Things Almost Every Author Needs To Research

sure you've reblogged a million posts about how Love Is Stored In The Soup but are you like.... actually nice to people

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While I'm talking about writing I do want to rec two INCREDIBLE writing apps that have helped me immensely as a writer with ADHD

Stimuwrite is a little program that you can customize with all sorts of really rewarding instant tactile feedback, for example sound effects every time you hit a key, emoji notifications and balloons when you hit your custom goal (which can be as low as you want for low energy days), and neat animated backgrounds.

4thewords turns writing into an RPG and you can kill monsters via word count in order to complete quests and progress through what I personally find to be an interesting and fun storyline. It comes with all the RPG trappings like loot, gear, even custom housing (win more stuff for your house by writing).

I cannot stress ENOUGH how amazing both of these have been in terms of my writing productivity as someone with pretty severe executive dysfunction issues. Usually I use Stimuwrite for the instant feedback and then copy and paste those over into 4thewords for the gamification.

Both are small indie projects, Stimuwrite is pay-what-you-can-afford and 4thewords is $4/month but they are very good about helping people who genuinely can't afford it.

and AS THE CHERRY ON TOP, Stimuwrite's programmer is a trans woman, and while I'm not sure about the 4thewords team in specific, the game is FILLED with really great rep, they are literally having a lesbian wedding global event going on right now as I type this. So like. I like giving money to them more than giving money to a lot of other projects lol.

Anyway no neither of these projects have told me to write about them or anything I just want to spread the love. Go check them out!!

Stimuwrite

4thwords

I hope this doesn't come across as offensive, but I was your post about demigods celebrating greek holidays and I was really curious about it. The reason I personally never tried to write about it, was because I didn't want things to come across as offensive because I didn't know much about it. What I'm trying to say is, do you know any reliable places/sources that have accurate representation of how people would be celebrating it and where I could do some research?

I’m going to be honest, most of the sources are either based in a personal belief (not the actual representation of ancient practices and actually someone making it their own and sharing) or... very misleading.

I can recommend a few sites but again, the info isn’t fully accurate and for some is based on UPG (unverified personal gnosis-- basically meaning their personal beliefs that may or may not have any support by our writings or historical record). UPG work is totally valid, stars know I have my own, but it’s also not historical.

There isn’t a lot of information on our holidays, a lot of information was lost, and most sources are college textbook style or in books. I have access to a few but they’re fairly expensive.

A lot of sources are also conflicting, and people disagree a lot, and translations get updated and opinions change.

This calendar has a pretty comprehensive list of holidays, along with information on them if you click the holidays (open to new tabs for easy viewing). It is an Athenian based calendar, and the site as a whole is fairly good, but it’s also heavily based in the site mods UPG and thus should not be considered completely historical.

This site also has good holiday information and brings up all of them as far as I can tell, but is overall fairly vague on the holidays themselves and do it alphabetically, by the original Greek Names, rather than by date. They hold a mix of very historical and a community UPG for their stances on things. I don’t agree with a lot of what they say, but they have some good resources. They’re also Orphic (a specific branch of Hellenism) so their holidays and beliefs reflect it.

Those are the two big sites that I referenced originally, most other sources would be in books (and I am still building up my resources there). There are other sources that have information, but while these two sources have some issues, many other sites... well they’re either entirely UPG or extremely traditional to the point of insulting the more modern practices and I don’t want to link stuff to them.

Please keep in mind that unlike something like, say, Christianity, Hellenism is very personal in it’s practice and there are a lot of different ways to practice it. All of this information is helpful, but many Hellenists won’t practice them exactly as the sites say

I personally used the first link I showed you as the basis of my Heliogenna.

I should explain more about Heliogenna as well. It is a modern festival, created by Hector Lugo, here is the source of information. the reason we celebrate this modern festival is because though we know that the Ancient Greeks celebrated something around the solstice, we don’t know what. Heliogenna was created to effectively fill this slot, it honors the deities connected to light and home (Helios being the main focus) and the chthonic deities (underworld deities).

Anyways, these are the most reliable free sources I have for you, and I did extra searching as well to see if there were any other sites but no others fit my strict requirements for sourcing and general respectfulness to other practitioners.

You are welcome to send me asks for more information on anything or if you’re wondering about anything the sources say. If they don’t have the information you’re wanting, or you want to know my thoughts on the holidays please shoot me an ask or even a dm. I tend to grab second opinions from some other pagan friends when I answer those questions, or even for my own work, so you will have a variety of opinions given.

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All Breathing Styles and Forms!!!

SUN BREATHING (13 forms)

Also called Hinokami Kagura or The original Breathing

‌First Form: Dance (円えん舞ぶ) whit variant by tanjiro: Dancing Flash (円えん舞ぶ一いっ閃せん)

‌Second form: Clear Blue Sky (碧へき羅らの天てん)

‌Third Form: Raging Sun (烈れつ日じつ紅こう鏡きょう)

‌Fourth Form: Burning Bones, Summer Sun (灼しゃっ骨こつ炎えん陽よう)

‌Fifth Form: Setting Sun Transformation (斜しゃ陽よう転てん身しん)

‌Sixth Form: Solar Heat Haze (飛ひ輪りん陽かげ炎ろう)

‌Seventh Form: Beneficent Radiance (輝き輝き恩おん光こう)

‌Eighth Form: Sunflower Thrust (陽よう華か突とつ)

‌Ninth Form: Dragon Sun Halo Head Dance (日にち暈うんの龍りゅう・頭かぶり舞まい)

‌Tenth Form: Fire Wheel (火か車しゃ)

‌Eleventh Form: Fake Rainbow (幻げん日にち虹こう)

‌Twelfth Form: Flame Dance (炎えん舞ぶ)

‌Thirteenth Form (拾じゅう参さんノ型かた)

KNOWN USERS: Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Sumiyoshi, Tanjuro Kamado, Tanjiro Kamado

WATER BREATHING (11 forms)

One of the five main Breathing Styles

‌First Form: Water Surface Slash (壱いちノ型かた　水みな面も斬ぎり)

‌Second Form: Water Wheel (弐にノ型かた　水みず車ぐるま) whit variation Lateral Water Wheel (弐にノ型かた・改かい　横よこ水みず車ぐるま)

‌Third Form: Flowing Dance (参さんノ型かた　流りゅう流りゅう舞まい)

‌Fourth Form: Striking Tide (肆しノ型かた　打うち潮しお) whit variant Striking Tide, Turbulent (打うち潮しお・乱らん)

‌Fifth Form: Blessed Rain After the Drought (伍ごノ型かた　干かん天てんの慈じ雨う)

‌Sixth Form: Whirlpool (陸ろくノ型かた　ねじれ渦うず), whit variant Whirlpool, Flow (ねじれ渦うず・流りゅう流りゅう)

‌Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust (漆しちノ型かた　雫しずく波は紋もん突づき) whit variation Drop Ripple Thrust, Curve (雫しずく波は紋もん突づき・曲きょく)

‌Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin (捌はちノ型かた　滝たき壼つぼ)

‌Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent (玖くノ型かた　水すい流りゅう飛沫しぶき・乱らん)

‌Tenth Form: Constant Flux (拾じゅうノ型かた　生せい生せい流る転てん)

‌Eleventh Form: Dead Calm (拾じゅう壱いちノ型かた　凪なぎ), created by water hashira Giyu Tomioka

KNOWN USERS: Giyu Tomioka (Hashira), Tanjiro Kamado, Sakonji Urokodaki Sabito, Makomo, Aoi Kanzaki, Murata

FLAME BREATHING (9 forms, only 6 known)

One of the five main Breathing Styles

‌First Form: Unknowing Fire (壱いちノ型かた　不知火しらぬい)

‌Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun (弐にノ型かた　昇のぼり炎えん天てん)

‌Third Form: Blazing Universe (参さんノ型かた　氣き炎えん万ばん象しょう)

‌Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation (肆しノ型かた　盛せい炎えんのうねり)

‌Fifth Form: Flame Tiger (伍ごノ型かた　炎えん虎こ)

‌Ninth Form: Rengoku (玖くノ型かた　煉れん獄ごく)

KNOWN USERS: Rengoku Kyojuro (Hashira), all the male members of Rengoku family

WIND BREATHING (9 forms)

One of the five main Breathing Styles

‌First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter (壱いちノ型かた　鹿じん旋せん風ぷう・削そぎ)

‌Second Form: Claws-Purifying Wind (弐にノ型かた　爪そう々そう・科しな戸と風かぜ)

‌Third Form: Clean Storm Wind Tree (参さんノ型かた　晴せい嵐らん風ふう樹じゅ)

‌Fourth Form: Rising Dust Storm (肆しノ型かた　昇しょう上じょう砂さ塵じん嵐らん)

‌Fifth Form: Cold Mountain Wind (伍ごノ型かた　木こ枯がらし颪おろし)

‌Sixth Form: Black Wind Mountain Mist (陸ろくノ型かた　黒こく風ふう烟えん嵐らん)

‌Seventh Form: Gale, Sudden Gusts (漆しちノ型かた　頸けい風ふう・天てん狗ぐ風かぜ)

‌Eighth Form: Primary Gale Slash (捌はちノ型かた　初しょ烈れっ風かざ斬きり)

‌Ninth Form: Idaten Typhoon (玖くノ型かた　韋い駄だ天てん台たい風ふう)

KNOWN USERS: Sanemi Shinazugawa (Hashira), Masachika Kumeno

STONE BREATHING (5 forms)

One of the five main breathing Styles

‌First Form: Serpentinite Bipolar (壱いちノ型かた　蛇じゃ紋もん岩がん・双そう極きょく)

‌Second Form: Upper Smash (弐にノ型かた　天てん面めん砕くだき)

‌Third Form: Stone Skin (参さんノ型かた　岩がん軀くの膚はだえ)

‌Fourth Form: Volcanic Rock, Rapid Conquest (肆しノ型かた　流りゅう紋もん岩がん・速そく征せい)

‌Fifth Form: Arcs of Justice (伍ごノ型かた　瓦が輪りん刑ぎょう部ぶ)

KNOWN USER: Gyomei Himejima (Hashira)

THUNDER BREATHING (7 forms)

One of the five main breathing Styles

‌First Form: Thunderclap and Flash (壱いちノ型かた　霹へき靂れき一いっ閃せん) improved by Zenitsu in Sixfold (六ろく連れん), Eightfold (八はち連れん) and Godspeed (神しん速そく)

‌Second Form: Rice Spirit (弐にノ型かた　稲いな魂だま)

‌Third Form: Thunder Swarm (参さんノ型かた　聚しゅう蚊ぶん成せい雷らい)

‌Fourth Form: Distant Thunder (肆しノ型かた　遠えん雷らい)

‌Fifth Form: Heat Lightning (伍ごノ型かた　熱ねつ界かい雷らい)

‌Sixth Form: Rumble and Flash (陸ろくノ型かた　電でん轟ごう雷らい轟ごう)

‌Seventh Form: Honoikazuchi no Kami (漆しちノ型かた　火ほの雷いかづちの神かみ) created by Zenitsu

KNOWN USERS: Zenitsu Agatsuma, Kaigawa, Jigoro Kuwajima

MOON BREATHING (16 forms, only 11 known)

derivate from Sun Breathing

‌First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace (壱いちノ型かた　闇やみ月づき・宵よいの宮みや)

‌Second Form: Pearl Flower Moongazing (弐にの型かた　珠しゅ華かノ弄ろう月げつ)

‌Third Form: Loathsome Moon, Chains (参さんノ型かた　厭えん忌き月づき・銷つがり)

‌Fifth Form: Moon Spirit Calamitous Eddy (伍ごノ型かた　月げっ魄ぱく災さい渦か)

‌Sixth Form: Perpetual Night, Lonely Moon - Incessant (陸ろくノ型かた　常とこ夜よ孤こ月げつ・無む間けん)

‌Seventh Form: Mirror of Misfortune, Moonlit (漆しちノ型かた　厄やっ鏡きょう・月づき映ばえ)

‌Eighth Form: Moon-Dragon Ringtail (捌はちノ型かた　月げつ龍りゆう輪りん尾び)

‌Ninth Form: Waning Moonswaths (玖くノ型かた　降くだり月づき・連れん面めん)

‌Tenth Form: Drilling Slashes, Moon Through Bamboo Leaves (拾じゅうノ型かた　穿せん面めん斬ざん・蘿ら月げつ)

‌Fourteenth Form: Catastrophe, Tenman Crescent Moon (拾じゅう肆しノ型かた　兇きょう変へん・天てん満まん繊せん月げつ)

‌Sixteenth Form: Moonbow, Half Moon (拾じゅう陸ろくノ型かた　月虹げっこう・片かた割われ月づき)

KNOWN USER: Michikatsu Tsugikuni/Kokushibo

SOUND BREATHING (5 forms, only 3 known)

Derivate from Thunder Breathing

‌First Form: Roar (壱いちノ型かた　轟とどろき)

‌Fourth Form: Constant Resounding Slashes (肆しノ型かた　響きょう斬ざん無む間けん)

‌Fifth Form: String Performance (伍ごノ型かた　鳴めい弦げん奏そう々そう)

KNOWN USER: Tengen Uzui (Hashira)

FLOWER BREATHING (7 forms, only 5 known)

Derivate from Water Breathing

‌Second Form: Honorable Shadow Plum (弐にノ型かた　御み影かげ梅うめ)

‌Fourth Form: Crimson Hanagoromo (肆しノ型かた　紅べに花はな衣ごろも)

‌Fifth Form: Peonies of Futility (伍ごノ型かた　徒あだの芍しゃく薬やく)

‌Sixth Form: Whirling Peach (陸ろくノ型かた　渦うず桃もも)

‌Final Form: Equinoctial Vermilion Eye (終ついノ型かた　彼ひ岸がん朱しゅ眼がん)

KNOWN USERS: Kanae Kocho (death Hashira), Kanao Tsuyuri

LOVE BREATHING (6 forms, only 5 known)

Derivate from Flame Breathing

‌First Form: Shivers of First Love (壱いちノ型かた　初はつ恋こいのわななき)

‌Second Form: Love Pangs (弐にノ型かた　懊おう悩のう巡めぐる恋こい)

‌Third Form: Catlove Shower (参さんノ型かた　恋こい猫ねこしぐれ)

‌Fifth Form: Swaying Love, Wildclaw (伍ごノ型かた　揺ゆらめく恋れん情じょう・乱みだれ爪づめ)

‌Sixth Form: Cat-Legged Winds of Love (陸ろくノ型かた　猫ねこ足あし恋こい風かぜ)

KNOWN USER: Mitsuri Kanroji (Hashira)

INSECT BREATHING (4 forms)

Derivate from Flower Breathing

‌Butterfly Dance: Caprice (蝶ちょうノ舞まい　戯たわむれ)

‌Dance of the Bee Sting: True Flutter (蜂ほう牙がノ舞まい　真ま靡なびき)

‌Dance of the Dragonfly: Compound Eye Hexagon (蜻せい蛉れいノ舞まい　複ふく眼がん六ろっ角かく)

‌Dance of the Centipede: Hundred-Legged Zigzag (蜈ご蚣こうノ舞まい　百ひゃく足そく蛇じゃ腹ばら)

KNOWN USER: Shinobu Koucho (Hashira)

MIST BREATHING (7 forms)

Derivate from Wind Breathing

‌First Form: Low Clouds, Distant Haze (壱いちノ型かた　垂すい天てん遠とお霞がすみ)

‌Second Form: Eight-Layered Mist (弐にノ型かた　八や重え霞かすみ)

‌Third Form: Scattering Mist Splash (参さんノ型かた　霞か散さんの飛し沫ぶき)

‌Fourth Form: Shifting Flow Slash (肆しノ型かた　移い流りゅう斬ぎり)

‌Fifth Form: Sea of Clouds and Haze (伍ごノ型かた　霞か雲うんの海うみ)

‌Sixth Form: Lunar Dispersing Mist (陸ろくノ型かた　月つきの霞か 消しょう)

‌Seventh Form: Obscuring Clouds (漆しちノ型かた　朧おぼろ) created by Muichiro Tokito

KNOWN USER: Muichiro Tokito (Hashira)

SERPENT BREATHING (5 forms)

Derivate from Water Breathing

‌First Form: Winding Serpent Slash (壱いちノ型かた　委い蛇だ斬ぎり)

‌Second Form: Venom Fangs of the Narrow Head (弐にノ型かた　狭きょう頭ずの毒どく牙が)

‌Third Form: Coil Choke (参さんノ型かた　塒とぐろ締じめ)

‌Fourth Form: Twin-Headed Reptile (肆しノ型かた　頸けい蛇じゃ双そう生せい)

‌Fifth Form: Slithering Serpent (伍ごノ型かた　蜿えん蜿えん長ちょう蛇だ)

KNOW USER: Obanai Iguro (Hashira)

BEAST BREATHING (11 forms/fangs)

Derivated from Wind Breathing

‌First Fang: Pierce (壱いちノ牙きば　穿うがち抜ぬき)

‌Second Fang: Slice (弐にノ牙きば　切きり裂さき)

‌Third Fang: Devour (参さんノ牙きば　喰くい裂ざき)

‌Fourth Fang: Slice 'n' Dice (肆しノ牙きば　切きり細こま裂ざき)

‌Fifth Fang: Crazy Cutting (伍ごノ牙きば　狂くるい裂ざき)

‌Sixth Fang: Palisade Bite (陸ろくノ牙きば　乱らん杭ぐい咬がみ)

‌Seventh Form: Spatial Awareness (漆しちノ型かた　空くう間かん識しき覚かく)

‌Eighth Form: Explosive Rush (捌はちノ型かた　爆ばく裂れつ猛もう進しん)

‌Ninth Fang: Extending Bendy Slash (玖くノ牙きば　伸しん・うねり裂ざき)

‌Tenth Fang: Whirling Fangs (拾じゅうノ牙きば　円えん転てん旋せん牙が)

‌Sudden Throwing Strike (思おもいつきの投なげ裂さき)

KNOWN USER: Inosuke Hashibira

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

some people think writers are so eloquent and good with words, but the reality is that we can sit there with our fingers on the keyboard going, “what’s the word for non-sunlight lighting? Like, fake lighting?” and for ten minutes, all our brain will supply is “unofficial”, and we know that’s not the right word, but it’s the only word we can come up with…until finally it’s like our face got smashed into a brick wall and we remember the word we want is “artificial”.

Tumblr’s search function is garbage, so if anyone needs to find specific posts it’s better to use an actual search engine and type ‘site:wastelesscrafts.tumblr.com’ with no spaces and then the thing they’re searching for. Example: ‘site:wastelesscrafts.tumblr.com buttonholes’

How to find posts

Thank you for the instructions!

Aside of using a search engine, I also have a pinned post with links to my masterposts.

I currently have eight masterposts, sorted by theme:

Sewing, mending, and crafts

Projects and patterns

My personal projects

Replies to asks (part 1)

Replies to asks (part 2)

Replies to asks (part 3)

Fast fashion and climate change

Wardrobe management etc.