#What a huge difference is to gif MVs

[atlantis-area]

"Move" debuted on October 16, 2017 and peaked at number 12 on Gaon Digital Chart. It stayed on the chart for a further four weeks. It also reached peaks of number four and number 26 on Billboard World Digital Song Sales and the K-pop Hot 100, respectively. It has drawn comparisons to the work of Michael Jackson and George Michael, as well as Depeche Mode and The Weeknd. (Wikipedia)

[azuremist]

Haruka isn’t autistic-coded – he has an intellectual disability (and why that matters)

(AO3 Mirror)

A lot of people in the MILGRAM fandom (especially English-speaking MILGRAM fandom) state that Haruka is autistic-coded, as if it’s fact. Most recognize that Haruka is coded as disabled. (If you didn’t recognize that, I hope this post will help to explain why.) However, to state that he is coded as autistic specifically is incorrect. Haruka is coded as intellectually disabled.

Now, there are likely two things that contribute to this issue. One is the invisibility of intellectual disability as a whole, and another is the fact that a lot of this has to do with things that only someone who speaks Japanese would understand (such as complex vs non-complex words in Japanese).

In this post, I plan to lay out what an intellectual disability is and how it differs from neurodivergencies such as autism or ADHD. After that, I want to discuss the way Haruka speaks and uses words, the symbolism in his MVs, and how this lends to him being coded as intellectually disabled. Finally, I want to discuss why this even matters at all. Because, in truth, viewing Haruka as autistic instead of intellectually disabled leaves the viewer misunderstanding his story in a huge way that seems far too common in English-speaking MILGRAM fandom. So, I hope you listen to what I have to say.

What does it mean to be intellectually disabled?

Confusing autism and intellectual disability (henceforth referred to as ID) is not an issue unique to the MILGRAM fandom. They are quite commonly mistaken for each other, in the same way that autism and ADHD are both commonly mistaken for each other. And for the same reason, too – autism and ID are comorbid. This means that, if someone is autistic, they are more likely to have an ID. For this reason, it makes perfect sense to headcanon Haruka as autistic. I headcanon him as autistic, myself, actually. But, in this post, I’m going to be strictly talking about his coding, not headcanons, and he is very specifically coded with an ID.

So, what’s the difference? In the words of the National Institutes of Health, “Whereas ID is associated with general deficits across developmental domains, ASD is in fact defined by the observation that social communication deficits are particularly impairing.” (Source)

To say this in layman’s terms, autism is primarily characterized by difficulties in social communications. Cognitive abilities in autistic individuals vary, just like with allistic individuals, but the defining features are issues with social interaction and nonverbal communication. Autism by itself effects how effectively one communicates, but not intelligence. On the other hand, ID is a limitation on intellectual functioning, just like the name implies. This causes issues in areas like learning, problem-solving, and abstract reasoning.

A lot of people think ID is a synonym for ‘learning disability’. ‘Learning disability’ is an umbrella term that covers things such as dyslexia and dysgraphia. This isn’t the case. For one thing, ID can be a diagnosis on its own. ID is subdivided into syndromic ID, where intellectual deficits are present with other signs and symptoms, and nonsyndromic ID, where ID is, itself, the diagnosis. Examples of syndromic IDs include fragile X syndrome, and Down syndrome. For another, those with learning disabilities tend to have average to above-average intellectual abilities. Their disorder affects their ability to acquire and process information, but they are still able to learn. In contrast, ID affects the ability to learn at all, as well as affecting development and general function.

ID is a debilitating disorder. Many people with an ID cannot live independently, require help with self-care activities, and have limited communicative abilities. Understanding this – particularly, how ID is often a disability that requires a caregiver – is a key point to understanding Haruka as a character. But that’s to be covered later.

Words

The reason why this is a problem in the English fandom specifically is because the main thing tipping off the viewer to Haruka’s ID is the way that he speaks.

‘Weakness’, Haruka’s first-trial song, is written entirely in INCREDIBLY basic, elementary-level kanji – mostly hiragana and katakana. In fact, his first-trial song is misspelled in a lot of official releases of the song (‘Weekness’), which is a good way to get the same effect across. This is not the case across all platforms, though, for whatever reason. He also writes, in his trial 1 interrogation, with only that elementary-level kanji; often only one-word answers. The only complicated characters he knows are usually ones that mean something along the lines of, “I’m a stupid, idiot child,��� which can be assumed to be because that’s what he has heard his whole life.

While I’m unsure if it is ENTIRELY in this basic kanji, his second trial song and interrogation is at least mostly written like this, as well. At this point, Muu is teaching him how to read and write (or, that’s what’s implied), but, even with that one-on-one attention, he is still speaking like a child most of the time to the Japanese ear.

When he’s forced to use or listen to words outside of this elementary-level kanji, he gets audibly confused, as well. In the AVIOT earbud collab, he has the voiceline, “Pairing seems to be in progress,” but, if you listen, he says “pairing” like it’s a question. (“Pair-ing?”) He doesn’t know the word is an English loanword that isn’t often used in everyday conversation, so he’s struggling to say it.

He also struggles when speaking to Es in his interrogations. He tries to say, “I will acknowledge any falsehood or silence,” but the words used are very advanced in Japanese. As such, he struggles with it, repeating, “False-hood? Si-lence?” Multiple similar exchanges happen in his interrogations, with Haruka misunderstanding words Es uses, and stuttering over unfamiliar words. The implication is that Haruka struggles with higher vocabulary or unfamiliar words, and with speaking and communication in general. He apologizes multiple times to Es for struggling, saying that he is not intelligent as an explanation multiple times. Additionally, in his second trial investigation, he talks about how he could never do the same things as everyone around him. When Es calls him stupid, he agrees. Es even states, “You really have no learning ability whatsoever.” When, mind you, having delayed or slowed learning is, like, the symptom of intellectual disability. It’s quite blatant. (Why is this not fandom consensus yet, again?)

Moving on from the point of how Haruka uses words, we can talk about other forms of word-based MILGRAM media. For example: when introducing himself, he says he thinks he’s 17, which implies that he isn’t actually sure. Additionally, there is lots of evidence for his intellectual disability in his interrogation questions:

He considers it impossible to learn another language

His dream is to ‘live normally’

He states he disappointed his father (not inherently an ID-related thing, but also, makes sense with his coding in mind)

Many answers imply that he’s been unable to live his own life, and he doesn’t really have any aspirations outside of being given attention

Finally, we have the lyrics to his songs. Again, on top of being written in very basic kanji, we have lines like the following, which include repeated themes of needing a caregiver (being ‘hopeless’ by himself), not being able to do what others can do, hating how he was born, and struggling to function. (I have bolded examples that I think are especially apt.)

“Why was I born like this? Why does it hurt so much?” / “Why was I born to be me? Why does it hurt so much?”

“Instead you kept calling me “hopeless” / You never called me by my name / You were always comparing me to someone else”

“If I tried and couldn’t say it, you would get angry at me and say “You’re hopeless”” / “When I tried to understand it, you’ll make that disappointed face again”

“I just wanted to be your good boy” (what did the MILGRAM team want us to think when they included this line? likely that he’s childish or ‘hasn’t grown up’, right?)

“Mommy, look / I’ve done great” (calling her ‘mommy’ instead of ‘mom’ – again, ask what the MILGRAM team wants us to think when they included this)

“If only I could do what anyone else could do”

“It’s enough, I am a “disappointment””

“My life started in a wrong spot”

With regards to his relationship with Muu, he doesn’t understand why Muu using him would be a bad thing, or how she is manipulating him. People with ID tend to have poor judgment, and Haruka not being able to tell the difference and not caring about the difference between negative and positive attention shows this (although his trauma definitely also plays a role).

Finally, we have the trial song titles.

We’ve already discussed how “Weakness” is sometimes alternatively misspelled as “Weekness”, and that is because the title in Japanese is, arguably, misspelled, too. The Japanese title is a play on the phrase jakuniku kyoushoku, which is equivalent to the English phrase, “Survival of the fittest.” More directly, it translates to, “The weak are meat, the strong do eat.” The character for “strong” (kyou) is replaced by “together” (also kyou) – with the implication being that Haruka forgot which version of the word was correct for this situation. This also works to create a pun, of sorts, as this makes the title more like, “The weak are meat, communal eating”, creating an emphasis on the fact that there are more people eating than there are ‘weak people’. There are differing ways to interpret this pun, but one way is to view it as a statement on Haruka’s status as a minority, oppressed (‘eaten’) by the majority.

On the other hand, we have All-Knowing and All-Agony. In Japanese, this song title is Zenchi Zennou, which can be translated as “Omniscient and Omnipotent”, used to describe the Christian God. Once again, we have what we can assume is Haruka misspelling the title, creating a pun. One that is much more on the nose, as the character for “ability” (nou) is replaced with the character for “worry, distress, pain” (also nou).

It seems that the reason why Haruka uses new complicated words (aside from the words meaning “idiot” and the like) in All-Knowing and All-Agony is because Muu is teaching him. It features the more complicated “食” (shoku; food), when we know from Haruka’s 2023 birthday portal that Muu is bringing him meals. It also prominently features Muu’s name, 夢 (yume; dream), which is more complicated, as well.

Imagery

Now, we get on to the non-verbal, more visually-based evidence for Haruka’s ID. Be prepared for a lot more images!

Going back to Muu teaching Haruka how to write: it’s not just clear in his usage of kanji, but also how he writes. Comparing his handwriting, it becomes much easier to read after Trial 2’s start, and his writing is soft and bubbly; much like a teen girl’s writing might be.

All of these improvements are able to be linked back to Muu (both his style of writing and in the more complicated words that he knows), who we know is looking after him. Considering this, it’s pretty clear why he sees her like a maternal figure.

One of the Minigram comics shows the prisoners eating curry udon together. Of the four shown (Amane, Haruka, Shidou and Mahiru), Amane and Haruka are the only two who make messes out of their clothes. Since the other two characters in the comic have active roles, and Haruka has the most passive one, Haruka’s inclusion can be assumed to be because he is the only prisoner aside from the child, Amane, who would make a mess while eating.

Childish themes and imagery are seen scattered throughout his MV, as well, especially his first one. He draws with the skill level of a child, which is a very prevalent motif, and he is shown to sleep with a plushie.

Additionally, he seems to have trouble putting on his clothes. He wears two entirely different socks – not just different colors, but also two different lengths. His pant legs are also two different lengths when he tries to roll them up in his Trial 2 art, and he seems to exclusively wear slip-on shoes up until he befriends Muu (where we can presume that she begins helping him, and even then, they're not done properly).

There are various visual parallels drawn between himself as a child and himself as he is now (for example, the way that his clothes are a mix of his current shirt and the vest he wore as a child in All-Knowing and All-Agony), and he often compares himself to a child wanting praise.

Even the violent acts that Haruka is shown committing are also a sign of an ID. People with IDs tend to have meltdowns, and devolve into fits of violence. The reasons for these meltdowns vary depending on the person, but reasons can include anger / frustration (especially in reaction to not being able to communicate well), sensory overload, and confusion.

You may note that Haruka’s mother reacts the exact wrong way for dealing with these meltdowns. When trying to help someone experiencing a meltdown, especially a violent meltdown, the last thing you want to do is appear frightened. The number one piece of advice everyone gives for helping someone experiencing a meltdown is to remain calm. It’s also not advised to leave the person alone, either, because that sends the message, “I want to avoid you when you feel this way.” (Which I suppose, for a neglectful mother like Haruka’s, would be technically accurate, but still not at all helpful.)

It only makes sense that Haruka’s tantrums continue to get worse and worse.

But after the meltdowns fade, he seems to not understand what he’s done. He’s shown experiencing fear and confusion after he hurts something, even shown as his child self at one point. A major part of IDs is being unable to connect actions to consequences.

Finally, we go onto his body language. Frankly, I considered putting, “Imagine this as a real person doing these things and not an anime boy, and you’ll see my point.” Which is true. But I decided to go a little more in depth.

Swaying is heavily associated with people with IDs. This is, in part, because people with IDs have reduced postural balance, and general body balance. Because of that lack of postural balance, people with IDs tend to slump quite heavily, as well. Both of these traits are shown very obviously with Haruka, in All-Knowing and All-Agony.

In the same MV, he’s also shown biting his nails. Like autistic people, people with IDs stim, and this could also be a version of hand mouthing (repetitive contact between the hands and the mouth / tongue), which is also heavily associated with / often seen in intellectually disabled people. He's also shown doing this in promo art.

So, why does this matter?

Haruka being intellectually disabled is a huge part of his story, and, when taking it into consideration, it changes how one views his story a lot.

Haruka being treated better as a child makes more sense with this framework. He wants to return to when he was a child because his level of intellect then was seen as more ‘normal’. There wasn’t as much obviously ‘wrong’ with him yet. Children are expected to be a little slow, but it’s when they remain that way that many parents begin to become concerned. He yearns for when his mother didn’t know he was disabled, and when she treated him better for that reason.

Haruka being severely neglected / abused by his mother would be awful, no matter what, but him being intellectually disabled makes it so much worse. He needs attention and care from his caregivers even more so than the average child does, because he has trouble even functioning on the day-to-day without help. This is why he thrives under Muu’s care; she is meeting his support needs. Likely not perfectly (she’s just a teenage girl, and she is almost certainly not trained or educated in this regard), but even with the amount of support that she is able to give, Haruka is thriving. He’s more confident, he’s learning how to write, and he’s eating more consistently.

Without that care, he struggles so severely that he melts down regularly, going into fits of violence over the fact that his support needs aren’t being met (on top of all of the other emotional baggage that comes with any child being neglected by their parent). Haruka’s mother continued to ignore these cries for attention, for help, for care… Until it went too far.

The way that Haruka’s story is viewed changes drastically with this information. If Haruka was autistic, it would affect very few of the things that I listed. So much of Haruka's story hinges on specifically his intelligence level, not how he socializes. And do you have any idea how many people I’ve seen say, “He’s a neurodivergent with a shitty mom, but so am I, and I didn’t kill anyone about it”? No. If you are not intellectually disabled, you do not get to compare your experiences as if they are equal. If you don’t have an ID, your experiences cannot be compared in this way.

Haruka has a debilitating disability that requires support which he was not getting. He was experiencing ableist abuse at the hands of his mother, and he didn’t know how to handle it. All of his violence happened during his meltdowns, and his disability makes it harder for him to connect his actions to the consequences, or find alternate ways to solve his problems – this is all extremely important information and context when you’re discussing whether or not his crime is forgivable.

If you still don’t forgive him, that’s alright. But to neglect this aspect of his character is, to be frank, baffling, if you’re trying to participate in the spirit of the series and understand everyone’s crime to the fullest extent. And to make jokes, comparing your own experiences to Haruka’s, since you assume him to be neurodivergent and nothing else, does a huge disservice to his story! And, when it’s done to demean him? It honestly comes off a slight bit ableist.

So, I’d like everyone to keep this information in mind moving forward. Don’t infantilize Haruka for his disability. But do consider this information in your analysis posts, your discussions, and so on. I’d like to see this become common knowledge in the MILGRAM fandom, especially since the idea of him being specifically autistic-coded is so widespread by this point.

Thank you!

[huellitaa]

bee's record player: march edition. 🎀𓂃 ࣪˖

──★ ˙ ̟🎀 !! notice !! ♡

surpriseee <3 wanted to try and add a little of my personal influence to my girlblog since music is literally my entire life & thought it might be funny to show u all what makes up the chaotic glittery mess that is my brain (and because there are almost 1000 of you beautiful people following me whatt?? thank you😭). i've allllways wanted to do smth like this too so, here u go !! 🩷💗

(+ this is a way for me to rant about my interests without being annoying to my friends / moots 😭. to anybody who has listened to me rant or cry or scream or whatever over music ily guys mwa)

──★ ˙ ̟🎀 NEW ARRIVALS

goddess, laufey

♡ released march 6th, 2024

♡ single

♡ running time: 4 minutes 28 seconds

eternal sunshine, ariana grande

♡ released march 8th, 2024

♡ full album / LP

♡ best songs: supernatural, the boy is mine, we can't be friends (wait for your love), intro (end of the world)

♡ running time: 35 minutes 33 seconds

unheard, hozier

♡ released march 22nd, 2024

♡ extended play / EP

♡ best songs: too sweet (i adore this song.)

♡ running time: 13 minutes 59 seconds

super real me, illit

♡ released march 25th, 2024

♡ extended play / EP, debut! ♡

♡ best songs: magnetic, midnight fiction

♡ running time: 9 minutes 36 seconds

──★ ˙ ̟🎀 BEE'S TRACKS: TOP 10

♡ 10. my world, illit

girly girl song!! i've been obsessed with illit's whole super real me album, their debut is soo good oh my gosh. its criminally short but i seem to have listened to it a lot !! 😭

♡ 9. we can't be friends (wait for your love), ariana grande

i have SO MUCH to say about this song but it resonates with me so much in so many different ways and i just. oh my god. ariana i love u so much

♡ 8. we got so much, le sserafim

k so i initially didn't really like this song but... it's grown on me. a lot. since it first came out. um. it's pretty simple honestly and it's just really girly girl it makes me feel like a school girl i love it

♡ 7. this is what makes us girls, lana del rey

girlblogger anthem!! okay confession i did not get into this song until LAST MONTH. i know. it's terrible and i am ashamed i am so sorry. but i have formed such a strong emotional attachment to this song its crazy i adore it

♡ 6. imperfect for you, ariana grande

exposing myself pt.3 i was in a really big depressive slump for like one half or more of this month actually and this song helped me so much i can't 😭 i love you ari

♡ 5. the boy is mine, ariana grande

(are you noticing a pattern here yet) um another ariana grande song no lol um idk what ur talking about haha 🥰 this song is so twerkable im sorry i wasnt a fan at first but im obsessed i need to stop

♡ 4. smart, le sserafim

no words. once again wasn't a huge fan originally but oh my god im obsessed w it now. afrobeat type of songs are, will, and always be top tier and i will die on this hill. (i've been SO OBSESSED with le sserafim lately but i think thats fairly obvious here😭)

♡ 3. eternal sunshine, ariana grande

i adore this song oh my god. its become one of my favs of all time since it came out. this was on loop for HOURS when i first heard it and its such a comfort song for me. it shows her growth so beautifully and there's so much about it i just absolutely adore like i could write a whole essay on this song and still wouldnt be able to express how much i love it

♡ 2. magnetic, illit

illit was bound to pop up here again this month tbh ok so me and my bsf were listening to this on loop the entire time at school a little after it came out like we were sitting in the front row of our class and were still watching the magnetic mv under the desk on her phone. so in love with this song it makes me so happy n feel so cute i ahh <3

♡ 1. supernatural, ariana grande

SUPERNATURAL IS THE SONG EVER. first day it came out i listened to the album and this was on loop constantly for the next week or more. it's made it up to my top 10 fav songs of all time ever and i listen to A LOT of music. this song is my life<333

──★ ˙ ̟🎀 ALBUMS

♡ 1. eternal sunshine, ariana grande

fairly self explanatory. i love u ari. there was soo much ari this month bc ive been a diehard ari stan since i was 8 and have never looked back. since yes and released in january i have been ecstatic about ag7 releasing in march after 4 YEARS of no ari so this was MONUMENTAL for me 😭😭 THE DROUGHT IS OVER ARIANATORS RISE 🩷🩷🩷

♡ 2. super real me, illit

so basically the day this album came out my best friend was spamming me about them and i only listened to them like 2 days after cuz she was annoying me about it and OH MY GOD. i listened to them and then proceeded to loop the whole album for the next 72 hours 💗 and for a debut as well is amazing ily illit girlies

♡ 3. with you-th, twice

so i wasn't much of a fan at first bc they just sounded really similar and bland to me but its grown on me a lot since it came out and i've been listening to it so much throughout the entirety of march. its just so oddly comforting in a way and feels like a hug in music form (+ rush and bloom are the best songs argue with the wall)

♡ 4. easy, le sserafim

self explanatory. i'm obsessed with le sserafim at the moment and this album is everything to me. ass shaking album 10/10

♡ 5. k-12, melanie martinez

i have been revisiting one of my fav albums of all time this month and its as amazing as always. this has been my favourite album of all time since it came out and i will never ever get over k12 🩷 10000/10!!!! <3

──★ ˙ ̟🎀 ARTISTS

♡ TOMORROW X TOGETHER

♡ TWICE

♡ LANA DEL REY

♡ LE SSERAFIM

♡ ARIANA GRANDE

──★ ˙ ̟🎀 SPECIAL MENTIONS

♡ happy 1 year to portals by melanie martinez! oh my god this album helped me through all of 2023 and i went to see her on tour in london for my birthday last november and it was surreal. she's amazing. i adore her and this album (i have it on vinyl hehe) and love it SOO MUCH 💖

♡ expect ordinary things by ariana grande to be high high on my top 10 next month its been on loop for days now im obsessed

♡ there's going to be a LOT in next month's issue seeing as 2 of my all time favs are coming back next month, so prepare for that! so excited ahh <3 (one has already released at the time of writing this. prepare urselves.)

──★ ˙ ̟🎀 EDITOR'S NOTE

this was SO FUN oh my gosh. i am 100% making this a regular thing~ lmk if it was entertaining, improvements needed, artists / albums you'd like me to keep up with etc, or just general comments, ideas, reviews and so on. thank you so much for reading, this was so fun! look forward to next month 💗🫶💖

lots of love 💘

[jiminsass-istant]

In response to your Who mv analysis:

"Which basically means jimin going through different people is a thing of the past"

I thought it's an "established knowledge" among most Jikookers that Jimin fell for JK since the very beginning days like in 2013 or 2014, so when did Jimin go through different people? And why, since he was already madly in love with JK?

Linking my MV analysis first for those who want to read:

Like I said..my MV analysis was not to validate any ship. You are right though, most jikookers have a timeline:

"Jimin falling first in 2013, JK crushing back on him by 2015 (by that time Jimin was not that bold), then them getting together in 2017 finally."

But isn't that all speculation at the end of the day?

Read on to find why MUSE album is not about Jimin's 'personal life':

Jimin clearly said that the album is about feeling inspired, feeling excited. 'MUSE' is something/someone that inspires and excites you to make art. The album is centered around finding inspiration. Love comes in all forms- love for art/love for a person. 'Who' in a romantic sense is about finding love, but as clearly mentioned in a few articles about the album, MUSE album is the result of Jimin trying to find inspiration. It translates to Jimin doing the type of music he likes, experimenting- from a marching band like song to slow rnb/pop, afrobeats to 2000s pop main track, the range is huge here.

So in the MV, Jimin going through different people doesn't literally mean he was going through them in real life. It's the "story" of him trying to find inspiration and searching for what his heart wants. But in the end he kinda fails (it still doesn't mean that he 'fails' to find inspiration). Not everything has to have a start and end, or absolute explanation. Things are pretty open ended here.

Even if you relate the MV's story to his personal life, just remember what he said-

And your ask is exactly the type of misinterpretation he is talking about, lol. He clearly told RM that he hasn't felt the feeling of 'excitement' of a 'crush' or 'unrequited love' for a long time and in the album it seems like he's describing feelings of finding someone new that would bring out those feelings. Does this mean he is lying to RM? No. This album is him embodying these feelings. Similar to what JK said for Golden : "the lyrics are not autobiographical". He didn't have to clarify that, but he still did.

Which basically means that Jimin is neither single nor is he in any type of 'new love'. Which leaves one option - he is in a long term relationship.

While FACE was personal- about losing people, betrayal, loneliness, depression, and getting back stronger; MUSE is a conceptual album. A concept should be taken at face value, without relating it to life of the artist. Jimin knows about the interpretations that fans made for FACE and he never commented on them, because he openly had said that the lyrics are to be taken for what they are. It's the most he could reveal without being too detailed. But now that he knows his fans, he expects them to make theories about his personal life like we did with FACE. Only this time, like he said, we are most likely to misunderstand.

Thanks for the ask anon, come back again. As for Jikook, they will keep jikooking.

[akookminsupporter]

THIS IS FOR THE HATERS, FOR KPOPPIES, FOR THE SOLO STANS AND FOR THE FUCKING OT6.

If you want to leave after this post, be my fucking guest.

FUCK YOU ALL. GO TO THE FUCKING HELL YOU CAME FROM. YOU BUNCH OF ENVIOUS, TALENTLESS ASSHOLES. ROT IN HELL.

I think that pretty much sums up how I feel. I'm sick of it. I'm fucking sick of the treatment Jimin gets online from a bunch of envious, selfish, stupid people who can't stand the fact that Jimin is bigger than all their fucking favs combined. Yes, I said it and I stand by it.

I don't know what the point of this post is, at the moment I just want to vent and try to put into words the frustration, anger and sadness I feel.

When it was announced that Jimin would be releasing his first solo EP many of us braced ourselves for what was to come. What was meant to be a moment of complete happiness also turned into something we dreaded. Many of us knew that it wouldn't be easy, that many would doubt, criticise and attack Jimin even for the way he holds the microphone, but as always, reality overcame fiction.

When the agency announced the schedule of activities on the road to the release of the album, the problems started, but at that time, the problems were purely internal.

Solo stans and OT6 started to complain, to accuse of favouritism and injustice. They complained that the releases of JIB, The Astronaut and Indigo were unfair, conveniently forgetting everything the guys did during their releases, but the fact that Jimin decided to make a more typical BTS schedule, shall we say, didn't sit well with them.

As more information came out about Jimin's solo moves, more complaints were heard from sectors of the fandom or social media, mainly Twitter to no one's surprise. Even though deep down it was all fear, Park Jimin was coming and they knew he would take the industry by storm.

The closer it got to D-Day, the more chaos ensued. There were complaints and accusations about Jimin-centric accounts, there were complaints about donations and much more. The fact that other members put out content during all that time somehow made everything even tenser.

Amidst all the chaos, discussions and so on, millions of us were excited because we knew that what was to come was going to be big.

I think I've said it several times in this blog but I've always believed that Jimin and Jungkook have the potential to have a huge solo careers. They are mainly always breaking records and setting new ones. They have something else, that makes them successful, by this, I don't mean that other members won't be because they have already proven that they are, they have achieved almost everything as BTS and it is obvious they will do the same as solo artists! But Jimin and Jungkook are different. Their popularity in the charts proves it and their popularity with the locals or the general public too and I know that's what scares a lot of people. 

Finally, the wait was over and Set Me Free Pt. 2 came out. That song and that MV wasn't something we expected, but it was something we needed and it was what it took to make the haters, kpoppies, Solo stans and OT6 tremble. If this is what the re-release was like, what would the album be like?

SMFPT2 came in breaking records. Fans and Locals loved the song and the MV. We were all surprised, but at the same time proud that Jimin was showing the world what kind of artist he is and what he can do. For a long time, many talked about his duality, now it was time to talk about his versatility as an artist.

And then the album arrived.

When the album FACE has finally released the fandom responded as it should. Support was seen from day one, or at least support from those who mattered. The OT6 and the Solos Stans kept complaining, but their bullshit was buried by the emotion, love and pride we all felt for Jimin. But after that, a bigger enemy showed its face: The industry.

The problems have been the same ones BTS has always encountered: Hanteo, Spotify, YouTube and bloody kpoppies.

What happened with the 3 companies mentioned above is ridiculous. What's still going on with those companies is stupid and it's all happening in broad daylight without anyone other than the fandom saying anything is insane. BTS is indisputably the biggest music group in the world, but still, the industry feels apathy about them. Still, the industry is afraid to see them succeed. Whether as a group or as solo artists.

Jimin particularly generates fear in all of them because he is extremely popular... with the general public and that is something that many don't dare to acknowledge. Jimin not only has ARMY as fans, he also has the power to attract fans from the general public. Jimin showed that he has the talent to break down barriers and that scares a lot of fans because their favs are not capable of that. And that is precisely the problem.

Jimin is a person who works quietly but shows loud results. And that scares a lot of people. All the hate we are seeing against him on the net is nothing but fear and envy. Park Jimin is here to stay.

The accusations of payola and favouritism came back with a vengeance. Criticisms of his talent and attempts to oti7ify his achievements and his work have come out like hotcakes from all sides. The anger and envy of many have been shamefully evident and the lower they all fall, the higher Jimin goes.

Finally, what has happened in the last few days with kpoppies is despicable but not entirely surprising. Before they had to fight with only one group, now they have to fight with 7 individual artists. They were angrier with Jimin because he is breaking all the records. Because he is everywhere and because the people, the general public, love him. And because Jimin's mere existence annoys them and that goes for OT6 and Solo stans too. Jimin is not perfect, but hell, he has the merits to be.

Jimin will continue to win, he will continue to break records, he will continue to sign lucrative contracts and if we're lucky, he will continue to give us great music and while Jimin does all that, his haters will continue to be a bunch of pathetic, envious people whose only aspiration is for someone to Like and comment on one of their stupid posts.

The chances of breaking more records on Billboard are scary but hopeful. Whatever the outcome Jimin worked very hard for his album. He trusted us with his thoughts and emotions and we will always be grateful for that. The effort that the fandom has made all these days is admirable, the fight that the US and Puerto Rican fans have put up is incredible and we hope to see the reward soon.

I understand that it's frustrating, this post started with me writing my frustration, but I also understand that karma is real and that Jimin's karma, bts karma is powerful. And although it is infuriating and sometimes discouraging, we must always remember that there is a person in Korea, in the city of Seoul who understands us.

[kanmom51]

Me being a broken record

With everything that went down the past few days, I kind of feel the need to play this on repeat, so I'm going at this from another angle.

JK is not the person people are trying to paint him out to be.

This callous macho sex fiend, that at the moment, even though people keep screaming "well, he might be bi", they are actually only talking about him screwing women. And lots of them. In different places, at different times. He's a fuckboy par excellence.

And those that take that one step further also have him cheating on JM, breakup stories, make up stories, full on fanfics in the making.

I have addressed much of this here:

He also addressed some of this in last night's Stationhead.

And did the whole TikTok post and delete thingy.

I get it.

Well, part of it.

3D kind of shook some people.

It was the very obvious meaning of the song, JK singing on repeat girl, and I think the big big thing here was Jack Harlow's lyrics. I think for many the initial knee jerk reaction was to those lyrics. And I will admit, I had that same knee jerk reaction (to JH's lyrics).

I still don't like them. Whichever way you look at them, they are problematic.

But I came to live with the song, cause it's JK, cause when you listen to it on repeat you just can't get rid of it (🤣), cause I like his performance (yes, including the certain very sexual moves. Hey, I'm no prude), and cause I just tend to listen to the alternative version and when I have the clip running on YT phase out from the rap (cause I just don't like it).

But for many, as I got to discover after this whole shitshow blew up, JK singing girl in a song for which he did not even write the lyrics is all it took to throw away everything people saw and knew about Jikook and JK in behaviour and interactions over the past 10 years. For that.

Forget the y/ns. All they needed and were waiting for was that kind of confirmation. They didn't need anything more than JK saying that one word. The choreo being sexual added, of course. It being sexual either way making no difference. Either way meaning every single move that was considered sexual can be applied to either male or female!!!

Oh, and there was this:

But you see, this is what actually happened:

By the by, big deal. Big deal JK does the thrusts in the choreo. Big deal JK did that flicking of the hand. Even if he did it only not to leave Brian hanging, literally. He is an adult, and do I remind that JM did the same in the recording of their Idol MV? Him doing all of this doesn't make him into what people are trying to paint him to be.

So, we were at this point where people that were supposed to have JK's back, in the sense that even if they had doubt the least they could have done was not to continue to spread it, and with every tweet or post add a little more conjecture and assumption, none of it based in facts, didn't. Have his back in the sense of perhaps stepping back for a second and waiting to see where the stones fall, didn't. See if there is a statement, if JK says something, they didn't. There was a clear intent in the timing of these clips and pics. Posting them just after the release of the song and during Chuseok, so it takes time for whoever it is that needs or wants to take action. So it gives time for it to spread. And it did. Not with Karmy. Cause they had JK's back. Not with Chinese army, cause they were fighting the claims for authenticity of the clips, fighting the claims of harassment that were also raised against him. This was a coordinated targeted attack. And instead of having his back, I-army just went with it. Spreading it. Defending the authenticity of it. Yes, there were cries for breach of privacy. All while continuing to spread the clip over sm.

We don't know these young men fully. We also don't know what they do with their time. We get maybe a 0.01% of it now. Before we got more. The early years we got a shit ton. Not everything. But enough to see who they are as human beings. The good and the bad. And NOTHING that we got over the years, and even more so through the maybe somewhat tainted Jikook glasses indicates JK to be that person that he was painted out to be in the past few days.

The man that talked about being with that one person for life. The man that believes in destiny. The man that arranged and paid for a trip for JM to Japan knowing he was struggling at that time, going on that trip with him, doing what JM wanted to do, even when it wasn't necessarily what he would have chosen to have done (remember RM and Jhope's conversation about JM dragging JK around Malta?). The man that made that HUGE statement at RB. We all focus on the ear sucking, but this was way more than that. JK enveloping JM, whispering something in his ear. Kissing his ear. Then sucking it, kissing it again and then comforting him, helping him up and just being by his side. This is the man that fucking tattooed JM's name on his hand for all to see. That tattooed a moon on his shoulder. That tattooed an eclipse on his arm. This is the man that during a LV concert looking at JM, talking to JM, said "I LOVE YOU", out loud, for all of us to hear. And if, by any chance, he wasn't aware the mic was still on for all of us to hear, wouldn't that have been even WAY louder? No realising we are hearing him saying it to JM, that it was meant for his ears only. This is a man that has dedicated almost full lives to JM. Listening to and singing his songs, watching JM content adoringly.

All that and so so much more.

Enter a grainy clip with faces literally white washed, a couple of more either badly edited clips and pics and all is forgotten. JK is the ultimate playboy. Multiple girlfriends (what name wasn't attached to him?).

And when JK denies having a gf then it's: "but the clip is old" or "doesn't mean he doesn't sleep around".

Instead of listening to him.

You think he doesn't know when this is supposed to be from? The clip. For god's sake, the dog being there was what everyone latched onto. So he knows. And he said I don't have a gf but was talking about THAT clip. You expected him to say "yes I saw the clip, I didn't have a gf then"? No. This is what he could do. And again, instead of listening to him, what he's trying to tell us: NO GF, NO NEED FOR ONE, people are about trying to see why the clip could still be legitimate, authentic, and/or why it doesn't mean he isn't sleeping around.

Perhaps that's why he felt the need to comeback with his ever so loud TikTok post and delete.

Anyway, me ranting again.

[myobsessionsspace]

Who is Kim Young Jin?

The man behind the looks, bringing BTS' vision to life, from photo-folios, to music videos to high fashion magazine photoshoots.

Kim YoungJin and his team have worked with the members as a group and as individuals on their concerts and everything in between.

“Seoul-based stylist Youngjin Kim has been obsessed with fashion since he was a child, saving up his pocket money to buy magazines. “It was so special to me,” he remembers. After majoring in photography at college but leaning into the looks just as heavily, somebody suggested he give styling a go and well, the rest is history. These days, he’s working with BTS, but can also be found dressing the likes of NCT 127, Super M and Daniel Kang for cover features, campaigns and album artwork.”

ID Magazine - VICE Interview (March 2022)

👤What was your entry point to styling?

“I worked as an assistant to [Korean actor] Jin Oh Jeon’s stylist for about five years and came to understand the overall system of the Korean fashion scene. Looking back, that time was so precious; time that brought me to this moment, I guess.”

The man himself, Stylist @kimvinchey on IG

Kim YoungJin styled BTS and Bang SiHyuk for their TIME Magazine 2022 photos.

Kim YoungJin has been head stylist for MVs such as 'My Universe', styling Jimin for 'Vibe', j-hope for 'On The Street' to name but a few MVs

👤Tell us about the type of work you do.

“Styling for albums and projects such as “My Universe” by BTS and Coldplay is receiving tremendous attention on a global scale. Whenever I style an idol group, I think of a designer creating a collection. I mix and match clothes from different Japanese brands such as Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto, and I express my own aesthetic with styling to fit each concept. I also style various editorials for fashion magazines. I consider myself a fashion stylist, and when I first took on the role of an idol stylist, I was proud of demonstrating what kind of visuals could be created if a fashion stylist takes on an idol.”

Kim Youngjin has worked with the members on the brand ambassadorship endeavours, such as styling for mag shoots like the Valentino photoshoot with SUGA

👤Of course, a stylist doesn’t just ‘style’. You’re often a bridge between celebrities and brands — a look you introduce to an idol could quickly become a trend.

“Exactly. In many cases, celebrities or models with good momentum are recommended to brands or magazines, and if the celebrity is an ambassador of a fashion house, they communicate more closely with the fashion brand.”

👤What do you think is the most important thing in styling?

“I try to combine the latest fashion trends with classic items. For instance, I like pairing Levi's denim and casual sneakers with a Saint Laurent blazer. As details are crucial for men's clothes, the overall outfit is often impacted by details such as perfect length and sleeves.”

In Chapter 2 of BTS' journey, Kim YounJin has been part of many of the members solo projects that were even released post enlistment for some, such as j-hope LV campaign and styling for Esquire Magazine

👤Do you have a favourite brand or designer?

“I’ve always loved Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci, which has had a huge impact on me as a stylist. I have such respect for a person who has accomplished what they’ve wanted to do for a long time — I think Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons are both great in that regard too.”

“I’m 32, so I was in elementary and middle school in the 1990s, which was when I started getting into fashion. Since I was really young, like 10 years old, I used to go downtown to buy clothes by myself. In elementary school, I wore baggy sweatshirts and jeans like this Balenciaga ensemble. I liked hip-hop and K-pop even back then and would dress up like this and dance at school festivals. Retro fashion is back in style, so it doesn’t at all look out of place or time to dress like this again.”

Mr Porter - The Journal Interview (Oct 2020)

💜

Special Mention:

**Though Taehyung has worked with Kim YoungJin with group projects the Head Stylist for Taehyung (V) during Chapter 2, in particular his Layover Era has been @HIJIBIN, Taehyung's personal stylist.

Info on Kim YoungJin:

https://www.mrporter.com/en-sg/journal/fashion/youngjin-kim-contemporary-fashion-classic-style-k-pop-1445414

[not-goldy]

I'm on a break but I had to jump in real quick on this

Gonna ignore everything you said bout Jungkook- cos it's not necessary. You don't have to go there. He's my bias too so you can understand why I find it offensive when you guys make derogatory comments about him. Like I'm not gonna clap for you or side with you for putting dirt on his name like be fucking for real.

There's a difference between being objective, giving constructive criticism of a person and just plain hating on someone and I'm sorry if you like Jungkook a little bit some of these comments won't fly out of your mouth nor would you entertain them.

And if you wanna get sensible words out of me avoid the triggers is all I be saying. Don't trigger me and then act discombobulated when I act crazy.

But I like what you said about Jimin....

I've been applauding Jimin's supporters since face cos yall pulled your weight and got him where he and the company hadn't contemplated going- let's get that very straight.

I said in my previous post I don't think like crazy was created specifically for a western audience. Nor was it intended to be as huge as it was.

It wasn't even his lead single yet it's his number one single💀

PJMS did too much and got him a number one on BB. BB DID NOT SEE IT COMING. THEY WOULD HAVE MOVED THE GOAL POST I TELL YA.

Yall did too much pushing his tracks to the top of charts. Yall acted as if it was a BTS come back like calm down 🤭

PJMs are soo extra🤭

But don't stop you doing amazing sweetie

They set the bar for Jimin to the high heavens. And we are hungry and wild for his success. It's cool but damn yalls appetite 🤭🤭🤭🤭

I don't think that is a bad thing. It just goes to show people are ready to support Jimin and take him to a level never seen before.

His next come back is gonna be 🔥 🔥

I mean the moment they got friends on a Marvel project I knew the Western industry thought he was on to something with his unique voice and all. Then they got him on Fast and Furious and lemme tell you that's some huge marks on his portfolio.

The portfolio this man is building is crazy!

I get all flustered and tingly thinking about what else he's gonna do and where he's gonna end up next in his career. He might have to move to Los Angeles soon cos he seem to have a place in Hollywood too the movie industry loves him🙂

If you wanna talk about the west then yea without a doubt, he is the one member who has a footing in with producers ready to work with him to make songs for their movies.

Fuck, I have a sense he's gonna cameo in a few Hollywood movies soon and he's gonna get booked to work on more soundtracks and OS for Hollywood. DAMN, IF THAT HAPPENS 😌😌😌😌😌😌

You guys need to relax, be patient and watch him.

Just watch him and don't jinx it up for him I swear to God! Yall be blocking your own blessings with unnecessary rants sometimes🙄

He's on the right track with his career. I genuinely believe that.

And I hope when he's finally ready with a predominantly English Album intended for the western market that hybe will move heaven and earth to give him the extra push and support he needs.

THEY BETTER COS WHEN I TELL YOU IT'S GONNA BE BLOODY UP IN THESE STREETS💀💀💀💀💀

And there's something about Jimin yall not realizing... those who know know.

I mean, Jimin even said it himself. he wanted an MV for every track and they shot him down....

EVERY TRACK....

THAT'S CRAZY.

And I know they shot him down, perhaps because they didn't think it was necessary for something they didn't intend to go all in on????

which is understandable but.....

We Libras are like that.

One time I set out to write a paper for a friends blog and it was supposed to be quick short and easy, but I decided to throw in a few references here and there to make it more academic and well researched- but I had to make sure it was accurate references so I hit the library. Before I knew it, I was calling up professors here and there and going all in I ended up with a 300 page dissertation and my friend couldn't use it for her blog so decided to keep it for her dissertation- so I told her I could work on a proper dissertation for her....

She said she was told she was too ambitious when she submitted it💀😬

When I get asked out for a spontaneous night out, I drive by the store to pick a new outfit and end up getting a pedicure manicure lashes silk press facials, bleach, exfoliate my butt- all for a girls night out.

Don't invite me for a sleep over cos this would be me- literally

We don't do casual so well and always end up going the extra mile and over doing things.

Oh you're sad? Don't worry. A text won't do. I'll call to check on you, email you, make a blog for you, drive by your home in the middle of the night, move into your home, get married to you, have your children, dig my own grave and bury myself next to you cos I never know how much affection is enough 😭💀

I dare you to ask me a simple question- I'll go on and on and try to cover every base and every aspect. One lecturer told me, you are brilliant Goldy but learn to limit yourself and limit the scope when answering questions- yes, I was always the student who never finished a paper on time and always run out of time cos I had so much to say and everything I had to say felt important😭😭😭😭😭

If you listen to Jimin, it wasn't even intended for set me free to be as big as it turned out to be💀💀💀

As amazing of a voice as he has, he had to request for voice training just to make sure he was on track- when I tell yall, sometimes his "shortcomings" are all in his head bless his heart😭🥲

How many times did Jungkook and Yoongi say they had to reassure him he had a great singing voice and yet those were the times he kept insisting he wanted voice training😔

Sometimes we see flaws in ourselves others don't see. Most times those flaws are as imaginary as could be. And yet we obsess over those perceived flaws and even worse, we try to fix them....

If you're someone like that sometimes it may appear all everyone does around you is shoot you down and try to bring you down- but in reality, they'd just be the ones keeping you tethered so the perfectionist or dysmophia in you don't drive you over the edge.

Not saying Jimin struggles with dysmophia of all sorts..... but he lowkey give off vibes if you know what I mean💀

All these comments about him being the triple A guy when it comes to effort, the hyungs using him as inspiration to work hard, the whole Kpop industry making him out to be the "rookie Bible" lowkey stems from over ambitiousness and innate dissatisfaction with the barest minimum- but sometimes that's all that you need to do. The barest minimum.

It took me a while to understand this and feel comfortable with lecturers and people around me telling me I'm enough and don't need to do too much all the time to feel good enough or accomplished.

One time I scored a B+ on a paper, I cut myself for not working hard enough. After bleeding it out of my system I gathered the courage to confront the teacher only to find out she had my grades mixed with someone else's 😭😭😭😭💀

I spent so much time in the study room at boarding school people called me the study room freak and I kid you not I got an award for it😭😭😭😭😭😭

I'm much much better now and can let my grammar errors fly without feeling a need to read through my writings a gazillion times. It's the Marijuana but still. It feels good to not care about anything anymore 😌

He's said he's working on his perfectionism and isn't consumed by it anymore but lowkey lowkey- we love him regardless 😭😭😭😭😭😭

Bottom line, we shouldn't confuse what happened with Face with what's happening with Jungkook.

Jimin's entanglement with the West wasn't intended at all in my opinion. It just happened. He had had Vibe and I think they just rode on the waves of the publicity from that for Set me free and Later like Crazy.

Thus he made more money spending less on advertising and marketing- comparatively speaking.

Then you have the youngest who had to sacrifice and go last after everyone- bare in mind who ever went first with their Solo had the most organic publicity because it was a new phase and all attention was on BTS since they announced a hiatus and going solo.

With little effort, that person was guaranteed to back some coins 🪙

The one to go last is relatively disadvantaged because he loses that organic attention and would require a lot of publicity to sell- but if he happens to be Jungkook then they would need to do just a little lifting because again- Golden Maknae. But imagine if Hobi were to go last- like some of yall wouldn't even care at all lets be honest which is not fair to Hobi but also the sad reality.

If I were Jungkook or Tae I wouldn't agree to go last at all don't give a fuck it's everyone for themselves💀

See this is why I wanted them all to release their albums at once. Hybe would be over stretched but then everyone would shut the fuck up. 😒

It may appear to most that the company didn't put in much effort to promote Jimin and- I understand these sentiments. I do. I just don't think it's a fair objective assessment of the situation💀

It's easy to say this wasn't treated well or that wasn't treated well when all you focused on is your bias. And I think sometimes equity prevails over equality because in as much as some went ahead of others, some already had kicked started their publicity with other collabs, some had been allotted more of the spending budget, some had high productions or low productions, they all can't get equal treatment.

Jungkook's launch is very much deliberate and well strategized too for the last debut. They took the lessons from the others launch and are trying to cover every base. He went last and so Hybe just had to make sure he went out with a bang. It be like that.

Every has to bag their coins somehow and that's all that matters.

Now that phase one is done. I can't wait to find out what they have install for phase two- I hope it's not gonna be crickets cos they all in Jail or military or whatever 😭💀

[startheskelaton]

And what about something like the NES Godzilla Creepypasta? Would that be included too and if so, would RED be a former teacher at the school MV!Godzilla is at and has a very shady past too?

Ooooooogh.. Honestly since I’m such a huge fan of both creepy pastas and Godzilla stuff.. and have two different AUs and stories for each… I think NES Godzilla would be restricted to just the creepy pasta AU I have. And I know I’ve said this about other AU’s and stuff but I really do mean it this time, I’m not done with “Small town creepy pasta AU” it’s just something I really wanna take my time on. It’s something with story lines and arcs and deep lore and it’s a lot. But I love it so I don’t wanna just put out shitty content for it.

I love all of you and thank you for dealing with my constant changes in content

💛💛💛

[jmdbjk]

Seven deeper than the ocean...

Two versions of the song, two versions of MV. Take your pick. With various remixes.

"... blah blah blah, it's a song about sex!"

Ok whoever you are, you were right! One of the versions is explicitly about sex! Score one for you! Except there was no porn in the MV's, only in your (wet) dreams.

I started a deep think piece on this song but you know what? I deleted it because let's just enjoy what is obviously something Kookie wants us to have fun with.

I wonder if the song originally began in the clean version and for shits and giggles someone changed the one word for a laugh... (my brain ignores me most of the time and continues to deep dive...)

And Kookie said MINE!

I don't doubt he can get it up with just an eyebrow raise.

Like everyone, my jaw dropped when I first heard the explicit version. I was not expecting that at all and for it to be so in your face. Dayum.

Kookie smiling his bunny smile while singing he wants to fuck seven days a week, though incongruous (or not?), is still cute. Who else can get away with that? No one except Kookie-pookie.

Make no mistake, with the explicit version, Jungkook has made a statement about his own idol image... killed it in more ways than one. He has taken a huge step (that was unexpected) for him and indirectly the rest of the members. We always say, someone has to be first. JK gets the credit for this one.

I wonder when JK actually heard the song for the first time?

JK had already chosen the song well before he was folding underwear early April. It was during the underwear folding live that he was humming along with Muni Long's "Hrs & Hrs." The whole playlist he was listening to during that live seemed like it was meant for sexy time...

The next day, April 8 or so, after folding his underwear in front of 12 million people, he left for Los Angeles and spent roughly ten days there, returning on April 17. I'm assuming it was during this trip that he recorded Seven because the pics of he and Watt and Bang PD were posted on April 16.

Incidentally, Han Sohee was seen departing Incheon on April 9 for Los Angeles and arriving back on April 15.

His next live on April 24 was after a hard week of seeing Hobi off to the military and the tragic death of Moonbin. He had been to the premier of Dream with Tae and Tae's friends. It was a while after this day that (I personally) learned that Han Sohee was also seen leaving at the same time as JK's group following the Dream movie premier. She was seen walking out with Choi Wooshik. During this live on April 24 he said he was working on new songs but it was difficult.

JK left for Los Angeles again on June 14 and returned to Korea on June 22. Sohee left for LA the day after he did and came back on the same day but different flight? I don't know how many flights a day there are between Seoul and LA.

There were a lot of special effects in that video so I suspect they filmed the bulk of the video in April and finished up or reshot some scenes in June? I saw yesterday someone involved with the MV shoot said 118 people were on the lighting crew for the MV.

All just me trying to put a timeline together of when it all went down...

[stormblessed95]

Hiii stormie my dear, how are you? first of all, i wanted to say that i adore your blog and i think u are a breath of fresh air here. Thank you! Because i trust u, I wanted to say some things im thinking about since seven released, i hope u dont mind.

Ok, like jk says: lets get it! Right, I do understand people feeling sad about jimin and face era. It was awful how sabotaged he was, and i still dont get what really happened and i'm mad to whatever or whoever is responsible for it. But i'm seeing so many people doubting the veracity in jungkookie's success with seven and i'm hating it. I dont think the song is getting payola, nor playlists by paying for it and neither ads on youtube. First, the song was sent to radios, but just a few of them r playing it, one of them being a guy who loves to plays "k-pop" songs. If there was payola, it would be playing everywhere all the time already. The playlist thing: just like "like crazy eng. ver", seven entered the Today's Top Hits playlist. But at #23 place. I just saw a tweet by a guy talking about this: https://twitter.com/cantorpedia/status/1680258574688088066?s=20. We know that there's some shady thing happening in this playlist for a while, and if seven have deals to get this high debut numbers, it would had debuted at the top in the playlist, even in the cover (it may go up next week, because there is supposed to be some internal logic that the more a song receives streams IN the playlist, the more it rises). Also, seven had a huge filtering in spotify, just like all BTS' songs, which also shows that they r not making deals. Now, about Youtube ads... i saw a person posting a ss about seeing an ad of the song, but apparently is fake.

Seven is doing AWESOME numbers because: its a english catchy song, with a cute mv, sang by THEE Jeon Jungkook. Im not joking, seven is really a gp success.. yesterday i saw 3 people from my daily life and inner circle talking about loving the song. My sister, who is not an army, said that she listened to the song all day while i was not home. Gp is loving it. So they did with butter (which is a eng song too), but Seven has a differential: the clean and explict version r being counted combined. Plus, seven is doing awesome everywhere, even in korean charts.

If there was something shady going on, i dont think they would make more than 1 version for the song, even on youtube (there is a new perfomance video for the explict ver). They would just send to radios and count on the payola and the deals w spotify, tiktok, youtube, for the charts (thats what most western artists does). But since billboard started filtering the songs so much so that made like crazy drop from 1 to 45 in a week and then stopped counting digital versions from usa based artist stores, BTS had to start making available to fans different versions of the same song because they know they cant count on radio, but can count on the sales and streams. Since Like Crazy, i feel like Hybe is experimenting ways of overcoming the sabotage by the industry.

The thing is, i think we can and should talk and raise questions about how jimin was treated badly, in every chart and streaming platform. For example, views from youtube were not being frozen in Yoongi's songs too, just like jk's. So, its not a privilege that jk is receiving, its just that something was really happening with face promotions, who knows what and why. But that was not jk's or any member fault.

Anyway, i'm happy for jk and i know much more is coming his way. And i cant wait for jimin to make a new comeback soon too. I hope it all goes well yk, Jimin deserves the best in his promotions just like jk and the other members. Lets hope. I'm sorry for hijacking your tumblr for this rant, im hoping u have some thoughts on the subject

Rant shared. I shared my thoughts about most of this a few weeks ago, I'm sure anyone who wants to can still scroll to go find it all, I'm not *really* wanting to open it all back up for discussion again. People are VILE honestly. I enjoy the song, it's fun, it's not much more than that and it's clearly made to be a western audience radio hit. Jungkook deserves and has my full support though! 💜 thanks for sharing

[hwnglx]

Could you do a reading of Taehyung's album? Like what vibe will the songs have and when is he going to release it?

Thank you💘

what will taehyung's solo album be like?

based on tarot. i do not know these idols personally. energies are always changing. what i say is NOT straight fact. pls take it with a grain of salt!

what will the vibe of the album be? kingofc, knofp, temp, 3ofsw

very chill, relaxed and laidback vibe. very mature as well. likely to contain a lot of slower and smooth jams that are easy to listen to, like some r&b tracks or jazz vibes. perhaps some stripped back acoustic ones as well.

visually speaking, all i keep seeing is these warm tones.. like orange, reddish. i think it'll be sexy and kinda fiery. but could also be very dark and.. murky? maybe both. (two mv's for two diff songs, maybe?)

it might contain a more emotional and vulnerable side that we haven't seen from taehyung before. he could be brutally honest and really lay his soul bare, put a lot of his heart into the lyrics. i feel like he's aiming for the album to talk more about kim taehyung the person, rather than the "famous bts member". in a way that'll really make you go wow 😳 and pleasantly surprise you.

i can see the album also discussing some heavy and darker topics, just really hit you emotionally. there'll be a lot of depth to the lyrics, as well as the sound.

also, his voice could be very raw. not much autotune, very real and less produced vocals. i can see his voice giving the listeners chills, with how smooth it is. almost asmr-sounding.

how does taehyung feel about the album? kingofw, 4ofc&wheel, hieroph, knofp, aceofc

very confident. he put so much effort into it, a lot of ambitious and creative energy. so he's very proud of it. he thinks it contains a lot of his passion, and likes the way it just really feels like him.

he is however, a bit frustrated with the timing of it all. i'm getting some impatience here. the company seems very particular and strict about finding the perfect release date and he feels like things are too slow, it's just taking too long.

still, he's trying to remain optimistic. there's definitely this huge desire for him to put his best and most effort into it, so he's trying to take advantage of time giving him more opportunities to truly perfect it. the ace of cups in the end leads me to believe that once it finally gets out, it'll be a rather emotional release for him.

when will it come out?

will it come out in september? ace of pents - very promising! will it come out in october? seven of cups

so, i believe it might come out around late september, promotions could go into october. since the seven of cups represents a variety of different options and choices, he'll probably promote it in many ways. (i could especially see a lot of modelling for him)

[babycatlix]

hello friends! 💖 and happy new year! i hope 2023 is kind to us all! 

let’s just get into it! at the tail-end of 2021, i wasn’t really sure i was going to stay on tumblr. a lot of the friends i had made on my main and on another side blog had moved on from tumblr/we didn’t talk anymore. the few IRL friends i do have, i don’t follow on here bc i got rid of my old account (c. 2011) so i wasn’t really sure i was going to even be on tumblr during 2022. 

but then... march, 2022, my friend wanted to show me a music video. i wasn’t super jazzed but said “okay.” and he said, “have you heard of stray kids?” and me being into kpop for the better part of 16-ish years i said, “yes, i’ve heard of stray kids. i don’t stan, but i have heard of them.” fast forward a few weeks, he’s made me watch the maniac mv like 10 times and he thinks now is a good time to tell me, “by the way, stray kids is a self-producing group.” in case you didn’t know, i love groups that self-produce. see the other groups i love, bigbang, bts, seventeen, winner and ikon. so as soon as he said that, i was done for. i fell even deeper into kpop and fell into stray kids. 

in april, 2022 i decided that i should make a side blog for stray kids. i didn’t think it would grow into what it has. i just thought it would be like my itzy and blackpink side blogs, where i occasionally post some fan photos and other ppls creations. instead... i thought a good way for me to catch up on 4 years of content was to start giffing and here we are. i say this every time i do a follow forever, but i'm so happy here in my corner of stayblr. everyone is so kind and wonderful! and i want to thank everyone that shows my gifsets love! i'll tag some ppl below, but i want to mention a few special ppl to me first:

@yonglixx and @quokki my lovely sun ☀️ and ale! 💚 we may not talk a whole lot these days, life is busy and school is way too much, but you two were some of the first ppl on stayblr that i really talked to 💖 you guys were my first mutuals 😭🥰

@jinniebit ahhhh anna! we also don't talk a whole lot, but you are special to me! i followed you from your svt main and when i realized that you were here on stayblr, i plucked up my courage (i'm a huge chicken when it comes to interacting first! 🙈) and filled out your mutual form 💖 and i'm so glad i did!

@changbeens wonderful, amazing, talented bee! you mentioned me in your birthday follow forever and i was like, "how have i NOT seen them in my notifs?!" turns out, i was just blind, you were there all along. i love the way you express yourself and you never hesitate to stand up for your friends.

@sunnishine my sunshine 🥰 i'm so glad you were brave one day (i know it took a lot of courage and i'm proud of you 😭) and reblogged one of my gifsets, bc you gave me my own tag and an emoji to go with it 🥺 it was so cute and tbh... i was so nervous to tell you that i wanted a different emoji 😂 but i did and the rest is history.

okay, with the sappy emotional stuff out of the way, here are other ppl that i love a whole lot. if you're not following them, consider doing so! they're all so talented and wonderful! no special order, just alphabetical!

@agibbangs / @atinystraykid / @chanrizard / @chanstopher / @cheekyquokka / @freckledbbokkiee / @geniaparadox / @ggthydrangea / @hanjesungs / @hanjisoonie / @hyunchanz / @jerirose / @jisungs / @juiceofmoons / @jisungsjaistandjeekies / @khairemisthios / @lee--felix / @leefelex / @leenow / @minzbins / @missyedits / @nevoono / @seo-changbinnies / @skz-films / @snug-gyu / @straykidsgallery / @winterfloral

i love you all, you've made being here on stayblr so nice and wonderful! i would've done this sooner, but i worked both new years eve and new years day. but better late than never! i hope 2023 is kind to us all! 💖

[mrs-monaghan]

What are you going to do if that actress was actually shooting a sexy mv with him?? What if he actually kind of makes out with her in the mv? Touching and kissing her? Or maybe just showing her as a love interest in his mv?? Are you going to stop shipping jikook then?? Are you going to stop claiming that he's gay?? Nope right. Bcz you all shippers are the same. Tkkrs jkkrs..no difference at all. The way they keep shipping tae with jk even after seeing him Jennie hand in hand...you are still going to ship jk with jimin and keep saying that he's still gay and not interested in women at all..bcz that's all you shippers are good at. Being delusional.

How easy your life must be, to walk around empty headed everyday. Its easy, isn't it? Not having to utilise your brain? If you have one. That is. No seriously, life must be real good for you if u never have to think. I envy you actually. I wanna walk around sounding stupid and not care that people hear how stupid I actually am.

First of all, you mentally deficient walking embodiment of stupidity, JK will not be doing any of what you just described. touching and kissing her and making out with her That's just you projecting because you wanna watch the MV and replace the woman with yourself. You're projecting which is real fucked up in itself and I feel bad for you and your dry vagina coz u will not be getting what you want. Yes. I can tell you are female. A dillusional female who thinks she will ever have a chance with JK.... calling us dillusional. Yeah. Okay.

2nd of all, V exposed his actual rlship with his girlfriend. If JK features a woman in his MV he will be working. Doing his job. W.O.R.K you know what that is, right? No? It's a thing adults do to make money. J.O.B is not real life. We adults do our jobs and when we are done we go back home to our real lives. To our loved ones. Kind of like Jimin did for like crazy.

I'm talking to you like a 2 year old coz you sound like one. There is a huge difference between V and Jennie in Paris Vs JK doing his job. If u cannot see this difference I don't understand how u can be part of society when u are completely and utterly useless. Jfc

Your first mistake was coming to me, a supporter and assuming I'm a shipper. Next time try another tumblr. Thanks 4 stopping by. I appreciate u... Not.

[thistaleisabloodyone]

Gif Making, the Broke Bitch Way

I've been considering making this tutorial for awhile, because not all of us can afford PhotoShop and doing it the way I do it does take some finagling.

For this tutorial, you will need:

A video you want to gif - I usually find them off of YouTube

Paint.net - the free version, I emphasize the free version. The paid for version doesn't play as nicely with plugins

midora's 'GIF Animations and Images' FileType Plugin (.GIF, .AGIF) plugin - have a tutorial on installing plugins for Paint.net)

ffmpeg - have a tutorial on installing ffmpeg because I struggled hardcore with that

VLC - for clipping larger videos down into smaller clips

Tutorial continues under the cut because it's fucking long and I ramble.

For this video, I will be breaking down SHOCK THE WORLD into frames.

Here, I already have it downloaded.

I have a special folder for breaking things down into frames and I've copied the file over into that folder.

Now, I'm gonna change the name of the file because that's motherfucking atrocious and I'm not fucking typing that out in ffmpeg.

Much better.

Now type in cmd in the address bar and hit enter. That'll bring up the command screen, where you type in

ffmpeg -i [nameoffile].mp4 %04d.png

Notably, I actually wrote ffmpeg -i shocktheworld.mp4 %05d.png because this video is 7 minutes long, so I wanted 5 digits in the file name instead of 4 just in case. You would be amazed at how many frames a video breaks down into when every second of footage is 23.99 frames.

And good thing I did. The text in the red box says 'frame=10707', which means it broke the video down into 10,707 frames.

You don't have to do this, but I go through and delete the frames that say RhythmZone at the beginning and the ones at the end, because I don't need them and these files are huge.

Now I move the images out of the Frames folder and into their new home.

Now that the frames are in their proper folder, it's time to find what we want to gif. I like this shot of Leiya, he looks pretty.

Now we have to decide how many frames we want our gif to be. Most of my gifs are between 25 and 35 frames - like the birthday gif sets are 28 frames, the Ray of Light second outfits are 37, and the MV gif sets are 30 frames of moving gif (45 frames w/promo pic).

In this case, I think we're gonna for for 30 frames. That's a decent amount. So first open up the first image - I just drag it into Paint.net from File Explorer because it's easier that way.

You can drag each frame you want in individually like that, too, just hit 'add as layer' every time. What I prefer to do is select all of the ones I want and drag them in at once. Just hit the 'Add as layer' button and magic happens.

Sometime when doing this, Paint.net drops the layers in in the wrong order, so it's always a good idea to go through and check that all of the numbers are in the right order. From this one, you can see that 2133 and 2134 ended up at the bottom, so I had to drag them back up to the top.

One way that I check that my frames are in the right order is I resize the file down to a much smaller size - 600x338 is what they tend to end up becoming when I do the previews - and then I go to Save As -> Save as AGIF format and preview the gif.

Technically, we could just call it quits here. You have the frames, you have them in the right order, you can truly just hit Save and move on with your life. This is the gif, saved just as it is, using the default settings for making a gif.

It's not as much a problem here, but sometimes the default settings move a little slower when you have all the frames. This is currently set at 1 frame per 100ms. I default to 1 frame per 80ms instead. The difference is slightly more obvious in these two gifs, I think, because there's more movement.

Gif on the left is 100ms per frame, gif on the right is 80ms per frame. It's a little faster and, in my opinion, truer to the actual music video.

But! Since I am a Picky Bitch, as well as a Broke Bitch, I don't usually leave my gifs at this point. I do two extra steps on every gif.

Step 1. Sharpen all the frames.

Unless it looks bad, I just take the default sharpening settings. Ctrl+F repeats the most recent effect you've applied. Considering each frame needs adjusted individually, I suggest you memorize that command. 😂

No sharpening left; sharpened right. The difference is subtle, but I prefer to sharpen my gifs to reduce chances of the gif looking blurry later.

Step 2. Brightness and contrast!

This step is a lot more finagling - I often do multiple tries and I'll compare the frame I've edited with the frame above it to see if I like the difference. The reason why I always do Brightness/Contrast - especially Contrast - is because I feel like it unifies the colors and takes off the sort - grey edge the gifs sometimes have if I don't do Brightness/Contrast.

Once you're happy with the Brightness/Contrast you have, you get to apply it to every single frame 😂 Ctrl+Sht+T is the shortcut.

So... Difference isn't as strong as I'd like it here. 😅 The one I modified is on the right.

I think the difference is more obvious with these two. On the left, is the one that hasn't been Sharpened or had the Brightness/Contrast affected. On the right is the finished version I actually posted. The left one just feels - greyer, to me, the colors aren't as vibrant or sharp.

[adotrevsleft]

INTRO:

I decided for after my huge hiatus from this account to post about ditto. Ditto is a beautiful song which is supposed to hit you straight from first listen. I did feel upset and hurt after watching both of the music videos. However, many people have been going on about theories about the music video of Ditto. Because it may seem sad but there seems to be dark aspects behind it. In which I will talk about later.

CONTEXT:

I want to clarify that there is a Korean (I think) movie (or series) that is called Ditto. The plot is that this boy from the year 2000 is able to communicate by an amateur radio with a girl that was in the school in 1979. A hand cast is mentioned in the movie in which the girl in 1979 signs on one of her boyfriends that are in hospital. After the girl realises that the boy's parents are her friends, a bit too close, and she's in love with the "Dong-hee" the boy's father. She realises that she felt bad and broke up with him, as they were in a relationship beforehand. Then the boy decides to find this girl but he doesn't recognise him. In the end, the radio stops working and all communication is lost between them and they continue on their lives.

Obviously, with this context in mind the music video makes a lot more sense. However, there are still many raised questions even knowing this. The most obvious, why two different music videos? One in which she decides to stay with them (being NEWJEANS) and the other being to go away from them and moving on?

MEANING BEHIND:

I personally don't think this has anything to do with the fandom. Many people say different things about what the meaning behind the music and music video. It's about loneliness in youth, it's about youth, it's about romance, it's about moving on from traumatic events, or traumatic events will still haunt you, some even say that this putting attention to bullying when not knowing what is going on in someone's head. These all are very valid. But really, what is the meaning or should I say purpose of this? Is there something we should be aware of.

HANNI:

My main question is that of the character of Hanni in the music video. Why is it that (majority of the time) whenever the camera goes towards her or focuses on her the camera glitches? An examples below:

Hanni is the only one that is glitching out in the group.

Another scene I have a lot of questions about... (This is after the camera is thrown in Side B mv)

She is the first to be shown after it is broken...

And the last to be shown staring at the camera...

Is she a significant character in the plot, she is wearing the same uniform as the girl in the video, yet the other members are wearing grey uniforms. Is this of any significance?

Also this...

THE FEMALE DEER:

What is the female deer supposed to symbolise, coming in the end of both music videos... In the end? At the same time? Why? Is there a reason?

CONCLUSION:

There are so many questions to be raised by this music video and majority are unanswered.

This may just be me because I'm a reveluv and the lore in Red Velvet is huge and very interesting and I find these difficult to understand. I feel like there is something much darker in this music video. I think the innocence that plays in this music video, in which played with our emotions is supposed to throw us off the scent of the danger in the music video that is presented. Something far more sinister...

What do you think about Ditto?