This Is Very Important.
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.
More Posts from Wierduff and Others
To people who are desperately asking for fundz/donations on tumblr.
USE THESE REDDIT SUBS INSTEAD PLEASE FOR GOODNESS SAKE!!!!!!!!!
Hate Reddit if you want, but using these subs are your best chance. People gather in these subs because they have charity to spare:
/r/Assistance /r/legaladvice /r/RandomKindness /r/Charity /r/care /r/Random_Acts_Of_Pizza /r/Food_Pantry https://www.reddit.com/r/RandomActsOfPetFood/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RandomActsOfChristmas/ https://www.reddit.com/r/almosthomeless/ https://www.reddit.com/r/homeless
/r/freelance /r/povertyfinance /r/thrifty /r/borrow /r/gofundme
/r/depression /r/familysupport /r/transitions
I never see anyone actually getting any significant donations on tumblr and to be honest, tumblr is the worst place to ask for assistance. Use it as your last resort, it frustrates me to no end seeing people begging for help, reblogging the same post over and over, the same types of posts over and over, to no avail, when people are waiting to help you on a different part of the web GO TO WHERE THE HELP IS. IF YOU WANT DIRECT ACTION TO WORK STOP WITH TUMBLR AND USE REDDIT.
PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF SATAN REBLOG THIS SO WE CAN START REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF DONATION POSTS THAT GET STUCK FLOATING AROUND THIS WEBSITE
some fucking resources for all ur writing fuckin needs
body language masterlist
a translator that doesn’t eat ass like google translate does
a reverse dictionary for when ur brain freezes
550 words to say instead of fuckin said
638 character traits for when ur brain freezes again
some more body language help
For years I would look at posts and questionnaires about neurodivergence that takes about being so focused on something that you forgot to eat and be like, "Couldn't be me. Being hungry is so uncomfortable! Your stomach is growling and cramping? How do you ignore that?"
Then someone informed me that neurotypical people have a whole bunch of "hungry" sensations before they get to that point.....
From a friend: Google is so powerful that it "hides" other search systems from us. We just don't know the existence of most of them.
Meanwhile, there are still a huge number of excellent searchers in the world who specialize in books, science, other smart information.
Keep a list of sites you never heard of.
www.refseek.com - Academic Resource Search. More than a billion sources: encyclopedia, monographies, magazines.
www.worldcat.org - a search for the contents of 20 thousand worldwide libraries. Find out where lies the nearest rare book you need.
https://link.springer.com - access to more than 10 million scientific documents: books, articles, research protocols.
www.bioline.org.br is a library of scientific bioscience journals published in developing countries.
http://repec.org - volunteers from 102 countries have collected almost 4 million publications on economics and related science.
www.science.gov is an American state search engine on 2200+ scientific sites. More than 200 million articles are indexed.
www.pdfdrive.com is the largest website for free download of books in PDF format. Claiming over 225 million names.
www.base-search.net is one of the most powerful researches on academic studies texts. More than 100 million scientific documents, 70% of them are free
AO3 Tagging Inspiration.
Mainly a reference for me bc I always blank when it comes to tags. Sharing in case it helps anyone else, but not intended to be prescriptive. Further references:
Ao3’s Rating System Explanation
Difference Between "A/B" and "A&B"
Fanwork Ao3 Accepts Beyond Fanfic
How tagging a pairing in the “Relationship” field vs in “Additional Tags” changes search results
List of Writing Genres
Trope Examples
Most Popular Tags on Ao3
My humble plea for people to cross-post their meta & other fannish nonfiction to ao3, and tag it with “meta analysis” so I can find it and adore it
I heard that wattpad is doing a purge of NSFW works, so I'm going to be posting some general orientation type videos and some how to's to help folks learn more about Ao3.
If you want to follow (or avoid) those posts, I'm tagging them as welcome wattpad
Now that JK has proven herself to be the jk we always knew she was, here is a list of incredible fiction by trans authors, because the best way to tell JK to shove her bigotry where the sun don’t shine is to buy the work of authors who deserve her platform.
The Tensorate Series - JY Yang: four fantasy novellas about the guild of Tensors, magic users who can control elemental forces known as the Slack. V political, v beautifully written. Gender is a key theme but also there are dragons (naga), so there’s something for everyone tbh.
Love Beyond Body, Space And Time - anthology: a collection of indigenous sci-fi / spec fic stories with LGBTQ and two-spirit characters and themes. Stories include narratives of transition, love stories, and just good ol’ space romps.
The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror - Daniel M. Lavery: a collection of fairytale retellings with a spooky and disturbing twist. Some of these are darkly comic, and others are just plain dark. All are beautifully written, because Lavery is just That Writer.
The Spirits Series - Jordan L Hawk: a very spicy paranormal romance trilogy about Henry Strauss, an inventor, and Vincent Night, a psychic, whose differing approaches to communing with the dead cause (I’m so sorry) friction. These ones ain’t for the kiddies, but they’re so good and spooky.
The Mechanical Universe - EE Ottoman: a romance series (w a trans male protag!) set in a sort of steampunk universe, where spellcraft and mechanical animation are vying for equal respect. Tbh, everything by EE Ottoman is Very Good And Trans - The Doctor’s Discretion is my personal fave. Recommend 100%.
Peter Darling - Austin Chant: a trans retelling of Peter Pan, where Peter returns to Neverland to find that his place there is now much less certain than it was before, and he no longer belongs anywhere. There is also a romance with Captain Hook, but it works! I promise!
The Danielle Cain series - Margaret Killjoy: a duology of novellas following Danielle Cain, a queer punk rock nomad, as she solves spooky mysteries. The first book is set in an anarchist settlement, and the theme of found family + community is prevalent throughout.
An Unkindness of Ghosts - Rivers Solomon: on board the spaceship HSS Matilda, the last of humanity make their journey towards the Promised Land. Conditions on board are akin to the Antebellum South, and protagonist Aster is driven to find her way off the ship - if she can.
I Wish You All the Best - Mason Deaver: a non binary teen, Ben, comes out to their parents and is kicked out. Their sister takes them in and they start a new school, where their life begins to change for the better. This one is v sweet and deals well with mental illness.
Resilience - anthology: a collection of poetry and prose by trans women and amab trans people, featuring work by Casey Plett, KOKUMO, Magpie Leibowitz and many more.
Small Beauty - jia qing wilson-yang: a mixed race Chinese trans woman returns to her small town Canada home after the death of her cousin, and she deals with her trauma and grief. Beautiful and sad, and absolutely honest about grief.
Little Fish - Casey Plett: a trans woman begins to believe that her late Mennonite grandfather may have been trans, and while her own life starts to cave in, she attempts to connect with him through those who knew him. This one is A Lot but it’s phenomenal.
A Boy Called Cin - Cecil Wilde: a romance novel (so it’s SPICY) about Cin, a young trans man, and Tom, an older genderqueer billionaire. This is not your typical billionaire romance AT ALL; healthy relationships are depicted beautifully here alongside the reality of transition.
Confessions of the Fox - Jordy Rosenberg: a retelling of Jack Sheppard, the famous jailbreaker and thief. It’s told as though a trans man has discovered a manuscript about Jack (who is trans) and Jack’s story unfolds alongside the personal narrative of the manuscript discoverer.
Nameless Woman - anthology: a collection of fiction by trans women of colour. There’s something for everyone here - romance, sci fi, personal narratives and more. A lot of the topics covered are very heavy but they’re treated honestly and sensitively.
Maiden, Mother, Crone - anthology: a collection of fantasy stories about trans women and femmes. You want a story about a dread trans chthonic goddess? Of course you do. It’s right here. Enjoy.
Caroline’s Heart - Austin Chant: a romance between a trans man (a COWBOY nonetheless) and a trans woman (a WITCH). Cecily has been trying to bring her lover, Caroline, back from the dead via magic, but when Roy gives his life to save her, she has a choice to make.
The Queen of Cups - Ren Basel: a novelette about Theo, who’s about to set sail on their first voyage. As per their village’s custom, they ask the Oracle to bless their voyage, and she agrees - if she can come along. A great treatise on bravery, loyalty and independence.
Amateur - Thomas Page McBee: not fiction, but OH WELL!! You gotta read it!! The autobiography of a trans man who learns to box and asks questions about what kind of man he wants to be; can he avoid repeating the toxic masculinity he fears?
Trans Power - Juno Roche: also not fiction! Oops! Take me to court!! Roche interviews multiple trans people about their relationships with their transness, their sexuality and their bodies, and the result is a super empowering and beautiful book.
The Shape of My Name - Nino Cipri: a novelette about time travel. I really can’t say much about this one because it’s better to go in without knowing a lot, but the main theme is self discovery and acceptance, especially within the context of a neglectful / abusive family.
Pet - Akwaeke Emezi: the children in the city of Lucille know that there are no more monsters. They’ve been told so. So when Jam meets Pet, who definitely seems to be a monster, she has to face the problem of saving the world from something that it refuses to admit exists.
There are obviously many more trans fiction authors out there, but these are the ones I’ve read and can call to mind immediately. On my to read list are Juno Dawson (who writes YA primarily), Kai Cheng Thom (whose story in Maiden, Mother, Crone was my favourite), Meredith Russo (also writes YA), Leslie Feinberg, and Sybil Lamb.
I haven’t included trans poets here because I feel like that’s a separate list in and of itself, but if anyone wants to add any, please feel free!
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
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