CAT5

Holy shit, I might actually have to watch this now. This was one of those events that the U.S. likes to pretend didn't happen.
 

https://decider.com/2019/10/20/watchmen-premiere-tulsa-1921-massacre-race-riots/

There's always a reason for people to do what they do. And in this instance, I am referring to both your mother and your oldest brother, but for different reasons.

I have no idea what your brother did and I'm not going to ask you to share it, so you can pretend that I "covered" it.

I don't understand the whole situation concerning you and your mother, but I can relate. I understand what it feels like to know a family member is horrible person but apparently nothing you do can convince someone otherwise. If the math isn't adding up, odds are there is something you don't know. Maybe a lot of things. Some piece of the picture that you are missing. Parents are pretty good at hiding their past from their children. The only two people in this world that would be able to tell you are your mother and your brother, and we can nix the last one.

To get her to understand where you are coming from, you first have to understand where she is coming from. You need to understand where her mind is so you can break down that mental fortress she's put up between her and her pain, so the points that you are making can come across. Right now she hears you but she doesn't. Doing this may require you to learn some painful things about your family that you may not be ready for. Prepare yourself to the best of your ability, and begin by thinking about the types of questions that you should be asking. There's obviously some reason why she wants to keep extending the metaphorical olive branch, and that's at the heart of your issue here. Until you figure out what that reason is, the situation probably will not change.

she doesn't give your needs/feelings/space same priority she awarded to him by whatever reason, and she evidently puts enough mental effort to downplay his attitude/whatever he did in the past. she might keep some sort of internal rationalization in her head that she doesn't outright voice in your arguments.
there might be a partial layer of stronger bonds between mothers and sons vs mothers and daughters - it's a stereotype etc but it's pretty accurate overall.
 
I can't give out any advice in this situation, but given how much external perspective I've gained on family hypocrisy over the past recent years, there's very little chance for them to recognize that you indeed have a very serious and a very real reason to treat him the way you do, and act on that realization.
 
it's either an ingrained internal double-standard for her precious first born, or crystal clear cynicism, and I've seen examples of both.
 
there're ways to do that (a very serious conversation over your own view of what's going on and your clear disapproval of her repeating patterns of condoning him is a start), the problem is your best bet often times would be either developing coping mechanisms if you are otherwise better off staying with your family in your circusmtances, or just outright packing and leaving if you can afford the financial burden of moving out and have savings to do so.
 
based on your side of story, the age and sex disparity, your can speak out, but there might be no one listening.

Draw the line that says you will not be looking to have any relation with this person and that any further push to coerce you into doing so will result in the breaking off of your relationship with her as well. Your safety and happiness should trump the comfort and justifications that are enabling him to never apologize or improve.
 
 
Of course, this is assuming you are in a position where this is possible.
 
 
Telling someone in your support system "no" is extremely hard in general, so I cannot even imagine what it's like in this dark of a situation.

Love them or hate them, almost everyone's got an opinion about Dir en grey. The scene stops to listen whenever Dir en grey announce a new single or album. As a long time fan of the band, I think it's the perfect time to express how I feel about all of their albums. My feelings will differ from album to album. Some albums have had the benefit of twenty years and others only a few months, so that's always going to be a factor in how I rank things. I will cover this from my least favorite album to my most favorite album, but by no means take this as a definitive list for Dir en grey. Everyone will have their own rankings and their own suggestions for where to start. I happen to think that this also a great order to introduce someone to this band.
 
This is a perfect topic for those that don't listen to Dir en grey or don't know where to start, current fans looking for spicy opinions and a pot to stir, or even old fans looking for a reintroduction into their new era. Not only have I included a PV for each album as a sampler, but I also put together suggested playlists for each album. The playlists are the order that I would have arranged the band if I were them. The songs are the songs that I believe are the best from each period. Some will require more effort than others to construct. To make it simpler, I have included my favorite three tracks and one music video from each album.

I will not consider the mini albums MISSA and six Ugly in this analysis, but some of those tracks will appear in the playlists I create.
 
DUM SPIRO SPERO
 
Album No: 8
Released: August 2, 2011
Length: 67:31
 
 
鬼葬 (kisou)
 
Album No: 3
Released: January 30, 2002
Length: 69:57
 
THE MARROW OF A BONE

Album No: 6
Released: February 7, 2007
Length: 50:05
 
ARCHE
 
 
Album No: 9
Released: December 10, 2014
Length: 68:01
 
🎖️The Insulated World🎖️
 
Album No: 10
Released: September 26, 2018
Length: 50:27

🏅Withering to death.🏅
 
Album No: 5
Released: March 9, 2005
Length: 51:14

🥉MACABRE🥉
 
Album No: 2
Released: September 20, 2000
Length: 72:57

🥈GAUZE🥈
 
Album No: 1
Released: July 28, 1999
Length: 64:47
 
🥇UROBOROS🥇
 
Album No: 7
Released: November 11, 2008
Length: 58:54

👑VULGAR👑
 
Album No: 4
Released: September 10, 2003
Length: 57:02

That's everything folks! Thanks for reading all the way to the end! Did you like it? Did you agree? Do you have your own rankings? Leave them below! I'm interested to know what everyone's opinions are, especially since Dir en grey is one of my favorite bands ever. So many people are passionate about this band like no other. If enough people liked this, I may follow up soon with one for the GazettE.
 

Until next time

You're not wrong, but I do think that there's something to be said about Kpop being "different" and "special", but the difference doesn't lie in the music, it lies in the culture.
 
The reason that VK fans can so easily transition to Kpop is that the fan cultures surrounding them are so very similar, despite the music being so different. On the inverse - take "Black" American pop music for example: Musically, "Black" American pop/r&b/rap is like the mother of Kpop, as it directly inspires Kpop and sets the trends and standards for a lot of Kpop, yet you don't see a gang of Kpop fans praising too many "black" artists. Now the music from these two scenes are VERY similar, so you'd think that Kpop fans would also be naturally interested in both (and to be fair, some are, but i don't see this to be the case in general). But the cultures surrounding both scenes are so different that you don't really see a lot of cross pollination between the fanbases, despite the music being so similar.
 
So I do think that kpop fans genuinely enjoy the music, it's just that the music comes secondary to the culture. I think it's the culture that attracts most ppl first, and then the music is something people actually find enjoyable after. But not often the other way around. Now obviously there are ppl who are open-minded enough not to give a fuck about the cultures and will listen to anything that they like, but the impact of culture can actually be pretty profound, because culture often gives a context in which to perceive the music. And you'd be surprised how much context can influence one's taste.
 
I've experienced this personally many times. It was like this for me when I got into J-rock. I grew up in "black" culture where rock music was mostly considered a "white" thing, and so we didn't fuck with it like that. I didn't really listen to rock music until after I got into J-rock. Because J-rock offered a different cultural path to rock music than the stereotypical American White culture that I associated it with at the time. But after developing a true affinity for rock, I was able to go back and appreciate the rock music that I previously avoided due to cultural boundaries/ignorance.
 
So yeah, that's my thoughts on that. Culture affects our perception of things more than we realize. They say culture is to humans as water is to fish - so we can't always see what cultural perspective that we're operating from until after we've experienced other cultures, or until after we've swam in other waters, if you will.
 
-
 
But with that said, I personally think Kpop is a lot of fun. I don't listen to it or seek it out on my own, but whenever i'm exposed to it, it's always a joy. The visuals, the dances, the production - the general pomp of it all - it's all pretty exciting. So I see how ppl can enjoy it. For me, KPOP is like eating sweets tho. Like yeah, I enjoy them for sure, but too much and I'll get sick.

^
''Yo visual kei is dying bro''
 
Anyway fuck. This sucks! They've had a stable lineup for AGES and truly felt like one of those dinosaur bands that would just keep trucking along forever. Fingers crossed they can maybe somehow pull some ex-Guruguru Eigakan members out of limbo 😕

Store employee shot the shoot! lolol
 
Thanks man! Just got them last week 😎

DID YOU SHOOT YOUR SHOT THO
 
😛
 
ahaha, I dig your shoes btw, bruh. Nice! 👌👌👌
 

I wonder if she's wearing that Impaled Nazarene shirt because she's a fan or because it's cool? Kinda weird seeing such a popular artist wear merch by a band that has both homophobic and nationalistic lyrics.

Met Charli XCX. She's nice.
 

not everyone is mentally/financially prepared to adopt tho, it's more often than not incomparable in terms of resources required to raising own kids (however at 7 bil. we've already reached w/o any signs of slowing down, the selfishness of having children in general can be dug deeper into.)
 
I am so triggered tbh
 
we're fucked until american corporate culture/team building style hits some sort of a major cultural roadblock and dies off forever as a result tbh but I don't see that coming for at least our gen

Nah, you're good! I just wanted to make sure I understood where you were coming from. I totally agree with you tho. Bringing life into this world is a huuuuge responsibility, and it's obvious that a lot of ppl simply don't have a mindset that's conducive to raising children. Having a child for those selfish reasons you noted is definitely a huge issue...I know way too many ppl with multiple children that still think "everything is about them", while their children suffer. It's an absolute tragedy.

ahhh, ok. So If I understood you correctly, what you're saying is something like "having children isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but rather, it's the intent behind having children that matters, and that's where things can get a bit problematic?" Something like that?

I don't think having kids is a bad thing, I just wanna clear that up. Nor do I think being selfish is inherently bad, actually (in some cases it's actually beneficial). I just think it'd be better if adoption was more popular and I also see a lot of people having kids just because they want to without thinking about the fact that they're bringing another human life into this world that only exists because their parents thought they were worth it. I fully respect people who have children because they want to see a healthy human life grow up and flourish as opposed to "I want someone with my surname", "I want my parents to be grandparents cuz they want to be", "I want..." but that doesn't change my view that adoption is the more compassionate option.

Wano arc is very good. And it is still ongoing. 
 
Big Mom arc is also great and we got ourselves Katakuri, such a great villain, with redeeming factors, hence quickly becomes fan favourite!
 
STAMPEDE movie is also great, and I am hoping some of the stuffs in it would’ve at least semi canon. 
 
OP just getting longer by the chapters. So the anime will mirror that. It is great though. 

I don't think that I will ever get used to having prayers answered. It's overwhelming. Every time. I mean, I literally ain't shit. I'm less than a speck of dust in the grand scheme of things...but The Most High heard meee??? That's just too much, bruh.
 
All praises. Yah khai.

I don't think that I will ever get used to having prayers answered. It's overwhelming. Every time. I mean, I literally ain't shit. I'm less than a speck of dust in the grand scheme of things...but The Most High heard meee??? That's just too much, bruh.
 
All praises. Yah khai.

I am currently 7 episodes in it. And it is bloody brilliant. But then again I am one of those who consider the original movie a classic. But then again, the fact that I consider the original a classic and still feel like this is amazing is quite something isn't it? But the original is highly recommended. A really good, elegant and fantastic movie
 
Still haven't watched the Making of..., but I am looking forward to it. I know there's CGI in this series and all but it's used sparsely, and the characters are puppets and animatronics and that looks amazing. No, it doesn't always look like they speak whatever it's said. But that is not at all the importance of this type of filmmaking at all. It's all about the atmosphere, the feeling, the visuals and all that. 
 
What makes this so amazing is that it feels 80's/early 90's, even with modern techniques like CGI and so on. Hands down! This is amazing!

I co-sign the hell out of this - tho I do differ from you on a few things that i'll touch on below.
 
I wholly agree that engaging in one night stands and whoredom in general benefits absolutely no one. Just as  @Zeus noted, everyone I know who's lived that lifestyle has regretted it as well. Hell, my body count is nowhere near the numbers you listed, but even I regret the "casual" sex I've had. Those were some of the most empty, soul-less experiences I've ever had and it served absolutely no (positive) purpose.
 
Unlike you, however, I am absolutely for slut-shaming. Doesn't matter if you're a male or a female -> Engaging in whoredom benefits no one and is destructive on many levels. But I think the emphasis should be put on the act - not the person. People can change. People can grow, so we should not condemn anyone for it - but the act itself should be condemned, because it's the act that is destructive and harmful. People might think I'm a prude for this, but I don't care. If you want a real-life case study for this - just look no further than the so-called African American "community". You'll get a firsthand look at what rampant whoredom does to a people. Hint: It's not fun. As someone who belongs to the so-called African American community, I've seen and experienced the pain, suffering, misery...the pervasive destruction that it causes firsthand. So you're damn right I don't support being a slut - male or female.
 
Personally, I don't believe in sexual compatibility or sexual experimentation either. I think these are ideas that place sex in a realm where it doesn't need to be. Cuz honestly, if you're with someone and yall are seriously committed to each other, yall can simply learn how to please each other and figure out what works for yall as you go. Likewise, with experimentation, I think it's a much better idea to experiment within the safety of a serious, committed relationship than to just experiment with different ppl just for the sake of it.

I co-sign the hell out of this - tho I do differ from you on a few things that i'll touch on below.
 
I wholly agree that engaging in one night stands and whoredom in general benefits absolutely no one. Just as  @Zeus noted, everyone I know who's lived that lifestyle has regretted it as well. Hell, my body count is nowhere near the numbers you listed, but even I regret the "casual" sex I've had. Those were some of the most empty, soul-less experiences I've ever had and it served absolutely no (positive) purpose.
 
Unlike you, however, I am absolutely for slut-shaming. Doesn't matter if you're a male or a female -> Engaging in whoredom benefits no one and is destructive on many levels. But I think the emphasis should be put on the act - not the person. People can change. People can grow, so we should not condemn anyone for it - but the act itself should be condemned, because it's the act that is destructive and harmful. People might think I'm a prude for this, but I don't care. If you want a real-life case study for this - just look no further than the so-called African American "community". You'll get a firsthand look at what rampant whoredom does to a people. Hint: It's not fun. As someone who belongs to the so-called African American community, I've seen and experienced the pain, suffering, misery...the pervasive destruction that it causes firsthand. So you're damn right I don't support being a slut - male or female.
 
Personally, I don't believe in sexual compatibility or sexual experimentation either. I think these are ideas that place sex in a realm where it doesn't need to be. Cuz honestly, if you're with someone and yall are seriously committed to each other, yall can simply learn how to please each other and figure out what works for yall as you go. Likewise, with experimentation, I think it's a much better idea to experiment within the safety of a serious, committed relationship than to just experiment with different ppl just for the sake of it.

apparently the new way my body has learned to deal with overwhelming stress is to make me insufferably sleepy? like I don't need to sleep more but go off I guess

My woman got me to watch The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance with her. I'd never seen the original movie (tho I'd heard of it), and I wasn't really sure about the whole puppet thing, but man...I was impressed! It was a uniquely fun experience, I'd say. Despite the inherent drawbacks of the medium, it was so well-done that they actually managed to suspend my disbelief and transport me into their world. I also did not expect such a star-studded cast, so that was a treat, too! I instantly noticed recognized Lena Headey's voice when I heard it

Watched Altered Carbon  season 1 and was surprised by how much I liked it. The story isn't perfect, the characters aren't either and neither are the action scenes, especially those with hand to hand combat. But the world created was really good, especially when the characters moved around in the Blade Runner-esque city which looked really cool. Gonna watch season 2 for sure.