#Its kind of distressing sometimes but I've basically learned to live with the feeling. I probably will never own my body and idk

[justonefeather]

I don't know how to say "my gender is something nonhuman and not able to be comprehended while adhering to our current society's standards of what men and women are supposed to be, never mind the fact that my preferred form is not a human body at all" without the other person being concerned...

[train-fans-anonymous]

Im back with answers and more random thoughts, first I'll answer the questions you had from the last ask. Questions will be in blue and answers will be in white/black (depending on your settings)

"Do you think it is because they wouldn’t want to lose their luxuries? are they afraid of living knowing that if they speak up they can be silenced? or do they simply not care about what’s lower than them?"

it's mostly the last reason, it simply doesn't effect them and they don't care all that much unless it effects them in some sort of way. Some do have the other reasons, but it's mostly the last

"Even if they were somehow to find someone willing to undergo a large surgery do you think it’d be safe? would there be people who take advantage of this and charge low with high interest rates to trap someone into servitude?"

It would most likely not be all that safe, with heavy risks of malpractice or outright lying about what they end up doing. I do think it would be safer to go to a Doc who us less well known or has less to gain from lying to them. I actually hadn't thought of that other idea, but now that you mention it I can totally see it happening. I think it would most likely only happen to hyper specific cast mechs, something that is harder to get by normal means.

"Are they shunned by their former friends and followers and do they continue to have the opportunity of luxury AFTER empurata?"

It really depends, it's possible to maintain a mechs status after empurata but it's very hard. If they are well known enough and their appearance is not as important to that they should be OK. (Kind of like how celebrities who do bad things can still remain in good standing)

"Do you think any (probably viewed as insane) noblemechs would display their empurata as like a “message”? or propaganda, trying to express their views."

Yes, if their personality seems to fit and that they hadn't had their personality or anything changed. There is one AU I've seen where they had starscream under go empurata, and he would definitely be the type to show it off as a statement.

"Do you think he experiences phantom pains from his hands like cramping? Or maybe sometimes he’s reach over and knocks something down because he still sometimes “feels” his hand? Is this a point of distress for him?"

Most definitely. I think any mech that gets a replacement connected to their systems or processor they tend to get phantom pains, in the case of Shockwave I think he would just permanently offline the segment of his processor related to the parts of the body he had gotten removed. Along with that I believe Shockwave could manually switch the commands used for his dominate hand to his only remaining hand. It's risky and not anything that a normal mech would consider but Shockwave isn't really a normal mech...

now I have another idea, it's related to the cycle of life for sparks and Somethings related to that.

So, new sparks are more connected to the planet and they lose connection as they grow up. They learn to walk, talk, transform, and the basic things required to live from that early connection, and they can learn and give things they learn to the planet (I think more specifically the well of the all sparks) in their early years. There is exceptions, in partial outliers. They maintain a connection and that is where they get their powers from, most don't know that but its the way they get their powers.

Anyway have fun with that one :]

Sidenote: I have finally found someone who knows what I mean when I say I wanna bite people in a good way

YOOO WERE BACK!!! my favorite time reading time 😎👍 glad to see my biting was well received, be sure to smash that subscribe button and hit the bell if you’d like to see more mutual biting xddd

Aaa it’s sad to hear Shockwave just cuts off the feedback from his hand :((( and also crazy how he pushes his physical body to the limits “It's risky and not anything that a normal mech would consider but Shockwave isn't really a normal mech...” Also bro????!?!! that end bit. Hang on just the thought that he goes out of his way to do things that nobody else would consider for the cause is [mindblown] he’s literally changing himself physically and mentally for what he thinks is best ahanbsebevsbbnnjjjjj

Interesting to hear that Starscream would show off his empurata… Honestly he is the victim of a lot already but I could see him owning it, because despite his struggles he still pushes forward towards his plans.

In addition to your thoughts of the possibility that mechs could maintain their status as empuratees, do you think they might even gain some followers FROM their empurata? Comparison between celebrities is interesting but makes a lot of sense, despite supporting or doing bad things - you can still keep power through any means necessary.

Your comment about “specific class” mechs intrigues me. Is this for mechs with a specific function or hard to come by software? Do you think there’s be essentially a body/hardware trade (like how Lockdown from Animated collects parts and mods from his bounties) in that you could trade some important part of your body or maybe even your function to regain your life? (Maybe similar to Nautica in IDW trying to sell her emotions in exchange for Skids)

This is the part I’m really excited in because I always love seeing how people write Transformers being created: their connection to the planet reminds me a lot of things like going immersant from IDW2 where bots who feel accomplished in life give their body and mind back to Cybertron. Interesting how they gather data, knowledge, and power from the planet. Do you think if a bot were to be born nearer to like the helex they’d develop differently or have different knowledge than someone from protohex? what about Cybertron’s moons? Do certain areas of Cybertron have a higher yield for outlier sparks?

Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions and to write more, this is really fun to keep up with. And yet again sorry for not receiving the notification 🫡 we stan tumblr mobile web version in this household (lying)

[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

I'm…really going back and forth on whether or not I should be a therapist. I love psychology in general and diagnosing people, but I'm naturally a really judgemental, opinionated person (I don't like things like femininity because of dysphoria, or alcohol, but I'm completely all-or-nothing about it. I judge people for being feminine or drinking alcohol, even if they're not alcoholics or anything, because…I don't understand them).

My empathy's not the greatest either. I get mad when I'll tell people advice and they don't follow it, or I'll get annoyed when people just want to vent and they don't want a solution. I get empathy burnout/compassion fatigue a lot faster than other people do. I'm a pretty selfish person, and I feel like being selfish is bad for a therapist. Obviously all of this stuff can be learned (being judgemental would probably stop if I met more people and gradually stopped stereotyping them, and empathy is a learned skill), but I don't know if being a therapist is right for me. Thanks for your help, if you answer this.

You're absolutely right that these things can be learned! Empathy is not necessarily a natural emotional path for me, but I've developed a lot of intentional and mindful ways of thinking that more than "make up" for that. And I think all of us can struggle with watching people struggle to sit in distress when there are solutions that appear obvious to us, but a big part of the learning process as a clinician is learning how to remove yourself from the feedback you give unless there's an active reason to include disclosure or personal perspective.

I don't know you Anon, and I'm not going to give you career advice based on this message. But I am going to say that you really haven't painted a very good picture of yourself here as a prospective clinician.

Therapy is absolutely not about diagnosing people, and psychology is one of the frameworks of what we do, not what it's about. It's great to be interested in those things, but on their own, they won't make you an effective therapist or make you happy with your work.

To be honest, this ask has given me no indication whatsoever of why you might be interested in being a therapist. I'd be more inclined to ask you if you're feeling like you *should* be a therapist and are looking for reasons to talk yourself out of it based on how you've framed this.

I want to be really clear. Lots of people get told they should be therapists when what is actually being said is "you seem to have really ineffective boundaries around when and what others share with you about their lives and depend on you for." That's not a reason to go into therapy. I should know. It's one of the reasons I went into therapy. And had it been the only one, I absolutely would have gone down in flames years ago.

If you decide that you want to learn more about psychology, I think that's awesome! Psychology can be a fascinating field. It's not the only entry point into therapy, and in my opinion not necessarily even the best one depending on where your personal need areas are. Social work is also a common entry point, and can be more effective for some, especially those whose backgrounds are more vulnerable to the kinds of biases that tend to be reinforced in medical fields. But regardless of which method of learning you might choose to take, you can still choose not to become a therapist after. It can just be cool things you learned because they interested you. And frankly, if you genuinely enjoy diagnosing people, it might be for the best that be all it ever is. Diagnosis isn't what people outside of the field treat it as, and the field has worked REALLY hard to evolve it into its current understanding of "basically only something we do for billing purposes" with a little sprinkle of "sometimes symptoms cluster together in similar ways and we can help people with similar support tools based on that cluster". No one I know who treats diagnosis that way LIKES doing it though, because there's this inherent sense of "I am ascribing labels and meanings to clients through their insurance companies that I lose control of how others interpret as soon as I put them on the documentation" on top of the frantic fear of "what if someone else along the treatment/billing chain decides I was wrong?"

Here are some things I do like about my time at work! I like doing psycho-education with clients about things like executive function, the autonomic system, human need-meeting, relationship cultivation dynamics, etc. I like getting to know my clients as people and coming to understand their stories, where they come from as people, and the things about their lives that are important to them. I like hearing from them about the ways that they see changes over time when we find the resources and tools that work for them. I like learning from them about the different worlds, perspectives, and experiences that exist in life.

I really don't know if this response will have been helpful or not Anon, because to be honest I'm still really not sure what you were hoping for here. You really don't sound like you are interested in any of the things that make therapy what it is, and the things you do seem interested in seem to have more to do with liking to learn about mental health from the outside? Which is fine! There are lots of people who like that and plenty of reasons to get into that sort of thing. But I just don't know why you are motivated to be a therapist then, given all the hurdles you expect to face. Helping professions are jobs that take a deep emotional toll and tend to be really hard to do without compromising your moral values. There's no reason to seek out a job like that unless you have a real passion for the role/work specifically, not just the tangentially related subject matter.

Ultimately, I'm a therapist because I'm an abolitionist and a harm reductionist. I work for a practice that is operating within some really specific parameters, seeking to evolve the field and change the way care is executed over all. We're not just practitioners, we're advocates and political activists, all day every day. I sought out accreditation and certification as part of the effort to challenge the status of said acceeditation and certification. It's....a very specific kind of choice. And it's really not one that I recommend many people make. I'm lucky in my ability to do what I do and work with who I work with. Not everybody will be. And believe me, the amount of money one sinks into these credentials is not worth the salaries one gets, especially not if one is not also making really deliberate socio-political choices that are worth paying for. So like. If you enter therapy with the beliefs you describe and cannot guarantee challenging them by the time you get certified, *I personally do not want you in my field, whether you are a capable practitioner or not* because those beliefs are exactly the things I am working to eliminate and undermine through my own work. Psych abolition is hard enough without more people who are willing to impose themselves on their clients. This is not meant to be harsh or cruel. I understand what it's like to want something that is hard for you to do. But this is a field in which you can hold IMMENSE power over people's lives and you are describing yourself as someone who would judge, look down on, and be critical of your clients. That belongs NOWHERE NEAR such power, and if you cannot ensure the elimination of those tendencies, either through advocacy work and praxis, or through education, then you need to stay away.

I hope that you decide to learn more about these topics regardless of your career choices, because I have the sense that it would help you better understand and interact with others and the world. But either way, I strongly recommend looking into abolition as a general concept, and psych abolition as a more specific one. It may help you find the conceptual challenges that make this decision easier for you.

[ranboo5]

What's zablr

Takes a long slow sip of my cold brew, slams it down on the table

Might've told this story before I don't remember but I don't care to go looking. Get ready 4 a story of the most irrelevant low stakes niche fandom drama you've ever seen

A long long time ago. Around Feb 2021

So, motherfuckers HATE Philza Minecraft and they have always hated Philza Minecraft. Like it's the same problem as still very much exists today and is not confined to Philza – the way it can feel impossible to hang out in places related to DSMP without seeing neg of your little guy, right, and sometimes vile neg, like, not just wrong but genuinely distressing and fucked up. I'm sure you know the type anon you must be quite invested in the source to have any eye on this blog in 2022 and you must thus have some little guy who you've seen just the worst shit about. And hell I've probably posted stuff in that vein but I have tried to avoid it in past months so if you don't know wht Zablr is

But in Feb 2021 the fandom was obviously much bigger and more active – this being the era of active lore discourse and all – and aggressive Phil neg was not just annoyingly prevalent but quite literally unavoidable in the character's own main tag. The Philza tag was literally unusable shit was awful and it felt like any form of dissent from that was scattered and miserable. Boreal enjoyers in early 2021 were unavoidably and eternally fighting for our lives in the trenches

So some semi-influential bloggers (almost all of that old guard have moved on from DSMP by now and I'm not in contact with I think any that remain unless Nocturne count) started the Zablr tag instead so Philza enjoyers (by proxy, emerald and boreal enjoyers) could exchange content about our little guy without being, as aforementioned, in the mf trenches

It did not take long for the Discord to be ensuingly made and for Zablr to become a proper community. I think I joined in late February or sometime in March? Anyway, it seemed like an oasis at the time. A place where I could actually have takes that differed from fandom consensus! A place where I could talk about actual canon! A place where a mention of Philza didn't spiral into tirades about how much he sucked! Imagine that!

But even then like. I can't even say we should've known but the signs were there, yk? The administration system was SHOT (altho I didn't learn until later), there was barely any kind of genuine stability in it, etc..

I set up shop in the discourse channel bc I have always been Like This and. God okay the tragedy of Zablr rant chat is basically what this really ends up being. I can barely call it a decline bc it was never actually good! Red flags existed from the start! The effective dogpiling that happened the way we were as a community defined by the hostility outside... the us vs them mindset and the way Zaph (ZAPH! THE #1 PHILZA MINECRAFT SHOOTER!!!!) and I having an actual conversation abt Philza's flaws got told to leave were like . Fully inevitable. It was externally motivated bc like the place could not have existed and rotted w/o the trenches but it was also like. The infrastructure, formal or informal, to keep it alive never existed

In the later stages of Zablr attempts at getting more moderation and regulating rant chat more were made, including an extremely controversial decision of shutting it down fully, especially as more and more members new and old became more and more uncomfortable abt it, but it was too little too late yk. Bandaid on gangrene type of shit

There was functionally a mass exodus. Zablr hemorrhaged active members over April and while I still check in every so often it's like three ppl and nowhere close 2 what it once was yk? It's not fully dead but everyone who was involved at its peak days is inactive or gone and does not remember it too kindly

And I cannot emphasize enough here. I had good times in Zablr I met lovely friends in Zablr several of whom I'm still in contact with even in rant it was also absolutely a legitimate refuge from what was at the time an Unlivable larger fandom it was good it literally was

But at the same time . It never was. The seeds of its destruction were in there from the start and idk if we could have weeded it especially with the external pressures relevant. At the end of the day the discourse chat nuke and nuclear winter starving out the remainder of it slowly were not the beginning of the end but. Well. The end of it

Thinking back on it it seems fucking insane to me that this happened over like two months it seems like such a huge part of my experience with the DSMP like fuck it's still in my bio!!! But it was only a couple months!!! It's literally irrelevant!!!! What the mf hell!!!!!

Anyway that's why I'm a Dark Souls boss

[healingchildhoodtrauma]

Even though my family members are still alive and I cut them off for being abusive, I still find myself grieving them. I’m basically grieving who I thought/imagined/hoped they were. Grieving is messy and there is no right or wrong way to grieve. Reading about grieving helps me feel understood in all the heavy emotions I’m going through.

“12 Steps in Grief Process”

1.RECOVER FROM A LOVED ONE'S DEATH REQUIRES MORE THAN TIME.

Yet, if we allow ourselves the time to mourn we can gradually break grief's grip on us. Recognizing the role and value of the grieving process orients us to accepting the fact of the death. Acceptance marks a major step towards recovery.

2.GRIEF IS UNIVERSAL - GRIEVERS ARE DISTINCTIVE.

Grieving follows a pattern, but each griever experiences it differently. Awareness of the basic pattern reveals common ground for mutual help and support. Recognition of uniqueness enables grievers to help themselves, guides sympathizers in what to say and do.

3.SHOCK INITIATES US INTO MOURNING.

We go numb when someone we love dies. We feel stunned, in a trance. This is nature's way of cushioning us against tragedy. The length and depth of this state varies according to our relationship, the cause of death, whether it was sudden or expected, etc. Shock allows us time to absorb what has happened and to begin to adjust. The guidance of caring people can sustain new grievers. As numbness wears off and acceptance grows, we regain control of the direction of our lives.

4.GRIEF CAUSES DEPRESSION.

Grievers typically, but in varying degrees, experience loneliness and depression. This pain, too, will pass. Being alone need not result in loneliness. Reaching out to others is a key way to lessen loneliness and to overcome depression.

5.GRIEF IS HAZARDOUS TO OUR HEALTH.

The mental and emotional upset of a loss by death causes physical distress and vulnerability to illness. Grievers sometimes neglect healthy nourishment and exercise, overindulge in drinking, smoking or medication. We might need a doctor's advice in regard to our symptoms, their causes and their treatment.

6.GRIEVERS NEED TO KNOW THEY'RE NORMAL.

The death of a loved one makes the future very uncertain. We might panic in the face of the unknown and fear life without the one who died. Panic prevents concentration and defers acceptance of the finality of death. It tempts us to run from life, to avoid people and to refuse to try new things. We might even think we're going crazy. Patience with ourselves and a willingness to accept help enable us to subdue panic and outgrow its confusion.

7.GRIEVERS SUFFER GUILT FEELINGS.

Many blame themselves after a loved one's death, for the death itself or for faults in the relationship. We have all made mistakes and sincere regret is the best response to them. However, self-reproach out of proportion to our behaviour affects our mental health and impedes our recovery. Close friends or a trusted counselor can aid us in confronting and dealing with guilt feelings, whether justified or exaggerated.

8.GRIEF MAKES PEOPLE ANGRY.

People in grief naturally ask "Why?" Why him? Why me? Why now? Why like this? Most of these questions have no answers. Frustration then causes us to feel the resentment and anger. We want someone to blame: God, doctors, clergy, ourselves, even the one who died. If we can accept the lack of answers to "Why?" we might begin to ask, instead, what can we do now to grow through what has happened. Then we have started to move beyond anger and towards hope.

9.EMOTIONAL UPHEAVAL CHARACTERIZES GRIEVERS.

A loved one's death disrupts emotional balance. The variety and intensity of feelings seem overwhelming. Other grievers and counselors can help us interpret and deal with these feelings. As we come to understand what we experience, we can find appropriate ways to ventilate our emotions and to channel them constructively.

10.GRIEVERS OFTEN LACK DIRECTION AND PURPOSE.

At times in the grieving process, a kind of drifting occurs. Mourners find familiar and necessary activities difficult. We prefer to daydream about what was or fantasize about what might have been. If we can foster gratitude for the past and begin to assess our potential for the future, this will prove a passing phase, not a permanent state.

11.HEALING BRINGS HOPE TO GRIEVERS.

It takes time and effort, but gradually hope dawns for bereaved people. We learn to express emotions without embarrassment or apology. We cherish memories, bittersweet though they are. We begin to feel concern for and show interest in others. We make decisions and assume responsibility for ourselves. The example of the recovered grievers helps us discover and develop our own potential.

12.SURVIVORS REAFFIRM THEMSELVES AND CHOOSE LIFE.

Eventually, grievers recognize and embrace a healing truth: Grief has changed me, but has not destroyed me. I've discovered new things about myself. I can build on strengths developed through adversity. I'm no longer my "old self" but I'm still me, I face the future with confidence. Life is worth living because I can love and be loved.

https://dennistoll.ca/12_Steps_in_Grief_Process_981014.html