Hello! I Spent Several Days Putting Together A Guide To Self-publishing Books On Itch.io, For Anyone

My friend needs your feedback!!! He runs a website [Lingopie] where you can learn a language by watching TV shows and movies.

As a polyglot, he is super passionate about learning and teaching languages and wants to help students and language learners succeed. He has been working on this project 24/7, so your feedback would make his day! Here is the problem:

His website is still young, so they have limited funds to obtain licenses for movies and television shows. To help as many people as possible, he is wondering what languages you would like to learn or have exams for, so he can focus on expanding the media collection for these languages. I really like him and want his project to succeed, so I created a form where you can vote.

The following languages are available at the moment: Japanese 🇯🇵, Korean 🇰🇷, Spanish 🇪🇸, French 🇫🇷, German 🇩🇪, Italian 🇮🇹, Portuguese 🇵🇹 and English 🇺🇸

Which language are you most interested in? Please vote here!

There's this idea circulating in the Internet that all gacha games are evil. Which is dumb, because that's the same as calling all rice white jasmine rice. It's not. It very much isn't.

What people do with their time in game and the effort they put into is what make sit evil or not, and even then, it's for them personally.

Also, this section will be talking about Genshin Impact specifically, so take it or leave it.

Genshin is a game that's targeted for comfort gaming, waifu gaming, farming and managing resources. These is a game that rewards players for being consistent and attentive.

As someone with ADHD and autism, I love Genshin because it actually rewards my traits that aren't majorly appreciated in the outside world. Nitpicking at details, taking my time to look around and settle with ideas, attentiveness to small things that are otherwise negligible.

I've been playing this game for 2 years almost. In this time, I have, as a free to play, meaning I don’t pay actual physical money to receive in-game resources, being able to collect over 30 characters. And build them to my purposes.

But I'm also very casual about it. The only times when I put dedicated effort: spend hours on end in the game — are when I'm actively collecting resources for a character I want, and that does not happen often.

Or. When I'm playing with friends.

This is very important.

I have friends and family members who too play Genshin. We live very far from each other and our ability to see each other in person is limited.

But we have bi-weekly playing sessions on weekends. Where we spend several hours running around, helping each other out and goofing and fooling and making jokes and exchanging news and just hanging out.

Is it perfect? No. But this way I have a whole FOLDER of photos I made with our characters in it that I keep on my phone for when I'm sad and need emotional support.

This is 21 century. This is 2023. You might not see your precious people all the time. But you have a way of connecting to them.

And having the ability to goof around with them and spend time doing something you both enjoy is, in my humble opinion, SEVERAL TIMES BETTER than just calling and talking. Calling isn't bad. But gaming together is better.

I understand that it is a privilege that I can do this. And I will be using this privilege, because I love my friends and family and if Genshin helps me stay connected to them, then Genshin it is.

People also underestimate how useful lessons learnt in games can be. Take Genshin again.

For me, personally, it helped me widen my horizons about knowledge of the world and many things in it. It also helped me to start learning how to manage my time and energy and resources I have for the best results.

For example. I love Genshin lore. It encompasses several real world religions, cultures and philosophies. I've personally being reading up on Irish and Celtic mythology as of late to learn more about Childe's inspiration Cu Chulainn. I have also been casually reading greek mythology and gnosticism 101, because they are also in Genshin, and play a major role in it's world building.

Another example. When you log into the game, you have:

4 dailies - daily exercises to receive in-game currency - primogem - required to roll for characters.

160 of resin to farm for resources.

Sometimes also unfinished quests, if you have those.

To have better luck in rolling for a character you like, you need many primogems. For that, you do dailies.

To level up characters, you need experience, special materials and money, for that you need resin and some time to gather the materials. (keeping it simple)

To make your character strong you need to give them artifacts and weapons: those also need money, materials and resin for some of those materials.

So. Every time you log in, you decide where you want your own resources: time and effort — to go. If you are leveling a character, building their artifacts, their weapons. Or you might be gathering needed materials for a character you hope to get.

Most casual players who have well-built teams and leveled characters and weapons will tell you that it took some planning on their side: there's only so much resin to get the materials. There's only so much time a casual player can give the game. So they make a plan.

For example, take mine. When I was building Yan Fei, I logged every day to do a run for the enemy drops she needs. That took 15 minutes for all locations on my map with running counted in. I could farm her talent books only three times in a week. That took 15 minutes with all fighting and waiting. Other 4 days I collected money and experience books and boss materials she needed to be leveled up. That took 20 minutes, usually, with the running around. Plus, I had my dailies, which I do, if I log in. They take 7-10 minutes depending.

Summarizing. When I was actively investing my time in the game, I spent 40-45 minutes a day in the game. That time was not done in one go: I did some in the morning, to cheer myself up for the day. I did a bit during the day, in free time. And I rewarded myself for a good day with the rest of the needed time.

Overall, 40-45 minutes looks like a lot. But objectively, nowadays people spend a massive amount of time on social media, or watching and streaming shows. How many of you catch an episode or a half of your favorite show, or podcast, or a YouTube video while resting? How much time do you spend scrolling Tumblr and TikTok or reading books and fanfiction? This is approximately the same length as that.

Plus, on an everyday basis, I spend around 20 minutes in game: a quick run through the dailies and resin, and that's it. Usually I play events and time-consuming quests on weekends, and that's around 1-2 hours depending on the quests and my interest in a given event. Very similar to how one would relax with a movie or a show and catch up on two-three episodes you missed during the week, or checking out something new.

Playing games is as valid as a leisure time as any other more socially "acceptable" way. It's just being given a bad label by people who don't understand it and people who have not being very thoughtful of themselves and others when on it.

This also helped me understand how to plan around my disabilities as someone with BOTH ADHD and autism.

Understanding that my limited energy needs to be spent rationally, but also in a way that tomorrow I would be able to work again. Capitalism is not slowing down for me, so I need to work around it, in a way that would harm me least and encourage my growth. So make plans around my studies, my personal wants that replenish the energy, and my work. It takes effort. It also helps so much, I still feel dumb for not having done this sooner.

Understanding, that to be stronger, to grow better and develop, I need to invest in myself consciously and actively. But it doesn't have to be burdensome and boring and exhausting in a negative way. For example, I'm slowly learning Sanskrit. For me, because I'm curious about this language. But it also is a language that I need to learn for a book I'm writing for my character. So, I got a grammar book and a notebook and now I'm learning the alphabet. It's really cool, even if it's difficult. My pronunciation is garbage, but this is a step forward for my personal goals and it is being done in a way that I enjoy it, I'm not forcing myself like a parent would a petulant child.

Understanding that progress takes time. I spent over half a year making my Yanfei to my satisfaction. I need to let the seed root, to let it sprout and develop leaves. It's frustrating as hell. I have ADHD. I have imposter syndrome. I want and at times NEED the results immediately or it will hurt me emotionally. But now I'm able to manage this stress more successfully and return from the slump it causes me faster.

Yes, it took a gacha game for me actually learn this lesson and drive it home. It doesn't devalue the lesson itself and the positive reinforcement it gave me.

Gacha games can be good games. Learn to appreciate them for what they can give you.

For some, it's cute characters. For others, the cool things they learned. Some make their careers on games. Some find a place of comfort in games.

All of this is valid.

TIM DRAKE READING ORDER

For those who, like me, when they like a character they need to read every single comic the character appears in, I have compiled a list of all of Tim Drake’s appearances from his debut up to the 2011 Flashpoint reboot (not including New 52 continuity).

The world began with the spontaneous generation of four beings: first arose Khaos (Chasm); then came Gaia (Earth), "the ever-sure foundation of all"; and "dim" Tartaros, in the depths of the Earth; and Eros (Desire) "fairest among the deathless gods". From the Chasm came Erebos (Darkness) and Nyx (Night). And Nyx "from union in love" with Erebos produced Aether (Brightness) and Hemera (Day). From Gaia came Ouranos (Sky), the Ourea (Mountains), and Pontos (Sea).

From Gaia’s union with Ouranos, she birthed the twelve Titans: Okeanos, Koios, Krios, Hyperion, Iapetos, Theia, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Tethys, and Kronos. The Titans each represent qualities of their divine parents, the male Titans being gods of the sky and time, the female Titannes being goddesses of earth and prophecy. Gaia also produced the three Cyclopes, as well as the three Hekatonkheires (“The Hundred-Handed”).

Ouranos, fearing that one of his children would betray him, hid his brood within the body of Gaia, causing her great pain and discomfort. Gaia gave an adamantine sickle to her youngest son, Kronos who, with the aid of his brothers, restrained and castrated the Sky as he bent to mate with the Earth. Ouranos’s blood fell onto the Earth, and the Erinyes (Furies), Giants, and Melial (Ash nymphs) sprang from that union. Where Ouranos’s genitals fell into the sea, foam developed and Aphrodite was borne from the foam.

Want to learn something new in 2022??

Absolute beginner adult ballet series (fabulous beginning teacher)

40 piano lessons for beginners (some of the best explanations for piano I’ve ever seen)

Excellent basic crochet video series

Basic knitting (probably the best how to knit video out there)

Pre-Free Figure Skate Levels A-D guides and practice activities (each video builds up with exercises to the actual moves!)

How to draw character faces video (very funny, surprisingly instructive?)

Another drawing character faces video

Literally my favorite art pose hack

Tutorial of how to make a whole ass Stardew Valley esque farming game in Gamemaker Studios 2??

Introduction to flying small aircrafts

French/Dutch/Fishtail braiding

Playing the guitar for beginners (well paced and excellent instructor)

Playing the violin for beginners (really good practical tips mixed in)

Color theory in digital art (not of the children’s hospital variety)

Retake classes you hated but now there’s zero stakes:

Calculus 1 (full semester class)

Learn basic statistics (free textbook)

Introduction to college physics (free textbook)

Introduction to accounting (free textbook)

Learn a language:

Ancient Greek

Latin

Spanish

German

Japanese (grammar guide) (for dummies)

French

Russian (pretty good cyrillic guide!)

Art Help

I redid this list because broken links 💀

General Tips

Stretch your fingers and hands

Art is for fun

Never too late to start/improve

Tumblr radar! Submit your work!?

Using a tablet

Editing software: pictures & video

Moodboard resources

Comic pacing

Storyboarding techniques

Watercolor

Coloring

Color Theory (not children's hospital)

Resources: coloring things a different color

Gold

Dark Skin undertones

Dark Skin in pastel art

POC Blush tones

Eyes colors

Cohesive Color Palette

Lights and Colors

Human Anatomy

POSE REFERENCES

Eyes: pupil shape, direction

Wizard Battle poses

Romance poses

Shoulders

Tips for practicing anatomy

Proportional Limbs

Skeletons

Hair Directions

Afro, 4C hair

Cane use

Dingle dongles: male reproductive

Clothing

Long skirts

Traditional Chinese Hanfu (clothing reference)

Cultural clothes

CLOTHING REFERENCE

Sewing information

Animals

Horse -> Dragon

Snouts: dogs, cats, wolves, fox

Foot, paw, hoof

More

Drawing references sources

Art tutorial Masterlist

Another art tutorial Masterlist

Inspiration: father recreates son's art

Inspiration: Lights

ART BOOKS

Plants/flowers: North America, Hawaii, Patagonia

Art Cheats

Can you explain anything about Poseidon’s Mycenaean version? I’ve heard some say he ruled the sky, sea, and the Underworld but I wasn’t sure since I couldn’t find much on him.

Knew I saw one of these in my inbox! Okay so uh...

We don’t actually have much information on this Poseidon, on Posedao (or Posedawone). We know for example that he was worshiped in Crete, in the Minoan Era, and was almost certainly a bull God at the time and the most important.

We know that there are Linear B tablets talking about him, and many of the other Olympians (Atana Potiniija=Lady Athena is also mentioned).

We know he has been portrayed in tablets as ruling the Underworld, while still having command of the Sea. We know Zeus (diuja) is portrayed as a lesser elemental deity of the Sky, which Posedao as the supreme God of the time would have command over.

We know he was extremely prominent as a Sea deity, and in a land which is surrounded by water with a very large coast line that makes sense.

We know he has been known as the Earth Shaker (Enesidaone) for a very very long time (and as this area is where tectonic plates have shifted, this makes sense).

But we don’t have enough information to be certain on him.

We don’t know what his name means, only that it has several possibilities. He could be known as the Husband of Earth (Posis Da), which would mean he was actually secondary to his wife (Posidaeja (Persewa) or Da (Potinija) (Matere Teija) maybe, there are Two Goddesses associated with marriage to him) (we have records of offerings to the “Sito Potinija” which is most likely Demeter (along with Da, or Potinija, or Matere Teija), associated with Poseidon in this time but not in later times so much, these offerings were to the two queens and the king (or the two queens and Poseidon) (wanasoi, wanakate).

Though Posis meant Husband, Lord, or Master, so it could also be calling him Lord of Earth, and Ergo ruler of the Earth as well as the Sea and Underworld. It may also be a reference to him being the Earthshaker, and ergo Lord of Earth, as that is his most common title (Enesidaone) at the time.

His name may also mean Lord of the Waters (Posei-dawōn), which is supported by most of his shrines being by the sea, and most of his notable mentions in later mythos being as the Sea God. But in the Bronze age he was not referenced as a Sea God nearly as much as the Earthshaker (Enesidaone) so... hard to say. It was a popular later translation though.

We know Poseidon was the Wanax, but that simply means King or Military leader. Indeed we do not know if there was a title for high king, as many of the individual city states of the time had a Wanax (but there is implications that can imply they also had a high king, but we have no proof of such unfortunately).

He was venerated at Pylos and Thebes, and well noted in Knossos (as the Earthshaker specifically). His partners (and many other Goddesses) were called Mistress of the Labyrinth (dapuritojo potinija) in Knossos, which as theorized by some that the actual palace of Knossos at the time was named Labyrinthos or something of that nature, would make sense as the deities being Patron Gods of their palace.

Now if one goes to Arcadia, then Poseidon was a horse God who was a river spririt of the underworld. He persued Demeter (Sito Potinija) who became a mare and from the union Arion and a Daughter “Despoina” are born (and once there were animal headed portrayals of the Gods, Demeter included, in Arcadia). It is quite possible this is part of the origin of t he Minoatur myth, the portrayal of the Gods with animal heads, and later worshipers with animal masks.

(Notably Artemis or Atemito or Atimite is a child of Demeter (Sito Potinija) here, and closely associated with Poseidon (Posedao).

A lot of what we “know” is theory, or conjecture. We do not have enough record to hold accurate knowledge of Posedao, or any of the Mycenaean Gods. So much has been lost in the Bronze age collapse, and unfortunately we may never hold enough information.

Maybe one day, if Linear A is translated, we can learn more. But as of right now we are limited by our knowledge, and Linear B does not hold enough information.

Sources: The Greeks (Roderick Beaton), History Hub, EarthAndStarryHeaven, Mythopedia, Live Journal, Wikipedia

"The One Spirit Team has been working tirelessly to help as many families on the Rez as possible through this intense winter season. Road conditions are making it near impossible to distribute firewood and food. Many homes are without power or a reliable and safe heat source.

Any donations received at this time will be used to purchase firewood, supplies, and food to take care of those critically in need."

Donations can be made here:

Donations to Oglala Re-Member organization, which also assists people living in the Pine Ridge Reservation, can be made here:

Re-Member

Ways to Give | Re-Member

Donate money, goods, or time to Re-Member and help Pine Ridge Reservation.

actually re joking about being ‘the piracy friend’. do yourself a favour and stop relying on tumblr masterlists that are full of broken links and dodgy websites and just bookmark r/FREEMEDIAHECKYEAH’s piracy wiki (backup).

it’s the most comprehensive resource i’ve ever encountered my life and it’s also got so much extra stuff like decent free vpns/antivirus/adblock, a massive list of free software for almost every purpose you can think of, AND a list of custom search engines that mean you can search every site at once or you’re looking for something more obscure (this is how i seem to always have a link to literally anything)

there’s also this rentry, which i can vouch for less because i don’t use it so much but does have info on installing cracked versions of the more popular antivirus programs if you don’t want to pay but also don’t want to trust the free options lol

be gay do crimes

Let's talk about foreshadowing.

Foreshadowing can add a lot of depth to your writing and make it more exciting for the readers. They create a sense of coherence and satisfaction when future events unfold as hinted—or shock if they don't.

Here are some tips for effectively using foreshadowing in your novels and books:

Plan Ahead: Foreshadowing works best when it's woven into the fabric of your story from the beginning. As you outline your plot, think about key events and revelations you want to foreshadow, and strategically place hints and clues accordingly.

Use Subtlety: Foreshadowing doesn't have to be obvious or heavy-handed. The best foreshadowing is often subtle and understated, leaving readers with a sense of intrigue and curiosity rather than outright prediction.

Establish Patterns and Motifs: Look for opportunities to establish recurring patterns, motifs, or symbols that can subtly hint at future events. These can be visual, thematic, or even linguistic cues that tie into the larger narrative arc of your story.

Create Tension: Foreshadowing is most effective when it creates tension and anticipation for the reader. Use foreshadowing to hint at potential conflicts, obstacles, or twists.

Reveal Gradually: Foreshadowing doesn't have to be limited to one-off hints or clues. Instead, consider how you can layer foreshadowing throughout your story, gradually revealing more information as the plot unfolds.

Pay Attention to Timing: The timing of your foreshadowing is crucial. Introduce hints and clues at strategic points in your story, building anticipation and suspense without giving too much away too soon.

Revisit Foreshadowing: Ensure that foreshadowed events are eventually fulfilled or addressed in the story. Revisiting earlier hints or clues can provide a satisfying payoff for readers and reinforce the narrative coherence.

Balance Subtlety and Clarity: Foreshadowing should be subtle enough to intrigue readers without giving away major plot twists too early. Aim for a balance where foreshadowing is noticeable upon reflection but doesn't detract from the immediacy of the story.

Let's look at some ways to incorporate foreshadowing:

Symbolism: Symbolic imagery or motifs can serve as subtle foreshadowing devices. Think about objects, settings, or descriptive details that can serve as symbolic foreshadowing. A recurring image or object, for example, might subtly hint at future events or themes in the story.

Dialogue Clues: Characters can drop hints or make cryptic remarks that foreshadow upcoming events. Dialogue is a natural way to introduce foreshadowing without being too obvious.

Character Reactions: Pay attention to how characters react to certain situations or events. Their emotions or responses can foreshadow future conflicts or revelations.

Subtle Descriptions: Incorporate subtle descriptions or details that hint at future events. These can be easily overlooked on a first read but become significant upon reflection or when the foreshadowed event occurs.

Dreams and Visions: Dreams, visions, and other forms of altered consciousness can be effective vehicles for foreshadowing—they can hint at an upcoming event, or explore characters' subconscious desires and fears. This method can sometimes be either blatant or subtle depending on how it is incorporated.

Foreshadowing Through Setting: Use the setting to foreshadow events or developments in the story. For example, a stormy night might foreshadow conflict or turmoil ahead, while a serene setting might signal upcoming peace or resolution. (On the flip side, this can be used to catch readers off guard, like a "calm before the storm" type of situation.)

Parallel Storylines: Foreshadowing can occur through parallel storylines or subplots. Events in one storyline can subtly hint at future developments in another, creating anticipation and intrigue.

Recurring Themes: Identify recurring themes or motifs in your story and use them to foreshadow future events. These thematic elements can serve as subtle hints or clues for attentive readers.

Misdirection: Foreshadowing can be used to misdirect readers and create suspense by hinting at one outcome while actually leading to another. (See my post on misdirection for more!)

Happy writing! ❤