#and vice versa why do ppl act surprised when they see my personal art and then find out i can do realistic painting (looking at u mom)

[deep-space-lines]

so im taking that oil painting class rn right. i mentioned wanting to paint something original instead of just copying a reference bc that's all the teacher has had me doing so far and he agreed I'm probably ready and went off on this whole tangent about how i shouldn't be nervous to try to do something more original and creative and how he'll show me some original stuff his friends have painted and had shown in galleries etc etc, and... I think somehow he's been assuming that the reason I've been painting realistic stuff directly from photo refs is because that's the kind of art I like to do and that I'm nervous about trying something else??? instead of what he's been telling me to do?

which is really funny to me because apart from this class I haven't 1:1 copied a reference for years, I just haven't gone out of my way to show him any art I make in my own time because this is like a professional full-time oil painter who has paintings in galleries and shit, real high-brow art stuff, and idk how to tell him that left to my own devices I draw video game fanart and dragons and furry commissions and gay sex and cringe and i dont want to draw other things

[dramalets]

2023 Watch List pt2

Other list was getting annoyingly long for my liking so part two it is.

Not Me - I am not the biggest lover of Off's acting. A darling but, to me, not anywhere near as good as others at GMMTV. So I went into this with a lower expectation than some. I was incredibly pleasantly surprised. Essentially a story about a rough around the edges little anti-establishment found family, this drama had a lot to say and really managed to execute those messages without feeling preachy about it. Fantastic cast all round and I fell head first for DanYok. 4/5

Never Let Me Go (series and Our Skyy) - Umm. I feel like I felt like I knew what this was trying to do but that it got a bit lost at times. The script is kind of muddled. As ever JoJo pulls amazing performances out of a very young pup cast and its really those performances that make a confused script work. The cinematography is also stunning. Pond, for me, again suffers a little from a general stiffness, he gives some great emotion in this but, for me, has a lot of growing to do as an actor. It says something when I felt more strongly for Perth and Chimon who're barely in this. 3/5

The Warp Effect - Literally never seen anything as wholly sex positive and fun as this. The whole cast works amazingly and seeing kinks represented in a way where they weren't jokes was beautiful. Also, accurate female orgasm faces. Deserves a five for that alone. But seriously, don't skip this one. Queer, feminist and sex positive this deserves all the flowers. 5/5

The Jungle - This is stupid. I know it, you know it. Everyone who watched it knows it. But damn it was fun. Essentially a group of fuckboys, that routinely fight other fuckboys for treating girls badly, accidentally catch feelings for some cool women. Everything is nice too look at and the acting is great (especially Nanon, ohmygod) so honestly, strong rec. 3.5/5

Vice Versa (series and Our Skyy) - I get why people didn't warm too this, the ppl is honestly the worst I've ever seen and the concept is a little bizarre, but it just had something I really liked. JimmySea are an incredibly comfy feeling pairing, it's soothing to watch them together even when the script is a little daft and the ppl ridiculous. I'm rarely strongly moved by dramas but the scene where Puen is saying his goodbyes too Tun's parents just had me gone. Also just Jimmy in general does some beautiful, emotional work throughout. (Which makes the ppl issue even more annoying for me. They're too good to have to do stupid scenes about choco pie and lays potato chips.) 4/5

Cupids last wish - Ummm. This isn’t terrible but it’s also not that great. It just is. The script is so muddled that sometimes I thought I’d missed an episode, I hadn’t it’s just a confused script, and if the leads weren’t talented it wouldn’t really work at all. The period part is art but overall the representation of women in this is questionable at best and downright bad and cringe at worst. Watch for EarthMix and go watch Jan in Warp Effect where she’s allowed to be great and all the women are fully realised characters. 3.5/5

History 3: Trapped - This isn’t perfect, there’s some weird continuity stuff and things that didn’t feel fleshed out, but it’s A LOT of fun and the cast is fun. I really enjoyed the main pair and their back and forth was a lot of fun to watch. 3/5

Hidden Agenda - This wanted to be so many things that it just wasn’t. Joke was barely given a personality beyond ‘I love Zo’ and Zo was at times annoying but mostly just boring. Aou&Boom’s side characters were compelling and their relationship felt healthy and fully realised. I really can’t say the same for Joke & Zo. You’re scarcely shown any reason that they like one another and Joke just floats around looking mournful like he’s got trapped wind. Not one I’ll revisit. 2/5

My tooth your love - Ehhhh. First few episodes are nice. Dentist is a walking red flag who deserves to be told to fuck off and,as cute as the the wee baby gay side character is, I didn’t really appreciate the side romance between the 18 year old and the grown man that takes on a pseudo care giver role for him. (I know that’s a me dislike and he’s of age so it’s legal but, for me, it’s ick.) 2/5

Laws of Attraction - Every now and then a show comes along that shouldn't really work but 100% does and this is that show. Most everyone in this is a soap actor, you can tell, but that only adds to the beautiful camp absurdity of the thing. Charn is a deliciously villainous 'life is for profit' lawyer and Tinn is a soft, cosy, Labrador of a human. The untimely, heart breaking death of Tinn's niece brings the pair together to solve the mystery of how she died. There are lots of things you have to overlook with this but the central puzzles are good and intriguing and everyone's acting is good. (Watch this on dramacool if you're not in the states. The YouTube subs are absolute balls.) 4/5

My School President (series and Our Skyy) - I am older but I fall into the category of adult who was terrible at being a teen and, therefore, solidly enjoys good teen content and this is definitely that. Fourth & Gem do an excellent job as our leads and this show just serves you a consistent slice of fluffy delight. Their respective friend groups are also excellent and the Our Skyy concept gave me solidly genuine amusement. 4/5

Cutie Pie - Call me a hater but I'm just not a fan of Nu's 'brat' and Zee's 'brat tamer' dynamic. I think they're both probably better than this is but their fans LOVE that dynamic so I don't think they'll be escaping it anytime soon. This was just a bloated mess. 2/5

Love in the air - I am not a mame fan. I think she's a shit tier fanfic writer who needs some serious therapy. But when that women achieves casting excellence her shtick becomes pulpy and addictive. Everything about the plot is red flag central but you cant keep your eyes off. Personally I rated the FortPeat pairing higher than the BossNouel one but both had their charms. (I fast forward the gang rape scene because jesus fuck mame why.) 3/5

Wedding Plan - This was a thing that I watched. Boring, badly paced and didn't even get good spicy scenes because it was a partnership with GMMTV. Snooze fest. Unless you're a person who thinks Mame is actually a good writer, you won't get much from this. 1/5

[strawberryspeachy]

Also im sick of obnoxious japanese eaters

Things ive found out are myths here

1) everyones nice.

No. Everyone smiles hard to cover up whatever assholery theyre doing - if theyre supposed to be nice to you. Public people are the same as usual... except theres alot more shoving

2) everything about school

They don’t pay for school. Its free. Just like ours. Except private school. Just like ours

They are not MORE overworked in school nor do they study more. Their rules are much loser. And just like the states, teachers have no real authority- but unlike the states - the students do not fear repercussions. They can be touched though but thats more because japanese people think its fine to touch each other a lot - ya know. Just dont hug as an adult - but all other invading of some kind of private bubble is fine

3) SLURPING No thats not just a “it shows you love the food!” Bs. Just like the states, the people you hear disgustingly slurping just eat loud and are gross... imo... people here dont seem to think its gross but far more people eat like civilized humans and dont slurp everything from solids to actual liquids.

K like every time the past two days ive had to be near people slurping their fucking food and as a person who HATES hearing people eat... its why im bitching here. LETTUCE DOES NOT NEED SLURPED

4) just anything they call “culture” they used a pretty word to cover for “thats just the dumb thing we do here” its literally like if we said aggressively speed driving and cutting people off is new yorkers culture

Japan has a lot of history and traditions. But mostly they have a lot of bs that theyre just too stubborn to acknowledge and change so they lable it culture. Any changes they make are pretty much like when my great grandmother got a cell phone.

She only turned it on to charge it and make a phone call - leave a voicemail saying that she called - and then would turn it back off. It wasnt ever even on long enough for her to need to charge it.

But in her mind no one could complain that she didnt have one. And the only emergency in her mind was her needing to call you - not vice versa. She wouldnt use it for any other purpose and generally resented its existence. She hated watching anyone else use their cell phones to check the time or take pictures or play games or have lenthy conversations.

Yea. Thats basiclly japan with everything new. They have it. But they dont use it , and its possibilities scare them so the old ppl say its not allowed to be used unless the old people need to use it

Sorry man i hate everywhere i am. My aparment is next to a bar that looks permanently closed during the day. I had no clue it was there till after i moved in and the loud karaoke blared into my window every damn night

My train line is a nightmare and if you wanna see the worst japanese people can be. Ride the train during rush hours

My post office is far away and they refuse to ring my doorbell when i have a delivery and instead just leave slip - if you dont hike over in their made up time period they throw your stuff away

No one will actually help you with serious stuff. They just smile and say sorry and run away — customer service. Yea. Not customer service. They could just as easily be a manican with a smiley face - itd serve the same purpose.

Theres too much paperwork constantly all the time about everything

Nothing is online

Another thing that prompted me for this “this is japanese chocolate”

Cool. I got that its japanese. Im in japan. Everything people point out for me “its japanese____” fucking imagine if we felt the need to point out every damn item as “american” in the states. Why? What is the meaning of this?

They gave me a table to sit at at this school. A table. That they make lunch on and put all their supplies on. A dude just kicked my chair as he came over for some shit. Why am i sitting at a table? Very very few japanese people ive worked with dont make me feel like an adopted pet dog that theyre not sure if itll bite. Dog. Not new person. They literlly have the children fetch me...

And ive grown so so very tired of being asked questions with the intention of having me overhype japan while maintaining that im so stupid that i know absolutely nothing about the country

98% of japanese people assume that you think of japan like youve never even heard of their country before arriving and that you just arrived two days ago

Also. Maybe they think their test scores and clases are so much more difficult because they cant seem to fathom that most other countries schools function the same way as theirs

Yesterday a teacher said “ah theyre so overworked. They have alot to remember” i thought she was about to tell me how many units were on their exam or something... no “english, japanese, science, math, history, pe, food class, art! Too many things. Theyre very overworked”

..... are you for real? Im pretty sure every fucking school has those subjects if you switch out japanese for the countries native language.... this is NORMAL

Im sorry. I know the reason anyone talking to me like this might not like me. Cause im not gonna go WOWWW SUGEII?!?!? So much stuff!! Poor them!

No. Yeah? Thats school...

Look im not an asshole to my kids. If they can manage to tell me any information about their life in english or simple japanese i can translate - i act surprised/ or am if their english is super good.

But adults... no man. Learn some stuff about the outside world. Youre not specifical

Also dating boys here is just like back home except they wont block you and they respond less

Instead of getting “nice” “oh” “idk” and “maybe” as there fading messages - they just leave you on read. Or give you some random information that you didnt ask about that has no relevance to the ‘convo’

Also also. “Speak slow” they dont say this in a ‘my english is not good so speak slower’ way. They say this in a ‘i felt really good about my english until you spoke at a normal pace and my classes and ass-kissing white dudes have taught me that enlgish is spoken slow and percisely so if you dont speak with a japanese accent, your fast english is wrong’

Whatever but like... could you return the favor by speaking japanese slowly. Speak it the way you want me to speak english....

Telling them to speak slow results in something like

... nihon..de〜 nan mabdnshsnabsjsnjsbshssnbsjsbsjshsh ka?

Woah ok... something in Japan... couldnt catch the rest of that

Id be more understanding of this. Its hard to speak slow. Lets both acknowledge this and not - teachers compalining to principals and boys... (1) sending me a fucking video on how to speak my own damn language properly

Also. Do you know how upsetting it is to listen to a student say something perfectly but before i get to praise them - have the japanese teacher jump in and “correct” them...... no no dude please. I know youll have a fucking meltdown if i say no your ways wrong. But now this student is so confused desperately staring at me positive theyre correct and all ive come up with to do is smiling and nodding at them while repeating the way they said hoping the japanese teacher wont notice/get offended

Also togo food... if its not american fast food... generally you cant take it to go... its sad. I have no friends. I just wanna take this home to eat in front of my tv. This isnt serious. Its just a minior inconvenience

Also joking... my japanese isnt good enough to joke. And... idk how... cant explain. The other day a student asked whats my favorite food

And another went hamburger?!? Mcdonalds!!?

I wanted to comment.. but. At least elementary students understand sarcasm. Their teachers dont. And whether the middle schoolers understand and just dont care is up in the air.

Oh! And. I was right last week when i didnt trust my teachers saying that the obvious bullying was just a misunderstanding and the obvious targets fault. Another straight up teacher said some kids have left the school because of bullying and theyre really awful when left alone in the rooms... i told him thats why we cant go unsupervised in america. Japan says the students are just perfect upstanding citizens, so much more caring and mature than other students. Nope. Middle schoolers will be middle schoolers no matter what country.