shane

There are very few bands I listen to for the vocals or lyrics, I'm mostly here for the compositional work. Nothing makes my jaw drop quite like an unexpected chord progression or a killer good riff. Don't get me wrong, I adore lots of talented VK singers and I do enjoy how some VK songs have intensely profound, subtle, beautiful lyrics but those signature chords are one of the things I can't get enough of. I even spare some attention to individual instruments alone even when the vocalist is singing.
 
I can tolerate a bad vocalist, or a good vocalist having a bad day, but unless there's some cheesy gimmick or something that panders to my taste I usually don't tolerate bland/basic instrumentals. It's one of the things that kinda made me stop enjoying some rap music, I started listening to the backing tracks and now their extremely repetitive nature irritates me. 
 

Interviewer: "Just what kind of band does X aim to be? What would you say, hide?"
hide: "Yes"
God, this interview clip is a gem 🥰
 

Oh yes, thanks for bringing it up, I totally agree that the translation issue is one of the main reasons why some people quit early. I've always kind of envied how much material Kpop fans have translated out there, I think we're more lacking in manpower than brains but kudos to their dedication. My passion for VK made me decide that I wanted to really try hard to learn Japanese so I could understand the lyrics and watch/read the interviews on my own (I can do that now! With some, not all unfortunately) but that's obviously a huge timesink and not worth it to everybody. If the passion doesn't hit you hook, line, and sinker then it makes sense why it'd lose most people completely. I can even remember before I learned, I was often thinking "Wtf are they saying? Wtf is the context behind this PV? Is this song actually about kidnapping children???" [well that was one specific PV but PV storylines are always a various jumble of mindfuckery]
 
I honestly a little surprised by the notion of Kpop idols being more approachable than VK guys--imo it's the opposite. No matter the culture, the pop idols of the said culture are so huge, popular, rich, etc. that they can't interact with the fans on a personal level. And this is my own bias but I always get the disconcerting feeling like all pop stars just see me as walking, talking, extra twenty in their bank account. I mean, at least the VK guys get to know my pfp and username [and crappy Japanese skills] so it feels more intimate. And technically, the pop stars don't see me at all. wow just like real life popular people versus the alt people 

This question has been bouncing around in my head lately. As a small and very dedicated fanbase in an inherently alternative counter-culture, it’s natural that people aren’t particularly drawn into VK as much as say Kpop or Alternative [Western] Rock. That being said, I’m curious about one thing that all fandoms experience: turnover rates. A while back, I stumbled on a Last.fm profile that said we were super compatible, but all their top artists in the last year were Kpop and [Western] Metal so I was really confused. That is until I went to all-time and noticed that our charts and top artists were so identical we might’ve been the same person. So then I wondered; when will that happen? That is, my turnover. When will I stop loving VK and go for the next best thing (whatever that may be to me)? 
 
So that leads me to wonder what you guys think the fan turnover rate is. If you want my two cents, it seems pretty high to me judging by the amount of Last.fm profiles that’ve moved on from VK to Goth, Metal, or Kpop. Something like 60%-70%. The time span, to me, is trickier to tell. I guess it depends on the person, though. I’ve seen some people (mostly on Instagram) go from being VK fans to Kpop Stans in real time, the process took about 6 months-ish? I’ve also seen some people who leave after 5-7 full years of dedication to different western alt genres.
 
Also, do you think there are any warning signs that your taste is changing/ways of knowing that you’re just not as interested into it as much as you used to be? They might be individual to each person, though. One of my biggest signs is when I don’t want to watch live performances or interviews anymore. I used to into funk/disco/hip-hop before VK and right before I fell out I stopped watching lives of my favourite groups because I had no interest in seeing something I’ve heard before but irl. Then I stumbled upon VK and the rest is history. I get the feeling like this is my endgame but I can’t say for certain that I’ll ride or die for life in regards to being a VK fan. I do know for certain that I’m good for now [next year or so]… One last question for those reading, if they wanna answer it: how about you, though?

When I was a kid I was bullied a lot. During 5th and 6th grade I would eat to drown the pain and that caused me to become a fatty fat-ass. Seriously, as an adult I'm only ~10-20 pounds heavier than I was when I was 11. I've shed a good portion of it off, and I'm losing weight right now (down 10 pounds!) but the leftover weight is almost like a scar from those times. I learned from my mistakes when I was taken out of that environment, so I haven't abused food like that since then.
 
Listening to music has been my main way of dealing with any emotional pain I'm going through ever since. A lot of VK songs really helped me through my mid teen years when I felt the crushing emptiness threatening to swallow me whole again. Some songs had lyrics that helped me feel better, one that I treasure deeply is deadman's "Follow the night light" which I loved enough to try translating it. I was pleased to learn that it has a message of holding out despite whatever madness you're going through. It felt like a message to me, at that time. I made sure to try to lose myself into my activities as to not bring in my negative emotions into things and hinder me. Also friends. Whether in the physical realm or online, having people I could trust and connect with made me feel so much better.

"You really don't have to get offended on his behalf or anything like that" -- a message from one of your friendly neighbourhood Ryutarou Simps

There was that one shoot Hide did with Kyo where he wore a military uniform with an eyepatch

Kinda wish Sugizo didn't name his daughter Artemis Luna because it just makes me think of deviantart OCs from 2010

I wanna go back in time and tell hide to never ever under any circumstance put anything around his neck for the rest of his life  Kaya's pop career direction. Ever since the single after Yumeji... It's just never been the same. I just physically can't listen to his new stuff anymore and I feel sad because I used to love his stuff so much The fact that Yu~ki is the only MM member who hasn't attempted a solo career. I just can't help but want to seem him do something on his own, I know it'll be great All those stupid ass name changes that don't mean shit, like Perestroika, A9, and 犬神サーカス團 VK's old fashioned industry practices 8P-SB. Like the whole thing Also ピノキヲ was a mistake

The one thing I envy the most about the Japanese is their long lifespans. I'm a combo of two ethnicities with really low life expectancies and was born in a country with with a low life expectancy to boot so I'm not slated for a long life, I don't think... Also, Japanese culture is so cool and I wish I could spend a lot time with it. More than now, even! I'm learning the language but being born into it, that's a sweet ticket.
 
That being said, no one can change their race, so lamenting it is pointless! Also, it's kind of really depressing to do so if you're not white. Observing and enjoying other cultures is just a part of being human because there's so many out there that you can't be all of them, can ya?  At the end of the day, I'm glad to be my race mixture [Half Russian/Afghan] and to be from my birth country [Uzbekistan]. Also the benefits of having thick, healthy hair and never getting sunburns aren't things I'm gonna easily give up!

Why are cookies called "cookies"? You don't cook them, you BAKE them. They should be called "Bakies"

I'm curious as to what in Engrish happened to make "Like Absolute Myself" be a real band name

Honestly, I would totally remove any and all traces of lust out of me if I could. I can't even begin to imagine how much extra brainpower I could have if I freed up the space in my brain that's bugging me to reproduce already. Once my train of thought goes there, I just can't think about anything else. I feel so fucking weak when I completely succumb to charms and wiles of some of these Asian rockstar manwhores and I wouldn't have it any other way It just feels like waste of time, especially the time I have to dedicate trying to... Quell it. I guess I'd have to say goodbye to the pleasure but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make.
 
Also yeah, it'd be cool to never have to relieve yourself. I don't see any fun in it, even though it's basely satisfying because of the happy chemicals the brain gives you for functioning properly. Also you get a nice sit down, however it's just a big waste of time like sex or masturbation that doesn't feel nearly as good as those two.

Sleeping. I'm constantly wishing I never had to sleep at all. Also if you wanted to "turn off the conscious mind" you could just meditate if sleeping were no longer possible. I'd still indulge in sleeping whenever I felt like it instead of when my body tells me to. So in this magical imaginary world I'd be up for weeks on end and nap for days... (yeah this would probably suck in reality but I won't waver with my 1st choice)

Eating is my 2nd choice because like the former I see it as more of a nuisance than anything

chelmico are good 
 

Here's a few that always got me (most of 'em are great bands though)
Sex Virgin Killer  Sister's No Future THE PIASS With Sexy Dad aroma [The lost sequel to 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'?] Nega [Can't talk about this band irl without getting arrested for hate speech 😕] Billy and the Sluts  More [I love Loki's projects but he always picks the worst band names; finding sugar's stuff is also a pain in the ass] NTT FUCKS  This is a PEN. [I think the band existed for like 5 seconds before the Ensoku cease and desist but they're 100% real] 少女-ロリヰタ-23区 [Apparently most of the name is silent but if you read it in full it's "Shoujo Lolita 23ku"]

A lot of people can't tell apart Japanese from Chinese or Korean but I'll never forget that one time someone asked me to "read the Japanese" on their hoodie and it was actually Hebrew

chelmico are good 
 

chelmico are good 
 

Man this thread gives me flashbacks to when I was super into... Fla$hbacks. 
 
Thanks folks, I'll be here all night.
 
Anyway, I also used to listen to KOHH as well. Not anymore though, as I got deeper into VK my taste for all kinds of Hip-hop fizzled out greatly. The only J-hip-hop artist I still listen to is Dotama, and that's because his flow is just something else. I don't even think it's possible to have this kind of flow in English, merely because of intrinsic linguistic differences. Also idk his voice is irritating at first but it grew on me hard. His releases have always been pretty solid these past years so I'm glad to have him in my library. 
 

Even 6ix9ine's pedo money got denied from charity, Rokumeikan must be desperate 👀

First time working in a place with so much women and ive come to the conclusion girls scare me even though i thought it was quite the opposite all along at the very least they leave me alone since i don't talk

Seems like my skills have powered up 'cause I'm done already! I let everyone use my translations for videos/lyric discussions/whatever freely under one circumstance: You credit me as the English Translator and do not take credit for what I've done yourself. With that out of the way, here it is! You can also view it with the Kanji/Romaji [I Romanized it myself, didn't get it from the post so it might be formatted differently] on my blog. Translation notes are marked with an asterisk*
 
銀色馬車 by Noir Fleurir [English Translation]
Credit: Me [Dasha] [I guess you could call me Total Saikou too]
 
Faintly Overflowing
The droplets from the moon are
Falling unto
The stage of dreams*¹
 
With wings spread open
The Angel’s dance
And sweet song
Is enveloping me
 
I’m just like a sickly cat
Afraid of the white darkness
 
Inside transparent glass, time has stopped only for me
Shivering fingertips drawing a hollow sky
Destroying the cold window pane*² while I’m fixated on the pain
 
Blanketed in thick fog, the lengthy night awakens
The still prison shakes from within and
A single fairy rides past the moon in a silver carriage
[and/so] I curse this disgusting outer world
 
Faintly Overflowing
The droplets from the moon are
Coldly touching
Freezing lips*¹
I’m just like a sickly cat
Afraid of the white darkness
 
flower, the place of me and always
flower, flower, can rain down always.
 
*¹Inverted the line orders to make it sound better in English; my original, more literal takes read as: “To the stage of dreams, falling” and “To cold lips/it coldly touches” [respectively]
*²The window here refers to the glass prison Teru sang about earlier, in case you’re thinking of a literal house window instead of it being a massive pane of glass

Holy fuck I like Yoshiki now