more of a rant than a specific question but i saw a video i agree with on how 4th gen keep getting more specialised idols (who already have backgrounds in ballet, modelling, child acting, even former groups like izone and ioi) and less yknow,, actual well rounded idols who arent good in just one highly specific area and i know idols have almost always been middle class/rich kids (parents need so much money to send their kids for training like omfg) and now i feel like by the time 5gen officially rolls in, all idols will just be rich kids who dont even care about music (you can see it starting with 4gen, 1/2/3gen had a few but not on these scales) and i just feel like kpop is going to... break down tremendously, like there will still be loyal fans thanks to parasocial relationships but all the good work 3rd gens are doing by spreading kpop internationally is going to break when ppl see theres not a single bit of passion left and its going to be ridiculed the way it was back in 1/2gen...... theres literally no hope left now for 6gen groups to do well outside of korea and parasocial relationships
i mean, the system is already breaking down if this boys planet debacle is any indication, but i don't think its going to be that extreme. i know this is going to sound like a defense of rich people and it's not bc fuck them but there ARE people who are wealthy that care about and make art. that's literally how the art industry has worked via patronage for the last i dunno. several hundred years. possibly thousands depending on how you want to categorize patronage. yes we will see, especially in the larger companies, some people who make bad art and don't actually care, but that does not mean that the whole industry is going to the dogs. i wrote up that entire post about fifth gen specifically to say that you SHOULD be paying attention to the smaller groups!! that's where the people are that care about making interesting work are!!! my nugu recommendations post is my most popular one for a reason!!! also, maybe this is a hot take but. who cares if kpop gets big globally. literally who cares. they're korean artists, they should care about their domestic market. you absolutely would not say that a pop group from canada should be trying to break into the japanese market?????? so why are you expecting kpop groups to go the extra mile for people who don't speak their language?? is the work that groups do for their international fans appreciated? yes absolutely, i love how much more accessible everything is now, but by NO means are they obliged to do it. obviously i also like to see my faves successful, but it it's at the cost of their artistic integrity like it's been with some groups, or if it just doesn't work, then that's perfectly fine! if i could listen to shinee ripped shinee cds and illegally watch kdramas in 244p in 2008 then i can do it again. and honestly? kpop is not for everyone. the people who are interested in music and performance and who are down to be genuine or even just casual fans will find it, just like they have been for the last 15 years. the industry doesn't need to blow up and go global, it just needs to be successful and supported enough that everyone can get by. companies don't agree with that assessment bc capitalism, but you know that the upper level corporatism of the popular groups doesn't always filter down right? no matter how big the gap between the groups with money and the groups that don't gets, there will ALWAYS be people putting blood and sweat into making work because they want to, not for money. it just won't be 'popular culture' and that's fine.
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this is so stupid but i always have fun imagining the milgram characters watching their own/others mvs and seeing their reactions, especially for MeMe
That’s not stupid at all, thank you so much for the ask!! It’s sooo interesting to think about! I planned on just posting this drabble, but the more I thought about it, the more I started jotting down headcanons for everyone 👀 Of course there’s the initial disbelief and shock that Milgram can really do what it claims, but once they accept that, they’d have a lot of interesting reactions…
Es gets to watch the video first, then the prisoners are free to watch their own in the privacy of the courtroom/extraction room/wherever. Other prisoners can watch them only with explicit permission from the video’s singer. No one is allowed to watch Undercover except for Es. At first they spend hours looking at those final frames of themself flinching from the camera, hoping to jog any sort of memories, but eventually they give up on it. While actually watching it, they don’t mind the murder silhouettes. While sleeping, however, it has triggered more than one nightmare.
Haruka: He thinks Weakness is very pretty – he’s amazed seeing himself on the screen and hearing his voice, knowing he’s not that good of a singer. Even before his innocent verdict, it gives him a huge surge of confidence. Once he gets to know the others better, he gives them mv permissions, then stares intently at their faces to see their reactions as they watch it. AKAA scares him a bit, seeing his own intense emotions on screen, and he only gives Muu permission to see it. When he’s alone, Haruka pauses the shots of his mother, just to stare for a while.
Yuno: Laughs at the symbolism her mind used in Umbilical. She’s never shied away from sexual words/thoughts, so it's funny the video was as tame as it was. She thinks the song is fun, and isn’t afraid to show the others and sing snippets of it around the prison. Some days it’s too emotional for her to get into it, but most of the time she tries to display a confident attitude about it. After Tear Drop, she’s satisfied with her anger and more overtly sexual images. If anything, she feels too exposed by the shots of herself looking more vulnerable/sad.
Fuuta: He experiences a solid mix of embarrassment at the gaming theme in Bring it On and feeling a surge of pride that he looks badass in the knight’s armor. He’s worried the warden won’t take him seriously with the video game obsession, but he absolutely loves the song and thinks it portrays his toughness and ideals well. He’s less thrilled with Backdraft, everything about it unsettles and embarasses him. He’s thrown by the shot of crossing out his own silhouette – he’d had self-harming thoughts, but wasn’t quite ready to confront them so blatantly yet. Like Haruka, he can be caught pausing the arcade shot just for a moment before turning the whole thing off and storming away.
Muu: She has mixed emotions towards After Pain. She hates seeing herself look so weak and pathetic, but it gives her a lot of hope that her story will be understood. She misses her friends, and seeing them again is bittersweet. She closes her eyes at the moment of the stabbing – she’s only gotten the courage to watch it through her fingers once. She watches INMF once, then refuses to look at it again from shame/horror. Despite Haruka’s begging, she doesn’t let him watch it, either.
Shidou: He asks Es what they saw in Throw Down. Upon finding out his family wasn’t in it, he chooses not to watch it. He believes he already knows all about his emotions and crime, so there’s no need to go through that pain again. He’s tempted to watch it when he’s confused about Es’ verdict, but still holds off. He does watch Triage when informed his family is in it. He spends hours in front of the screen by himself. Only after seeing that one does he watch Throw Down, though he’s still left confused about Es’ decisions.
Mahiru: Absolutely loves TIHTBILWY. She thinks it perfectly describes her situation, and that the song is very cute. She lets others watch it, and unlike Yuno, feels like singing it 24/7. It reminds her of her bf, and she thinks that’s very romantic. Similar to Shidou, she spends a lot of time watching I Love You just to look at her boyfriend. She shows it to everyone, just to show him off and talk about him, even if she does skip over the beginning and end each time.
Kazui: He is very similar to Shidou; he refuses to watch his videos until T2, assuming it would be too painful to watch something he already knows and wishes to avoid. Unlike Shidou, seeing Hinako is far too painful, and he regrets watching it and seeing her so happy on their wedding day. Though maybe he’s still waiting, and hasn’t seen any of the videos yet…
Amane: Magic makes her worry more than anything. She fears she’s poisoned by unnecessary vainness since so much of her video involves cute things, colors, outfits, animals, and is set up like a tv show. She’s also worried that Es and the others will really see her as a child because of how cute the whole thing is. She prevents herself from watching it too many times, but buried under all her fears, it gives her a surge of pride seeing herself so talented and pretty and the star of the show. Purge March only reaffirms her confidence in her crime – the video brings up some awful memories, but it shows her as a leader, a warrior, a hero! It brings her comfort and confidence more than anything.
Mikoto/John: The videos are distressing to both of them, and they spend all their time studying the others’ screentime. Mikoto watches in horror as John does things that line up with his spotty memories, and John panics seeing that his actions distress Mikoto more than they’ve reassured/saved him. John does end up watching his own scenes a few times – it feels incredibly good to appear in a way that Mikoto may finally notice him. He feels seen. Now, logically I think that MeMe would be the final tipping point in which Mikoto finally accepts the situation and his DID, but if I must stick to his canon denial, then I’d say he goes on a whole rant about movie magic andt the crazy things you can do with editing nowadays. He doesn’t have a good explanation on how Milgram found his home and knew so much about him, but he explains everything away as cgi or camera effects. Double manages to sway him a bit more, as he hears John speak so plainly to him. Just as the audience had some debate on who was apologizing at the end of Double, Mikoto and John wonder who is apologizing to whom. Though they both come to the conclusion it’s their own apology, they decide that if it was the others’, they’d accept it and forgive them.
Kotoko: She’s very pleased with Harrow, and is unashamed to show it to the others. Though she’d been able to watch a few of the previous prisoners’ videos, it still shakes her a bit when she realizes that Milgram really does have the tech to look deep inside her. She watches it just a few times – not obsessing over it, but not afraid either. Deep Cover, however, is a once-and-done sort of deal. She claims she’s not letting the others watch it because “they couldn’t handle such harsh but true criticisms about themselves,” but she doesn’t end up watching it anymore herself, either.
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no bc a large reason i was instantly drawn to the Walmart Echo was because he WOULD be a walmart employee
all these modern AUs where the clones are cops or lawyers or whatever are missing the Big Thing about the clones in canon: they come from nothing, earn nothing, and die with nothing. They don't make money (i think?), they have very little rights, and they're fucking expendable.
You know what that is in real life now? That's the fuckin working class! That's minimum wage, no benefits, no overtime! Your front desk attendants, your cashiers, your stockers, your servers, your retail associates!
not to mention, the clones are men of colour, and a large portion of them becoming disabled (via physical disability or PTSD or what-have-you)... you think they're easily finding jobs? And in THIS economy? I hid my disability, played pretend, and I'm still makin jack squat. I've got privilages they don't have! I have a degree--they wouldnt have gotten formal educations in this universe!
in Star Wars, the clones are taken advantage of the whole damn time. you think it's gonna be any different in the real world?
now obviously people break through and stuff. some clones would, too. but by and large... society is made of working class. clones are blue collar through and through and damn its actually nice to see it.
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