Rahzel

lol I know that feeling. If it's not a bother, could you? Honestly I'd love to listen to it (and, well, I'm not likely to judge because a) I don't really believe in "better tastes" and b) my tastes are Shit Tier apparently plus it's not like I can listen to it *right now* so there's probably enough time if you regret sharing and just feel like deleting it lol.) And, well, maybe I can think of something different to add if you feel like it? (ie. something less heavy but still vk that they might like )

私。(I) - Kagerou Don't even like but this was too precise to pass How do you guys think of these questions? (I'm in awe)

(Just a fyi I can't listen to these properly rn because I effectively can't listen to anything because of a listening issue lol hoping to have it changed by the next weekend)

When I saw a blue/teal hime cut short hair I was instantly reminded of "isn't it that guy from Pentagon?" but that is... not it. But the visual does look familiar to me for some reason ; sorry I can't help but free bump! (I am now curious too!)

Thanks for this interesting topic! Hmm... my input on minimalism is sort of really simple (it begins with "if you didn't have the money to begin with" and ends with "you wouldn't need such theories ???") but throughout the years I've been driven to the notion of ethical consumerism or conscious consumerism. I don't really do what I can't do - some rich lolita lady once came up to me like "nOoOo way you have so many pieces of clothing!! Because Marie Kondo said you should have xx tops!!" and honestly I just scratched my head at the notion that I could have any less - I mean I work and cosplay so it's not like working in a lolita skirt or dressing like Aerith on the beach is an option. Also, gotta buy things when I see them being sold for cheap. - but for what I can do, I sure will ; trying to donate my clothes before they get too old, buying (mostly secondhand) good quality clothes, reselling old products, reducing litter (which in itself makes you thing twice before buying something - "can I dispose of it cleanly too?" ) sticking to vegan and environment-responsible cosmetics/clothes (food is sort of too extreme for me as I don't live alone and am a picky eater but for anything else? sure go vegan.) and am now trying to switch to purchasing digital releases whenever I can etc. There are practical reasons for that surely - living in a house by the sea means suffering with mold, rust and allergies not to mention termites as of late ... - but guess I learned something from that urgency to clean up 🙂

Anything by Nickelback

Since I'm pretty much your friend, please let me in to this playlist when you're done (though I do listen to a few more recent more "oshareish" and idol kei bands it's not heavy nor old so I'm curious as to what you'd compile/what one would define as "vk" nowadays tbh hmm) As for a random thought... y'know just realized that the reason why I've been coming here so often isn't because of the music dls (to be honest about it I'm not listening to any more music than I was before, so it's not like I have a lot of interesting stuff to share and could be just lurking really - but I only realized that when I nearly stopped listening to music thanks to hearing impairments lol.) but because the layout is black thus less aggressive than most online forums and websites I used to frequent. At this point my migraines/aura suck so badly I was probably on an unconscious level drawn to websites with darker layouts, which is... something I must address quickly with doctors for everyone's sake. The good news is I just found a good eye-protective new monitor to buy

Not that I remember no....... Did you ever regret drinking too much?

THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WATCHING THAT? Oh boy that series is so funny and memeable (wish I knew where the fans gather because I often want to throw some broken English but I know nobody will get it 😞 ). There's 2.078 videos in my watch later now so... 👀 as y'all can see I spend a lot of time on Youtube ....... (#bilingualproblems but half of it are MV releases ??) really enjoy those seiyuu tl channels AOL and Ask Japanese/Abroad in Japan and similar channels are always there and the occasional TEDTalk too. One of such Japanese culture/trivia channels I really enjoy is Nekojitablog: Now for something more English speaking and just as fun.

Started watching: 2000 with Sailor Moon (technically before with the likes of Tonde Buurin and Mach Go Go Go but lol let's count since when I knew "anime" or smt) 1- Code Geass (S1 only) (before anyone goes LMAOOO LOL OL I'll let u kno I am rewatching it on Netflix now and it's as good as the other 5 times) 2- Clannad 3- Psycho-Pass (S1 only) 4- Barakamon 5- Ai no KusShiki Honorable mentions: Honey & Clover ; newer Fate series ; (girls can have personal tastes!!) Free! ; Akatsuki no Yona ; Ouran Host Club ; Tamako Market (specials are awesome!) ; (literally only bearable long shounen) Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood ; (no idea if these will stand the test of time:) Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu ; Tsurune ; Netjuu no Susume

Don't play online games other than Ragnarok Online hooray but feel free to friend me on backloggery (may add Steam / PSN ids there ... S o m e d a y )

Can't disagree though, my point exactly - most PVs/MVs seem to focus more and more on how good-looking the artists are/what an amazing job the makeup artist did!/etc. and not so much on a story (or even on the shock value of having them makeup-less which I also like!) which is why I a) tend to prefer kpop mvs (at least if everything else fails make em actually hot 😥 ) and b) don't know Vneu (which sounds like heresy but) but stanning already lolol. On the other hand we have bands like USG who release solid MVS continuously even though the vocalist himself could make me stare for 5 min

This has been my nickname for years as it's just "my name, shortened" and yet people think it's because of the game Portal lol Elsewhere I often use Rahzel which is actually an obscure anime character's name and could be mistaken for Raphael easily enough to pass as a vk nickname? 👌 anyways wanna change it here Funnily way back then I also used Miyu and Miyabii for nicknames and Of CoUrSe people thought Miyabii was bc of Miyavi which was funny as I didn't even like him back then, it was literally just bc of Miyabi doll (source: Ragnarokay online lol.)

Ooh what a nice topic. I made something like this a while ago on some other forums I frequented and found a lot of great music from other countries. Gotta admit my hearing sucks right now so no idea if these hold up to my first impressions, but some guy made me convinced that Polish music is perfect. lol. Wish someone could point me to good Swedish music though, hard to study without music 😢 Poland ... so while we're at it I listen to a lot of brazilian music as well, but much of it is like "sung poetry" and not so rich/interesting instrument/rhythm-wise IMO so not sure what to rec ?? (hopefully other brazilian users won't see my recs or else Ill get cursed at for only listening to pop music 👀)

So... the good part about taking mental health meds is that I have pretty much forgotten what crippling anxiety feels like really. The bad part is I have also forgotten what most songs sound like. Testing earphones the day before was a bad idea, because it definitely made my hearing more acute than usual and in turn made the hearing loss more noticeable (probably, either that or I always had perfect pitch and nobody ever knew lol). It is messing up with me. The good part about hearing loss is that nicely recorded songs sound just as accurate as the worst fancam of a live so I took the time to listen to lives and badly recorded songs so as to not feel frustrated, and it's an ~experience~. In other words, wow, who ever thought I'd regret so much being such a nose-in-the-air about early AnCafe lol This live right here? Man, it looks like it was so much fun. This is a crowd right here everyone else go home

Good music man 😥 While we are at it and if anyone wants to help me find my brand of hearing loss ... around 2:40 you'll be hearing 2 "instruments" playing simultaneously forming a sound. Until last week I certainly heard the "dudu-duduudu" better (top notch explanation right here) but now the guitar (?) catches my attention more ; it's definitely associated to whatever temporary hearing loss my psych med is causing me. It is the best explanation I have found for it so far it seems. Please tell me what you hear better? (As the only person I count on is tired of my complaints about this med and my messed up hearing already lmao.)

*looks auspiciously at BL manga shelf and June novels folders* YEAHH ....... don't think I will ever "grow out of" the BL thing ... On the other hand don't think I've seen bandomen deliberately shipping/fanserviceing (?) eachother in the past decade or so. Actually, when it was a thing I wasn't into BL either so to be honest don't think shipping vk bandomen was ever a thing for me lol. But of course bandomen interactions are just gold in any way, shape or form as a general rule. Gotta love all that brawling and just throwing each other out of the bar's window y'know. (thanks MH for reminding me this was a thing.)

Uhm, this topic is pretty old but just to add to what has been said (particularly by these 2 last commenters, don't think I could have put it better - love yourself too!) in case anyone else is mulling over the same stuff - yes, in my opinion there is such a thing as wanting to "be in love with someone" but not "love someone". Being in love with someone means having an insurge of chemical substances that make you feel good swarming in your brain when you see or talk to your "crush" or whatever, and it's not really a sin to want to feel that just not "learn to love and make a life together" in the long term or whatever it is that people say. It is also okay to want rex (👀) but not to love or be in love with the one you're having it with IMO. And, furthermore, it is okay to be "in love" with someone and then once things do work out want to/learn to do the "love someone" thing and "building a happy life together" and whatnot too. Don't think any of that is too unusual. If there is an invitation for me to get personal lol personally I want to be "in love" sometimes but wanting to "love someone" is a lot more convoluted and harder, in general. So what I think about it is more along the lines of "well, that'd be maybe nice (but is it even possible for me?)". Also, I am what kids nowadays call "romantic asexual" (meaning I don't hate the romance part, though it seems that I have been hating it more and more as of late, but I really don't like the "feeling someone else's body heat/saliva/whatevers" part of romancing) ... which is sort of how I ended up being a crazy bandom/kpop fangirl (tm) - being in love with celebs is just nicer, you can buy a hi-touch/m&g and they won't look at you weirdly as if you're someone they want to dominate or cause any drama if they realize you're happy over headpat/chatting as they get this 50 times a day on average. (this sounds tremendously bitter but i'm 100% srs) There are definitely many different ways of feeling and, well, no matter what "society" or other people may say it's really not a sin as long as you're not hurting anyone (which by the way you're more likely to do if you're faking it anyway). As for joy and depression, well, not sure other people feel joy every day of their lives either. Sure I don't however considering that around 30% + of the world population are likely to suffer of an anxiety disorder (most likely depression) at some point in their lives and I've been prone to it forever I'm probably not a good example but I can tell you the same goes for most people I know. Maybe you're just in the "unlucky half" and some medication/meditation/therapy/life changes or whatever could do good, but it's not uncommon to not feel much joy either. (Not feeling any joy however can be a problem, sure, and for that there's whatever other commenters said!)

1) What are the indicators that make a song "ghostwritten" for you? And that it is not? Generally, to me they are ghostwritten if, well, they are ghostwritten. It's not in me to try to guess which bands buy songs and which don't, but I guess I enjoy unique / experimental songs more often and those are less often ghostwritten than formulaic songs even if they suck sometimes. On the other hand there are less and less of those, so these aren't the only songs I like, and then I don't guess. 2) What are the indicators that make a band "idol kei"? And that it is not? This is more what I wanted to address reading this topic - "idol kei" nowadays surely seems to me like a derogatory terminology used for bands whose members are supposedly less concerned about making music than spreading STD. And while I ... certainly don't listen to any music for the sex I don't know (as a non-japanese listener/gig-goer in particular) if it's true, how much of it is just gossip. For one, I saw people mention that AnCafe was "idol kei" and I don't get it. (also, thanks for Candyholic because I had forgotten all about it and I'm giddy now! ) If one wants to use "idol kei" as a synonym for "oshare kei (particularly if popular)" I guess it qualifies but, well, everyone who thought they'd disband once Bou left and the initial hype was gone was severely mistaken, AFAIK their music was authoral and they did their thing. So, what I personally understand as "idol kei" particularly in the context of vk. I'd say it wasn't a thing before the 2010s - not that I know of. Sure there were bands more on the oshare side, some less, some *cough* S.K.I.N *cough* successful bandomen who went on to live lives of idolish luxury and questionable releases, some bands with a very idol-like presentation (even more than AnCafe - thinking Psycho le Cemu which had a huge fanbase but don't think I've seen anyone mention it in the last 10 years), some bands with an aggressive idol-like promotion (um, Versailles maybe?), some actual idols signed to major labels who happened to do vk rock gigs (basically Daigo Stardust but Takanori Nishikawa seemed to be kinda regarded as that?), some actual musicians trained by the likes of Mana who happened to do idol-like pop songs (basically Kaya), speaking of Mana some bandomen who went on to launch successful artists and fashion brands and became more like enterpreuners (while Gackt kissed guys playing Vanilla but wtv, someone kept MM fandom entertaining) and everything in-between don't think at that point anything could be called "idol kei" in my personal understanding - don't think anyone had gone and thought "this is vk but ALSO idol PERIOD." and just rolled with it 100%. So between ~2010-2015 I stayed away from vk (being shocked by the occasional Yohio - Sky Limit and Gackt doing anime that I came across lol) and when I got back the scenery was very different. As someone who's never been... anti-oshare (as much as some assholes regarded it as Visual Kei Litter back then) there was a lot more of it and giving it all a try certainly there's an increase in plastic surg--Choreographies, (probably ghostwritten) pop music appeal, genuinely forced smiles and everything that had dominated the j-pop scene since a few years prior. Curiously 2010 was exactly when Golden Bomber became relevant so that was probably not a coincidence that I slept to one thing and woke up to another. In short to me idol kei would be this consciousness of "what we do is inspired by early vk but also shamelessly pop idol" not "anti"-idol and not counter-culture as vk had been but yeah, generally ugly kids playing in an indie garage band don't make it as idols very convincingly either, so I guess "idol kei" kind of depends on a label and some level of deliberate fabrication from the get-go? (except, um, if you're GB?) As for musical talent and/or ghostwriting in it I'd guess it varies a lot. 3) Where would you put its birth date? Uh, guessing 2010 here but that's a guess based on Absolutely Nothing Really. 4) Do they qualify as "good music" or not? Do you enjoy them? Do not? YEAH, I do. Uh I enjoy k-pop and such and may regard some of it as "good music" and this is no different. If it's enjoyable to my ears then it's enjoyable to my ears. But I like quite a few "idol kei" acts. Most notably Gravity as I think their aesthetic is very interesting. (It would surprise me if any member actually played anything.) 5) Does it seem to you that this certain music goes "against" (to put it somehow) of certain "well-being" of the scene, or of the music itself? Hmm, ... yeah, generally a music scene where musicians aren't actual musicians probably won't go very far. Seeing differences in releases from 2010s bandomen I've been following it is certainly "scary" in that "you could do so much musically 'better' than this but what I find 'better' probably doesn't do as well in lives anymore, thus it is only 'better to me' now" way. But a) don't think there is a linear progression but rather a cyclic one in any trend and b) we go back to the old "if it's musically complex is it Automatically Better?" discussion which is a moot point ; if other people like it who am I to complain lol. 6) Why are you still listening to VK in the 2010s? Are your reasons the same as before? What does it give you that other music does not give you? No, back then I listened to every kind of j-rock indifferently because musically it gave me a lot more quality-wise than most western rock bands. Somehow these changes made me more interested in VK as a scene as it feels more "approachable" to me (and my very lacking musical knowledge!) and growing up with an interest in stuff like pop Asian music / japanese fashion / host clubs etc. made it so that the logical step was "oh, let's check what these guys are doing" and here I am so maybe I'm the exception in that I'm around more for the "idol kei" really. It's harmless (except for STDs) fun and while I wouldn't trade most bands I listened during the 2000s for it, some of it is legitimately very enjoyable.

While we are at it, may I ask if I am the *only* person who actually fantasizes less about meeting bandomen (or celebrities in general even) irl and more about accidentally meeting them in some online game? Just, idk my dream would probably be (if I had a Switch .......) randomly visiting Nightmare Hitsugi's ACNH town (he DOES have one ..........). Not even kidding. IRL Meeting? Fuck it, I'm boring and don't intend to get drunk or smoke or any of that shit. Meeting ingame? That's kawaii, we could chill and talk about how other members are doing. Literally just give me any bandomen from any band I like (Granted my answer might be different if I could actually play an instrument, but I don't...) (Alternatively ask Daigo how's it to have a fujoshi mangaka sister who draws yaois between character-just-like-you x his-manager)

There is a topic on the first page about bad usage of engrish/foreign languages right now but this is less about bad usage than Engrish Songs That Kick Ass so... just throwing here a classic Also this one is great to me.

Not Sure But... Though I was never properly diagnosed actually (got every kinda mental health diagnosis from ages 6 to 26 making me an official Kawaii Menhera Freak tm just none of it was what I suspect) there is now a high suspicion in me that I may be (hf) autistic (why? because... everything. Every symptom. Ever. + genetics.) however it seems that autism nowadays (since DSM V ...) is a very blurry diagnosis with eugenistic purposes (just like when Hans Asperger the nazi first described it. Seriously ...) that can only be diagnosed in males, sometimes perfectly functional males even, perhaps a way of justifying some males' "males will be males" behaviors. I am sincerely deeply annoyed at how no one takes me seriously on this and I am always walking on eggshells when talking about it to doctors so this is also a "venting" thing lol (went to another psychiatrist yesterday and now I'm on carbamazepine, which makes me psychologically shitty and dizzy ; turns out I'll probably be better off getting a medical degree bc that'll take less time than finding a doctor who won't avoid the subject of diagnosing autism in girls altogether. Or just, y'know, ask on Facebook "hey guys do y'all think I may be autistic?" which I'm p sure 9 out of 10 colleagues in my psych bachelor would say "oh yes" to) - so anyway with autism often comes depression and also epilepsy and migraines all of which I display hooray ; I also Can't Play 3D Action games (not talking anything too complex here I mean I had to call it quits on Kingdom Hearts and Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine a while ago; SMT Imagine was online so you can bet I wasn't making that up also thanks MGS for stealth ..........) though I have yet to find out if it's anything related to my shitty brain or... Venting Aside (I'm psychologically unwell, dizzy and angry now), I probably have respiratory issues still undiagnosed (nothing big though) and happen to have a weird syndrom in which I ave 1 kidney from birth so selling a kidney is a no-no all of which aren't exactly "disabilities" just, well, conditions. (CLEARLY IM JUST VENTING HERE. /hate everything)

I was trying to edit my last reply and didn't find the edit button. Sorry about that. 🤧 Checked those earphones just to verify my impressions (because not my thing really, less because they're Not My Thing and more because I can't afford good earphones anyway) ; tried lower end brands like Sony and KZ and passed for 100% insane when I said my favorite of all lower-end ones long ago had been the Sony walkman one but funnily enough the Sony walkman one sucks on the actual Sony walkman and upon reevaluation on an ipod my point was conceded lol. Got the era totally wrong though (upon researching, it's actually mid 2000s it seems, as it turns out maybe my mind registers "2000s" as "jurassic old" lmaoo.) Granted it wasn't really a "lower end" it only came bundled with the Walkman so it was unfair of me to compare. Anyway, that made me realize I want to get (as an alternative for mine which may break sometime right? 😕 ) something like that for my next pair, though I have no idea where to start looking (... Sony MDR just seems like the obvious alternative but idk man). So if anyone more knowledgeable can help, that'd be nice. Thanks! ... Also, on Apple ones, I take back what I said. Regular ipod ones were some of the worst I tested ;; maybe I was thinking of airpods or some other thing.

So if we're limiting this to vk ... this is definitely a this year/meaningful songs thing to me but MUCC - Zeroshiki (it's the name of my webbie as I got addicted in December and haven't looked back ever since ...... thanks Deezer scrobble!) Kannivalism - Monochrome (a serious case of well this got me through harsh times...) Alice Nine - Kochouran (same shit) Nightmare - Tokyo Shonen (lotsa hard thinking and editing but here) Miyavi - Eccentric Otona Yamai (this one saved my boss' life thanks for keeping me sane bruh) Top of my head and surely pretty innacurate BUT HEY LOL

Ohh ... There is a topic for fashion routines. TBH I collect makeup and skincare products much more than I actually *use* them (yes I am That Person who can't really distinguish "good looks" i.e. skin/makeup from "bad looks" for the most part, yes Im nearsighted.) but let's see...... (uh actually recently I made a page for all of my ~routines~ but yeah, in short:) - I only really go out on the daily wearing foundation (bc it actually works! Blemishes be gone! Brand: whatever I get as a gift/buy to test/isn't rotten ...... ) and lipstick/lip tint (bc it actually makes me look less like a zombie. Yes I could try wearing specific makeup under my eyebags but c'mon.) but on some days when I'm feeling ~particularly adventurous~ I'll wear some glittery eyeshadow too lol - I only really wear makeup properly when I go out (which means I haven't worn any of it in months now, thanks COVID-19) and then I stick to: - Eyeliner and mascara - my favorites, because I can't wear lens and fake lashes are a bother so I tend to stick to it. For mascara I wear T&G which has a similar effect to the Maybelline's the Colossal, still looking for vegan alternatives. For eyeliner tested over 20 but can't let go of Japanese brands ever since I first tried Dolly Wink a good 7 years ago ... It remains as my favorite for some reason though Heroine Make is easier to find so I've been using that. - Eyeshadow - I use a regular palette, as I find that there's not much of a difference between local palettes and ~international brand~ palettes IMO. I own a couple of Etude House and Kose palettes and then some Chinese and local ones and it's all... OK. (There IS one local brand which I love for their cheap fully matte colorful palette called Mia Make which is my go-to cosplay brand lol ; ; ) I happen to use Crystal Lovely Eyes from Tonymoly in white to do larmeish makeup/aegyo sag/whatever as it's more comfy than pressing a brush (shimmery white eyeshadow) under my eyes, and I also make them ~ sparklyy ~ by using pink glitter from a local supposedly vegan brand called Cat Make which is wonderful. - Blush - Whenever I do bother (as I often don't bc local brands suck.) I like Candy Doll ... or just do that blushing-with-liptint technique as I own too many kr tints ; ; ; - Contouring - I like contouring sticks actually. Also use from local brand (but I only really use that for cosplaying lol.) - Lipstick - Literally the only thing I care for on the daily. Maybe because my lips are small and undead-pale it definitely makes a difference. I LOVE glittery glossy lipsticks (blame it on gyaruish endeavors.) so I tested a few, but I really like Etude House's Cherry Moisture Lip Glow as its shimmer is pretty cute and exotic. I sometimes let the tint dry and apply it on top. - Skin routine: none haha 🤧 I did try but nothing ever seems to have a substantial, long-lasting effect. (should I blame it on the hot, humid weather??) Don't wanna try out a lot of products on my skin either (bc who knows maybe it will get worse?) and I have a lifelong history of being traumatized by dermatologists, so even though I *should* have a routine at least to get rid of escoriation marks I don't. On the upside, the cute facemasks and unicorn handcreams look good on my desk. Sadly, they're gonna get past the expiration date soon.