• Come and see the official gallery showcasing all of your creative entries from The Bell Tree Fair 2024. In addition, the winners for the final raffles have been drawn! Click here for the event's final closing announcement.

Place your random thoughts.

Alienfish said:
can i just get spring or summer now i hate these months :(
Click to expand...

Had to click the love react again because I accidentally un-loved it, but if I could love react this post twice I would. There’s nothing great about January or February. :LOL:
 
I just did my taxes and I had large amounts of tax withholds, and it’s showing on my return. So worth it.
 
Midoriya said:
Had to click the love react again because I accidentally un-loved it, but if I could love react this post twice I would. There’s nothing great about January or February. :LOL:
Click to expand...
haha it's okay, but yeah i definitely agree can we just get paid for them and then go to march lol
 
a bit of self-reflection/overthinking? personal stuff about me and my art/design choices, but thoughts that i don't mind sharing! i always get into this mood around lunar new year

I think anyone that's seen my art/character designs realize that there's usually a Chinese influence to them -- e.g. characters wearing cheongsam, hanfu, and so on. It's sort of a new development from recent years (2018-ish), but mostly because I started feeling more comfortable with it! This ramble has a lot to do with that, how it happened, and why I do it.

For a bit of background: I'm Chinese diaspora (2nd gen Canada-born Chinese). I grew up in a city that was probably 2% Asian at most, so I was pretty much the only Asian kid in my classes for the majority of my childhood. This means I was pretty lonely in that regard: there were very few people around me that looked like me or felt familiar to me, especially in media that I consumed. I was very drawn to characters that were more familiar to me (i.e. obviously East Asian; namely female characters with black hair).
Side ramble about said characters: Mulan is still hands down the best Disney princess, but I'd be lying if part of my attachment wasn't because she was Chinese. The gender nonconformity helped a lot, too. And, to the surprise of no one, I loved Syaoran and MeiLing from CCS for having a Chinese background/aesthetic. I also loved Sailor Mars and Kikyo (Inuyasha) for looking distinctly East Asian, though they were clearly Japanese.

Anyways, that's all to say representation is important and something rare to me growing up. I was different and while I didn't hate it, it was a bit lonely and made me hold onto whatever I could.
Note: I did and do have friends online that were Asian, but it's not like it was something that would come up in conversation often.

A lot of the art I grew up with had more Western/European or Japanese-styled fashion, so it's what I drew a lot too! There were some slight Chinese influences, but not too much. I think the main turning point for me was in around 2018: I designed my OC Frog's outfit for MapleStory2. The main idea was that I got the name "Frog" and wanted to make my character resemble a Frog as much as I could, and the buns were a good start. Since the buns were pretty 'Chinese' in style, I decided "maybe I can try to make a cheongsam with a Frog-theme to it," and... the design was really well received? There was a fear that people would think the design was 'weird' or something, but I got a lot of kind comments about it. It was surprising to me, but also very heartwarming!

I think that made something click for me. Even if I didn't see a lot of Chinese-styled outfits previously, especially in fantasy, I could just draw it myself. It's not like I didn't like Western/Japanese-styled fashion -- I actually like them a lot! I adore them! But being able to design characters that I wish I had seen growing up ended up being really important to me. It also made character designs click a lot faster for me, which was interesting. Characters that didn't have specific outfits for years finally had an outfit that felt right to me.

At this point in time, I do end up seeing a lot more Chinese-influenced things than before. This is probably by virtue of it being a little more common, and because I ended up following more people with those preferences too? Either way, waking up and seeing a lot of Lunar New Years-related art and content was very... heartwarming to me. I would have never seen so much at any point when I was growing up. So even though my family's not celebrating as much as we used to (COVID and all), I still feel happy.
(It's also not just Chinese stuff! I've seen a lot of Korean and Vietnamese LNY art too, which was just as impactful to me. I love seeing people repping their own culture -- it makes me feel more comfortable.)

I do sometimes worry that people will feel I'm obnoxious about it or feel put off by it, but I think that's their problem in the end, not mine. I had to grow up seeing a lot of European- and Japanese-inspired fashion in the media I consumed: I'll fill up the void of Chinese-inspired fashion on my own if I have to 😤 Most of the things I draw/make is for my own self-satisfaction anyways. I don't particularly care if people like it or not -- I do what makes me happy in the end.

As an additional note: despite all of this, I don't have the ability to speak anything that my family is able to (Cantonese/Mandarin/Teochew/Vietnamese). I can understand a little bit when hearing it, but not too much. I think for 2nd/3rd/etc. generation diaspora, this is a bit more of a familiar feeling. I always feel a little bit like a fake/liar for not being able to speak/read any Chinese despite drawing it so much, but I think that's also an important part of my experience. I would love to learn one day, and have plans to once I have more time in my life. For now, though, I'll rep the Chinese diaspora that are in the same boat as me 😔✊

This is a very simplified overview of stuff -- it doesn't even remotely touch a lot of topics/experiences I have as diaspora in a predominantly non-Asian community. Stereotypes, even well meaning ones, and whatnot. That's a very involved and slightly different topic from the one I wanted to ramble about here.

anyways, happy lunar new year! sing ni kuai lag & giong hi huag cai 🧧
 
I have a really great drawing idea, where my rainbow Toucat OC is walking on the ground passing by a tree, and up in the tree is another Toucat that's like black/white and they're looking at each other.

but I really just don't feel like drawing. I think my internship is stressing me out a lot and is keeping me from being able to enjoy my hobbies. or it may also be the depression that's being pushed away but is still trying to come back. idk but I really want to draw this and I also don't, I hate that feeling.
 
I really have to keep myself in check when I buy things online.
Not that I spend too much for the average person, but I shouldn't spend my side-hustle earnings in one go LMAO
 
One of the reviews for that new Pokemon game at Amazon (USA), it's like at the very top. lol
FKhp-_rXoAIXHBT.png


But seriously, why do people do this...
 
I tried VR gaming for the first time at a VR café. Imagine the 3D capabilities of the 3DS and the motion controls of the Wii, but more advanced. I have to take breaks every half hour due to my double vision, but it really is the future of gaming.
 
Mistreil said:
a bit of self-reflection/overthinking? personal stuff about me and my art/design choices, but thoughts that i don't mind sharing! i always get into this mood around lunar new year

I think anyone that's seen my art/character designs realize that there's usually a Chinese influence to them -- e.g. characters wearing cheongsam, hanfu, and so on. It's sort of a new development from recent years (2018-ish), but mostly because I started feeling more comfortable with it! This ramble has a lot to do with that, how it happened, and why I do it.

For a bit of background: I'm Chinese diaspora (2nd gen Canada-born Chinese). I grew up in a city that was probably 2% Asian at most, so I was pretty much the only Asian kid in my classes for the majority of my childhood. This means I was pretty lonely in that regard: there were very few people around me that looked like me or felt familiar to me, especially in media that I consumed. I was very drawn to characters that were more familiar to me (i.e. obviously East Asian; namely female characters with black hair).
Side ramble about said characters: Mulan is still hands down the best Disney princess, but I'd be lying if part of my attachment wasn't because she was Chinese. The gender nonconformity helped a lot, too. And, to the surprise of no one, I loved Syaoran and MeiLing from CCS for having a Chinese background/aesthetic. I also loved Sailor Mars and Kikyo (Inuyasha) for looking distinctly East Asian, though they were clearly Japanese.

Anyways, that's all to say representation is important and something rare to me growing up. I was different and while I didn't hate it, it was a bit lonely and made me hold onto whatever I could.
Note: I did and do have friends online that were Asian, but it's not like it was something that would come up in conversation often.

A lot of the art I grew up with had more Western/European or Japanese-styled fashion, so it's what I drew a lot too! There were some slight Chinese influences, but not too much. I think the main turning point for me was in around 2018: I designed my OC Frog's outfit for MapleStory2. The main idea was that I got the name "Frog" and wanted to make my character resemble a Frog as much as I could, and the buns were a good start. Since the buns were pretty 'Chinese' in style, I decided "maybe I can try to make a cheongsam with a Frog-theme to it," and... the design was really well received? There was a fear that people would think the design was 'weird' or something, but I got a lot of kind comments about it. It was surprising to me, but also very heartwarming!

I think that made something click for me. Even if I didn't see a lot of Chinese-styled outfits previously, especially in fantasy, I could just draw it myself. It's not like I didn't like Western/Japanese-styled fashion -- I actually like them a lot! I adore them! But being able to design characters that I wish I had seen growing up ended up being really important to me. It also made character designs click a lot faster for me, which was interesting. Characters that didn't have specific outfits for years finally had an outfit that felt right to me.

At this point in time, I do end up seeing a lot more Chinese-influenced things than before. This is probably by virtue of it being a little more common, and because I ended up following more people with those preferences too? Either way, waking up and seeing a lot of Lunar New Years-related art and content was very... heartwarming to me. I would have never seen so much at any point when I was growing up. So even though my family's not celebrating as much as we used to (COVID and all), I still feel happy.
(It's also not just Chinese stuff! I've seen a lot of Korean and Vietnamese LNY art too, which was just as impactful to me. I love seeing people repping their own culture -- it makes me feel more comfortable.)

I do sometimes worry that people will feel I'm obnoxious about it or feel put off by it, but I think that's their problem in the end, not mine. I had to grow up seeing a lot of European- and Japanese-inspired fashion in the media I consumed: I'll fill up the void of Chinese-inspired fashion on my own if I have to 😤 Most of the things I draw/make is for my own self-satisfaction anyways. I don't particularly care if people like it or not -- I do what makes me happy in the end.

As an additional note: despite all of this, I don't have the ability to speak anything that my family is able to (Cantonese/Mandarin/Teochew/Vietnamese). I can understand a little bit when hearing it, but not too much. I think for 2nd/3rd/etc. generation diaspora, this is a bit more of a familiar feeling. I always feel a little bit like a fake/liar for not being able to speak/read any Chinese despite drawing it so much, but I think that's also an important part of my experience. I would love to learn one day, and have plans to once I have more time in my life. For now, though, I'll rep the Chinese diaspora that are in the same boat as me 😔✊

This is a very simplified overview of stuff -- it doesn't even remotely touch a lot of topics/experiences I have as diaspora in a predominantly non-Asian community. Stereotypes, even well meaning ones, and whatnot. That's a very involved and slightly different topic from the one I wanted to ramble about here.

anyways, happy lunar new year! sing ni kuai lag & giong hi huag cai 🧧
Click to expand...
Hi, Mistreil! I hope you're fine with me responding to your post. If not, please let me know and I'll gladly remove it! Here's hoping I'll be able to gather my thoughts properly without ruffling your feathers.

It's great to see that you're embracing your Chinese background, whether it'd be in real life or through the art that you draw. The post you made back in the Celebrating Diversity 2021 event last year is one of the many posts from there that stuck with me reading people's experiences in their lives. Don't let other people bring you down for simply trying to represent your own culture. I don't want to imagine the horrible things you might be facing considering what's happening in the world right now.

I can somewhat relate to this, except that I'm a Canadian-born Filipino. Admittedly, I wasn't even exactly aware of my own culture until I was in my early teens. I always assumed that I had the same background as the people around me up until around that time. Since then, I noticed that there isn't a lot of Filipino representation from where I live (or maybe there is and I'm just not looking hard enough). So it's a pleasant surprise for me when I bump into other people with the same background as me in places where I'd least expect. You have no idea how happy it made me see that there are a few Filipino users on here as well after reading the posts from the Celebrating Diversity event, despite having different lifestyles. Some form of representation is enough to make me smile. Heck, even someone mentioning The Philippines in a youtube video also makes me happy, even for a bit haha. I will say, however, that there has been more representation as years go by. This applies to other cultures as well!

I feel like it's important for me to embrace my own background even though I live a very different lifestyle compared to my relatives in The Philippines. While my interests are very different, my Tagalog is a hit and miss, and that I only like half of the foods from my culture, I'm still happy with who I am. Perhaps I should start incorporating some of that stuff in my art that I always procrastinate for some reason and even virtual car liveries in Gran Turismo Sport in hopes to get other Filipinos to step up and represent themselves as well. If you couldn't tell, I really like stuff that has anything to do with cars, so bumping into someone who has the same passion AND the same background as me is just a great feeling. Though, the topic of cars is for another time as I'll end up going off-track.

My apologies if you weren't expecting a reply, and I hope I didn't come off as rude. I feel like I had to share my thoughts since your post somewhat resonates with me in a way. It's a nice read, Mistreil. Happy Lunar New Year! :)
 
Sometimes I wish I don’t have to do things like eat, sleep or poop so I can have more time for games.
 
Shellzilla_515 said:
-
Click to expand...
Replies are totally fine! I kept it in a spoiler mostly for brevity's sake. It didn't come off as rude at all!

I'm glad it resonated with you! I'm very much the same way where I get very happy finding out someone had a similar experience/background in a sense. It makes the world a little less lonely knowing there are people who felt similar things.

I think it'd be neat for you to incorporate your culture into your art! Perhaps there are others that have done the same-- it sounds like it'd be a neat concept!

Happy lunar new year!
 
Last edited:
Despite just ordering those books yesterday morning I got an email saying they will be in today! I didn't pay for express shipping, just regular shipping. Like, HOT damn! Talk about quick lol!
 
There are few fandoms that spoil things as casually as the Pokemon one. I just opened Tumblr and got spoiled on a villain in the new games.
 
what the **** pogo?? make an excellent curveball throw yeah right how about releasing more fat pokémons that take up the screen then, i do a great one on a great day well this not gonna happen
 
the funniest thing abt having cats is when one of them is in heat but all three males were fixed as early as possible so they literally could not care less. in fact they seem to find her insufferable when she tries to get their attention lmao. I feel bad for my kitten but it's hilarious to watch her get turned down by every male cat in the house.
Post automatically merged:

Alienfish said:
what the **** pogo?? make an excellent curveball throw yeah right how about releasing more fat pokémons that take up the screen then, i do a great one on a great day well this not gonna happen
Click to expand...
try "make three excellent curveball throws in a row" lmfaooo, I still don't know how I managed to do that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top