#that's up to 10 days of extra paid vacation

[eccentriccryptid]

.

[thinkpink212]

The biggest lessons I have learned being in the work force...

These people are not your friends. Be kind and all, but do not share your life with these people. You can become friends, but I suggest you keep your work and personal life separate.

Do not do more then you're paid to do. Going above and beyond is only something I would suggest to do if that is your own company, if you are up for a promotion or if you do not care/mind being taken for granted. These people will see you work hard and load you with more.

Every year, ask for a raise. In most fields and countries you can and should ask for a raise (usually 10-15%) usually you won’t get your target, but close mouths don’t get fed. So have your ducks in a row, present your case and make sure to make your efforts match your paycheck, always!

Do not take on the role of boss, even when your boss has you feeling like one. Again, unless the check is matching up, stay in your lane and do not tell your coworkers what, when and how to do their job. That is for your boss to do and if they need help with that, they can add it to the contract, pay you for your time or hire an assistant.

Get in and get out. When you shift is over, leave. It is that simple, even if you love your job, having boundaries is not just for you to respect your time but for them to see you respect it - and they will in return respect it too. Those who do not will have a rude awakening when the clock strikes and you get up and start packing. I personally do not even have my notifications on when I am off of work. If they wish to contact me on my time, they can try but I rarely pick up or reply unless it is a request to take a shift due to being short staffed.

Not everybody is a shark, but you can pretend. As someone who is not a fan of getting into a very ‘masculine’ and heavy roll, I’ll do it to get the job done if that’s what’s called for — but I am a soft gentle cinnamon roll, but they don’t have to know that. You can adapt to your environment and do what you have to do before reverting back to who you are and want to be. Don’t stay in that masculine heavy energy for too long either, it’s not fun and very draining — especially for my delicate fellow cinnamon rolls 🩷

Document everything. What you do for the company (i.e anything extra that is not a part of your job directly or anything with large impacts) . E-mails of your requests of absence, vacation days etc. If you have a phone call with your boss/colleagues, e-mail them that same day and thank them for the phone call, and give a short resume of what you agreed to etc.

Do not react to weird threats. My own bosses in the past have alluded to wanting to hire more people because they are dissatisfied with the work-efforts etc. They can be dissatisfied as much as they would like and hire how many they want. They usually do not take this step due to the lack of competent workers, but stull do not slack so much you give them enough excuses to fire you. But still, do not start picking up the slack simply because their other employees/they cannot keep up with demands.

You always have options, so if you are not happy then leave. I think many forget that we got this job and we can get a new one again. For some it may take longer then for others, but there is no rewards for struggling so please get out if it starts affecting your mental, spiritual or physical health. But also know that most work environments mimic each other, so see where the benefits are best, and what is worth the occasional headaches. Not everybody will find a job they love the first few tries, so aim for what you like/can tolerate with enough benefits/good pay that you have the freedome to spend your free time doing what you love. Work to live, never live to work

Xoxo

[dollsonmain]

I did not sleep at all last night. I even went and laid down in the guest room after That Guy got up where I usually pass right out but I didn't sleep in there, either.

I feel like All the Shit.

Long morning ramble.

Sleeping in a night cap is annoying but it's keeping my ends from being fried for longer. My hair's texture was already chef's kiss, now it's double chef's kiss.

-

That Guy said that he has to run the car tax payment to town on his way home from work today but DO NOT try to walk home if he's not there when I get off work because it's going to be nearly 100F and wait for him to pick me up.

He also said he'll have to start looking for another car, which should have been done a very, very long time ago because I could have been working as soon as Son expressed and demonstrated that I wasn't needed by him anymore. Don't take that the wrong way, I don't mean he said "I don't need you." he said things like he'd like to go to the bus stop by himself and has shown that he can be trusted on his own, etc.

I did intend to get my own car (or a truck), but if he buys one and doesn't expect me to pay for it (though he may expect me to pay for it) that lets me put more into savings for later.

I think That Guy is suddenly aware of how difficult he's made it for me to work all this time, which is interesting because I really did think he did it on purpose and then was blaming me.

He was saying that to drop me off and pick me up at the mail room job he'd only be able to work 4 hours a day. Granted he'd earn more in that four hours than I will in 12 hours even with this moderately big pay rate. And I was like yes, that's why I'd been limiting my job search to positions on your normal route (as he'd demanded), but this job pays much more per hour than any of the others I can do locally and I have experience which makes it more likely I'd get in, so it's worth the extra time and effort in my opinion.

$19.23/hr is THE highest income I've seen locally for almost ANY job, actually... There was one federal job that requires a TS clearance that pays like $65/hr, most are paying around $15 with some management positions offering $17 - $24. The gas station I'm at is actually one of the lowest at $10 though there are some places offering $8.50. Because they can.

He did say he'd thought it was a federal mail position and I'd get the Big Bennies and retirement but I'd just be an employee of Goodwill so not get the USPS packet. I'm not the only one that's been confused by how the job was listed.

The actually bennies:

50% Company-paid Health Insurance After 30 days of employment and begins the first day of the first month after employees’ first 30 days.

Company-paid Life Insurance

Company-paid Long-Term Disability (LTD) and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance

Dental Insurance – Guardian Dental

Vision Insurance – Davis Vision

Supplemental Insurances – Colonial Life and Legal Shield

401(k) – The company matches up to 4% of salary and is available for enrollment after six months of employment.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Resource Assistance Program (RAP)

Direct Deposit

Vacation Leave – Twelve days of vacation available after 3 months of employment.

Sick Leave – 6 days that can be used after 30 days of employment.

Personal Days – 3 days that can be used starting on your first day.

Holiday Pay – 8 paid holidays after 30 days of employment.

That's not as good as federal, but is pretty good.

-

It's like he's only just now understanding what telling me to get insurance, which meant getting a job because he won't let the insurance companies look at his finances to prove that I can afford insurance and won't sell a policy to someone with less than $1k in the bank and no income, MEANS.

It means me being even more physically exhausted, in more pain, chores not getting done, falling asleep at the dinner table while eating....

He really did not expect me to throw myself out into the world like i have, and does not seem to have understood just how much of an inconvenience me working would be for him.

Like, he was crunching the numbers because he doesn't want to be thrown into a higher tax bracket even if it means more money coming in overall, but I think I'd be filing separately anyway so I can get back as much as possible without it being on a check in his name.

I wonder if the mail room folks get any sort of tax preparation deals since we're working IN an IRS office... Wouldn't that be nice to be able to say "It's my turn" and go sit down with an IRS prepper and do your taxes in person to be sure they're very correct?

So, I think I mentioned already the hours are 6:30-3 which is kind of nice as I do like getting my day over with early and I'd still be getting up at 3:30 with That Guy anyway so it's not like I'd have to change my sleep schedule at all.

The lady on the phone also cleared up some confusion for me about why the job listing said Goodwill, then IRS, and talking about custodial jobs????

So, I'd be an employee of Goodwill, and Goodwill contracts out those employees to other places, specifically the local Goodwill contracts out to federal and military establishments (the IRS building is on a small National Guard base so I do have to go through a checkpoint and get the car searched which is annoying and I hope I don't have to do that EVERY day, like I hope I get an ID card I just scan and can get in or something...) and their contract has been running so long with this IRS branch that Goodwill's sign is on the building.

The custodial job mention was them pointing anyone that IS severely disabled toward that job instead of the mail room position because the custodial job is slow paced which makes it suitable for people with developmental delays who may need more time to complete a task. But the whole job listing was a mess.

I do need to ask when the next bid is, because I could get hired on, the contract be rebid, and Goodwill lose which would leave me with no work until another contract was picked up, or could also mean a pay cut if they have to undercut another contractor to get the lowest bid and it's good to know what to expect.

She also said that some of the small mail crew, which is about 5 people (to me that is a lot because I'm used to being alone in the mail room) bring in knitting or crochet projects because it's slow now and then. That's generally when I would pick up a broom or a bottle of cleanser but I wouldn't mind crocheting at work :P

Also need to ask about lunch because the work day is exactly 8 hours so unless lunch is paid, I'd not be getting paid for 8 hours of work every day.

-

Anyway I've been feeling the guilt about maybe jumping jobs so soon (my start date would likely be mid August if not a little later), but I also helped find a vendor for something the gas station needed and that helps two people [who aren't me make more money... hm....] so I guess I don't feel too bad.

Manager asked me if I bake because people have been asking for fresh baked goods and I said no, I hate cooking and you can't make me do it, BUT I know that one of Son's classmates' moms bakes and is selling things through the local 7-11 so I'll ask if they'd be interested and they are. They should get in contact with the gas station any day now.

My suggestion is that the baker take some samples to the gas station and go talk to Manager in person, but I'm not the one running the business.

[foster-the-world]

FMLA

Someone in the NYC Special Needs kid group said that they received FMLA days because of their kids diagnosis and all of the resulting appointments. I'm wondering if that is possible. His new school will have IEP meetings every three months. He has regular development pediatrician appointments - so far every three months but I don't know if that will keep up. This year he's gone to the doctor twice for his asthma. That doesn't include three kids dentist appointments, regular vaccine appts and sick days.

I really need at least 20 days of year for appointments and other school/kid related things. I'm not willing/interested in spending my 21 vacation days on these things. Ideally my husband and I could each take 10 FMLA days each. I'd be willing to take them unpaid. I'm going to look into it after his next dev ped appointment.

Baby boy having extra needs doesn't help but this is really normal parenting needs. If I worked from home I would get all this shit done during the work day and make up work stuff at night. Unfortunately, my job requires me to be at my desk in order to get paid even if the work does not require that.

[muttfangs]

excited for when my life finally calms the fuck down. i'm so, so consistently stressed out and all i did during my """vacation""" this week was run around places doing errands, doctor appts, filling out paperwork for my FMLA, make more appointments for my fucked up body, and just. RRGRH I'm so stressed out. and it's so hard to not be. and stress is ruining my body. my A1C is sky high, im prediabetic, I'm deficient in vitamin D and im just. i feel like a neurotic zombie hard to properly take care of myself when: 1. im so stressed I barely have an appetite 2. im being paid poverty wages so it's hard for me to consistently afford to eat properly 3. I'm so mentally exhausted I can't cook dinner anymore most days bc it takes SO much out of me when it didnt used to my job is literally destroying my mind, body, and soul I don't even need to go in to work today bc I took an extra day off. but I cried this morning bc shit just keeps happening and won't stop. and I'm so overwhelmed. and it's so hard I wish I could retire for a few years and come back to things. bc I still want to go to back to school and be a practitioner. but like. fuck. everything feels so impossible at once and I fucking hate my job and I actively dread going in now because we are ALWAYS fucking packed. all i do from 10-6 is nonstop talk to, screen, triage, book, register patients. I do not get a break from it until I PHYSICALLY EXIT the building for my lunch hour. and the second I get back its relentless until we close. anyways! im definitely having a depression / panic episode. ill be fine but right now everything is crashing around me and I'm crying and cursing and screaming a lot lmaoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[something-tofightfor]

Happy weekend friend! I would love to get some more deets involving our sweet Daniel + vacation 👀

HAYLEY, this one is relatively short BUT it provides a lot of context that I set up in First and 10. Hope you like it and thank you for requesting it!

WC: 420

“Are you serious?” He covered his eyes with the hand not holding the phone up to his ear. “It’s been booked for -”

“Unfortunately, Mr. Harper, the airline has suspended all flights between…” He groaned, pressing the heel of his hand against the bridge of his nose. “... due to situations beyond our control.”

Of course. There was a pause, and then the woman continued.

“Your flight purchase will be refunded within the next 72 hours, and we’re sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause you.”  Inconvenience? You have no idea.

It wasn’t her fault, and so Daniel thanked her and hung up, dropping his phone onto the table.”Shit.” Leaning back, he stared up at the ceiling, the toes of his right foot tapping rapidly against the floor.

The vacation with his family had been planned and paid for for months - a trip to Cabo for his parents’ 40th wedding anniversary, his siblings and their families all invited. And now I can’t go. 

He’d been looking up other flight options while on hold with the airline, and not only was everything hundreds of dollars more expensive on such short notice, the layovers would add two extra days of travel to the vacation, which he didn’t have to spare. I had to fight for the time off in the first place.

He swore again, standing up and grabbing his phone before walking out of the kitchen and then into his living room. Guess I’ve gotta let everyone know. 

An hour later, he’d delivered the news to his parents and sent -and answered - texts to with rest of his family. He’d also managed to cancel his hotel room and all inclusive stay for only the posted single-night fee, as well as transfer some of the excursion reservations he’d made into the names of his family members. 

It could be worse. They could have charged me for the whole thing. 

He lowered himself onto his couch, flipping the TV on and leaning back. It took a few minutes for him to settle on something to watch, but as he let himself get lost in lead-up coverage of the Super Bowl on ESPN, he ran a hand through his hair. 

Guess I’ll get to watch from home this year. He scoffed, squeezing his eyes shut. Actually… 

Throwing the remote to the cushion next to him, Daniel reached for his phone and opened a new text message. 

Hey, Charlie. Plans changed and Mexico’s not happening. What can I bring to your party on Sunday? 

---

[orchid-151]

Commission info

So basically, I'm opening commissions to raise money to take my children to the zoo this summer before school starts back up again... so I figured I would lay some ground rules first.

Under cut to shorten post

Rule 1: No NSFW 🔞. The closest I can get to is seduction, but that's it. And it's not that I can't... just that I'm old (by internet standards), and I get enough of that with my boyfriend/husband on the regular... so no.

Rule 2: Nothing Political. I read enough about what is going on and all... I'm tired of it.

Rule 3: No Heckling to lower the price. I believe my prices are far for the art I do, even though I've never done commissions before... I'm not the best artist when it comes to most media, and I'm a little out of practice for drawing anything other than my minecraft ocs... I'm not the worst artist out there, but I have to be honest as there are much better artists out there with better skills than me...

Rule 4: Art takes time. Anything I offer in my commissions will take time to do, I have work and children to tend to... so please be patient with me. I will, however, work as fast as I can humanly possible to get your commissions sent to you...

Rule 5: I've got the shipping and handling cost. The Drawings and Digital Art are free to send, but most of the other things will cost to send... you shouldn't have to pay extra for your commission to be sent to you, especially when you paid for it with your saved up money/spare money...

Rule 6: it doesn't have to just be Minecraft related. It's your commissions. You should be free to have something you really want... After all, it's your money you're spending~

Rule 7: Please don't spend what you don't have... If you have anything that's more important to pay for right now, such as bills or a needed expense paid off, please don't. I'm not asking for commissions to pay for bills as I as I can take care of that myself... I just wanted to make some extra money to go towards a vacation trip for a single day at the zoo with my girls and husband... I don't want you to get in the hole because you felt like you had to buy something from me... bills come first! (Also, my husband and I are tucking back a little money from our paychecks to add to the funds. The tickets at the moment are $150 for all four of us to go... the extra money is for food and gasoline)

With that out of the way, now on to the price of the commissions~

I decided to just add them all as some seemed interested in plushys and Drawings/Digital...

Drawings 🎨 and Digital 💻

Characters: (1 to 5) $5

Digital: (1 to 5) $10

Background: +$2

Colored: +$2

Extra Characters: $1.50 per character added

Again, drawing characters Is a little easier for me especially when I am drawing on paper Digital artwork however is a little bit more of a task for me As I have to draw it out first and then put it in a digital program too finish Drawing it digitally. That is why the price for the digital is doubled as you will also receive a copy of the sketch with the digital drawing... The colors are a little easy. backgrounds are a lot tougher, but I left them at the same price as it wouldn't be fair to charge one more because it's more difficult ( at least to me anyway... I'm sure a lot of you would disagree on that... 😅)

And just in case you wanted more than 5 characters in your picture, there is an additional $1.50 per character....

Wire Trees 🌳

Small: $ 10

Medium: $15

Big: $20

Pipe cleaner leaves: +$2.50

Wire trees are different medium that I learned from my father to do for a while back, He was being a bit of a behind about teaching me because he believed that was his thing but I think he was actually joking so I might be able to do some plus I can add a spun twist with the pipe cleaner leaves... And no, they're not the little bonsai trees. These are different types of wire trees... But I plan to make more than just the one kind my father makes.... This is also the reason I stated I would pay shipping and handling as it comes with a big old rock for the tree to sit on... That thing alone will bring the price up to ship it 🫠

Painting 🖼

Small: $10

Long: $12

Medium: $15

Large: $20

For paintings, I am charging the size of the canvas, not for the actual paints and painting itself, mainly because I can get the paints cheap... I also came a couple of long canvases as well. So that's why they're there in the pricing as well...

Plushy 🧸

My OCs: $45

Your OCs: $50 - $65

This is slightly more because i've never done this before and on top of that it will take a lot of time but there is a slight catch...

you pay in 2 payments... aka half when you put the order in and the rest when you are satisfied with it...

I wanted to do It this way just in case When I make the plushy depending on if you don't like it I can refund your first payment, but if you like it you can send the rest of your payment as I send it to you... I want you to be satisfied with the work I do, not to be upset over what you think might be a shotty work of your request.

For now this is the best I can do, I might add something else later, such as clay modeling... or post up more references...

Just DM me when you want to request something and we can talk...

As for the payment method, I have planned to use Cash App to store the money, but if you can't pay that way, then again, DM me so we can figure this out~

To anyone interested, I highly appreciate you reading this and at least giving it a thought...

[itwasanangryinch]

I am never coming out again

Lots of queer people consider coming out to be a never ending process. An endless saga of informing new people or reminding old ones of who you fundamentally are. Well. Not who you fundamentally are, but to tell them information that will fundamentally change how they see you. That the world as a whole has an acceptable base standard and that your being is a deviation of that.

I reject that premise.

I’m nearly 30. I have green eyes. My hair is originally brown, but has quite a few red highlights when left out in the sun. Lately, I’ve been bleaching it blonder. Keeping it un “toned.”

I like the brassiness.

Matches my personality better.

Starting a new job in the Midwest as a queer person is always a challenge. Even when you’re attached to a mid-sized city, there’s still a 50/50 chance that you’re talking to a bigot.

50/50 is still considered relatively good odds compared to “some places.”

You join a retail store, cos on paper that’s all you’re qualified for. You like the store director, he’s nice but always seems harried. He respects you, even when you’re a little awkward. Both he and the assistant store manager think that you could go far with the company.

A company that wasn’t even in your top 10 ideal places to work, just close to your house.

Before you know it, you’re low-key planning a career there.

Five months in, that store director is transferred. Twelve years in one store. Been with it almost since it’s opened and been with the company for nearly twenty years. But regional thinks that it’s time for a management shakeup.

Before even meeting the new guy, you’re looking at transferring.

A month after, the assistant store managers also shuffle stores at regional’s insistence.

I’ve always been... different. Never quite fitting in all the way. Like a puzzle piece with a false common edge. Seems like it should fit lots of places, but when you really look at it, it never quite does.

Must be why ‘queer’ resonates so much deeper than an ever expanding bulk acronym.

Because it doesn’t matter how far it expands or how many people it’s looking to include, you’re never quite sure that this is where you belong either.

It takes two months to properly meet the new guy. He’s been with the company so long that he’s on vacation for almost that entire time. He brags about ten stores in fourteen years as a store director and fanciest himself the company's fixer.

The longest conversation you have in three months is regarding an already-approved vacation request that he readily admits he didn’t really look at. He asks if you can delay your trip by a day to accommodate a newly released schedule. For a job where you’re making $10/hr. You tell him that you’ve paid $1200 just for the flight. You’re prepared to give notice.

It’s not about the money.

Australia is beautiful. Life changing in so many ways. But when you come back, one of your work friends tells you you can’t be out at this store. Not any longer. It’s no longer safe.

You had been slowly working your way towards a workplace public transition and getting yourself comfortable with your new name and correcting people when they make the wrong assumptions about you. Getting up the nerve for that comes after.

You still stay at that job longer than you should. Burning yourself out for a job you hate more and more  each day with the new ASM acting openly hostile because you no longer will accept being misgendered by her. Or by guests.

Your worst experience with a customer is a woman who refuses to show an ID for a financial transaction. She demands a manager and you call over one of your friends. The angry woman tells your friend that “he...she --IT-- won’t put money on my father’s card.”

All your friend can say to the woman is that she’s “so sorry.”

And she stammers it over and over again to the woman while she complains about a rule put in place to protect the father she allegedly cares so much about. Later she gives a half-assed apology and allows for an extra fifteen minute break so you don’t leave her by herself to close the store.

I am almost 30 and officially I’ve “come out” twice. Once as bisexual and once as transgender. I consider both of those times to be the relatively perfunctory notices to my parents.

I live in a place where half the population openly hates me for what I fundamentally am. Where I get unsolicited comments on my body from cab drivers and colleagues. Do tits affect how well I take pictures now?

Does my mostly passing face and voice paired with an often not-passing body suggest to you that I’m open to casual sex? Or an offer to help you with my language and culture if you teach me yours inherently invite a too-lingering hug?

One where you won’t release and I begin to panic having already confirmed with Uber the end of the ride while you drive around the block to help me find my rented front door?

I’m turning 30 and I’m no longer coming out for your benefit. If you assume that I’m straight, that’s your problem. If you insist that I’m cis, that’s on you.

I came out for the last time seven years ago and there won’t be another “coming out.” It will be a piece of information you’re informed of. A fact about me like my green eyes and brassy hair. But what it will never be is another coming out.

Frankly, the world at large is not important enough to merit one.

[leastdatablebracket]

ROUND 3, MATCH 1

Propaganda under the cut!

Sam Wayne

Propaganda

Sam Wayne is a possessive stalker of a ghost who reeks of rotting meat and leaves puddles of yellow, bloody pus wherever he stands too long. He has alluded to wanting the PC to only ever be with him and that their relationships with any of the other characters are meaningless in comparison to the one they "share". Is always watching the PC and disregards their constant requests to stop, including while they sleep and shower. Regards any decision they make that does align with his own as "very foolish". And even though it was when he was actually still alive....Wayne is TECHNICALLY your cousin Tabitha's ex and she gets really upset if you ask her permission to date her undead "sloppy seconds" lol

Jumin Han

Propaganda

manipulative and abusive asshole

He's a stuck up trust fund baby, and won't take no for an answer. His route is objectively the WORST

He is in love with his cat and constantly compares you with the damn cat😭 like an actual fucking feline animal that’s not nickname 😭😭😭

unapologetic member of the bourgeoisie. makes his secretary cut her hair and wear glasses so he can take her seriously. 0/10 hate this man so much it has been 7 years since i first set eyes on him and to this day i have carried this with me in silence. my hatred for this man has been my burden. my old mysme mutuals will never know.

ok so fun fact when i tried to play jumin’s route i hated it so fucking much i abandoned ship on day 7. this is a grown ass man who is far too immature (and has too much money) to be romanceable like can he see a therapist first? i’m not his therapist. i’m not. i’m not his cat either. why are you locking me in your penthouse does this LOOK like amnesia: memories. also i hate that in order to gain favor ability you have to act like a jerk to other characters at times and also i love jaehee (his secretary that he makes do Fucking Everything For Him) too much to want to date him romantically. imo he’s a great character in other routes, but in his own it’s just…. :/ . did i mention i hate the whole “getting locked in his house” thing. 

he makes jaehee do so much shit that is WAAAAYYY outside the scope of her job description???? she’s his personal assistant. he makes her take care of his personal — completely unrelated to the company— projects related to cats, makes her watch his pet cat at HER APARTMENT OUTSIDE OF WORK HOURS (as far as i can tell he didnt pay her extra for that, though she does get paid overtime) which is so wildly entitled of him to do, but he’s a rich man so. in every route except for jaehee’s and his own— in jaehee’s she quits altogether and in jumin’s she gets a long awaited and well deserved vacation— he piles her with so much more work than is reasonable. for example: in another story she is tasked with— on top of her regular work tasks — to become the HEAD OF AN IT DEPARTMENT FOR COMBATTING HACKERS. also, he constantly pushes zen —someone who is very, very allergic to cats— to interact with his cat. like he wants to take his pet cat to their charity party/event, and seems very blase and uncaring and disbelieving to the fact that he’s allergic, and that other attendees could be too! and as another example: in zen’s route he offers zen a job when he’s looking work— but it has to do with modelling for a cat food brand, and interacting with cats. which he’s explicitly told jumin he doesn’t want to do. they reconcile and it leads to zen giving in and doing the modeling job :/ now, i don’t dislike cats— i love cats! but i’m also very allergic to them (fur, dander, and saliva) so this hits a little close to home. but constant exposure to an allergen can trigger chronic asthma and asthma attacks, and chronic asthma can be very damaging to someone. it can damage their lungs! it’s not a matter to be trivialized! and even if zen’s allergies were “minor,” jumin’s constantly trying to force someone who’s set up a boundary time and time again about not wanting to interact with cats to interact with them and while it is a small example — at least in comparison to the rest of his route— of him ignoring/overstepping/bulldozing past boundaries, it still makes me itch!

[mbrainspaz]

I’ve actively been trying to be worse at work lately. I don’t know what else to do for my sanity. I’ve got one coworker, technically the stable manager, who I’m pretty sure is making at least $2 more than me an hour and is salaried while I’m still hourly. Btw we’re the same age and both have ADHD, and I came here from managing and running a whole stable on my own and according to rumor he came here from getting fired off a craft beer assembly line for being late, so it just goes to show you that being a charismatic tall white boi will get you everywhere in life. He’s late all the time. Chronically late. 70 minutes on average. He lives on the property his parents’ money must have bought him that’s about 10 minutes away so there’s not much excuse. Believe me—I get the time blindness issues. He actually has medication for it sometimes. I have 3 devices that read me the time every hour and half a dozen alarms. The worst part is that I can’t blame him for not caring—for doing a shitty job. Even while he’s making more than me he’s not really making anything worthwhile. The boss couldn’t fire him because there’d be no one to get distracted and cut down dead trees all evening instead of doing other crucial chores that I’ll have to come in and do on top of all my other work the next day. I do value what he brings, really. Every barn needs a tinkerer who goes on side quests. That guy probably shouldn’t also be manager but WHATEVer. I do my best manage him without overstepping too much. All the time. It’s exhausting,

This morning I was trying to formulate a plan to ask the boss for a raise. I mean—we do the same job! (I do it better.) Next week the ‘manager’ is going on vacation and leaving me to deal with/train the new 17 year old worker who’s apparently never touched a horse, the only person the boss was able to find in 3 months who’s been willing to work for the laughable wage they’re offering. I can just see her guilt tripping me. Acting angry. People with money and power only act friendly until you stand up for yourself. If you’ve ever dared to ask for what you’re owed you know what I mean. The devil light that comes into their eyes. The instant transformation like Bilbo Baggins when he sees the ring. It’s terrifying. I can’t afford to be afraid of that vitriol. I tell myself I don’t care. I do though.

The barn is clean tonight. The horses are grazing. They’re safe and clean and well. I worked 11 hours today to make sure they would be. The manager didn’t even have AM feed prepped for me, after I came in for an extra half hour on my day off to help him with feed the day before. The boss texted me at 1 pm to ask if I needed help, after I’d already done 95% of the work alone. I said no because when she comes out to ‘help’ it’s sweet but ultimately she’s just another person to babysit and I don’t have the energy.

Ever more frequently I have to remind myself—they don’t care. Nobody else cares as much as you. You’re not being paid to care. They don’t care about you.

So instead of abiding by my strict code of honor maybe I do leave work a few minutes early. Maybe I do leave a few buckets uncleaned. Maybe I do bring my dogs to work with me when no one is around, even though it’s strictly forbidden. The manager does. Sometimes I do start work a few minutes late. I can’t be better than management or I’ll start to resent everything. So I actively try to be just as bad as they are.

I’m not very good at it though. I care too much and I know better.

[a-milli-making-mil]

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[frances-baby-houseman]

My work added a "wellness day" to our PTO this year and that makes me very happy! I think we get very good benefits-- depending on your position and length of employment, you get 10-25 days of vacation (use within a year), 10 sick days (rolls over infinitely), 5 given bank days for holidays we're open (can bank up to 150 hours), 2 floating holidays/personal days (use within a year), extra bank days for when paid holidays fall on weekends, and now this wellness day. Not bad!

[muskpunk]

parasite warning/anxious venting

I spent all of 10 minutes outside today taking a few dying flowers from the side of the road to press/dry for art and I am being Punished for it

I found a tick on me a few hours ago, don’t think it bit cause it was just crawling and didn’t look like it drank anything but I LOST IT cause I pulled it off my neck not initially knowing what it was, saw something slightly bigger than I realized on my finger, kneejerk reaction was YEET THE UNEXPECTED LITTLE THING THAT’S MAYBE ABOUT TO BITE/STING ME and only after I’d already done so did I process that I just literally gave a tick an all expenses paid vacation directly into my carpet

a tense hourish later after trying in vain to lure it back onto me for capture, I spot it crawling up the wall, catch it, trap it in alcohol just in case, etc. relief. the crisis has been averted. it’s fine now but I’m gonna get spray too just as an extra precaution.

well few hours after that I feel something crawling on my neck again and you’ll never guess what it was!! a second fucking tick

same deal, doesn’t look like it got me, have already sprayed the shit out of the carpet and haven’t encountered any since but now I am PARANOID

I already get bug crawling sensations constantly throughout the day and now every few minutes I’m anxiously checking myself all over. it’s frustrating and upsetting af!!! it feels exactly like if you’ve slept in a bed with bed bugs before, or had recurring lice, same exact feeling of are they gone now, are they gone for real for good, am I gonna get bit again

except this time I’m worried about life-altering diseases for my cat and me cause I’ve seen posts from people in my state becoming very literally paralyzed from their bites :’)

getting flea and tick for her tomorrow, just have to cross my fingers and hope for myself

[unrequited-words]

03/08/23 Wednesday 9:49 p.m.

Two beers in. I made this simple pasta mini shells, premade taco meat I made yesterday, a jar of pasta sauce, Parm cheese in the shaker plastic can (romano, maybe), and mozzarella cheese. It's nice.

the beer is helping me forget. Baby is still up. An hour of OT tomorrow. I'd love to do more but I'm not wanting to wake up from 7-9 a.m. from extra hours and five bonus points per hour. If I am awake ... maybe?

Yeah, fuck that.

This last week was so hard. I took Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday off from being sick.

Of fucking course zod gave me shit. All I do is work. Haven't had a real vacation since I gave birth.,.. if you call that abfucking vacation? I had 713 points paid and now I am around 113 give or take. It's all paid. Damn,this pasta is good. I took a bite, lol

On Microsoft teams, my boss messaged me and he said I bonused for February fiscal month. 506.93 I think? I didn't I'd bonus at all due to quality.

Idk, guys... I still believe in God, I'm just scared for the future. Maybe it's supposed to be this way. I support a family of five between 38-39 a year. Inflation fucking sucks. Politics suck.

Rent went up so starting April it's 1300 plus the rest of our expenses, if I keep doing what I do for work we can make it on one salary for now.

I was nominated for an acclaim award for being big hearted at work, and if I win (doubt it) I will get a gift card (50/100.00) and either crumbl cookies. I've never had them.

I've been wanting to make chocolate chip cookies from scratch. We get the kids Saturday. If I pack everything Friday night and on Saturday work from 7:00-9:00 am, and we leave around 10:00-10:30 it isn't so bad. Round trip is 6 hours, but with the baby it feels longer.

We get the kids for a week and I know my son will fucking test me. He always foes. He doesn't fucking listen at FUCKING ALL! He is on his fucking tablet and on the spectrum. It's manageable but Jesus fuck yes this is me venting. It's difficult. Their mom is dofficult. Doesn't allow them to go and play or have sleepovers. She's a fucking trainwreck. she's rather chase dick than be a mom, honestly

If me and Zod ever split up I wouldn't chase dick I'm too old, and with a kid dating is exhausting. No thanks. I'm good.

It was a slow work day. I didn't do too bad. I'm tired. 10:06 pm and maybe in the next hour I can pass out. I hope Astrid goes to bed before modnight. Last night I fell asleep between midnight and 1:00. Slept through my alarm, oh well.

Maybe I'm buzzed but damn this pasta I made sure is yummy, lol. 🍝

I may have another beer but that's pushing it. Tomorrow sometime I need to wash the sheets for the other bed, and make a list before we leave Saturday. Maybe another trip to the grocery store?

My ex sent my birth certificate through the mail and I pray to fucking god it isn't lost. It has thos weird tracking number starting with 70, when normally USPS tracking starts with 98 ... The reason I know is I work with ups, USPS, FedEx, and DHL when customers order.

I'm very oaranoid. I need it to go to the DMV, otherwise if it's lost I get to spend a cool 54.00 fucking dollars requesting a new one.

The other bedroom is closed with all her toys. If she gets out of bed she has nothing to play with. She's watching Peppa Pig. It's cute. It isn't as annoying as that fuck Calliou. God, I need adult froends. I'm drowning in toddler bullshit, 😂

Welcome to my Ted Talk

[theratandcatshow]

Episode 4: I Spy With My Little Eye

As you sit down to rest on the second largest treetop in Critter Valley and summarize all your important characteristics of this world, you are interrupted. Down below, completely alone in the Great Meadows of the Valley, CatNap is walking. The 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝 part? He runs in the direction of the forest, seemingly with a purpose and a realization. But what exactly does he want in an area that is formally beyond his territory? 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐍𝐚𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞.

Notes:

Here I am again! Yes, the update took a damn long time, don't worry it had its reasons: 1. I was on vacation for a week. 2. I had to deal with a job offer. (In case anyone is interested: IT specialist) 3. I had to build up my new kitchen all by myself. (Thanks IKEA for the good service) But here I am again, and with a chapter that is slowly getting the stone rolling. Have fun reading!

---

Dear diary,

I've been here in Critter Valley for 3 weeks now. I'd like to write that you get used to this world, but you don't. Is it because I'm just a spy and know that everything here is fake? Is it because the only reason I'm here is to monitor the Smilling Critters?

I don't have much space on these notebook pages, plus I only have 10 pages left in this book. So here are my most important findings that I absolutely have to write down before I forget them:

1. The employees of this whole operation come at night and fill the fridges, empty the garbage and take care of everything. I assume that there are cameras in the critters' houses that monitor them and employees are sent out on a fixed schedule. I've already watched them, they disappear on the other side of the valley from where I came and where I have to hand in my reports. Since the forest encompasses this whole world, I assume that there are several exits from this world. However, I only know of two at the moment, the one in the Dark Forest where I hand in my reports and the one where the employees disappear.

2. There are no insects. It's weird, the Valley consists of 90% meadows, but so far, I haven't seen any insects. At first, I thought that insects such as flies were equipped with very small cameras and were a kind of extra surveillance, well, there are none. But there is a small problem, a gap in logic, at least that's what I would call it. Two days ago, when I was on a hill near DogDay's house at night, under the dark starry sky, I heard them. At first, I thought I had something on my ears, after all I feel like assembled scrap metal and fur parts.

They were crickets, the little green insects that chirp. But after I sat down close to the ground, under the cool night breeze, I noticed them: loudspeakers, deep in the ground and almost invisible. I am very sure that there are microphones somewhere deep in the ground, but I didn't look any further.

3. The ration or portion that I get to eat depends on my report. To be precise: the quality. The quantity doesn't matter at all, as I realized last week when I wrote a page and a half instead of just one. It's about the most important thing, and that was the relationships between the critters. Most of the information people get when they watch this cartoon, the Smilling Critters, but of course it's scripted. The real, important stuff is behind the scenes.

I had no choice, hunger and thirst made me completely weak and I did what had to be done. I wrote in the report about the suspected relationship between DogDay and CatNap. I paid attention to all the details: At the meeting, DogDay's hair on CatNap's left thigh, the looks they always gave each other while filming the episodes and the secret meetings.

Their "secret" meetings were often more dangerous for me than I thought, they meet once a week at the edge of the forest. Not just DogDay and CatNap, all of the critters, but I left that detail out of the reports for now. I can now control my tail to some extent, which allows me to climb trees faster and better like a predator with claws and tail. This has allowed me to observe them all much better so far, especially these meetings. Since my ears are much better than I remember, I could easily listen in. It was always about the Critter Valley, Bubba was always babbling about how dangerous it was here and how they were under constant surveillance. He even seems to know about the cameras in their houses and says, "it's really creepy".

Above all, I kept thinking: How will it all end?

The job doesn't really have an end, or so I think. How long should I monitor the critters? Until they manage to get out of here? Until one of them kills himself because this whole world is a pile of garbage? Or maybe until they come at me and try to kill me?

No, they would never be able to do that. Since I found these mid-forearm-length gloves here at the beginning, they wouldn't see me extending my claws. Even if it gets close, I'll run away or take some of them to their deaths. I will slaughter them like God-damned animals, that's all they--

You look up from your notebook, your back hurts and your legs feel numb. But that's not the reason for your abrupt movement, there's something down there. Your gaze goes along the tree you are sitting on, right at the top of the crown. When you look down, you see it... him.

CatNap. He is all alone in the wide-open spaces of the valley's meadows, his purple looks stand out like nothing else. He walks with a stoop, for the fact that he is by far not the biggest of the group he walks much too stooped, he is alone.

What is he doing here all alone?

Where are his friends? Is he walking slowly around Critter Valley? Why?

But then comes the important question with a flash of insight: Where is he going?

You look down at your lap, still sitting on the tree crown at a height where a fall would be fatal. Your notebook lies on your lap, your eyes immediately landing on the page that has now been opened by the light wind.

Information about CatNap has the highest value.

You don't waste another second; you get up straight away and run to the trunk. You get your claws from under your gloves and claw at the tree. You leave your things at the top, taking no chances that one of the critters might find them with your backpack.

You claw at the tree and climb down it in seconds, although it is the second tallest tree in the whole valley, you make it in 4 seconds. On the ground you take a quick look around, the same bushes and trees that you have lightly marked on the ground with a scratch.

You run off with it, chasing CatNap, who has now run into the forest, at a huge distance. You're on the tip of the knife, if he sees you somehow, that's it. What would the scientists do with you then? Do they just replace you or turn you into one of the critters? Will they erase your memory again?

You can't think about that right now, it's about staying in the game... fulfilling the mission. You can do it, nobody else can. You are completely in the flow, behind the trees and in the shadows you move as if you were born there... In the background. You analyze his crooked posture, his wagging tail and his purple ears.

He always turns backwards after eight breaths, which gives me a few seconds interval.

Habits can't be fixed.

He runs straight through the forest, along a few trees and bushes, but he doesn't let you see him from the side of the vast meadows of the valley. He's slowed down a bit since you started chasing him, as if he doesn't have enough stamina to keep up the pace.

Why is he walking slower now? Does he have asthma? If he does, then he will certainly have medication at home, I'll have to remember that.

Somehow the whole situation is surreal, like a dream that you suddenly remember from a long time ago. Your legs feel so sluggish as you walk along the grass, along the trees and bushes. Far above you is the clear sky, but you're not paying attention to it because you're chasing CatNap.

And then CatNap suddenly stops.

It happens far too quickly, your body reacts automatically and you feel the adrenaline flood your senses. You hid behind a tree that was so wide you didn't have to climb it with your claws. Your breath feels heavy as it rises up your scratchy neck and out of your mouth in a tiny cloud. Your legs, bent against the tree, are no longer sluggish or numb, you feel each toe touch the ground and carry the sole of your foot.

Why did he stop? We are in the middle of nowhere in the forest, what should be here?

You remember back to the map, the Critter Valley is large, most of the area is taken up by the huge grassland where the critters live, but the forest is not to be underestimated. But there is nothing here, on your inner map, which you always have with you in your mind, you are in the middle of nowhere, no exit out of this world or anything else. Neither the beach in sight nor the houses of any critters.

What is this guy doing here? Does he want to meet someone? Don't tell me he and DogDay have their relationship out here? Or is he meeting up with some other critter and cheating on DogDay? No, then he wouldn't have walked this far, he would have met in another part of the forest...

Except...

Unless he meets with someone from the outside world...one of these employees.

No, that doesn't make any sense...you wouldn't send me to spy on him and then plan something with CatNap. None of this makes sense, who is he going to meet here now?

You look slowly and carefully along the tree to where CatNap is standing. Along a few bushes and trees, he has turned to the part of the Dark Forest that begins here. He just stares into the darkness, none of his features moving a bit, looking like he's dead.

"You...are...here" The voice is raspy, mechanical and sounds like an accurate description of the voice of death. The person, if it is one, leaves an incredible amount of space between the words, as if they were first calculating which word would be appropriate to say.

You peek out a little further, a few millimeters at most. Behind CatNap's form you recognize a silhouette, but not a whole body. It's just a hand, slender silver pins that barely stand out in the darkness of the Dark Forest.

That's not a human being. What the hell is that thing?

"I-I can't take it anymore- I mean...this whole pretending like there's nothing wrong with all of this I..." CatNap stutters, takes way too much time talking, you've never seen him like this. You've never heard him talk before, he never did in the cartoon, but you know straight away that there's something wrong here. He sounds very frightened, as if he's about to be pierced by that hand.

"Theodore... you have to be patient" says the voice from the darkness, at the same time the hand makes a small gesture. All the "fingers" rotate slightly from top to bottom, a gesture that says something like "Come here". But it seems totally unnatural, like an adult trying to entice a child.

Theodore? Is that his real name? Do the other critters know or also have real names?

"It won't be long now...until the Hour of Joy" The voice has changed, it no longer sounds like a robot, more like a human. The voice sounds familiar, a little arrogant and like someone who doesn't take others seriously.

This thing can imitate voices, but I know them from somewhere. Who does this voice belong to? There are only humans on the outside, and this is definitely not one of the critters.

"There's something else..." CatNap says, still without any movement or anything else. His voice hasn't changed either, except the tone, it sounds serious, unlike his previous words. "Two weeks ago, someone new came here..."

"A...New Smilling Critter?" The voice from the darkness hasn't changed, it still sounds human. However, there is interest in it now, not only in the pronunciation, but also in the fact that you can clearly see the metal hand moving in front of CatNap. The index finger wags around, like a sign to say "tell me more".

"No...A rat" CatNap looks uncomfortable, his tail moving slightly on the ground and making circular shapes. You are still slightly surprised by his voice, he sounds like a small child left alone in a grocery store, so helpless.

"The Rat?"

Bingo.

You know that voice. As if you'd forget it... It's that scientist who's been preparing you for this assignment all these days. You still have something with the name Sawyer in your mind, but that's all you can think of right now.

This thing... This hand knows too much. It comes from the real world when it wants, and now it wants to tell CatNap something here. Shit! He can even imitate the voice of this scientist, which doesn't bode well.

"Next week...Next week we will lead the Hour of Joy...Until then...don't stand out and neither shall your friends." The tone of the voice changed abruptly, now it was deadly serious, like a leader of the war, preparing the final move. From your position far behind the trees you see no movement, all is deathly still.

"I-I haven't convinced them yet..." CatNap stutters again, but you can literally analyze his character through his posture. He is bent over again, wagging his tail wildly on the ground and wiggling his ears forward towards his face.

He doesn't want the whole thing, this "Hour of Joy", but he seems to owe it something. But what? What could CatNap or Theodore owe this metal hand? Is it really so important that he wants to start a riot with it against the outside world? But he certainly hasn't told the other Critters about it yet...That's my advantage!

"That's... not bad, Theodore. They will all repent, And they... their existence is a sin... we must dispose of them" The voice gets quieter and quieter with every word. It is no longer the human scientist's voice, but the robot metal voice again.

This thing... wants to kill them all. All the people who run everything out here in secret, he wants to slaughter them all. And CatNap is meeting with someone like that? No, he must have a reason for it, he's also addressed by him as Theodore, which means they have a history together.

No wonder I should keep a special eye on CatNap, he's meeting with a metal hand that can exit this world. This thing is also planning to slaughter all humans...with the Smilling Critters. But they will never agree to the whole thing.

"Okay...I'll do my best, prototype." With that, CatNap turns around, away from the Metallic Hand, now known to you as: Prototype.

But CatNap walks to a different direction, you thought he would go back the way he came, where else? But he turns right, leaves the dark forest behind him and heads in the direction of Bubba and DogDay's houses. As you look at his back, your eyes wander into the darkness where this prototype was just a moment ago. This makes you think.

Prototype? This thing is called that. Was there a human hidden in the darkness? Is it taking the piss out of CatNap? Or was it the prototype for the other Smilling Critters? Shit, way too many questions and hardly any answers... If I could stand there and talk to this prototype...

That's it for the secret meeting, the conversation between CatNap and this prototype. The most important things immediately pop back into your head as you slowly make your way back to the Big Tree.

CatNap is secretly working with this prototype, a metal creature that plans to start something of an uprising against the outside world in a week's time. But since there are so many collaborators, it must mean that the Smilling Critters aren't the only ones here! There are others like them...experiments!

Fuck.

Fuck

Fuck.

I'm on a Roll right now!

I will be the only one to emerge victorious from this unsuccessful situation and join the side that wins.

But...

I won't dress it up. At their base, humans are no different from a flock of pigeons. If one bird flies right, they all go right. Every last one of them don't try to see anything but their own gain and their own hubris. They're all just an assembly of pretenders. Even the Smilling Critters!

I will stand above that flock of pigeons, and I will control them! I will win, all by myself! And I will find out who I really was before this rat! And anyone who gets in my way...

You feel the gloves tighten slightly, you pull out your claws and feel the cracks on your skin. You lift your tail slightly, it feels like a sixth sense that you can use completely freely. You tense your arms slightly, your tail too, and in less than a second you have carved horizontal lines into the big tree next to you.

Gets ripped apart.

Three important pieces of information flood your memory and let their importance speak for themselves:

1. CatNap is planning an uprising with this prototype, the Hour of Joy.

2. In one week, everything will go down the drain here, CatNap will never manage to make the other critters join in the uprising.

The third seems even more important: you have leverage against CatNap, you could join him or slaughter him, you still have to decide.

But through all this information's...

I can already feel The winds of victory blowing at the back of me.

---

Phew, that was 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞 the chapter, unlike the others. The next story to get an update will be my Arcane Story, because I want to get to the end before Season 2 comes out. I also have some damn good ideas for it, which I just have to write down. Then the "To understand the Soul" story, after all I'm looking forward to seeing how it continues after DogDay's kiss. Please leave a star and a comment, see you then!

[rambletron]

i know we all think Kim K suxx for the "nobody wants to work anymore" commentary which, as broadly as she put it, is definitely lame and untrue but guys... i literally work with people who ask for *less hours* and *same pay*. they wanna work 4 hours a day and get paid the same as the 8 hour people. i've never seen this before in my 20+ years of professional life. people are upset with our 4 day workweek we have (4x8 mind you) because they might have to come in on a saturday once per month.

i shit you not, the people in this town Do Not Want To Work.

remember the portlandia trope, "this is where young people come to retire"? that's my town. i wish i was joking. one girl said she "couldn't imagine" having a 40 hour work week. like couldn't imagine it - ironically her schedule is 40hr/week but she just leaves early every day so it's not sinking in.

i work on a team of 12 people - that's our whole company. 10-12 people. these assholes signed on for a job they *knew the parameters of* and then checked out as soon as they passed the probationary period. it's so incredibly fucked for the rest of us who have to constantly pick up after their leisurely foibles and firing & rehiring is so incredibly expensive and hard because, as per above, no one here wants to work. one of the people we interviewed for ENTRY LEVEL ADMIN turned it down because she didn't like that she only had 3 weeks paid vacation WITH ZERO WORK HISTORY.

like are people's brains being rotted by socialist memes? i'm so flabbergasted by this.

brb leaving my analyst desk to go do data entry so i can stay here for an extra hour while people leave early and enjoy the weather