Category Archives: Personal

The Neverending Reading List

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Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.

Charles W. Eliot

I have decided to start a project called The Neverending Reading List where I will be sharing my book collection with everyone via Instagram. The “Neverending” is a jab at avid readers, myself, who know full well we will never read our entire book collection(s), but we will die trying (and don’t even think about suggesting we get rid of books; thems fightin’ words). I have a few goals for this project, the main ones are to encourage reading, to share resources, and to have a bit of fun!

I’ll be keeping it simple. Take a photo of the front and back of the book, share it as a gallery, and put the book’s summary in the post along with where to find the book. Why only the summary? Because I want you to draw your own conclusions. Lastly, stating the obvious, there will be tags.

I’ll be posting these to my personal Instagram, MonriaTitans (pronounced Mon-Rye-Uh) because expectations are set for the MonriaTitans – WGS Instagram. And TitansMonriArt is, obviously, for art. The other reason I’m posting it to MonriaTitans is inactivity. Now I have something to post to it every day.

(For those who are new, and don’t know what WGS is, I host The Weekend Game Show (WGS) on Twitch with the mission to educate on different aspects of video game development so as to prevent another Cyberpunk 2077 scenario. Also, for empowerment and exposure, promote artists (which is what the MonriaTitans – WGS Instagram is for).)

Context before the warning: I have three Instagrams to keep things organized and from overlapping. TitansMonriArt is for my art, MonriaTitans – WGS is for the Artist Shout-Outs and educational posts with the purpose of empowerment through education and exposure, while MonriaTitans is the one I, jokingly, call my Rantstagram.

Warning: My Rantstagram has a similar theme to the MonriaTitans – WGS‘ Instagram; there are educational posts for the purposes of empowerment through education, but it has a little bit of everything: educational posts, inspirational quotes, product reviews, making fun of stupid people, politics.

If you’re trying to avoid politics, don’t go to this Instagram. There is a separate page listing the books in The Neverending Reading List so you can go directly to the Tumblr posts, and from there the Instagram posts, without having to scroll for them.

However, if you don’t like stupidity, but enjoy laughing at it, my Rantstagram is the place for you.

And if you’re still interested in checking out The Neverending Reading List Instagram Series and/or the Rantstagram in general, then back to our regularly scheduled program.

For transparency, the links to the books will be affiliate links. I am affiliated with Bookshop.org, whom I like to call the “Etsy for small business bookstores,” which brings me to my next goal for The Neverending Reading List Instagram Series; I want to make people aware of Bookshop.org, whose mission is,

To help local, independent bookstores thrive in the age of ecommerce. We work to connect readers with independent booksellers all over the world. We believe local bookstores are essential community hubs that foster culture, curiosity, and a love of reading, and we’re committed to helping them survive and thrive. Our platform gives independent bookstores tools to compete online and financial support to help them maintain their presence in local communities.

“About BookShop”. Bookshop.org. https://bookshop.org/pages/about

(When I did a Preview of the [Wordpress] post, I found the bookshop link above does not open into a new window. If it is the same for other platforms, I shall provide an update.)

The final goal is, obviously, to get more support for my work. If my link(s) is used to purchase books, I receive a commission. A win for local bookstores, win for Bookshop.org, win for you, win for me plus a win for the authors. And, for those trying to get away from Amazon, a punch at Amazon.

More transparency: I am an affiliate of Amazon as well; for those who don’t know, Amazon is the Etsy for everything on a, stating the obvious, grander scale. Many small businesses use Amazon as a platform to get their products seen to support themselves. If Amazon goes down, a lot of small businesses will go down with them. It is the small businesses I support, not Amazon.

In conclusion, I will be doing The Neverending Reading List Instagram Series on my, personal, MonriaTitans Instagram, with the goals of encouraging reading, sharing resources for the development of video games (and other things for shits and giggles), having a bit of fun, to gain exposure for Bookshop.org, and to share my MonriaTitans & WGS’ Bookshop in the hopes of getting more support for my work as well as support for the authors.

Well, these are all the updates I have for now. Thank you for reading!
May every decision you make in the future be in the spirit of fairness and may the rest of your day NOT go to $#!7.

The Weekend Game Show’s (WGS’) mission is to educate on different aspects of video game development so as to prevent another Cyberpunk 2077 scenario. Also, for empowerment and exposure, promote artists.

Please consider supporting by buying Monria Titans – WGS a Ko-fi!

Watch WGS on Twitch and YouTube!
See the Artist’s Shout-Out posts on Instagram, Tumblr,
and also in the Discord channel #artist-shout-outs!

Want to recommend an artist to shout-out?
Or to get one for yourself?
You must be a member of the WGS’ Artist Shout-Outs Ko-fi.
For more details on the Artist Shout-Out Criteria, click here.
And, no, tipping, in either Ko-fi, does not affect how many artists you can shout-out.

Words Learned From FFXIV – Part 2

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“You may not like video games, but what I learned from them is this: no enemies in front of you means you are going the wrong way.” – Unknown

I mentioned in “Words Learned From FFXIV – Part 1“, Part 2 would come out sometime today.

To recap, the purpose of this is to show video games ARE capable of teaching or, at the very least, enhancing someone’s knowledge. There will be no, “how did you not know these already?” type of comments and responses. Don’t be that belittling asshat. I will ban you the moment I see it. I am also using going back through my Final Fantasy XIV – Luna Freia playlist on YouTube to find these words.

Now, some of the words below are words I had heard before but didn’t actually know the definitions of. As we all know, as you grow up, you hear words repeatedly to the point where you understand how they are used, so you don’t have to know the definitions to use them properly. Unlike Part 1, where most of the words were known, Part 2 has mostly words I have heard before but didn’t know the definitions of.

So, without further ado, here are the 27 words I “re-learned” going back through my FFXIV – Luna Freia, Part 2 **Spoilers** video:

  1. shipwright, n: a person who builds and launches wooden vessels or does carpentry work in connection with the building and launching of steel or iron vessels.
  2. botheration, int: (used as an exclamation indicating vexation or annoyance.)
  3. insufferable, adj: not to be endured; intolerable; unbearable.
  4. thalassocracy, n: dominion over the seas, as in exploration, trade, or colonization.
  5. profundity, n: the quality or state of being profound; depth.
  6. accost, v: to confront boldly.
  7. buxom, adj: (of a woman) full-bosomed; healthy, plump, cheerful, and lively.
  8. milksop, n: a weak or ineffectual person.
  9. strumpet, n: a prostitute or a sexually promiscuous woman (now often used facetiously).
  10. scrag, n: a lean or scrawny person or animal.
  11. scruple, n: a moral or ethical consideration or standard that acts as a restraining force or inhibits certain actions.
  12. deftly, adv: in a dexterous or nimble manner; skillfully.
  13. belligerence, n: a warlike or aggressively hostile nature, condition, or attitude.
  14. fraught, adj: full of, accompanied by, or involving something specified, usually something unpleasant (often followed by with).
  15. cur, n: a mean, cowardly person.
  16. whelp, n: a youth, especially an impudent or despised one.
  17. imperil, v: to put in peril or danger; endanger.
  18. whence, adv: from what place?
  19. regaling, v: to entertain lavishly or agreeably; delight.
  20. dignitaries: people who hold a high rank or office, as in the government or church.
  21. execrable, adj: very bad.
  22. fore, adj: situated at or toward the front, as compared with something else.
  23. succor, n: help; relief; aid; assistance.
  24. forsake, v: to quit or leave entirely; abandon; desert.
  25. vain, Idioms: without effect or avail; to no purpose.
  26. avail, v: to be of use or value to; profit; advantage.
  27. belay: to cease (an action); stop.

I got these definitions from Dictionary.com.

I hope you learned something from this as well! Again, if you knew these words already, congrats; shut up. Belittling someone for learning something late doesn’t make people want to keep trying to learn.

Words Learned From FFXIV – Part 1

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“You may not like video games, but what I learned from them is this: no enemies in front of you means you are going the wrong way.” – Unknown

I decided to start this because of all the false info spewed about video games.

“Video games are a waste of time.”
“Video games are for kids!”
“Video games don’t teach you anything!”

So, here I am going to show you all the words I learned from playing Final Fantasy XIV. To do this, I went back through my FFXIV – Luna Freia, Part 1 **Spoilers** video, wrote down the words I didn’t know and their definitions, and now I shall share them with you all.

There will be no, “how did you not know these already?” type of comments and responses. Don’t be that belittling asshat. I will ban you the moment I see it. You’ll take away from the purpose of this, which is to show video games ARE capable of teaching or, at the very least, enhancing someone’s knowledge.

So, without further ado, here are the 26 words I learned in the first four hours-ish of playing Final Fantasy XIV:

  1. starboard, n: the right-hand side of or direction from a vessel or aircraft, facing forward.
  2. itinerant, adj: traveling from place to place, especially on a circuit, as a minister, judge, or sales representative; itinerating; journeying.
  3. maritime, adj: living near or in the sea.
  4. sodden, adj: soaked with liquid or moisture; saturated.
  5. hostelries, n., plural for hostelry: an inn or hotel
  6. gull, v: to deceive, trick, or cheat.
  7. spate, n: a sudden, almost overwhelming, outpouring.
  8. replete, adj: abundantly supplied or provided; filled (usually followed by with).
  9. sojourns, n., plural of sojourn: a temporary stay.
  10. rudimentary, adj: pertaining to rudiments or first principles; elementary.
  11. esoteric, adj: understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest; recondite.
  12. ensconced, adj: settled securely or snugly.
  13. cogitate, v: to think hard; ponder; meditate.
  14. inscrutable, adj: not easily understood; mysterious; unfathomable.
  15. litany, n: a ceremonial or liturgical form of prayer consisting of a series of invocations or supplications with responses that are the same for a number in succession.
  16. presaging, n: something that portends or foreshadows a future event; an omen, prognostic, or warning indication.
  17. forethought, n: a thinking of something beforehand; previous consideration; anticipation.
  18. surfeit, n: excess; an excessive amount.
  19. grotto, n: a cave or cavern.
  20. yeomen, n: a subordinate or assistant, as of a sheriff or other official or in a craft or trade.
  21. stalwart, adj: strong and brave; valiant.
  22. knave, n: an unprincipled, untrustworthy, or dishonest person.
  23. sorely, adv: in a painful manner.
  24. hard-pressed, adj: heavily burdened or oppressed, as by overwork or financial difficulties; harried; put-upon.
  25. mutable, adj: liable or subject to change or alteration.
  26. perchance, adv: perhaps; maybe; possibly.

I got these definitions from Dictionary.com.

I hope you learned something from this as well! Again, if you knew these words already, congrats; shut up. Belittling someone for learning something late doesn’t make people want to keep trying to learn.

Part 2 will be available sometime tomorrow. To see the “FFXIV – Luna Freia, Part 2 **Spoilers**” video, click here.

“FFXIV – Luna Freia, Part 1” Video Now on YouTube!

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The video is age-restricted due to the rating of the game.

Above is Part 1 of Luna Freia’s story! Join Luna on her journey to become the most powerful, and hopefully wealthiest, Arcanist in History!

I had mentioned before I wanted to play Final Fantasy XIV on stream, but couldn’t because my computer wasn’t powerful enough to handle it. So, I decided to record myself playing it to have another YouTube exclusive (for those who don’t know, the Let’s Read Some $#!7 videos are (now) YouTube exclusive).

In this video series, I’ll be showing you how to play the game as an Arcanist; you get two for one with this class! Luna will eventually become both a Scholar and a Summoner.

CHARACTER CURRENTLY
World: Diabolos
Name: Luna Freia
Race: Hyur
Clan: Highlander
Guardian: Thaliak – The Scholar
Class: Arcanist (Lv. 12)
Location: Mizzenmast Inn

The plan for Luna is to play as a Summoner for everything but the Duties. Why? Because the Scholar is a Healer, making it so they don’t have to wait as long for the Duties.

Now, this won’t be a traditional “How-to”: I’m not going to break everything down unless I feel the impulse to do so. However, if you have questions, feel free to leave them in the comments and/or the #final-fantasy-xiv discord channel, which will be linked in all the videos.

Lastly, these videos are age-restricted because of the rating of the game.

I hope you enjoy the journey with me! If not, I don’t need to know.
Keep it to yourself. Keep scrolling.
Constructive feedback only.

Information about both characters I’ve created will be in the #final-fantasy-xiv Discord channel, which you can find at https://discord.gg/6eZdmJVTfA.

Watch me play other games live at https://www.twitch.tv/monriatitans.

The Monday, April 25, 2022, Artist Shout-Out, which was shown in the above video, goes to AB art!
See the Tumblr post below!

https://monriatitans.tumblr.com/post/682525128249196544/ab-art

Wild Card Saturday!

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I was planning to announce this sooner, but, as I’m sure you guessed, my ADHD @$$ got distracted.

Today, instead of streaming, I am going to create a Read Aloud, AKA. Let’s Read Some $#!7, YouTube video. For those who are new, it’s where I read aloud PORTIONS of books, for educational purposes, with the purpose being to introduce you all to additional resources regarding game development.

The PORTIONS of books read so far are:

Drawing Basics and Video Game Art by Chris Solarski
The Animator’s Survival Kit by Richard Williams
Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World by Jane McGonigal
On Writing and Worldbuilding: Volume 1 by Timothy Hickson
How to Draw and Paint Fantasy Architecture by Rob Alexander
Virtual Cities: An Atlas & Exploration of Video Game Cities by Konstantinos Dimopoulos

The above links are affiliate links.
For more details regarding the Read Aloud videos, click here.

https://monriatitans.tumblr.com/post/682347023642640384/salt-field

Here’s a Bit About the “MonriaTitans & WGS” Tumblr

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https://monriatitans.tumblr.com/post/688779535801548800/monriatitans-wgs-site-map

Above is an embedding of the “Site Map” for the Tumblr; it’s a pinned post. You should be able to find everything you need through it. If not, you can ask.

Everything posted to WordPress would have been going to Tumblr, but I don’t remember if I ever announced it. So, I am now. Here’s the road map (there are a few branches):

WordPress > Tumblr > MonriaTitans Twitter
WordPress > BEmpowering Twitter
WordPress > The Weekend Game Show Facebook Page

In addition, this Tumblr is not used solely for WGS. For time management purposes, I use it to consolidate posts from a myriad of social media accounts:

becomempowered Instagram > Tumblr > MonriaTitans Twitter
MonriaTitans Instagram > Tumblr > MonriaTitans Twitter
Artstagram > Tumblr > MonriaTitans Twitter

The Instagram accounts have their own Twitter accounts and FB Pages they post too as well, but that’s enough about links for this post.

Lastly, any post regarding The Weekend Game Show shall have the WGS Logo as the Featured Image.