CAT5

Hello! I'm Yuan, in my mid-twenties, an art school dropout trying to make it in this hard ass world :^)
 
I used to be really into vk when I was in high school and up to around 5 years ago. I was on Livejournal (the good old dayssss), owned a ton of merch, and went to as many concerts as I could. I had a lot of fun, but a couple years ago, I did a big vk sale, mainly for the money, but also because there were a lot of bands I didn't listen to anymore, namely Alice Nine, and sold their entire discography, which I had diligently collected til then, and many many issues of Shoxx, Neo Genesis, Fool's Mate, etc. Sometimes I regret selling those magazines, especially considering how they've all stopped running... But thankfully I kept most things from my favorite bands! And one day I'll finally complete my collection from Plastic Tree, DEG and Gazette.
 
What has changed since, is that I've lost interest in indie vk, because I just couldn't keep up, although every once in a while there will be a good band that pops up and that will spark my interest. My favorites are BUCK-TICK, Plastic Tree, MUCC, cali≠gari, the GazettE, DIR EN GREY, Deadman, Pierrot, LUNA-SEA, 9GOATS BLACK OUT, MIYAVI, the studs, D'espairsRay, 12012... I guess that covers at least a good general idea. I also listen to a lot of other J-music, and in general, more music than I can name. Other big favorites (from all horizons) include Nujabes, Flying Lotus, Gorillaz, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Thee Oh Sees, toe, Kikagaku Moyo, Shiina Ringo, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, Charles Mingus... I'm a big music nerd in general, I've played the piano since I was 5, and listen to a lot of classical, traditional/folk (from all around the world), and experimental music (including noise). It's a big part of my life haha. I love exploring new sounds and expanding my tastes beyond my zones of comfort.
 
I'm also quite invested in visual arts (illustration & animation) as my studies suggested, fashion, cinema, video games, etc. Basically my interests are very broad and I like passionate ramblings. Which is why I love forums! I haven't been on a forum in many years, and I do miss it a lot. I've been reading this one for a while now, and figured it's time to stop being a lurker haha!
 
If curious, esp about my art and/or eventual OOTDs, my @ on most social media is yuanankh (for instance on Twitter and Instagram). I'd love to make new friends, especially since this pandemic has emphasized how important it is to not hesitate to be active online - which I knew already, as I made most of my long-term friends that way anyway.

Ten years ago when we had the pig flu epidemic they rolled out a vaccine that ended up triggering narcolepsy on kids who had a genetic predisposition for it. So with that in mind, the chances of me getting a vaccine that they're just dying to put out there in the market in order to keep capitalism functioning for fat rich people and and save a few old folks from dying, is, quite frankly, 0.  Under no circumstance would I get it.

Uhhh I have like one whole selfie on my phone that I don't even like that much, so have that lmao

 
I hope to improve my look this year (earrings and hair mainly)

Me and my 15 yr old nephew (on the left) at one of my homeboy's weddings a few days ago
 

Me and my 15 yr old nephew (on the left) at one of my homeboy's weddings a few days ago
 

Me and my 15 yr old nephew (on the left) at one of my homeboy's weddings a few days ago
 

shalom ✌️

Me and my 15 yr old nephew (on the left) at one of my homeboy's weddings a few days ago
 

So the tracklist/bands involved here is actually dope as fuck. Despite the fact that their best material was released over a decade ago, I'm actually legit looking forward to this. Guaranteed to be some interesting renditions of their songs.
 
 

Ya know, it's interesting...A lot of people seem to have a problem with me consistently talking about and mentioning The Most High. So let's look at this...
 
#1. When I say "The Most High", do you automatically assume that you understand what I mean when I say that? Most people have no clue, yet they assume that their understanding is the same as mine. They never ask questions to seek clarification on the matter.
 
#2. Am I forcing my beliefs on anyone else? Never have and never will. Whenever I mention TMH, it's always in reference to myself. I could literally care less if anyone else believes what I believe. Nor do I care what others believe. We all have the freedom to believe in whatever we choose.
 
#3. Does what I eat, make you shit? It shouldn't. Me talking about my beliefs literally poses no threat to you, nor does it have any effect on or control over your life.
 
So if all of these ring true, then why do people still find offense with it?
 
Well, it may simply be a spiritual issue:
 
The word for "spirit" in Hebrew is "ruach", which literally means "wind". What does the wind do? It blows things in a certain direction. So if i'm coming in one spirit, and someone else is coming with another...we're essentially being blown in two different directions...and what happens when two different winds collide? Resistance. They don't mix.
 
Consider.

https://natalie.mu/music/news/371749
 
9mm Parabellum Bullet's first tribute album「CHAOSMOLOGY」and 11th single（TITLE UNDECIDED）will be released on September 9th. The tribute album will come with two discs. The first disc will feature covers with vocals. The second disc will be an instrumental disc  of the covers. So far no participating bands nor a track list have been revealed.
 
The have also announced a new live tour:
 
9mm Parabellum Bullet「カオスの百年 TOUR 2020～CHAOSMOLOGY～」
 
2020年9月9日（水） 神奈川県 KT Zepp Yokohama
＜出演者＞
9mm Parabellum Bullet / folca（オープニングアクト）

2020年9月12日（土）福岡県 Zepp Fukuoka
2020年9月13日（日）大阪府 Zepp Osaka Bayside
2020年9月19日（土）北海道 Zepp Sapporo
2020年9月21日（月・祝）宮城県 SENDAI GIGS
2020年9月27日（日）愛知県 Zepp Nagoya
2020年10月3日（土）東京都 Zepp Tokyo
 
The tour tickets will apparently entitle you to a CD with one new song and  also a "MUSIC CONNECTING CARD" (whatever the hell that is)  which supposedly entitles you to download a live recording of the show you attended on that date.
https://re-how.net/music/460565/

Ya know, it's interesting...A lot of people seem to have a problem with me consistently talking about and mentioning The Most High. So let's look at this...
 
#1. When I say "The Most High", do you automatically assume that you understand what I mean when I say that? Most people have no clue, yet they assume that their understanding is the same as mine. They never ask questions to seek clarification on the matter.
 
#2. Am I forcing my beliefs on anyone else? Never have and never will. Whenever I mention TMH, it's always in reference to myself. I could literally care less if anyone else believes what I believe. Nor do I care what others believe. We all have the freedom to believe in whatever we choose.
 
#3. Does what I eat, make you shit? It shouldn't. Me talking about my beliefs literally poses no threat to you, nor does it have any effect on or control over your life.
 
So if all of these ring true, then why do people still find offense with it?
 
Well, it may simply be a spiritual issue:
 
The word for "spirit" in Hebrew is "ruach", which literally means "wind". What does the wind do? It blows things in a certain direction. So if i'm coming in one spirit, and someone else is coming with another...we're essentially being blown in two different directions...and what happens when two different winds collide? Resistance. They don't mix.
 
Consider.

This is irrelevant to your post, but I died when I read this
 
Real talk tho, I fuck with Jordan Peterson. Now obviously I don't agree with everything the man says, but I thought his bible lecture series in particular was pretty dope...even tho he wasn't entirely scripturely accurate and he tossed a bunch of convoluted, unnecessary, and sometimes even contradictory information into his lectures...he still dropped some jewels of wisdom.
 
ALTHOUGH...I will say this. Most of the white, so-called intellectuals that I've watched or read usually have some kind of wisdom worth gleaning from and they may be super solid in certain areas, but literally all of the ones I've come across are HOPELESSLY lost and ignorant when it comes to issues regarding the so-called "black/African-American" community.
 
I'm pretty sure most of these dudes don't hate black ppl (Especially in Peterson's case), but I can understand why people label them racist: it's because they have their heads stuck so far up their own asses....they're so hyper-focused on shit like "empirical" data (which is often biased as hell) that they can't see the forest for the trees...and they're so blatantly out of touch with the reality that most so-called African-Americans face, yet they talk bold as fuck like they've walked in our very shoes. It's that prideful ignorance that comes off as extremely insensitive/offensive, and that's why I think it's easy to label a lot of these types as racist.
 
Shit like that used to bother me, but nowadays I just shake my head and laugh at it. Getting angry at a muhfukka for being ignorant is about as useful as getting angry at the sky for being blue.

Here's how I look at it. I think Peterson is pretty brilliant. I don't agree with him on everything, but wisdom is certainly with him. Wisdom, however, belongs to no man. So I glean the bits of wisdom from him that I can and simply ignore the rest - "chew the meat and spit out the bones" - so to speak. I do this with everyone, though. Whether you're Jordan Peterson, one of my homeboys, or a complete stranger.
 
Personally, I disagree with not giving Peterson a stage tho. Why? Cuz what he eats doesn't make me shit. Meaning, his words have no effect on my reality unless I allow them to. And I I'd be a fool to listen a white guy from rural Canada try to tell me about my experience as a nigga from the deep south of U.S.A, whose people were not only taken into slavery, but were also BORN into slavery, and suffered (and are suffering from) generations of trauma that's yet to be healed.
 

@chemicalpictures First of all, I just wanted to thank you for actually engaging me in conversation like an adult. I know it probably seems like a small thing, but man, it seems so increasingly rare to find people with different perspectives who don't automatically make you into enemy just because you may disagree on a few things. I know I tend to have some out-of-the box and unpopular (maybe even chaotic @platy ) opinions, so this is a really refreshing exchange, and I appreciate it!
 
 
I think  I came across Peterson on the Joe Rogan podcast in late 2016, and was like "hm, this guy is pretty interesting". I think I probably watched every video of his online by the end of 2017 I think his political discourse was entertaining, but I don't personally care about politics. I started seriously studying the bible in the summer of 2017, and it just so happened that Peterson released a bible lecture series around that time...so that's really what I was more interested in. Peterson is off in a lot of ways, but I think he did a really good job of explaining "God"/Biblical matters in a secular way...in a way that even non-believers could understand.
 
I read a bit of 12 rules, but never finished it cuz most of that stuff he'd already talked about in some form. I remember the ZIzek thing, but didn't really care for all the shit they were discussing.
 
I feel you on this. This is white supremacy at its finest. I used to get angry at this type of stuff, and I actually went through different periods of my life hating white people because of it...but then I came to understand: there are a ton of white people out there who simply don't see white supremacy because they are immersed in it. They don't understand because they haven't walked in our shoes. They haven't seen the world through our eyes.  Trying to explain white supremacy to  *some* white people is like trying to explain heartbreak or depression to someone who's never experienced it. Good luck.
 
Not only that, but even though whites are not as systemically oppressed as black ppl...white ppl still suffer through all the ills and pains of life that we all do. They still have to deal with death, heartbreak, betrayal, and all the craziness that comes along with merely existing in this dog-eat-dog world. So a lot of white ppl are not willing to give us that extra compassion because they can only see that common suffering that we all share as human beings...and they don't or can't see those extra layers of oppression.
 
However, I'd say that Peterson and other white ppl are not entirely wrong when they place the root of the problem on lack of self improvement...
 
Hear me out...
 
I don't identify with any political parties or sides. But here's what I noticed from observation. The left tells black ppl "you're oppressed. we need to help you!" The right tells black ppl, "you're not oppressed. pull yourself up by your bootstraps".
 
Here's the problem. Both the left and the right are wrong...but both also have a small bit of truth in them. For instance:
 
If we ex-slaves (ADOS) were truly on an equal footing with white ppl, then we would have pulled ourselves up A LONG TIME AGO. In fact, we did at times, but guess what? The progress we made was always hindered, terrorized, or destroyed (go read about Black Wall Street). So that pull yourself up by your bootstraps rhetoric is bullshit...we've been systematically destroyed and broken as a people in this country...
 
So the right telling us to "pull ourselves up" is like someone breaking a man's legs, then proclaiming that the man's legs are not actually broken and that he should be able run the race just like anyone else. smh
 
From the leftist perspective, it would go more like this...someone breaks a man's legs, and instead of offering him physical therapy and healing, he just gives him a wheelchair and offers to take care of him for the rest of his life...(meaning his legs could be healed, but he'd rather have him weak and dependent).
 
Can you see the problems with the views of the American left and right now?
 
Now here's where the left is correct about black ppl - YES, WE ARE OPPRESSED. Here's where the right  is correct about black ppl - yes, we do need to take responsibility.
 
Look at it like this. When I say black ppl, i'm referring to ADOS (African Descendants of Slaves). There's a difference between this group of ppl and other black ppls that come over to America willingly.
 
For us ADOS, we were broken down mentally, physically, spiritually, and socioeconimcally for 400 years. We were in slavery for longer than we've been free, and we've endured GENERATIONS of trauma that has never been healed.
 
So in a lot of ways, you can view us ADOS as a severely battered and mentally ill patient. Think about it. If the so-called Jews experienced epigenetic trauma from the Holocaust - and that only lasted 4 years. Imagine what 400 years of trauma would do to a people. Yeah, we're fucked up.
 
So yes, our oppression needs to be acknowledged...and we need sympathy/empathy, love, and understanding. But just like anyone who's mentally ill, we as a people still have to take responsibility for healing ourselves. Blaming the white man for everything and focusing on everything the white man says and does is not going to solve our issues. In fact, we were doing waaaaaayyyyyy better before we got lulled into integrating with the white man. Even MLK regretted it before he died. Justice is not complicated. If the U.S. was gonna save us, they would have done it by now. But they, the left and the right - the entire damn system, actually benefits from our collective dysfunction. So while it would be nice to get love, understanding, and compassion from white ppl, they cannot save us, and we need to stop looking at them to do so.
Oh, the U.S. is definitely going to fall. I'm not gonna get too deep into this, as i've already typed way more than I intended to, but...most people have realized by now that I follow the bible. And I believe the very people of the bible, the Israelites, "God's chosen", are none other than the very descendants of slavery that you see today. Us "black folk" or "niggers" as so many call us. The bible is actually OUR history. I'll leave you with this prophecy:
 
Genesis 15: 13 - 14
 
We were initially enslaved here in 1619. 2019 just ended. That's 400 years. At the end of 2019 is when COVID hit, which pretty much shut down the entire world. We've never seen anything like this before. Could this be judgment? Who knows. I also find it interesting that the entire world is screaming "Black Lives Matter". Why NOW? Was George Floyd any different than the ten's of thousands of black people that died here before him?
 
Just some things to think about. The thing about prophecy is that the only way to know if a prophecy is real or not, is to see if it actually comes to pass. So I guess we'll see!

I like to walk whenever it's appropriate. Other than that, I've started lifting and doing calisthenics somewhat regularly.

@chemicalpictures First of all, I just wanted to thank you for actually engaging me in conversation like an adult. I know it probably seems like a small thing, but man, it seems so increasingly rare to find people with different perspectives who don't automatically make you into enemy just because you may disagree on a few things. I know I tend to have some out-of-the box and unpopular (maybe even chaotic @platy ) opinions, so this is a really refreshing exchange, and I appreciate it!
 
 
I think  I came across Peterson on the Joe Rogan podcast in late 2016, and was like "hm, this guy is pretty interesting". I think I probably watched every video of his online by the end of 2017 I think his political discourse was entertaining, but I don't personally care about politics. I started seriously studying the bible in the summer of 2017, and it just so happened that Peterson released a bible lecture series around that time...so that's really what I was more interested in. Peterson is off in a lot of ways, but I think he did a really good job of explaining "God"/Biblical matters in a secular way...in a way that even non-believers could understand.
 
I read a bit of 12 rules, but never finished it cuz most of that stuff he'd already talked about in some form. I remember the ZIzek thing, but didn't really care for all the shit they were discussing.
 
I feel you on this. This is white supremacy at its finest. I used to get angry at this type of stuff, and I actually went through different periods of my life hating white people because of it...but then I came to understand: there are a ton of white people out there who simply don't see white supremacy because they are immersed in it. They don't understand because they haven't walked in our shoes. They haven't seen the world through our eyes.  Trying to explain white supremacy to  *some* white people is like trying to explain heartbreak or depression to someone who's never experienced it. Good luck.
 
Not only that, but even though whites are not as systemically oppressed as black ppl...white ppl still suffer through all the ills and pains of life that we all do. They still have to deal with death, heartbreak, betrayal, and all the craziness that comes along with merely existing in this dog-eat-dog world. So a lot of white ppl are not willing to give us that extra compassion because they can only see that common suffering that we all share as human beings...and they don't or can't see those extra layers of oppression.
 
However, I'd say that Peterson and other white ppl are not entirely wrong when they place the root of the problem on lack of self improvement...
 
Hear me out...
 
I don't identify with any political parties or sides. But here's what I noticed from observation. The left tells black ppl "you're oppressed. we need to help you!" The right tells black ppl, "you're not oppressed. pull yourself up by your bootstraps".
 
Here's the problem. Both the left and the right are wrong...but both also have a small bit of truth in them. For instance:
 
If we ex-slaves (ADOS) were truly on an equal footing with white ppl, then we would have pulled ourselves up A LONG TIME AGO. In fact, we did at times, but guess what? The progress we made was always hindered, terrorized, or destroyed (go read about Black Wall Street). So that pull yourself up by your bootstraps rhetoric is bullshit...we've been systematically destroyed and broken as a people in this country...
 
So the right telling us to "pull ourselves up" is like someone breaking a man's legs, then proclaiming that the man's legs are not actually broken and that he should be able run the race just like anyone else. smh
 
From the leftist perspective, it would go more like this...someone breaks a man's legs, and instead of offering him physical therapy and healing, he just gives him a wheelchair and offers to take care of him for the rest of his life...(meaning his legs could be healed, but he'd rather have him weak and dependent).
 
Can you see the problems with the views of the American left and right now?
 
Now here's where the left is correct about black ppl - YES, WE ARE OPPRESSED. Here's where the right  is correct about black ppl - yes, we do need to take responsibility.
 
Look at it like this. When I say black ppl, i'm referring to ADOS (African Descendants of Slaves). There's a difference between this group of ppl and other black ppls that come over to America willingly.
 
For us ADOS, we were broken down mentally, physically, spiritually, and socioeconimcally for 400 years. We were in slavery for longer than we've been free, and we've endured GENERATIONS of trauma that has never been healed.
 
So in a lot of ways, you can view us ADOS as a severely battered and mentally ill patient. Think about it. If the so-called Jews experienced epigenetic trauma from the Holocaust - and that only lasted 4 years. Imagine what 400 years of trauma would do to a people. Yeah, we're fucked up.
 
So yes, our oppression needs to be acknowledged...and we need sympathy/empathy, love, and understanding. But just like anyone who's mentally ill, we as a people still have to take responsibility for healing ourselves. Blaming the white man for everything and focusing on everything the white man says and does is not going to solve our issues. In fact, we were doing waaaaaayyyyyy better before we got lulled into integrating with the white man. Even MLK regretted it before he died. Justice is not complicated. If the U.S. was gonna save us, they would have done it by now. But they, the left and the right - the entire damn system, actually benefits from our collective dysfunction. So while it would be nice to get love, understanding, and compassion from white ppl, they cannot save us, and we need to stop looking at them to do so.
Oh, the U.S. is definitely going to fall. I'm not gonna get too deep into this, as i've already typed way more than I intended to, but...most people have realized by now that I follow the bible. And I believe the very people of the bible, the Israelites, "God's chosen", are none other than the very descendants of slavery that you see today. Us "black folk" or "niggers" as so many call us. The bible is actually OUR history. I'll leave you with this prophecy:
 
Genesis 15: 13 - 14
 
We were initially enslaved here in 1619. 2019 just ended. That's 400 years. At the end of 2019 is when COVID hit, which pretty much shut down the entire world. We've never seen anything like this before. Could this be judgment? Who knows. I also find it interesting that the entire world is screaming "Black Lives Matter". Why NOW? Was George Floyd any different than the ten's of thousands of black people that died here before him?
 
Just some things to think about. The thing about prophecy is that the only way to know if a prophecy is real or not, is to see if it actually comes to pass. So I guess we'll see!

To be honest I never went past his 12 rules book which I read out of curiosity right before his debate with Zizek ( which was a boring one if you ask me, Zizek seems too cynical to properly engage like younger Zizek would do), but I do understand your point and I think there's a lot of merit, even though it's not for me, that's just life.
 
My point is that I do think that a lot of times when he steps outside the self-help small talk, he dives into some pretty dangerous thoughts, specially considering he knows who make up the majority of his public. For exemple, the several times he blatantly ignore systemic oppressions insisting on placing the root of problems on the lack of self improvement and it reverberates on a shit ton of people who makes life for everyone else really hard, that's when I have a problem with him having the stage. That's why I believe that, even though his words do not affect you (or me, or anyone else who doesn't want to) on a personal level, they are part of what validates some of the horrible circlejerk that  affects the life in society as a  whole.
 
I fail to see how the (little, IMHO) value he brings to the table outwheights the bad, but that's just me. I am of the idea that society is on the verge of a profound collapse, and the never ending class warfare will reach new violent heights, and he is one of those who speaks to the other side I'm on.
 
But maybe I'm wrong. I fully respect people like you who can be thoughtful and still extracts good from the "bad", maybe are the ones who gonna take us out of this mess, I don't know.

I can't really stomach fizzy drinks, but every once in a while I'll treat myself to 7-up or a bottle of  Ramune if I come across one. Sprite and Mountain Dew are wayyy to sweet imo, I haven't had any in over a decade.

Here's how I look at it. I think Peterson is pretty brilliant. I don't agree with him on everything, but wisdom is certainly with him. Wisdom, however, belongs to no man. So I glean the bits of wisdom from him that I can and simply ignore the rest - "chew the meat and spit out the bones" - so to speak. I do this with everyone, though. Whether you're Jordan Peterson, one of my homeboys, or a complete stranger.
 
Personally, I disagree with not giving Peterson a stage tho. Why? Cuz what he eats doesn't make me shit. Meaning, his words have no effect on my reality unless I allow them to. And I I'd be a fool to listen a white guy from rural Canada try to tell me about my experience as a nigga from the deep south of U.S.A, whose people were not only taken into slavery, but were also BORN into slavery, and suffered (and are suffering from) generations of trauma that's yet to be healed.
 

So I’m very new to Japanese music (I’ve been delving into it for less than a week), but I’ve started to get the impression that Japanese vocalists place more emphasis on style than technique. I’m not expert on vocal technique by any means, but even I can tell how lacking in technique many of the singers I’ve heard are. However, since I'm new I haven't listened to much (and some of it isn't very recent).
 
The only vocalists who have stood out to me thus far are Gackt, Ruki, and maybe MUCC’s vocalist (have listened to very little at this point). Though I wouldn’t put them in the category of “excellent vocalists,” they’re definitely solid, especially when compared to most of what I’ve heard.
 
Taka is decent, I guess, because at least he doesn’t sound like he’s struggling to hold a note, but he pretty much sounds like a less interesting Gerard Way to me. I suppose that’s not necessarily a bad thing … He did appear to be struggling with his breathing in the one live performance I watched, though. With an n of 1 that could just be a bad day, but given that the comments were praising his vocals (rather than noting that he was off), it seems like it might be the norm.
 
I Googled something along the lines of “best j-rock singers” and came up with a fan-ranked list, which placed Kyo in first place (the funny thing is that none of the comments were about Kyo's voice, rather that he should be ranked higher than Ruki). Obviously this sort of list is a popularity contest that I don’t put much stock in, but I’ve seen other comments praising Kyo as a vocalist. I’ve listened to a few Dir en Grey performances, but didn’t find them memorable (as in I literally have no recollection of them, even though that was two days ago), which is strange given that Dir en Grey’s music is supposedly really weird and experimental (I do remember the PVs, just not the music). Is he better in certain performances than others?
 
I’ve listened to a number of ballad singers, who are pleasant, but if you put them next to someone like Park Hyoshin, they seem extremely lackluster. Honestly, even SM’s roster of idol singers outdoes them by quite a lot.
 
I’m aware other countries have many lousy vocalists, but there also seem to be more very good ones. I've yet to be really WOWed by any Japanese vocalist, though I do enjoy a number of them.
 
tl;dr Am I just listening to the wrong things and missing the good vocalists, or is Japanese vocal talent a bit subpar?

Me and my 15 yr old nephew (on the left) at one of my homeboy's weddings a few days ago
 

Saw this on twitter yesterday, and it made me think of your post. Are you talking about stuff like this?
 
 
As for me, i'm not really interested in Japanese fashion (although I can appreciate it). Personally, I'm more into African/Hebraic, and near-eastern fashion/culture, but with an "urban" twist.

Gratuated college today