#this isn't about anything specific btw i just have been watching a lot of videos about bad people changing for the better lately

[nexus-nebulae]

really fucking hate people that take mean things you did as a kid and hold them against you forever, no matter what you do. i literally had to teach my own parents right from wrong, why do you fucking think i didn't know it then

[peachjagiya]

How Layover taught me self confidence

Or Why Biasing Kim Taehyung is good for your mental wellbeing

-----------

So I'm not even a year into being into BTS. I'm toddler army, I think since April? This video of the Sirius performance of Butter came up on my tiktok randomly and I Just Wanted To Know Their Names and now I'm here.

I didn't immediately bias Tae. I actually attached immediately to Jimin. I also thought Suga was grumpy and there was something going on between Jimin and JK cos I watched the official content and fell for the narrative 😇 (I wouldn't say I'm a former jikooker though. It lasted like a week then I got weird vibes from it 🤷)

I'm really into jazz and swing so Tae wrecked my bias with Le Jazz De V.

Then it really got serious with Layover. Specifically these pictures:

See this outfit rewired my brain.

Here's the thing: I'm a big girl and I've been uncomfortable in my skin and clothes for a long time. I'm also gay and that comes with a lot of style related baggage too. Don't dress too masculine, everyone will think you're a man-hating lesbian. You're wearing a dress, you don't SEEM gay.

It made me hate my style. Trying to dress to hide my figure but not look too baggy. Trying to be feminine but not too feminine, trying not to wear anything too masc, trying to be stylish, trying a lot of things that never worked for me. I have no gender dysphoria but I never felt happy in my clothes.

Then I saw a literal idol wearing baggy jeans and tee and looking so stylish with it and a switch flipped. Maybe a slender South Korean man isn't where I'd imagine finding inspiration as a British bisexualish plus size lesbian but I suddenly felt like a style was accessible to me. The jewellery, the effortless slouch... I tried it out and it sounds dramatic but it was like a fashion euphoria. I liked how I looked for maybe the first time ever. My tummy hidden but I still looked good and like I'd made an effort.

His queer coding is so important to me too. It doesn't matter to me what he turns out to be. His promotion of queer artists, films and music, genderless expression and demonstrated support for queer community, will always be important in helping me feel seen and valued regardless of whether his participation is as a queer man or as an ally.

And he has made me more accepting of my own neurodivergence. I'm a mum to a six year old. I do the school run and cook and pay my mortgage with my boring communications job and I'm really into BTS. It's a bit of an eyebrow raise for a lot of people. I'm not into diagnosing strangers but Tae's relentless ability to be himself, no matter how weird the rest of the world thinks he is, and being a hugely popular idol when the world tells you you can't be a bit of a free-thinker and successful at the same time... That's important!

So yeah. The other guys have qualities that comfort me too but Taehyung has had a profound impact on things that needed fixing in my brain.

And that's why he's my best guy THE END ask me anything I'll talk about Taehyung for hours.

(I'm sorry I ever thought you were just a grump, Yoongi.)

Are these dungarees/overalls backwards btw?

[aurea-corde]

I've never seen a single episode of anything related to watcher but I am eating up all this drama. Also sorry to y'all going through this

i appreciate that anon 😭 i've seen several good nuanced takes on the situation thankfully. the company definitely did mess up how it introduced the streaming service to people: they said in the video they were going to paywall all existing and new content and then in the comments and in the variety article pretended like that was never their intent. the variety article reveals that they were in fact initially told watcher was going to delete all existing content. the CEO in particular but in general all the founders said that the amount they are charging is affordable - specifically that anyone could afford it - which no they can't obviously. As they are now finding out the hard way. The CEO Steven also made an instagram post insinuating people who wouldn't subscribe just no longer want to watch them, rather than the reality which is that a massive majority of the audience can't afford to. Because he is the CEO, people are blaming the entire thing on him, but it's also important to remember there are actually three founder-owners with decision-making abilities in the company. Shane and Ryan are adults, and the way people are acting like Steven is some kind of dictator, Ryan just went along with it but Shane is the people's anticapitalist hero who was simply outvoted is not a great look. Especially the posts that refuse to acknowledge even the possibility of racial biases here. Mistakes were made, poc are not immune to criticism, but let's consider why so many feel like Shane was forced into this by the evil Steven (and people in the comments have literally called him evil for this) and either lump Ryan in with him or give Ryan no agency in the situation whatsoever. Steven is the most likely to have made the proposal as the closest thing Watcher has to a business-minded founder, but the other two clearly agreed with him. They could have just decided not to be in the video. I also don't see a world where they contractually obligated themselves to every whim of Steven's like some people are suggesting.

Do I think they're a bit sheltered in their LA life? Yeah, probably. I'm pretty sheltered myself - I live a comfortable middle class life in Australia, have a good job and am studying law. I could definitely afford the subscription. But I don't want to atm, or at least until they respond to the situation. Are they the worst most evil capitalists because they want to charge money for the content they create? No, not inherently. People supported them on Patreon because of course creatives should be paid for their labour, and ideally paid well enough to live comfortably. But the combo of bad business decisions (e.g. hiring too many staff too quickly while also wanting to pay them above a living wage, not advertising the patreon, not utilising revenue streams that aren't a streaming service like youtube memberships, spending what Ryan has said is hundreds of thousands of dollars on a single season of a series they have called Ghost Files) and the fact the CEO is pretty open about his comfortable lifestyle (drives a tesla which btw folks isn't a luxury car it's just a more expensive one, has a $300 matcha machine, has a series based on fine dining vs more affordable restaurants), means people are understandably mad because they are struggling financially and the founders (from what we know) are not - but they're trying to tell people that 6 USD is affordable for everyone.

It's a lot less to do with the fact of them charging for content as much as the way they went about it and in particular how it's been phrased to people has come across really insensitive. There's other logistics with the streaming service itself that were not thought out at all for international viewers, but I won't get into that here. And the pretending they were always going to leave their content up and telling viewers not to spread misinformation is scummy to me - at least acknowledge that was a mistake you made and backtracked on. It's just a mess but I really loved their videos and hope they make Youtube's Greatest Apology Video Ever (unironically) and try to undo some of the damage.

edit: someone in the replies made a great point that teslas could actually be considered a luxury car in some countries outside of the US, and I fully agree that 6 USD is 1) too much for what they offer, esp in this economic climate and 2) wayyyyy too much when converted to other currencies. I've seen other Australians say the conversion is too much for them but I know viewers in other countries say it comes out to literally thousands for them - if they can even access the site at all from their country.

[egg-emperor]

Maybe that question was somewhere already, but, how your selfinsert and eggman met? What was the first Impression on each other?

Btw i ship you two because i can name no one who would understand him better than you! :D and im always happy to see you on my dash.

Omg thank you so much, it really means a lot to me that you think so, that's a huge compliment with the effort I put into understanding his character and it makes me so happy that you ship us! I'm glad you enjoy my posts and I hope I can continue to deliver 😊💜

I have a lot of different first meeting scenarios that I like to daydream up and write, so I have multiple first encounter ideas of different times and ways it takes place (like depending around/during what game's events I imagine it taking place for example) so I don't set a single solid timeline or plot in stone overall. All the what ifs are endlessly fun to explore!

But there's always the same basis at least which I've talked about a bit throughout my blog but it's been a while and it could've been told better, so I'll happily share again. I like to make my s/i as accurate to me as possible, so I base it on how I came to love him in real life, biggest difference is I'm in the universe the beautiful man exists in for real!

So here we go:

I lived in a small place with a simple life that I found boring and eventful, I longed for adventure and to see more of the world but didn't have the means nor the confidence to get out there if I could. So instead I'd learn about the outside world, admire it from afar, dream of a more exciting life and just hope that it would somehow come one day.

When I was old enough to understand, I'd hear stories about Eggman and his past crimes and the latest news through my desire to learn about the world. But for as long as I'd been alive, he hadn't targeted the place I lived because it was small and insignificant, and it hadn't been caught in the crosshairs of him targeting anywhere nearby either.

But the things I heard from others with experiences before I was born and stuff he was still doing in the present and how common he was in the news caught my interest. I started keeping track and learning of his terrible crimes and atrocities in the past. I knew I should be horrified and disturbed but instead I was moreso curious and fascinated.

The way he'd seemed to have been everywhere and done everything and made such an impact on the world, as negative as it was, was impressive to me. He was the exact opposite of myself living in the middle of nowhere, never doing anything that interesting in my life, and nobody ever knowing who I was and being an outcast and it pulled me in.

I started collecting news coverage that existed and closely following all new stuff. My favorites were photos and footage, whether photos of him during his schemes or videos from when he'd broadcast himself onto devices while making threats or just to mess with people- which isn't something he'd done on a global scale since I'd been alive.

When exactly this took place and what it specifically entailed varies in my multiple concepts but at some point, I do finally get to see him on TV live when he hijacks it! I know I should be scared, it certainly is startling to see him suddenly pop up, make demands and threats, and talk about a world under his control. I know it's very bad and dangerous.

But I couldn't help but be excited to finally get to see him live and finally feel like a part of what's happening to the rest of the world too after years of just hearing about it! While I don't fully acknowledge and admit it to myself, my heart isn't just racing from fear, it's uncontrollable excitement too and I'm mesmerized watching him do his thing.

There are things I can't help but find fascinating and impressive, admirable even. Such as his theatrics, confidence, and crazy desires. Even though he was terrible, dangerous, egotistical, and greedy with it, he did it in such a unique and fun way. He was entertaining to watch and everything he was capable of was as impressive and exciting as scary.

His determination to keep trying and following his dreams and his enjoyment in his terrible crimes shows passionate devotion. The way he builds robots with awesome crazy designs and theme parks, carnivals, circuses, casinos, etc is so fun and cool despite how malicious it is. It's charming how he'll be himself and follow his dreams no matter what!

While I don't admit it to myself, I find him very handsome too. I subconsciously have a big crush on him and I'm admiring him more by the days. I know he's bad all along but he's so charming and entertaining about it, I can't help but be hooked and he makes me feel dizzy! He lives such a crazy, fun, eventful life and I wish I had that too.

Eventually after the broadcast hijacking, Eggman visits multiple locations and deploys his robots to scour areas for useful resources. I live in a place with lots of land and woodland in universe too and I go there a lot for walks and to just wander around and think and dream of traveling the world far beyond this, since I don't have much else to do.

When walking through the woods I hear the sound of a motor and mechanical noises. I peer through trees and bushes and see a Motobug driving along the grass! It's looking for animals and trying to round them up for Eggman to use because he needs a very big army for his new plan. I'm so delighted to finally see some of his tech in person!

Despite the danger, I get as close as I can for a better look and admire how well designed, creative, and fun it is, and how well made it is with such high quality. It's clear that he's very smart and imaginative and I see it for that instead of just "stupid silly toys" like others do. It's cute for a dangerous killing machine and that's part of the charm to me!

I enjoy it a lot for it being the closest I've ever gotten to him a sense, as it's something that he's created and I've finally been lucky enough to see it in person. And after getting to witness him on TV live too, dreams of mine are coming true. I'm finally a part of something he's doing and it's bringing so much more excitement to my life!

And knowing how unpredictable he is, one can never know what he might do next! And that's thrilling to me, though I should be afraid with the terrible things he's capable of, I'm instead always eager to find out because this is huge, finally being one of the locations on his radar for the first time since I've been alive. I finally get to experience it!

I'm very pleased with that encounter with a robot of his. I don't report it even though I should, I just let it go and do its thing. Nobody else finds out his robots were scouring the area to report on it and I like keeping the secret, knowing something about Eggman the rest of the public doesn't. And I didn't want them ruining it before it's truly began.

At a later date, news breaks that Eggman is attacking the city that I live just on the outskirts of and I'm in disbelief! Before I can even properly hear all the details of the report, for the first time I don't wait to hear every precious detail like I usually do and instead rush out because it could be a once in a lifetime thing and I can't miss this!

I don't even worry about the danger nor not having confidence to go out when there's probably a lot of people despite usually being uncomfortable, I just need to get there and see what's happening, that's all that matters to me. I manage to approach the scene as closely as possible while still keeping distance from the danger and heart of the chaos.

I climb a building and hide behind a tower on the roof and can see there's fire and shooting and explosions in the distance as robots are attacking, the action is gripping and gets my adrenaline up. But what makes my heart race faster is when I hear something in the sky and look up to see the man himself in his Egg Mobile watching it all!

I barely get to see much of his face as his back is to me watching it from a distance himself too, but closer than I am. But I can see enough of him to see that he has a big smile on his face, looking very smug and laughing. Just that and the fact that he's really here has my jaw drop in awe and then smile uncontrollably at his infectious joy!

After standing there watching, I don't expect him to look over his shoulder, he must've been looking for the best area of escape when he was done and he looked into my direction! He actually sees me and just as he notices and perks up in curiosity to why I'm there on my own, I run. He puts it down to me being scared and I didn't look to be enemy forces coming to stop him in my casual wear.

That moment was so small and brief but it stuck with me for weeks after. I keep replaying the sight of him admiring his robots wreaking havoc and the sound of his laughter. It was deeply precious to me to finally get to see him in person and be so close to him, albeit still many feet away but we were really there together in the same place!

I start to imagine how things could've gone differently if I'd stayed. Would he have questioned me? Would he have attacked thinking I was going to try to stop/report him or just for fun and to make sure nobody goes unscathed? I would've found all of those potential scenarios cool! But unfortunately I ran because I felt I had to. Still, I treasure it.

For a while I think that's the last of being lucky enough to get to catch. I mean getting witness a broadcast hijacking, then seeing a robot in person, then the man himself? That's way too much luck! I'm appreciative of what I got to see and will treasure it forever. Things seem quiet for a while after all the chaos and it looks like he's done with the place.

It's been a while since I last went to that certain woodland area for a walk and decide to go again and at night because it's been hot and because I'd like late night peace and privacy in my quiet place. Part of me hopes to see a robot or something even though it's unlikely they'd still be around when he's seemingly done with his work here.

I'm walking, listening to music, entertaining myself with my thoughts to avoid disappointing myself and- suddenly I bump into something and fall back. Never in million years would I ever expect to look up and see none other than Eggman! My glasses fell off when I fell and when I put them on and see him clearly, I still can't believe it!

We both didn't notice each other in the dark, with me looking down and Eggman's shaded glasses making it even harder to see in it. He squints and looks down at me through the darkness and teasingly says "What are you doing out here this late, little boy?" He has a playful approach and smirks because I look stunned and he's amused.

He thinks I might be scared but I'm actually just frozen in awe that he's really right there in the flesh in front of me. I finally pull myself up but still feel stuck in place, unsure of whether I should run or not. I also don't know how to answer his question and just manage to mumble that I was out walking and my breaths sound shaky.

He strokes his chin in wonder with a "hmm". Something about me is familiar. It quickly clicks with him as he connects the dots, not only did he catch me watching during his attack on the city, he also saw me in a Motobug camera when reviewing the footage to see if it saw good land to build on and that's how he knew this was a good place for it.

He points this out to me and says we finally meet at last, then asks if there's any reason he keeps seeing me around. I don't want him to get the wrong idea and think I was trying to spy on him and gather information to try to stop him so despite the shyness, blush in my cheeks, and small smile, I say I'm a big fan and have admired from afar for a while.

He's smart enough to still be wary in case it is a trick but at the same time he can't help but smile at that as he says "I'm pleased that you recognize my brilliance." His confidence and happiness from the ego boost he gets from that is precious to me. There's a funny warm feeling in my chest seeing the pleased grin that slightly tugs at his cheeks.

He's just as handsome in person as the videos and pictures. He has a gleaming white smile, cute big pink nose, and big magnificent fluffy mustache with soft round cheeks hidden behind it. He's so big and tall with his big round belly that looks soft and cuddly, big bear paw sized hands and feet, and long sleek legs. He looks like a big bear of these woods!

He looks stunning and I can't help but admire it. Eggman can certainly tell that my admiration is genuine by the way I look at him as I get lost in his beauty and don't realize how obviously I'm gawking. And there's no way I would've known of the hidden camera in the Motobug but I looked so happy and fascinated while trying to get close to it to admire it.

He can't let me roam around after all that I've seen in the past few encounters of him and his creations. Sure I didn't report it before but he'd rather assure the chances of it happening are zero. So he asks me to come back with him and says that if I enjoy his work so much then I should come serve him. I can't believe my ears and accept immediately!

He's surprised that it was that easy and is used to having to make demands and threats, so he's happy to see such enthusiasm. While I know I should be afraid to go away with such a dangerous infamous man, it would be a dream come true! I'm instantly ready to go away with him and don't need any prep. I get in his Egg Mobile and away we go.

The idea is that I stay with him while he works on the land by the woods that he took an interest in after seeing it in the Motobug footage. It's a good place to find animals for his robots and build a new base as it would be well hidden. I'm useful to keep around because I know when people are unlikely to be around to potentially stumble upon the site.

His first impression of me is that I'm a funny fan of his and that my admiration is pathetically cute and most importantly useful and ego stroking. He finds my eagerness to help him, keep him safe, and make sure he doesn't get caught very valuable for him, and how I become a servant in happily bringing him things he needs whenever he asks.

My feelings on him don't just remain the same as when when I first started to take an interest in him, they get stronger. Getting to know him for real and finding he really is as charming and admirable as I saw him is a delight. And it gets harder for me to escape the fact that I find him very attractive for his strong personality and beauty.

He still keeps a lot of secrets from me he can't have me knowing just in case but getting to learn anything and seeing around his base and his creations is a great joy. Especially when the man himself is proudly showing them off to me. He likes how I share multiple of his interests, love to listen to him talk, and gush over it and praise it all highly.

Eggman was ready to entertain any delusions that made me a fan but is pleased when he finds I know exactly who he is, what he wants, and how terrible he is but specifically admire and support it. I love him as he is, want him to succeed in his selfish goals, and get everything he wants. It feels good to be understood and loved for the real him.

My loyalty and enthusiasm making me useful to him and boosting his ego makes him consider keeping me around for longer, after he was initially planning on letting me go eventually. It would also be best to make sure I never have the chance to tell anyone else about him after going to know him on this level. And I don't want to leave anyway!

I have to keep proving my worth so he knows he made the right choice and that my admiration is real for sure and not just a really convincing agent, though there's no way it could be faked to this degree. Despite his caution we get along well and get closer and he's more certain and likes having me around to serve him and stroke his ego.

Things progress from there and I start faller for him harder and he enjoys having me as his assistant and servant more over time. It eventually leads to point where we first become intimate, when he takes the last step in assuring that I'm definitely not an agent and 100% real in my love for him- by asking for me to kiss him hehe 🥰💜

[ruvviks]

🐉🍎 💘 🍔 🤔 and 😞 for any oc of your choice!! or two ocs if you're feeling up for it [:

oc asks! / preferred ocs!

🐉 DRAGON — what is your oc's favorite mythical creature?

rafiq is a big fan of mythical creatures in general and loves watching shows and videos about it, or listening to podcasts during slow days at work. he's an avid reader of the revenant (a blogging site for paranormal investigators) and used to keep up with posts of the conspiracy group known as the hive, before they seemingly vanished at some point in time and stopped updating regularly. he loves the idea of bigfoot specifically but isn't in the right state of the country to investigate himself :( if he had the chance for it he 100% would though

since teddy works for CALAMITY which is an organization specified in monitoring and sometimes capturing strange phenomena all over the world, this is exactly the kind of thing that he works with. which is also exactly the reason why he HATES them LMFAO if anything they're all just troublemakers to him and he would like to get some rest. back when he still worked an office job for the organization he got very attached to some dustcatchers which are basically just little puff balls that cause chaos in the most dusty place of your home. that's about as close to a favorite mythical creature as it gets for him

yancey LOVES zombies. probably a little bit too much but i can't blame him because honestly same. he's watched every zombie media he's managed to get his hands on and will continue to do so for as long as he lives. it's funny because in this universe zombies do in fact end up as a thing somewhere but that's still a couple of years away so yancey doesn't know that yet. don't even worry about it

🍎 RED APPLE — where was your oc born? do they still live in/around their place of birth or do they live somewhere else? how do they feel about their birthplace?

rafiq was born in san francisco! very far away from where he lives nowadays and he does miss it a lot more than he likes to admit, but also wouldn't wanna go back there even though he is still very much welcome with his parents who still live there. the place has too many bad memories and rafiq wouldn't be able to live there comfortably at all anymore

teddy was born and raised in raleigh, which is not all too far away from blightwood crossing. he moved to the west coast at some point when he went to join CALAMITY and ever since he's been on the move, visiting towns all across the united states and sometimes even to another country to do jobs for the organization. he's been in blightwood crossing for a while now; the job he's doing there hasn't been going well at all and he's lost contact with CALAMITY, so he's just stuck in town without direction

yancey is from atlanta and only recently moved to blightwood crossing, after a series of events caused him to no longer be welcome at home. despite his mixed feelings about the town now, he does still really love the place and its energy and often wishes he hadn't been forced to leave; but there's not much he can do about that now and he knows he's better off far, far away from there

💘 HEART WITH ARROW — what and/or who do(es) your oc consider the most important to them?

rafiq loves his parents to bits and misses them a lot. he also has a small group of friends in blightwood crossing, mainly his coworkers from the diner he works at, and he cares a lot about them too :^) eventually during the story he gets together with teddy and yancey and he loves them soooo much. btw. if you even care

teddy is very lonely in town. he doesn't have contact with his family anymore since he's not allowed because of CALAMITY and their rules, and he didn't really have many friends at the organization either; so he's stuck in a strange town where nobody likes him all that much and no one's out there missing him either :( during the story he grows closer with the other main characters and he ends up ride or die for them, being a very loyal guy in general

yancey is hesitant to make new friends in town despite it coming naturally for him, and he does end up caring a lot about the other main characters. he's very scared to have all of them ripped away from him in one sweep without warning, just like what happened before with his ex friends and family back in atlanta, but also knows there's no way to predict or prevent that from happening if it were to happen one day so he tries to ignore it as best as he can and not let it get in the way of enjoying the time he has with them

🍔 HAMBURGER — is your oc good at cooking? are they good at baking? which one do they prefer?

rafiq is decent enough at cooking. his father sends him a lot of recipes to try out and he can follow them well enough on most days, but often has to simplify them a little. baking is also not his expertise but he still loves doing it! usually does it with friends so it's a group effort (and a group failure if it doesn't go well) and it's more to have an excuse to hang out with them

teddy is a very good cook but just doesn't do it :/ he's living on instant noodles, microwaved rice, pizza, any meal he can get from the diner and then leftovers of that for the next day, tater tots, questionable quality dry bread with cheese, and sometimes he will pensively have a vegetable. he doesn't like baking all that much but also does enjoy hanging out with rafiq so he will bake with him. just this once (<- said every single time)

yancey is a GREAT cook which is why he ends up as a cook at the diner :^) he loves experimenting with cooking and coming up with his own recipes and while it doesn't always work out for him, he uses the knowledge from that to make something that DOES work out next time. also pretty good at baking but does that significantly less because he's stuck in the belief that baking is mostly sweet stuff and he prefers savory things. clearly this man has never had a pizza muffin before

🤔 THINKING FACE — what are some of your oc's quirks/mannerisms?

rafiq is very expressive and a very active listener, which can take some getting used to when you're getting to know him. he likes actively adding his thoughts into a conversation and is good at relating to other people, which always makes for a very lively conversation :^)

teddy is basically a brick wall. you can't tell what's going on in his head you can't tell how he's feeling and sometimes you may even wonder if he just fell asleep standing up with his eyes open (it's not the case but with how far away his brain has zoomed out it may as well be). he's very easily distracted and gets lost in his own brain a lot which causes him to speak slowly and sometimes he just doesn't finish his sentences. he also cracks his knuckles a lot

yancey can be very witty at times but his brain lags behind when there's too many people talking so he doesn't control WHEN he gets to be witty. he does finger guns at people a lot or a little thumbs up because he never knows what to do with his hands so adding in a little gesture like that gives him something to focus on. it's very endearing :^)

😞 DISAPPOINTED FACE — does your oc attract others, or do they tend to be left alone?

rafiq is a people person and loves to chat with people, which is why customers at the diner tend to stay a lot longer when he's on the workfloor because he'll just end up talking with them for hours. despite being surrounded by people a lot, he can still get very lonely easily because actually connecting to people in a deeper way takes a lot more effort for him

teddy is probably the loneliest man in blightwood crossing at the start of the story. he mostly just stays at home and goes to a nearby bar and the diner and that's IT. sometimes the grocery store. he mostly just talks to the diner's waiters rafiq and yukiko and then the bartender and cashier and he's a regular in those places so they would recognize his face but they wouldn't even know his name. he's always been a bit lonely and just focusing on the task at hand by himself so it doesn't really bother him, but also just isn't aware of just HOW lonely he is so once he starts talking to people more he's like "ohh so my life was just really fucked up before. ok"

yancey makes new friends very easily because of his fun and kind nature and he's good at making other people feel at ease with him :^) he values his alone time a lot but also knows when it's time for him to get out of the house and hang out with people again, which is why his new job at the diner is very good for him. it gives him something fun to do that he also gets paid for AND he gets to hang out with his new friends because they all work there :D easy right? what could possibly go wrong

[hzrnvm]

dare to be stupid?

Best song: It's got to be Like a Surgeon, man. I mean come on. It's Like a Surgeon. It's got silliness, it's got a strong and consistent theme, it's got jokes, it's got danceability, and it has a super cool music video. Quintessential Weird Al — and a perfect example of a well-done parody song.

Most talented song: Dare to Be Stupid is one of Weird Al's best examples of really knowing his stuff. It's a Devo song, through and through. Also, you can really tell Weird Al likes New Wave: along with this one, two of his other most accurate style parodies have been You Make Me (Oingo Boingo style parody) and Dog Eat Dog (Talking Heads style parody. Specifically the album Little Creatures)

BONUS SECTION!! I couldn't find a spot for this one but just HAD to include it so i added an extra spot. Song that stands out: This Is the Life is one of Weird Al's only songs that isn't a parody or a style parody: it's a complete and total original! I think it's a really great one honestly. Very fun lyrics, simplistic concept executed wonderfully.

Least favourite song on the album: im sorry i never watched George of the Jungle. I dont know that show. it's a fine song It's just not for me, or other people who have never watched the show George of the Jungle. Also Cable TV gets a mention here, not because i dont like it but because it's the first song in a classic Weird Al tradition: songs about all sorts of junk you can find on television. He did this idea better in Couch Potato and I Can't Watch This.

Most overrated song on the album: Like I guess it would be Like a Surgeon but really that song is exactly as rated as it should be. It deserves every drop of love it recieves, no more no less. Really every other track on here (besides Dare to Be Stupid and Yoda (which is good btw i have to mention that. it's a nice song)) is pretty underrated.

Most underrated song on the album: You all hate Girls Just Want to Have Lunch, and why? It's really quite a fun song. I see Weird Al fans hating on this and i scoff and say get real! You are a Weird Al fan, and you dislike it when he gets silly like this? Man, you know even Weird Al doesn't like this one? Maybe you should be a girl having lunch maybe that will change your perspective on this song.

Banger of bangers: ok baby. alright girl. this is the song I've been dying to talk about this whole time. this one is to be honest probably my favorite, but that's probably just because I've been listening to Like a Surgeon since I was a kid and I recently discovered this one. This song is named Slime Creatures from Outer Space. And you'll never guess what it's about. It's about slime creatures. and they came from outer space. and they're terrorizing the citizens of earth, and they've got bug eyes. They've got death ray eyes. They've got slimy lizard skin, an evil lookin' grin. They'll rip your head off and suck your brains out with a straw. Slime creatures, from outer space. Anyways. it's an homage to 50s Scifi and honestly it really pulls it off. and more than anything. even more than its fun lyrics. even more than its cool theme. It's so danceable. It's so moveable. The song plays in your mind and in your ears, and your fingers like it. It's amazing. Say what's the deal with both of Weird Al's movie genre parodies being such bangers?

Rating out of 10: this is hard honestly. like i'd give it a 8.4 I suppose. I don't know how well weird al music really works with a normal 1-10 scale. There's a lot of different scale his music is on and honestly when he makes a song that's shitty on one aspect it often makes up for it with another. But yeah. 8.4

[creune]

I have come to face a realization from an extremely strange source about the world we live in, the media being created around us

So get ready for a nonsense, all over the place rant, while I'm feeling woozy af and forgetting where I'm going with most of my thoughts

Let's go

So, I was browsing YouTube as usual when I'm procrastinating, when I decided to click on a specific video. Nothing special, a horror game story analysis and explanation, basically a summary of what happens. I watch those sometimes to get a grasp for a game or just don't feel like sitting through hours of playthroughs

The game in question? My friendly neighborhood

Spoilers for the game from this point on btw. I don't know how to use the site to tag properly but you've been warned

I've seen it float around, watched some gameplay of it when the demo came out

Seemed like the usual mascot horror. You know the type. Dead people, creepy toys coming to life, trying to survive them etc. So at first I was just like "did the kids or crew get to possess the puppets this time"

But it wasn't anything like that

The puppets are alive. Not in a possession way, but just, living creatures with thoughts and feelings and ideas. That was the first thing that caught my attention. "No dead kids in a mascot horror game? That's new" I thought. So I kept watching the summary and the more information got revealed the more I realized something

This game wanted to say something

And say it did

Through the use of the horror genre, it didn't just subvert expectations from a story perspective, it made it's own stand, it said something it wanted to

Not about how people and workplaces are horrible, how murdered people seek revenge, not about a hopeless escape or a struggle for survival

It said something that I haven't seen in horror games in so long

It said something about hope

It said something about kindness

It said something about how, if people can learn to be good again, hopeful again, to smile again, we could be happier

And, for me, it was shocking, coming from a mascot horror game

And then, I scrolled through YouTube again, and saw the same thing that happened on the tv on My friendly neighborhood

Negativity, bad news, hopeless outlooks and searching for the bad in everything

Admittedly, I know that's probably my fault, cause the algorithm works like that

But considering how most of those, I had no previous interest in, how those came from other corners of YouTube

I can make a safe assumption that that happens to a lot more viewers than not

And not just that

Every time I scroll down the Google news thingy, even if I'm only ever clicking on memes or gaming news, it's still full of the negative, hopeless gunk that at this point I just ignore and scroll past

Only for those to pop back again and again, from different sites

I stopped scrolling through news for that reason

And even in films and shows

The very things that supposed to provide us with escapism

They show broken worlds, hateful people

I cannot for the life of me watch an "adult" film or show anymore

I couldn't put my finger on it for years, until this game made me realize how much of what I have watched showed the broken world, leaving bitter people that rely on themselves and push everyone away as a "good" thing

How a lot of them showed that caring for another is stupid and pointless because you will always be betrayed by those you love

How the world cannot and will not help you, even if you cry and beg for a sliver of help

A sign of hope

Call me childish, but when I want to have fun, my idea isn't to watch another fucked up world fucking up people. If I want to see that, I can look out my window. I can stare my family in the face, to feel utter hopeleness and loneliness in a broken world, as I know they will never love me as I am

So yeah

I stopped watching that too

But the negativity is inherently in everything nowadays

Every day, there's new YouTube drama in my feed, there's a new show about an unwinnable fight where you should give up and learn to leaver everyone behind, where you have to be afraid of everyone's intentions, a new person "proving" that there is no goodness left in humans

But then comes My friendly neighborhood, and says "you know what? Screw you. We can scare you without making you feel hopeless for the future of humanity. We can show you, that even in a broken world, there is hope and kindness and that's what makes people happy and good and life worth living" and it's completely right

I don't live when I'm just surviving on junk

I live when I see my partner smile, when I see my gush about his training, when I read the snippets of a book my friend is writing. I live when I tell them how proud I am, when I help them carry a bag, when I tell a joke to brighten their mood. I live when I am kind. I live when I am in a community, when I give help, and when I know I can ask for it when I need it

I live when I'm playing overdramatic to make people laugh, because their laughter gives me hope, and brings light into a world with barely any left. And that's what makes life worth it

Not sitting alone and wondering what xyz's intentions are when they offered to give you a ride hope, not being wary of the stranger who said "have a nice day", not consuming media that makes me feel alone and untrusting, not when seeing how people "turned bad", not when I hear news of the world rotting

Those have made me the farthest thing from alive

Those have made me think "I should always avoid people, just in case", "I should learn how to beat people up, just in case", "I should never say a word about anything, just in case someone will backstab me" or on worse days "According to these facts, if I stopped existing, it would be better"

Not exactly the best things to think, when you always hear about how one product in your house is inherently evil or how you not screaming on the streets and getting shot for something you believe in is "not enough", or just constantly hearing how everyone else is horrible

How the girl wearing makeup is a bitch

How that boy with muscles is an asshole

How those people playing card games are useless gamblers or gatekeeping assholes, depending on the game

How that chick is a golddigger for sure and how that guy is also one

Without ever getting to know any of them

Because that's what we're being shown

I bet you've had specific images of people you have seen on tv pop up in every single example

That when you look at people on the street, you put them into these categories yourself

I can't blame you

That's what you're given by everything around you

But don't forget to get to know them, before you truly make a judgement call, okay?

Because maybe that person just needs someone to talk to

Or maybe they're going through stuff you'll never imagine

Or you might be right

But you will never know

And trust me, talking to people with kindness, making them smile, it will guarantee that the world, even if just for a second, is a brighter place

And if you are kind to someone, they will probably also be kind to others. Or they will learn with time, when the world is too kind for them to remain an asshole. When they will feel out of place for being a jerk or being called out for constantly bringing others down

With kindness, there is strength needed, and not just physical

And I think My friendly neighborhood expresses that element nicely

Gordon is a war veteran, what he's carrying is not easy to face, yet when he can help those around him, when he helps the puppets, he has to look his past in the eyes and say "it will be alright, I know what it's like". Of course he isn't healed magically, but it shows a strength needed to be kind to those who need it

And I love that in the game

It does something that many don't dare anymore

It dares to show hope

You know, it ironically reminded me of dark souls

Now, stay with me here

Game is known for difficult boss fights and minmaxers and memes, right?

Cause I never hear anyone really discuss its themes or a critical element, the very reason why the game is even possible

Hope

The game shows the power, the will, the strength needed to chase for a sliver of hope that the world can get better

In the world of tragedies and monsters and dying and undeath, the game always tells you, that you never truly turn into a murderous zombie, as long as you have a will strong enough to hold onto your humanity. The hope that you might be someone to keep the fires burning. Because wether that's a good thing or bad, is not the point of that strength. You don't fight for the "good" or "right" thing. Most don't even care. Because what matters is that you, and by extension, your character, has a strong enough will to hold on till the end, a reason to keep on fighting

For another example of this, look at Solaire, who as far as I know, is a fan favorite. He is the definition of kindness, of hope, of always looking for the light, literally or figuratively

It of course is set in a world where you can't trust everyone, like patches. But it also shows the beauty of the world, the good, the things worth fighting for

My friendly neighborhood does something similar, but in a more clear and hopefully way

Of saying that the world itself can heal if people learn to be kind again

And I think that's beautiful

And something we have so little of anymore

In a world where even our media is growing hopeless and bleak, a horror game of all things, giving hope for a better world, for living happy, for trusting in people yet again

It's truly inspiring

I just wish we had more hopeful things like that in every corner of the internet, of gaming, of tv, of the world itself

No one wants to die a bitter, old person

And the knowledge that we don't have to, is the truest power we have against it

Have hope y'all

Be kind

Learn to love instead of hate

It will get you to a happier place in life

And happy is one of the best things you can be

[kanmom51]

I love how these anons come onto here trying to shove JK into some box because it makes them more comfortable. As long as he isn't dating JM? As long as he isn't dating a guy? As long as he isn't gay, bi, etc.? Is that more comfortable?

Take some moments out of context and you can create some conspiracy theories. Because that's what is happening here. We have never seen them interact or have conversations. We have never seen them actually do anything besides stare or admire another, which is not wrong. You can admire someone without wanting to date them or find them attractive. Actually, if all it takes is some looks of admiration, then all of BTS would be dating each other. I mean we have a clip of Namjoon admiring Yoongi's ass when he was stretching in a GCF. We have a clip of JM checking out JK. We have seen all of them do a lot lol.

Btw, it's like they conveniently forget that there is years upon years of footage of JK and JM's relationship growing, where we can actually see some substance in a real relationship.

And it's not like we ever saw young JK joke about dating a girl and never meeting her once in that time before they broke up.

It's not like we have ever seen JK plan an international trip for someone's birthday and then secretly make a video to proudly present to the world.

It's not like we have seen JK do footsies with someone in multiple clips.

It's not like we have seen JK suck someone's sweaty ear in his mouth to prove something.

It's not like we have seen JK and someone else's power dynamics struggle and change throughout the years.

It's not like we have seen JK and someone else out and about multiple times.

It's not like we have heard JK give only someone a present and no one else.

It's not like we have seen JK have someone take charge when he isn't able to do during medical situations.

It's not like we have seen JK blatantly drop honorifics on national tv before with someone.

It's not like we have seen JK's eyes sparkle with someone during MMAs 2018.

It's not like we have seen the members both compare JK and someone else's behavior to couple behavior.

It's not like we have seen JK and another match and coordinate with their clothes (talking about of their own choice. Not the clothes the stylist chose for them.)

It's not like we have the Christmas Remix.

It's not like we have JK grunting before calling someone extremely sexy.

It's not like JK took an entire picture of someone when asked to pick his favorite part of them.

It's not like JK has a main muse in all of his GCFs.

It's not like that someone else was also the first picture and drawing JK did/posted.

It's not like JK was with someone at 4 AM on his birthday. Just them.

It's not like JK has a certain tattoo on his hand.

It's not like JK had someone travel from Paris to Korea for him. Pick him up a cake and gift him gifts.

It's not like Jin said JK was someone's cook.

It's not like staff said they have never seen JK and someone else apart.

It's not like JK said someone was his honey. His catalyst. His late night friend.

It's not like JK intentionally lost to let someone win.

It's not like JK intentionally cheated to be on someone's team.

It's not like JK intentionally lost to room with someone else.

It's not like JK had matching clothes with someone on Valentine's Day.

It's not like JK said my mochi in someone's twitter video.

It's not like JK can get away with scolding someone older than him. (It's not like Jin did come in and instantly get forgiven by JK, even when making a joke of it.)

It's not like JK has someone who knows his self-soothers and will intentionally help him by rubbing them.

It's not like JK called someone a princess at a fan sign.

It's not like JK has said someone's eye smile is beautiful.

It's not like JK has said that he would date someone if he were a girl.

It's not like JK sung about taking his uniform off at someone else.

It's not like the members confuse JK and someone at times.

It's not like JK had someone stop him from quitting and becoming a dance student of someone.

It's not like JK and someone made a long song theirs.

It's not like JK had 'I am you, you are me' with someone.

It's not like JK turns his entire body or his head to someone who is talking during a concert, even when in front of thousands of fans.

It's not like JK made sure to tell his hyung to not flip his food off his pan at someone, even when they were the furthest away.

It's not like we have seen JK tap a pan while heading towards Yoongi after someone flinched during a game.

It's not like we have seen JK hover over someone and earn the name Satellite Jeon.

It's not like we have seen JK move another member or tell them to move so he can sit/stand by someone.

It's not like we have seen JK flutter his eyelashes after seeing someone be cute.

It's not like we have also seen him also scrunch his nose up in the cutest smile after watching someone be cute.

It's not like we have seen him stare into the soul of someone in front of Tae and thousands of fans lol.

It's not like he played music to get someone to come to his room.

It's not like he lets someone jump onto his back even after an entire convert.

It's not like we have seen JK and someone have deer in the headlights looks after going to the same exact room on camera.

It's not like JK has been caught on camera talking to someone like he would talk to a significant other. And then have Jin save him by making a pun out of it lol.

It's not like we have 1-800-Save Namjoon thing for a reason. This poor, poor man. I give him my applause though. He is very sweet.

Man, I could go on and on. While people think that JK and another girl are dating from a few glances or admiring looks and claps, I like to think JK and someone else have a lot more substance to go with. Especially, after I have seen all of this and more happen with someone specific. That's what I am going to support. Of course, you are entitled to your opinions, just as I am. However, I wish the best of luck to you and your endeavor.

Thank you and I hope everyone has a beautiful day. (Anyone can add what they want to add. It would make my day to see what else can be added.) Also, if you couldn't guess, that someone is JM.

Wow, point and case.

All that is needed now is to take your words anon, add a few photos and we have a full Jikook post. Thanks. :)

Btw, same relevance to the "JK doesn't look at JM differently than the others" anon.

[mellomanjiro]

If it isn't to much trouble may I have (male) male tokyo revengers matchup please. My pronouns are she/her. Im a Capricorn, my Mbti type is infj-a/infj-t. I tend to be shy around new people but I can be somewhat loud with people who im close to. My height is 5'0. My aesthetic would be cottegecore mixed with oversized sweaters. Im not very athletic and im not a big fan of sports but I love to go roller and ice skating. I also love to read books and to also cook and bake food. I also like to garden. I've been playing the violin for 6-ish years. I love animals and im planing on becoming a wildlife veterinarian. I like to Watch nature/animal documentaries. I also like sweets. Somethings I dislike are people who bend or ruin my books and people who speak over me when im trying to talk. I like "cozy" video games like stardew valley,Minecraft,animal crossing, the sims. Im not a big fan of fighting games especially shooter games but i do like specific fighting games like genshin impact and legend of zelda. I love music, I can listen to any genre and like it but my favorites are indie,bedroom pop and classic rock. My ideal relationship would be with someone who is loyal and supportive. sorry if i spelt anything wrong. Hope im not bothering you:)

Hey, thanks for the long-ish description, it helped a lot to match you up :)

I match you with....

Chifuyu Matsuno!

First the basics: You’re a INFJ and Chifuyu is an INFP and they two types are compatible.

Even though you’re a Capricorn and he’s a Sagittarius, those signs are said to be non-compatible but some times zodiacs don’t mean anything, especially in this case.

Like when I read your description I automatically thought of Chifuyu because it just makes the most sense.

Chifuyu is the biggest soft boy ever and you give off soft girl vibes, which I imagine to be exactly Chifuyu’s type.

Once Chifuyu finds out you like to wear oversized sweaters, he will give you all of his to wear. He just thinks you look so adorable in them.

Chifuyu isn’t that tall (5’6”) so he likes your height difference because it makes him look bigger than he is.

Dates with Chifuyu would be the two of you ice skating in the winter or taking you to a roller rink during the hotter months. You’ll hold hands the entire time, he thinks it’s so romantic. Like it’s something straight out of one of his favourite romance manga’s.

Btw since you like to read, Chifuyu would most definitely get you to read his favourite mangas. Preferably with him too.

Chifuyu also will tell everyone that his favourite instrument is the violin now. He claims it’s because it’s a cool and complex instrument when really he just loves it when you play it. Sometimes he’ll just be vibing with you in your room and out of nowhere he’ll ask you to start playing because he just thinks it’s so cool how talented you are and how well you can play.

Also, since you and Chifuyu share a love for animals he gets so excited to hear you talk about them with him. Chifuyu also lets you play with his precious cat, Peke J. He knows he can trust you with him and loves to his the two things he loves most in the world cuddle with each other. (Some times he gets jealous when Peke J sits on your lap instead did his)

He would support you so much when you tell him you want to be a veterinarian. I can see him trying to convince you to work at his pet shop when he opens it too.

You don’t ever have to worry about Chifuyu talking over you ever. The second you start speaking he’ll shut up. He can listen to you talk for hours. He gets so into whatever you’re saying, doesn’t matter how important it is, he just likes to hear your voice.

Same with your books, if he ever borrows one from you he’ll treat it with so much care because those are his girlfriend’s books!

Chifuyu also loves playing Minecraft & Animal Crossing with you too! He’ll play those games with you for hours. The entire time he’s just helping you with everything just cuz he wants to :)

I imagine Chifuyu listening to indie, soft rock and other similar genres. So I think the two of you would bond over favourite bands & albums. You’d also introduce each other to other artists and listen to them while cuddling or dancing around in his bedroom.

Chifuyu is literally one of the most loyal characters from Tokyo Revengers, so trust me he’ll be extremely loyal to you! He’s also pretty supportive in everything you want to do.

As a boyfriend, Chifuyu is the type that follows their girlfriend around everywhere, do whatever you want, encourages you to follow your heart. He wants to be exactly like the dreamy boys from his manga’s with his girlfriend. He’ll literally try to recreate his favourite relationship from his favourite story with you.

He’s such a romantic and he’s constantly reminding you how much he loves you.

Seriously, Chifuyu is the sweetest boy ever🥺

[marculees]

i really hope this isn't offensive because i really don't mean it to be, but since you're epileptic, doesn't the flashing in concert videos and gifs cause any problems? you reblogged those of han with the tags flashing but you yourself weren't affected by it? how much flashing can a medicated brain take? i really don't know how to word these questions but i have some epileptic followers and i want to know what i can and can't reblog to keep them safe on my blog

No offence taken, its actually a very good point! The ratio of the gifs themselves are quite small on my screen, compared to being at/watching a concert or fancam in full screen. If the gifs were bigger, in single or double format where they take up more space on the screen, then that would be most concerning because my eyes would be forced to focus on them. Its why stuff like television shows and movies can be hard to watch, because we often have to focus on the entire screen and we can’t just scroll past like we would on desktop or mobile. Nighttime crime scenes with lights from police cars or ambulances, action sequences with a lot of lasers or shooting effects, or animation that involves excessive use of strobes are all examples of stuff that we can’t really look away from, especially if they’re taking up a lot of space on the screen. But with small gifs, I can scroll past a lot easier and look at the next gif instead. Still good to tag because not everyone is going to be on the same device with identical screen dimensions. The speed of the flashes are also key because they’re what triggers the seizures. If its just one flash during the gif and there’s a good few seconds before it loops back, then it should be okay. Its like taking a photo with your flash on - its only once so you’re fine, but if you have paparazzi following you then you’re in trouble because its a constant influx of flashes with no time between each one. I’d look out for anything to do with red carpets because I find those gifs or videos are usually the flashiest 👍

For that gif set in particular, Hannie having his little pout close to the camera with the singular flash is usually okay. Its only one flash and there’s about 4 seconds before it loops back. A seizure is triggered by 3-15 flashes per second. The second orange gif where he is lifting his hand and then the second-last one with the colours changing rapidly in the background would fall more into that category and that was why I chose to tag it. I looked away quickly and could focus on something else in my environment because they were quite small in comparison to everything else on my screen and the room around me. It wasn’t like an EEG where I’m sat in a dark room and forced to stare at a flashing light right in front of me💀 But some people might be on their screen in the dark - bad idea in general for anyone’s eyes but I know a lot of people do it because they’ll go on their devices before bed - so I’ll still make sure to tag for them too because no one likes something flickering up in their face in that kind of situation whether they have photosensitivity or not, and they don’t have other stuff around them to look away at like I would in my brightly lit room that can take my attention away from the specific gif/video and give me time to scroll past.

Honestly, if in doubt, add a tag! Always use the word ‘flashing’ in your tags; do NOT use ‘epilepsy’ in any way, as those then show up in the epilepsy tag on tumblr where most us go to have a rant together. Most epileptics on tumblr even avoid going through that tag now because of this problem. I’ve blocked various different tags such as ‘flashing’, ‘tw flashing’, ‘tw: flashing’, ‘flashing tw’, and ‘flashing lights’. If I come across a new one on my dash somehow, I add it to the list but these seem to be the most popular. If you’re a content creator yourself, don’t be afraid to slow down gifs to give time between flashes too plus slowing down stuff is sexy so why don’t we do that more and make it a cool aesthetic trend? people are more likely to follow trends anyway rip Don’t be afraid to reblog or create stuff btw its your blog! If the gif or video is flashy and you can’t help that, just tag it, that’s all! As you pointed out, I reblog stuff myself that I would tag, but I’d later skip the post with my trusty ‘K’ key if I went through my blog to find something else if I needed to 🤡 Small tumblr gif sets are much easier to handle than a fullscreen video such as Youtube or TikTok, and Tumblr allows you to tag stuff to automatically prevent it from being seen whereas those other social media platforms don’t have this feature and its rare to see a flashing warning before the beginning of a video that you’d have to pause before it autoplays. Whoever invented that colour changing disco lights filter(?) on TikTok is a sadist istg everyone uses it and I skip as soon as I see anything in an unnatural hue because I just know what’s coming. I only downloaded the app a week ago ffs 😂

...also something interesting about that specific gif set is that it did not originally come up with a blocked tag for me but when i went to click the link i reblogged from, one of them has now been added and it censored for me...i’m going to guess op forgot to tag and then added it in quickly after posting since the notes are still low and it was one of the first things on my dash

[qforqazaq]

Ninety One – Men Emes

Okaaaay, people, here comes a long-awaited comeback from Ninety One that screamed, no, shouted so much culturally significant meta at me I could barely handle it. Ironically, when I was watching reactions to this MV, most people were so bloody oblivious to anything that was happening on the screen that I was painfully restraining myself not to slam my head on the table, but then remembered "oh, right, that's why I'm running this blog in the first place."

Okay, let's start with the video, shall we?

The opening scene is obviously with Alem because if 91's song doesn't start with Alem there's something definitely wrong with it.

Anyway, we have Alem looking like a mo-fo mafia boss, a Kazakh Don, if you like, in an office that's practically littered with KZ references. First, your eyes might catch those weird looking symbols on the desk, which are actually Orkhon-Yenisei runes - a script of Old Turkic tribes aka one of the direct ancestors of Kazakhs - that I was going to talk about for ages, but didn't have a good excuse to. So thank you Ninety One for bringing that up, I can unleash my inner linguistics nerd upon people regarding the subject in a separate post. The runes are actually read from right-to-left (because that's how it works) as "l" and "r", although I'm not sure of their implied meaning here. My theory that means just that: "left" and "right", for whatever deep reason.

So, while you're admiring Alem's outfit and hairstyle as he's showing off his results of perfecting The Stare™ (I had a theory his stares are so intent because his contact lenses keep drying up and it's his attempts not to blink much when cameras are on), you notice not only that Samsung is the main sponsor of this production (is it surprising?), but also that there's a picture of random people on the background, and a funny-looking statue next to the window. Except for that is not a picture of random people, that is actually a photo of the leaders of the Kazakh national movement/autonomy against Communists in the 1910s - Alash Orda, which I'm probably going to elaborate on in another post. For now, I'll just say that these were the writers, poets, social and political activists, the Kazakh Intelligentsia™, who were later prosecuted and repressed by the Soviet regime. Very important addition to the set if you ask me, and very deliberately chosen.

As for the funny-looking statue, that is a miniature "Balbal" of Kültegin or Kül Tigin, who was the General of the Second Turkic Khanate of the same Old Turkic people who used to write in the aforementioned Orkhon-Yenisei runic script. We can talk about it later on, for now, I can only say that 10 seconds into the video and my inner history nerd was screaming very much delightedly at these references. Didn't expect that much meta in such a short amount of time, eh? And we didn't even mention how cigars are allowed now, along with the whiskey-looking tea in a tumbler.

Anyway, then we are abruptly cut to AZ and, shortly after, ZAQ with an eagle. And no, it's not just a "lol, look, a bird", that's the Golden Eagle, a species that was trained and used for eagle hunting by the Kazakh nomads for centuries. Which is why we have it on our flag too. Btw, extra kudos to ZAQ for delivering his lines while having an eagle on his arm without its hood. I would have been more than slightly concerned if I were him.

If you don't know much about that aspect of nomadic life in Central Asia, I recommend watching the critically acclaimed documentary film The Eagle Huntress about Aisholpan - a 13 y.o. Kazakh girl from Mongolia being the first female mastering the art. FYI, it is narrated by Daisey Ridley aka Rey from Star Wars. Watch it.

The scene is black and white, and AZ and ZAQ are wearing suits which look very agreeable.

Then, we have the bridge that is delivered by very blond Bala, which isn't the best look on him in my opinion, but he's wearing a suit too, which is always a good idea. Bala, you must know, has perfected his camera acting and now successfully flirting with it without so much as breaking a sweat. Good job Juz, you know what you're doing.

Now, when we're done sharing niceties, can we, please, focus on the background - which is, of course, all lofty and fiery - specifically, on those symbols carved on the wall? And what are they? Yes, you guessed right: the Orkhon-Yenisei runes, yay. FYI, it says "QAZAQ", in its very palindromic fashion - the meaning here, I assume, is quite self-explanatory.

In one of the cuts we see that Bala is actually there with a dog. And, guess what, it's not just a dog, it's actually a Tazy - the Kazakh national hunting breed, of which, quite frankly, I did not know anything before researching for this MV. See, even I'm being educated here, I feel so enlightened.

After that, we have the chorus, and all five of them are first standing and then walking like a bloody band of gangsters, all suited and effortlessly cool, as if towards an important tét-a-tét with a competing band. My immediate association was Crows: Zero (I'm sure, my fellow Japanese weeboos get what I mean) - lots of shonen swag and badassery. I approve.

In the meanwhile, Bala is showing off his moves, again, very at ease, chill and relaxed.

Chorus moves to the second part of the song with another rap verse from ZAQ. Do you remember that set in the previous black-and-white scene with the rappers? This one is that same set i.e. a carcass and insides of a Yurt - a traditional nomadic portable house used by Kazakhs for centuries. We see ZAQ sitting in what looks like a Khan's throne with battle spears and fur skins of wild animals. And no, nobody is trying to offend animal rights activists and humanists, just trying to showcase the culture here, alright? As you've noticed hunting has always had cultural significance for Kazakhs, and, well, it's survival in the bloody Eurasian steppes we're talking about here, with windy -50°C in the winters you've got to wear something to protect from freezing over, you know.

ZAQ delivers his lines in his usual very efficient fashion, and we cut to Ace walking over to the race track, very stylishly so that it might as well be a car commercial, to a parked Ford Mustang (and, yay, we've got a budget for a nice car now!) that's drifting its tires out in the shots in-between. Did I mention Ace's wearing a suit? I'm telling you, a car commercial.

I have a feeling that a Mustang was chosen deliberately, a subtle shoutout to horses as another culturally significant symbol and animal for Kazakhs. They could've gone for a Ferrari for the sheer visual effect of it, but I suppose Samsung is generous, but not that much.

And then, we have a chorus with a dance break. Interestingly, despite the numerous cuts and camera angles, and even blinding background lights that obscure the view, I did not mind how the dance was shot. The choreography itself is nothing short of cool: very laid-back, effortless, with easy open moves and a masterfully feigned nonchalance. I know I'm using cool and effortless a lot, but what can I do, they are the keywords for this MV. I like those claps btw, remind me of hilarious dances in Kazakh weddings lol. Very ironic. In either case, my compliments to Asiya for her work, bravo.

While you're still getting over the choreography, you're introduced to AZ casually lying among many ladies in night gowns, and yes, we now are allowing this too along with cigars and whiskey-looking teas in tumblers. Don't get me wrong, AZ is wearing a modest pair of black silk shirt with black trousers (can't say the same about his wild tricoloured mess of hair), and evidently still can't take his hands off his nose (he does keep rubbing it), but the whole scene, the wide shot of it, looks so unapologetically hedonistic that it might as well be a Gucci Guilty commercial. Well, Ninety One definitely went all Gucci in this MV, so associations are unsurprising. Scrumptious.

The only cultural reference we've got here is the neon rune "r" on the background when AZ is sitting up.

Then, it goes back to the chorus with the guys standing with more fire in the background. There are other cuts from previous scene including the one with Alem throwing off 10000 Tenge bills with that photo on the back while staring into the camera.

Conclusion? A+ to the production team, especially set designers, Bibotta for the styling, and Yerbolat for knowing what looks good and what doesn't.

All and all, it was a good MV, a good break from artificially colourful secluded studio sets.

Now let's move to the music.

The song starts with, what I thought, those weird sounds from some Japanese instruments, but upon hearing the chorus my immediate reaction was "wait, is it a hip-hop beat from the early 2000s?"

Honestly, it isn't a very pop song. It screams hip-hop, and I dare say, this song was meant to be performed by the rappers only, which was somewhat proven true given that AZ and ZAQ were both writers and composers of Men Emes. Its hip-hop nature shows even in the structure: there are no vocal verses, only a bridge and a chorus performed by the vocalists, and everything else is just rap. And oh my, that's some rap, indeed.

First, can we just address, that once again the rappers of 91 managed to sneak up another controversial line bordering with vulgarity? I am talking about the first two lines of AZ's rap here, those who don't know what I am talking about, ask me about it later. The audacity though, huh. In either case, that got an incredulous chuckle out of me upon realisation. Congratulations, boys, mischief's managed.

AZ was his extravagant self in general, wouldn't say he brought a lot of literary value in this track, to be honest. Well, especially compared to ZAQ (and it is always difficult to compete with ZAQ's lyrics), who's just unleashed the study of "how many words and rhymes with "u" and "ü" sounds I can shove into one rap verse while making it sound intelligible and meaningful." And did so successfully, I must say. Personally was always astonished how masterfully he manages to use the vowel harmony - one of the linguistic traits of the Kazakh language - weaving syllables to the whole other level of wordplay. Lyrically, all cultural references in the MV seem justified, given how ZAQ is lamenting over how "his nation is moving with a snail speed" and such. With this, he is brushing the socio-political problems in the country, it seems. And it is very promising, as in this country high profile artists don't risk doing that.

(Btw, a mention of Surtur was another delightful nod to my inner nerd who loves Norse Mythology, and a reference to Cthulhu was rather amusing. Lovecraft wouldn't've minded.)

I had many problems with voices in this track. For some reason, I couldn't recognise half of them. I only clearly heard Bala, Ace's voice became obvious only when he moved to an octave higher, and I didn't even realise it was Alem singing in the beginning. Was very shocked to know that it was ZAQ, not AZ, rapping with that higher voice in the second part before switching to his usual old school style. We're trying different things, I see, though I wouldn't mind them toning down their tuner game a bit. I know who's singing what now only thanks to the MV.

To sum up, it's a very different 91 song. Not that it's very astounding in its originality with blending different genres in one as you'd expect, but it's probably refreshing to hear something bold, audacious, yet simple, very hip-hopesque circa 2001 from them. It seems they're deliberately trying to diversify their audience throwing a track like that. Which isn't bad at all, I rather enjoyed it. (By the way, those drums in the bridge section sounded almost tribal. Just saying.)

Despite the MV and song screaming "WEALTH", "SWAG", "COOL" and "SUAVE", I do not actually think it was only about showing off. Well, of course, a part of the message was a la "look what I've got in the end, despite all your judgement" with "you're not me" and all that. However, I think it was also targeting and mocking the spoiled kids of corrupt government officials or just corrupt rich "bosses" in general who always act as if rules and law are not made for them. "Yeah, you're cool, but not the coolest, might be rich, but not the richest, and even good-looking but not really. Don't be so full of yourself, you're not the centre of the universe" kind of message. And that imagery of Alem as a mafia boss in his office is juxtaposed with all those cultural artifacts hinting on what is actually more important and valuable, especially with the Kazakh cultural leaders of the 20th century watching from the picture on the wall. And Alem throws those bills as if saying "yes, I'm doing that, but it's just money, so what." Even AZ looks somewhat lost and empty-eyed lying there among girls when he's not trying to convince you how envious you should be right now.

Probably it's me reading too much into this, I don't know, but the MV only amplified the feeling that you've got to read between the lines, it isn't all about bragging.

For now I'll give the MV 9 out of 10, and the song is a solid 7.

Peace out ✌️