday' in colorful lettering, or 'Welcome to the Shitshow' and I once got so annoying old biddy bitching about them being there, even though they were above the eye level of small children). It's a small town, and small town politeness is oft-overstated, but is a thing. Also, bookstores just tend to attract a smarter caliber of person.

But really, lots of practice. And, frankly, as indicated by the state of my sales over the last 3 years, I may be 'just passable' at dealing with the public. :sweat_smile:

Bottle it up and then swear and rant at them after they've left helps a lot with me (as long as no one else is in the store). Venting here on tumblr about it helps (most of my 'Kylia Owns a Bookstore Now' posts are me venting about stupid customers. Being my own boss helps, so I don't have someone demanding impossible levels of upbeat from me.

The fact that I can read or catch up on online stuff between customers coming in, or while someone is browsing the shelves quietly or whatever is also a big help in letting me recharge my batteries. But during the busiest times of the year - Christmas Shopping season for instance - it can get quite exhausting.

Perhaps not the most generalizable advice, my circumstances are atypical for the average retail employee.

[hughesquinn]

Ooo I love the idea of Jack taking Nico home for Christmas. Like the possibilities; Nico meeting the family, presents, and of course the mistletoe as you said.

��👀👀 girl Jack (I may recently have fallen into rule 63 hockey players. Like please turn all these men into girls and let me date them)

😓 ugh I used to work at a restaurant and the waitresses had to id people so they’d try to make a joke of it or just be like *high pitch extra girly and extroverted voice* ha ha i have to id anyone buying alcohol

Anyway the Nico and Jack as retail workers makes me think of this one sid/claude internship fic except I don’t see Nico and Jack pretending that their tension is hatred. I love non-hockey coworker fics.

yaya!!!! I feel like itd be soooo fun to write but id be so worried as I am. single and ive never done anything like that bro ill be awkward 😭

YA GIRL JACK <3 hold on I do actually love what I have let me show u one thing

ya id-ing :[ it is so fucked at my job because we have to id for alcohol, tobacco and cigs n stuff, and lighters and spray paint and we Have to type in their dob into the system (so I can just. if I know it type it) but we are on Camera I refuse to be fined so i have been yelled at sm by dudes and one dude got pissed at me when I was alone and there was a line and told me I was fucking stupid 😭

omg here is the thing tho,,, in the fic they Woukd actually have genuine tension with disliking each other bc. idk if id make nico the manager just bc of how it is (prob would make someone older on the team) but at the very least they r both assistant store managers and Get Under Each Others Skin

[selamat-linting]

man, the working conditions in this country are bad. i know a girl who worked in an NGO and her hours are ridiculous. a couple of times she had to leave town and when she came back home at 2 am she's expected to go back to work at 6 in the morning. my friend, the patrick bateman wannabe, he worked at a retail chain store during the pandemic and he have to pay for his own covid test everytime he gets symptoms (which was often because he was an essential worker with chronic illness) and he didnt get paid while he's on sick leave. a few months ago my sister was a temp worker in a cafe but she might as well be a staff who just dont have the benefits nor the job security because they kept calling her to come to work. even if she's permanently hired she will never get any substantial promotion because the hotel management spesifically stated they dont want their management position to be filled with people who might be distracted with childcare (women). my mom worked 10 hours six days a week cleaning hotel rooms to pay for my education and she was paid only 2/3 of the minimum wage there. my crush had to work from 5 am to 6 pm in his current job and the stress was too much he got sick on the first month of working there. i know another guy working as a courier and his job also required him to work 10-12 hours. hell, all of my previous jobs had a special day every week where it doesnt count as part of your job but you still had to come to do extra 4 hour work on top of your regular shifts. or jobs where they dont count the extra hours needed to close after a busy day. there was a point in my life where a coworker had to take me home almost everyday because we got overtime until its 1 am. the job i have now has much better hours but im still expected to be on-call everyday just in case a customer wanted something and i have to go see them. and my customers, if theyre not bougie, theyre a part of the working class that gets paid better than the rest of us and still they have unpaid overtime and stress that drains their will to have a hobby outside of getting shitfaced with your coworkers once a month. i was in trade school and one of my first memory of being there was seeing my classmates who majored in operating and fixing heavy mining equipments, most of them boys as young as 15, watching a "workplace safety" video that mostly consists of pictures of people getting crushed by cranes and trucks, and learning to accept that yes, there is a chance you'll die and there's nothing you can do about it. by the time im 20 years old i already know two cases where a friend of a friend died on their retail job from overwork. my crush almost died in a workplace accident once! i havent even talked about how my other friend wanted to be a nurse, to the point of advertising that her kidney was on sale on facebook marketplace, only to realize how little they get paid despite the expensive education, long working hours, and the health risks. i haven't even talked about the kind of shit sex workers here face on the job. or the little kids in my town who had to walk 10 kilometers a day every night before school selling tissue boxes and snacks to help pay the rent! its 2023 and child labor is still a thing! there are kids as young as eight years old who had to help their parents make stone bricks! and the worst part of how things get this bad is that we did try to stop things from getting worse. the working class in my country did organize and made progress, but we were all fucking killed for it. it wasnt just the us backed genocide in the 60s or the kidnappings in the 90s, there was so many cases of state repression that get swept under the rug. so no, i dont use morals when it comes to the bourgeoisie. i dont have sympathy and i wont make excuses when i say would kill even the children of the ultra-wealthy if i have to. theyre lucky my organizing job right now is talking to people and making stupid little pamphlets instead of shooting them.