Smokey
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Office Work
🕑 Added 2022-12-21 13:00:01 +0000 UTCThere's a bit of a story behind this particular, well, story.
For a while now, I've been toying with the idea of a Stepfordization story in which a conservative tradwife wannabe moves to Stepford, thinking it would be her dream society, only to realize just how awful it is to be a second class citizen. Sort of a "be careful what you wish for" scenario. But every time I started actually outlining that idea in detail, I ended up feeling that it would be too much.
I'm very very very firmly on the left. I know that Stepford is a dystopia, even with the little veneer of queer people and people of color being treated the same as anyone else by the town. But that original idea just felt a bit too spiteful and mean, no matter how much I despise those reactionary beliefs held by trads.
This story, Office Work, has a tiny sliver of that story's DNA, that being the "be careful what you wish for" idea. So here we have a woman who moves to Stepford knowing exactly what it's like, only to realize that fantasy and reality aren't exactly the same thing. It is exactly what she thought it would be, but living that isn't all that fun. It's a lot less mean than the original story idea, hence me actually following this one through to completion, but that is the story behind its existence.
I do hope you enjoy this look at Stepford's office workplace culture!
Comments
Princess Claire
Brainwashing and petticoats are quite lovely <3
Jourangela
I’d love to see it! You remain my favorite writer I follow, I look forward to seeing more 😁
Smokey
Haha thank you so much! I'd love to revisit an office setting, or Patience in particular someday. I was really excited to tease at how different her background is to where she is now.
Jourangela
I know exactly what you mean with the whole being firmly on the left but having a kink for this sort of stuff. It’s a very jarring juxtaposition that occasional makes me go “what am I THINKING?” And then I’m like “hnngh brainwashing and petticoats thoooough”. It’s really odd and I just started compartmentalizing it 😂 that being said I’d love to see some more office stepford stories! Maybe a backstory on Patience? As a combat vet myself that bit of backstory really drew me in! As always, a very good story <3
