#I think people just THINK theyre communicating way too clearly because their partner

[deoidesign]

something that makes me sad is when people tell me the healthy communication in my writing is "unrealistic."

like guys this is how me and my partner talk with eachother... I'm writing from personal experience...

[amishgirlies]

tonight i just grabbed snacks and watching some netflix, Sex and The City precisely. i love the way that show its not just literally about lifestyle itself but it talked about things that has been carved up on my mind since my multi trip last week : romantic relationship.

I mean, i do barely aware much theres a complex factor that should be thought and talk about for time to times. we crave someone that literally built on our perception. it was quite interesting that somehow we listed long paragraphs and notes about who shoudl we date and what should be going, because somehow preception is subjective just like beauty itself.

the long you walk with them, surely theres certain hope and wishes and foreseeing about what event should be occured and what state should be set foot. for example, in two weeks of dating its just on my mind that we have casual chit chat and sex as it is without any specific event. it could change on a months or year like communication and what you know about them. later on you also discover more part of your partner which people thought that way. but how about if they dont think the same ? how about if they have their own time frame and just think everything going smoothly without any idea whats need to be done that moment ?

and somehow, we live with biased view about perception. about what we think are we on the same boat. meanwhile, human are too complex to be just that way. that also explain the worst part is realization on vision difference popped up right on the time you already down to the pithole. it just like sudden slap when youre high on drunkest party ever that make you realize " what did i do ? who is my partner ? what we have done ? " just like you wake up from coma nap. and just like that, faith is shaking and you look for the sign. if things goes well, i mean they would give the sign. but how about if theyre still unsure about themself and you ? straight up doomsday.

it also, make us think does we live on right relationship. we dont know, suddenly. So, what makes relationship working in "our" terms together ? i mean communication always comes first when it comes to solution but how it our partner doesnt communicate much and give mixed signal ? another problem. and it just kinda hard when it comes to dating because how you could ensure the person have such a normal propper commucation way meanwhile we know we hvae generational trauma that make us literally silent when it comes to express our thoughts and minds clearly.

does it means that - i dont know - we are doomed to romantic coupledom things for the first ?

[houseki-no-suffering]

Pssst.... gush about some thing you’ve wanted to for so long but haven’t found the ask to do so! I really like reading your metas or off-the-wall posts.

aw ty!

mmmh usually i just crank out a random meta when i feel like it, which i havent had the energy to do in a while. so have a lot of hcs about gem language, gem society and how it resembles a totalitarian system cause why not, this is already a dystopia. 

goes from cute to shady real quick, have fun

Gem Vocabulary

gems have no gender, they dont age, they dont reproduce. the whole vocabulary about relationships, aging and sex must be completely different in gem language. they probably lack a lot of words we commonly use, and have unique words for things we dont have (like winter duty, patrol duty... i wouldnt be surprised if gem language had unique grammatical features for those)

this is one of the reasons why its so unfair of aechmea to call cairn ‘wife’ and ‘princess.’ the gems have no concept of wife-ness, we dont know if a gem equivalent of marriage exists, but its definitely much, much different from what the lunarians (and us) perceive as one.

do gems have anything akin coming of age? this could be weird bc gems can potentially live forever, but they can also be abducted by the lunarians at any time, so who’s to say how long a lustrous will live? how do you calculate being ‘of age’? is it by calculating the average life-span of a gem? 

how do they measure time and seasons? we know they have winter and summer and phos mentions ‘spring’ in chapter 20, but what about months and lunar phases? do they have words for that or are months just too small a timeframe for the immortal lustrous to utilize? how do they measure time? in hours and seconds? weeks? different units altogether?

Gem Relationships

similarly, gem relationships are codified in a completely different way. we know they have a concept of romance bc dia ships phos and shinsha and makes comments here and there about other gems being in love. 

at the same time, the relationships btw alexandrite and chrysoberyl, padpa and rutile, ghost/cairn and lapis etc are little different from ‘pure’ sibling/sibling relationships or senpai/kohai relationships.

this is not to say that they’re all romantic in nature, but the way they’re codified in canon (especially in the way the characters grief for their partner) makes me think that even if the gems have no blood/physical kinship with one another they have a very articulated system of establishing family bonds.

dia and bort are clearly siblings, but the same can’t be said, for example, for rutile and padpa, even if they were partners and even if they display a similar junior/senior relationship. this means that relationships are predicated on something else in hnk, and kinship, family and romance are all codified in a different way.

think of vulcans in star trek: physical contact such as two fingers touching, holding hands and kissing is unknown of (save for very specific circumstances). and vulcan people have a completely different way of expressing intimacy and romance than humans. 

this makes me think: just how many canonically romantic relationships are there in hnk (if any) that we’re simply unaware of bc the way gems codify and express romance is so different from ours? is romance even common? rare? perceived as weird? useless? 

what about other relationships? the gems use ‘little brother/ older brother’ but what if this is just japanese approximations? what kind of relationships can lustrous language really express and how different are they from ours?

Imagination

as @ruddy-rutile​ pointed out some time ago, the gems lack a concept of fantasy. thats why i posted that panel about alex’s original lunarian designs. sure, it’s funny, but it also makes you think: these gems are not raised to think outside the box and they can do it without being told so only under exceptional circumstances.

of the vast library of texts that ghost (and lapis) used to take care of, just how many are novels and fiction? none of them? a small amount? a decent amount? in a society thats as focused on practicality, efficiency and conservatism as the lustrous’, how is fiction perceived if perceived at all? 

is there art? red beryl’s craft comes very close to art when they express their feelings about ‘fashion for fashion’s sake,’ but it’s an exception that the other gems find hard to grasp.

phos is often told to stop fantasizing about the world and get things done, the only tale we know the gems are told is the actual story of how their world came to be. the gems always talk about real things, stuff that happened, and make and do things that have a practical use. 

even bort’s jellyfish diary is just made up of a recollection of what happened when they tried to feed them. still, the fact that bort names the jellyfish makes you think that these rocks do have potential for fantasy, theyre just not used to it

Totalitarianism and Privacy

to make this even more shady, here’s your gentle reminder that:

- gems’ rooms have no doors. the only door ive been able to find is the one in shinsha’s room (ch 2) and that is because shinsha’s room is closed off to other people and full of mercury. its like putting a patch on smth you dont want to deal with (much like shinsha’s whole character arc tbh)

- the gems have little to no free time. or their free time can be revoked any time in case an emergency occurs, sensei is napping etc. the gems’ time is rigorously managed by jade, euc and sensei. each gem has a place to be and a time to be.

this means that a missing gem can be found at all times and slackers can be identified very easily. they all have a job and they have to follow it. this is not to say that they have no fun ever, but leisure time is rare and (at least as far as we know) its not contemplated when tasks are assigned each day.

the mere fact that there is a morning assembly and tasks are assigned each day makes you think. is this communism? is this totalitarianism? but most importantly, is this a scary dystopia that hits you in the face like a brick the third time you reread ch 2?   

- sameness > equality. i already went over this in the past. gems society underlines sameness and conformity over anything else. the gems think theyre equal but theyre actually ‘similar.’

a system based on equality emphasizes differences so that every individual can do the best with what they have got and get back what they need, according to their personal needs. 

these gems emphasize sameness: everyone is upheld to the same standards, even when those standards dont match with a gem’s unique characteristics (ie phos cannot be a fighter, no reason to keep saying stuff like ‘if only you were stronger/you’re useless’ etc. they’re a rock with an imagination in a world where dull reality is the rule. just make them write theater plays and play with slugs with shinsha, wth)

It’s real 1984 hours:

all of the above means that:

- your sense of self is subordinated to the group. if you dont belong you’re simply a nothing. at times, the gems almost display a collective consciousness (a pretty hostile one too): everything must be decided together and done together

- you are what you do. gems identify completely with their job. thats why a job is so important, thats why this system is so fucked up. self worth is not inherent, it depends on what you can do. talk about a breeding ground for mental health issues 

- you dont have a saying in picking your career or deciding for you future. thats up to sensei (and maybe euc and jade). unless you have a very strong affinity with a certain task (like red beryl and alex)

- youre expected to follow orders all the damn time. no matter how much sensei wants his gems to exert free will, they still prefer to do what theyre told. ill admit, its much easier than taking your life in your hands and decide what youre gonna do with it, but damn if it isnt depressing. and childish

- euclase and sensei are the authority. sensei and euc are the powers that be. in the sense that they assign tasks, they decide on times and battle plans, on purpose etc. lets not forget that euc was the one to take on sensei’s role after he ‘resigned.’ 

i wonder what would happen if euc were abducted and the gems had no one to follow anymore, no orders. who’d be the new leader? would there be one? lets not forget that no matter how gentle euc is, phos is shit scared of them.

- thought police is a thing. to end this meta on what is probably the shadiest note: surveillance is a thing. the gems report on each other, it’s thought police, no sugarcoating this. 

there’s no privacy, no secrets. even antarc reads rutile’s diary. this goes from cute and childish (’you did this one wrong thing, im gonna tell sensei’) to absolutely fucked up (’you did this one wrong thing, im gonna tell sensei’)

[blackmoldmp3]

3am sadposting sorry. god it got long ANYWAY aroace trauma posting under the cut. some gender shit too

like the gender thing sucks irl. i know the general public is never going to respect this part of me. my family is probably never going to get it. im probably never going to look the way i want. but the thing is that even though Most Straight Cisgender North Americans are going to at best be confused/disbelieving and at worst be. u know. violent. at least when it comes to the gender thing theres a sizeable amount of people who’ll back me up in the queer community. who’ll respect this part of me.  u know.

but like when it comes to ace shit or whatever people are just meanspirited! theyre weirdly hostile. its so bizarre and like even if they allow u to like. seek community bc of other parts of ur identity that they deem worthy they still dont want you to be proud of or even express the ace part. its like ur inclusion is provisional. and as a teen straight out of a traumatizing situation that i was still blaming myself for bc i thought i was just bad and there was something wrong with me i actually cant express how damaging that was and kind of still is lmao! it has consequences its not just sequestered to the online experience. if it doesnt personally affect you its possible for you to just drop it when you get too mad or whatever. but for people it does personally effect it has real consequences! it really fucked me up and i feel like i cant talk about it bc letting vitriolic debate about an important and sore part of my self effect me emotionally is stupid and/or funny

anyway the aromantic thing is even weirder bc people a: dont think about, b: dont want to think about it, and c: it just means youre evil anyway. and if ur aromantic but also have sex it means ur supremely extra evil. and the extreme weird part of this is that like. this part doesnt even bother me that much. because people just dont want to confront it, it makes them uncomfortable in a different way that isnt easily deflected into harassment or cringe comedy or whatever. so they just ignore it! which is easier on me even though this part of my identity caused me so much personal grief when i had my high school relationship bc i was oh fuck this means im evil. theres something seriously wrong with me. its bad and wrong and evil that i cant reciprocate these feelings and it means im a Bad Partner who is doing harm. while the ace thing was like ‘oh im just an insufficient partner and i just need to like try harder and also let her do whatever bc i dont want to hurt her feelings and last time i brought up even the word ‘asexuality’ she got clearly upset and i hurt her feelings. so she can just do whatever ill Do It For Her’ so like it was undeniably Bad but i just felt like i needed to try harder aksjd i didnt feel like i was inherently fucked up

people are admittedly very weird abt aro people using different terms to define personal relationships in like a ‘lmao look at these freaks’ way. which sucks! but u know whatever its fine

IN ANY CASE heres how t4t deancas qpr but they also fuck can still win

[egobangin-tonight]

[sunflowersnows-blog]

Appropriate Dating Age

It isn’t uncommon for many highschool students to be interested in the idea of dating, as romantic love is introduced to many of us at quite a young age and only continues to grow normalized as we grow up (I knew many gradeschoolars who had “boyfriends” and “girlfriends” before they even knew what love was.) In some regards, there’s nothing wrong with being interested in dating and relationships because highschool is really the first time teenagers/young adults begin to find themselves and question their romantic/sexual preferences, what they like and don't like, things along those lines. 

However, as fun as finding yourself can be, there’s a lot of issues surrounding adolescent dating that is swept under the rug, and for that reason, I think the appropriate dating age should be 24 to 25 years old. First of all, lets talk about biology. Contrary to popular belief, the human brain doesn’t stop developing when a teenager becomes a legal adult at the age of 18. The brain actually stops developing at 25 years old, from that point on, your brain will no longer undergo any developmental changes. But every year before that, ones brain is still growing and changing everyday, meaning a person cannot physically be fully mature until they're 25. Yes, this includes girls, who are often said to mature faster than boys. The growth that occurs faster in girls is that of the emotional and cognitive (learning and understanding) sorts, which means those specific parts of the brain mature faster. Not all of the parts are maturing at the same rate, meaning their brains are also still developing until they reach 25, just like everyone else. 

Waiting until you’ve fully developed as a person before beginning a relationship, in my opinion, is a lot smarter and beneficial to you and your partner. You both should understand yourselves and your mental states, making it a lot easier to clearly express what you want out of relationship, even if you've never been in one before. Seeing as your fully mature as well, one should find it easier to sort out their own feelings and have better communication with their partners wheras it can be hard to communicate and rationalize with others as an adolescent because of hormonal inbalances and other external factors (like stress from school/home) that would make it difficult for a teenager/young adult to recognize and properly communicate their own feelings. By having effective communication skills and by knowing the type of person you are before entering the relationship, it'll increase the chances of the relationship being a healthy one where both parties can get the most out of it without feeling like their feelings are being ignored. 

This takes me on to the second point, dating as a teenager/young adult can be harmful/dangerous to many who don't even realize they're in a dangerous or toxic relationship (this point is mainly geared towards women, but it can happen to men too.) It is really easy for teens to enter into an unhealthy/toxic relationship and is extremely hard to leave that relationship, many not even realizing the relationship is unhealthy for them. For example, because of this bullshit idea that girls mature faster than men that’s normalied in our culture, a lot of teens think theyre more mature than they actually are, and i’m not saying they’re stupid, I’m saying that because of this idea theyre ‘mature’ that its okay for them to be dating men that are 4 years older than them. Older men play into this idea that girls being more mature is a real and valid reason for them to take advantage of freshman high school students as if they were at all interested in romance and not in taking advantage of them because they know those young girls don't know any better. I have a 13 year old little sister, who is soon to be 14 when I turn 18, not even in highschool yet. There is no way I would date a child my sisters age. No-one should be dating a person with a four year age gap while they're in high school, or even college. Why? Because, once again, there is a serious gap in emotional maturity/brain development. It would be different if it were a 26 and 31 year old dating, hell i’ve seen age gaps bigger than that and it’s fine, but it’s fine because they are both adults with brains that are fully emotionally mature. A 14 year old freshman doesn't have the same emotional maturity as an 18 year old senior, the gap in brain development is just way too large and the whole relationship just seems predatorial. The freshman will think it’s fine because her boyfriend says it is because shes a child who doesn't recognize grooming due to the blindsiding desire to be loved by someone, as well as the normalization of the sexualition of children in our culture (but that’s another story.)

Additionally, there are other safety concerns that tie in with the one previously mentioned, such as abusive relationships (physically, sexually, or mentally.) When talking about abusive relationships in teen/young adult years, statistics indicate that a majority of girls are victims of abuse, one article mentioning 94% of relationship based abuse happens to girls between the ages of 16 to 19. As I mentioned earlier, it is so easy to enter an abusive relationship, because what people don't understand is abuse isn't always physical. It isn't always black eyes or bruised arms. Abuse can be a lot more subtle and hard to pick up on but is just as harmful. Abuse that’s verbal is a lot harder for outsiders to pick up on and a lot harder for the victim to pick up on too. Shit like, “If you’ll ever leave me, I’ll kill myself,” or, “If you love me, you’ll stop seeing (random friend),” are legitimate forms of abuse that start off as harmless enough requests or comments that develop into unhelathy, controlling relationship where one partner essentially controls the life of the other. These relationships lead to serious damage of the victims mental state and confidence and can lead to feelings of despair at being in a relationship that you don't want to be in, but don't know how to leave because no one ever taught you how. A lot of teens go into relationships with little knowledge of what a healthy relationship ought to look like and get hurt as a result of it, which is a failing of the school system for not talking more about women's safety in relationships, how to recognize signs of abuse, and consent (once again, another story.) I’m not saying these girls/women are too stupid to look these things up themselves, but that’s infomration that should be taught sooner rather than later. Lets not even get started on sexual abuse because it’s way too common in relationships. People usually view rape as a thing that happens randomly and for no good reason but it’s statuistcally proven that over 82% of victims know their rapist.

In conclusion, I’d like to say that this is not a callout post. If you are dating someone right now, I respect both you and your partner and I wish you the best! I also understand that not every highschool/college relationship ends in tragedy and I don't look down on people who enter relationships before the age of 25. Your life is your own and you can go crazy with it! The above statements are the opinions I've formulated as a result of personal experiences, experiences I've had seen with friends/family, and statistics and is in no way meant to make anyone question themselves negatively. If anything, I only wish you take out of this healthy idea that you deserve to be happy in your relationship, you deserve to be treated kindly and with respect and there's no shame in getting help if you're having doubts about anything happening to you. That being said, stay safe and be aware. 

[supermlmsoftware-blog]

Insider Secrets: How the Pros Build a Large MLM Group

Well it happened again today. I checked my e-mail, only to find a message from someone I haven't listened to in years. What does she ask me? If I desire to join her malaysia mlm software. (Sigh.) And can I give her the names and mobile number of my friends, family and employees who could buy her products? (Double sigh.).

And you ought to wonder ... will these people ever learn?

Its just like decisions I ascertain my office. They tell Lornette that they have an urgent consulting or training project, and must speak to me right away. I call them back to hear something like, Hi Randy, my name is so-and-so, we met a few years ago at the MLMIA convention. (Ive never been to an MLMIA Convention.) Im utilizing XYZ Company, and I just desired to touch base with you and blah, blah ...

And its always the same. The consulting project or business venture they want me to evaluate, means to induct as a distributor on their front level. They often say theyre returning my call, are old friends of mine, or some other outright lie to achieve past Lornette. Theyre worse then the dammed toner and light bulb salesmen. They just don't get it.

Badgering prospects ...

Individuals who make at least $10,000 a month in Network Marking on a consistent basis, never do such silly stuff. They never use dishonest or duplicitous means to reach people. They don't spam people over the Internet and theyre not sales call some idiots on a business opportunity list. They don't alienate everyone they know, and they aren't chasing skinny rabbits. They are talking to qualified prospects, and getting quality appointments to make quality presentations.

Lets look at the marketing process something I think a lot more people should think of a lot more. Heres why ...

Most individuals approach marketing as selling. And selling as getting the dumb prospect to buy something he doesn't need. They devote their career to learning NLP, sleight of hand, and a host of other manipulative techniques to coerce prospects into buying things they don't want or need. Anthony Robbins and a legion of little Tony wannabes have created an entire cottage industry teaching people to do this. Many MLMers have delved the fray, bringing these and other high-pressure sales techniques into Mlm.

These are the jackasses who call during your dinner hour, opening with lines like, Jim you have no idea me yet but Im partnering with an opportunity so amazing, blah, blah (Scream).

I approach marketing entirely different ...

I have no interest in trying to sell something to someone who doesn't want it, and I suggest you don't either. True marketing is based on a simple - yet quite profound philosophy:.

Were looking for people ... who are looking for what we have.

Put into more specific terms it means this: Our job is to identify qualified prospects then put our marketing message in front of them. Give them enough information to make the right decision for them.

If that means they join your opportunity or buy your product, good. If it means they dont, thats good too. Your job is not to sell your opportunity or products to those that don't need or desire them.It is to find the people who want what you have and give them enough information so they can decide if getting it from you is a fair exchange of value.

Sorting, not Selling ...

Network Marketing is much more a sorting process, than it is a selling business. It is this fundamental difference in philosophy that separates me from the multitudes of sales trainers, marketing gurus and book authors out there. I take no perverse pride in selling ice cubes to the Eskimos. I am not here to prove my manhood by demonstrating I can manipulate or trick a guy into buying something he doesn't want, or cant afford. Theres no integrity in that.

I do take great pride, however, in presenting my marketing message in the best, most effective manner possible to qualified prospects. I want to outsell, outmaneuver and out market my competitors, but I want to do it by offering a better value. Then I want to market that better value better than anyone else out there. And thats what I want for you ...

What the Successful People Do ...

For more than 15 years, Ive been studying what worked and what didnt, in Network Marketing. Learned what the long-term successful people did and why. Discovered the secrets of effective presentations, and what motivated prospects to join. And began the rudimentary forerunner of what became the system I teach today. It was only then that I began to achieve any degree of success. But it wasnt lasting ...

While I was able to conduct meetings, make presentations, and sponsor a large number of people ... most of my distributors could not. The more people I sponsored, the faster they seemed to drop out. What I did worked, but it didnt duplicate. I came to realize that success without duplication is merely future failure in disguise.

I changed to my system and fine-tuned it, simplified I, and made it easier to replicate. It not only worked, but it duplicated as well. It is that system (with continuous refinement) that has helped many countless people, across the world, reach higher levels of success in Network Marketing. It is that system which I shared in the first edition of my book, How to Build a Multi-Level Money Machine.

The book can save you much of the frustration and failure I faced. Building upon my success, you can cut many years off your growth curve and build your network much faster. Youll learn what attracts prospects to you, and how to present to them effectively. Youll discover the kind of people you want to sponsor, and whom you would be better to screen out in the pre-approach process.

Once youre well educated in the sponsoring process, you will learn steps to manageand keep growinga large network. The ways to spend your time, how to develop leaders, and how to counsel them. Most importantly, youll learn how to empower those leaders to develop new ones. By the time you finish reading the book, you will have a clear understanding of a fundamental, profound truth about Home based: You don't grow your network. You grow your people - and they grow your group.

My hope is that youll view Network Marketing as the professional career it has become, and will join me on my mission, which is to continue raising the standards of this honorable profession.

Unlike corporate Americawith its downsizing and rat-eat-rat competition Network Marketing offers you the opportunity to nurture and empower the inherent talents in all those you sponsor. In this business, success means the chance to develop spiritually, intellectually, emotionally and financially, while you contribute in a positive way to others.

As you undertake this journey of challenge, adventure and growth, you will attract others who share your vision and follow your example. You will lead them for a short timethen release them as they unfold into leaders and start the process all over again. You will feel pride, joy and a sense of accomplishment few ever experience. You will know that what you do means somethingand that your community is a little bit better place because you have contributed.

Building a large, exponentially growing network is not easyits not supposed to be. It is simple, however. If you are coachable and persistent; if you really believe in yourself, and are willing to follow a step-by-step systemyou really can achieve massive, lasting success in Network Marketing.

You wont do it with cold calls, Spamming and those other irritating techniques we talked about earlier. You do it with solid marketing, following a system that others can duplicate, and running your business in an honest, straightforward way.

What a System Looks Like ...

Your system should completely delineate and spell out the entire process that a distributor will follow: from where to find prospects, how to approach them, how to sponsor them, and how to train them to reach the higher pin ranks. (For the sake of simplicity and your understandingI use the term pin ranks to mean people who reach the top levels of your compensation plan, whether theyre called Diamond Directors, National Vice Presidents or Master Coordinators. The name comes from the fact that distributors receive a pin upon achieving these ranks.) Each stage in this process should be clearly defined and taught to the distributor at the appropriate time.

Heres a breakdown of the steps that might be included in a system. This is not meant to be the be-all, end-all. If fact, your system may be quite different. I offer this example, so you can see the kind of structure Im talking about.

Step One The Pre-Approach ...

This is the qualification step the one that determines whether you have a suspect or an actual prospect. This can be done simply with qualifying questions, or qualifying questions combined with a pre-approach packet. This packet would include materials designed to screen out people who are not good candidates for the business. (An example is my Lifestyle Freedom Pack.) Pre-approach means before the approach. In other words, this step will determine whether or not you would approach them about the opportunity at all.

Another way to do this is with a brief, mini presentation. This is a quick overview, usually 30 minutes or less, to see if your candidate is a serious prospect. This is usually done one-on-one in a non-threatening environment (example: in the prospects kitchen or at a coffee shop). When you first begin, this should be done as a two-on-one, meaning you and your sponsor together presenting to your prospect. This can also be done in a small group meeting in your living room.

The interested prospects would be given a specific set of materials to study, usually called a take home packet. This packet would have a break down of how money is made in the business and some supporting materials on the products, usually a brochure or catalog.

Step Two The Presentation ...

This is where the prospect takes a second look at the presentation, usually at a larger home or hotel meeting, but it can also be done one-on-one. Like all steps, there should be a clearly defined set of specific materials (the Follow-up Packet), which should be given to the prospect. This is usually more detailed information than the previous packet.

Step Three The Follow Up ...

This step might involve getting the prospect to another, bigger presentation (like a large hotel open meeting) or simply bringing one more packet of information to the prospect and encouraging them to make a decision. Check with your sponsorship line. In either event, the packet of information and the procedures followed should be exactly the same for every distributor on every level.

Step Four The Enrollment Process ...

This is the step that falls after the prospect nods and is ready to become a distributor. NOTE: This can happen at step two, or step three. Each prospect lands at his or her own speed. Its important that whether or not a prospect poises to join at step two (thats great!) you still expose them to the information in step three to preserve the integrity of the system.

Like our other steps, the enrollment process should be completely translated, step-by-step. The training that you receive should be the same, exact training that someone on your 25th level, five states away, will receive when joining your organization. (See my Learn more training materials).

These four steps are the foundation for your system. Whatever which program youre in, it should generally parallel this process. Again, though, check with your sponsorship line for specifics. The later steps of red tape will vary more greatly from program to program. They involve managing organizational growth and developing leadership skills. (I explore them more deeply in the Building Depth and Leadership Strategies chapters of my book.).

Overall, however, visualize a system as a complete, step-by-step process that anyone who joins your organization whether theyre a doctor or waitress, Ph.D., or high school dropout can duplicate. It means you should have the opportunity to fly to a city 3,000 miles away hire someone on your 50th level that youve never met and be teaching the same principles and specifics theyve been being informed the person whos on your 49th level.

Youll notice this doesn't involve one of the dishonest and obnoxious practices we discussed earlier. Your system should focus on identifying qualified prospects, educating them, and allowing them to make the right decision for them. A lot of people ask me how this variety of system works today, in a more competitive environment. The answer is, better than ever! In fact, prospects today are so jaded today, so assaulted, consequently skeptical, they are completely switched off by the high-pressure techniques. The kind of honest, easy marketing were speaking of is very attractive to them.

[isaacathom]

the fun thing about the post game idea is that Rhia puts you in danger. deliberately, consciously, with knowledge. she spends most of the main game attempting to convince you to go home, go to safety, she and the doc both support the idea of protecting people from this stuff, and shes determined to shield you from team whatsits wrath and elliots poor influence. and yet, by the end, she asks you to come with her into a clear trap, something clearly designed to lure her and the Doc out to rescue the daughter. she knows its a trap. she even says so. she technically gives you the chance to leave. she technically says you dont have to come. but you will. she needs you to. she needs you to follow her into a trap.

she doesnt want to. shes lost. shes helpless. she knows shes strong, she knows she COULD take CEO in a fight, but she knows that youre better than the both of them and if anyone will ruin CEOs day, its you. youre her contingency. she doesnt plan to have you fight. youre backup

so when shes knocked away, and she looks up to see you being wrapped up and lifted off the ground, she SUDDENLY understands how Elliot feels.she suddenly understand what he was feeling when he ran away, what sort of impact him leaving might have had, she feels that possibility and it tears her apart then and there. shes helpless o help you, and SHE put you in this position. yes, she gave you a choice, but you were always going to take it. technically he gave her a choice, but she was always going to take it.

because now, shes elliot, being held by a grunt while a young rhia is grabbed in the same manner. suddenly shes filled with his flight or fight instinct. and she has to make that conscious decision to fight, to stay, to not leave her young self behind. and then she sees the consequence of it. Elliot takes a blow and collapses backwards to the utter shock of all present. and suddenly she knows what he thought when he ran, why he made the conscious decision to fly. because this was the sort of thing he feared. he feared a backlash so severe it could kill him. and here he is. and its her fault.

no matter what end she got, whether shes split or reconcile, she recognises this parallel in deep place. shes now lived both sides of the incident, as herself and as elliot, and when she made what she thought was the ‘right’ choice - to fight - she sees the consequences that has. she understands. she wasnt right, and neither was he. for a split side, it forces her to see what elliot was doing and understand. she doesnt have to forgive. but now she understands, deeply. for a reconcile side, it reframes how she approached them repairing their relationship - its not about him becoming a ‘better’ person, its about them both becoming better people. is that realisation too late? she doesnt know.

its why shed become the e4 member on his request in split route. she doesnt want to talk to him much. but when he makes this request of her, sitting in a hospital bed, she cant not accept it. not out of some sense of owing him, though she does (in a way. it could also be seen as them finally being even). she does it because she now understand his perspective and WHY he wants this of her. in fact, thisd work better if elliot had previously asked her to take the role, regardless of route. in reconcile, she does, but in split, she refuses to hear it and leaves (to then be absent until her reappearance in the post game content). and elliot would mention that in your e4 battle. how he thought rhia deserved the spot more than he did, but that she’d refused to speak to him and take it. so when he sits there and shakingly calls Rhia into the room (as shed been sitting on a chair outside having a bit of an angsty moment) she does it in a heartbeat. shes changed, this time. and he asks her to take it, and she accepts. maybe shed be sorta tsundere about it, but everyone would tell its meant well, and the daughters sitting in a corner trying not to giggle. sweet.

like, the main story rhia/elliot arc is about Elliot changing. the post game rhia/elliot arc is about RHIA changing. its about whats ‘right’ and whats ‘correct’. lesser of two evils and such. i think thats a fun theme to have. because theres a difference between the ‘moral right’ path (in terms of the incident, this is Elliot staying and fighting the grunts) and the path with the ‘best outcome’ (thats elliot running away, which if nothing else guarantees he lives instead of them both dying/being brutally injured/such shit). and its about balancing the two. i /guess/ its similar to that dumb train thing, with switching the tracks to kill one person or 4. except a little more..... nuanced.... i hope, anyway. thats just sort the rough idea for it.

the daughter is just there to flesh out Rhia, really.

another thing - where is Rhia in reconcile? because she still has to appear in post game at a couple of random points, which in split is easily explained as her being a vigilante of sorts, roaming the region doing Shit My Guy. but in reconcile, shes in the e4... unless, ooh, so she goes home every night. you complete the last mission for the daughter, she sends you home, a day passes (in game lol), and rhia calls you as soon as you wake up to say daughter is missing. the idea is that rhia and daughter went to sleep and that rhia woke up to find daughter gone, and the ransom note from CEO on her kitchen table. also they sleep separately for this purely because i think id hate if im in bed all cozy and suddenly the partner comes in and steals the blanket like, the fuck. they both have weird schedules with work, so they sleep in separate rooms anyway. way easier for them both. so rhia comes home, goes to bed (possibly seeing the daughter beforehand, i assume so) and then waking up to the note. and calling you, because the daughters phone is on the table and you were the last person she contacted. come quick, fuck. that works.

and rhia still comes home in split. its just late at night, after everyones asleep. the family know shes there. they know shes coming and going. they figure shell calm down and interact with them soon. that sorta thing. and she comes in through her window and crashes on the bed, and bam. its morning, bitch. trot downstairs to grab some Sweet Sweet Bread, and bam, your girlfriend has been kidnapped by the cunt that made you join a gang. fuck.

also shit the mums there for all of this........... shit. like, Doc is in the city, working with the police and also helping people after city chaos. the daughter came home to fill her dads role in the community while hes busy. the mum is still there. the fucks she doing during all this. is she the one who raises the alarm idk. shit. thats complicated. i completely forgot about the mum. oh man. we COULD say shes in the city with Doc, afterall Rhia and the daughter are both adults and can handle themselves........ like she flew over to be with him while hes dealing with police and people? that could work. bit of a cop out but it figures.

honestly all the main characters are dealing with police except for split!Rhia and the daughter. split!rhia because shes off being vigilante, and the daughter because she was spoken to by police after her dad came forward and its immediately understood that she has Absolutely Nothing to do with it, like theyre the ones to reveal her dads gang connections to her and shes just D: WHAT ans they go ‘oh shit’. it was a very difficult conversation for everyone involved.

idk. this works? well enough at any rate. honestly i just like the idea of rhia going through an arc on screen. because in the main story she doesnt really change (ESPECIALLY in split, where she sticks to her guns more fiercely because she hasnt has her views challenged by elliot), its more about elliots development. they both change for post game. elliot by either completing his gradual change into ‘the better person’ rhia wanted, or by just throwing himself into that. he had time. theres like a week of in game time between you becoming champion and him getting shot. and rhia changes by either completing her own change into ‘the better person’ or having her stead fast idea challenged concretely. idk. listen this shits fun im a slut for drama and this is My Shit My Guy

[somedaypast-thesunset]

today i was very much just me. and it wasnt like a bunch of planning to do stuff or setting real goals. i mean, i kind of did in some ways but it wasnt a big deal to me to fail; it just got me going and thinking and doing. ive actually been feeling mildly okay. like, theres not an insane amount of anxiety and im just letting things be and others are just letting it be and its not making the situation any better but not feeling constantly panicked about it is better. so i know its become repition now. ive become a self aware robot now. its really repetitive to say things like i dont know where i stand with him, i dont know where this relationship is going, i dont know why were together etc. i dont need to go back into long drawn out rants. this afternoon he just repeatedly sent fuck off to me because i sent too many messages (3, in a few hours) and was vicious because i asked if he wanted to grab later (he probably would) and i had money to pitch. he doesnt do this in person but regardless i find it really unnecessary and disgusting to become an abusive cry baby. he does do this to his mother as well but hes extra careful about it with me.. or tries to be. even in text. lately ive had very little conversation with him. id say over three weeks of having a conversarion which involved me or my life. we had one - and he bought it off with "classes" we havent spoke of since. like literally its never been brought up since the original day. he never asks how my day was or what ive done and yet im clearly going out and seeing people. like not even casual convo about my life ljke hey did you finish this book or w. e. he fills up most of our space. i do like hearing him talk, honestlt and i dont offer up these things. i dont tell him. i kind of stopped telling him because he was rarelt listening. hed just tune out and tell me he missed half. i think he knows but at the same time im not willing to expend the enerfy to think about what hes doing. maybe hes setting up to break up. hes probably done it enough he knows how to be smooth with it. i try not to think that way which is hard because im just leaving mhself open everyday to be burned. but i assume hes not. he takes it out on his mother as well which makes me thibk its more just a problem with him. i told him i was just making conversation - which is impossible anyways to do with him in text despite him sepnding alot of time doing it with others. i told him to get over himself, because these fucked up "rules" he has for communicating with him is stupid and no one cares that he doesnt know how to use his own phone. turn off the fucking notification. whats wrong with you. throwing a tantrum because you dont turn off the notificarion is so stupid. no one can guess when its okay to talk to you via text. go fuck yourself. of course, what will probably happen is ill try to text something casual after all this and he may or may not reply with something okay. more likely he will but theres like 35% chance he wont. but well forget about it - like his mother does, and move on, never talking about it again. if i tried to, id probably be told to just live with it anyway - its my choice to be there. i wish i had it in me to bring this up the right way. like the real way a human does when communicating something to another without animosity or because theyre trying to gain something. like i just want to know what this is and why were doing this. why am i putting up with a grown mans tantrum via text and for what? what is my gain? this morning he laughingly said "when i start getting paid x -we- will be better off" he spoke this way twice, telling me before that his money is what pays for -our- lifestyle and luxuries. but -we- dont share a life together. we are just apart of each others lives. we dont share in it together as partners. so its like.. i live in a whole other place than you and have other responsibilities and do other things you dont even know about. where is us? stuck in a shitty text convo where im trying to see him in person but i cant tell him im coming over and i cant ask to come over - just because he doesnt"like" communicating rhat way. us would be food in my house. bus money. paying for things together. his money is no true benefit to me and hes made it pretty unimportant. like yeah, i want to smoke weed but its not my shelter. i gave all the money i had to shelter. i didnt keep it to smoke weed. so without weed what do i get? what is such a great benefit to me? nothing. im just an observer. congrats on ur shit but its ljke im a studio audience just empathizing with the main character. i dont need a benefit either but to act ljke youre a benefit to me when youre a luxury is stepping over your role. let me be grateful and the maid to pay off my weed, let it be cute and fun - dont act like you put food in my mouth when i have to steal it from your overstuffed cupboards. i love him. i do love him. and im so frustrated because i want more and he dangles more sometimes. id follow him anywhere - id do whatever he asked to lay in bed with him every night becahse im a desperate and hopeless romantic. i have little left in life but love. ive never acted like this. i only once asked him if hed move in - i casually mention it sometimes when hes angry at his mother in a list of other options but i only once asked and his answer was no. i dont think itll change, and if it does hed tell me - not hint around it. i never asked to move out with him - but i suspect its the same answer, im ill and have no job. fajr enough. its a prettt blanket response. so i just wait. despite having my answer. i wait to get better, i guess? i wait for things to change? for him to get fed up? he says he loves me but i dont know. i wish he did.

[viralhottopics]

Right-to-Repair is ridiculous

Congrats, you got it apart. Now what?

Image: Shutterstock / PATHOMRAT PRAERIN

My co-worker, Tracey, held her iPhone like a baby bird with a bent wing.

I stared at the dark screen. The device was still on, but stuck somewhere between living technology and a dead iPhone. Tracey said that the device made a popping sound and got really hot in one corner while she was making a phone call. Then, her screen cracked, and burnt her ear. She wanted to know what to do. She explained the incident happened shortly after having third-party iPhone screen repair company iCracked replace her shattered iPhone 6 screen. iCracked was ready to let the original technician repair her phone again. I warned her against it. The phone was obviously dangerousand letting them touch it again probably wouldnt help. In fact, I thought it might hurt.

Right-to-Repair? What a ridiculous phrase. No one has the right to repair anything.

I was reminded of this episode as I read about Nebraska, the latest state to consider new Right-to-Repair legislation. If the legislation passes, it’d require Apple, Samsung, and other electronics manufacturers to supply parts and detailed repair manuals to everyone, including repair shops, and average consumers. And there are several legislative efforts like it underway around the country.

Right-to-Repair? What a ridiculous thing to say. No one has the right to repair anything. You might have the skill to repair something (something that iCracked tech might’ve lacked). And you can hand people all the schematics, instructions, and parts you want and they still wont be able to replace an iPhone battery or screen.

Another way to say it

We dont lead with that language, said The Repair Associations Executive Director Gay Gordon-Byrne.

Her organization supports Right-to-Repair legislation around the country. Gordon-Byrne, who has a bit of a DIY streak in her, agreed that repairing something isn’t a right like free speech. In fact, some of the legislation her organization sponsors is called Fair Repair. The Right-to-Repair language actually started in the auto industry. Obviously, it would be silly for us not to take advantage [of it.], she told me.

Even though the language of the legislation being pushed in Nebraska includes the word consumers and reads broadly, Gordon-Byrne insists the goal of the legislation isn’t you should repair your own stuff.

That may be so, but I worry the DIY community, the Maker community, and especially Apple-repair shop iFixitwhich stands firmly behind Right-to-Repair, and urges their site’s visitors to support itfeel otherwise.

The company, which sells an excellent line of repair tools and kits, does daily teardowns of popular consumer electronics products, and rates them on repairability. It gave the iPhone 6 a 7 out of 10 score, which makes it sound quite repairable. Of course, the teardown features 22 steps using four specialized tools you can buy, naturally, from iFixit. Its screen replacement guide for the phone features 26 steps, an $80 part, and seven tools.

Gordon-Byrne says companies like iFixit should be credited with small third-party iPhone repair services that do exist. Without the intel they provide on how these products are made and the components within them, as well as the tools and, sometimes, replacement parts they offer? There probably wouldnt even be an iCracked.

The End of Repair

When they work, sites and services like iFixit and iCracked fill in a crucial gap between the end of your iPhone warranty and buying a new iPhone. But Traceys experience makes me wonder if the entire consumer electronics repair industry is a farce. Apple and Samsung aren’t building these products to be repaired. They started with batteries that cant be removed, and continued with hidden screws. Even water-resistance flies in the face of a repair job. ‘Soon as you open that phone, you can probably kiss any real waterproofing you might’ve had goodbye.

This, for Gordon-Byrne, is a positive. Most repair is actually simpler than people expect, she told me, adding that many repairs aren’t “repairs” at alltheyre just parts replacement. If a board goes dead, the repair shop slips it out, and slides a new board in.

Shes right, but the typical consumer gamely trying to repair their iPhone wouldnt get that far in. Theyd struggle to open the device, and probably wouldnt know how to unplug the front panel that includes both the LCD and glass screen cover.

I agree, theres a shift in manufacturing that has tended to using more adhesives and more integrated parts, said Gordon-Byrne.

Its not that I dont believe in better-built products and repairability. We need tightening against planned obsolescence cyclesTV sets that once lasted 25 years now fail after five. Im also a tinkerer. Ive taken apart everything from VCRs to BlackBerry Curve phones and their classic scroll buttons. When I see moving parts, I think: repairability. Todays phones have almost no moving parts. At least the iPhone 6 had a moveable home button. The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus dont even have that.

Apple would rather just not.

Apple, which wouldn’t comment for this story, has made no secret of its distaste for the Right-to-Repair movement, lobbying against it in multiple states. Its also sought to steer people away from third-party and potentially unlicensed repair companies by lowering the cost, in the U.S., at least, of some of its own repair services (Apple doesn’t cover most cracked screens unless the crack was caused by a manufacturing defect). The company also understands just how hard it is to repair and dismantle its own products. In 2015, Apple introduced LIAM, a custom-design, iPhone-dismantling robot. Its still a prototype, and only safely dismantles an iPhone 5, but it also separates and sorts recyclable and hazardous materials. My guess is that, at some point in the not-too-distant future, iPhones will be so thin, powerful, and complex than only a robot will be able to repair them.

Opponents contend that Apple’s fighting Right-to-Repair legislation because it wants to protect trade secrets. But which ones, exactly? iFixit teardowns reveal virtually every component inside these devices. There’s clearly some stuff iFixit cannot figure out via observation. Im fine with that. Apple wanting to protect some details of its iPhone technology is no different than Kentucky Fried Chicken trying to protect its secret recipe.

DIY disasters

I think its a fair concern that Right-to-Repair laws could lead to an explosion of Radio Shack-like iPhone and Samsung electronics parts shops. Consumers will wander in with broken iPhone and Samsung Galaxy screens, and walk out with all the parts and tools they need to repair them. And they will fail, miserably.

Plus, what if a consumer’s injured during a failed repair attempt? They slice open a finger on the cracked glass, or put it back together incorrectly, so the battery fails (and maybe even explodes). Its the consumers fault, obviously, but they could also try to sue Apple or Samsung.

Gordon-Byrne laughed off my concern. I cant imagine someone going in to try and sue Apple for a finger cut, when its already clear that the phone has glass and that glass is fragile.

The Right-to-Repair movement would make a lot more sense to me if it focused solely on industrial technology. Farming and manufacturing equipment are, increasingly, filled with hard-to-repair solid-state components. When theres millions of dollars (and potentially: infrastructure) on the line, it makes sense to ensure that businesses, farms, even governments can repair this equipment, as opposed to simply having to replace it.

The Repair Association has, in fact, considered pursuing something less inclusive. Gordon-Byrne pointed me to Wyoming and Kansas, two states considering legislation tailored to farm and ranching equipment. On its Wyoming Bill page, though, The Repair Association says it would like to see the bill be adjusted to include all digital equipment.

Too new to fail

If Right-to-Repair succeeds, Gordon-Byrne sees a lot more people getting trained and going into business for themselves as technicians. It could be a booming business. It could also face one very big challenge: modern product-upgrade cycles. New smartphone manufacturer and carrier plans are encouraging consumers to upgrade their phones every year (and pay a monthly fee, so they dont notice the $700 theyre plunking down for that new iPhone). Leaving aside clear profit motives, it introduces a new possibility to our smart-phone-owning existence: More and more people will be carrying like-new phones, and repair opportunities may dwindle.

That reality’s probably years away, though, and Right-to-Repair is struggling to make its way through a handful of state legislatures, which leaves us with the somewhat dicey status quo and companies like iCracked that are, even by their own admission, feeling their way through the repair process.

The repair industry was the wild west and to some extent, it still is. Said iCracked CEO and Founder AJ Forsythe.

He was understandably alarmed about Traceys experience, noting that its not the norm. iCracked does seem obsessed with repair quality. It even captures video of its parts on the assembly line and uses barcodes to attach that footage to the final product its iTechs use in repairs.

However, iCracked, like most third-party repair companies, is still flying partially blind-folded. Since Apple doesnt provide repair manuals and certified parts to companies like his, Forsythe has made over two dozen visits to China to find the companies supplying iPhone parts. Are they the exact same parts Apple uses? A lot of the time, they are the same, said Forsythe. But Apple is well known for forcing supply partners to, sometime subtly, alter components just for them. Could Forsythe be certain his LCD panels match Apples?

As far as we know from the supply chain team over there, they are wildly similar, or the same, he told me.

Forsythe, naturally, supports Right-to-Repair. I asked him if hes comfortable with even more consumers trying to repair their own phones. He acknowledged that not everyone’s as handy and tech savvy as he is. Would I feel comfortable having my father or mother repair a phone?”

“I guess [the answer] would be how well they could follow instructions.

AND NOW, A DIFFERENT OPINION: Apple doesn’t want you to repair your iPhone because they’re money-hungry and evil.

Read more: http://ift.tt/2lOUvrl

from Right-to-Repair is ridiculous