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lovebites-if · 7 months

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DEMO (tba) - FAQ - NAVIGATION

Tag(s): Slice of Life, Fantasy, Comedy, Drama, Romance, YA, LGBTQ+, Text-based, Lighthearted. Inspired by The Office and What We Do In The Shadows.

Congratulations, human!

You have been chosen to join the extraordinary Creature Mediation Center (CMC), a unique workplace where all kinds of different monsters creatures collaborate to bridge the specieist gap in our society. As the newest and only human of our team, you'll navigate a world of diverse creatures, handling counseling sessions, managing projects, and making critical decisions to foster harmony between two worlds.

Welcome to a realm where diplomacy is a blend of corporate intrigue and fantastical diversity!

Customize your human MC's physical appearance, personality, age (25-35) and many more features.

Build relationships with diverse colleagues, each with unique personalities, backgrounds, and challenges. Strengthen alliances or face consequences based on your interactions.

Encounter a plethora of fantastical creatures, each with its own cultural nuances, habits, and communication styles. Learn to navigate this rich tapestry of diversity.

Juggle various projects aimed at fostering understanding and cooperation between monsters and humans. Successes and failures affect the overall atmosphere in the office.

Engage in crucial decision-making that impacts office dynamics, relationships, and the overall course of monster and human relations. Your choices influence the harmony or discord between both species. Good luck, human!

RO Intros • Choosing a route

Among the various members of your team, we present you the Monsters Working With the Human Division (MWHD) provisional name.

Naira/Namid (she/her or he/him) • THE WEREWOLF • 32 years old

Animated, bubbly and incredibly friendly, our beloved N brings an energetic and passionate, and lively spirit to the office. As a Werewolf, their empathetic nature makes them adept at counseling. They joined the office seeking a bridge between the worlds, hoping to dispel misconceptions about werewolves and foster understanding.

Friends to lovers, idiots in love, (possible) friends with benefits. It's possible to enter a poly relationship with N and Val.

Val (she/her or he/him) • THE VAMPIRE • age undisclosed (200+)

Mysterious and meticulous, Val is the epitome of a centuries-old vampire. Their adherence to rules and structure contrasts with the unfortunate chaotic nature of the office. Val took on this role to observe and maintain order, ensuring the delicate balance between humans and monsters.

Slow-burn, (Val's) First love. It's possible to enter a poly relationship with N and Val.

Maureen/Marius (she/her or he/him) • THE GRIM REAPER • age undisclosed (300+)

Enigmatic yet compassionate, M retired from their reaping decades ago. They've been part of the office for a few years now, working almost exclusively with ghosts and their human relatives. M's unique perspective offers profound insights into life and afterlife.

Forbidden love, friends to lovers, mutual pining.

Devan (they/them) • THE ONI • 28 years old

Devan embodies the mischievous spirit of an Oni, their playful and curious personality makes them difficult to handle, yet very useful in dynamic environments. Their love for challenges drew them to the office, eager to tackle the complexities of monster and human relations.

Idiots in love, (possible) friends with benefits. Oblivious to love (Devan).

Lucian/Leah (he/him or she/her) • THE MERMAID • 25 years old

L's calm and observant personality brings a tranquil presence to the office. As a Mermaid, they contribute a unique perspective on the challenges of both land and sea. L joined to explore new horizons and bridge the gap between underwater and terrestrial life.

Rivals to lovers, (possible) rivals with benefits, pining (one-sided, mostly MC's).

Cyrus (he/him or she/her) • THE ZOMBIE • 30 years old

Cyrus defies zombie stereotypes. Their ability to empathize and understand others' emotions makes them an excellent counselor. Cyrus joined the office seeking redemption and a chance to demonstrate that even the undead can contribute positively to society.

Everyone can see it, Girl/Boy next door, Soft love.

??? (he/him or she/her) • ??? • ???

Are you sure about that?

Enemies to lovers. Red flag RO. “I can fix them.”

While we support, Human-Monster relationships, dating a coworker is prohibited. If you suspect anyone in your work environment of engaging in such behavior, contact your boss and supervisor Arion/Arianne (a proud gorgon).

We hope your time with us is fruitful, human.

#love bites if #love bites #cog #choice of games #choice script #hosted games #interactive fiction #if game #cog wip #intro post #interactive fiction game #if intro

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amailboxlemur · 2 months

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Season 3 thoughts about mental health

So the mental health aspect of young royals has always been massive to me because my own brain doesn’t like to function particularly well at times. It’s also clearly what draws Edvin to wille and he portrays it so well. I want to get a few non wille things out of the way first though:

August eating disorder: touched on, but not dived into too deeply. Really interesting how he seems to think it’s completely normal (there’s something great about being hungry, calm the mind etc) but right away Simon is just like “nope, that’s not healthy”

The Queen: this year is really catching up with her. I can’t help but feel there’s something physical going on with her as well, whether it’s caused by stress or made worse by stress. Either way, I love the idea that truly no one is able to “handle” it the pressures of this position.

Ok now Wille:

I want to start with the fact he’s taking steps. He’s really trying. When Sara returns to school he does check in with Simon and does his best to support him. After the rock incident he calls the Royal court immediately to try and get Simon security. After the protest, he acknowledges that he and Simon and different but that he’s learning from Simon.

Right then is I think somewhere he had a big opportunity for growth. When Simon mentions charities he could care about, he mentions mental health or lgbtq+ rights. Both boys immediately focus on lgbtq+ but I think mental health is a better fit for wille at this point. He’s been going to therapy, and he seems at least vaguely aware that it’s anxiety that affects him. Falling in love with Simon is all well and good, but I never got the impression wille was overly concerned with his queer identity. (Neither has the show for that matter. There are queer characters but the main themes have always been class and mental health). But they have their little argument about lgbtq+ advocacy and never really circle back to the mental health thing, which is a shame. Wille ends up picking the path of least resistance and going with “sports and health”.

Wille has always had a temper. We’ve known that from the very first scene where he head butted someone in a club and kicked off this entire chain of events. But this season he really starts to break down with the fight with august. I can’t help but feel like the “pair” counselling isn’t the solution here. Like August deeply violated Wille and I genuinely think that being in therapy with someone abusive isn’t helpful. Being around August so much is actively making Wille’s mental health worse. Is he even still seeing Boris privately?

So that leads us to his meltdown at the end of episode 5, where we see a deeply traumatized Wille letting it all out. He’s been raised by his boss (and Kristina admits that). he’s grieving his brother while grappling with the fact Erik wasn’t perfect (and maybe wouldn’t even like him, have I MENTIONED how much that line BROKE me??). His privacy has been violated, he was outed to the world and put in a therapy situation where it was borderline made to seem like he was equally to blame in their “relationship”. Wille is NOT in a good space mentally and Simon is right to be afraid for and of him. He’s right to hit the pause button.

So where do we go from here? I’ve been an abdication truther and this season further confirms it. What Wille really needs is a break and some hardcore (solo) therapy.

#young royals #yr s3 spoilers #prince wilhelm #tw mental health #tw eating issues

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jbaileyfansite · 7 months

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Fellow Travelers Article by Entertaintment Weekly (2023)

Time works differently on the set of Fellow Travelers. It's not what we typically think of as linear. It's as if the past, the present, and the future are all unfolding simultaneously. That sensation feels most apparent one particular Wednesday afternoon in Toronto in early November.

Magic Mike's Matt Bomer and Bridgerton's Jonathan Bailey, the two stars of Showtime's decades-spanning love story, prepare for a scene that plays out in 1950s Washington, D.C. The backdrop is the Lavender Scare, Senator Joseph McCarthy (Chris Bauer) and chief legal counsel Roy Cohn's (Will Brill) purge of homosexuals from government jobs. It's deep into the relationship of Hawkins Fuller (Bomer) and Tim Laughlin (Bailey), two closeted men on the Hill whose private lives are consumed with intoxicating sex and fluctuating power dynamics. Tim, marked by his signature full-rim glasses and a polka-dot short-sleeve button-up, is packing a suitcase in his practically doll-sized apartment, ready to leave town and never look back. Then Hawk, fedora in hand, knocks at the door and…

"It smells like soup," Bailey remarks in between takes. Bomer can't seem to smell anything, but his costar insists the savory aroma is there. "Is that what's on my fingers?" Bailey wonders, slipping back into his British accent as he thrusts his hands underneath his scene partner's nose. Bomer doesn't flinch, but promptly takes a whiff — a sign of the immense comfort and intimacy the two actors have developed while making this period piece. As it happens, chicken noodle soup is the very meal Hawk and Tim share on their first date, which was shot in the same apartment set on which the actors now find themselves. Does the smell actually still linger days later or is it a sensory echo? "Déjà vu. Chicken noodle soup," Bailey remarks — and then the cameras roll for their fourth take.

While Fellow Travelers begins with Hawk and Tim falling for each other during a terrifying time for queer people in America, the limited series, told over eight episodes, tracks their waxing-and-waning relationship through pivotal moments of queer history, such as the Harvey Milk era of the '70s and the AIDS crisis of the '80s. "It becomes difficult not only for the actors, but the directors to keep track of everything," admits producer Robbie Rogers, who says the crew worked across three-to-four different stages on any given day in their Toronto studio. As we speak, another star, M3GAN's Allison Williams, dressed in a '50s-era tartan dress and pearl necklace, is running accent drills off in another set designed for a '70s-style San Francisco apartment. "Because we shoot out of order, and there were times in which we were shooting multiple decades back to back, they did rely on me to keep track of where they were in their lives," adds series creator and showrunner Ron Nyswaner, the Oscar-nominated scribe of Philadelphia.

A story like Fellow Travelers feels somewhat revolutionary, even now in 2023 when it can seem as though history is repeating itself. (Former President Donald Trump, whom Nyswaner refers to as "the antichrist," considered the late Roy Cohn as a mentor, and the two share similar rhetoric.) Inspired by Thomas Mallon's 2007 novel of the same name, the series offers an unflinching look at gay relationships at a time when they were forced into hiding. Yes, that includes some of the most erotic depictions of same-sex sex ever put to screen on a premium television network at a time when politicians are once again trying to tell LGBTQ Americans to keep their "lifestyles" behind closed doors. Says Nyswaner, "Our goal was to really tell the story from an LGBTQIA perspective of what happened in the '50s and then to take it past the '50s."

A love for the ages

Nyswaner deviated from Mallon's book quite a bit, incorporating the other decades to the piece, but he says the essence of Hawk and Tim came directly from the source material. "It haunted me for years," Nyswaner says of the novel. (The creator spoke with EW in August for an interview coordinated through his personal PR team in accordance with WGA strike guidelines.) The writer sat with the concept for years, only returning to it with the help of Rogers after his work on Ray Donovan and Homeland, so it's not surprising that Nyswaner thinks of Fellow Travelers as a hybrid of both those shows, part "fixer thriller" and part "political thriller."

Daniel Minahan, who directed a pivotal bottle episode of Ray Donovan, sees a similarity between Liev Schreiber's performance and Bomer's Hawk. "They're both fixers," he says. "Ray's someone who has his own moral code and is immoral. Hawk has his own moral code, but it's very specific to being a closeted gay man." Hawk, a war hero, exudes a classical man-about-town image as an always-suited, charming State Department official courting Lucy Smith (Williams), the daughter of a prominent U.S. senator. In his private life, he discreetly prowls for other gay men in dark-cornered cruising grounds to satiate his hunger for sexual dominance.

"I find sometimes that gay characters are made too clean," Nyswaner reflects. "They're made too noble. I'm just tired of that. Hawkins Fuller certainly is a very complicated, sometimes unlikeable antihero. I'd marry him in a second and then regret it probably in a few days, but there's something fascinating about watching someone who is in charge and you don't like him, but you kind of enjoy it. I think that helps us get away with a lot."

Bailey's Tim is more gentle and naive than Hawk, especially when the Irish Fordham University graduate and devout Catholic first arrives on the Hill. Rogers met Bailey on his past project when filmmaker Michael Grandage was scouting for the role of Patrick opposite Harry Styles in My Policeman, a part that ultimately went to David Dawson. "Things didn't work out for a number of reasons, but I remember being really interested in him as an actor," the producer says. There's an inherent delight in now seeing the Bridgerton heartthrob play someone a few shades geekier, complete with a fondness for milk that Tim will order at bars without shame. "Jonny's character in Bridgeton is a little bit like Hawkins Fuller. He's kind of ruthless and he's in charge," Nyswaner points out. "Jonny's version of Tim is so vulnerable. You just don't know if you want Tim to get away from [Hawk] or stay with him and change him."

The two stars got together over Zoom for a chemistry read. Bomer (already attached as an executive producer) called in from L.A., Bailey from London, and Nyswaner from Toronto. The showrunner remembers, "It was electric." The pair were reading Hawk and Tim's first proper meeting: flirting with each other on a park bench in the days after clocking eyes at a political soiree. "I got a text from one of the executives who said, 'Well, that's the first time I've cried in a chemistry read.'"

There are two other core relationships explored in Fellow Travelers. One is Hawk and Lucy, both hiding parts of themselves from each other. The other is one Nyswaner developed just for the series, another gay couple entwined in the lives of Hawk and Tim: Marcus Hooks (Jelani Alladin), a Black journalist covering the Senate beat, and Frankie Hines (Noah J. Ricketts), a drag performer working at the Cozy Corner underground gay bar.

On the set in November, Alladin offers a tour of Marcus' San Francisco apartment in the '80s setting. The character's story is reflected in the props that adorn the space, from the Jean-Baptiste painting on the wall to the writerly awards spotted on the shelves. "He goes from this closeted man, not loving himself, to completely in love and embracing not only Black culture, but the fact that he's a homosexual man," the actor says.

It's "that struggle of, where is my loyalty? I have to be a Black man first because that's what is needed and expected of me from my community," Nyswaner adds. "Jelani and I had conversations where he would read to me from his journal that he kept in the voice of Marcus. Sometimes I would say, 'Can I put that in the scene?' So, that was a really beautiful collaboration."

Marcus remains in stark contrast to his love, Frankie, who, according to Ricketts, is all about being authentic to oneself at all times. "What I love about Frankie is that sometimes he feels like putting on a jacket and being butch and going out into the world, and other times he feels like painting his nails and letting his hair out," Ricketts says.

And, the actor notes, "every drag queen has a drag mother." For him, that would be costume designer Joseph La Corte, who's been Emmy nominated for work on Fosse/Verdon, Boardwalk Empire, and The Sopranos. "Joseph was the one who taught me how to hide and tuck and get rid of everything that I needed to discreetly put away."

The politics of sex

The first glimpse the public saw of Fellow Travelers came unexpectedly in September 2022. It was another ripple in time: Bailey, sporting a '70s stache, flaunted his pronounced pectorals alongside Bomer on the shores of Lake Ontario, which doubled for the waves of Fire Island. Rogers says they had to shoot those scenes first by necessity as winter wasn't far off. Little did they know, paparazzi were hiding out nearby. Rogers was admittedly stressed at first when photos of the scene spread online. "My first reaction was, 'Is this gonna affect shooting going forward?' I had that experience with Harry Styles in England when we did My Policeman. So, maybe I was traumatized," he recalls, laughing.

The leak ended up being the best thing for Fellow Travelers. People couldn't help but thirst over two shirtless Hollywood hunks in their prime, gleefully wrestling with each other in the water. A cheeky Nyswaner agrees, "It was not a bad thing that those images came out." Even now, however, the series is going to prove sexier than some might be prepared for. In one scene that occurs early on, Hawk is prepping for a party thrown by Senator McCarthy. Tim, letting his partner's hand linger over the hairs on his chest, wants to go but doesn't have an invite. "I'm your boy, right?" Bailey's Tim says, already working his seductive magic. "And your boy wants to go to the party." Regarding what happens next, let's just say, if Ben Shapiro doesn't go on a three-hour diatribe afterwards, it will be a shock.

Minahan speaks of this specific moment from the breakfast nook of his Gramercy apartment in New York City, where a plump peach sits on a dish among croissants and morning sweets — an appropriate image given the subject matter. "What sets these sex scenes apart is that they are moving the story forward," he explains. "The way they're moving the story forward is by the transference of power that happens between [the characters]."

There were many rules on the set of Fellow Travelers, particularly when it came to sex, which involved intimacy coordinators and lots of rehearsals. Nyswaner quotes the great queer poet Oscar Wilde, who said, "Everything in the world is about sex except sex. Sex is about power." That was one rule. "The other rule," Nyswaner continues, "was that we wouldn't do the same sexual act more than once, or the same combination." That proved to be harder than they all realized. "I remember when we were writing episode 8, my co-writers and I said, 'What haven't we done?'"

Minahan, who directs the first episode, ended up setting that tone for the whole show. "What I was going for in those first two hours was this idea of Tim, who's not particularly sexually experienced, having this almost transcendent experience with Hawk which imprints on him," he says. "He becomes almost obsessive about his attachment, but whether Hawk's in love with the power that he has over him or actually has this love for him is part of the tension of the piece. His life and sexuality is so compartmentalized. It's like, this is when I do sex, this is when I'm at work, this is when I have my girlfriend."

This kind of material meant that Bomer and Bailey were going to be in each other's personal spaces for a significant part of filming. The pair have previously spoken about finding that trust and comfort with each other as scene partners, and Rogers could feel it. "They were gonna be there for each other the whole production and keep each other safe," he says. "It's actors finding that with each other and feeling safe on set, feeling safe with us. Whatever the cut we present to the studio and network, we have their best interest and the show's best interest in mind."

Ripples through time

Rogers knows viewers will pay a lot of attention to the sex on Fellow Travelers for obvious reasons, but he says it wasn't their goal to be "too salacious," noting, "It's quite an emotional and powerful show."

All three of the producers who spoke with EW, including Minahan and Nyswaner, felt the weight of time, and more specifically history, while making the miniseries. Rogers, a former international soccer star, formed a deeply personal connection to the material, having come out as gay in 2013 when few professional athletes were doing so. "If your secret was revealed, your life could be ruined. I slightly felt that way in my past career," he recalls.

Minahan's connection, meanwhile, came from growing up gay through the '80s. "I think we put ourselves in things in ways we don't even know," Nyswaner remarks. "I came of age in the '60s and then as a young teenager in the '70s, moved to New York in 1978, came out, really enjoyed some of that celebration of being liberated in a limited way, and then, of course, the cold shower of the AIDS crisis."

Nyswaner lost friends and loved ones to the disease over the years, including his nephew, for whom he would write 1993's Philadelphia, starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. He felt similarly compelled to include that time period in Fellow Travelers. "Since it's a part of my life, I just couldn't let that go," he says. But the drama feels richer for expanding well beyond the '50s setting of Mallon's novel. Nyswaner adds, "If you have a chance to tell a story like this, I wanted to tell as much of it as possible."

Perhaps he'll get the chance to tell even more. Both Nyswaner and Rogers confirm they are already talking about the possibility of turning the miniseries into an anthology series that would track different queer fellow travelers across history. The current Hollywood writer and actor strikes, however, are putting those early talks on hold.

"How about if I just say...? Yes, I think that there are many stories to be told, and Robbie and I have spoken in detail. Because of the strike, we haven't spoken to any of our studio executives about it. When the strike ends, that'll be a conversation that I hope to have immediately with them. Even maybe taking one or two of the characters from this season who weren't [featured] as prominently as Hawk and Tim."

That seems to be yet another rule of Fellow Travelers.

Source

#fellow travelers #jonathan bailey #jonny bailey #jonathanbailey #matt bomer #jelani alladin #noah j. ricketts #allison williams #ron nyswaner #daniel minahan #robbie rogers #showtime #paramount plus #paramount+#lgbtq #gay romance #ft spoilers #NEW!

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dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 1 year

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A Texas Republican who has led the charge to ban all-ages drag shows because of his deep concern over “the sexualization of our children” is facing allegations of inviting an intern to his home late on a weekend night and serving her alcohol even though she isn’t old enough to legally drink.

Texas state Rep. Bryan Slaton has reportedly had a complaint filed against him with the Texas state legislature that claims he had an “inappropriate relationship” with an intern.

A complaint filed with the House General Investigating Committee by a legislative staffer and obtained by The Texas Tribune, as well as a Tribune source with direct knowledge of the incident, said that Stanton called the intern, who is under age 21, after 10 p.m. on Friday, March 31, and invited her to his apartment, where he served her alcohol.

According to allegations in the complaint obtained by the Tribune, Slaton later showed that intern fake emails that claimed to have information about the incident in an apparent loyalty test, and told her not to tell anyone about the incident.

Slaton’s attorney denied the claims.

“We are aware of outrageous claims circulating online by second-tier media that make false claims against Representative Slaton,” Slaton's attorney Patrick Short said in a statement to The Texas Tribune. “As a result, he has been advised to forward all inquiries in this matter—including any that may relate to a possible complaint—to his legal counsel.”

Slaton, who is 45 years old, has spent more than a year denouncing all-ages drag performances, and last month he introduced a bill to ban drag shows from having kids in attendance.

“In the wake of these erotic drag performances sweeping our state, I committed last year to filing legislation that would stop this disgusting practice in the presence of children,” he said in a statement announcing the bill.

“The State has a duty to protect kids from being sexually exploited, and HB 4129 is the most comprehensive bill to stop the sexualization of kids by these performances,” he continued.

Slaton has previously blasted an all-ages drag show as a “grooming event.”

“This is just going to the grooming, the sexualization of our children,” he said last summer. “This comes down to decency, morality and ethics, and children should not be the object of your sexualization, your desires.”

Just days ago, after the incident with the intern allegedly occurred, Slaton posted a Bible passage warning against those who would lead children astray:

Slaton was absent from the Texas legislature last Thursday, a major legislative day.

The lawmaker has pushed for some other extreme laws as well. He proposed giving property tax cuts to straight, married couples—but not to married LGBTQ couples or those who have previously been divorced. He also filed a bill to allow Texans to vote on secession from the United States.

Texas Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan said that his office would look into the accusations.

“The Texas House does not tolerate misconduct or other inappropriate behaviors and takes all allegations related to these issues seriously,” he said in a statement. “I expect this matter to be addressed in a swift and thorough manner under the rules governing our chamber for the 88th Legislature and all applicable standards of conduct.”

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a-better-life-treatment · 2 years

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Logo - A Better Life Treatment Centers

Phone- 800-683-7745

Working Hrs- 9am-9pm (Mon-Fri) | 9am-3pm (Sat) | Closed on Sun & all major holidays

Mail- [email protected]

#DUI Counseling ASAM Level 1 #DUI Evaluation #Individual Counseling and Therapy #LGBTQ Relationship counseling #SAP Evaluation #Addiction Recovery Center #Intensive Outpatient Program #Outpatient Drug Rehab #Immigration Assessment #Mental Health Assessment #Alcohol and Drug Evaluation

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asking-jude · 5 months

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Do you want free mental help? What about remote, pay-what-you-want counselling? Visit askingjude.org.

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drdemonprince · 1 year

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I know you've talked about this before but I still want to ask your advice or thoughts about my situation. First, I'm having a hard time in my relationship and it's at the point that I am thinking going to couple's counseling or therapy or something is the only option. For context, this is a big decision for me because for a long time I have not considered it as an option, due to my lack of trust/faith that I'd be able to find someone in my area with availability covered by my insurance or that we could afford, that understands all of our intersections and stuff. Both me and my wife have been to therapy before, in the past and separately (not for relationship stuff) and it was meh. not great not terrible. Our intersections include: interracial (i'm white, she is Black), legally married, neurodivergent (i am DX-adhd, she is self-dx autistic. i ID as neurodivergent), both transmasculine nonbinary lesbians on T, polyamorous, anticapitalist and critical of psych (i don't really know the right word but i'm a follower of you and jesse meadows). i want a kid someday but she's not so sure. we both identify as disabled, from a mix of physical things and mental things. we're in a liberal and very white region. we are struggling to talk to one another and interact without blowing up in fights, we need help. but i don't know if i can trust anyone to give us advice or to help and also understand who we are and our different backgrounds. i don't know how honest we should be? what kind of keywords or descriptions we should keep an eye out for when searching for a professional? what are your thoughts? any advice or tips? i want to be careful (there's definitely no interest or need to do autism diagnosis for either of us. we know who we are and prof-dx will not do anything for us accommodation-wise) and i want to repair our relationship.

This advice is more or less advice I've covered before, but I will personalize it a little bit to your situation.

If I were in your situation, I would hop on over to Psychology Today's therapist finder, and use the advanced search options, and filter for couple's counselors who have identified themselves as competent in issues of racial identity (I think that's the tag psych today uses for it, or whatever the equivalent is), and LGBTQ issues. You can also put in your insurance info and filter for that as well.

From the list that pops up, scan through and look for people whose profiles and bios sound like they have potential, and come up with an initial list of say, three to five options that sound promising. Oversample, if you will, from therapists who are Black. I think it's really hard to discuss racial intersections in a relationship with a white therapist. Very very few of them are even remotely competent or even comfortable discussing the topic.

Then, reach out to those 3-5 therapist and really grill them. Ask them what they know about neurodiversity. Ask them about their therapeutic style. Ask them about how critiques of capitalism and principles of anti-racism and queer liberation inform their practice. Ask them about what their work with couples looks like. Tell them about a few of the specific issues you and partner face and ask whether they have expertise in those (for example, if they are experienced in working with couples who aren't on the same page about having kids). If they do not have answers or are defensive about even being asked about the work you will be paying them handsomely to do, kick em to the curb. They work for you. You shouldn't hire someone who won't do the work you want to do or who will do it shittily.

If none of the initial 3-5 are remotely good, start over. You may not find any who are good. This is because psychology was not created to serve either of you. Anyone who would be a good therapist for you would be an exception to what psychology is and is built to do. So as you continue your search, have conversations about what will happen if you cannot find a couple's therapist. I'd give it three rounds of searching, and maybe at least two attempts with an actual counselor if you can find any that seem remotely bearable.

But that's only if both you and your partner are fully invested in this process. If your partner is already checked out or disinterested or they don't feel good about any of the options, do not make them go. That can get really nasty really quickly, especially when only one person in the relationship is a person of color and they're the one who doesn't want to be in the room.

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hauntedselves · 2 years

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List of Australian queer community support services

This is straight from this article by the ABC, copied here.

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Please note: Services and operating hours may have changed due to coronavirus physical distancing measures. Please refer to each organisation's website for the most up-to-date information.

Urgent help (24/7 services)

Lifeline — 13 11 14

Kids Helpline — 1800 551 800

Emergency — 000

National

Qlife — Australia-wide anonymous and free LGBTI peer support for people wanting to talk about sexuality, identity, gender, bodies, feelings or relationships. Call 1800 184 527 or webchat at qlife.org.au (3pm-12am AEST).

Minus 18 — Resources help and guidance for Australia's LGBTIQ youth.

LGBTIQ+ Health Australia — The national peak health organisation in Australia for organisations and individuals that provide health-related programs, services and research focused on LGBTIQ+ people and communities.

Black Rainbow — Australia's leading Indigenous suicide prevention and mental health support source for LGBTQ+ people.

PFLAG Australia — Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.

Trans Pride Australia — Social and support group for trans and gender diverse people and their loved ones.

Transcend Australia — National peer support network and community for parents and carers supporting their trans, gender diverse and non-binary child in Australia.

Intersex Peer Support — An intersex peer support, information and advocacy group for people born with variations in sex characteristics.

Intersex Human Rights Australia — Support and education by and for people with intersex variation traits.

Headspace — Australia-wide online, phone and in-person support and counselling to young people, their families and friends. Call 1800 650 890 (9am-1am).

ReachOut — ReachOut.com helps under 25s with everyday questions through to tough times.

Beyond Blue — Beyond Blue works with the community to improve mental health and prevent suicide, so that all people in Australia can achieve their best possible mental health.1300 22 4636

Australian GLBTIQ Multicultural Council — a national body that advocates for the rights of multicultural and multifaith LGBTIQ individuals and communities.

BlaQ – Committed to empowering the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQ+ community across Australia through innovation, inclusion, understanding and advocacy.

The Pinnacle Foundation — Provides educational scholarships, mentoring and opportunities for young LGBTIQ+ Australians to realise their full potential and overcome challenges arising from their identity.

Pride In Law — A national LGBTIQ+ Law Association aimed at connecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and questioning (LGBTIQ+) members of the legal community and their allies.

State-based organisations

ACT

Meridian ACT — Face-to-face counselling and access to social groups in the ACT for people of diverse sexuality and gender.

A Gender Agenda — A Gender Agenda aims to support the goals and needs of the intersex, transgender and gender diverse communities of Canberra and the surrounding region.

NSW

Twenty10 — Specialised services for LGBTIQA+ young people aged 12-25 including housing, mental health, counselling and social support.

ACON — Health support for LGBTI people and people with HIV.

The Gender Centre Inc. — Provides information and support to trans and gender-diverse people in NSW.

TransHub — ACON's digital information and resource platform for all trans and gender diverse (TGD) people in NSW, their loved ones, allies and health providers.

Muslim Peers Project — a collaborative Instagram page with creative and supportive contributions from queer Muslim artists and community members. It has helpful resources and anonymous online support for young people aged 14–35.

Sydney Bi+ Network — a volunteer-run, grassroots organisation dedicated to improving the well-being of bi+ people across Sydney.

Northern Territory AIDS and Hepatitis Council (NTHAC) — The main point of contact for people in the Northern Territory who have questions about sexuality or gender.

Queensland

Diverse Voices — Peer-to-peer telephone and internet counselling for LGBTQI people.

Queensland AIDS Council — The Queensland AIDS Council (QuAC) promotes the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex Queenslanders.

Open Doors Youth Service — A drop-in centre and support service for young people who identify as sex, gender or sexuality diverse.

QSpace — QSpace is a non-profit service specifically for LGBTIQAP+ young people.

South Australia

Bfriend — Phone, email and face-to-face support for LGBTQIA+ people.

SHINESA —Sexual health and clinical services for people who are intersex, gender diverse and of all sexualities. Plus counselling and peer support for people who are transgender, gender diverse and gender questioning.

Tasmania

Switchboard — Anonymous and free telephone counselling, information and referrals for the LGBTQIA+ communities of Victoria and Tasmania.

Working It Out — Tasmania's gender and sexuality support and education service provides free and confidential counselling, support groups, education programs and workplace training.

Victoria

Switchboard — Anonymous and free telephone counselling, information and referrals for the LGBTQIA+ communities of Victoria and Tasmania.

Zoe Belle Gender Centre (ZBGC) — An online service supporting the health and wellbeing of Victoria's sexuality and gender-diverse community, with information available to anyone in Australia.

Thorne Harbour Health — Offers a range of programs and services for people living with HIV and sex, sexuality and gender diverse communities.

Queerspace — An LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing support service with a focus on relationships, families, parenting and young people.

Rainbow Door — A free specialist helpline for LGBTIQA+ Victorians, their friends and family. The service is also connected to a multi-language interpreter support service, including Auslan interpreters.

Transgender Victoria — The leading body for trans and gender diverse advocacy, training, and resource development in Victoria.

The Shed — A Melbourne based support group for trans masculine people, including AFAB people who are non-binary, and those who are questioning or exploring their gender.

Parents of Gender Diverse Children — Parents of Gender Diverse Children provides peer support to parents and those parenting trans and gender diverse children.

Pride Disability Services – Tailored and specialised disability support services for members of the LGBTQI+ and gender diverse communities and their allies in Victoria.

Queer Refugee and Asylum Seeker Peers (QRASP) — A peer-led social support group for LGBTQI+ refugees and people seeking asylum. Based in Melbourne with members across Victoria.

Monash Gender Clinic — Specialist public health service for the trans, gender diverse and non-binary community in Victoria.

Melbourne Bisexual Network — mental health and advocacy professionals working to improve and promote bisexual+ inclusivity in LGBTQIA+ programs and services.

Bi Alliance Victoria — a non-profit volunteer-run organisation dedicated to promoting the acceptance of bi+ people. It also runs monthly discussions and support groups.

Spectrum Intersections — a free Melbourne-based peer-led group for people 18 and over who identify as neurodiverse and are on the LGBTIQA+ spectrums.

Australian Gay and Lesbian Immigration Taskforce Victoria — The Gay and Lesbian Immigration Task Force (Vic) Inc (GLITF) provides support and assistance to gay and lesbian couples (the applicant or sponsor or both) who are seeking Permanent Residence status for the non-resident partner of an individual who is an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen.

Western Australia

Living Proud — Provides support for LGBTI people in Western Australia, including the QLife national LGBTI telephone counselling and referral line.

The Freedom Centre — Provides safe social spaces, peer support, information and referral for young gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, intersex, queer and questioning young people under age 26.

WA Aids Council — Provides counselling, wellness, referral, general and financial assistance to people living with HIV.

TransFolk of WA — A support service for transgender people and their loved ones in Western Australia.

Bi+ Community Perth — A safe place for people who are not gay or straight to engage in respectful discussion, connect with people, and form community online.

Sexuality Education Counselling Consultancy Agency (SECCA) — A non-profit organisation designed to support people with disabilities, in their efforts to learn about human relationships, sexuality and sexual health.

DISCHARGED — Facilitates support groups for people with personal experience of suicidal thoughts or feelings, including a suicide peer support group for trans and gender diverse people.

Youth Pride Network — A group of LGBTIQA+ young people passionate about using systemic advocacy to create a Western Australia in which all LGBTIQA+ young people are fully included, accepted and celebrated by their community.

#dogpost #australian resources #queer resources #resources #ofc a lot arent limited to queer people

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medusasbush · 1 year

Text

read in january 2023

articles (ones behind a paywall are linked through webpage archive):

The irresistible voyeurism of “day in my life” videos

Toward a unified theory of “millennial cringe”

The NFL Isn’t Built for This

The DIY D-Day

Remote Work Is Poised to Devastate America’s Cities

Is modern life ruining our powers of concentration?

How to Ask Good Questions

The Woman Who Had Fun

Three Proposed New Species for the Avatar Sequels: Some Light Suggestions for James Cameron

Gentrification is Inevitable (and Other Lies)

Hacker Lexicon: What Is a Pig Butchering Scam?

Why all “eat the rich” satire looks the same now

Violent Delights (on serial killer media)

‘Romeo and Juliet’ Stars Sue Paramount for Child Abuse Over Nude Scene in 1968 Film

Want stronger friendships? Pull out your notepad.

How our solo homes became cocoons

Can't Buy Me Love: How Romance Wrecked Traditional Marriage

Love Boats: The Delightfully Sinful History of Canoes

Air travel: America’s magnum opus

The TSA is a waste of money that doesn't save lives and might actually cost them

You’re already on stolen land. You might as well pay rent.

How Lesbian Potlucks Nourished the LGBTQ Movement

A Toast to Wine Wednesday: Why the potluck is one of the most enduring and beautiful ways queer people make family.

Style Gone Wild: Why We Can't Shake the 1970s

Marriage should not come with any social benefits or privileges

‘Avatar’ and the Headache of High Frame Rate Filmmaking

The Number Ones: Beyoncé's Crazy in Love

Stick ‘em up! A surprising history of collage

On touching grass (which prompted a reread of Everyone Is Beautiful and No One Is Horny)

Like a Bitch in Heat: How I Embrace My Wildish Nature in Sex

How to Merge Sensuality with Sexuality

Startup Uses AI Chatbot to Provide Mental Health Counseling and Then Realizes It 'Feels Weird'

Something Bothering You? Tell it to Woebot.

Deeper into Movies: The Scream Gap

Joe Jonas Bucks Gender Norms By Embracing Injectable Ageism

Eat Shit, Kim Kardashian

Beyond Books: How can libraries help make the world a greener place?

society's sex binary + how pleasure can be the antidote

Ace Erotics: Or, Why You're Thinking About Sex and Eroticism All Wrong

Between Love and Tinder: Investigating the Erotic Friendship

The short instructional manifesto for relationship anarchy

What It’s Like Being a Relationship Anarchist

HBO’s Wokeified Scooby-Doo Reboot Achieves the Impossible

Why I’m Breaking Up With Non-Monogamy

The contagious visual blandness of Netflix

Why Does Everything On Netflix Look Like That?

Pre-Baby Conversations with Friends: Rituals for friendship evolution

How to Show Up For Your Friends Without Kids — and How to Show Up For Kids and Their Parents

Worshipping At The Altar of Artificial Intelligence

Why Influencers Shifted from Wellness to Skincare Content, Facial Contouring as Self-Rejection, Industralized Skincare's Self-Care Problem

Where Are All The Eyebrows? A brief look at the bleached brow trend.

books:

the ethical slut

tacky: love letters to the worst culture has to offer (finished)

little weirds (reread)

#love to read reviews for things im never gonna watch anyway (avatar + velma)#read lists #trying to read more keeping the list helps #hopefully the book portion will be longer in february...#s #articles

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alyosiuscreightonward · 9 months

Text

In regards to the Jason Aldean situation. Here’s the craziness that goes on in my mind.

Mr Aldean thank you for your appearance here today.

I’m going to parse the minutiae of your current video and your relationship to it.

First, the song itself. After reading the lyrics of the song, and in today’s climate, did you take a pause and consider what the meaning behind the lyrics were and how they would be interpreted by people?

It’s okay, sir. I’ll save you the embarrassment and say it for you, I’m claiming my 5th amendment rights and on the advice of counsel et cetera or are we wrong here today?

Moving on. Of course you had absolutely no knowledge about the location of where the video was filmed and the history of that location is that correct because of your plausible deniability and no one on your team had any knowledge whatsoever about this specific location. Again, we’re not going anywhere and you don’t have to answer or actually say out loud about your 5th amendment rights or infer counsel at this time.

Again moving right along. When you saw the final product of your video, you thought that there was absolutely nothing wrong with it and that you were just going along because of your continued plausible deniability, is that correct?

Again, Mr Aldean, please allow me to continue. We are quite well aware and you are not in the position at this moment to reclaim your time. Please. Don’t speak.

Mirroring your plausible deniability, the researchers have found that most of these clips that are found in the video, are not actually from any particular place in the United States but rather from Toronto, Warsaw and Ukraine, save for one little piece from a previous protest in Detroit that is years old. Now once again, you personally had no idea that this happened and you were just going on just to get along since your team deliberately with no malice or aforethought kept you in the dark about this?

As we continue to move forward, we need to make sure that Macon, Georgia is not considered a small town like Hillsdale, Wyoming; Florida, Massachusetts or Sargent, Texas. Those are all small towns and most likely you could’ve spent a weekend there one night. Unlike the small town of Winnie, Texas where one could possibly be able to find some decent information on how and why in Winnie, Texas not a person of any race beyond being Caucasian is found to be residing there. The unsubstantiated claims of the Klu Klux Klan being there at anytime is just speculation.

As the basis for your appearance here today is firmly entrenched in your 5th Amendment rights and on the advice of counsel, and also in your own lifetime you have been taught to understand that during several periods in history the following statements were taught to you by your parents and teachers that either African Americans and Black Americans had benefited greatly from slavery. Also, in Pompeii the people who were there also had benefited greatly from the lava spewing from Mount Vesuvius. Lastly, in your experience and knowledge about The Holocaust, it was just a small detail that Hitler chose the wrong people but yet had a great idea about how to make it a weekend in the country by killing millions of people.

As I have said previously before there is absolutely nothing you need, or could do or say here today. I’ll just give you every single opportunity not to respond in anyway shape or form.

I’m going out on a limb here and say that you should concur that Covid was perpetrated by The Chinese to target people such as yourself Caucasian and a few others who reside here in The United States. Also the LGBTQ Community is recruiting people to become Gay, Lesbian, Transgender etc as does the Armed Forces who also recruit. Is that your understanding of how this works? Then we can take into account that someone like the venerable Senator John McCain is unworthy of being a decorated member of the United States Army and is a horrible human being for being a Prisoner of War and as a veteran, he and his fellow soldiers have absolutely nothing to complain about and they don’t deserve anything from the government for which they served.

In conclusion, Mr Aldean, sir, you are a multimillionaire and have been around the world and you will just continue to make records and pander to your fans for years to come and are not going to change your mind nor will you ever change anything about yourself and the rest of the world could chime in and say that this is a teachable moment and that you should learn from your mistakes but please continue to espouse your 5th Amendment Rights on the advice of counsel.

I am officially releasing you from this hearing today and please don’t hesitate to remain silent because this will haunt you for years to come. Lastly, please have the life you so justly deserve.

Good Afternoon, Mr Aldean, I bid you peace on your journey.

#dear diary #i wrote this for me #no your not the only one #inside my mind #my words #my writing #ramblings #ramblings of a lunatic #jason aldean #eat shit #twilight zone #stephen king #this is bullshit #parody #not real life #fantasy #not in the slightest #into the void

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