#and you basically just advocate for them and get them set up with resources and help them make appointments and stuff

[ftmtftm]

Hi I've seen you use the tag transfeminism a lot but I've never seen anyone else talk about it? Would you mind explaining it, or if not maybe pointing me in the direction of what to read to understand it? Thanks a lot in advance! <3

Yeah absolutely!

The most broad and basic premise of transfeminism is: it is feminist practice that works to incorporate the experiences of trans individuals into a feminist framework.

Depending on what theorists you engage with transfeminism is either a framework for the liberation of all trans individuals from the Patriarchy - or it solely focuses on the experiences of trans women and fems. I personally ascribe to the theories of the former, not the latter.

The best, and easiest, place to start with transfeminist theory in my opinion is with Emi Koyama's "Transfeminist Manifesto" - [ here ]. The first 10 pages are the Manifesto as originally written. The last 5 are a postscript to the manifesto and a bonus piece about racist feminism. I highly recommend reading the postscript, I find it fundamental to my own understanding of transfeminist praxis.

You can read more of Koyama's work on her website - [ here ] - and I highly recommend it! She's a profound trans and intersex advocate.

I also recommend trans theorists that pre-date Koyama such as Kate Bornstein, Leslie Feinberg, and Judith Butler. They're all nonbinary trans theorists across a multitude of identities and experiences. I love this interview with Feinberg and Bornstein a lot - [ here ].

Feinberg was prolific and the first author to truly advance the concept of marxist transgender liberation in a feminist context - hir website [ here ] has a free PDF download of hir book Stone Butch Blues and several other resources on hir work and life.

Bornstein's books Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us and Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation are go-to's of mine regarding a relatively modern history and understanding of trans identity. Her My Gender Workbook: How to Become a Real Man, a Real Woman, a Real You, or Something Else Entirely really helped shape my own relationship to my gender identity really positively and profoundly!

Judith Butler's most recent book Who's Afraid of Gender is also incredibly good, however it is incredibly dense in an academic sense. It personally takes me weeks to get through Butler's writing because it is so jammed with information - and that's not to their discredit, it's just the way they write. I highly recommend looking up some of their talks and interviews on YouTube as they're an easier introduction to their work.

Personally, I don't like Julia Serano as an author all that much, but she is still an influential transfeminist voice to be aware of because she coined and popularized the term transmisogyny. I personally have a lot of criticism of her work - particularly her seminal work Whipping Girl - because it explicitly, in her own words, is intended to be distinctly different from the work of Feinberg, Bornstein, and Riki Wilchins (another nonbinary intersex activist) and is more interested in societal perception and binary trans womanhood over politics and liberation. It also stands in opposition to a lot of the liberationist ideals of the Feminists she claims to be inspired by. I've read the whole book twice over now and in my opinion it reeks of White Feminism. I don't recommend it outside of reading it for context to the wider transfeminist discourse.

Transfeminism as a whole is also deeply entangled with the politics of Black and Intersectional Feminist politics, as many of those previously mentioned authors worked with, worked around, or were inspired by authors like Audre Lorde and bell hooks. As such I highly recommend both of them as authors as well!! I think their work really helps set the framework transfeminist theory is also built around.

I hope this helps!!

[mbti-notes]

Anon wrote: ISTP 28, struggling with emotional balances in my personal relationships with high feeling types (ISFJ, INFP and INFJ). What starts out as myself taking an interest in their life and being openminded and listening carefully, it ends up where I become used as an emotional dumpster to vent at all the time. At that point, its too late and I cannot remove myself without hurting their feelings, as they consider me to be a confidant, I don't want to betray their trust or make them feel smaller for sharing their troubles. But it makes me depleted and frustrated to as our friendship becomes more and more one sided.

To make things equal, in the past, I tried to force myself to also share my feelings, but I don't actually have the amount of feelings they can have. Plus, it only made me feel worse to be dwelling on negativity, so I don't benefit from talking about it in the way it works for them. They feel bad and recognize it too, so they will ask about me to even things out. But even if I sincerely respond, they don't really ask further, as if they just wanted to ask the question for their turn to talk. Its a mismatch I cannot overcome, its starts from a good intention and a good frienship but degrades overtime. I feel frustrated and saddened by it, I don't know what to do, I don't want to hurt them, but this is hurting me.

-------------------

Indeed, being a good listener can sometimes be a curse, if the result is that you keep attracting people with lots of problems to unload. As you can imagine, I'm personally quite familiar with this problem. It is upsetting and hurtful when it feels like people aren't being considerate of your needs. At the end of the day, this is a practical problem with a practical solution.

There are two aspects to this problem: 1) lack of assertiveness or passivity, and 2) poor communication habits. These are learned behaviors. Most people learn how to be assertive and communicate well naturally throughout the course of their childhood socialization. However, some people have a harder time learning for a variety of possible reasons. But the key point is that you can choose to learn and improve at any time in life.

Assertiveness basically means being able to stand up and advocate for yourself whenever necessary. There are several points to consider:

(i) Cultivate better awareness of your needs, wants, desires, and goals. It's hard to make yourself seen in a relationship if you go through life thinking you don't need or want anything from people, which is a common Ti dom problem. Just because you are not as emotionally "full" as others, doesn't mean you don't have feelings, and doesn't mean you can't get hurt. Being more self-aware is necessary for proper self-care. You can't express yourself when you're not aware of yourself.

(ii) Learn to draw a clear and healthy boundary between self and other. There is a difference between what is "yours" and what is "theirs", right? Make sure you always know the difference. Their problems are their business and not your responsibility. Listening/helping is a favor you do for people - it's not your job. And you should only help people when you have the mental resources and emotional capacity to do so. Once you hit your limit, your ability to help is greatly diminished, so it's always in everyone's best interests for you to make your limits clear.

Setting boundaries is a way for you to express to people that you matter, too. You need to understand what you are owed. If you matter in a relationship, then you should be owed basic respect and consideration, right? When people disrespect you or behave inconsiderately, it is justifiable to speak up for yourself. You have every right to defend and protect your own well-being.

(iii) Enforce your boundaries. When you set boundaries, they might not always be honored. Therefore, you ought to have strategies in place for how to handle people who violate your boundaries. The strategy you choose depends on what your goal is. Do you think a warning is enough? Or is it necessary to spend some time apart? Or do you think the relationship should end?

These decisions are made based on your values and what you believe is acceptable or unacceptable behavior. For instance, I have zero tolerance for violent behavior, so I'll be quick to end a relationship over it. However, if you're more forgiving and you believe there's still hope for the person, maybe you'd be more willing to give them another chance. These are personal choices that you make by listening to your heart.

Communication skills are necessary for assertiveness to succeed. There are several points to consider:

(i) Timeliness: Interpersonal problems/conflicts are best addressed sooner rather than later. But being timely means you have to be self-aware enough to raise issues as they occur in real-time. When negative feelings/emotions are left to fester, there is always a risk that they will escalate to an uncontrollable degree, sparking unreasonable behavior that does irreparable damage. It's important to nip negative feelings/emotions in the bud. Of course, it's not a crime to bring things up long after the fact, but people do tend to learn better when the example is right in front of their face.

(ii) Responsibility: Communicate about relationship problems from the "I" perspective, speaking only to your own experience, and never cast blame or make accusations. You must also be able to keep your feelings/emotions under control enough to discuss things matter-of-factly and de-escalate tensions.

When you blame/accuse, you're making demands of people to be what you want them to be, which usually doesn't go over well. It makes people defensive and then they're more likely to go on the attack or cut off communication. But when you speak purely from your own perspective and take responsibility for what you feel, people are generally more willing to hear you out, even though it's a difficult conversation.

Of course, there are plenty of unreasonable people out there who will take offense regardless of how you communicate. In such cases, you have to reflect on the health of the relationship. Maybe you shouldn't get too close to them (draw a stricter boundary) or maybe the relationship isn't sustainable for you (as you're always getting hurt).

(iii) Empathy: Psychologists have done a lot of studies on what keeps relationships healthy over a long period of time. The key ingredient is kindness. As long as you can maintain a kind approach and encourage others to follow suit, the relationship will always have hope of improving.

Being empathetic doesn't mean being "soft" or being a pushover. It means taking the time to understand where others are coming from and responding to that directly (i.e. the heart of the matter) rather than getting distracted by irrelevant things. Even if you decide to keep distance from people or separate from them, doing it kindly allows everyone to walk away with as little animosity as possible.

(iv) Requests: When people are behaving in a way that you deem inappropriate or unacceptable, communicate your preferences to them in a way that 1) helps them understand where you're coming from, and 2) provides a suggestion or alternative for them to better suit your needs. Grant them the choice to oblige.

As an example, compare these two communications:

"I'm not a very emotional person, so maybe I don't always have many feelings to share with you and it's tiring for me to focus so much on them. But I would like it if we could talk about other subjects as well, such as ____. Would that be okay with you?"

"It's exhausting to listen to you go on and on and on about your feelings, can we talk about anything else, please?"

While the meaning of the two communications is roughly the same, the first will obviously get a better response than the second because of expressing empathy and care for everyone involved.

.

These two points can be combined into a concept called assertive communication. It's an important life skill. ISTPs often develop a habit of trying to "adapt" to people as a means to reduce conflict, which isn't a bad thing per se. But when taken too far, it can lead to unevenness in the relationship. Eventually, it starts to feel like you're always the one making concessions to placate others, as though you can't be your true self. Appeasement isn't healthy relationship behavior.

The takeaway point is that you should matter equally in a relationship, so people should honor your needs just as you honor theirs. If they don't, they're not a true friend. A true friend ought to be horrified at the idea of hurting you, which means you shouldn't feel shy to admit when you're feeling hurt so that they can adjust accordingly.

[yourgamemasterthewhiterabbit]

You know what we need?

Other than just rent control?

Anti-landlord inspectors.

For the people inspectors.

Who will do what you want on your behalf unless it's a genuine safety concern. Basically on the same logic as a mental health professional, where unless someone is in danger it isn't on them to rat you out for anything because you have to feel safe going to them but they can connect you to help and resources and give you advice, and advocate for you.

Inspectors you can call to come in and send your landlord a report of everything they are responsible to change or fix that you call on your terms and will even keep documents of existing damage and etc for properties to keep tenants from being held responsible for shit they shouldn't be.

But MOST of all, inspectors who will take in the square footage and quality of a place and tell a landlord "no you cannot charge 20% above market value for a 1 bedroom for this bachelor" and set a rant cap on places based on the actual size and livability.

Like yeah, the bathroom is big but it's only 3 feet wide and obviously used to be a hallway. There's a whole building using one water tank sure, but it's not on-demand and it's 3-5 apartments trying to use one hot water tank like they are one household who can coordinate over it. The walls are thin and yeah the apartment is at least about 100 square feet outside of the area taken up by kitchen cabinets, but you have arranged it [doors, walls and windows or fixtures] so that there is only ONE possible place to put a bed that is just a hair under 3 feet wide and doesn't allow for anything larger than a single... You aren't going to charge 1000$ for this.

And they'll defend your right to paint or make your own repairs or do any renter-friendly stuff like switch out light fixtures and etc.

But mostly limiting how much a landlord can charge for rent, and being someone you can have inspect the building on your terms.

You want to create jobs? You want to increase the spending power of everyone without giving the poors more money? Cap rent based on apartment size and create a whole profession to enforce it.

You want programs like CHOB and other rent relief to get a lot cheaper? you want geared to income housing less swamped and the waiting list to be less than over 7 years? Rent control. Because as the system is, it's just funneling more and more government funds directly into the hands of greedy landlords and letting the landlords dictate how much tax payer money the government gives them, which could be going to other problems and programs.

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

Archon war anon

Very fair on the roman apartments thing! That was more of a "If I had to make this as we can see it work, how would I do it?" than anything serious. There's enough space around there that I would doubt the people there would have felt the need to cramp into living space like that. I'm also just mentally trying to insert towns everywhere I can for the sake of my many competing god territories story, so that influences how far I'm willing to stretch.

The viewpoint does say scattered, and you're right, that scattered isn't what you'd use for "fled together with the adepti".

On the Geo Diaries/Zhongli's story quest, you are very right on that. But another theory that it made me think of, for the mora-house at least, is maybe that story comes from Zhongli's original people before he joined Guizong? Drawing from the stone tablets book again, he supposedly raised Mt. Tianheng out of the water and had some people there on Shanhui Rock/Fort. Maybe the mora-house story comes from further back than the founding of Liyue Harbour? Given that he apparently had Shanhui while with/before Guizhong, and she set up the ballista to defend it, I think it'd make sense for there to be some sort of earlier settlement that maybe got renamed when Morax took all of his people there after she died. This doesn't work out so well for the many gods thing, but it does play into the "Morax had control of most of Liyue" thing pretty well.

I refuse to believe that people had to relearn how to build stones after getting to the harbor though. That's so useful, and the kind of thing that I think is both basic and widespread enough that I can't really see it getting lost.

The scattered theory, even as a non-canon thing to play with is pretty fun! I was plotting out more of the war in a pre-write brainstorm yesterday and ended up writing it in? Not as far as I think you've been advocating for, but I wrote that Morax kind of dumped his surviving people on his allies and adepti and went off to rampage on his enemies for a bit. And none of his allies or adepti had the resources to take all of his surviving people, even though a bunch died when Guizhong died, so they ended up a little scattered.

:) thank you for the replies, this is so much fun! ily too!

this is fun, yeah! i love rambling about liyue history

i guess it is possible that the account of the mora house comes from a long long time ago? and that it just got for whatever reason repurposed for the founding of the harbor? since the guy explicitly speaks of it in the context of building liyue harbor. it would make sense, i could never really get this idea into my head since i, too, had always been of the opinion that the liyue migration must've happened relatively shortly after the fall of the assembly, so them having to relearn how to make houses would make no damn sense. even if it had been generations between the assembly and the harbor, that's still like- like you said with the stones, i don't think people just forget how to build a damn house. but then zhongli just says that it's true???????????????? idk man. again i know he's a little shit but i don't think he purposefuly spreads/actively perpetuates misinformation of that type. (i've come to the realization that all the misinformation he seems to not care about enough to try and make an effort to correct revolves around himself. like he will correct misinformation on other subjects but seems to care very little about misinformation surrounding morax/rex lapis. i might just be missremembering though)

[chloe-doust]

Chloe Doust: What’s the Smartest Way to Secure Your Legal Rights?

When facing legal challenges, whether it's a personal injury, debt relief, or civil dispute, having the right legal support can make all the difference. For individuals across North Carolina, Alabama, and Minnesota, Chloe Doust has become a trusted ally in protecting legal rights with intelligence, empathy, and strategic expertise. With a deep understanding of personal injury law and financial hardship cases, Chloe has built a reputation for guiding clients through some of the most difficult times of their lives—and helping them come out stronger on the other side.

A Thoughtful Approach to Legal Representation

Chloe Doust’s approach to law is centered on one principle: empowering people with the knowledge and tools they need to make smart legal decisions. She knows that navigating the legal system can be overwhelming, especially when clients are already dealing with pain, stress, or financial burden. That’s why she focuses on simplifying legal concepts without compromising on professionalism. From the first consultation, Chloe listens carefully to her clients’ concerns, outlines the legal process in clear terms, and crafts a personalized path forward.

Her hands-on and accessible manner reassures clients that they’re not just another case number—they’re individuals whose rights deserve to be protected with care and diligence. Chloe's ability to combine legal precision with human connection sets her apart in a field that often feels cold and impersonal.

Why Legal Advice Matters Early

One of Chloe Doust’s strongest messages to the public is the importance of seeking legal counsel early. Too many individuals delay contacting a lawyer, either because they underestimate the seriousness of the situation or believe they can resolve the matter on their own. But Chloe knows from experience that early intervention can be the smartest move to secure your rights.

Whether it's documenting injuries after an accident, responding to creditor harassment, or facing a complex insurance claim, getting timely legal advice can shape the entire outcome. Chloe emphasizes the importance of knowing your options before taking any irreversible steps—something that can prevent costly mistakes and missed opportunities.

Standing Up for the Underserved

In her practice, Chloe often encounters people who feel powerless against large institutions—insurance companies, debt collectors, or employers with greater resources. Her mission is to level the playing field. She champions the cause of everyday individuals who need someone to stand up for them and push back against unfair treatment.

Chloe’s work is especially impactful in cases involving debt relief, where she helps clients avoid lawsuits, negotiate fair settlements, and regain financial stability. In personal injury cases, she works tirelessly to ensure clients receive the medical care and compensation they deserve. Her fierce advocacy gives people the confidence that their voice matters—and that justice is within reach.

Practical Tips to Protect Your Rights

Chloe Doust often shares practical advice for those wondering how to best protect themselves legally:

Document everything: Whether it’s an injury, harassment, or unfair treatment, keep records, photos, and written communications.

Don’t sign without review: Always consult a lawyer before signing any legal document or agreement.

Act quickly: Time limits (statutes of limitation) can affect your ability to file a claim.

Know your rights: Educating yourself, even on the basics, can make you a stronger advocate for your own interests.

Choose the right attorney: Look for someone who listens, communicates clearly, and has experience in the area of law you need help with.

A Name You Can Trust

In a profession where trust is everything, Chloe Doust has proven herself to be a reliable, compassionate, and highly skilled legal professional. Her dedication to helping people protect what matters most—their health, finances, and dignity—has earned her the respect of both clients and colleagues alike.

For anyone seeking smart, ethical, and effective legal representation, Chloe Doust offers a powerful reminder: you don’t have to navigate legal challenges alone. With the right guidance and a strategic approach, securing your rights isn’t just possible—it’s the smartest move you can make.

[eunoiacarehub]

Understanding NDIS Support Coordination and How It Can Help You

Navigating the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) can feel overwhelming, particularly when trying to manage multiple services and providers. That’s where NDIS support coordination comes in. At EunoiaCareHub, we specialize in helping participants access the right supports to achieve their goals. Our support coordination services are designed to guide you through the complexities of the NDIS, empowering you to make the most of your funding and live an independent, fulfilling life.

What is NDIS Support Coordination?

Support coordination is a service offered to NDIS participants to help them understand, implement, and manage their NDIS plans. The main goal of support coordination is to assist participants in navigating the various supports and services available through the NDIS. A support coordinator works closely with the participant to ensure that they have the tools and resources they need to make informed decisions about their care and achieve their desired outcomes.

There are three levels of support coordination offered through the NDIS:

Support Connection: A more basic form of support coordination aimed at helping participants understand their plan and connect with appropriate service providers.

Support Coordination: A more in-depth service that helps participants implement their plans, coordinate services, and manage their supports effectively over time.

Specialist Support Coordination: For participants with more complex needs, this level of support involves working with specialists to manage high-risk or complicated situations.

At EunoiaCareHub, we provide all levels of support coordination, ensuring that participants receive the guidance and assistance they need, no matter their level of complexity.

The Benefits of Support Coordination

Having a dedicated support coordinator can make a significant difference in how effectively participants use their NDIS funding. Here are some of the key benefits of support coordination:

1. Plan Understanding

NDIS plans can be complex and contain a variety of funding categories and services. A support coordinator helps break down these components, ensuring that participants fully understand how to use their plan to access the right services and supports.

2. Connecting with Service Providers

Finding the right service providers can be a daunting task, especially when there are so many options to choose from. A support coordinator assists participants in identifying and connecting with providers that meet their specific needs, whether it’s therapy, personal care, housing, or education services.

3. Ongoing Management and Monitoring

A support coordinator doesn’t just help set up services; they also provide ongoing management to ensure that everything is running smoothly. They monitor the participant’s progress, make adjustments as necessary, and ensure that the participant is getting the most out of their NDIS plan.

4. Advocacy and Problem Solving

If issues arise with service providers or if a participant feels that their NDIS plan needs adjustments, a support coordinator acts as an advocate. They can help participants resolve disputes, manage challenges, and ensure that their needs are met.

5. Encouraging Independence

While support coordination provides valuable guidance, its ultimate goal is to help participants build the skills and confidence they need to manage their supports independently in the future.

How EunoiaCareHub’s Support Coordination Services Work

At EunoiaCareHub, we understand that every participant’s needs and circumstances are different, which is why our support coordination services are highly personalized. Here’s how we work with NDIS participants:

1. Individualized Support Plans

We begin by conducting a comprehensive assessment of each participant’s goals, needs, and preferences. This allows us to create a customized support plan that aligns with their NDIS funding and personal objectives.

2. Connecting with Trusted Providers

With our extensive knowledge of local providers and services, we help participants find trusted, high-quality service providers that meet their specific needs. This includes connecting participants with healthcare professionals, therapists, personal care providers, and other essential services.

3. Ongoing Guidance and Monitoring

Our support coordinators provide continuous guidance to ensure that participants are on track to meet their goals. We offer regular check-ins and reviews to assess progress and adjust support plans as needed.

4. Advocacy and Conflict Resolution

Should challenges arise, our support coordinators act as advocates, helping participants navigate any obstacles and ensuring that their voice is heard. We work to resolve issues quickly and efficiently, so participants can focus on achieving their goals.

Conclusion

Navigating the NDIS can be challenging, but with the right support, participants can unlock the full potential of their plan. At EunoiaCareHub, our NDIS support coordination services are designed to guide participants through every step of their journey, from understanding their plan to connecting with providers and managing their supports. If you’re an NDIS participant looking for expert guidance, contact EunoiaCareHub today to learn how we can support you in reaching your goals.

[dxsturbia]

So what happens is you get your state insurance Medicare Medicaid what have you

And I don’t know if you’ve ever rented anything like property of any kind

But what they’re gonna do is set you up with a business basically you have this many units to your insurance policy and every policy is the same or at least that’s what they’re telling me

And you’re gonna go find a temp agency and they are going to play the role of your human resources department. They’re going to be accounting and payroll.

And what should happen is that if for some reason, my primary provider is unavailable, I am able to contact the agency on a PRN basis to have someone contracted out to fill in the gap for whatever reason my chosen provider isn’t available

What’s happening right now is that I sign up with the agency they do all of my paperwork, my payroll all of that I am only allowed to pay my staff what 11.45 per hour at this point

I am only able to provide them with 21.75 hours per week because that’s all the time I have to rent from the temp agency

I cannot provide them with medical benefits. I cannot provide them with vacation or sickleave. I am responsible for being able to staff in case of an absence, but listen I can’t just hold somebody in emergency position. They are required to work a certain amount of time per week otherwise they will be removed from I don’t Know exactly what it is at this agency but my last one it was 16

So I either hire family or I go live in a home because nobody’s got the gas money to do their jobs without taking on five or six different clients and I am a demanding client and may not seem so because I don’t have the luxury of having every need met

Family doesn’t come because they hate me. They’re not getting paid enough for this either so they’re going to scam the Clock too

And everyone has abandoned Anissa to her own devices again anissa doesn’t have any devices. The state of Missouri does.

Everyone knows it and they’re taking full advantage of it. I need there to be consequences for that real ones.

I need the rights to my life under the American Constitution whether or not I can get off this rat wheel that is the benefit line

Everybody does it and it’s always OK until I do it because I’ve actually got the right to it and it’s a social structure so if you want to keep it, you gotta help

I need advocates ones that are allowed to act as advocates. I need lawyers that work with ADA cases that can take ADA money.

I need people to let the system work

I need to be able to not let people twist up my money so that when they need more of it, I can actually get it

[tanishka123]

The Content Marketing Landscape in 2024: Trends, Strategies, and Why It Matters More Than Ever

The digital landscape is ever-evolving, and staying ahead of the curve is crucial for businesses of all sizes. In this dynamic environment, content marketing remains a powerful tool, but its strategies need to adapt to keep pace. Here at Wranc Marketing Agency, we’re passionate about helping businesses leverage content to thrive. So, buckle up as we delve into the content marketing landscape of 2024 and explore why it’s more important than ever.

Unveiling the Content Marketing Powerhouse: Why It Matters

Content marketing isn’t just a fad; it’s a strategic approach that delivers tangible results. Here’s how it empowers your business:

Building Brand Awareness: High-quality content positions you as an authority in your field. People discover your brand through informative blog posts, insightful articles, or engaging social media content, establishing you as a trusted resource.

Lead Generation Powerhouse: Content that addresses your target audience’s pain points acts as a lead magnet. Valuable ebooks, white papers, or webinars attract potential customers seeking solutions, nurturing them into qualified leads.

Website Traffic on Autopilot: Content optimized for search engines improves your ranking, driving organic traffic to your website. This means more eyes on your brand and your offerings, all thanks to the power of content.

Loyalty Through Value: Consistent, informative content builds trust and loyalty with your audience. By providing valuable resources, you establish yourself as a thought leader, fostering long-term relationships with your customers.

Sales Acceleration: Content plays a vital role in the sales funnel. Educational blog posts nurture leads at the awareness stage, while product comparisons and case studies help them make informed decisions, ultimately leading to conversions.

Content Marketing in 2024: Embracing the Cutting Edge

The content marketing landscape is constantly evolving. Here are some key trends to watch for:

The Rise of AI: Artificial intelligence is making waves in content creation. From generating topic ideas to streamlining content workflows, AI can be a valuable asset, allowing you to focus on strategy and high-level content development.

Personalization Takes Center Stage: Today’s audiences crave personalized experiences. AI will further enhance content personalization, allowing you to tailor content to individual user preferences and interests, leading to higher engagement.

The Short-Form Video Boom: Short-form video platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels are exploding. Businesses need to create compelling, bite-sized video content that captures attention in a fast-paced world.

The Employee Advocate Advantage: Employees are a powerful marketing force. Empowering them to share company content on their social media platforms can create a network of brand advocates, fostering authenticity and trust.

A Return to Basics: While exciting new trends emerge, remember the core principles of content marketing: quality, consistency, and value. Focus on creating informative and engaging content that truly resonates with your target audience.

Building a Winning Content Marketing Strategy in 2024: A Step-by-Step Guide

Ready to harness the power of content marketing for your business? Here’s a roadmap to get you started:

Know Your Audience: Define your ideal customer profile. Understanding their demographics, interests, and pain points allows you to create content that speaks directly to them.

Set SMART Goals: Define Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound goals for your content marketing strategy. What do you want to achieve? Increased brand awareness? Lead generation?

Content Audit: Take stock of your existing content. Identify high-performing pieces and areas for improvement. This audit will inform your content creation strategy moving forward.

Content Calendar Creation: Plan your content creation to ensure consistency. Create a calendar that outlines topics, formats, and publishing schedules.

Content Diversification: Experiment with different content formats – blog posts, infographics, videos, podcasts – to cater to diverse learning styles and audience preferences.

SEO Optimization: Optimize your content for search engines by incorporating relevant keywords naturally. This increases your content’s visibility in search results.

Content Promotion Powerhouse: Promote your content across various channels like social media, email marketing, and influencer partnerships. Maximize your reach and engagement.

Embrace Analytics: Track your content’s performance using analytics tools. Analyze key metrics like website traffic, engagement rates, and lead generation to measure success and refine your strategy.

Wranc Marketing Agency: Your Content Marketing Partner

At Wranc Marketing Agency, we understand the complexities of content marketing in today’s dynamic landscape. We offer a comprehensive suite of services to help you create a winning content strategy:

Content Strategy Development: We work

with you to understand your business goals and target audience. We then develop a data-driven content strategy that aligns with your overall marketing objectives.

Content Creation Powerhouse: Our team of skilled writers, editors, and graphic designers can create high-quality content across various formats, ensuring it’s informative, engaging, and resonates with your audience.

SEO Optimization Magic: We optimize your content for search engines, increasing its visibility and driving organic traffic to your website.

Content Promotion Expertise: We leverage various digital marketing channels to promote your content and maximize its reach and engagement. From social media marketing to influencer partnerships, we’ll get your content seen by the right people.

Content Analytics Advantage: We track your content’s performance and provide insightful reports, allowing you to measure success and continuously refine your content marketing strategy.

By partnering with Wranc Marketing Agency, you gain a team of content marketing experts dedicated to helping you achieve your business goals.

Ready to take your content marketing to the next level? Contact Wranc Marketing Agency today for a free consultation!

[reliquiaen]

(from arisenreborn) Pawn #3, Arisen & Pawn #15, World & Story #3

thanks so much for asking !! ♥ took me a bit to get to it because work this week has been UGH you understand?

questions are here.

Pawn #3: If they were infected with the Dragonsplague, are there any specific ways they would act differently? 

oh so when tarbh gets dragonsplague, vashka can basically tell immediately because she’s suddenly so much meaner than usual? like her sass just SHOOTS off the charts and there’s much less of her charming labrador energy. suddenly tarbh is back chatting. “tarbh will you do this” “oh of COURSE arisen it would be my PLEASURE arisen may i clean your boots arisen???” and vashka just. ok. stop that. vashka is normally in a state of Vague Annoyance at how devoted and wholesome tarbh is so when she stops doing that and starts advocating for walking past old ladies in need or homeless people begging for charity because it’s “a waste of time and resources” vashka right away starts plotting how to push her off a ledge to cleanse her of this evil.

“yes of course i'll set up the tent this evening arisen, heaven forbid you should trouble yourself after i did all the heavy lifting in that fight earlier, wouldn’t want you to strain a muscle, perish the thought”

A&P #15: Do they have a favorite place in the world; be it a town or a particular area or view they’re fond of?

vashka's favourite place is pretty much wherever there’s not a lot of people to bother her. she loves the ocean, rivers, lakes, etc, so anywhere she’s got a nice view of some water that’s perfect. if it’s isolated AND near water? she’s definitely there somewhere. if you want specific to dd2, then harve village. when they passed through there for brant hunting saurians she was instantly enamoured with it – reminds her of her hometown, which, admittedly, doesn’t have LOADS of particularly fond memories, but it’s the general vibe and that salty tang to the air that hit her in the nostalgia.

it's extremely cheesy, but tarbh’s favourite place is wherever vashka is. i am not kidding or being hyperbolic when i say that tarbh is just exactly like a loyal puppy dog. she gave up a lot to join vashka and it fills her with such hope that they can make things better. she also finds a certain peace in churches; something about the high, vaulted ceilings and the colourful stained glass windows, and the smell of the incense, the soft rustle of robes… sends her back to her childhood when things were simple and good and evil were easy to delineate and she misses that. even vashka can’t be easily pigeonholed into Good or Evil and that was confusing for tarbh for a long time, and while it makes sense NOW, there’s just… a comfortable familiarity in churches.

W&S #3: Regardless of whether you adhere to the in-game counter or not, how long do you think their journey took? Did they book it with a sense of urgency, or did things get drawn out - and why? 

vashka ALWAYS strives to be efficient in any task she sets her mind to, so while she would like to complete her quest by beelining it to the dragon so she can stab him in the eyeball or whatever, there’s always red tape. always. she knows this. which is why she likes having tarbh around: to down obstacles when they arise, it’s generally faster than talking things out or… you know… politics and stuff. (she hates politics). assuming they take a bit of time to help people when it seems beneficial to do so (does vashka get something out of this? no? then goodbye) and for stopping to smell some metaphorical roses (which is to say: tarbh is too large to be physically moved by vashka and too pure of heart to be bullied when she takes it into her head to help someone), i'd say it takes them between one and three months. vashka is the opposite of savan: she takes a wagon because it’s faster and she shows up WILDLY underlevelled to her boss fight lmao

[thelikesoffinn]

What does a social worker do? At their job I mean. I thought they were mostly volunteers, you know, everyday-helpers without any specific knowledge? Because I can't really underatand how you know so much about trauma and coping and stuff, do you need that at work?

I'm sorry if it's dumb to asks, but we don't have social workers in my country, me thinks, so I'm really confused.

Ugh, straight to the heart, petal! How could you! (Jk ily all good I swear ❤️)

What a social worker does really depends on the country you live in. So I can't 100% narrow it down to a specific explanation because a social worker from the US, one from South Korea and I will all work really differently.

But, in most countries, at least a bachelors degree is needed to become a social worker. In my country specifically, it can be in social work, social paediatrics, social sciences (with limitations), sociology (with limitations), early childhood paediatrics, and paediatrics. Each of these courses essentially teach the same things with different focal points - social pediatrics will pay more attention to upbringing, education and such while social sciences are more focused on social sciences are more concerned about societies influence on the individual and so on. (Personally, I'm a huge advocate for social work as a major, btw. It combines social paediatrics, social sciences, paediatrics, and sociology, which gives you a well-rounded skill set.)

As for what exactly we do...well, that really really depends. On your country, as stated priorly, and then on the area you work in. In my country, social workers are basically everywhere.

We work in hospitals, hospices, retirement homes, and homes for the disabled and sanatoriums. We work in schools, kindergartens, and orphanages. We work in jails, courts, and police stations - both with victims and offenders. We work in offices where we do counselling for refugees, parents, pregnant people, couples, youths, elderly, those with debt, those with ailments, and those who just need help.

We're mediators, we're financial advisors, we're there to explain medical mumbo jumbo in simple layman's terms, we're there to find out why a teen doesn't want to go to school anymore, we're the people who carry abused children away from their abusive families, and we're there to make sure a victim isn't harmed further just because the police and the court can't be bothered to protect their boundaries.

So, as you can tell, it's pretty difficult to narrow down what exactly a social worker does because we pretty much do everything. Especially in my country, because we don't need extra licenses of anything.

Once you've got your bachelors degree, you can work in all those areas I mentioned, which obviously requires a pretty extensive education and knowledge in many different fields.

But the one thing all those areas have in common is the main question social workers run by.

"What does the individual need to live the life they want?"

So, in all those areas, we always listen to the individual - their wants and fears - and then take a good look at them - their history, the people around them as well as where they live and where they grew up. That is always in order to find out what resources the individual already has and which one we can still activate but also to see what is still missing so that the individual gets to live the life they want.

So, as an example, let's say we have... Thomas O'Malley. A dude in his mid-30s, recently released from jail. His charges read drug abuse and causing bodily harm while under the influence.

Now that he's out, he needs to find both a job and a flat, and he wants to get back into playing football. Jail helped him to get clean, but now that he's out, he's scared that he might relapse. And lastly, Thomas really wants to see his daughter Mary again, but his ex-wife Duchesse doesn't want him to.

As a social worker, we'd write that list down and then get to the questions to find out what resources Thomas already has. Maybe his brothers best friend owns an apartment building and is willing to rent one to him? And if he's scared he might relapse, is there anyone that would stay with him for a while so that he's not alone? At least until we can secure a buddy for him?

After that, we start to weave our own things into it. I'm going to make a pretty generic list down there so that you can imagine what it would look like:

1. Flat: Maybe rent from brothers' friend - call friend to find out what would be required.

2. Job: Call Mr. Jones from the Work Bureau so that Thomas is in their system so that potential employers can reach out to him. Also, since the client mentioned he has issues with writing a CV, contact Eric from the Job Bureau to hook him up with a free CV course

3. Football as a hobby - Contact Michael from the football association and ask about a trial session for their hobby league and what documents would be necessary to join

4. Relapse - Talk to Miss O'Malley, Thomas' parents, about staying with them until a buddy is available. Contact Miss Evernever from the BuddyProject to make sure Thomas is on their list and will be assigned a live-in buddy soon.

5. His daughter Mary - Contact either Miss Duchesse or her lawyer/social worker/whatever to find out why she doesn't want Thomas near Mary and what would need to happen before he's allowed to see her again and what middle ground can be found until then.

So as you can see, there's a lot of calling and e-mailing and all that stuff. Since i'm all about you helping yourself, I'd let the client do the calling themself as much as possible.

So if we stick with Thomas, I would let him deal with 1 - 3 himself - bar the CV course, because you mostly need to know someone to get into those easily, so I'd do that one - and I personally would do 4 and 5.

4 because it's often better if a "person of authority" makes such calls because it highlights a certain amount of pressure and serves as reassurance that the client actually wants that help and 5 because firstly, Duchesse herself may be more willing to talk to someone who's neutral, and secondly...well, if I talk to them first, I can make sure to phrase any information that is relayed to Thomas in a way that won't harm him, which mitigates the chance of a desperation-driven relapse.

That rundown is pretty much standard and can be shoved into any available area of social work. But of course, it's really only the very basic core of the job itself, and there's much more to it than just that. What exactly depends on where you're working and who you're working with. But I hoped this helped paint a picture for you!

[josephsafespace]

My outlook on Bradley Rooney

First Impressions

When I first met Bradley Rooney I don’t even know long ago I literally assumed he was gay. He had the ugliest blonde hair I’ve ever seen. He just looked really skinny (his BMI is 18) and just I didn’t like him. He just seemed like the basic gay bitchy white man that wants to be a LGBTIAQ+ advocate.

His whole like personality

He’s like nice he’s not really nice. He’s capable of being a bitch. Oh, just it’s Bradley Rooney. He just seems like the type of person because he’s smart and nerdy that if you get on the bad side of him, he’s gonna write like an 1,000 word essay on Instagram/Facebook about how much he hates you. One time he just admitted he got himself into drama because someone called him “manipulative”. Instantly I go, isn’t that because you’re Bradley Rooney? Even I can go… you’re like smart right? And you also work as a positive behavioural psychologist AND you have a bachelors in psychology I don’t know what you major in… isn’t that what you studied in uni? All people who do psychology in uni like Lockie my support worker or Andrew my support worker all of them have the same personality. Like once you let them open up and get to know them, they’re capable of being a bitch. Lockie Williams had an Instagram perfect account and I just snaked him on a fake account saying that he looked gay and he instantly blocked me. Andrew even he is all “I don’t use Instagram because I don’t want drama.” Bradley Rooney tried being all like “oh I just literally deleted Facebook and Instagram and social media” and I’m just all like “so you don’t use ANY messaging apps? What’s the point of having a mobile phone then?”

How does he do his job?

If you bring up LGBTIAQ+ issues he gets super involved, literally whipping out his IPad Air and going like “here are statistics of LGBTIAQ+ getting bullied in schools.” And I just literally: “I saw the same set of statistics when I was like in year 9… those statistics are outdated now.” Even I use go like: “I went to high school from 2015-2020. All the LGBTIAQ+ material is all old though. There’s 0 coverage of Cyberbullying. Doesn’t even mention Instagram. Does t even mention Snapchat. Doesn’t mention TikTok. Cat fishing, account phishing, account hacking… if you really want to prevent the bullying of LGBTIAQ+ youth schools need to actually update their resources that aren’t from 2010.”

Even for me, Bradley is already 30+ years old. He graduated over 12 years ago. In 2023-12=2011. Instagram doesn’t exist yet. Definitely not Snapchat. Facebook does exist. Facebook is for old people. People don’t even watch TV anymore.

What did Bradley Rooney do when he was in high school?

“Oh just literally me not showing up to PE because it’s not a real class so I can just skip school. I just really thought I was a little shit.”

See?

Why do you think I hate my life. I was fresh out of high school when you first met me.

I did the same thing.

Year 7

“I hate German. It’s useless. Don’t study for it.”

“Miss Rota is very Rota in history.”

“Literally Ms. Shepard never turns up to teach us geography.”

“Literally Ms. sorenson is fat in Maths.”

“Literaly Ms. Fischer just showed us a Netflix movie of she’s the man or whatever because nobody in the class was trying.”

“PE/HPE nobody studies and nobody studies because it’s not a real class.”

“Food Tech isn’t a real class. It’s food tech. All we literally do is bake cookies and I made fried rice.”

“Maths. Ok. That’s a real subject.”

“English. You have to do that in year 12. It’s a real subject.”

“Science. That’s a real subject.”

Even me,

- food tech = cooking? Useless

- VCD = no future

- Art = useless, homeless, working at McDonalds

German = useless

Chinese = I speak it at home and go to Chinese school

Geography/history = humanities which is useless

Music = useless because I don’t play an instrument

Maths/Science/English = real subjects

Weekly sport = double period of doing nothing

Night of notables = everyone did it the night before

Why the rant about year 7?

Even if you’re nerdy like me, you still want to be popular. Nerds don’t try in year 7.

[regular-lord-reckoner]

i don’t want to speak too soon in case none of this works out, but...i think i figured out my job situation possibly ?? 

my mom seems to be pretty confident that it wouldn’t be that hard for me to be hired on as a full time employee at where i’m at with my second job and that they could probably get a few more providers who need their charts done as well so that i’d have enough work to justify a full time position AND that i could potentially get $15 an hour (which......i don’t see why not, pretty much all the other jobs i know how to do there are paying that much apparently and i.....definitely have not been making that) 

this would be great because it’s something i can do from home so like....not only do i no longer have to do public speaking, i don’t even have to interact with people!! 

the more important thing, though, is that right now my dad’s having a lot of issues with his hip. i’m not entirely sure what all is going on, my mom seems to think right now surgery is the best course of action rather than just physical therapy, but it’s giving him a lot of grief and making it hard for him to do a lot of the stuff he normally does

which...he already has a lot of health problems and in general is just getting older so he’s had to slow down a lot, but now he’s using a cane and even with the medications he’s taking he’ll still be in so much pain he can’t walk and it zaps all his energy so i’ve already been having to do things around the house he normally does and run errands for him, but if i were working from home (and at a company that knows me and knows my mom and would be understanding if i needed to take off to help him) it would probably be best. especially because one of the things we’re most worried about is him being here by himself while we’re both at work and he falls somewhere and can’t get to the phone or something. 

as for my insurance situation, i’m going to turn in an enrollment form tomorrow to cobra my current plan at least until the first of the year. i’ve already met my deductible and out of pocket so i’d really like to be able to keep what i’ve got now so i don’t rack up additional medical debt. 

after the first of the year i’ll either go on this company’s insurance plan since i’ll be full time (and i’m hoping by then they’ll have picked a better plan because their insurance last time i worked there SUCKED) or i’ll look into the marketplace and see what’s available and if there isn’t anything better i’ll just stick with theirs, but either way i should be covered 

the only downside to this route is that keeping my insurance right now is probably gonna be like $600 a month, but my mom said she’d help me with it and i’ll just keep track of how much it is (i think all told it’ll be like...$2,400?) and i’ll slowly pay her back the same way i’m slowly paying off my medical bills 

monetarily speaking that means i’ve really got to be careful about my spending and not just....buy shit i don’t need so i’m going to try my best to not do that and the only little treats i’ll give myself will be few and far between, but i’m hoping with making that much more an hour i should be able to more quickly pay all this shit off and be back to a position where i can actually start saving money......i hope!!! 

i think this will be good too because i really more than anything just need to be in a position where i can start focusing on my mental health and doing everything i need to in order to sort all that out. this job could give me the time to do that, plus since i’ll be home there’s also a lot of cleaning and organizing i need to do that should hopefully be easier to do since i’ll be right here. 

i’ll also be saving a lot on gas too since i won’t have to be commuting 30 minutes to work and 30 minutes home every day so all in all i think it’ll be a good plan i just....need everything to come together and be official before i can breathe easier 

but....things might be okay !!! i hope !! 

also there’s apparently going to be a new m83 album out next month so that’s something to look forward to for sure !! 

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

anyway since this shitcourse is all over tweeter today and I like to try educating folks where I can:

it doesn't matter if sex work is empowering. literally irrelevant. some sex workers love it, some wouldn't do it if they didn't need the money, and some have feelings that fall elsewhere on the continuum between those two things.

regardless, they deserve resources that will make them safer when they're working.

to be clear: this isn't about people who are victims of sex trafficking, which is entirely different than sex work. people who have been trafficked, of course, deserve the help and resources they need, but their mistreatment is not shovel to beat people who have opted into sex work over the head with.

this is the point where you might be saying "but Makenzie, if a sex worker doesn't like their job and is only doing it for the money, have they really 'opted in'? isn't that nonconsensual sex?"

first off - no, literally listen to sex workers talk about this. acting like any sex that someone has with a sex worker is inherently nonconsensual is as dangerous as implying that any sex must be consensual, because either way you're deciding that sex workers don't get to be the ones to decide which sex they did or didn't agree to have. sex workers absolutely can experience rape and sexual assault, and that's an issue that needs to be taken seriously, but acting like any sex for money is inherently violating muddies the issue in a way that doesn't help anyone except people looking to criminalize sex workers.

secondly: hey. listen. have you ever in your life had a job that you didn't especially love and wouldn't have done if we didn't live in a capitalist hellscape where money is required to obtain basic necessities like shelter, food, and medicine? yeah, of course you have. sure, without outside forces influencing you, you probably wouldn't have taken that job. that job probably wasn't empowering. but that doesn't mean you were being trafficked, and it definitely doesn't mean you didn't still deserve to advocate for better, safer working conditions at that job.

whether they like their work or not, sex workers deserve to be able to work safely and without being criminalized. shouting at them that they're objectifying themselves, that their work isn't empowering, that they're setting back feminism - none of that helps them in any way. imagine walking up to a group of factory workers striking for better pay and safer working conditions and telling them that they ought to just work on abolishing capitalism instead of doing such demeaning labor. that's an unhinged thing to say, and willfully ignores the reality that capitalist violence won't end over night and workers need money now.

a whole lot of so-called feminists show their entire ass when they actively fight against measures that sex workers support in the name of "protecting women," often working against the very thing those sex working women are begging to have implemented for their own safety and livelihoods. shut up and listen to what sex workers actually need if you want to help them so badly, and if you're desperate for them to quit sex work altogether then pay for their rent, groceries, student loans, etc, yourself.

if you want to learn more about sex work FROM sex workers who write from an explicitly anti-capitalist lens, and how badly sex workers have been burned by measures rolled out in the name of "protecting" them in various countries, I seriously recommend the book Revolting Prostitutes by Molly Smith and Juno Mac - it's one of the most enlightening books I've ever read.

[fromthewondersystem]

System Communication and Journaling

Since we don’t know a lot to do with innerworlds, I focused on the communication part of today’s prompt for summer system education week.

I wanna share some resources I’ve found on system communication and journaling (which I’m a huge advocate for. Out of the many different ways we’ve tried to communicate, journaling has been the most helpful for us.) I also recently got a pre-set-up journal recommended by my therapist, and I’d like to share some of the things in there as well.

Ok, before getting into journaling, here are some general system communication resources I’ve found:

Internal Communication- The Core of Treatment for Dissociative Identity Disorder

Developing Internal Communication - Starting with the Basics

Reducing Amnesia - Developing Co-Consciousness

Integrating ‘new’ parts

Staying Organized with Dissociative Identity Disorder (talks about some different communication methods)

For journaling, my first source is about How to Journal for DID. I’d also like to note some tips:

In free journaling, make sure to put the date, time (if able), and name of the alter journaling. If you’re unsure who’s journaling, put who you might be, who you’re closest to, who you may feel like a mix of, or if you really can’t tell, just put Blurry (or Unknown, if applicable).

Try to write every day. Set a reminder for yourself on your phone or something if it will help, set aside some time to just write.

If you can’t think of anything to write, and prompts don’t help, just start writing. It can be anything, notes, activities, even drawings count. Also beginning to write makes it easier to continue and let ideas flow.

You can write to no one in particular or to the world, but you can also write to other alters. Some conversations can occur back and forth in your journal pages. Even if it takes a few days or weeks for the other alter to see your writing, it can still be helpful.

Read through your journal and re-read it from time to time. Are there entries you don’t remember? Or ones you vaguely remember but feel different reading them as you? You can also write responses to alters asking questions or writing to you.

If you want, feel free to mark out different section for different alters, or a section specifically for talking to others in the system, etc. You can mark them with small post-it notes or bookmarks, so you may know more easily where to look for certain information or notes.

Next I’m gonna share the sections of the journal I got, along with some resources to go with different sections (many are from did-sos.com, because man, it’s a great resource site). Some are relevant to multiple sections, but I’ll only write each one once. I’ll put these below a cut since this post is already turning out to be a little long.

Link to get this journal if you’re interested

Section 1: System Rules - Write down system rules for this diary and also your system rules for behavior, decision-making, attending therapy, and more.

Relevant Resources: Hierarchies and Cooperation

Section 2: Alter Check-In - Write down alter name, switch start time, duration of switch, date, and switch trigger and other notes to communicate to the other alters.

Relevant Resources: Team Meetings and conflict solving

Section 3: Alter Introduction and Profile Pages - Include (applicable) info such as name of alter, age, birthday, gender identity, sexuality preference, likes, dislikes, relevant categorizations (aka roles), and other notes.

Relevant Resources: Roll call, Working with categories of parts to solve complex dynamics

Section 4: System Map Pages

“Use [the map pages] to map the host and other alters, group them with things they have in common.

Keep in mind elements like how much time they spend occupying the body, who is the leader, who is a helper.

Think about who does the alter seek help from, who do they in turn help themselves.

Note the different relationships between the alters, e.g. who else is the alter aware of, who is that alter closest to, and who are they most distant from.

What type of jobs and personalities does each alter have.

Remember to date your map to see how it changes over time.”

Look up some templates (like mind maps) for ideas on creating your map.

Relevant Resources: Mapping for DID/OSDD systems

Section 5: Gratitude Prompts and Inspirational Quotes - Answer these questions to break out of negative thoughts patterns and refocus on the things that make you happy and grateful.

Relevant Resources: Happiness/gratefulness journal

Section 6: DID Symptom Tracker, Mood vs. Energy Log, and Lined Journal Pages

Daily Energy vs. Mood Tracker - Track your daily energy and mood using different colors on this line chart - note your triggers below. (The line chart included has on the left side a battery scale, with it being 0% at the bottom and 100% at the top. On the right is a mood scale with five different faces, the top being very happy and the bottom being very upset. The chart goes Monday through Sunday.)

DID Symptom Tracker Pictures

Relevant Resources for Journaling: The Journal in Trauma Therapy, Structured Journaling Exercises for Therapy, Resource Game for DID, Your (scrap)book of resources

[mbti-notes]

INFJ. Processing past Fe failures. Want to get better at socializing / having deeper relationships/friendships. Muddling through Ti development - desiring to get better at self-awareness + communication. A lot in my brain and it'd be a lot to share the entirety of recent exchanges that have ended up in failed relationships, so I'll try asking this and hope it's enough to get critical thinking help from you, thank you much in advance. (1/2)

[con't: I notice a pattern of me trying to communicate and express myself to be understand by, or be emotionally met by Fi users, and them responding by saying things like "I don't know what you want from me", "I don't know how to help you," "I'm sorry you feel that way" or them even saying variations of "Maybe you're not used to my communication style" (ENTJ) if I express that I feel dismissed, uncomfortable, or disrespected.

This isn't ALL Fi users thank God & I'm in therapy now to address my downplaying of my emotional needs, being willing to work through anything even though the romantic relationships I'm attracting are woefully incompatible or unhealthy. But I want to get better at doing my part to increase the chance of relationships building. What am I doing/expecting/judging in my communication with Fi users so they respond that way or has me feeling being unseen/misunderstood? Is it the basic INFJ recs?]

You point to Fi specifically. Fi doesn't require outside validation, so perhaps what you're encountering is their lack of concept of outside validation, in the manner that you're seeking it with Fe.

All of those example statements sound like they could be taken sincerely. "I don't know what you want from me" could be an opportunity for you to better explain what you need/want. "I don't know how to help you" could be an opportunity for you to provide better instructions. "I'm sorry you feel that way" could be a helpless admission that the two of you don't see things the same way. "Maybe you're not used to my communication style" could be an indication that there is a need to investigate the big gap between what was perceived and what was actually intended.

Not everyone is going to see eye-to-eye with you, not everyone is going to agree with your version of events, not everyone is going to care about your needs and feelings enough to address them kindly and patiently. This should all be okay with you unless you were walking around expecting everyone out there to have the capacity to meet you emotionally or validate your emotions (unhealthy Fe)? That's simply not gonna happen, so it's an unreasonable expectation. That's why it's so important that YOU be the first to take care of yourself and own your emotions, set proper personal boundaries, and navigate interpersonal boundaries more gracefully.

If you feel someone has violated your boundary (i.e. you feel hurt by them), the answer isn't to violate theirs in return. You're trying to fix a problem in the relationship, so further damaging the relationship isn't going to help. Whether you are right to feel hurt is not the main issue. Feelings themselves are always true and tell you something true about you. However, what you DO about the feelings isn't always right. There are two main ways people deal with negative feelings: 1) bottle them up, which amounts to self-harm, or 2) express them, which opens up the possibility of doing harm to others, if they don't have the means to process your feelings. Neither way is ideal.

If your main approach is to expect people to change (when they can't or don't want to), expect them to give you more than they are capable of giving (due to not having the means or resources), expect them to understand something that they are not really capable of understanding (when they just don't think in the same way as you), etc, your expectations are easily perceived as "demands". You're essentially pressuring people to be what you want them to be, which amounts to dishonoring them and violating their boundary. This approach is usually met with submission or resistance. If they submit to you (because they care for you), they will be unhappy for having allowed you to violate their boundary, and the problem will recur because it was only swept under the rug. If they resist you, conflict ensues, and the relationship bond will be tested and possibly threatened, especially if the conflict recurs without resolution.

There is a way to honor your feelings while also honoring others' feelings. It requires you to have good emotional intelligence and be a good communicator. Good emotional intelligence means respecting your feelings and taking full responsibility for them. Instead of seeing yourself as the victim (i.e. "you made me feel this way"), you see yourself as an agent with the power to decide what is best (i.e. "I feel this way and this is what I should do about it"). Positioning yourself as a passive or helpless victim means that you cast blame and eventually demand reparations. Positioning yourself as an active and influential agent means that you survey the situation objectively and then try to act in the best interests of everyone involved. This is what healthy and confident Fe should look like.

For example, when you feel dismissed, maybe you bottle it up for awhile, until you can't take it anymore (because the problem remains unaddressed). Then you confront people and say, "I feel dismissed". This implies that the other person has done something bad to you. You are the victim, which puts them on the spot, feeling like the bad guy, and then they can't hear you, due to becoming too preoccupied with not wanting to be the bad guy. Communication is likely to stall there, unless they have the wherewithal (emotional intelligence) to keep their focus on you and your concerns.

Instead, you could say to yourself, "I feel dismissed". You take full responsibility for your feelings and validate them for yourself. When you are good at validating your own feelings and emotions (something you admit you really struggle with), you'll eventually find that you won't need to rely on others to do it for you.

What does it mean to feel dismissed? It means that you believe you're not being taken seriously, or something to that effect. Not very difficult to understand. What to do about it? The feeling of disharmony is a message to you that you have to do more to advocate for yourself and make space for yourself within the relationship/group (it is good Fe advice). There are many ways to advocate for yourself without stepping on others. If you choose the right way, in terms of honoring everyone involved, the feeling of being dismissed will dissipate naturally. If you choose the wrong way, in terms of honoring yourself but dishonoring others, you'll encounter the problem again, because you haven't addressed the underlying problem of you positioning yourself as the victim in every relationship conflict. Chronic victim mentality is often an indication that you depend too much on outside validation of your self-worth.

Unless you are stuck in a very toxic social environment, the majority of people are not malicious for no reason. Before accusing or blaming, are you absolutely certain that they INTENDED to dismiss you? If not, wouldn't it be wise to gather more info? For instance, you could ask something like, "Have you had the time to give my idea serious consideration?" No blaming, no battling, no victim-victimizer dynamic. Do you understand how communicating without blame, through genuine inquiry, avoids trapping the both of you in a vicious cycle of seeking emotional reparations? You give people the benefit of the doubt. You give people the chance to clarify or explain. You give yourself the chance to grasp the FULL picture so that you can make a more informed decision about what to do (based on their response to your question). But this presence of mind isn't possible when you can't accept your feelings/emotions and they run wild as a result.

One common misapplication of Ti is the tendency to jump to illogical conclusions or make up illogical stories about what is motivating people's negative behavior, all the while believing that you're being completely logical. It's a destructive way to deal with negative or disharmonious feelings. Once the false narrative infects your mind, you can't help but perceive the person as attacking you, even when they're not. This misuse of Ti is a major impediment to relationship building.

The problem with victim mentality is that you are hyperfocused on your perspective only, so you only have half the picture, which means making ill-informed decisions. If you are prone to Ti loop, you need to get to the bottom of why you're so quick to position yourself in the passive position of victim. A healthy relationship should be an equal partnership based on trust, which means that you should always try to 1) give people the benefit of the doubt, and 2) gather the facts of the situation before drawing a conclusion about what they intended or what kind of character they are.

If the fact of the matter is that the person really doesn't care about your feelings, then you know not to seek validation from them, and perhaps distance from them for your own good. Don't play around in toxic or abusive relationships. If the fact of the matter is that your perception of the situation doesn't match up with what they intended to say/do, then it's up to you to straighten out the situation in your mind before proceeding.

Trust your feelings, validate your feelings, but don't act blindly on them (i.e. without fully grasping what's happening with the other person). Figure out why exactly you're feeling what you're feeling, then take it up with the person in a way that addresses the root of the problem and in a way that doesn't immediately put them on the defensive. Conflict is sometimes unavoidable, but being more skilled at communicating your concerns will certainly reduce the amount of pain required to reach a resolution.

[300iqprower]

Okay might as well stop putting it off and post this. Was gonna title this “Disability and Dark Souls” but 1. This isn’t actually about Dark Souls itself, 2. That makes it seem like it’ll have way more cohesion than it does. Long-ass rambling to follow.

Remember this vent post that I wasn’t expecting anyone whatsoever to acknowledge? Well things happened and I guess I’m making up a followup. Specifically one that talks about the issues I have with Sekrio Shadows Die Twice as someone with a motor function disability, (specifically minor dyspraxia, a neurodevelopmental condition which affects fine motor skills). The rest of this is basically going to one long ramble very loosely framed as something of a rebuttal to the generic and oft presented idea that Fromsoftware’s approach to difficulty and accessibility is not just flawless, but specifically something that would ruin everything about their games if the formula was in any way changed. So it’s probably going to have redundancies and defensive language and be a clumsy mix of relaying my personal experiences and me trying to prove a point. Ok? Don’t say i didn’t warn you.

…So then, to go back to that original post, it used Elden Ring as an example, which out of Fromsoft’s lineup is pretty much at the opposite end of the spectrum from the aforementioned Sekiro. For that exact reason though, I think there’s merit to describing the experience of one and applying it to the other, both to show how Elden Ring alleviates the issue but also why it’s a discussion that still needs to be had, because if it can happen to one then it can still very much apply to the other; that’s inherent to the design philosophy of a company like Fromstoftware who make changes to the same base mold for all their titles, even when they severely diverge in opposite directions the way Sekiro and Elden Ring do when compared to Dark Souls. And also because the point still applies, even if my issue with present design actually lies with Sekiro. That doesn’t mean that anytime someone brings up easy modes over Elden Ring, they should still be shushed and shamed with this idea that actively rejecting accessibility is somehow a moral high ground. That’s something I wanna highlight before getting into it further. The issue was never that these games should be forced to have an easy mode; the issue is the people who actively seek to prevent these games from having an easy mode. There is no moral high ground that entitles you to think it’s ever a bad thing to be more accessible, and it’s not on you, me, or anyone else to deny the existence of such features. If I advocate for an easy mode, it’s because I have a reason to believe it’s optional inclusion would improve the experience for certain groups. The same by definition cannot apply to someone seeking to prevent the existence of such things. Reasons such as resource drain can be given for why the development wouldn’t allow for it, but to react with vitriol to the idea of an easy mode existing goes well beyond any worthy intention into pure gatekeeping. That’s why my original question was NOT “If it’s so great, why doesn’t it have an easy mode?” despite that being the question people seemed to have responded to. My question was “If it’s such an amazing game, why do people act like an optional easier difficulty would ruin the entire game including the people who clearly just wouldn’t use that option if it did exist?” So to restate, Elden Ring is only tangential, and only originally included because of how other people (such as the 'shithead youtuber' in question) take a scattershot approach of lumping it in with Dark Souls and Sekiro whenever talking about why NONE of them should be allowed to have varying difficulty settings or general accessibility. All clear? Have I alienated enough people yet? Okay. Let’s move on I guess. If this is written defensively (it is), it’s because I’m all too used to being met with hostility over all this.

Dark Souls, Elden Ring, and all the other Fromsoftware games don’t necessarily need an easy mode, but that was not the point being made. The point being made was that lacking an easy mode is not a necessity; accessibility options would be appreciated. There’s a difference between a mode that is completely rebalanced, using up time and resources to put in an entirely different difficulty setting that won't even be the intended experience, and something as simple as a crutch, like Sekiro having slow-mo without explicitly modding the game. This is to say nothing of games that already take the approach of creating one intended difficulty and simply adding easier or harder modes with basic number tweaks rather than anything in depth like rettoled AI or placement, both creating an intended and delicately crafted experience as well as providing accessibility. Personally I will always take the ‘crutch’ though over artificial difficulty, both because it’s much more streamlined and because such solutions are easy to weave into the core gameplay (the Sniper Elite series has a great example, the aim cursor and bullet-time like effects of holding your breath becoming less effective the more you increase the difficulty but also allowing you to fully disable it at any time in the options even on lower difficulties).

All that said, and here’s where people get even touchier about this discussion… there’s absolutely a difference between dedicated accessibility options and just having proper gameplay balance, the same way accessibility is not as simple as having different builds. Look I love Fromsoft as much as anyone else and when it comes to their game design they’re impeccable; the variety of approaches absolutely helps, and it has directly helped me in DS1 especially. It’s also for that exact reason, however, Sekiro is so problematic both for myself and many others to the point it completely reignited this discussion of ‘should there be an easy mode’ unlike ever before upon release. What I’m getting at is, that variety definitely pastes over what would otherwise be inconsiderately hard game design, hard to the point of more empirically warranting various difficulty. Fromsoft ingeniously chose to use its variety of approach and mechanics as a way to eliminate the need for such things, that’s true. They should also absolutely be praised for that! But if they then turn around and make something like Sekiro that removes that aspect entirely with its heavily streamlined design focusing on reflexive parrying above all else, then it calls the whole system into question. And now is the part where people always point to how they beat it, or how many people ‘overcame’ it, or whatever. Some people can even beat these games with a ddr pad. Good for them, it’s an incredible feat and worthy of accolades. But for people to then use such feats as “proof” the game is “already accessible” when some people are physically disabled and unable to properly play a game that requires, say, pinpoint dodges and parries with extremely punishing gameplay, is not just disingenuous, it’s a complete fallacy. There’s a point to be made about external solutions, things like creating controllers that can accommodate such people, but external solutions are not a reason nor an excuse for game designers to not meet them halfway if possible; as I said there’s a difference between rebalancing and at least a cheat toggle, oversimplified a solution that may be. That’s the key word: Toggle. Option. You don’t have to use it. Stop acting like it’s very existence is a detriment when you can choose to not engage with it at all. Dark Souls 2 isn’t ludicrously unfair because the Covenant of Champions exists. Ya know, because you can just NOT use it. Why doesn’t the same apply to the inverse?

I did DS2 with that covenant btw. I also did a 100% run of Bloodborne. I own DS3 too and even Metal Wolf Chaos. I probably have more hours in Fromsoft games than most of the people who’ve told me why easy modes are bad. My point is that just because I adore these games and have a thorough understanding of their design from both a gameplay and narrative standpoint, that doesn’t mean I think the arguments against easy modes somehow have merit. And i’m not too proud to admit a large part of that is related to my own situation. A while back, as a direct result of my time with Sekiro, I learned I have what is known as minor dyspraxia, as mentioned at the start. It explained a lot, like the not being coordinated bit. Not as in “I’m a bit clumsy,” as in even after a life of playing video games since the gamecube era and many years of attempts I just can never break into certain genres like hyperfast fps games or fighting games or basically anything that relies on PC controls because my base hand-eye coordination is terrible and my reaction time doesn’t match the speed at which my hands should be able to react. Starting my soulslike career with Bloodborne ended up being a blessing for me not just because the fastest soulslike was my first hurdle but specifically because of how, despite the speed, it’s got a very passive approach that clicks with me in the simple dodge and swipe approach, with riposting being the kind of the thing I couldn’t pull off but lacking the ability being a non-issue as the game is designed such it’s never truly needed. It allows you to make certain fights cakewalks with single massively damaging counterattacks, but it’s NEVER required for a fight or designed such that it’s the only realistic approach to combat. But then by comparison you have the exact reason I struggle with Sekiro’s fast paced incredibly reactionary combat (parry’s, unblockables telegraphed by symbols more than animations, deflecting freaking LIGHTNING with multiple button inputs in the span of a single second) that beat me down in a way that didn't leave me feeling fulfilled because I was actively struggling against myself as much the game.

In Bloodborne I felt pure catharsis when I beat the Bloodstarved Beast, my first ‘wall’ in one of these games. In Dark Souls 1 I felt fulfilled even after struggling for TWO YEARS against Ornstein and Smough, going so far as to start from scratch with a completely different build, but when I beat Ashina and his stupid lightning throwing technique after a few months of trying almost every day, dying over and over to the same thing in the same way…I was just sick of it. I didn't feel like I had surmounted this incredible challenge like I had when I used consumables and gear to cover my failings in the Bloodstarved fight, or feel proud for sticking with it long enough to completely redo my build in Dark Souls 1. In Sekiro It felt like I’d died like an idiot to the exact same thing hundreds of times and should’ve beaten him weeks ago but didn’t because I clearly am just bad at this with no other explanation, that the only reason I wasn’t winning was because I wasn’t as good as everyone else. I saw exactly what I needed, exactly what button to press to succeed, and DIDN'T because I kept messing up the inputs as my brain and fingers caught up a split second too late. This happened dozens upon dozens of times as I struggled with a playstyle I understood but could not cope with, and did not have the option to opt out of. Even after finally beating it I progressed a bit beyond but soon dropped the game, exhausted by it only becoming harder and more brutal because unlike Soulsborne that reactionary gameplay is the core of Sekiro’s design and the unmoving pillar all of its gameplay scales itself around. I keep telling myself I’ll go back and actually finish Sekiro if only on principle but I don’t look forward to it like I do my [counts…] …7th run of bloodborne, I expect to just hit another painful roadblock that presents a challenge not because it’s difficult and I’ll eventually overcome it, but because I’m just not good enough and trying to bring myself up to “average”. And to top it all off, according to all these people who trumpet what a masterpiece every Fromsoft game is, me not being good enough seems to mean I don’t “deserve” to experience the game in a way I can enjoy.

I agree Fromsoftware are the ones who should decide whether this sort if thing is implemented at all. My issue is not that there isn’t a version of Sekiro that will hold my hand, even if that’s what I very much wish I had so I could enjoy this clearly masterfully crafted game in my own way. My issue is how so many people describing these games as “must-experience masterpieces” react like a shark to blood at the mention of making them more accessible. All discussion of such things has been completely co-opted by this ableist idea that any step towards in-game accessibility that isn't based on very surface level disabilities like color-blindness or deafness is “making things worse for everyone” when it should be self demonstrating that it hurts no one to do such a thing so long as it’s done right. I don’t have a PC that can run Sekrio though for the slow-mo mod, something that could so easily have been added to the game. So according to so very many people, I guess I “don’t deserve” to be able to enjoy the game at all, which hurts every time i'm told it. And that missing out is likely to happen again if Fromsoft ever makes another streamlined game that has the sort of highly crafted intended experience I would otherwise be enthralled by, so long as their each and every release is met with vehement pushback against the very idea of them adding an easy mode to anything ever.