#blood sweat & tears symbols

[thedramafilesblog-blog]

We’re not a blog that is dedicated to reviewing music (including Kpop), but because we absolutely adore BTS and their music, we decided to do a memo-style review of the Music Video (MV) for their Japanese Version “Blood, Sweat & Tears” (血、汗、涙 -Japanese Ver.-).

***Note: If this is your first time browsing the Drama Files, please read The Rules on how our Memo-style reviews work.***

***Note: We really wanted to analyze the Blood, Sweat, Tears Korean MV before, but we missed out on the opportunity. We thought this MV was very interesting as well, so we were really eager to share our theories about what they could possibly signify. There are definitely many theories, so we thought we’d propose ours. Our views are simply theories and purely speculative.***

Memo

Dear Reader,

There have been some questions regarding the recent release of BTS’s 血、汗、涙 -Japanese Ver.- (“BST”), particularly:

(1) Who/What does each member represent?

(2) How is the ending clip that is reminiscient of the “I Need U” MV connected to BST?

Conclusion

(1.1) J-Hope acts as a guide. J-Hope is Archangel Michael and Frau Eva from Demian.

(2) This will be answered in a subsequent Memo.

Background

Jubiemon J: I will first start by setting the background that leads to the analysis of the characters. Please bear with me! Through BST, we see two predominant influences: the Bible in particular The Fall of the Rebel Angels by Pieter Bruegel the Elder and Demian. The Fall of the Rebel Angels is based on the passage from the Book of Revelation. This passage highlights the confrontation between Good and Evil, before the Fall of Man. Archangel Michael forces Lucifer to leave heaven based on God’s Orders and as a result, there is the fall of other rebel angels (See here for the actual text).

The main themes in BST, as a result, are adulthood and temptation/sin. (I write it as temptation/sin because I believe they go hand in hand. Each member is tempted by something sinful.) The lyrics of BST highly emphasize temptation; the chorus is: I want more, more, more. Given this context, we can see how each member, except for J-Hope and maybe Suga, face temptation and from these struggles, they are forced to eventually grow up and mature into an adult. I will go through each character from a biblical point of view (POV) and then from the perspective based on Demian.

When the MV has a blend of neon colours, we are safe to assume that this is a time of war/temptation/animus and that we are in the internal reality.

This is after Jungkook drank the green liquid; Look at the neon vibes.

When the MV is in an everyday type of light and the setting is still in a Victorian vibe, this seems to imply that we are looking deeper within ourselves.

Jimin is trapped in this room.

When the MV is filmed with an everyday light but the setting is modern, then that is reality in a distant past.

Jin is hitting V and V is retaliating. Look at the modern kitchen and their clothes.

When the MV is filmed with a slightly brown light that gives a nostalgic vibe, then that is the present reality.

Look at this brownish tint. Mostly only Jin shows up for these type of scenes.

I also think it’s important to establish where BST chronologically fits among BTS’ MVs to understand who each member represents. I rewatched almost all of the MVs and I think the ones that are related to BST are the Korean “BST”, “I Need U”, “Run”, the BTS 화양연화 On Stage Prologue MV, and “EPILOGUE: Young Forever”. (I consider “Spring Day” another story by itself. Feel free to read our analysis of it to understand why that is so.)

The chronology of the story, in my view, is:

1. “I Need U”

2. “Run”/the BTS 화양연화 On Stage Prologue MV/Korean BST

4. “BST”

5. “EPILOGUE: Young Forever”

I think we can divide the MVs into external reality and inner reality (aka psychical reality). “I Need U”, “Run”, and the BTS 화양연화 On Stage Prologue MV focus on the external reality (The BTS 화양연화 On Stage Prologue MV does have psychical reality, but I think it’s more like a memory playback.) The other three MVs represent the psychical reality. The way they are filmed is different from the former three.

The starting point of the boys’ story would be “I Need U”. That is when we are introduced to all of the boys’ problems (eg V struggling with his broken family, J-Hope battling what’s likely a mental health problem, etc). We end this song with V killing his father to save his sister.

Next is “Run” where we see V fall back into the water, meaning that he has succumbed to darkness. He also leads the boys into mishaps and they all play pranks or do some petty crime together.

In the end, we find that Jimin is in a tub, burning a group photo of them. All of them have changed or matured and there’s no turning back now. I placed BTS 화양연화 On Stage Prologue MV with “Run” because I see the BTS 화양연화 On Stage Prologue MV as a time where V is reminiscing about the past.

Then we move into the psychical reality. We see in the Korean BST how the characters are struggling internally. Chronologically speaking, I think the Korean BST happens around the same time as “Run” and the BTS 화양연화 On Stage Prologue MV. As the boys are changing and being led by V for the external reality, the inner reality is also occurring. That’s where the Korean BST fits in. I placed BST after the Korean BST because we see Jin reminiscing about what has happened.

Finally, there is “EPILOGUE: Young Forever” where all of them have all grown up and are wishing to stay “Forever Young”. There’s a really dream-like state with this MV, so I consider it more of a psychical reality.

There is a chance that the boys have all died as a lot of fans have remarked, but in my opinion, the boys have just matured and though they wish to stay a boy, they have to become an adult. Their “youth” has died and not their actual selves. When we go through each boy, we see what they have gone through or left behind.

White ribbons are used in Korean funerals and white ribbons can also mean innocence and pureness in other cultures. At one point, the ribbon in Jungkook’s hand seems to have turned into a white feather–hope and then the white feather is shown by J-Hope’s feet along with the scattered pills.

The members will try to savour this blissful moment for as long as they can. I think this explanation matches the lyrics more like how J-Hope raps that “[he] wants to stay young forever”/”yeongwonhi sonyeonigo sipeo nan Aah”/”영원히 소년이고 싶어 난 Aah” (See credits for translation here). I think the huge irony here is that even though they want to savour youth, getting through youth is a challenge and a maze itself. That’s why they’re in this grey fenced maze that also resembles a cage. At the end of the day, you navigate through this maze and grow up, yet you also still become super nostalgic of those days. Ironic huh?

Look at this scary maze — youth.

(Side note: I quoted the romanized Hangul and Korean lyrics because I prefer to translate the phrase as “I want to stay as a young boy forever”. Though I’m not fluent in Korean, I am certain that “sonyeon” is “少年”. 少年 in Mandarin means a teenage youth or young boy (something like a boy of ages 10-16). To be honest, I feel like when the term is translated into English, it loses its beauty and what it embodies. 少年 embodies that growing up phase.) 

(Just a another note: I am not an expert in Christianity. I only know references based on what I’ve learned in English Literature and Art. I also have not fully read Demian as I have a bit too much on my hands right now. However, I’ve read summaries on Cliff Notes and Coles Notes and read character analyses. Finally, I am not a psychology major, so I apologize if I’m not 100% clear with the psychological concepts. I’ve tried my best to understand them through research.)

Now that we have all the background settled. Let’s go onto who the members represent in BST beginning with J-Hope. I have decided to release this Memo into different parts.

Analysis

(1.1) J-Hope acts as a guide. J-Hope is Archangel Michael and Frau Eva from Demian.

Throughout BST, J-Hope is like a guide. We first see him sitting in front of Michelangelo’s Pieta. Pieta depicts Virgin Mary who holds onto Jesus Christ’s deceased body after his crucifixion. We are past the scene where Jin looks through the painting, The Fall of the Rebel Angels, with some binoculars, so we know that we are in a chaotic stage of war. Notice how when the painting is zoomed in, we only see the images of the monsters and rebel angels and the Archangel in the centre is completely black.

Jin with the binoculars (setting = reality based on how it’s filmed)

No Archangel here. Just monsters and rebel angels.

Reference to the Devil from the Korean BST. 

Then the first time we see J-Hope, nearly everything is pitch black, except for him and Pieta. The neon pink/yellow light symbolizes that he is here to show the light. J-Hope has a sword in his hand; we know from a lot of stories, noble knights or Kings have to fight with a sword (ie King Arthur/Lancelot etc). Similarly, he has to fight off the bad angels.

Neon pink in BST meaning that “there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,” (Book of Revelations, 12:7)

As Archangel Michael, J-Hope chases V who is likely Lucifer from Heaven and brings about the demise of the Rebel Angels. Jimin and Jungkook are seen restraining V, the Fallen Angel. You’re probably wondering how these two can be helping J-Hope when they too have fallen into despair. I think the only reasonable way to explain it is that each member starts their story at a different time. Jimin and Jungkook were saved first or have matured enough to realize that the Fallen Angel needs to be out of Heaven.

Jimin and Jungkook are restraining V (the Fallen Angel). 

Reminder that J-Hope is the one holding the sword.

I am pretty sure that this is J-Hope shooting at V because in his other outfit, he is wearing the same sweater as the one here.

After all, right after the scene above, we see J-Hope with a bow and arrow. 

We never get to see who exactly is the one that aims at V. However, we see in the subsequent scene that J-Hope is the one shooting his bow and arrow. In the Bible, a bow is the doctrine of truth and good: “Jehovah’s arrows are sharp, and all His bows are bent, the hoofs of His horses are counted as rock, and His wheels as the whirlwind” (Isaiah 5:28) (See this website for more explanation). After he shoots that arrow, the doctrine of truth and good are spread to all of the boys. We see the boys hanging out with J-Hope after there’s a small clip of V being in pain.

Then we notice J-Hope pouring down some pills in a cauldron which lets the truth explode. In a way, I think it could be that J-Hope is foretelling what “may” happen, but I think it is more likely that he is telling us what “has” happened. This is because the next scene is Jin looking around in the present and after that we cut to V and Jin.

(Just a little note: When J-Hope is with the boys or in his lounge room, he is wearing a sweater that is pieced together in many parts. Half of it is black and red and the other is grey, white, and blue. I suddenly got the feeling that the red and black reminded me of Jin’s outfit throughout this whole MV. In a way J-Hope seems to embody both Good and Evil at this stage after fighting the war.)

J-Hope pouring some pills down and revealing fortunes or the past.

Based on the two filming styles, I think the V and Jin scene feels more like the past. Jin keeps hitting V and then mouths a “Sorry”. This somehow makes me feel that Jin is really enraged that V led Jin or all of them down the wrong road. After all, if we take a jog back memory lane, we will notice that V is always the one leading the group to do something. V is the only one that jumps from that high contraption in BTS 화양연화 On Stage Prologue MV.

V being the first to jump and to lead the group to elsewhere

That jumping scene is more likely a memory of the past as we first see V with bloody hands in BTS 화양연화 On Stage Prologue MV, meaning that he has already committed the murder. He keeps trying to wash off the blood but like Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, his hands are stained. Right after this short scene, the lighting in the MV changes to give off a bright yet nostalgic vibe and then there are clips of happiness. Therefore, it’s likely V’s memory of the happier times. I think this theory works because this is also a Prologue MV leading to Butterfly.

In “Run”, V is also the first one that has plunged into the water because he has sunken too deep via the murder. After his plunge, we are shown Rapmonster who dumps some sugar into his cup of coffee. This act symbolises that similarly, all the boys have subsequently fallen into darkness after V’s crime. In “I Need U”, we already know that all the boys suffer from problems. However, V is the only one who commits arguably the biggest crime out of the boys: V has murdered his father. Therefore, these all prove that V is the one that has led the boys astray.

  Also, closer to the end of”I Need U”, J-Hope is the one pouring down pills. In the beginning of “I Need U”, he seems to have to rely heavily on pills as we see him with his pill cabinet. His external reality is likely dealing with a mental health issue which is why he also suffers a lot in his psychical reality. (It could be non mental health related illness as well; we don’t really know that much based on the clips.)

J-Hope pouring pills in this fire in “I Need U”

J-Hope pouring pills in this cauldron in BST

Let’s go back and contrast this “I Need U” pill pouring scene to the BST one. Somehow I keep getting reminded of the Three Witches in Macbeth. I wouldn’t say J-Hope fully embodies the Three Witches because there are three of them and J-Hope doesn’t start any of the MVs. However, I think there is a subtle inference that J-Hope may have been like Three Witches who planted the seed of temptation in Macbeth’s mind to kill King Duncan. Although this pill pouring scene is shown among all of the boys changing towards the end of the MV, there are also clips of the boys’ happy youth where they are playing with fireworks and I’m pretty sure they all gathered around a fire way before V killed his father.

V coming in to rescue his sister and ends up killing his father.

Jimin sinking to despair

Happy Jungkook at the group camp fire

Everyone playing with fireworks (in the past)

Therefore, when he pours the pills in his external reality, he is foreshadowing the darkness that will come and perhaps in a very subtle way, he has influenced V to act. However, unlike the other boys who have succumbed to darkness, J-Hope is able to break free from temptation and is the bearer of truth in the inner reality. He dumps the pills once more in BST, becomes the one that awakens from this chaos, and has to punish V, the Fallen Angel.

  Now that we have established how J-Hope fits as Archangel Michael, we can see how J-Hope can also be Frau Eva who represents the anima. Anima and animus are concepts developed by Carl Jung. Anima is “the woman in men” (See here for more info). The Anima’s archetype is the mother figure. It’s quite fitting that Pieta, which shows the Virgin Mary, is right behind J-Hope. Moreover, in Demian, Demian gives a kiss from Frau Eva to Sinclair. As a result of the kiss, Sinclair who represents the conscious ego is able to combine with Demian (the self) and merge with Frau Eva (the anima). Throughout the novel, Frau Eva’s role is also to help Sinclair grow. As a result, J-Hope has helped all of the other boys mature and the boys are thrown back to the external reality.

Look behind J-Hope!

As for himself? J-Hope is left behind and gazes up to this sky that features an ominous green butterfly/pair of wings. I initially saw this as a butterfly; butterflies generally symbolize great transformation. Think of a caterpillar who changes into a butterfly. Wings gives a different meaning like freedom, independence, and in the Bible, wings are known to be spiritual truths (See here).

  All of the boys have gained some form of truth and returned to the external reality which is in green. Green is associated with nature and the Earth. I’m pretty sure in BST, green here is used to represent when the characters are in the external reality.

Whenever this neon green is used, the scenes are related to the characters being in the inner reality. We first see this neon green when Rapmonster and Jungkook are sitting across from one another and Rapmonster tempts Jungkook. Notice how the neon green is on the exterior of the windows and how the Hotel is outside of this building. Jungkook was in a hotel at the beginning. The last three pictures show the ending scenes of the MV. There is V who has been punished looking up to the green sky (external reality). There is Jungkook who is going through that weird neon green/blue light to get back to the external reality. There’s Jin looking down at the vortex and stepping away from it. The green sky is all around him. He too is getting back to the external reality.

I haven’t figured out which member to analyze for the next post, so please feel free to let me know who you’d like to understand first!

[lxxxladamneron]

   Title: ( Title Changed) The Pilot of The Raging Storm

Chapter One - Pain Beneath the Cracks

   You were a Zabrak native, hailing from the harsh lands of Iridonia. Both your parents earned their living as renowned bounty hunters, allowing you a comfortable life exploring hobbies and potential lifelong interests. Although the day you undertook bounty hunter training followed to be your very last. Unknowing to be force sensitive resulted in an irreversible accident, crushing the teacher’s internal organs until crimson liquid poured from every orifice. From that day your parents forced you to cut yourself off from the force, discouraging you to follow the path of a Jedi, for it was not a life they wanted for you. Sadly what they wanted meant very little when the fall of the Republic took place, and they were executed right before your eyes. After that you never stopped running, developing a nomadic mindset until one day, you were simply tired of the marathon and finally decided to settle on Lah’mu.

  You were apart of a quiet tribe filled with many humanoid species, although you mainly kept to yourself, the other tribe members knew your worth an unspoken for kindness. As you finished your rounds of gathering wood for tonight’s supper, you heard an engine roar, causing the hairs on your neck to stand. Fearful clamouring finally convinced you to check things out, a bad feeling brewing in your gut. As you rounded the cluster of huts, a growing group of first order troops forced you to skid to a halt.

“Now, if you’ll only cooperate, this process will go as gently as possible.” Shouted an Elite Trooper, backed with a mass of first order stormtroopers, “Where are your force sensitives?”

You felt your heart plunge into the pit that was your stomach, a cold chill traveling down your back with a cold sweat beginning to coat your hands. You clenched your fist to contain the trembles overcoming your nerves, breath becoming shallow and quick.

“We-we don’t have force sensitives, we’re-” A blaster shot rang out, cutting through the head of your fellow tribe member, causing a cluster of screams and shouts.

“I will ask again, and if I don’t like your answer, the same will happen to you. Where are your force sensitives?”

Silence followed in reply, a few stifled sobs being heard across the desolate forest land. A crunch in the grass was heard as the Elite troop shifted his weight, motioning for the Praetorian squadron to bring the rest. A flurry of trots rang out as they moved into the tribe land, breaking into the huts and dragging out begging people, cries and whimpers of fear being carved into your memory. You were caught by one Praetorian guard passing by, a hit to the back of your cranium sending you forward and your head spiraling into reality.

“Found this one hiding, sir.” The guard stated, causing him to turn and look at you.

“A Zabrak? Aren’t you a little far from home, little one?” A hint of suspicion and wicked playfulness amped your fear, as well as your supressed anger, “Line her up with the rest.”

As you were put into the line with your fellow tribe members, the troopers simultaneously kicked the backs of your legs, forcing everyone to their knees; at the ultimate mercy of the First Order.

“I will ask one final time, and if I do not get an answer, you will all be killed.”

They raised their blasters in ready, shouts of fear coming from the people as they were given an ultimatum.

“WHERE ARE YOUR FORCE SENSITIVES?!” He shouted

Your shoulders bobbed up and down with every tremulous breath, the clock ticking down causing your head to spin with a flurry of anxiety. You could either announce yourself or allow the inevitable.

The Elite Trooper let out a sigh, scanning the people one last time for any sign of confession before saying, “Shoot them, their pride has gotten in the way of clarity.”

The troopers clicked their blasters to ready, inching towards the trigger as they prepared to open fire. With a cry of fury and desperation, you outstretched your hand towards one of the Praetorian guards, unknowing if you were merely making a fool of yourself one final time or if what you intended would happen. To your delighted surprise, the Elite guard’s joined vibro-arbir blade flew right out their grip an into yours. As you snugly wrapped your fingers around the hilt, you looked up towards the small army before you, the commanding trooper tilting his head at you, “It seems we’ve found our stray.”

There was no hesitation from the troops as they began to open fire on you, forcing you to duck & dodge left and right. You began to close the distance, each group of beams forcing you to tap into the force little by little, giving you the smallest edge to survive the shots. The Elite Praetorians stepped forward as you slid under a stormtroopers legs, standing yourself upright immediately by using the vibro blade as a vaulting pole. You landed on the backside of the first elite guard, taking advantage and swinging a devastating blow to the back of their head. Quickly you followed up with a strong kick to the back, sending him forward into a group of stormtroopers.

Behind you! A voice desperately shouted in your head. You turned just in time to bend back as far as you could, dodging the electro chain whip aimed at your neck. You fell back onto the ground, poorly overestimating your flexibility, but quickly planted your hands and kicked off, landing back onto your feet with the vibro blade at ready.

“Fascinating, watching power awaken at the time of desperation.” Chuckled the commander trooper, studying you up and down, “You have no idea how this is happening, do you? And it scares you.”

“Shut up.” You spat, the tremors returning, shaking the blade in your hand with inability to control. 

The commander let out a hardy laugh, causing your teeth to grit with disgust as all you wanted was to send the blade through his throat, “You’re terrified..the First Order can help you, allow us to.”

You shook your head, “I’ll take what little chances I have.”

Without hesitation you outstretched your hand towards a trio of nervous troopers, their feet leaving the ground and being dragged through the air right towards you. With a little sweet constriction the troopers began to panic, legs kicking as they scratched at their throats, desperately gasping for air. A few stormtroopers in the back let some shots out in hopes of getting their brothers in arms released, but instead you moved the weakening troopers in front, catching all the beams and instantly stopping their struggles.

“Get her and be done with this!” shouted the commanding trooper as he disappeared into the charging crowd, making way to the transporter.

You slid your leg back, planting yourself in a defensive position to help guard against the melee troops. Anxious anticipation followed as the agressive chargers seemed to slow with the rest of the world. As the first swing clashed with theirs the battle become a muted blur, your motions falling into a deeply rooted routine of instinct, something you’ve never felt more scared yet most comfortably doing. With every shot landed, your rage become more ignited, every calculated move a symbol of your emotions until all that was left standing were the Elite guards. They stood on the other side of the mass pile of bodies and blood, seemingly calm and collected despite the circumstances, whilst you were on the opposite side of the spectrum, heavy, shaky vibrating your whole body.

The Elites made it apparent they weren’t to make the first move, standing strong and stiff with their weapons ready. The first move left you with both an advantage and none, so you decided not to waste time strategizing. You lunged forward, swinging arms forward and back to pump yourself faster. Once you got to the pile of bodies you leapt up into the air, raising the blade above your head. They looked up, pointed their weapons towards you as you began coming down, but as you drew closer the crimson trooper armed with the whip swung his weapon, curling it around the blade and yanking it with unanticipated strength, sending you flying into the dirt and unarmed. You rolled a few times before allowing the force to assist in standing you back up, a few scrapes but nothing too serious added to your arsenal of wounds. The first Elite Guard to close in swung down on you hard, causing your gripped hand on his wrist to tremble as he kept persistence strong, another Guard jabbed his spear towards the crook of your back and you reached your free hand out, desperately concentrating the force on keeping his spear out of your back. The third elite twirled his whip in the air before throwing it towards your neck and your heart nearly beat out your chest. You watched as it came closer and closer, the sharp tip of the whip surprisingly stopping right before the rim of your eye. It trembled with energy as your body struggled to maintain the exerted level of power, sweat and blood dripping into one down your dirtied skin. Tears began to pressure the weaker you felt yourself getting, desperation gnawing away as you no longer knew how to keep this up. A gradual cry escaped your lips as tears escaped, the roar causing a wave from every conduit of the force, repulsing the elites to the ground.

Relief fell over you like a cool wave of the salty ocean, triggering a second wind as you regained your composure. You watched the Elite guards stumble to stand up but you refused to give them the chance. A profound breath followed with a single circular movement of both your hands, suspending the Guards into the air. You flattened your hands and turned them on their sides, the tips of the fingers pointed towards each other as you slowly brought them close to your chest. Blood in slim streams exited the crimson guards bringing cries of agony, causing a wicked smile on your lips. As the blood formed into hardened spears you pressed your hands forth, stabbing through the thickened armor and sticking them to the side of the transporter ship.

It was over, not entirely, but for now. Your knees began to tremble as you looked around you, the area filled with white and red bodies, unable to distinguish the stormtroopers from the elites with how much blood was spilled. And you finally collapsed, looking down at your hands. It wasn’t until you looked down that you realized how much damage had been done, blood staining both hands, laser burns littering your body and clothes-

“Well done, young one.” An unwanted voice spoke out, a few claps following

You looked up to see the shiny, pitch black armor of the commander, someone you’d somehow forgotten about,

“I thought about bringing you back after that little demonstration, but now I think I may just kill yo-”

One blaster shot rang out, piercing the chest of the commander. When he didn’t collapse another shot came, then a third and a forth, finally causing him to fall over, a metallic clang echoing as he dropped. You shakily looked to your, being greeted with a man slowly lowering a blaster, on his shoulder was a symbol of the republic which comforted your traumatized soul.

Standing was a chore, every joint and muscle twitching and shaking as you managed to standing up, revealing every wound your body continued to ignore. At the realization you were wounded he rushed over to you, stopping shortly the moment you raised your hand as if to defend yourself.

“Pl-please...I-I can’t...Just..” You softly spoke, shaking your head.

His eyes widened in shock as your fear, holstering his weapon in hopes of soothing you, “I’m not here to kill you...I was sent here by the Resistance to seek out force sensitives, which-” He took a quick glance around, stopping at the Elite Guards pierced to the ship, “I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that’s you.”

You finally met his gaze, lowering your trembling hand to cover an open blaster wound, wincing at the tender touch, “I-I..I didn’t know I could-I..” You shut your lips, dryly swallowing the emotions you felt hitting at once.

You looked down at his outstretched hand, flickering between his dark eyes and his hand, “The Resistance can help you with that, help protect you. Only if you wish. We don’t want The First Order to have you any more than you do yourself.”

You didn’t reply, grinding your teeth against one another as the pressure was on. With everything that happened, you didn’t know what to think or what would be best. He lowered his hand to his side, realizing the weight of the situation.

“My name is Poe Dameron,” He finally said after a moment of awkward silence, flashing you a gentle smile that somewhat warmed your cheeks,”I’m a pilot for the Resistance, and we strive to drive the first order out of the galaxy.”

You gulped once more, giving your lower lip a lick before a small nip,

“Okay.” You placed out your shaky hand, tainted with dry crimson.

He looked down, quick to take your hand into his, a warm and strong grip covering yours whole.

“Okay..Yeah, I have a speeder not far from here, my extraction point is a bit further from that, shall we?” He pointed off in the distance, and you responded with a mere nod, but after the first step your knees wobbled an you began to collapse,

“Whoa-hey, take it easy.” He quickly caught you, gently standing you upright, snaking one arm around your waist and bringing your arm up and around his neck, “I got you, alright?”  Without a word he slipped his infamous jacket off his shoulders, careful to place it upon yours for warmth and little protection. You looked at him in surprise, the furrow of your brows resulting in a look of his own.

“Poe.” You suddenly said after a mile of silence, the sight of the speeder coming slowly becoming closer and closer.

“Yes?” He responded, rearranging his grip on your waist to give you better comfort.

“Thank you.”

He looked down towards you but you were looking off in the distance, watching the clouds roll in front of the moon. For a moment he didn’t look in front of him but instead studied you, looking at the horns poke through your wavy hair, gaping wounds sticking with dried liquid. She’s fucked up, yet still walking, he thought, looking back as they approached the speeder.

“You’re welcome...” He carefully sat you onto the back of the speeder, making sure every step of the way that you were in the least amount of discomfort as possible, then he sat himself down,

“Wh-what do I hold onto...?” You softly asked, looking down at the sides of the speeder.

He reached his hands back, making grabbing motions for you to give him your hands, which you obliged. He then delicately wrapped them around his torso, pressing his hand onto your before giving a small pat,

“Now...lets go home.”

[frostbitesjc]

Tribulations | A Miraculous Ladybug Oneshot

Sometimes, your strongest power might just be the one used to destroy the one you love. Death, is inevitable.

Word Count: 663 (ikr it’s short, but oh well, drabbles right AHAHAHHA)

ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴀ ᴛɪᴍᴇ

It haunted him.

At first he thought that it was a gift, something so wonderful and amazing that it was almost a legend. A prize worthy for the Gods, a reward that even the most powerful beings in all the Dimensions craved for.

He used to think that his powers were the most glorious, miraculous thing in Earth, despite it being based off bad luck. To him, it was a symbol of freedom, an indication that his life was changing for the better, a way to feel so…

Free.

Then, he found out the true meaning behind Cataclysm.

Before he found out, he was naïve, elated with every time he used the power. With all the adrenaline pumping through his veins and the exhilarating feel of simply wielding it, he felt practically invincible.

He had powers! He was a superhero- he had power beyond his wildest dreams and comprehension. He was able to actually do something, influence the lives of others. And for once in years, he felt like he actually mattered.

But over time, he realized that it’s simply destroyed, never built. He even knew the definition of it by heart- a large scale, violent, and destructive event.

It was power, definitely, but it was one of a kind, the type that could bring the world to its knees and destroy entire dimensions. With a single touch, with just one thought, he could annihilate billions, devastate for miles.

And Ladybug -oh god, Ladybug- he loved her.

It was ironic, really, bad and good, black and white, the devil and the angel. She was the true saviour of the world, not him. She was the one who really mattered. He simply obliterated. Like his powers, he was a wreck, a ruin. He caved into himself, and his demons haunted him, even in his dreams.

Yet, he never hated her- he loved her.

She was his brightest light -his only light- in his sea of torment.

Still, he feared himself, and there was nothin he could do to stop it. He was silently dying,

piece

by

piece~

∂яɛαмιиɢ σғ ∂ɛмσиƨ

He was in a white void yet again.

“Do you love me Chat?”

It was Ladybug. He let out a short breath of relief realizing that it was her, and hugged her.

“Of course, My Lady!”

“Then how?”

How what?

Her eyes were swollen with tears, and although she was not saying anything, a picture could paint a million words.

He glanced down at her waist, where his hand was rested on-

No.

“How could you let this happen?” She murmured, but he wasn’t listening any longer. A large gaping hole was on her side, where his hand was rested on, and is smelled of smoke and fire, destruction and death. The wound smoking, black in colour, and blood stained it as well, her ribcage already showing.

Oh god. It was cataclysm.

“You should have been protecting me. We should have been partners.”

Tears trickled down her face, and her bluebell eyes extinguished. For once in his life, he didn’t see the flames of determination in her- he only saw ashes and ruination.

“Look at what all you luck has brought me.”

And all that was left was a skull.

No, no no no no no no no, Ladybug don’t, please, NO!

ωακιиɢ тσ мσиƨтɛяƨ

“No!” He screamed as he woke up, panting and sweating from his time of tribulation.

He glanced at his hand, then forcefully pinched himself.

No more dreaming.

But what he never saw was the corrupted butterfly flitter towards him, the dark purple stains on its wings blending in with the background.

He didn’t make a noise as it got swept into his ring, he didn’t protest as the magic swirled around him, and he didn’t object to the white leather catsuit forming on his skin.

A glowing purple outline of a butterfly appeared on his face, flickering to life.

For now, he would not destroy.

He was Chat Blanc.

ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ

Haha, I hope you liked this fic! This is my first fanfiction and post here lol. This fic can also be found on the Miraculous Ladybug Amino, at my account Frostbite_SJC.

And in case you don’t understand, he basic plot for this was that Chat was a afraid of his powers as it could kill (Cataclysm), he was akumatised because of his negative emotions.

Unlike what most people think about Chat Blanc, I think that Chat Blanc will not kill or severely injure, but will somehow find a way to steal the Miraculous.

I drew inspiration for this fanfic from http://typosanderrors.tumblr.com/post/138012580414/had-this-sitting-in-my-wip-folder-since-the-cupid/amp

FABULOUS piece of fanart btw, love it so much ❤️❤️❤️

[thedramafilesblog-blog]

We’re not a blog that is dedicated to reviewing music (including Kpop), but because we absolutely adore BTS and their music, we decided to do a memo-style review of the Music Video (MV) for their Japanese Version “Blood, Sweat & Tears” (血、汗、涙 -Japanese Ver.-).

***Note: If this is your first time browsing the Drama Files, please read The Rules on how our Memo-style reviews work.***

***Note: We really wanted to analyze the Blood, Sweat, Tears Korean MV before, but we missed out on the opportunity. We thought this MV was very interesting as well, so we were really eager to share our theories about what they could possibly signify. There are definitely many theories, so we thought we’d propose ours. Our views are simply theories and purely speculative.***

Memo

Dear Reader,

There have been some questions regarding the recent release of BTS’s 血、汗、涙 -Japanese Ver.- (“BST”), particularly:

(1) Who/What does each member represent?

(2) How is the ending clip that is reminiscient of the “I Need U” MV connected to BST?

Conclusion

(1.1) J-Hope acts as a guide. J-Hope is Archangel Michael and Frau Eva from Demian.

(1.2) V is Max Demian (“Demian”) from Demian and the Devil/Lucifer/the Fallen Angel (“the Devil”) .

(1.3) Suga is Pistorius and the Old Wise Man (archetype).

(1.4) Jimin is Sinclair from Demian and Adam from the Bible.

(2) This will be answered in a subsequent Memo.

Background

Please read the first post to understand how this MV fits in with the other MVs and the different types of reality in this MV.

Please read the second post for more information on Demian and other important concepts.

Please read the third post for a detailed analysis of Suga’s role.

Analysis

(1.1) J-Hope acts as a guide. J-Hope is Archangel Michael and Frau Eva from Demian.

Please read the first post to see this analysis.

(1.2) V is Max Demian (“Demian”) from Demian and the Devil/Lucifer/the Fallen Angel (“the Devil”) .

Please read the second post to see this analysis.

(1.3) Suga is Pistorius and the Old Wise Man (archetype).

Please read the third post to see this analysis.

(1.4) Jimin is Sinclair from Demian and Adam from the Bible. 

Jubiemon J: We will first look at Jimin being Sinclair, then at Jimin being the Hero archetype, and finally at his being Adam from the Bible.

(i) Jimin is Sinclair from Demian.

Let’s do something a bit different this time and start by looking at his short clip called “Lie”. Rapmonster narrates from Demian‘s Chapter 1, “Two Realms”: “My parent’s house made of one realm. This realm was familiar to me in almost every way–mother and father, love and strictness, model behaviour, and school.” This part is towards the beginning of the novel, where Sinclair is recounting his story of self-realization. This passage, as a result, suggests that Jimin is also on the path to self-realization.

In the clip, we see Jimin by himself and he seems to be eerily looking at this camera and smiling. On the outside as in the external reality, Jimin is happy, but then we see that inner struggle within himself. We get a feeling that he is “caught in a lie” like his lyrics suggest.

Jimin forcing a smile

Jimin struggling internally – look at the dance too! He is covering his mouth, which is something people do when they’re trying to stop themselves from saying stuff. He’s resisting to tell his lie.

Then Jimin falls back and we get to see his inner world. We see him in a hospital bed and in this room that’s completely white. We’re getting the vibes of a psychiatric ward. After, we see a glimpse of a card that has the word “Eva” all over it. Frau Eva is who J-Hope represents from Demian. To be brief, Eva is like Sinclair’s mother and acts as his romantic interest (See J-Hope’s post for more). We know that J-Hope is involved here as Eva because J-Hope has been associated with pills in the previous BTS MVs. Eva also represents a symbol of completion and perfection; she has both masculine and feminine qualities. Therefore, Jimin is striving to find that perfection through J-Hope and we notice Jimin struggling via the pillow whacking.

Jimin struggling internally

Eva!

J-Hope and pills…

Seeking perfection

There’s also a sign that signals Jimin’s journey to find his self. The sign says Pulkkot Arboreteum 1.2 km. Pulkkot translates to Hibiscus, which is South Korea’s national flower, while an arboreteum is a botanical garden dedicated to trees. These likely allude to the Garden of Eden. Another point is that when I was searching for the meaning of the sign, I came across the Korean words: 불꽃 (“bul” + “kkot”). 불 means “fire” and 꽃 means “flower”. Together, they can either mean a flame, a spark, or fireworks/fire cracker (See here).

In the last chapter of Demian, “The End Begins”, Sinclair and Demian are soldiers at war and one night, Sinclair sees this giant godlike figure that looks like Frau Eva. Figuratively, she swallows up the soldiers and then cries out in pain. Stars explode from her forehead and one gravely wounds Sinclair. Demian lies beside Sinclair and says that he has to leave. Demian then gives Sinclair a kiss on the forehead, which is said to be from Frau Eva. Sinclair (the Ego) ends up merging with Demian (the Self) and Frau Eva (the Animus).

The Ego is our conscious self; it’s when we think of “I” and “me”. The Self is the consciousness, the unconscious, and the ego. Carl Jung believed that when you are born, you start out with the Self, but then you gradually develop a separate ego-consciousness in order to fit into society. During the later half of your life, you’ll spend time finding your Self again.

The centre dot is the Ego. The bigger circle and the inner circle make up the Self.

I think the sign, Pulkkot Arboreteum, does serve as a reference to this scene from Demian. Yes, it is likely the Garden of Eden, but it is also where an explosion will occur to cause Jimin to find his Self once more.

During this journey of self-discovery, Jimin will feel lost and confused. We see tons of clips of his struggles. That’s probably why the lyrics from “Run” are seen from the short clip: “Please stop me. Please guide me. Please let me breathe.” There also seems to be a reference to a verse from “Save Me”: “I’m trapped inside of myself and I’m dead.” That line is telling because Jimin is struggling internally like Sinclair and metaphorically speaking, his old, innocent self becomes dead due to this journey. In the end, Jimin succumbs to temptation and bites that apple. He leaves us with a smirk because he has now become wiser and knows more than us.

Struggling Jimin

Burning piano – leaving his mentor, Pistorius aka Suga

Sinking deeply into the darkness – remember how Taehyung’s fall into water is associated with turning “evil”? This is similar here.

Forbidden apple sinking deeply into the water

Jimin fighting the urge to jump into the pool of water.

Eating that apple

Jimin smirking

We also see in the MVs that Jimin is searching for himself. In the Korean “BST” MV, Jimin begins his journey to self-discovery. Like Sinclair, Jimin has probably led a sheltered, innocent life and therefore, in the Korean “BST” MV, we see Jimin’s eyes being covered by Suga’s hands from the beginning.

Suga shielding Jimin’s eyes

As mentioned in the previous post, Suga is Pistorious to Jimin and Pistorius represents someone who is progressive yet still wants to cling onto the foundations of our society (See part 3 memo for more details on Suga’s role as Pistorius). Thus, it makes sense that Suga is the one guiding Jimin and colours Jimin’s lens of the world via the blindfold Suga puts on Jimin. Although Suga is allowing Jimin to explore and understand the world better, Suga is also restraining Jimin. Jimin, as a result, hasn’t succumbed fully to “temptation”/what people perceive as the dark side. We see in the Korean “BST” MV, Jimin still has not bitten the apple. He held onto it, but he didn’t bite it.

This situation is analogous to the one we find between Pistorius and Sinclair. Pistorius acts as a mentor to Sinclair and educates him about many concepts. However, Sinclair later realizes that Pistorius is archaic and still unwilling to let go of the set ways of understanding God (standard biblical beliefs). Upon this realization, Sinclair criticizes Pistorius and leaves him, meaning that the student has left his mentor.

We see this act of departure from Jimin in BST. In the beginning of BST, Jimin runs away from Suga who is by this piano. (Remember: this is the inner reality/psychical reality because Jin is looking through the lens of the painting.) Jimin is now on his way to explore and figure out himself by himself. We also see before this that there is another Jimin in this blue room. That is his innocent self that he will reunite with later.

Innocent Jimin here

Jimin pushing away Suga 

Jimin leaving Suga

Jimin running for his journey

This Jimin, which I’ll call Innocent Jimin from now on, is sitting on a chair that reminds us of those ones that we see in films where a patient is talking to his therapist/psychiatrist. Moreover, we also see that he is dressed more purely: white button-up shirt and trousers. That’s different from the sweater he wears when he is looking for his innocent self; that sweater reminds me of feathers/wings.

We see Jimin trailing behind Taehyung and Jungkook. V walks further away, leaving Jimin behind in the kitchen. Jungkook and Jimin are Sinclairs, so it’s interesting to see that they are tagging behind V, who is clearly the most “developed” Demian. Because Jimin has run away from Suga, he has “fully” succumbed to the “dark side”. Hence, we see Jimin taking a bite from that apple and the blender mixes some crazy colours.

Then we see Jimin and Jungkook restraining V to let J-Hope punish V. I think that makes sense because Jimin and Jungkook are still not as developed as V and there are times where they too are fighting within themselves about change. That’s seen throughout Demian where Sinclair goes back and forth about his feelings. He feels guilty for criticizing Pistorius, yet he still leaves him.

In the end, there is that battle between the two thoughts with J-Hope dancing in a room that has a ceiling of heaven in blue and then Jimin is dancing in the same room with the same ceiling in red. We know from J-Hope’s post, the boys can’t stick to the old belief system and so J-Hope “loses”. Jimin is covered in red in the external reality where he is looking into a mirror at himself, while Jungkook is covered in this grey smoke in a red washroom.

Jimin dancing

J-Hope dancing

At the end of this journey, Jimin is able to reunite with his Self that’s in that blue room. Suga is covering the Innocent Jimin’s eyes because he probably doesn’t want the Innocent one to be completely tainted.

However, the two Jimins make eye contact and merge together. I’ve talked about how Sinclair merges with his other entities so this scene represents that unity. That’s why as soon as the two Jimins combine together, Jimin is shot back to the external reality through that weird neon-coloured whirlpool.

Jimin being shot back

(ii) Jimin is Adam from the Bible.

Jimin is the one that has an apple in his hand. Adam bit the apple from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam couldn’t resist the temptation and gave in. Similarly, Jimin gives into this temptation to know more and leave his sheltered life. Because of that, Jimin goes through some painful trials and “chaos” ensues.

Memo: BTS Blood, Sweat & Tears (Japanese Version) Music Video Analysis Part 4 We're not a blog that is dedicated to reviewing music (including Kpop), but because we…