#level of concern mv

[warmglowofsurvival]

[eoieopda]

[visual content blog recommendations]

we see fic recs all the time, but i don’t think i’ve ever seen rec lists for visual content (gif/art/gfx/etc.) creators! they’ve been dealing with a bunch of shit lately between reposts, tumblr garbage, etc., so i wanna shout-out some favorites. thank you for keeping us fed!!

disclaimer: this is not an exhaustive list!! if you have recommendations of your own, please feel free to expand on this yourself and/or drop some of your faves in the replies for others to see. self-promo is always welcome here, too ✨ p.s. some of these are recent finds for me, so pls expect to see more of them on my blog. eta: i will be adding more as i go!!

[bts]

@yooboobies — réka’s gif sets are *chef’s kiss* and the ART? omg. the talent!!! 😭 we simply have to simp.

@cordiallyfuturedwight — apart from being one of the coolest/funniest people i’ve found on army tumblr, i am a kayla stan because the niche themes for her gif sets (ex. bangtan turtlenecks series) feel like they’re made 👏🏻 for 👏🏻 me 👏🏻 even though they absolutely aren’t, lmao.

@hopeinthebox — the bts as reductress headline + incorrect bangtan series are probably my favorite pieces of content on the entire internet??? also, lizzy is absolutely gd hilarious. tags are 11/10. a blessing upon my dash.

@kimtaegis — i’m not visually artistic enough to say this in a way that makes sense, but annie’s gifs are just… stunning? like, the colors? idk about the process that goes into that, but i imagine it takes a lot of time/finesse to be this vivid.

@kithtaehyung — ryen is the renaissance man of army tumblr, fr. not only can she write (like!!!) but she’s multi-faceted and insanely creative with her graphic design. i want her to tutor me, lmao.

@raplinenthusiasts — ooohhhhh my god. the coloring of their gifs makes my brain go brrrrtttt. this bts x the office set is on my “always reblog” list; i’ll share it every time i come across it.

@heybaetae — this set in particular is on my “always reblog” list, no matter how many times i’ve done so already. also, idk how to describe this, but kelli’s gifs are just…. crispy 🤌🏻 like, so satisfying with the…. texture? filtering? contrast? i’m an idiot re: editing terms, but go peep them and you’ll know what i’m trying to say.

@kth1 — literally who could ever forget maggie’s 100 days of (member) series??? the amount of work that had to go into that? unfathomable.

@jeurias — i want to wallpaper my house and office with their gfx. i’m deadass.

@jinstronaut — emmeline has been doing her “a jin a day while he’s away” series for OVER 250 DAYS NOW. i have never been nor will i ever be able to commit to anything to this level.

[multi/skz/atz/svt/etc.]

@starryoong — do not get me started on starry’s paintings, sketches, etc. because i will never shut up. ever. j’adore 🫠 is also a five-star human being.

@irlvernon — my queue is probably 80% max gifs at any given time. god-tier, fr. a must-follow for carats, as far as i’m concerned.

@vcrnons — incredible gifs, lovely human, and also the writer of some of my favorite svt fics??? we stan.

@yelhsaart — i don’t have any words for how much i love their art so please imagine guttural screaming instead. asdfghjkl!!!

@hizuillu — ……breathtaking. legitimately stunning skz art. like…… i have heart palpitations.

@snug-gyu — THE USE OF COLORS. i’m always a simp for pantone-inspired sets; they just scratch an itch in the back of my brain, and BOY HOWDY, is my brain satisfied 😵‍💫

@yunwooz — again, i have no idea what i’m talking about when it comes to the gif-making process, but the colors!!! the COLORS!!! like, taking a mv that’s not super vivid/is fairly greyscale and bringing it to life? ya know????

@booskwan — you want incredible gifs? they’ve got em. you want stunning gfx? they’ve got em. seriously, idk what to tell you except “pause right here and go follow immediately”.

@haechannabelle — listen……. annabelle’s art style is 😗🤌🏻 (that’s a chef’s kiss). the use of color, and the technique, and and and — ! ALSO, i must mention that she took, like, 50 hours to compile a boycott-friendly k-pop playlist. their vibes are simply impeccable.

rev. 4/10/24

[lesbiancarat]

want to give my two cents on the AI usage in the maestro trailer--

i think seventeen doing a whole concept that is anti-AI is very cool, especially as creatives themselves i think it's good that they're speaking up against it and i hope it gets more ppl talking about the issue. i also understand on a surface level the artistic choice (whether it was made by the members, the mv director, or whoever else), to directly use AI in contrast to real, human-made visuals and music in order to criticize it. i also appreciate that they clearly stated the intention of the use of AI at the beginning of the video

however, although i understand it to an extent, i do not agree with the choice to use AI to critique AI. one of the main ethical concerns with generative AI is that it is trained on other artists' work without their knowledge, consent, or compensation. and even when AI generated images are being used to critique AI, it still does not negate this particular ethical concern

the use of AI to critique also does not negate the fact that this is work that could have been done by an actual artist. i have seen some people argue that it's okay in this context because it's a critique specifically about AI, and it is content that never would have been done by a real artist anyway because it doesn't make sense for the story they're trying to tell. but i disagree. i think you can still tell the exact same story without using AI

and in fact, i would argue that it would make the anti-AI message stronger if they HAD paid an artist to draw/animate the scenes that are supposed to represent AI generated images. wouldn't it just be proof that humans can create images that are just as bad and nonsensical and soulless as AI, but that AI can't replicate the creativity and beauty and basic fucking anatomy that's in human-made art?

it feels very obvious this was not just a way to cut corners and costs like a lot of scummy people are using AI for. ultimately it was a very intentional creative decision, i just personally think it was a very poor one. and even if some ethical considerations were taken into account before this decision, i certainly don't think all of them were. at the very least i feel like the decision undermines the message they want to convey

i would also like to recognize that i myself am not an artist, and i have seen some artists that are totally on board with the use of AI in this specific context, so clearly this is not a topic that is cut and dry. but generative AI is still new, and i think it's important to keep having these conversations

[shrinevandal]

Initial thoughts on Double and Neoplasm - Who is guilty? What's true and what's a lie?

Hello! This is a (fairly long, sorry) post analysing the MV for Double, as well as Neoplasm, and what it means for Mikoto, Orekoto, a potential 3rd alter, their relationship as a whole, and Mikoto's judgement.

Note: I am a system myself, I am usually not very open about this so please don't ask about the details. But I think it's important to state that I do struggle with a lot of the same stuff Mikoto* does, and so my perception of it comes from a level of understanding that singlets may not have.

Obviously this contains spoilers for both Double and Neoplasm, I would recommend you watch/listen to both beforehand. This is also just my initial interpretation, I have purposefully avoided any other posts about it to make my theory/interpretation as straightforward and from-the-source as possible.

Some terminology notes: I will be using John to refer to Orekoto, as Es has so thoughtfully dubbed him. Also, if I say MILGRAM in all caps I am referring to the project itself, and if I say Milgram in title case I am referring to the location/entity which Es works for. I also believe the 3koto theory, which will become relevant at various points here. Any translators or sources will be linked at the end.

Alright, let's get into it. Music video analysis:

Double - Visual Motifs

There are a lot of visual elements to Double, which I will break down into different sections.

Phone (& Tarot)

There are two major instances of Mikoto's phone being important in the song: Right at the beginning, when he's getting several texts and then an incoming call from "Chief" (almost certainly his boss), and in the middle of the song, when he gets a call from his mom. In the beginning, Mikoto* doesn't even look at the texts, and when he answers the call, he seems to barely be listening.

Translation of the texts are as follows (thank you rochisama on wordpress!):

- Regarding the first draft you submitted today, I think option B might be the best after all, so can you remake it by morning.

- Also, I forgot to mention, but you made a lot of mistakes with the one we spoke about earlier, so make sure it’s all fixed too. This one also needs to be ready by morning, so I’ll leave it to you to get everything ready.

- Oi, get back here now.

- Are you going to abandon your duties?

There are also two fun little details here with the phone: His lock screen is a picture of the Hanged Man, the same version that was on his shirt in MeMe:

Also, His battery is at 29%.

Two of prisoner nine.

Later in the song, when his mom calls him, he immediately picks up, greets her energetically despite the bags under his eyes, and informs her he's doing well and not to worry.

"Oh, hello? Mom? It’s been a while. Yeah… well, I mean, some days are hard, but… I’m doing alright, don’t worry. How’ve you been? I’ll go home next time I get some time off."

He also hangs up very quickly, as if he doesn't want to talk to her. He gives her placating words and then ends the conversation as soon as he can.

According to his S1 Interrogation questions, Mikoto's family consists of him, his mom, and his younger sister. His parents are divorced. He gets along well with both his mom and sister, but also states that he can't let his mom worry. This checks out with him hiding the truth from her, as letting her know just how badly he's doing would certainly cause concern. Keep all this in mind, it will become important later on.

Eyes

I don't have much of note to say about it right now, but eyes are a pretty heavy visual motif throughout the whole video.

One thing I will say about it, though, is the large eyes across the whole screen show up twice: Once as orange, symbolizing John, and then as a grey-blue, symbolizing Mikoto.

Colors

There are five important colors: Blue, Green, Red/Orange, and Pink.

I'm grouping red and orange because I believe they both symbolize John. Blue is obviously Mikoto.

As I've mentioned, I am a fan of the 3koto theory- The visuals in the MV for MeMe, and even the composition itself, allude to 3 different entities (Music theory nerd here, hehe - I wanna write my own take on the 3koto theory eventually and talk about the way the song itself changes, but that's for another time.) And now in Double, it seems like there is still that imagery, albeit much less strongly than before.

So green, like in MeMe, symbolizes Midori/Midokoto/whatever you wanna call him. Pink is a little bit of a weird one, so I'll get to that in the moment. Anyway, let's start with some John moments.

The red glow in the back shows that John is the one fronting in all three of these shots, with Mikoto being asleep behind him in the second one.

An example of blood splatters with an orange tint. This is part of the reason I think both orange and red symbolize Mikoto, since they're so interconnected here. Also, as mentioned in the eyes section, the eyes there are very orange whereas John is usually associated with red.

Speaking of eyes,

Huge 3koto implications in a few frames from this shot. John's body flashes green at one point, and the background and fire-halo are green when John's eyes are glowing orange. In the next image, the body's eyes are scribbled over in green. This scene in particular is very interesting to me, with both implications of Midori's existence and his connection to the eye motif. It also calls John "savior"

Here's another notable instance of 3koto near the beginning, right after John throws Mikoto's phone. Notice the color progression in the scene. Green background with blue text, down to red background and red text. John is clearly being portrayed as an outsider here, with Midori and Mikoto being a duo.

Going back to blood splatters, there are various points in the video where the "inverse" of the blood is either green or blue. This also checks out with both red and orange being John's colors; Blue is the opposite of orange, and green is the opposite of red. This also doubles (haha) as another example of John being the opposite of MikoMido

The train itself has a lot of green highlights. When John stares out the door into the other train cars, it flashes green a few times. It's not pictured here, but the door also flashes a staticky pink once, and so does Mikoto's body earlier in that same scene I showed where it's fully green.

Alright, more on pink now. I'm actually not entirely sure what it may symbolise, but my main guess is it's Mikoto's victims.

Aside from the instances mentioned above, these are the most prominent pink scenes in the video. Similar to how orange was juxtaposed against both blue and green, here it's against blue. In context, these scene also seems to me like a switch, a realization of what Mikoto has done. A brief instance where his memories coexist with him, and he's horrified at his actions.

Double - Overall Analysis

As pointed out in the colors section above, Midori seems to be very present still. He seems to be haunting the video in a way, lying just underneath the surface.

A really important aspect of DID that hasn't been directly addressed by MILGRAM is the fact that it's caused by childhood trauma, usually around the ages 9 to 10 or younger. For those who don't know, this is because young kids have not fully formed their identity and sense of self yet. Usually, kids will eventually consolidate all their various parts into one, which becomes their sense of self. But trauma literally changes how the brain works on several levels, and for some kids, that interrupts the process of those parts fusing together. (This is also why there's discourse behind the idea of an "original" personality - Which one is the "original" between a pair of identical twins, for example? One cell divided into two, so really neither of them are that first cell.)

My theory for Mikoto's childhood trauma and subsequent DID symptoms, is that Mikoto in his current form is the body's "first" alter, and that Midori was the original host. (I have several reasons for believing it's this and not the other way around, but it's not that important for this post. But do think about, "I'm already the fake one.")

We know that John specifically was created as a result of Mikoto's job stress, meaning he was obviously not around when Mikoto and Midori were kids. By the time the events of MILGRAM roll around, it seems like Midori is completely dormant, or at least very rarely fronts, as John seems to pretty clearly imply just his and Mikoto's existence in both Double and Neoplasm. But if John wasn't around when Mikoto was a kid, there has to have been at least one other alter throughout the course of Mikoto's life. You don't just suddenly develop DID at age 23 without having had it since you were traumatized (Unless the MILGRAM team is just clueless about DID, which is possible too but imo they've done a pretty decent job so far so I would rather believe in 3koto. I have faith in them, maybe that'll bite me in the ass eventually, who knows).

Mikoto's childhood trauma is not very clear, but I think it can be one of two main things, and they are likely connected: Either something to do with his parents' divorce, or the reason he is so against worrying his mom.

Mikoto clearly loves his mother a lot, but it seems like doesn't trust her on some level. He doesn't want her to worry, which is an understandable emotion, especially if she puts a lot of pressure on him to perform well, which I have a feeling is the case. (Full disclosure, I could be projecting my own experiences here, because I have had these same struggles with my own mom pressuring me to do well in school and such. But I think it's worth mentioning)

Mikoto clearly hates his job, but he doesn't get a new one. Referencing the Interrogation again, while he seems to enjoy the career path he's on (ie graphic design), the job he currently has is purely to make money, and not for his enjoyment. He also mentions in the Interrogation that he hopes someday he can start his own indie company. In the real world, it's actually very common for graphic designers to start with jobs in advertising, because it makes a lot of money. Then once they have enough to support themselves, they go on to projects they're more passionate about. So Mikoto's reasons for sticking with his advertising job could be either to make money or to satisfy his mom, or both. Again, I could very much be projecting here.

Now onto his dad and the divorce. I won't lie, I am not at all an expert in Japanese law, but I'm fairly familiar with US law because my mom is a lawyer here. So how it usually how it works in the US is that parents divide custody by either working out a schedule or by simply choosing which kid goes with which parent, unless one parent is abusive, in which case all kids go to the non-abusive parent. In Japan, however, apparently the mom is the default parent that kids go to, regardless of other situations, except in some extreme cases probably. Again, not an expert, but it seems that even if Mikoto's mom was abusive in some way, the court system would still give Mikoto and his sister over to her, especially if her form of abuse is purely psychological with no physical evidence. So this is one possibility, but even if both parents were good people and separated on friendly terms, divorce can be traumatizing for kids. It's unclear at what age Mikoto's parents divorced, but it seems to have been long enough ago that he doesn't even consider his dad part of his family. Meaning it's very possibly the main source of trauma that cause Mikoto's DID.

Neoplasm

Alright, finally it's time for the audio drama! This is a much shorter section, but there's a LOT here and I'm really excited about this one actually, because it seems like a step in the right direction for Mikoto and accepting John. He doesn't know it's DID, nor does Es try to tell him, but he acknowledges it as "sleepwalking", which is still super huge. If Kotoko and Es ever choose to inform him, it seems like they have a much better chance at getting across to him now than when MILGRAM started.

John being much more present and coherent is also big news, as he has a full on conversation with Es, and even receives a name from them. Although he expresses concern about this and "wishes he had stayed a monster", I honestly think this is amazing for both him and Mikoto. Along with the sleepwalking analogy, it's progress on their ability to accept themselves and each other.

John also sheds some light on his and/or Mikoto's murder, claiming that there were several indiscriminate victims, and that his memories are also fuzzy, citing that it's likely because he had only recently been born. To me, the most interesting part of this is the fact that John's memories are not intact. While he seems to think it's just due to not really being used to being alive, I think there's another explanation for it. Fuzzy memories are a very common symptom of DID, and most notably happens when one alter tries to access another alter's memories, often because they're being blocked. Maybe in a similar way to how Mikoto doesn't remember anything? 🤔

Another important thing here is that John claims that he is the one who killed people. But the most pressing question is, is he telling the truth?

We know that Milgram's criteria for what counts as murder and who counts as the perpetrator is very loose; For example, Yuno's abortions are enough to qualify her, and Fuuta doxxing Killcheroy is enough to qualify him. So it's not a stretch to think that maybe John really is the killer, and that Milgram just picked Mikoto as the person to be judged since he's the "main" alter. But this honestly doesn't sit right with me.

If there's one thing we know for certain about John and his dynamic with Mikoto, it's that he would do anything to ensure Mikoto's safety. Notice how he was incredibly nonchalant about the murder until Es pointed out that even with psychological evaluation taken into account, the death penalty is still very likely for Mikoto. As soon as they allude to Mikoto being in danger, John's attitude immediately switches, claiming over and over, very relentlessly, that he was the sole killer, and that Mikoto is innocent. His frantic behaviour is a very clear sign that this is survival mode; why would he tell Es the truth if it could put Mikoto in danger?

All of this really goes back to the major differences between them; Mikoto is honest and uses humor to cope, John avoids being open and lashes out at people. Mikoto straight up blocks all the bad memories, John is aware of them but has a hazy recollection of events.

So while it's a possibility that Mikoto is innocent and that John is the killer, I find it much, much more likely that Mikoto did it and then blocked his own memories, and that John is lying about the situation to protect Mikoto. It's what he's always done, after all.

Final thoughts - Forgiven vs Unforgiven

This may be an unpopular take, but I think as of right now, my first instinct is to vote Mikoto as Unforgiven. I'd like to point out that there's a difference between Innocent vs Guilty, which is how the terms are officially translated, but in Mikoto and John's case I think they are interconnected. There are cases in Milgram where I think they're completely separate ideas and cases where I think the difference is moot, and MikoJohn definitely fall into the latter one.

I also am very conflicted on the concept of Metavoting; for example, Amane being voted Unforgiven was an incredibly stupid decision on the majority's part and I'm not afraid to state that. (Tbf Her mental state is delicate enough that forgiving her would also not end well, but lesser of two evils imo. But all that's for another time.) However, with MikoJohn, again, it actually aligns very well with my actual judgement. John very clearly states that it's his belief that forgiving Mikoto will reduce Mikoto's stress, and allow John to fade away. Whether this is a good or bad thing, or neutral even, is pretty complex honestly, but I think for me personally, I would view it as a bad thing.

Again, I am not very open about my system-isms, but I relate a lot to Mikoto in his current state of being unable to accept John's existence. I was in that exact same position once, and for me, accepting the existence of my alters was very beneficial to all three of us, and we are much closer now and less stressed overall. If John continues to exist, that means Mikoto will have a chance to figure things out and accept John's existence. But if John fades, he may be still caught in that perpetual state of half-existence, with Mikoto being unable to accept him.

So with all these things together; the fact that Mikoto is the one we are judging and I am pretty sure he is the killer, the fact that John may fade if Mikoto is forgiven, and how that isn't a good thing in Mikoto's case, and the fact that - I am pretty damn sure I want to vote Mikoto as Unforgiven. This isn't the be-all, end-all, of course. We don't know if John's prediction is correct about disappearing, we don't know if voting Mikoto Unforgiven will actually have the opposite effect that I hope for and drive him to his breaking point, hell we still don't know who did it. My opinion may change because again, this is just my initial thoughts. I'd love to interact with other systems about this and see their thoughts and opinions. Thank you for reading if you made it this far!!!

Translations, Resources, Etc

Chief's texts, translated by rochisama on wordpress

Interrogation questions, referenced from the MILGRAM Wikia. I'm unsure of the translator, sorry.

A/V of Neoplasm, edited by ac on youtube, featuring translation by onigiriico

kayanomikotoba's Triokoto theory (fun fact, this post is one of the main reasons I got into MILGRAM!)

A quick overview on Japanese divorce law, specifically by the US foreign embassy but it's good enough for my purposes

[just-orbiting-you]

if today showed me anything, army is capable of condemning and suppressing the spread of invasive media from korean news outlets. at this time they are blatantly wrong for forcing themselves into a situation that was resolved, but they are always wrong for violating the privacy of bts (and also idols at large).

that includes camping at airports, reporting on their military updates with pictures, paparazzi pictures, and any other information that does come from bighit and the members. why is this so hard to comprehend for so many? people will say “this is just how things are,” but we can’t realize how the normalization of this adds to the level of dehumanization and disrespect of our members. they should be able to have at least an ounce of agency and grace in their personal lives.

what happened to yoongi shouldn’t have turned into a witchhunt to tear him down. this shouldn’t have been news in the first place. but since the media is so concerned with bts and their personal lives, this is what we are left with.

bts give us more than enough media from official channels - music, mvs, travel shows, behind the scenes, livestreams. consider going against giving the media the attention they want by profiting off of and manipulating the narratives around bts.

[hrodvitnon]

Small confession: I've been on Gojitwit much more often recently and I've borne firsthand witness to these- questionable at best- takes.

(for context, i dont go to interact with this stuff- the only reason i use twitter in the first place is because a lot of very talented artists both in the monsterverse fanbase and out either exclusively or primarily post on it. So I like being able to support their work and get a hit of content that tumblr just hasn't been giving me. This hellsite is nice, yes, but it can definitely be very dry sometimes.)

And I mean- yeah- they're bad, no arguments there, but i think twitter has just become a perfect cesspool of interaction bait, bots, AI, and general dumbasses that kinda just sour anything that happens there. There are certainly fandom problems- which I will get to- but Twitter has an uncanny ability to magnify problems to a frankly ridiculous level.

Now there are fandom problems too, but I think these are representative of a larger issue with the IP in general. Multiple problems, actually. One is that we're kind of in a dry season for kaiju/monsterverse content. Basically every MV project is pretty distant on the horizon, with the only exception being that Kong game, and it's kinda starting to wear on especially the side of the fandom concerned with the Godzilla side of the property. This segways into the other glaring issue: Legendary doesn't own half of their universe. Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, Ghidorah, Mechagoji- these are all characters they have to both pay licenses for and also follow some pretty harsh rules to work with- and are simultaneously the parts of this universe many fans like the best. Some directors follow said rules better than others- like for example we now know that Wingard basically threw his hands in the air and handed off Godzilla's scenes in GxK to be handled by a smaller team so he could focus the bulk of the movie on Kong, who is a much easier character to do stuff with as he's not artificially held back by this stuff. Speaking of Kong being easier to work with- this is almost certainly a major reason for Goji's absence from the MV game- and also why they seem very concerned with sticking to original in-house Titans they don't have to shill out a couple million to use.

So yeah, I think Legendary is starting to feel the strain on their pockets whenever Goji pops up in a film or show- and Kong/homebrewed Titans save them money. This is why I kind of don't buy the 'apes are easier to empathize with' as being the definitive reason Goji got sidelined- it's just the one that gets parroted the most often and serves as good rage-bait. If that were genuinely true, HTTYD would not be a million dollar franchise.

In conclusion: twitter stinky. except for the kongzilla artists they're cool.

I don't think I've ever heard the idea that Goji's lack of screentime is due to "apes are more empathetic," that I've only heard allegedly coming from chimp simps acting like Kong is Jesus (I say allegedly because I like my sanity enough to not look that shit up with my own eyes). Then again, it would be just like Xhitter to say something like "Godzilla sucks but Toothless is cool because Toothless is cat".

[shadowetienne]

OnlyOneOf be series thoughts

As undergrOund idOl / be series draws to a close, I'm noticing some interesting parallels between the three pairs and trying to think about the messages they are trying to give.

Each pair seems to have one member who is more at peace with his sexuality and one who is still struggling with it on some level.

In "begin" / "be free," Yoojung enters the story line comfortable with himself if unsure if how the world will treat him. His character is open, receptive, and as the song states, "ready to begin." KB's character arc in the two MVs involves him coming to terms with himself enough to accept his attraction to Yoojung and meet that openness, therefore becoming free as the title again suggests: in this case, free from the constraints he put on himself. However, we can also assume that it connects to the constraints that he has experienced from society, especially since even the more open of the two of them is waiting to be approached.

In "be mine" / "because," Junji is ready and comfortable acting on his feelings. He is both the one who initiates the relationship by running after Rie to talk to him, and the one who initiates and levels up a lot of the physicality. One of the points where this is really obvious is taking off the shirts at the pool. Junji is at ease, ready to show off, be seen, and go to the next point, while Rie is hesitant even though he does also take off the shirt. There's a lot more anxiety present in Rie's character when it comes to the relationship.

While "beat" / "beyond" is not complete yet, I feel pretty confident saying Mill is the half of this pair uncomfortable with his sexuality and position in society while Nine has come to terms with himself and is more relaxed. It's pretty blatant in how Mill faces bullying, how Nine and Mill interact in the art room scene. I am really curious to see how that continues to play out in "beyOnd."

The different pairs seem to be telling stories from different life stages/ages.

And we seem to be going backwards in age. Yoojung and KB are telling a story of full adults who have careers or at least jobs, and adult lives. Their story involves at least the implications of clubbing and cruising, and part of their struggle clearly involves being free to be themselves in the world and society without ruining what they already have.

Junji and Rie are showing a story of young adulthood. It's much more centered around the individual and less their roles in the world. They are independent at this point, but not fully invested into their adult lives, and they also seem to know others who are queer, and not necessarily need to hide from their immediate peers. (Junji and KB as friends, the cafe where Yoojung works as a meeting place, which seems to be a soft reference to My Beautiful Laundrette, a queer film.)

The ages of the characters really clicked with the addition of Mill and Nine's story being set in high school. They are in a life stage where they have pretty much adult emotions and reasoning ability without the experience, emotional control, and most importantly agency to really have security. While KB's struggle seems to largely be about his own emotions towards the world and how it views him in "be free," Mill is being faced with the reality of physical threat to his safety shoved in his face constantly through the bullying shown in "beat." It's pervasive, it's out in the open, and no one really seems to have tried to do anything to stop it before Nine. Being a teenager who knows or suspects that you're queer in an environment that is actively hostile towards you for it and you have no power to get out of is terrifying, and that is part of what makes "beat" and its story really poignant. Nine also clearly is facing some of these same potential concerns, but he seems to be coming from a place where he is able to be more secure. He's gotten "beyOnd" that. Either he's supported at home, or I suspect he's already faced what he thought was the worst possibility and he survived and kept going so he believes it will be ok once they get past this phase. I'm really curious what they show in his MV.

The phone booth as liminal space and a point of connection.

The phone booth has shown up in every set of MVs. It's where KB falls into Yoojung's arms. It's one of the places that Junji and Rie meet and Rie was (or was going to be) making a call. It's where Nine stumbles into Mill's arms after having been beaten up (I can't wait for context).

Phone booths are giving me a few different connections here:

Phone booths were a really common place used in cruising, and I do think that this is being referenced intentionally in Yoojung and KB's storyline. Yoojung waiting in a phone booth isn't innocent happenstance.

Obviously, phone booths are a place one can make calls, and reach out to others, and this part plays a pretty clear imagery role in Junji and Rie's story.

But on that front, when I was a queer teenager in danger of being kicked out, one of the things we told each other in our secretive connections between queer teenagers who all had recognized each other, with those of us who were out whether we wanted to be or not at the center of these clusters, was always carry enough change to make at least one payphone call, and have the number memorised for a safe person to call. Maybe this was just my extended circle in the Bay Area, in the early 00s, but it feels like it's a cultural thing I've seen references to. The idea at least, of going to a phone booth to make that call because you have been kicked out and you are reaching out to the one person who you are pretty sure is safe, that seems to resonate with how I see the scene with Mill at the phone booth at the end of "beat."

Paper cranes as a symbol of hope and the future.

Right now, especially with the lack of paper cranes in "beat" (will they return in Nine's MV?), I'm feeling like paper cranes are symbols of hopes or wishes for the future. Yoojung has some to start with, and then there are the small number shared between him and KB. Their hopes are tentative, just starting and building slowly. They aren't on steady footing yet. Yoojung has those hopes for the future of his own accord, but KB needs to connect with Yoojung to start getting his own hopes to match.

Junji and Rie have lots of them, made together, and gathered up and in many colors and possibilities. They're still a little fragile, but even if they get a little crumpled, they can be picked up off the floor and are mostly fine. The use of their respective colors in places for the cranes is a nice touch. Even though the relationship takes a turn and has a struggle, theyve built up the hopes together and it doesn't seem like they are so easily ruined (I'm reading it as them making up at the end).

Mill hasn't had the chance to have hope for his future yet. I think that if Nine's MV marks the return of paper cranes, it says something about Nine bringing hope into the situation. Mill isn't alone, there are other people like him. Even if their high school romance goes no where long term, Nine will have shown him possibility of future. I am hoping that we get that hope in Nine's MV.

I feel like I'm forgetting at least one theme I wanted to talk about, but it's after midnight, so I'm going to leave this ramble here.

[shesacarver]

Significance of "Clancy is Dead."

For about two years, from the end of Trench until The Outside’s MV, Clancy was declared dead. 

LOC Drive [ – Transcribed [ Link ] – ]. "Clancy is Dead" is spelled out on the TV behind Tyler.

Scaled And Icy, very early on, was noted to be an anagram for "Clancy is Dead"

The infraction code of Clancy’s Account Terminated page ( April 5, 2021 - March 16, 2022 ) was a cipher that read "CLANCY IS DEAD" when decoded.

The infraction code from Clancy’s Account Terminated page also appeared on the bottom of the Livestream’s promotional posters. 

A ship in Saturday's MV had ‘ 030904 ‘ written on its back, and when translated, says "_C_I_D"

Redecorate, in its entirety, is formatted like a suicide note, is in Clancy’s handwriting, and features a spoken excerpt from 988 06MOON 18. The lyric video is strictly blue, the color of defeat.

And then, on March 16, 2022, Clancy began posting letters again. The Account Terminated page was removed, and Clancy was never declared dead again.

I previously thought they had just retconned this as a creative choice. However,

" Clancy is Dead " was never meant to be taken literally. 

The Outside's MV illustrates this best. 

The video metaphorically depicts Clancy's killing off of his old self. 

He used to see Keons as a symbol of consolation, but that subservience is now dead. That part of Clancy is dead. Clancy was able to stay alive by killing his mind. 

The sharp contrast between the freedom of Trench and the oppressive forced creation of Scaled and Icy ( and perhaps Level of Concern? ) was the spark to ignite a true rebellion.  

As he stated in 022 03MOON 18, " This small eerie island has made me a weapon. We both believe that we can use it to change the momentum of this war. Now, we must return to the mainland where they should be there to receive us. We will destroy and rebuild. "

~ shesacarver

[thefootnotes]

scaled & icy live

an hour, huh? i best get comfy.

it's all under the cut xx

the graphics are kinda funky

OH IS THIS WHERE THE PANSEXUAL FLAG COLOURS CAME FROM OKAY

i can get hype about some pink blue and yellow fr

wait is this meant to be the dema morning show?? thats so fucking funny though. thats actually so fucking funny.

okay wait so in this dema universe, in the lore, twenty one pilots is still a band? tyler joseph and josh dun are still a band?

why is he sad :(

"is that. number 16 cotton candy" bitch ofc it is

YEAH JOSH WHERE ARE YOU

u good tyler

whats with the wookie noises

into choker tho is beautiful

THE STAGE AGH

sorry brief mention to how fucking good josh looks in this video oml

the stressed out bridge coming in there????

wait are these the bishops little minions or smth cause theres too many of them to be the bishops

this is a vibey little live version

man sidenote im so ordering merch this weekend

wait wahts the light thing at the back

is that supposed to be the nine towers?

oh into migraine?? was not expecting that

"depresS" everybody fucking freeze. "ive thoughts."

into morph??

its a little all over the place but in a good way?? does that make sense

wait no bring back tylers agonised screaming

"my personal favourite, mulberry street" i hate you but same

YES MULBERRY STREET

KEEP YOUR BLISS THERES NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS FUCK YEAH

the murals. yes

josh just doin his lil bounce in the back tho

whats with the chick wtih the teddy bear

that guy was not there before was he???

and back to the piano. agh.

the little adlibs afkdlsjfdsklfjsld

see in my head all these dancers are banditos and i will take no argument

in two days i will know this mulberry street choreo by heart. just saying

when tyler and josh are looking for people for their next venture i will be ready. im telling you now.

that girl in the front in the skirt ate that

wait whos this girl

LANE BOY FUCK YEAH

whats with the gas masks? are you my mummy? /ref

wait where did josh's shirt go not that im complaining

anybody want to learn this choreo with me too

wait i wonder if i can convince my partner to do this at our wedding actually (long long way away but i picture it being Highly Amusing)

joshs hair is just so good in this video idec

joshua william dun was that a lip bite and a wink. god fucking damn

oh hello guitar

into chlorine?? okay this setlist is. wow

whats with all of joshs costume changes??

okay tylers coat is eating here now tho

shy away yessss

the set for this is so interesting too

shy awAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY

his little dance is so cute stop

also side note josh ate that fit so hard

"it brought tears to my eyes" same, dude. same.

ok that was fucking weird

that shirt should be so ugly so why is he kind of eating

the outside yes

josh in the onesie wtf😭 he's so!!!!!

hey bud where u goin

just casually breakdancing in the street. ok

"shut uP!" lmaooo

the water into the night sky into the backdrop is beautiful

THE UKULELELLELELELLELELE

WAIT HEATHENS ON UKE??? THIS IS GORGEOUS

wait he's in a boat thats so fucking cool

the sets for this are jsut fucking brilliant

i love this being just sort of him and the ukulele. i love it.

torchbearers back yaaaaay

ohhhh jumpsuit???? and the set gives the mv vibes

and then immediately into heavydirtysoul???

tyler periodically turning into a velociraptor is feeding my soul tbh

why are the hosts gradually looking more and more demonic/dead

SATURDAY AYYYYYYY

the disco ball lmaoo

the vibes here are immaculate

wait???? is that jenna?????????????????????

her sweater is so fckn cute tho

him getting off the phone and just going "oooooooooooooooOoOooooooooOOOOOOooOoOOOOOOOOoooooo" is such a mood

the BOOMBOX yES

LEVEL OF CONCERN FUCK YEAH

oooooh the backdrop here is fire?? the colour palette fdjklfjkldj

the remixed vibes of all the songs are fucking slapping. are they available to stream or anything anywhere??

riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide!!!!!!!!

the visuals have been on point this entire video can i just say

also tylers shirt is so cool???

all the horn instruments are intriguing me

josh is so!!!!!!!!!!

car radio!!! car!!!!!!! radio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this song mostly just makes me want to cry actually. but

wait the mask!!!! the!!!! mask!!!!!

THE MASK IS OFF!!!!

well that was short lived

all the sirens and the freaking out and hes just like 🥰👉👈👏👏

NEVER TAKE IT

everythings on fire. again.

the little adlibs are so fucking cute tho

also i love when tyler just fuckin. screams

the three guitars in the one shot is such a fuckin vibe

the two in the back just clapping😭

and then there were two....

the lil dragon omg

oh look whos back on the couch

choker again????? yay??????

no tyler dont be sad :(

the overhead shot of all the sets>>>>>>>>>

yeah bitches you better clap for them

wAIT THEYRE CLAPPING FOR US

no cause josh and tyler at the end there kdfjfsdjfjdksl cuties

wow okay so much to unpack there im gonna go grab some chocolates and soda water

okay i've got the chocolates and soda water.

wow! so that was quite the experience. i can kind of understand how it all ties in with the clancy storyline, but it also feels like its not really *integrated* in the storyline. at least not for me at this point.

i really really enjoyed that whole video itself, regardless of lore. it was just a very interesting and cool way to present those songs

god i wish!!!!! there was a higher quality video. i couldnt find one on any of the sites i normally use, most of them said they were taken down, so.. :(

i dont really get what was happening with the woman and the man, the hosts? like i get that they were hosting but their whole vibe was off and they kept seeming to look injured/possessed/straight up weird. so.

im gonna take a quick break, maybe 15 minutes, to just draw a little bit and have some food and water and then i'll come back to the saturday video. i'm just sort of losing my focus and i need to do something else rq to kind of get my head back into it! so brb!

[boinin]

Blue Lock Manga

We've been blessed by Chp 218 🙌 It's had a mixed response but I enjoyed it a lot.

Thoughts under the cut.

Previous chapter analyses

The art continues to blow me away. I didn't appreciate it as much when I was bingeing through the chapters, or when I watched the anime 🙃 but gosh it's so pretty. These are my personal favourite panels this week. The one with Barou and Isagi is so evocative. A clear visual explanation of the difference between Metavision and Predator Eye.

Isagi is data scientist AU anybody?

He's SUCH a dork, and I mean that in the kindest sense. Bro's reeling off completely fabricated terms to Niko like he's teaching a class 🥹 I love that he's so keen to pass on what he's learned. He's shown himself to be a voracious learner, going to everyone from Barou to Rin to Kunigami for tips. I want to see someone ask him for instruction!

Also - how cute are Aiku and Niko in this chp?! They're like brothers. I have a draft outline in my writing vault for an Ubers found family fluff fic featuring these two, and this isn't helping me ignore it.

Not everyone has metavision, what a shocking reveal /s It felt heavy handed in delivery, but it shows who Isagi's rivals are in terms of playmaking and predictions. No, Raichi isn't coming for Himsagi's bag yet.

Another amazing set of panels, love it any time they go nuts with the puzzle pieces. Isagi lists only four... but I think Kaneshiro's setting up Aiku to be the surprise fifth MV user. He might not consciously activate the ability as Isagi does, but he's definitely capable.

I had sight of these panels from the leaks when I was writing up the chp 217 post, so I won't rehash the BM v Ubers point. But I like how this visualises their differences. The art is grotesque but really beautiful at the same time. Look at Isagi naming himself at the top alongside Kaiser! That's ego growth for you.

On that note: who's the Game Changer this chapter's talking about? Isagi seems to think it's going to be one of him or Kaiser, or out of Ubers, Lorenzo, Barou, Aiku or Niko. Naturally, it's not likely to be any of these, cos ✨suspense✨

The chapter itself ends with a suggestion that it'll be BM that supplies it...

EMOGAMI PLEASE, DO SOMETHING WITH THAT EDGE OF YOURS, WHAT'S THE POINT OTHERWISE 😭

I'm biased towards my boy Rensuke, but I'll try to be objective here. On the subreddit, people are split 50:50 between being excited that he's getting a moment, or rolling their eyes at that edgy ball steal. I couldn't care less about whether this is an accurate depiction of soccer playing or not (it's a shounen battle manga as far as I'm concerned). But I do think Kunigami's solo run will get shut down next chapter. He hasn't had a lot to do in this match, but I think Kaneshiro will hold back on Kunigami's development for the PXG showdown.

In the last panel, you can see Kunigami's barrelling towards the goal. There's two defenders up ahead. One is Niko, who's apparently well-suited to reacting to sudden threats (i.e. him tackling Isagi). The other is not so obvious... but odds are, it's Aiku. Who's also not done a lot so far and who doesn't have a grudge against Shidou Ryuusei to milk later

My prediction? Kunigami will outmuscle Niko, but get walled by a levelled-up Aiku, leaving a free ball for Kaiser or Isagi to claim.

As for who'll be the true game changer? Said it already, but if Hiori's not getting subbed on for our newly christened royal trash!Ness in the next five chapters, I'll eat my hat. 🐑

No more commentary from me. Just signing off with a glorious narcissistic bastard entering flow 💅

[gunsli-01]

Wild take, but like gonna be honest. A lot of the reason the verdict for Futa changed is because- Sure, people hold disdain for bullies, but most people hate hypocritical systems. The only thing we've learned that should be taken away from Mu and Futa's cases is that all societies are built on some level of hypocrisy that incentivises the exploitation of people weaker than oneself.

The line between the exploited and the one who does the exploiting is incredibly thin when looked at fully. Whether that exploitation be the manipulation of one's own good intentions or done through intimidation. When boiled down to it these are all things that most societies allow and actively promote doing to get ahead regardless of what common law and morality would lead some to believe. It's easy to be harsher to Mu this round because she voices agreement with a system many people recognize as flawed and voting everyone Innocent would have never really been an option anyhow given other prisoners mindsets.

This isn't a balancing act and there's no way to game this system because the continuation will always be a direct reaction to the verdict. On a base level that's how everything in life is. Most of life is a sequence of react or act. When Milgram started the people around from the beginning were given the choice to act and they did. Trial two is seeing the reactions of not only the prisoners but the guards old and new.

It was also incredibly easy for most to look past the revelation that Mu was a bully because, on a certain level, most people understand what would lead someone to bully another person. Even if it's not a good way to respond to anything or even something a person should do. I'm just saying people can rationalize and find emotional reasons to overlook previous failings in character because people can mature and change. However, systems are not people they cannot mature and rarely willingly change because if it's not broken, why fix it.

Usually, systems change when people combat them. I think the most hurtful thing about Mu's recent trial is how it puts on display how willing she is to overlook people who are trampled by a system she herself realizes is flawed and outlandish. Not really showing concern about it until it's made clear it can become her problem. That attitude mixed with the contents of her mv to some can make it seem as though she hasn't changed at all. Because she's still more than willing to turn a blind eye to people who suffer under systems she benefits from.

[stormyoceans]

I don't believe LT can fail. I can’t even imagine how it could fail. but if it does fail, I think our boys will get stuck in supporting roles in mediocre projects and never get out. there will be no events, concerns, mv. don't mind me. I’m lying in the hospital, scrolling through Twitter out of boredom and feeling sad.

hi, anon!!!!

first of all, i hope you're okay and that you're not at the hospital for anything serious!!! im sending you my best wishes, a very big hug and all the love!!!!

i honestly don't wanna make predictions on how last twilight is gonna fare because on one hand i don't wanna jinx it, and on the other if there's one thing i've learned in the past two years is that i have WILDLY different tastes from the majority of the fandom so i clearly have no idea what works for people and what doesn't ;;;;;;

i do think last twilight is a very ambitious project: it's an original script that focuses on a main character with disability, and that alone opens the show up to a lot of possible criticism, but that's exactly why it's also so important. im not gonna be a hypocrite and pretend one of the reasons i want last twilight to succeed isn't so jimmysea will finally get the recognition they deserve, but im fully aware that there's also something way bigger at stake here: the show gaining popularity would give a very clear message to GMMTV about diversity and representation and maybe slowly open up the industry to actors with disability as well

anyway, idk if this can be of any consolation but even IF last twilight doesn't become super popular, GMMTV is NEVER gonna be able to downplay or get rid of jimmysea AND IMMA SHOW YOU WHY

OUR BOYS BRING ALL THE DIRECTORS TO THE YARD AND THEY'RE LIKE CHEMISTRY LEVELS SO DERANGED WE'RE GONNA DIE IF WE DON'T GET TO PUT IT ON CAMERA

YOUR HONOR I REST MY CASE [MIC DROP]

[millionsnife]

👫 for... for um... hm. all of them or just mv, up to you...

*cracks knuckles* ok for vash!!!! in timeloop au

the two of them are co-dependent for a very long time; it's knives who finally breaks away in the end and severs their bond. this is one of the very very few universes where his love for his brother finally withers and dies, mostly bc he goes a little Actually Insane™ from all the timeline resetting. he dies a lot, it breaks him eventually and vash is the one left holding on where knives wants nothing to do with him anymore

after he goes Kinda Insane™ knives genuinely starts trying to kill vash; no more protective older twin, he honest to god wants vash to just die so they can stop resetting. at some point he stops resetting the timeline and vash is the only one resetting time.

he totally tries to drown vash in a plant tank at least once

undecided but i think he also tries to feed vash to a worm once

plantfam knives and 7!!!

as far as knives is concerned 7 is a nuisance. he's also adopted now. no takebacks.

7 gets bullied any time he's within eyesight, it's the law

7 has rearranged the kitchen cupboards a minimum of twice after wayward did it the first time

knives will steal the sunglasses and put them on any worm in the vicinity to see how long it takes 7 to get them back.

knives/midvalley

knives' regard for midvalley is the same regard one would have for a favored pet. there's no real emotional regard, at least not in the beginning. he considers him on the same level he considers legato: a useful hunting hound that he can reward for good behavior. (does this ever change into something else? who knows)

he is actually impressed with midvalley's musical ability, and his willingness to kill bystanders to get his actual target. he admires that sort of ruthlessness in others.

knives considers midvalley to be... not stupid exactly, but a bit dull. midvalley isn't actually stupid, knives is just canonly a genius like his brother which means his mind tends to branch off into multiple paths a lot and midvalley doesn't always keep up. knives doesn't keep him around for conversation, fortunately.

once he's been around long enough midvalley starts figuring out that silence with knives can be very loud.

[purgemarchlockdown]

...Im gonna play a dangerous game and maybe write meta about Kotoko BEFORE her MV like I did with Amane....sure I might get horribly contridicited but its also fun.

(Also I need to explain by "Kotoko Yuzuhira believes in the status quo and this is VERY CONCERNING" thoughts in a deeper level than "Heheh she's like my Favorite Status Quo Enforcer Worst Girl")

[acexactly]

Y’all I just had the most amazing dream that was a mashup of The Last of Us and Jeff Satur wearing cunty outfits 😭 Writing it out so I remember the details later, gonna be long so read on if you dare!

Main cast:

- Bella Ramsey as the young version of the MC (pronouns she/they). Very similar to Ellie in The Last of Us. Wears t shirts, jeans, and a backpack. Looks young but will fuck you up 🎒🔪

- Jeff Satur as the adult version of the MC (he/they). Vibes like Dum Dum MV + same hair length. Wears crop tops with jackets and long skirts in dark colors. Heavy eye liner. 🔪🥵🕷️

- Clone Jeff #1 (he/they) has lighter brown hair and wears crop tops and long skirts, but in pastel colors. Has Apo’s 70s hair from that one photo shoot. Gun Atthaphan fashion choices. Lucid MV vibes 💐✨🥰

- Clone Jeff #2 (he/him) wears suit tops and long skirts, all black. Hair and vibes are like military Jeff from the Ghost MV 🚓🕶️😒

- Pedro Pascal as MC’s father figure. Very similar to Joel in TLOU but not as old

- Omar Rudberg as the adult version of MC’s cousin. Basically this:

Plot:

Young MC (Bella) and Pedro in a car mechanic shop, attempting to stop a bad guy from releasing a bomb that would start the apocalypse 💣🦠They fail, and humans have to live underground for 20ish years (air pollutant hand-wavy science).

We (the audience) see Bella, Pedro, and Bella’s surviving extended family living in a dim shabby bunker system ☹️ Bella ages and transitions into Cunty Jeff Satur and is a total badass 🔥🥀💅 He uses his looks to get info like a spy and to be gay do crimes 😈 He helps figure out the end of the apocalypse! Don’t ask me how!

Scenes:

——In the bunker, the people are getting ready to return aboveground for the first time. Jeff is remembering his life, and we see him as young Bella who lost their mom, then tween Bella in front of a sad birthday cake, celebrating their bday in the bunker and crying because their mom used to make their bday cakes 💔🎂 Tween Bella tells Pedro about all the traumatic shit they went through before they met, like escaping kidnappers etc. 😲😢

——Next, Cunty Jeff’s origin story: In the flashbacks, we see Teen Bella, who is at a party of sorts in the bunker system with other surviving teens their age. They get bullied out of the party and that’s when they decide to stop wasting energy crying and become the problem like 🤬🤪Bella transitions over the next years (finds clothes in the underground system).

——Aboveground, at the mechanic shop/epicenter of the apocalypse. Most people are still living underground, but Jeff is out doing his spy thing 🔎 This is the first time we see adult Jeff. He walks in wearing a knee length lavender skirt, with his signature black crop top, suit jacket, heeled boots, and eyeliner 💅🫦 This is at the beginning of his spy career and the only time we see MC Jeff in something other than black.

Jeff remembers when he was there (as young Bella) and regrets not stopping the apocalypse. He is looking for info out of anger and also from concern for his extended family, most of whom are aging, and he doesn’t want them to die in the bunker and never see sunlight again.

——Return to the present day, Jeff and his family (and Pedro) sit around a long dining table planning their return aboveground. Clone Jeffs #1 and #2 are present, and also Yoshi Rinrada 😍 (At some point, Jeff’s spy employer cloned him? And his clones live with his family?)

Clone Jeff #1 💐 (pastels, vibes of Lucid MV + Gun Atthaphan) is level-headed and is the caretaker in the family. The children love him. He wants to plan the return carefully and stay together as a family. His bff is his cousin who’s a trans woman, vibes of Erin Hattamer from tiktok. Together they teach the children and keep everyone sane in the bunker 📚 We trust them! 🥰

Clone Jeff #2 👎 (military Jeff) wears a black suit top with long black skirt. He is cold and doesn’t care about the well-being of his family. He is secretly working against MC Jeff and his spy employers. Military Jeff wants people to stay underground so the military can continue doing sketchy stuff aboveground 🤮

——Ending scene:

The world is getting settled aboveground and MC Jeff’s family is moving into a few houses in a suburb! 🏡☀️ He is in the cracked cement driveway helping carry crates of food when a car stops in front of the house. His aunt steps out (a Thai woman), followed by his cousin, Omar Rudberg! 🤯 Omar and Bella (young Jeff) grew up together since Bella’s mom died when they were little. Jeff and his aunt lived together in the bunker, but Omar was last seen as a 7 year old when the apocalypse began. Somehow he survived! Jeff and Omar reunite and the audience cries 🥲💗

Pull back and it’s a movie theater! 🎥 People love it and no one questions that Jeff is Thai and Bella isn’t 😆 People are hoping for a Jeff and Omar road trip buddy movie where they use their combined spy skills to dismantle the government that tried to keep the apocalypse going and the humans underground 🚙💅🕵️💥

If you read this far, congratulations! 🎊 Now you know what my brain is like after scrolling too long 🩵🩵🩵

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

My feelings for jungkook have given me so much whiplash the past two weeks that I've just decided that he's entering his rebel problem child era and we're just going to have to be pulled along for the ride to see what happens lol

My feelings for Jungkook have given whiplash too haha. But I made it to the other side and am now very happy to report that I'm no longer upset, and actually very happy and proud of Jungkook lmao. Do I like the MV? No, I still refuse to watch it, but I get that it was supposed to show someone refusing to give up on a loved one going through a hard time, even if the execution was terrible and that it's concerning people don't see it. Do I understand why the explicit lyrics appealed to him? Yes. And I've learned to interpret them in a more romantic light. They could be explicit and better written, however. Do I love his performances? No, but his cold was apparently really bad, and his performances are good if uninspired - his stage presence is good and he had fun, but the choreo and lack of singing in favor of dancing are choices I wouldn't have made. Do I like his styling? Some of it yes, but not really the Bieber-esque looks. Do I like the choreo? Nope. I still hate it, but I get the appeal that it had to Jungkook. He liked that it was simple for fans to learn, and minimalist - thus more accessible, and more pop than kpop. Do I still think he's the cutest and loveliest and super talented? Yes. And I look forward to his album all the same.

In conclusion, I don't think he's in his "rebel problem child" era, but rather that it seems his idea of a US pop star is too inspired by the likes of Justin Bieber, and that's an artist that appeals to many but not to me, or lots of other people. I, like many kpop fans, am drawn to kpop precisely because it's not American pop, but for an idol, the biggest "idols" of all are American celebrities - people they watched their whole lives but never thought they would be on the same level as - so it's natural for an idol to want to break down those barriers and reach that same level of success. Kpop is also more appealing to foreigners than actual Koreans.

I agree that we're definitely in for a ride. Who knows what he will do next lmao.