Place your random thoughts.
- Thread starter ThomasNLD
- Start date
can i just get spring or summer now i hate these months
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.
haha it's okay, but yeah i definitely agree can we just get paid for them and then go to march lolHad 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.
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
anyways, happy lunar new year! sing ni kuai lag & giong hi huag cai
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.
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
Reginald Fairfield
Senior Member
A coworker put in their 2 weeks notice, and it made me very happy.
xSuperMario64x
🇨🇦🩷 7 days 💜🇨🇦
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.
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 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.
Shellzilla_515
F1 fan who loves onions
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.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
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
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
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!
NovariusHaze
Guardian of Faireth
Sometimes I wish I don’t have to do things like eat, sleep or poop so I can have more time for games.
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!
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Psydye
music junkie, bookworm and Metroid fanboy
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!
xSuperMario64x
🇨🇦🩷 7 days 💜🇨🇦
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.
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try "make three excellent curveball throws in a row" lmfaooo, I still don't know how I managed to do that.
yeah i just delete those lmao
idk how im gonna get even one, guess i can ask my same-building co-worker lol