#gaming while disabled is frustrating sometimes lmao

[saltpotion]

have to take a break from skyward sword for an indeterminate amount of time bc my hypermobile shoulder/collarbone has had enough w/motion controls

so maybe i’ll find a gba emulator and start minish cap now?? if it’s only like 6 buttons maybe i could do it one handed????

botw is doable since i don’t need to move the left joycon. i’m getting kinda bored of botw after beating it once & now just doing side quests, but the side quests aren’t enough. i crave Plot. i crave Lore

suggestions welcome! hype about gba zelda games welcome!

[community-rants]

Discord Moderation & Friends

This is not our usual rants we allow on here. We like it kept to game communities. However we understand the need for privacy and anonymously talking about your issues - admin A

I'm angry at my friends. I'll call them Mix and Maz Mix owns a server on discord, she made me a moderator because I was supposed to set up bots for her. I was fine with that since I knew how to easily use them and it was faster than teaching her.

Maz was her other moderator and supposed to set up the restrictions for roles and ages in the server. Ex: Minors cant access the selfies chat for safety reasons. Maz went and watched kpop videos instead, even with reminders multiple times she refused to do it. Mix didn't want to do any management of her own server so all she did was make it so no one could see any channels and she gave me the work to do cleaning it all up and setting up all the right roles, permissions, etc. I stayed up 6 hours later than when i was supposed to sleep, working on HER server because everyone was complaining and this whole server of 63 people knew I was the one in charge of working on it. Making a 16 hour day turn into a 22 hour one.

Fast forward by 3 weeks. Yesterday she decided to get rid of her current server and make a new one to start all over again, I spent 3 hours making her a thorough guide on how to set up servers because she said she felt bad I had to do it alone last time. Guess who was put in charge of doing EVERYTHING this time. Maz wasn't even asked. Mix told me to do everything so yesterday turned into another 20+ hour day. Because no one else would do it, they'd be mad if I didn't do it. Its not even how long it takes that bothers me its

there is NO thank you

She won't respond to questions on moderation for her server until I've asked them 12+ times over the span of 3 hours because im outright ignored and she gets annoyed and angry that I have to ask questions because im not a mind reader and dont know how SHE wants HER SERVER set up.

They both will always go watching kpop or kdramas. its not even something important distracting them. When i try to teach them while im working they wont pay attention at all. Maz always goes "Oh its my ADHD just understand it" I have it too, but you don't see me refusing to apologise for ignoring someone when they kept reminding me gently over and over again the whole time to help me pay attention and even WROTE A GUIDE OUT, or deliberately constantly distracting someone else and speaking over other people like Maz does.

I was unwell yesterday, I had been in pain all day because im disabled and get chronic pains often randomly out of my control, pains so back I get ill and dizzy with pain and sometimes bed ridden. My legs were in so much pain I had to drag myself to bed at the end of the night, but STILL had to do that for them. Still had to stay up past when I wanted to sleep to do all their work for them

Maz LAUGHED about how frustrated I was and how long it took, she LAUGHED and went "Oh poor you lmao" Mix entirely ignored me and didn't even say goodnight to me bc "hot kpop men" and wouldn't answer a single moderation question and was mad I had to even ask anything.

They think im sensitive for being angry and giving them the cold shoulder today. Am I being ridiculous?

[phoenixfire-thewizardgoddess]

Any tips for an aspiring social worker

+Be aware of any of your own trauma. Dont be one of the people who think they can do therapy AND get a degree at the same time. You will burn out, there are hundreds every year. Please dont be the person in lectures who takes yup 45 minutes crying over past trauma every session; you need to seek counselling for that from a professional who can help, not from your newbie classmates.

You may think its an exaggeration, but No. Unfortunately, no.

This ties in to your own biases, what you are likely to take to heart if the person fails, etc. You need to work with your supervisor around clients that may trigger something for you; or reconsider the role you are aiming for, etc.

+Have personal skills, you will be making and repairing relationships often. You can’t be someone who is super introverted and unable to start relationships with the clients; because often you are going to be the one doing the Hard Talks about difficult subjects. It doesnt mean you have to be a drill sargeant, but it means you need to have the confidence to talk with anyone.

If you’re a bit shy, work on talking to people and even looking into little courses. You’re not needing qualifications in public speaking, but you do need to have yourself in a position wherein you can talk to someone, even a whole family, or even lawyers, and police. Via phone, video, face-to-face, etc.

+Have work clothes and home clothes. Also court clothes, if you work in areas that need it.

Wear smart casual, you need to look presentable but not be like, dripping with diamonds and playing ‘rich person ministers to the Poors’. It happens, they get told off.

DO NOT WEAR SKIN TIGHT CLOTHES. Or ripped skinny jeans, or have your cleavage/buttcrack hanging out. Please. Strapless backs and short shorts also no.

Students sometimes turn up in this and it is dangerous. Especially the ladies. Sometimes you work with people who are very dangerous, who will interpret clothing for consent, and/or have incredibly low respect for women. When something happens, they will point to the workplace dresscode and absolve themselves of the situation.

Do not wear dangly earrings, scarves or thick necklaces/anything you do not want taken. And if in a hospital role, there are additional rules about what can and cannot be worn (bare below the elbow rule).

Also, enclosed shoes. IF you are in a service that assists families with dysregulated lives, or in the hospitals, etc, you will have strict policies about footwear for your safety.

+Get the flu shot. Trust me. Do it. You talk to so many people, by the time one catches a cold and you start showing symptoms, you’ve seen like twenty people and they all have families.

+Be used to working to tight deadlines. They are always there, esp in hospital social work where you legit have to account for every minute of the day and patient seen on this awful little system.

We are understaffed in most areas, and you will need to work hard.

BUT, self-care is imperative. Even if it is only making sure you leave before 9pm each night lmao.

+Be able to let insults go. You are going to be dealing with people often in the worst part of their life, be it mental health, in the justice system, having their kids removed, being disabled and persistently denied assistance, having significant alcohol/drug concerns, people who have experience extreme sexual harms or domestic violence, people who are being stalked, people in crisis etc.

At some point someone will call you some horrific things, or threaten you, or make nasty comments about you, etc. They may try to make constant complaints, etc. And as frustrating as that is, you have to understand their frustration and anger and fear.

You do not have to sit there and listen to them swear at you, that’s not what this means. It means that when someone is heightened and calling you a cunt, or something more inventive, you don’t give them the reaction they want; you can acknolwedge that they are upset/etc, or give them space by ending the call/leaving the room.

Think about when something happened for you and it was the Worst and you swore or threatened, etc. When you are calm, it seemed ridiculous, didn’t it?  But that was you processing big, complicated feelings in the only way that felt right at the time. Same for them.

+You need to be aware that some clients have done or experienced terrible things, but you need to be open to the individual within the trauma. For example, someone may not be showing their emotional distress or pain or grief etc in the way you think they should, so you might discount it. When, someone who has gotten to know the client is aware that they tend to do ____ behaviour when they are having flashbacks, which is not a behaviour normally associated with the trauma.

Also, biases again.  Just because someone is on drugs and denying to you that they have a problem, does not mean some part of them isn’t aware they do have one. Relapses are common. Soemtimes it is about discussing what was happening for them this week that made them use again, what they could try next time, if they are using their support networks. And never putting them in the Hopeless box.

If you are really struggling with a client, lean on your team, talk to your supervisor and see what else can be done or if there is another social worker with more experience who can be involved even for a short-term intervention.

+Don’t throw jargon and insider terms around when talking to clients, it’s rude.  Explain things, use pauses so they can think.

+Look into the primary populations of your area/the area you intend to work in. Are there a high level of Indigenous persons? Refugees? People whose first language isn’t english and may need extra help with engagment?

What are your immediate thoughts (learned stigmata/stereotypes) about these peoples? How can you learn more?

In Aus, we work closely with Indigenous communities and agencies around social work matters. Making sure everyone is supported, heard, and can understand the concerns being raised/what is needed to help the client move forwards. There are many people out there who see this as ‘coddling’ or ‘unfair to non-Indigenous people’; but it is simply making certain that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are on the same footing as any non-Indigenous client.

And that cultural options are put on the table, such as having a family member step up to take in a child whilst the parent is not well; or trying a community-focused approach to helping with a drug concern, and using the right agencies so that they have appropriate supports.

Would it be fair to have a non-english speaking client in a courtroom without an interpreter? Why?  Would you claim that they should know english and the entire legal system bc they were in your country? Of course not, that’s absurd.  But some people think that way.

Would it be fair to ask someone in a wheelchair to file a form on the top floor of a building with no elevators, by 5pm, or lose their home? Why? Would you think they are complaining or ‘lying’ if they were able to mobilise a few steps without the chair, on a good day? That they were being ‘lazy’ and ‘deserved’ to lose their housing? Of course not, that’s absurd.  But some people think that way.

When the military put men into service in the wars, they made anyone who could pass an english test an officer and the rest priovates who would die first in battle. Was this fair? Why not? Because it ensured the rich white dudes with private tutors got the best spots (totally unqualified) while the poor, poc and refugees were used as cannon fodder. Many could have been good officers if the test was about competence, but it wasn’t. Some people feel this was fair.

There are still people who think they ‘did the right thing’ whilst participating in the Stolen Generations; but then, they also thought taking babies from single mothers was appropriate too. That women couldn’t vote or be trusted with money, that is was ‘kinder’ to take a stillborn away and dispose of it without the mother ever seeing... rather than let her hold them, and say goodbye the way she needed to. Not to mention the english children shipped over to Aus to be used as little slaves and cruelly abused by Priests and Nuns and ‘upright christian citizens’. Not to mention lobotomies for when people were too emotional/refusing to play the game. Forcing hormone treatments on men and women to stop their homosexuality or sexually abusing them to ‘fix them’. Not to mention all the Twilight births nonsense where they tried to remove the pregnant person from the equation entirely, and it kept causing post partum depression.  Not to mention... Not to Mention... NOT TO MENTION...

We have a lot of broken little old men and women and nonbinary (who do or don’t realise it) now, because of these “helpful interventions”.

You need to be aware of the harm that has been done, and aware of your own practice, so this damage can’t happen again and again.

Understand that your perspective and the worries/concerns you hold are often different to those of the client, because you are individuals who grew up in very different ways.

And remember, being a rich white person in a high paying job with good social standing doesn’t mean you can’t be charged for drug possession or have child safety knock on your door about the bruises you leave. Never think people are Above being awful, and never Assume people are because they are poor, a different colour, have not had your advantages, or have a disability/poor mh or addiction.

Clients are people, like you. Never think that you are above needing help too, one day. We all do, humans are built to rely on the group, on the social bonds we make from the minute we are born.

+Do you overreact to things? Sometimes a client will tell you about something that happened years ago, but they may phrase it like it happened yesterday (because of how it has returned to their mind, etc), and if you were to overreact to that immediately it can break the relationship/cause harm. You could say, “I can hear that this is very distressing for you, thank you for telling me about this difficult event in your life. Would it be alright if I asked you a follow-up question about when this occurred?” Sometimes a client will disclose things to you, and the goal is to remain in the conversation. They do a lot of this preparation at university, but you also need to have a personal ability to not panic off the bat.

+Ask yourself, is there anyone I would refuse to work with... and then examine Why. How would you react if a person like that came onto your caseload?

+Do not become overly emotionally invested in a client. It will be said in training over and over again, but you need to have clear boundaries; and being too invested in their success can hinder your ability to provide appropriate assessments for the client. Meaning they are not getting the care they need; which can sometimes be a harsh conversation about how you can see they are trying, but have backslid recently, so what is happening?

+Look at any internal biases and prejudices you may have. Did you have extreme mental health concerns that may make you feel more sympathetic to a parent or client, and this could blind you to the other concerns present? Didyou grow up rich and now have unrealistic expectations of what is necessary to be a good person? Do you think that all ‘those people’ should ______ ? Why?  Question yourself. If you find yourself stereotyping or pigeonholing someone as ‘just another ____ trying to _____’ stop. Think about it. Where did you get that idea?

+Be aware of professional boundaries, do not be friends with the clients, but don’t be cold. Always let your bosses know about potential conflicts of interest to protect you.

Like, don’t loan the client $5, don’t hang out at the cinema because they’re ‘a great person’, etc.

And be aware that you have more power in this dynamic, so you have to be careful not to abuse it.

+You need to be good at record keeping, and honest.  Everything you do is documents, referrals, reports, affidavits, forms, and a million little notes for this and that. It is imperative you are accurate, use the format required, and be honest. If you saying “Have you tried not taking drugs?” to a client sends them into a rage, you don’t write “Client was heightened and threatened me without reason at today’s session” in the notes. That’s putting a knife in their back.

”Client was triggered when I, the practitioner, made an inappropriate remark (”Have you tried not taking drugs?”) today. They told me I am a “fucking whore who should kill myself” and threw their chair across the room before leaving the building. I have discussed this matter with my supervisor, and we are going to call Client at 3pm today, to provide a formal apology for this statment and attempt to repair the professional working relationship, as they have been making significant progress with this agency until today’s event.” Whole scenario, tells the real story. You will make mistakes, but it is about being able to accept this and move forwards.

Accurate documentation is a must, may be needed for court.

+You will need to have a good memory. A good way of keeping little notes to unlock the full encounter when you write casenotes and reports.

+Make connections. Every client will need a support system around them, and if you have an inroads with different agencies, it will help them out. For example, if your client has drug concerns, then being aware of the agencies and counsellors in the region broadens their safety net.

Knowing the practitioners gives you someone to ask for professional advice around, say “Good Morning Kim, I know your agency handles Centrelink application often for non-english speaking clients. I have a client who is new to the country and is struggling to complete the financial aid forms, they speak Language. Would I be able to refer them to your agency, or will they need a more specific agency who handle Language -speaking persons?”

You have, in a deidentified way, sought help for a client through a known agency and can now refer them pending the answer. Etc.

+If you are not sure about something, ask your supervisor. They have several years on you, and almost all areas of social work prescribes to one or another Acts (legal requirements) which they are required to have a strong grasp on.

Get to know any legislation in the area you are aiming for. This will help immensely.

+Doing a degree gets you two fieldwork practicals, in different areas.  These really help you identify which area you want to go for; your main goal going into a degree may not be the one you settle on. Many people have an idea where they want to work and change their minds after their placements, or really feel connected to a different area, etc.

+Mostly, be certain this is what you want.

Have your own support network.

Be aware that you must uphold confidentiality, at all times. No posting to social media people, please...

Be aware that in small communities you are likely shopping at the same place as clients. Ask them how they want you to react when you see each other in public (eg. please don’t acknowledge me, or happy to give a wave) so they feel comfortable.

Don’t disclose personal information to a client.  There’s a difference between “Yes, I can see that you are having trouble with baby; I recall they get quite fussy at teething time, have you tried a cold biting ring?” and “My son, Chadley, is eight but when he was two he used to just keep biting the furniture and his poor teacher, Mrs Allyways! At least he’s grown out of it now, but I just know Bailey’s going into that phase soon, the dangers of having kids a few years apart!”

I know who your child had as a teacher, and now the school as well, esp if its a small town. I know you have two children, their names, and your last name so I could go get them from school if I wanted to. I know you work until 5pm, and someone could pick them up.

Etc.

Mostly, be a decent human being who does their best and doesn’t walk in thinking they’re better than everyone, and you can do okay. Have a good support network, use them, and seek help if you struggle.

Uni is drawn out and a bit boring, but you will get a lot from it (even if you only see it in hindsight).

[datastate]

For the ask game, 💢 or 💎

(In case one of those have been answered already)

💢 what do you NOT like about your hyperfixation? is there something you would want to change about it?

for hk:

the mechanics - i really do wish there was a way to make the base game a bit more accessible lmao (idc much abt godmaster or the path of pain wrt this). it's got SUCH a good story but it took me months to actually get through the game because, being disabled, i got frustrated a fair bit with it sometimes which is unfortunate. while i do love the track objectively, there are some songs i just do Not want to listen to bc they remind of a battle i struggled w where the song played on loop too much ;-; or not even battle - the white palace sucked, and i eventually put on my misc playlists in the bg while i was working through it ahgmsgs

the designs - salubra was. uncomfortable for me. while i do appreciate her role as a shopkeeper and an interesting npc with how she obtained her charms, her design embodying an antiblack stereotype that is just. impossible to ignore if you want to reasonably get through the game with charms just sucks

the story - i actually don't have much issue w the story? it got across what it meant to. most of my issues come when people misinterpret what is presented / coded there (hallownest's imperialism, especially, when it comes to white fans. though it also comes with (malicious) misinterpretations of deepnest and its people, ignoring the point of the higher beings and the normal bugs (pale king vs. soul master // pk vs. radiance and how they both destroyed the others' mortal people though there's obvious nuance there w the moths and first blood etc // etc), and then of course the few who completely abandon the themes in-game when they try to set up who is the 'true' victim when there are multiple answers to that and, even if you tried to flatten it, you are literally playing as one of the main victims of the antagonists within the story).

but! that's just fan whatever. within the game itself i really appreciate the subtlety. it's very cool being able to dig through it and discover things for myself that was established in the art, or by dreamnailing something (or in the fact you're unable to), and just. it's cool! i really like the exploration you as a player/viewer have to go through to find out most of this and how it's up to you to connect it

💎 are there any fun facts or trivia that you would like to share?

speaking of being able to dig through for lore!!! i believe i've mentioned this before, but it's really cool to me how hk sets up the implication that hegemol, at least, held importance within the city (isma and ogrim it's... a bit more nebulous? ogrim's presumably more within the palace as pk's most loyal, and isma has her grove but that's not necessarily involved in city affairs)

although he is never really mentioned, and he doesn't even have any lines in-game as he's assumed to be dead, there are still symbols such as the statue within the city and the fact his armor still holds the city crest that indicates his importance during hallownest's prime as the capital's protector. they set up his role so easily, and with the added line from sheo like "large but surprisingly soft-spoken" it really helps you figure out who he used to be even though he never appears in-game other than a silhouette.

[dazais-guardian-angel]

Thanks @maginpui for tagging me <3 it didn’t notify me of it, annoyingly, but I happened to see it so

5 things you can find on my blog

Tales of

Bungou Stray Dogs

Akatsuki no Yona

Vanitas no Carte

the last few weeks, my moody depressing rants about how life hates me lmao

5 things you’ll find in my bag

my flash drive for school

my Japanese stuff that I bring to and from my tutoring sessions

on my purse, which is a separate bag, a crapton of animanga themed pins/keychains that I’ve made my con bag why do I even bother though

Nothing else really lol

...

5 things you’ll find in my bedroom

a lot of crap, including unopened packages, posters not hung up yet, and other things, that I need to organize better

anime figures

manga volumes

my art sketchbook

medical equipment... lots and lots of medical equipment... *sighs heavily*

5 things I always wanted to do

Go to anime cons with complete satisfaction

Go to a foreign country

See my online friends irl

Write a longer, multi-chaptered fic for once

Learn different languages

5 things that make me happy

My online friends

Games

Shows

Books

Writing

5 things I’m currently into

Tales of Berseria

Tales of Zestiria

World of Final Fantasy

Re:CREATORS

Made in Abyss

5 things on my to do list

Write a Berseria fic I owe someone soon

Continue plotting out the longfic I’m co-planning with a friend

Draw more things

ORGANIZE MY DAMN ROOM ALREADY

Finish up WOFF’s trophies so I can get to my game backlog already gdi

5 things you might not know about me

this is probably sooooo obvious with everything I’ve said on here lately lmao, but I really struggle with self-consciousness about my appearance and my disability when I’m in public surrounded by friend groups and I’m all by myself; what exacerbates that feeling of isolation is having to deal with my parents, who I feel like don’t really support me in the things I love, and hold me back from the few instances I have to try to put myself out there because they’re not interested in it, and it’s a hassle for them, and they give me grief about it. Most of the time, I’m not bothered by any of this, but sometimes at cons it’s really really hard.

I can be extremely petty about the littlest things; I try to never let those instances show on the outside, but I still feel terrible inside for feelings of jealousy or frustration that I know aren’t deserved.

I’m very much a “can’t start something new until I finish the current thing” kind of person; the exception to this is seasonal anime, of course, and if I’m playing a story-heavy game at the same time as a mindless lighthearted game, but with everything else, this applies. I can’t start a new RPG until I’ve 100%d the current one (though I broke this rule with Berseria because the trophy requirements are honestly making me cry at their utter insanity; I’ll come back to it s;ldkjgjfkdlsl), and especially with fics, I don’t start writing a new one until I’ve finished my current one (though this is also true because it’s so hard for me to come up with ideas lol), lest I get out of the mood for the first one if I start a new one while that one is ongoing. I’ve gotten even more OCD about this lately because I have insane urges to write for like every new fandom I get into, which means I stick with one game/show for a long time in order to write for it so that I don’t get out of the zone for it by moving onto another fandom lmao.

I’ve been to New York City four times; it’s pretty much our chosen “big” vacation place and I doubt that will ever change lol.

I have a really really bad habit of picking my eyebrows (it used to be my eyelashes, and I still do that, too, but more so my eyebrows now...); it’s really bad, one of my eyebrows is nearly gone, and I’m not sure if it’ll ever grow back, especially with me still unable to keep myself from stopping pulling at it, ahaha...

tagging @nighttime-sabbatical, @the-masked-barona, @goldeneyedshinah, and @seleniahanabira, but only do it if you want to, as always <3