#so i could like. idk. have a job. make money. pay rent. LIVE

[motheyes]

my hips hurt from sitting and laying. they’d hurt if i was walking more. they always hurt regardless

[be-good-to-bugs]

OH SHIT. my dad fuckin died today uh. rest in pieces dickhead 😘 time to CELEBRATE 🎉

[stellardeer]

i have to come to terms with the fact that I am actually well off for someone in this country now, like.. idk it's weird

i'm still living the exact same lifestyle that i was before, so for the most part it feels almost like nothing has changed, like maybe im spending a little bit more money on food and buying the "good" toilet paper, but all that does is allow me to actually have savings in my bank account

i still stand with the working class and impoverished people of this country, and I am very much still in the boat of "one [very] bad day from homelessness" so i am not taking this for granted whatsoever

i've just been watching some of those youtube channels where they interview random people all over the country and just like.. kinda show what their life is like and it's definitely putting mine in perspective

very very grateful for the opportunities i have had and very proud of myself for forcing myself to stay in college (even tho it took almost 10 years to finish and left me with a mountain of debt) and just like.. idk, i feel like i could be doing more to help people out, i can't wait til im out of debt ;o;

[swamp-adder]

I keep wondering about the financial situation between Holmes and Watson after the Hiatus. At Holmes' request, Watson quits his job and moves back in with Holmes to continue helping him with cases. Did Watson receive any kind of payment for his help -- a cut of the money Holmes received from his clients perhaps? A lot of fanfiction seems to assume they were equal partners and Watson got half; but honestly any scenario I can imagine seems awkward to me in one way or another:

- Watson being treated as an equal partner and getting half the money seems awkward when according to what's depicted in the stories Holmes was doing the vast majority of the actual work and Watson was mostly there because Holmes liked having someone to talk to.

- Watson receiving some money, but not a full half, makes Watson explicitly subordinate to Holmes in an employer/employee relationship, which just seems like an awkward dynamic to introduce into any friendship.

- Watson not getting paid at all would be awkward because Watson just quit his job for the sake of helping Holmes out, and has also been forbidden by Holmes from publishing any more stories for the time being. Meanwhile Holmes at this point in his career we're told is absolutely rolling in dough, creating a serious income disparity between them which could hardly help but be awkward.

Watson's financial resources that we know of at this point would consist of his wound pension and whatever royalties he's still getting from his earlier stories, plus the money he got from "Verner" for his medical practice. We're told in DYIN that Holmes' "payments [for the flat] were princely. I have no doubt that the house might have been purchased at the price which Holmes paid for his rooms during the years that I was with him." That makes it sound like Holmes was more than paying the full rent for the apartment by himself, so at the least Watson was probably living there for free. (This quote is from DYIN, which seems to be set pre-Hiatus, so this arrangement might have begun even by then.) Which also seems potentially awkward -- like something that could make Watson feel like a freeloader or whatever.

Honestly it's very understandable why Watson never explicitly talks about money, because the whole thing is just awkward any way you slice it!!

In the earlier days the whole thing seems less awkward to me because a) Holmes had less money himself and b) Watson is just choosing not to get a job and to run around with his friend instead, rather than having given up his career specifically at Holmes' request.

One thing that makes the "Watson lives for free at Holmes' place, eats out at Holmes' expense etc but doesn't get paid in cash" scenario seem more likely to me is the fact that Holmes felt the need to give Watson a bunch of money sneakily through buying his practice -- it makes me think he felt like he couldn't pay him in a more straightforward, above-board way -- that Watson would be offended by it or whatever.

On the other hand I was also reading some stuff on the wiki about the concept of the "lady's companion", where a usually single upper-class woman would invite a single female friend to live with her and pay her an "allowance" in exchange for social companionship. The companion was technically an employee but was treated more like a member of the family. Now, there are reasons why this arrangement was specific to women: a) there were very few ways for an upper-class woman to actually earn a living that wouldn't compromise her upper-class status; and b) upper-class women were expected to stay at home most of the time, so a woman living alone (especially in the country) could easily become lonely. But it does show that there was at least some kind of concept in this historical era of "living with a wealthy friend and being financially supported by them as if you were family" without it being Weird. So yeah IDK.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA for using my cousin's weed habit to convince my dad to let me go live on my own, making him pay higher rent? Hi so this is kind of a silly idea i had but wanted to see if it would be assholeish. Also it is not the only way out or anything, just a bit of a thought experiment. So i (24x) moved from mexico to the usa for grad school (2 years). For this first year i've been living with my cousin A (23F), A's college friend B (23F) and A's childhood/family friend, C (25F). Now they're lovely and really fun roommates, but honestly not very good to live with on an everyday basis. B and A are really messy (leave everything lying around - dirty plates, clothes, trash, you name it), and none of them are very clean. Other than them occasionally wiping the kitchen counters, emptying the dishwasher, or taking out the trash, i've done all the cleaning so far on my own (kitchen, 2 bathrooms, living room, hallways). I've made my frustration pretty clear (and even gone on strike lol, but i can't deal w a dirty toilet for more then 2 weeks), but nothing changes!! At this point i'm really fed up, and want to move elsewhere next year, preferably to live on my own. The problem is that we live in san francisco, and rent is... well, it's pretty expensive. Sorry californians you really got it rough. However, i've looked into the university's accommodation for grad students and it could be an option. I would be paying about $250 per month more than right now, but i would save on utilities (about $40 per month). The thing is, my dad is the one whose been paying for my living expenses ever since i went back to school. We used to have a rocky relationship (he was really frustrated with me not meeting his expectations; coming out as a homo, being a leftist, doing some weed as a teen...) and i think he sees this as 'making it up to me'. I really appreciate the way he has been trying to fix out relationship, and i'm obviously extremely thankful for the economic support. So i feel really guilty asking for more than he is giving me. Here is where my plan comes in -- my dad haaates drugs, and my cousin A has a pretty intense weed habit. WIBTA to complain about it ('waa the house smells like weed, theyre blazing it all day every day') to my dad, in order to convince him that me moving to the grad dorms is a good idea? EXTRA INFO: Would my cousin get in trouble? - not really i think. Its legal, and her parents are aware of her indulgences (i dont think they're happy with the amount she smokes, but they're pretty chill). I worry that if i complain to my dad, he would tell his sister (A's mom) and make it a huge deal, but as I said A's parents are pretty tolerant, and know of her 'addiction' anyway. Don't i have any money of my own? - not anymore lol, at least not enough to pay californian rent. I'm getting a job over the summer, but with visa restrictions (half time) i doubt i would make enough to make a difference. Working during term time is not possible for me (personal limitations). Also the increase in price would not bleed my dad dry or anything. Can't i just sort it out w my roommates? - they've proven to be admirably immovable objects on the cleaning issue. I mean, i can tough ot out, but at this point it's also the spirit of the thing that is pissing me off so much, rather than the cleaning itself. Do they just dont care?? T-T Do i have to 'manipulate' my dad? - um idk. It's definitely the easy (perhaps cowardly) way, but that's why i want to see if its too assholeish. Thanks for reading! Lay it on me

[apprenticestanheight]

heyy, i’m here requesting being loyal to my word lol, i have this little idea where adam is stalking/taking pics reader for a job and actually gets like obsessed ?? with them and tries to awkwardly make a move lmao, and obviously this happens before the bathroom events, idk if this idea sucks i just miss my pookie💔

Aldis- A.S x gn! reader

I love this idea so much and writing it was so fun!! Thank you so much for sending it in, writing for Adam is definitely a blast lol

Fic type- this is fluffy!!

Warnings- shitty bosses are implied, and the prices that are mentioned are inaccurate (I looked up aldi grocery prices and then adjusted for inflation by like, a dollar or two lol), stalk-ish behavior is mentioned (adam talks about trailing you going to and from work), cigarettes and smoking are mentioned a few times and Adam might be a little ooc

It started off as a job. Adam found himself hired by your employer to see what it was, exactly, that you did on the way to work and from it. Adam didn't want to know why your boss had wanted to know that of you and the money was good enough to not question it, so he went along with the words of your boss because the money, in the end, helped him pay rent on the shitty apartment he called home.

It started, apparently, because you'd come late to work a couple of mornings in a row with a variety of different excuses--the rain on a day of downpour, your car had broken down, your car was in the shop, your alarms weren't working--but Adam didn't bother to question that, either. He got his camera, he trailed you, he developed the photos and took them to your boss in exchange for cash that could be either devoted to making the rent or buying cigarettes.

Eventually, what was originally just a job became something a bit more for him. He caught himself genuinely caring about you, trailing you not because your boss asked but to make sure you got home without issue.

Care became infatuation, and infatuation got Adam Stanheight where he was--standing inside an Aldi Supermarket at six in the evening on a crisp day in late summer-early fall, having pretended to bump into you in the candle section, of all places, while he shopped Aldi for the deals that he could get on groceries as he needed them anyway.

"Shit!" Adam cursed, catching the candle you held before it could hit the ground on the basis of nothing but luck. "I am so sorry--I barely know my way around this area. I don't typically come down here, but the shop near my apartment is closed for renovations and I needed to grab groceries." Not entirely a lie--you lived in a different spot in New Jersey than he had, but only twenty minutes in a car, and the shop near his apartment where he could've grabbed groceries was closed, so it was Aldis and their bargain deals on any and everything both out of necessity and his minds desire to make a move.

"Oh, no worries!" You laughed. "Seriously--I don't know my way around here either, I typically shop somewhere else, but stuff has happened at work so I gotta do what I gotta do."

Adam had stopped taking photos of you only two days before, having been let go from the job after 'complications' according to your boss.

Adam was trying to flirt, but the flirting part of getting someone to give you their number was not quite his strong suit.

"So," you said. "There must've been another shop in your area. What brings you here?"

"You know that it's impossible to pass on ground beef at 99 cents a pound," Adam said, laughing. "Or a dozen eggs for $1.35, or milk for the low low price of $1.86--it's a rough economy and I am doing my best."

You laughed, and Adams heart gave a funny little flip. "$200 gets you a fuck ton more here than it does anywhere else. I've got candle money, which is nice to have again."

"Are things at work all right?" Adam asked, a feeble attempt at flirting that probably came off a bit too invasive. "Shit--there I go. Asking the way too personal questions. You don't have to answer that, we barely know each other and I don't mean to be invasive."

"My boss has cut my hours in half, is all," you said, shrugging. "I'll be looking for a new job next week, do you know anybody?"

"Nobody reputable," Adam said. "Not that I work with people who aren't, but--"

"What do you do, and what's your name? I'd like to put a name to a handsome face."

"My name is Adam Stanheight," he said. "I take photos."

"Subject matter?"

"PI stuff," Adam said. "I am a glorified snitch, basically, but the money is good."

"Well, glorified snitch," you said. "My name is Y/N and I work in marketing. You ever wanna make a career switch, give me a call."

You passed him your number, and Adam found himself in awe just a bit. He'd fumbled his way through flirting with you like it was the act of trying to share a cigarette and he was a first-time smoker, and you'd flirted like it was nothing.

"What if I don't want to make a career switch?"

"Call me anyway," you said. "We can shop at Aldis together and I can tell you all about the woes of my life in the frozen fruit aisle."

You walked away thereafter, and Adam was left to stand, his cart to his left, in awe.

[compassionatereminders]

Sorry for sny grammar mistakes English is not my 1st language. I am experiencing work place bullying for over 6 months and I have been working here for 6 months and 2 weeks.

I can't really talk to the boss since the boss is one of them. Ling story short they talk shit about me and someone (idk who) is making things up to humiliate me. My boss is on my co-worker's side and won't even hear me out.

I cry at home I'm so stressdd out and I only have 1 free day since I work 6 days per week and 7 hours per day.

My friend told me to stop being such a baby. I'm 23 years old and I should be stronger and ignore this.

My mom and dad also say I'm weak as a person. And yes I am mentally weak. I am an introvert and I have been bullied most of my school days for "being too quiet" because "being quiet is weird". I do try to interact with people but I don't want to interact with people who literally bully and humiliate me.

I 100% did not do anything wrong I did not insult or disrespect anyone at all.

One of my older co-workers said that they live to bully new employees but I'm rarely in her shift so I don't see her much.

My aunt told me I could come live with her and quit my job here but I don't want my parents and my friend to think I'm even weaker as a person that I am.

I also want to stand up for myself but it's impossible when your boss is also your bully.

Am I an asshole like my parents and friend say? Because they keep telling me how other people have bad lives, but I had a nice life with good parents that's why I'm a drama queen. I know people starve, there are wars, people being abused... but my problem is also a problem that hurts me. They made me feel like an asshole because my only problem is not a real problem in their opinion.

I have some savings so I could live off that with my aunt. I had a job before but they only needed someone for a year that's why I'm working here now.

I still live at home so I was able to save money I had no rent but I paid for food, bills and so on. I earned 1100€ and I gave 350€ to parents for bills, food and so on. I don't buy much things so I was abke to save money I won't leech off my aunt because I'll pay for bills and food there.

But my parents said if I quit I have to move out - even tho I would still be paying the bills with savings. But I would have to move out because they are just tired of me I guess. Even tho I don't make any problems at home really. I'm also the only one that cleans our house 80% of the time.

If you have the option, I strongly encourage you to leave this shitty job, your family, this "friend" and their opinions and judgment behind. Why should you have to prioritize their opinions above your own happiness when their opinion is that your happiness doesn't matter?

[judasgot-it]

Gojo x Reader

In honor of him coming out of the box, I wrote this <3

Scenario: Sugardaddy!Gojo kicks you out of his apartment after he reunites with his BF Geto, leaving you broke and homeless

idk either....

Your life was amazing.

Usually, someone like you would be desperate to find work - especially since you, unfortunately, had what many people considered a 'useless' degree.

But it wasn't all for nothing. It helped you find the man of your dreams. A tall, handsome man with the fattest wallet imaginable.

He also had a job that had him travel overseas pretty often, which was great news for you - he trusted you enough to live in his large, spacious apartment all by yourself. You didn't even have to clean it, he was rich enough to afford a maid.

How dreamy.

Of course, all dreams have to end.

There were signs that you should have woken up sooner, but you just didn't.

For one thing - he spent tons of money on you, but when were you actually a couple? He might have kissed you at most, 3 times.

Did you ever even sleep in the same bed together? He wasn't there often enough to really do that. There was nothing really intimate going on either - he treated you more like a classmate than he did a partner.

Were you even his sugarbaby? Usually with the sugaring there was the 'baby' part, but when did he ever call you that?

Once he mentioned you as his partner to some old guy, but that was a one off occasion, and he didn't really seem all too proud of it. He seemed more annoyed than anything.

Really, you could at best call each other live-in gaming buddies. A gaming buddy who lives in his house rent-free, and one that he pays for.

So, maybe it's not all bad, right? At least you don't have to worry about any of your expenses, since Gojo doesn't truly seem to mind your presence. He's the one who wanted you around anyway.

At least, you told yourself that.

But that little lie of a dream ended once he walked in with another man.

"Y/n, I'd like for you to meet my boyfriend. Isn't he cute?"

This man was as tall as him, and even more handsome. With long, dark hair and tired eyes - he was as good as a catch as Gojo.

Unfortunately, he was nothing but a curse.

He came with the bad news that you dreaded.

You had to leave.

Your sugar baby days were over.

Gojo wanted you out so he could live with his boyfriend, Geto.

Which was heartbreaking - he was willing to call this absolute stud of a man his boyfriend, when he only called you 'bro' and 'dude' in the 3 years you've known each other? How cruel.

He didn't even give you a warning beforehand.

It was like a walk of shame, having to go and pack all of your stuff out of the apartment. You didn't even have a suitcase, having moved in so gradually. Only one large bag that you got on sale at Hermes a couple months ago.

You bought it with Gojo's card at the very least. Almost everything you owned was bought by him now.

But the worst part was how Geto looked at you. A mix of apathy, contempt, and maybe even pity.

Mostly contempt. He smelled aggressively of hand sanitizer and you swore he was swearing at you, but you didn't want to make the situation any worse than it was for you.

You couldn't fight him or Gojo - both were far stronger than you would ever be. Their biceps were probably bigger than your head.

But it left you with shame as well.

You had such a big dream.

Now you had to get a real job.

Although, you did know that Gojo had a hot blond friend. Maybe you could beg at his door first since you already had lost your dignity to the man.

Just to try.

IDK what I wrote either but I have to be real I love making fun of x reader content despite writing it so here we are.

[eirian]

HONESTLY..ive been thinking a lil.

so i started down my path to becoming a professional character designer in 2013, when i designed my very first character who was MEANT to be a character design exercise. i cant exactly remember what prompted me wanting to go into character design--it could have just been that i was passionate about designing characters to the point of where i had looked up if that was a job or not--but it had become such a passion of mine that i would go on to study and practice character design for like 10 years afterward.

in 2018 i started to take this career path more seriously by enrolling in stephen silver's schoolism class, the fundamentals of character design. this was significant for me because stephen was at the time a very recent idol of mine and i admired his abilities--plus this would count as my first "formal" character design learning experience. i didnt feel very good after taking the class; it was critiqued, and i kind of got ripped into lol. but after i recovered, i didnt give up and just worked harder, eventually taking his second class a couple years later. that time i did pretty well and i came out feeling like i was finally ready to apply to jobs in the industry!

unfortunately, erm...the job hunting was not only Not a success, but it only served to kind of kill my passion for character design. every time i applied i was rejected and every critique i asked for gave me something new i had to do differently. one critique in particular hurt me a lot and killed my passion for art overall (obviously not completely, i have the art autism so i could never fully fall out of love for it lol). it got to the point where last year (2023) i made the decision to give up on character design as a career and just do commissions full time.

dont get me wrong, i am very happy doing commissions as my full time job!!! i love drawing people's blorbos :]...but also, its a very inconsistent income, and theres been a couple months where i couldnt make rent without help, and that doesnt feel good at all.

so ive been thinking. i dont rly wanna go back to the industry--it still feels bad to me and right now it seems as though the industry is not in a great environmental situation anyway, so i dont wanna even attempt to try getting a job there again. however........i was honestly reconsidering if i had actually lost the passion for character design because it just genuinely wasnt my true passion, or if i had only lost it because the industry killed it. and i think the conclusion i came to was that yeah it was the industry's fault that made me fall out of love with it because it made me feel like i was doing everything wrong and nobody would like my design style.

so now my thought is like...maybe i dont HAVE to work in the industry to be a professional character designer? sure itd be AMAZING for my work to be on like. cartoon network or something. but i dont think i Have to work at a studio to be happy in that career path?? like..idk. maybe i can be a freelancer or something. if an industry opportunity shows itself i dont think i'll decline, but i wont actively seek them out anymore.

its just that i feel like ive put too much work and time and money and effort and passion into character design yknow? i dont feel right anymore just letting the industry kill that passion. i wanna reignite it and use the knowledge and skills ive gained over the 10 years ive been working at it to make a good living for myself. yeah itd be great to get guild pay lol, but if i can just...figure out how to do freelance character design work, then i think it can be just as good and fulfilling

sorry for the long post i just needed to air some thoughts out as usual <33 i guess this does show that character design still is my passion LOL i talked so fucking much about it after all. if u have any thoughts to share feel free i guess

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

This is mostly just a vent but. Im so deep in burnout i cant go to work. i wake up and get ready and dressed and then i freak out and have a meltdown bc its overwhelming and i end up thinking of everything im fucking up by calling in to the point my boss tried to call me to talk and i just never responded bc i dont know what to do. im looking for a new job but idek if thats gonna help. my bf and i just got our first apartment and im able to make rent rn with literally no money left after and i feel so guilty bc it's causing him so much stress too. i have a therapy appt set but im so scared to ask for the help i need bc idk how to tell a professional i think im autistic and have adhd without sounding like im begging for meds. and to top it all off i just got home from my parents and my cat that i left (for my little brother) has a hematoma that parents could probably afford vet care for if they really tried but they wont and i cant even think about paying for that rn. im so scared shes gonna die. shes 8-9 and has been getting matts lately and shes already practically blind and im so scared. i skipped school for almost 2 weeks when my last cat died idk wtf im gonna do.

Hi there,

I’m so sorry about your kitty. I lost my childhood cat last year. Her name was Alice. I called her Allie for short. Here she is:

As for the apartment issue, I can’t really help with because I’ve never lived with my significant other (but I’m hoping to in the future).

I’m sorry you’re going through this. Maybe my followers can give some advice or tips on this.

Thank you for the inbox. I hope you have a wonderful day/night. ♥️

[whatiwillsay]

Re: the person asking about your job, I thought you were a realtor, is that not right?

hmm no i’ve never been a realtor though i have worked in real estate in the past. i podcast full time making money on both wiws and sahg now and have a couple side hustles- i usually rent out my house (or a room in it when im living there) although it’s empty right now im doing some work on it before moving a new tenant on and i used to dog sit after i finished my first long hike on the appalachian trail and hadn’t gotten a new office job so i still do that once in a while for friends and family and my favorite clients.

idk why people are so sus about me podcasting full time lol the amount of patrons i have on wiws is public and you can extrapolate how much money i make from that 🤷‍♀️ im not ROLLING in money but im making enough to live.

like for those that are genuinely curious i’m happy to be transparent- as of today we’re ranked 297 out of 16,000 plus podcasts on patreon this is all public. that puts us in the top 2% of podcasts on patreon. we’re the little podcast that could! we’re also ranked 1,741 total on patreon out of over 200k people who have patreons with at least one paying member putting us in the top percent. trust me i’m astounded too but as of today the podcast is a success.

idk that the success will last and i’ll be able to podcast forever but im just enjoying the ride while it lasts. being a full time podcaster has been my dream for a long time!

i’m extremely grateful to the patrons who help me make the show happen and the whole community 🥰🙏

[kaysutcliff-michaelis]

Aggretsuko rant after finishing season 5

I may mention things about past seasons so BEWARE SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

AGGRETSUKO SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT, BE CAREFUL

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Season 5 had me yelling, talking to myself and feeling like I need to start rewatching it right this instant after finishing it so that I can process everything properly. I really want to read comments and reviews about it but I’ll wait until I’m done writing this so that whatever I read doesn’t influence my rant. And don’t expect any order, rhyme or reason here, I can’t be bothered to make this look like a proper text.

THEY FUCKING GOT MARRIED? WHAT? WHAT? EXCUSE ME WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?????

It was incredibly cute and sweet how they just felt it was their time and eloped, no perfect wedding, no cute bride with her dress and no anything, just Haida and Retsuko. Four seasons raging because she wanted to be a cute bride with her wedding dress in a chapel and she ends up getting married at the registry in the middle of the night, who would have guessed! HOWEVER, it makes me sad that we didn’t see more about it. No rings, no family and friends’ reactions, not even a mention about it. This is supposed to be the final season, so the way A LOT of things were left makes me extremely confused.

We don’t know what Haida’s new job is. We don’t know who was behind the truck attack. We don’t know how come there’s a picture of them with Retsuko’s family now. We don’t know what the deal with Tadano, Gori and Washimi is. We don’t know how the stunt worked for OTM’s social media numbers. We don’t know what happened to that guy who offered Haida the construction work. There are so many things we don’t know! Idk, the ending felt a bit lackluster precisely because the second the elections ended the season was over and it feels there wasn’t proper closure for some points.

And why couldn’t we hear Shikabane singing??? ;__; It almost made me tear up how Retsuko offered her the microphone at the end, I was really hoping to hear them singing together.

I could relate a lot to Shikabane throughout the season. Those feelings of hopelessness, loneliness and having to constantly do something to keep your mind occupied so that you don’t succumb to those thoughts have been incredibly present in my life for the last months (going to therapy and relying on my supportive partner to try and get myself out of it), so I totally get where she was coming from and why she acts the way she does until the end. Plus her character design is SO CUTE. The platform shoes, the ribbons, the colour palette! Had me wishing I looked as cool and fashionable as her!

But Haida. OMG HAIDA. THIS GUY NEVER LEARNS. He was making bad decisions during season 4, but THIS. Retsuko is so patient with him, if my partner was ever in that situation and hid it from me that would probably be a deal breaker. Not because of him being jobless and homeless, but because I’d feel he doesn’t trust me and thinks I’m not reliable or that I won’t help him. He gets on my nerves so much, sometimes he’s the perfect ship for Retsuko and sometimes he just self-sabotages to the point of almost ruining his life. Annoyance aside though, I feel like their struggles as a couple are very realistic and I enjoy that. The struggles of all the characters in general are realistic.

AND SPEAKING OF SHIKABANE, HAIDA AND THE WHOLE NET CAFE THING. I was so shocked because literally two days ago I was watching a video by Nekojita vlog (Spanish-Japanese couple who has been doing Youtube for some years now) talking about this topic, women who live in manga kisas either because they cannot afford an apartment (with the money it would get you just to pay rent you have food, showers, washing machines, drinks, internet and a place to sleep if you find a good deal) or because their lifestyle is more suited to this (maybe they work most of the day/night and it is better to rent a booth for a few hours to crash there than be bothering with rent, bills, neighbours and all that stuff). I found the topic super interesting and it was quite a surprise to see it was one of the main points of the season.

The second part of the season threw me off a bit with the whole “suddenly Retsuko is running up for Parliament” thingy, I really dislike politics and it felt a bit like propaganda, it reminded me of this random Modern Family arc in which Claire is running for the council. Despite that, I think some real-life issues that need urgent addressing were mentioned and it would be good if that raised awareness about them in Japan, like how difficult and expensive it is to have your child in kindergarten (me hating politics doesn’t mean I don’t know about how messed up things are there). It also made me feel bad that Manaka and Hyodo kinda sold Retsuko to this creepy Ikari guy just so that they could get free publicity for OTM Girls. And Tadano buying the net cafe so that he can have it for himself??? He left so many people like Shikabane homeless with that move, he could just have remodeled his apartment. Overall this second part had some great moments but some bad stuff that leaves a bittersweet taste for me. And it annoys me that we don’t know who attacked Haida at the end so that Retsuko would quit!! I was so worried that he would die or end at the hospital and in the end nothing really comes out of this event (except for the eloping) and the next day he’s there playing with her (extremely cool btw) like he didn’t get hit by a truck the day before.

Selling Retsuko to Ikari for clout aside, I honestly felt jealous (in a good way) for Retsuko’s support network. I rewatched the whole thing during February so that I would be ready for season 5 and something that really caught my attention was how she gets more and more allies and how much teamwork there is.

Gori and Washimi the best friends ever!

Tadano who saves the day each time he appears, Retsy and him are cut out to be a couple but they sure are to be friends and allies!

Tsunoda and Fenneko being the unexpected wingman team?? They carried so much of seasons 4 and 5.

Anai doing a 180 and going from crazy newbie to someone who legit cares about his coworkers! He has evolved so much thanks to Kabae and his gf!

Director Ton OMG DIRECTOR TON, went from villain to that brutally honest but really supportive person who sometimes seems to know her better than anyone! And his daughters being part of the action of seasons 3 and 4?? And the whole family teamwork at the end of season 4 when they were trying to get the flash drive???? Loved that.

Manaka and the bodyguards making sure Retsuko was safe (Manaka in general with that bat full of nails is super cool). Though she’s still Manaka, 90% of the time I really like her but the other 10% I think she doesn’t care who she has to sacrifice for her idol career... Same goes for Hyodo.

It’s so wholesome to see how much she has evolved since the first season and how she relies on others and her trust is being rewarded.

I don’t really know what to think of her parents though. Her mother seems to have good intentions on the last seasons but in season 2 she’s just the most nosy and meddlesome mother ever. AND DON’T GET ME STARTED ON HAIDA’S FAMILY. I honestly feel bad for his mother, she looked so kind and she has to deal with crazy obsessive Juzo and Jiro. So manipulative, so money-centered, I don’t believe ONE BIT, what Jiro said about him not being behind the truck attack. And if he wasn’t him, it was their dad, how else would he know about what happened? I wanted Haida and Retsuko to tell them to shut their mouths and go to hell SO MUCH.

Random, but the Juliana’s references throughout the series gave me life XD The Bubbly Land ad made me crack up.

So no that the series is supposedly over, I think my fave season is season 3. To me it was perfect in every aspect: the plot, the character designs, the pacing, the ending, the soundtrack... Second place is shared by the Tadano arc in season 2 and the net cafe arc in season 5. Then we have the second part of season 4, all of season 1 and the second part of season 5. And finally the beginning of seasons 2 and 4. Not that Aggretsuko has any bad seasons or episodes, but I certainly cherish some more than others.

I said it before but I really think like I need to watch the season again to process everything that happened and gather my thoughts on it. Maybe I’ll do that tomorrow or in a few days, maybe not. If this is the end, I want to say that since I watched Retsuko for the first time I have related A LOT to the characters and their situations at different points of my life or regarding different aspects of it. The show has got me through so many shifts and has felt so cathartic when I was done with my job and wanted to death voice all my customers and coworkers. I’m so grateful that this show exists to drop a sea urchin in the desert from time to time and remind us that things aren’t as hopeless as they may seem.

[kravitzkrusher]

Idk i don't do well with the whole "the pandemic affected everyone and the entire world suffered" because yes. Sure. Everyone for the most part stayed inside for a couple weeks. But the pandemic DECIMATED the lifestyles of so many people in some ways that just straight up didn't happen to others.

The millions of people who died or lost family members to COVID.

The cost of food and housing became too much for most families and now over 60% of American kids live in poverty and are also food insecure.

Kids who went to middle/high school during the pandemic and had to be stuck inside with their parents 24/7 while abuse rates skyrocketed. On top of literally getting their asses beat every day, they missed their prom/homecoming/graduation/first date/first school sports game ALL OF THAT NORMAL BASIC TEENAGE LIFE was gone. And they're in their 20s now without any of those core memories.

The younger kids whose parents didn't teach them the basics because they were too busy. The kids who can't read in the 6th grade. The kids who were raised by Andrew Tate and Sexxy Red because once again, their parents are too busy and for whatever reason couldn't be bothered.

The wives who left their husbands in DROVES making this one of the biggest mass exodus of marriage.

The Only Fans girlies who made a couple good paychecks before their job got oversaturated with celebrities and now their nudes are online forever for like $2.

The immunocompromised who never got their lives back.

The people who bought NFTs and lost all their money.

The people who worked with anti maskers and anti vaxxers and had to work in unsafe environments, risking their lives

The people who got long COVID and are permanently disabled with no resources to help them

The essential workers doctors/grocery/dentist/delivery that never took a break from work and never stayed home and never "experienced the bitter lonely solitude of the pandemic that everyone went through". because they HAD to be close asf to people every single day and work their asses off so we literally DIDN'T ALL DIE off in 2020.

The people who got kicked out of their homes, Mary!! The people who became homeless!! Because they lost their jobs and couldn't pay rent! And the landlords didn't care!

I could go on. But the fact of the matter is the pandemic did NOT affect us all the same.

We all struggled yes but in completely different ways. Some more than others. I was lucky enough to be a grown single adult at the time, so kids or spouse was stressing me out, but I very much lost my home and was forced to sleep on an antivaxxers couch for six months until I could afford housing again. I very much did have an abuser reach out to me trying to use the deathfear of this pandemic to get me back in their clutches. I have had people wave life saving money in front of my face, trying to lure me to do all kinds of horrible degrading shit. Everyone didn't go through that. It would be dumb of me to assume other people struggled the way I did.

Yes, this pandemic traumatized everyone but please. Ellen Degenerate was not suffering. Elon Musk was not suffering. Dwayne the Rock Johnson was not suffering. I'm not saying some people did not go through shit but by June 2020 some of y'all were still in your house, still making money, still taking care of business, and still healthy. And that is SO FUCKING MUCH to take for granted especially in the year 2024 after successfully living through a world bending nightmare.

The pandemic did affect everyone. But not everyone suffered.

[sinisterexaggerator]

Little life update teehee

The school district in Austin, TX screwed me over. If I can’t find another job before August 1, fuck it — I’m going to try my luck in Seattle/PNW, job or not. I’m sure I’ll find something to pay the bills until I make it into the library there.

Long story short, dumb ass who hired me didn’t know what credentials I still needed when I investigated and thought all I needed was to take a test and hand them my transcripts. TX Education Agency says in order to be allowed to take the library media exam I need ANOTHER two years of course work in a school librarian prep program like I did for Region 13 for SPED and that right there cost 12,000 dollars when I’m barely finished with my MLIS. Somehow, my teaching experience, master’s, endorsements, and 2 years at the library in Florida isn’t good enough. Worst thing though, I relocated to Austin banking on this. I feel like I should be compensated for this fuckery. Who hires someone without knowing for sure if they are 💯 qualified and leaves it up to the employee in a case like that? I’m not a fucking school district. You tell ME what I have to do — and before I sign a prehire agreement, how about that!? I thought I had everything I needed, but they should have been there to tell me no, you are not qualified - please do this first instead of saying yeah, come to Austin, we’ll get you in somehow. No, obviously you can’t. UGH.

Got an air bnb until the end of the month. Not even gonna bother looking for an apartment at this point. I applied to places like UT, ACC, and APL but 🤷🏻‍♀️. Also if the last person I lived with would have let me take my damn time looking for a job like I asked, finish school first, and not stress out about this, well, I’d still have a job in Orlando atm but I was rushed out because “you were going to move eventually, anyway.” Yeah, maybe in six months or so. Maybe in a year. But noooo, I had to leave to have his “friend” move in by August, when guess what — they didn’t even wind up moving in because they lost their job.

I just hope I don’t fucking run lot of money before I get something else lined up. I refuse to teach again. I refuse to pay 12,000 for 9 more classes. Why the fuck do they make everything so HARD FOR TEACHERS AND NOW LIBRARIANS!! There is LITERALLY A SHORTAGE. Gee, I wonder why?!!? 😡🤬😡🤬🤬

Guess i'll keep applying to every job I see. Oh, and my period decided to come early - a week early - so that's fun, and before that I was SICK and had a FEVER while packing for the move! Not to mention before THAT I didn't even get to see the Hondo animatronic like I wanted to because Disney can't get their shit together and he was already broken for a week straight by the time we arrived.

Of course, can't get help from anyone either. My parents are dead, I have little family, and even though I have savings no one wants to rent an apartment ( even if you can pay for six months up front ) because you don't have proof of income?!?! How do people even move?! Ugh. And my bf's parents are dicks and won't even help us cosign. They are in the middle of selling/building a new house for the 10th time because his mother is bat shit crazy, so we don't even have a room to crash in worst case. We could sleep on a futon in his brother's living room, but fuck that.

I really just want to go to Portland, or Seattle, or Vancouver, Spain, California, fuck. Idk.

I wish I wasn't bleeding like a God damn wounded animal and the cramps don't help. I should be doing things - productive things - but all I want to do is watch reels on Instagram.

Oh— and one more thing. My boyfriend works from home normally and he can’t do his job because the air bnb failed to list that the internet is SPOTTY AF. It cuts out all the time and I am definitely leaving 3 stars.

[letslovefood]

I need to vent for a second (and maybe get the advice of some people that have gone through this). I’m working on moving out of my apartment and into a house or townhouse, or anything bigger than a 700 sqft apartment. (I want out of apartments goddamn it!) I’m putting in my notice to vacate in the next week (I think), and I’m locked into paying rent for those 60 days until my lease is up regardless of if I find a new place to live. However, I’m not made of money, and I can’t afford to pay rent on two places, plus security deposits and all that other shit that comes with moving. I could probably swing it if I did it for a month? Anyways. I have a lot of anxiety about putting in my notice to vacate without having another place lined up. Its not like finding a job where you have a new job lined up before you put your 2 weeks in. What if I don’t find a place? It’s scary. And rental properties are so goddamn expensive too. idk I just hate this and I feel like I’m backed into a corner with nowhere to go. But realistically, I have 2 months to find a place, right? And thats like... plenty of time??? I just want to cry, I’m stressed out.  I also feel like these landlords don’t care and are like “well if you don’t figure it out and pay us, thats your fault” And they’re not willing to work with you it all. Like they have no compassion, or empathy, or anything.  idk I’m also emotional about having to pack up my life here and look for something else. I’ve outgrown my tiny apartment and that makes me emooo dude. I’m in my feelings, help

[rexchanna]

My like 3 mutuals who forgot where they know me from are probably like, hey why is that undergod suddenly super active rn about the wga/sag strikes.

I mentioned this in the tags of a prior post, but it’s a little bit personal for me because my hometown is hella affected by the strikes. Istg the entertainment industry makes up probably 40% if not more of the working population ranging from producers and Oscar winners living at the literal top of the hill to av assistants and hair and make up artists living in mobile home parks at the base of the valley. (40% also includes the equipment rental companies, caterers, editors, vfx artists, and other adjacent industry.)

I have this neighbor who is an exec at a struck company who makes hella bank, and even more with side projects he’s got going. He could definitely withstand a pay cut. So for example he might take a slice of that multi-million dollar salary and buy some out-of-date equipment to rent out. It’s not illegal if you set up your businesses right, and idk if I’d call it immoral since the studio would be otherwise hoarding it in a warehouse somewhere, but I’m just using this as an example of how money begets money for these people. They all do stuff like that. That’s just how capitalism works.

Let’s not forget either that being employed by the studio, executives and admins generally enjoy far greater job stability than nearly any creative in the field. Hollywood is an absolute hellscape to break into; it’s largely a gig economy and even when you get work, projects disappear all the time and you have to go hunting for a new one. Hundreds of thousands in the industry are eking by, surviving on inconsistent contract work, unemployment, and stars in their eyes. The only salvation is getting into a guild, because union approved contracts offer a more standardized and equitable pay scale for tracked levels of experience.

And another the thing: a rising tide lifts all ships. What happens here helps composers, helps the set crews, helps the PAs down the line. #UnionStrong

But also like, I’m looking at my neighbors house on Zillow right now and it’s worth 20% more than his next door neighbor after all the $$ he’s put in it. Fuck that guy.

~~~

Please donate to the community fund to help the strikers and other folks out of work due to the strike. The longer they hold out, the longer they have to fight for their rights.