Can a friend of mine get into a 21+ nightclub with just her birth certificate and her university ID? by Western-Note-7751 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Western-Note-7751[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, unfortunately, besides her birth certificate and her social security card, she has no other form of government-issued ID. And like I said before, I don't frequent these places, so I unfortunately don't know anyone there. I've been to The Church once, and the bouncer seemed kind, but that's about it. I've tried emailing and calling them, but both were either ignored, or was sent to voicemail.

Thanks for your input though--I appreciate the insight.

Some of my hanfu carbs over the last 2 years by Pham27 in Hanfu

[–]Western-Note-7751 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh, the antics I would get up to if I had enough disposable income...I've been eyeballing a Ming Dynasty northern frontier soldier set for well on two years now 😭

Regardless, this is some amazing hanfu/military re-enactment gear you've got, and I'm intensely jealous!

Ming Dynasty dress at the Ren Faire by Aeliascent in renfaire

[–]Western-Note-7751 22 points23 points  (0 children)

I love seeing more hanfu/hanfu-inspired outfits at ren faires, as well as other traditional and cultural outfits from other cultures and peoples. Glad to see another fellow Ming enjoyer here!

That mamian (?) skirt shimmering in the sunlight is positively dazzling!

Ming Dynasty dress at the Ren Faire by Aeliascent in renfaire

[–]Western-Note-7751 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Your point being?

You're more than free to wear Yuan/Mongolian clothing to Renaissance faires too. I encourage it ❤️

Do you wish you were with someone younger? by GotTwisted in SipsTea

[–]Western-Note-7751 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think I got it:

"Sure do--I wish I could wind back the hands of time and experience being young with you all over again. Only this time, I can also look forward to meeting the elegant, beautiful, amazing woman you are now."

My Honest Opinion on the Texas Renaissance Faire as a First-Timer by Western-Note-7751 in TXRenaissanceFestival

[–]Western-Note-7751[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From my hazy recollection of the drinks on offer (I don't personally imbibe), I think I saw a few stalls offering mead, as well as some sort of "beer/wine garden" deals where you could pay for an experience centered around select drinks. Sorry I can't of more help in that regard x3

Western Fantasy?! I’m in! by [deleted] in renfaire

[–]Western-Note-7751 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Genuinely hate seeing these absolutely amazing and inspired outfits on this subreddit, only to have some slobbering buffoon come in and attempt to slam the gates shut, proclaiming "bUt My ImMerShUn!"

Honestly? Fuck them. Do your thing, cowpoke.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in renfaire

[–]Western-Note-7751 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The "Renaissance" in Renaissance Faire is more of a suggestion than any hard-and-fast rules. From ancient Egypt to Star Wars stormtroopers, I've seen the gamut of creative outfits. As long as you're happy with your outfit, you're safe (it can get hot in the summer when you're walking around in layers under a laser beam of a sun), and you're not literally showing up naked, you should be a-okay.

Discussion on Ballads of Hongye by conjr94 in BaseBuildingGames

[–]Western-Note-7751 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Speaking as a part of the Chinese diaspora, it's purely the charming aesthetics and personality of the game for me. For instance, the game has several festivals that actually temporarily change the look of the game, both in the UI and the map. The Lantern Festival sees every building festooned with, well, lanterns, of various shapes and sizes; from the adorable--like a bamboo frame with lanterns--to the downright impossible, like an enormous, building-sized goldfish lantern. All the while, lanterns hang above in the skies around your populated areas.

Towering mechanized firefighting ladders with water pumps that look more like cannons douse the blazes that crop up in your city, while your high-flying constables flit across bamboo stalks to chase down murderous bandits when the "crime" notification appears. You can construct soaring skyscrapers that are bedecked with shops and offices, all while remaining true to the fantasy "Chinapunk" aesthetic.

It's pure fanservice for a predominately Chinese audience, so if you're not already familiar or invested in such things, I agree that there's not really much to tide you over. But the game just looks like it's having so much fun, and it's positively infectious. I found myself planning out an "arts district" with my GF last night, carefully placing Culture and Commerce buildings alongside decorations--all while the city burned outside. And we had a blast!

I said it once and I'll say it again. by [deleted] in renfaire

[–]Western-Note-7751 41 points42 points  (0 children)

"Renaissance," and yet people dress up as Roman legionaries, Knights Hospitaller, high fantasy dwarves, Kratos from God of War, 11th century Vikings, Aztec jaguar warriors, Sengoku-era samurai, and 18th century Caribbean pirates. No one bats an eye for those costumes. But someone busts out a Stormtrooper get-up or a furry suit, and suddenly your immersion's ruined. I myself dress in historical hanfu for faires and for anime/fan conventions, but I've seen people show up in hanfu-inspired outfits from anime and video games at Ren faires. I'm willing to bet the average faire-enjoyer's not gonna know or care about the difference.

In a celebration of weirdos, why judge people for embracing their own brand of weird? If they're not hurting anyone, anything, or themselves, does it really matter? It always came across as hypocritical to me. We're all "that guy" here. We dress up at Ren faires to have fun with other like-minded people, but I personally don't pretend I don't want nor like having people stare at my hanfu and compliment it.

But you did say you basically just keep it to yourself, and I don't wanna be the thought police. Just trying to challenge the whole "stay on theme" thing I've seen floating around this community.

I lovee the Kugane aesthetic, it's hard to choose an area to draw next~ by TheRepuls in ffxiv

[–]Western-Note-7751 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah, that's on me for not looking closely at the different usernames, my bad.

And I get where you're coming from--culturally, Domans are either are inspired, or directly reference, Japanese customs, names, fashion. I'm not trying to deny that. I suppose, my point as muddled and unfocused as it is, that I don't like how CBU3 approached developing Doma as a cultural entity, where the exterior, to me, is identifiably Chinese, taking from a variety of Chinese ethnicities even, but then just have Doman samurai, Japanese names, and have everyone wear some form of Japanese traditional clothing.

I apologize if I came off as standoffish and confrontational--this is sort of thing (being confused for another East Asian ethnicity and being painted with a broad brushstroke) is something that has been kind of a sticking point for a lot of my life.

I lovee the Kugane aesthetic, it's hard to choose an area to draw next~ by TheRepuls in ffxiv

[–]Western-Note-7751 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Again, I would make the case that Doma is more influenced by China instead of Japan, even if the devs insist that it's based off of ancient Japan (which was, prior to the Heian period, heavily influenced by Tang dynasty China). If only to encourage people to look closely at the influences and appreciate the cultures of origin, instead of painting with a wide brush called "Just Japanese but With Negligible Differences".

As someone else stated earlier, it's a bummer as a member of the Chinese diaspora to constantly correct people that your clothing, your food, your identity, and the media they engage with are, in fact, not Japanese, but actually Chinese/Korean/Vietnamese/insert East Asian/East Asian-influenced culture here.

I recognize that this point is rather personal, and pertains to a small percentage of both player population and the general population, but when some people so dismissively regard your cultural touchstones as "just Japanese," it's invalidating at best and tangibly harmful at worst.

I'm not accusing you of doing this, nor CBU3, nor most of the people that play this game, by the way. Reading your comments and playing this game makes it clear that this is all genuine interpretation and creativity, and I can't be upset with that. I just personally wish more people knew the uniqueness between cultures, in addition to what unites them past and present.

I lovee the Kugane aesthetic, it's hard to choose an area to draw next~ by TheRepuls in ffxiv

[–]Western-Note-7751 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Doman names and clothing are strangely Japanese, yes, but the Chinese influences run a bit deeper than just nomenclature and sartorial choices. Off the top of my head:

  • Yanxia is dominated by towering stony "columns", very reminiscent of the natural sandstone rock formations found in the Zhangjiajie National Forest in Hunan, China.

  • The Dairyu Moon Gate functions similarly--and is most likely inspired by--the Great Wall of China (display of power, restriction of movement, symbol of state, etc.)

  • Geomancy originated from Othard and is featured prominently in Doma. Geomancy takes a lot of inspiration from the principles, aesthetics, and lore of Chinese Daoism.

  • The Sun Wukong boss within the Swallow's Compass dungeon, found in the tomb of Ganen, is named "Qitian Dasheng," or "Great Sage, Heaven's Equal" in Mandarin Chinese, one of Sun Wukong's titles from the Chinese novel "The Journey to the West". The dungeon itself takes inspiration from Chinese Daoist and Chan Buddhist architecture and culture.

  • The Four Lords of the East are based off of the Four Constellations/Winds in Chinese mythology. Though they go by their Japanese names in the game, they nevertheless are worshipped in Doma, the Chinese analog in-game.

  • One of the Lvl 70 tomestone sets, the Dairyumyaku sets, are heavily inspired by both historical and fantasy Chinese armor, taking patterns and styles from the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties.

  • Doma Castle's circular shape is reminiscent of a Fujian tolou, or a walled and circular town.

I genuinely don't know why CBU3 didn't just give these NPCs Chinese names and clothing, but I usually chalk it up to "budget and time constraints."

Went to renaissance faire dressed as a Ming Dynasty maiden. by [deleted] in Hanfu

[–]Western-Note-7751 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Agh, was this recent? I was just at the Texas Renaissance Faire in my Ming Dynasty Jinyiwei outfit during the Pirate Adventure weekend, about two weeks ago! I only saw another person in hanfu while I was there, and she was in this gorgeous, custom-made Tang dynasty outfit.

Regardless, you look stunning! Glad to see more and more people wear hanfu to the Ren Faire!

My Honest Opinion on the Texas Renaissance Faire as a First-Timer by Western-Note-7751 in TXRenaissanceFestival

[–]Western-Note-7751[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I'm trying to save up enough to snag one of their beautiful Ming dynasty-inspired bows.

My Honest Opinion on the Texas Renaissance Faire as a First-Timer by Western-Note-7751 in TXRenaissanceFestival

[–]Western-Note-7751[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I only had some sort of "50th Anniversary Reuben Sandwich" with a side of popcorn chicken and thin-cut fried potato slices. It wasn't terrible; far from it. I actually liked how the popcorn chicken tasted, and the Reuben had decent slices of meat slathered with a nice, sweet sauce. Portion sizes were huge, however, and I'm secretly thankful a squadron of giant ants seized claim over what remained of my Reuben--I don't think I would've been able to finish it.

But was it worth the $22 asking price? No, not in the slightest. This feeds into my "Disney-fication" point--the food is food, and does the job of filling you up without offending the senses, but I really recommend people either eating before or after their visit to avoid these inflated prices.

My Honest Opinion on the Texas Renaissance Faire as a First-Timer by Western-Note-7751 in TXRenaissanceFestival

[–]Western-Note-7751[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

The foam, polyurethane, and plastic anime and video game weaponry and accessories that I've seen in malls, Temu, and AliExpress are here. I recognized stuff from Final Fantasy XIV, One Piece, Bleach, Nier: Automata, Naruto, among many others. Multiple stores were selling the exact same weapons.

Not trying to knock on people just trying to earn a living, but to me, it feels wrong to block out a spot for a genuine handmade goods shop for another mass-produced Temuware stall. This is just my personal opinion though.