The Swing of Things ~ Come chat!

[Shimo Kousetsu]

Aeripuffs

The culture is just wonderful. Last weekend there were a lot of local festivals going on, and my boyfriend and I were actually asked to participate in carrying a mikoshi (portable shrine that supposedly houses a god). Everyone was just so excited to show off their festival to the foreigners, it was amazing. I think part of why older people are not too fond of foreigners is because they're afraid of Japan becoming "Americanized" with the younger generation and losing its own culture, and I understand that. It's really awesome to have people just be excited and friendly with you despite a language barrier though. Knowing Chinese characters is a huge help to learning Japanese, oh gosh! You definitely have an advantage there! (:

When I dare to actually look for donations via charities, I almost always avoid form-based ones. rofl I just feel really bad doing it, as if I'm begging (which I guess in a way it is, and I hate how it feels). It's like a big ol' post interrupting conversation that screams "look at me, I'm new here and I want things given to me!" I know what you mean about Gaia being something to always come back to! I've been a member since early 2007... and I can't seem to ever really give up on it, even when I don't have any people I still know on. It was a big part of my childhood.

Hmm, I guess you're right about that. (: I do want to sorta "perfect" one style though! That way I'd feel a little more confident offering art to people; right now I can't really guarantee what they'd get if I made them something. sweatdrop It's awesome that you want to write your own manga some day, that's a great goal! Mmm, sweets and cakes~ c:

Yeah, that's exactly what the cards were! Some types of monsters would have a chance to drop a card for their type, and you could equip them for stats. And then some would be part of a "set" of cards that gives a bigger boost to stats if you had them all on. But I just liked collecting in general~

Ack, Gaia is making my life harder. rofl They just released a green recolor of Lestelle, which is one of the Bravely Default items. And I'm a sucker for green items, I'm always saying they need to put out more of them! It's so tempting to buy it, but I must resist right now; I'd have to sell something to get it probably. @.@
EDIT: AND a light purple one!? Gaia, please. I don't have enough gold to handle two awesome colors. emo

[Shimo Kousetsu]

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[meredy inspirit]

Shimo Kousetsu

Looks so fun *A* They asked you to participate in their festivals? Wow. And yes it was called culture dilution I think? It's definitely understandable. They're so friendly indeed. I plan to take up Japanese language course next year *^* I'm so ready to go to Japan!

Actually the form based ones are actually to make things easier. Most charities have long conversations among each other, so forms can differentiate which ones are here that needed help, rather than just scrolling each post to see which one indicated that they need help. True it may look a bit embarrassing asking for help, filling in forms and such is tedious, unfortunately most charities work this way. :3 I only came back from a two year hiatus in this year's June. Been a member since '08 and this is my second account.

With more practice and experiences I'm sure you can handle any kind of customers! 3nodding Yeah I've been working towards it. *w* I'm not very good at storylines though. crying

Ah yes now I remember! I remember my first card was the Poring one, it was so adorable emotion_kirakira

The green recolor was a really pretty green! Not too dark, just a pretty shade of green. That purple is beautiful too! rofl You gave them artists an idea of another recolor to make money with. It always suck that you have to sell a certain item that you like for another new item emotion_facepalm Like, why can't we have both? emotion_0A0

[Shimo Kousetsu]

Aeripuffs

It was really really fun! emotion_kirakira My boyfriend and I had just gotten off of the train to where the festival was, and we ran into a procession carrying the mikoshi. I said to stop so I could take pictures, so we waited. It came to the intersection of streets we were on the corner of, and a guy with the procession came up, took off his jacket, and gestured for my boyfriend to put it on. I tried my best to communicate between the two of them, and the guy got me really close to the whole thing so I could get pictures of my boyfriend helping. C: And once it was over, he got us some free food (shrimp, inarizushi, and wheat tea; he tried to offer us some beer but neither of us likes drinking). It was reeeeally cool!! If you've already become this good at English, picking up Japanese at well should be easy~ c: Already knowing two languages helps a lot learning a third; I learned Spanish as a little kid, and I think that sort of made it easier for me to learn Japanese on top of that.

I went to Harajuku todaaaay~~ emotion_kirakira emotion_kirakira It was so awesome! Ahhhhh!! And I actually found clothes that fit me! It's a small miracle. rofl I'm above average height, so even if things fit around me, they might be too short. I had that happen with a few things, and some were too tight in general (I'm thin, but I'm definitely curvy, so some things were tight around the chest and hips...), but I got a good amount of really cute clothes! There was even a used clothes store with all of my favorite brands that are usually extremely expensive, and they were really reasonably priced since they were used! * o* I'm so happy, ahhhhh!! This was one of my biggest goals in Japan, to go to Harajuku and find cute and cool clothes that fit me. Shoes were impossible though; most go up to a 7 1/2 US size, and I wear a 9 1/2. rofl I tried on a LL shoe (extra large) at one place that was really cute, and it almost fit, but not quite. Oh well, got cute clothes!

Yeah, I get that there's a point to the forms.... I just don't like filling them out myself. It makes organization nice, but... hm. Maybe having forms PMed to the owner or to a charity mule would be a good idea. I'll keep that in mind....

All this talk about practicing makes me wish I'd brought my tablet! I really wanna draw now. :3 Do you have any general ideas in mind? If you start suuuuper early, you can get a lot of detail into character and story development even without being able to draw it out yet. (: As silly as this might sound, I write fanfiction sometimes (my boyfriend teases me for it!), and writing an outline or plan for things is really helpful for stories! Even just getting really detailed into things about the characters helps!

Porings are so cute~

I'm starting to wonder if I should change my current quest to the Lestelle items instead of the Cheerful Bravery ones... @ o@;; I love both sets, darn it! But the Lestelle ones are cheaper I guess.... And you're right, it's such a pretty shade of green! And I like that the accent color is brown; that green goes perfectly with a dark brown! Ahhh, I want it!

[Shimo Kousetsu]

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[Shimo Kousetsu]

Added a lot of stuff to the front page. emo It's all so expensive, ugh.

[Shimo Kousetsu]

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[Shimo Kousetsu]

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[ViridiDominae]

Good luck! :0

[Shimo Kousetsu]

RessaPanda

Good luck! :0

Thank you very much~ c: I appreciate the well-wishes!

[Shimo Kousetsu]

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[Shimo Kousetsu]

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[meredy inspirit]

Shimo Kousetsu

Wahh, that's guy's nice! *o* Envyyy. I don't think it's gonna be easy and it will be all like learning Chinese all over again - but I am ready for it! I'd really, really love to go to Japan with my future boyfriend one day, if I ever get one! rofl

Harajuku fashion is awesomeee. I'm not very confident with my figure so I don't really go shopping often. I'm too shy D; I'm scared that the clothes wouldn't fit me :C It's not that I'm fat but.. I'm not thin either. Shoes-wise I don't really have to panic for the sizes, I got really small feet. xD

Yeah! That would be personally better as an alternate option I guess? c:

What do you feel like drawing? Backgrounds? Avi or OCs? c: I started drawing since I was five. I saw my neighbour's dad drawings and I was totally fascinated by it and that marks the day where I start doing artworks of my own. I still remember I started drawing anime-style five years ago, however I couldn't find that drawing now but luckily I still kept the 2-3 years old drawing, which is nearly to the standard I had five years ago. I can show you if you want, and to the most up to date drawing I had. I couldn't deny that I improved, and even found my own style to stick with. I still have a lot learn, honestly. :3 Ohh, you should show me your fanfictions! I will read it if I get the time, and I won't laugh at you. XD

Hmm my suggestion is, don't stress about it too much. Do one set per one set first, don't think or even look at the prices - and just keep bumping if you're free. That's how I completed most of my quests (even uber expensive ones!) or I'm just plain lucky. I don't know, but you should try. I just keep bumping my thread and donation will eventually come, or better, the items might deflate! Don't rush on getting the items, patience is virtue. :3

[Shimo Kousetsu]

Aeripuffs

It was very cool, we were lucky to get there at just the right time!! I think that with Chinese writing already learned, at the very least learning Japanese will be easier! (: The Chinese characters are my weakest point right now I think; I just need to sit down and study study study! And I'm sure you'll get yourself a sweet boyfriend eventually. ;D

I love love love Harajuku's fashion style! I used to have a very spiky haircut inspired by that sort of fashion, but I didn't have the clothes for it. Now I have some clothes for it but boring hair! rofl I know what you mean about feeling too shy to go shopping. I hate trying on clothes because it feels bad to have them not fit, or to have thought "yeah this size will fit" but it doesn't even go on properly. I had to try to ignore those thoughts today though! There was one store I was looking at a very lolita-style dress, and I went to try it on without looking at the size. The waist was so tiny that I couldn't get it up past my thighs or over my shoulders! There are some itty bitty people out there....

I feel like maybe doing some fanart or just general people-drawings. c: So I guess that counts as both avatars and OCs! During classes I keep sketching random faces and trying to get better at making them consistent, but I want to do a big serious drawing with color it and everything! All I have space for between my notes is small things though. I'd love to see your drawings! c: And almost all of my fanfiction is for Soul Eater; have you read or watched that? I love the world it's set in, and the characters all end up really well developed~ That's the kind of thing I love in a series.

I guess I'll try to not look at the MP prices all the time! rofl The past few days I've been trying to vend to earn some gold to put towards things, but my internet at the dorm is pretty slow. Even if a good deal pops up, the chances are low that I'll get it before anyone else does. I don't like relying on donations, but if I can't vend or sell art I guess I really am stuck with just bumping! But it's okay since I have someone to chat with~

[meredy inspirit]

Shimo Kousetsu

Haha though I am a Chinese myself, my chinese language isn't very good. I have difficulty in recognizing some of the characters and it's meanings. Those words are just endless! x-x And makes your head hurts too after reading too much...
I wish! rofl I have a minor crush on someone like right now but I guess I don't really stand a chance. :3

That is exactly my thought! I just don't have the confident that's all. On the outside I am no different from a NEET - Untied messy hairstyle and a T-shirt and simple shorts. But on the inside I have the urge to try lolita fashion and/or Harajuku, both is fine! Unfortunately I don't have the money yet emo

Here is my DA gallery, as you scroll down to the bottom there's a few 2-3 years old drawings that I posted up. Sorry for the crappy quality though. >.< You can try sketch my OC if you want *w* I'm currently collecting artsus of her! c: I've heard of Soul Eater, I watched the first episode and after that I totally forgot about it, now that you remind me, I should catch up soon cuz I really enjoyed the first ep. >w< I've been looking for that kind of anime for some time, but most animes in this season doesn't really appeal to me. Other than new releases of episodes that I'm currently catching up on, no other anime seem interesting to watch. Sad to say, I'm really picky about watching anime ever since the Harem genre is so popular among the animation industry nowadays. It became so.. generic. I'm not against it or anything but everything is the same thing and there's no character development. Just.. boobs?

True that you can't rely on donations but sometimes you have to. xD Unless you can afford Gcash or anything, or sell all of your items which is such a hassle and you might even want to keep it. My physical body is too weak to grab the good deals first, there's a Haze situation going on in my country and I feel dizzy easily and so sick. D; So yeah, it's always good to have someone you can chat with. :3