#yg realistic

[yandere-to-express]

Sarah Dunbar if she was realistic l don’t know why she came out better than her brother

[lapinpuff]

☆My Full DHMIS Interpretation!☆

Hi guys!! Recently I re-watched the DHMIS show with my mum, a fellow fan. It made me remember that, last year, I was totally obsessed with theorising despite the very possible futility of all this, haha. I was always nervous about sharing this before, but I've had almost three years to let my interpretations of this wacky, wonderful show bake in the oven of my heart. I think I'm ready to decorate and share it here at last (✿◡‿◡)

(Disclaimer: This is all just my interpretation! Nothing here is confirmed or denied officially. Whatever you believe is just as awesome! :D)

Alrighty, here we go!

The basis for my entire interpretation is one core idea: Lesley is using the world of DHMIS, which I’ll be calling the felt world hereafter, as a very unhelpful coping mechanism. I do not see her character as actively malicious; the felt world is simply born from her mind and influenced by both her desires and subconscious. Her trauma and grief is thus continuously spilling into and corrupting the felt world against her will, causing its oddness and comedically overkill levels of gore that we all know and love. But why is Lesley’s mind so darkened?

To start with the basics, Lesley was likely, once upon a time, just a human woman with a son called David. This is a pretty unanimous starting point amongst theorists and I see why! Lesley herself is the only (ambiguously) fully human-like character to exist in the felt world. If she’s not human, she’s at the very least live-action. Ergo, she's significant. She mentions a son, and her anger or pain in this moment certainly suggests grief to me. I have almost no doubt that Yellow Guy represents her son. The D on his overalls for David, the gravestone bearing this name, his car-crash dream, Lesley's fondness for him which perhaps we can connect to the fact he has never truly died on-screen in the manner of Duck and Red...

Judging from the Mulhoven dream, I believe that Yellow's human equivalent was a young adult moving to the village. To me, Mulhoven must have been the actual name of the place, since it’s just too…realistic and not funny or dark or a pun. It sounds like a real place you’d find here in England. I believe David moved sometime after university. I say this age-wise because Lesley seems frozen at one age (she’d have died of old age otherwise, with how time passes in the series), and if this is around the age she was when David died, then her age makes sense if he was 25-ish. Also, Charged Yellow Guy very much reads as an adult to me, and seems to know a lot about both academic and distinctly mature domestic topics such as insurance. Uncharged Yellow, then, represents a younger, child version of David. I'd say Lesley willingly keeps him uncharged because this way she can pretend he's still her helpless child.

So David was moving to Mulhoven, and possibly Lesley was worried or reluctant to see him go, as most mothers would be. The idealistic, 60s era kind of dream YG has suggests that David had a very positive view of the village, and also that he had grown up around the 60s-80s; his childhood shows spill into his reborn puppet self's dreams. Despite David’s enthusiasm, Lesley worried, and unfortunately her fears came true when David was hit by a car and likely killed when moving in. Judging by Lesley's actions, obsession with control, the sheer bloodiness of her mind state, and the fact her name is the reg plate of the Transport teacher who spends most of his screen time as a car, I believe she was visiting David (perhaps as a surprise or out of spontaneous worry, or just to help him move) and was the one who accidentally hit him.

I at first had no clue what the bird represents in YG’s dream, but now I theorise it was a pet he was chasing. A parting gift from Lesley, maybe? I think David must have had a fondness for birds, leading to Lesley making Duck just for him in the felt world. Duck is also his fave colour (green!) and Yellow Guy seems awfully attached to him, as if it were meant to be. At the start of the felt world, Lesley probably did intend for Duck and Red Guy to serve as Yellow's best friends...maybe the aforementioned trauma looming over her mind's creation has even infected them, breaking apart her intended dynamic and encouraging the two to mistreat YG. If Duck represents that runaway bird, the one thing Lesley could truly use as a scapegoat for David's death, then of course she hates him. Of course she torments him, subconsciously or consciously, throughout the series. Some part of her sees it as a sort of revenge.

There's also the idea that this is why Duck is inherently a bit of a jerk in the TV show...maybe he was never meant to be a best friend. Maybe Lesley actually put him in there to be a punching bag, meant to be hated and tortured, meant to relinquish her self-believed guilt. She might not have expected YG to like him; seems like Duck is almost predisposed to cruelty towards Yellow, after all. When he did like Duck, Lesley kept him around. This is an interesting idea but I think I like the former more; Duck is just modelled after something David loved and Lesley hates.

Anyway, all of this is why I think Duck’s head is pasted over the pet in the dream. Red is probably the neighbour in the dream either due to actually being a stand-in for one of David’s neighbours or because, well, when you spend every waking second of your puppet life with someone, their face is probably going to slip into your dreams!

(Note: I saw a theory that "don't hug me, I'm scared" could have been David's last words as he bled out and Lesley tried to hold him but couldn't. And, like, that's so insanely, horrifically sad that I can't NOT include it here?! It makes a lot of sense too! Lesley's grief is so overwhelming that it even determines the title of her coping mechanism styled after a show. She cannot escape it, even in the title of her fantasy world. Gosh...)

Now, what happened after David’s death?

Well, I don't like to think the show is just a metaphor...rather a physical thing with metaphorical elements? I think the human world preceding the felt world (so, their version of plain old reality) is not quite our human world, so I'm ignoring logic here. I believe that the people in the attic room above Lesley’s room are responsible, judging from their framed significance and how Lesley talks about them with a hint of fear in cut storyboard lines.

There’s a good chance these things initially reached out to Lesley as she grieved and made a sort of deal with her: she could play out her fantasies in a world made directly from/influenced by her brain and her wishes, so long as she gave her entire life for it. Lesley agreed, of course, and became what she is in the show. The process of becoming the puppetmaster of such a world has, in a sense, immortalised Lesley, preventing her from ageing and keeping her in a human-puppet hybrid body (hence her stitches and exposed stuffing…perhaps she’s been neglecting self-care) so she can play forever. Be with her new son forever. I also think the stitches and stuffing could be, alternatively, a sign she was injured or almost died in the same crash that killed her son. Why did the higher-up beings do this for Lesley, then? Give her all she wanted and potentially bring her back to life?

It’s a good question. Perhaps the higher-ups, whatever they are, are just looking for amusement. Maybe we can go comedically surreal and they're demonic types or monsters stealing her soul or whatever, haha. Realistically, I think that if they're ever revealed, they'll be the actual show creators from our real world...bit of meta and all that! The aforementioned storyboards really do imply that Lesley is afraid of them to an extent...so it's her world, yes, but even she is just "dancing in chains", trapped forever as the puppets are trapped. This explains her emotional instability too—really, it's a total miracle she's not WAY worse after being trapped in an attic playing with dead-son dolls for decades or even longer. Gosh.

Onto the webseries, yay! Now, I could just dismiss this whole thing and say it's a separate universe from the TV show, and that the TV series just uses the same characters in a different way. Sure. It is plausible. But between the references the TV show makes to the webseries and the fact that the DHMIS writers are actual geniuses and I love them, I think there must be a connection. Somehow. And I think the webseries is, in a sense, an earlier version of Lesley's playground. A version where the series had to be filmed to be broadcast to the higher-ups (see Creativity, and Computers’ ending with the filming sets), until Lesley later made a world where these higher-ups, whatever they are, could simply live in the house above the rest of the puppets and her, able to observe or control it all easily.

I also suppose the cameras could be Lesley’s way of watching over the lot of them even while she’s not there to keep a direct eye on things…!

So why isn’t Lesley in the webseries? Even if the true answer is just “her character wasn’t implemented until the TV series”, I still think this could work into my interpretation. For example, in the early days just after she had become the puppetmaster (so to speak), Lesley likely needed to experiment just as all writers and creators do. To me, the webseries represents a sort of early draft, one of the many, many versions of the show created by Lesley to test out the characters, their dynamics, et cetera. That’s why everything is so different in the TV show, when Lesley has more of a final product. The stories are longer, the house is more of a house, the characters are less (lovably!) one-note, and even little details like their voices and designs have shifted.

Perhaps Lesley had multiple versions of her test/early worlds running at once and couldn't possibly man them all with her singular brain–so she created Roy.

I think Roy is one of two things: he could be a slapped-together, makeshift dad character for YG to replace Lesley (explaining his very odd behaviour and appearance if he was a rush-job), meant to serve as the guardian of the webseries world. Or he could be a mean-spirited caricature of Lesley's (ex?)husband, again explaining his gross behaviour and comically sloppy appearance if she wasn't too fond of him. Either way, she left him in charge of one of her early/test felt worlds, abandoned it so she could test out some more, and expected this to go well. It, of course, didn't, because Roy was born purely from herself—her grief, pain and hatred. He's literally concentrated malice. This made him a HORRIBLE puppetmaster, and he completely wrecked the webseries world, turning it quickly into a cycle of torture and gore.

Worst of all in Lesley’s eyes, I’m sure, Roy even seems to hate Yellow. He punishes him for absolutely nothing, and does so endlessly. Is this how Lesley saw her husband, as a monster who mistreated their son, or is this just the result of her disturbed mind? Her own repressed hatred of Yellow? Not that she actually hates him, of course not, but I think everyone can think of something they hate even about the people they love the most. It never bothers us enough to counteract the goodness. Imagine, then, if that tiny feeling—that worm of hate—was enhanced and distorted and bloated in the form of a cruel new body, made purely from your negative emotions.

The fact this was an early draft sort of world also explains the puppet trio having less nuanced personalities and acting more like puppet-show archetypes. The silly kind main character, the eccentric smarty-pants (Stingy from LazyTown anyone? lol) and the cool sarcastic big-brother type. They didn't even seem to have much if any malice towards one another in those days. In fact, they seemed to get along remarkably well considering the circumstances. Duck, the biggest bastard from the TV series, is a total silly sweetheart in the webseries! The worst he does is gently yell at Yellow once. They were all so different back then. Whether Lesley rewrote their personalities for more depth by the time of the TV show, or her trauma again infected them all and deteriorated Red's initial aloof, unshakable confidence and Duck's former kindness and optimism…that’s another question, and either option fascinates me!

Now what about the realistic world filled with Red Guys? My explanation isn’t as deep as some out there, I’m afraid. I simply believe this is another fake layer of Roy’s felt world, meant to trick Red into thinking that was all there was out there beyond the house–Roy added it in simply to keep him in line if he ever escaped. Red got out quite unexpectedly, it appears, so perhaps Roy had to throw together the Red Guy world in a rush by copy-pasting Red’s uninterested and near emotionless default form a few dozen times. Our Red, who has had a fair bit of character development in the webseries, is by that point too enthusiastic for anything resembling his former selves. Roy may have known this and could have been trying to coax Red into returning to the felt world–that, or the Red world served as a bland punishment for escaping at all.

I think the dumpster from the TV series’ Transport is similar–a sort of safety net layer to the felt world, there to break the rebellious psyche of the puppets every time they try to get out or disobey. By convincing them that there’s nothing but darkness and boredom outside of the felt world, they are conditioned to accept their felt world; note how Red is suddenly okay with his surroundings after Transport.

Either that or they actually did escape successfully in Transport, but coincidentally ended up in a rubbish tip in the real world and, due to their forced naivete, assumed the entire world was like that. Before they could even explore and realise this wasn’t the case, Lesley took them home. It’s a remarkably sad thought…still, I do believe this was just another layer of Lesley’s fake world, especially since she was able to seemingly drag them all back into the felt world so easily. In this case, the protests of the teachers and the satnav could be read as either genuine (maybe Lesley panicked–does she lose control over the trio the further they get away?), a warning, or another level of manipulation. Either way, Lesley gets her puppets home, spirits were successfully broken. Unless, as others have suggested, Lesley left that lot to rot in the fake real world and replaced them with copies. I personally don’t believe so, but again, perfectly on-brand nightmare fuel!

Back to the RG world, this is why Red was so easily able to clip back into the felt world when he wanted to. The second he openly misses his friends and their life, bam, he’s in the felt world (or the transitional space between them!). It seems it was always waiting for him to give up on his dreams and return to it. That’s also, presumably, how he could contact the other two via their phone–their worlds were just a skin away from one another. This is similar to how, in the TV series, Lesley shoots down their individual hopes of having a family outside of the trio with even more illusions/fake worlds (the RG photoshoot could be a recycled RG world), and completely shatters their hope in Transport, even if this was not all intentional. It’s all her subconscious working hard to keep everything in check…

Thinking about it, Roy seems, in this webseries, to have inherited mainly Lesley’s dark side and her obsession with control (which we can assume has loosened slightly by the TV show—maybe she thinks it’s more interesting if they have slightly heightened free will?), which explains his actions quite clearly. It explains why the teachers he sends are so cruel and quick to shut down anything that goes against them, for one. Whilst Lesley in the TV series only has loose control over the characters, likely because she likes it this way by that point, Roy is utterly hellbent on control, control, control. He literally has a control panel to summon the teachers and even Duck, suggesting he had Duck backups but simply didn’t want to use them since Duck was causing him trouble. Going with the second layer of meaning, this feeds the extended metaphor of art: a lot of creators will put too much emphasis on control and perfection before realising that, sometimes, you have to let things breathe in order to see them flourish; I think this is the lesson Lesley has learnt by the time of the TV series.

Roy, however, was unable to learn; he was a thoughtless vessel for misery. Perhaps he realised that he had screwed up the world he was in charge of. Perhaps Lesley at last watched the footage or checked in and was furious. Roy had, after all, put Yellow, Lesley’s favourite, in harm’s way again and again without mercy. I believe this situation, of being guilty or found out, is why Roy encouraged Red to pull the plug on their world and end the entire thing in what I can only compare to suicide. Hence the webseries’s ending—the trio we know has died, and the new world is just another one of Lesley’s created worlds for testing. She’s just switching up the designs this time, possibly as an apology for Roy’s behaviour—Lesley could be testing out a softer version of her world to see how it’ll go, unaware that her subconscious will make it all bleed and cry again, inevitably. Unfortunately, by the time of the TV series, Lesley has both perfected her formula and made it harsher. No more favourite coloured flesh for you guys!!!

On this topic, what exactly is that void with the control panel? It seems to show up again in Electricity, full of corpses and unused teachers, like some dump. I interpret this as a sort of beta/testing ground which connects every single felt world and loop Lesley has created. There’s a version of Duck dead on the floor and a television playing a seemingly happier version of him, likely both left over from other loops or test worlds.

There’s also some webseries teachers, abandoned and possibly waiting to be repurposed as kinder versions, as Lesley has already clearly done with the lamp, Colin and Tony. The meat guy seems to still be off his head and potentially dangerous, so we can assume he hasn’t been rewritten yet. It does seem like Lesley is actively making an effort to have nicer, safer teachers now. Well, at least kinder to Yellow.

The briefcase doesn’t directly hurt ANYONE unless you count the coin (and this is very likely allowed by Lesley because she seemingly hates Duck anyway lol), the coffin tries to get rid of Duck which Lesley probably sees as a kindness, then the lamp is a little odd but calm and sweet, and he at least attempts to be comforting…

The train is also harmless and probably one of Lesley’s earliest creations pulled out for the unscheduled, emergency lesson, judging by his age, condition and the fact that transport is like a comedically common theme for kids’ show episodes. If Time Child is a Lesley creation then he probably would have genuinely let the puppets have fun too. Then at last, Electracey is the most obviously kind of the whole lot–she’s downright adorable in her sweetness, and when she hurts Yellow it is quite obviously without any intent to harm.

The only teachers we can’t pinpoint as Lesley’s creations are the twins and Warren due to their designs and particularly odd behaviour. This may explain why they are the most actively malicious; they could be things Lesley accidentally created, due to her mind forcing dark, dangerous things into the felt world as a result of her emotional and mental state. As we see the twins in the dream sequence of Transport, it’s highly possible that they were Lesley and David’s actual relatives and the puppet versions are how Lesley’s mind remembers them or distorts them through her grief and slipping sanity. As for Warren…erm, no clue. He feels like he just wandered on set. My only guess is that he’s some side character gone rogue but Lesley found the scenario interesting enough to keep, haha!

So returning to the void…this explains the arts and crafts mess going on there. Lesley’s mind is processing the props she has and making new things too, ready to drop them into the world when needed. This is also why the intro scene fridge is the star of the famous fridge scene, rather than the kitchen fridge—this void is where Lesley keeps the parts needed for the intro sequence, ready to pop them out whenever a new “episode” starts. Because the void is a nothing space, a big waiting room, the characters are thrown here when the lights go out and she can’t watch them. They are likewise suddenly no longer confined to Lesley’s rules.

Note that every single scene in the entire show is either somewhat funny or somewhat disturbing. Now, the fridge scene could be read as slightly funny at a stretch, but it’s honestly just…unapologetically sweet. It is clear that this can only happen in the darkness, away from Lesley, away from the show, away from the rules. RG and Duck are literally breaking the rules of their very existence here. Plus, Electricity is almost objectively one of the most well-made DHMIS episodes. Every minute of the episode is crucial and well-spent, filled with fast-paced jokes, character exploration, huge lore reveals. Every second is timed and precious. They wouldn’t waste that precious thirty seconds on the fridge scene unless it would make the audience really laugh (it doesn’t), disturb them (it doesn’t)...or unless it was very significant. I’m sure you can guess where I lean! The emotional weight of the first fully emotional moment in the entire six episode series cannot be overstated, and it says a lot about how Lesley’s influence usually keeps the characters cruel and lonely and in pain, even though she likely doesn’t mean to do this to them. Without her, they can break down their walls so quickly.

Lesley’s influence going against her will is something we see again and again, actually. Her name is subtly slapped onto surface after object in this show, from the transport teacher’s reg to the credits of Grolton and Hovris. To me this again is suggesting the absolute influence her troubled mind is having on the felt world beyond her control, stamping her name on everything, even things which cause pain or confusion, as if to subconsciously confess to the world her shame and guilt. It’s good to note that the mention of Lesley in the Grolton credits claim she’s the script editor, which to me could be read as symbolism for her entire role in the TV series—she’s not really causing everything, more guiding and supervising and, well, editing what’s there.

Lesley just lets her teachers loose, sees where it goes, then edits the “script” that plays out in her own way through censoring and resetting if she doesn’t like the turnout. I doubt Lesley wants the trio to know about her influence, so the fact her name and even her face appear so often regardless again implies her mind is expressing her feelings of guilt and responsibility, maybe even in a cry for help…? I imagine a part of her wants to be free from the chains she and the trio are locked into together forever. I doubt she’s allowed to leave or die.

Then of course, as I’ve mentioned previously, my theory is that all the dark features of the show are unavoidable, unremovable effects of Lesley’s subconscious; her pain leaks into every aspect of her fantasy world even as she attempts to drown it out in bright colours and cheerful songs. I like to think her grasp on this has improved since the webseries, considering the very slightly less nightmarish existence the trio face now, but clearly she’s unable to get rid of this darkness. Food becomes disgusting piles of raw meat, reminding us of dead bodies. Grieving is rendered a parody—a funeral service describing David so very inaccurately, strangers mourning, offering food, offering replacements, when all Lesley wanted was David back…and “David” stays in the coffin, awake the whole episode, not unlike Yellow Guy’s existence now akin to a reanimated corpse. Everything, inherently horrible or sweet and innocent, is filtered through the same dark screen of unresolved trauma. The puppets are desensitised, and so is Lesley. How could they not be after seemingly endless loops?

Hang on. How long has this cycle been going, then? It’s one of my most burning questions. Personally, I believe the series as we have seen it takes place in the actual real-world present (2011-2022 so far) but Lesley has made it so her world, the felt world, won’t move or change. Likewise, she is immortal in this state. So she’s playing out a very weird, modern-blended version of the fifties or sixties while the world has moved on. Despite this, Lesley clearly knows about media and inventions that came out much later, so maybe she didn’t create the world until like a few decades after David died. Or, maybe, she can still see the human world…maybe even travel between it and her own.

Now, I don’t think David necessarily died in the fifties or sixties—I think this was more likely just a time in his childhood if we continue to say he was in his 20s or at a stretch early 30s when he died. This also explains why YG was like 40 then 50 in the pilot, although of course this was scrapped. Also explains why Duck is implied to be 31 in Time—that’s way too specific of a badge number to just be whatever they could grab at the last minute in Card Factory. Unless their weirdly specific ages are just another little running joke, which I’d appreciate too. Still, if we take it seriously, it adds up! Duck and Red were probably created a few years after YG in order to give him someone to talk to. Unless he’s older than them because he’s kept in a somewhat young body which Lesley counted as his age from the first loop, thus making him technically older than the other ones…

Ouch, my brain. I’m not the one to talk about this; I failed my maths GCSE.

Still, I think it makes sense! And I think this is why YG is trapped as a sort of half-adult half-child (I’m saying this an autistic girl, please don’t get mad…), and why Lesley keeps his batteries low and gross so he’ll forever be similar to a child. Also so he will never be able to figure out how to escape, if there is a way. I get the feeling that he cannot simply be replaced like Duck and seemingly Red…he’s more valuable to Lesley either way, because he’s her mind’s direct recreation of her son in puppet form. Or if you want to go the weird demon deal kind of route, YG actually contains his soul? I don’t know, hehe.

I think Lesley originally had him on full power batteries, but realised his awareness was difficult to deal with so let him run dry from then on, again exerting the small level of indirect control she allows herself over him. Under this assumption, we again can say that Charged Yellow represents adult David who moved away from Lesley and tried to make his own life before he was killed. I also believe this because he keeps the traits he has as Uncharged Yellow-–he’s sweet, caring even towards Electracey, and very curious, implying these are innate qualities. When charged, he just gains the ability to do something with this curiosity and articulate his thoughts. He really does read like a grown-up, freshly uni-educated Yellow Guy. Perhaps this level of human-inspired compassion is what prevents him from fitting in with Big and Bigger Duck/Red, who are constructs of Lesley who have been “enlightened” in the wrong ways—they have gained knowledge but lost their hearts. They can be filled with book-smarts artificially, but not with emotion or compassion; this can only be something they learn on their own outside of the spotlight, like in the fridge scene. It is not something Lesley can give them.

See, people joke about Lesley being a FluffyBird shipper and. Yes actually, that makes a lot of sense, and I’m totally serious! Though she definitely prefers YG and seems to dislike Duck to some extent, or at least neglect him, she often pairs him off with Red for the stories she gets the teachers to kickstart. This could be so she gets to observe Yellow on his own, or could be a natural consequence of her seeming fondness for isolating YG in general–the other two end up stuck together in the wake of this, so inevitably bond a little. It does seem like Lesley encourages this, fueling Duck’s subtle obsession with Red in the process—if we think darkly, perhaps this is another a way to torture Duck even more, since Red is comparatively aloof with him and seems to prefer Yellow most of the time. How sad…

Oh, and speaking of sad duck things, I think I’d be remiss not to cover Silly Sad Duck, that freaky little bonus track on the official album! I only just discovered it and it’s driving me bananas in the best way because I’m a huge Duck fan and any insight into his character makes me scream. To be blunt, I think this track is meant to be Duck being tormented by Roy or one of the teachers, either as he lays in the hospital bed all drugged up, or when he’s already been eaten and returned to the void. Note this void also seems to be stretching into the world in the ending of Electricity unless that’s just a visual metaphor for the loop or the transitions between loops…agh my head hurts…

ANYWAY this track really demonstrates just how much Roy hates Duck—again, if he was created from Lesley’s darker emotions, this makes sense if she hates him too. Duck is being relentlessly mocked for missing his friends, called silly…and his “voice” is so distorted. It sounds like a purposefully bad impression. To me it feels like he’s being controlled to speak and thus add to the mockery of himself, or he’s utterly drugged off his head, or the teacher/Roy is mimicking his voice to make fun of him. And then the ending…who is that?

My guesses: the cans coming to suck his guts out, the other two here to reunite for the new-colour loop or the TV show or some other loop, or maybe even just a teacher or Roy coming to torture him some more. This entire song establishes Duck’s love for his friends, even though he finds it tricky to express, and all in a way where he is mocked and belittled for daring to love. This is, like, insanely hate-fuelled mockery. There’s a quote from that one interview where Duck says he loves whoever loves him back. At his core, he is fuelled by love tied with ego. And both are being ridiculed in this track. This makes me a sad duck too.

To explain why I think this voice represents or even is Roy…well, that voice is just how I imagine Roy’s human equivalent would have sounded really…it’s a pretty similar accent to Lesley after all. They seem kind of posh, which makes Yellow’s Yorkshire-y accent even funnier. I say Yorkshire because I’m from there, but it’s probably more vaguely Northern? Just so noticeably distinct from Lesley’s.

I think I’ve covered most of my major points! AKA, gushing about this show because it’s my favourite thing ever made EVER! I could gush forever, so I’ll have to stop myself now.

Right then, to wrap this up, here’s a loose order of events I’ve constructed based on my interpretation…

One. David, Lesley’s son is hit by a car and dies. Either soon after this happens or some years later, she is given the power to watch over and, to some degree, control a world with a puppet version of him and his new puppet companions. Lesley begins experimenting with different versions of the world; drafts, so to speak, testing the power of her creations.

Two. The webseries. This follows one of the worlds Lesley created, left in the very incapable hands of Roy, who is a puppet caricature of her husband with very little human emotion beyond malice. Roy tortures the puppets instead of watching over and guiding them as Lesley intended him to do. Impatient, he ends up booting Red and Duck the second they question things: he kills Duck (and does this torturously, keeping him alive on a blood bag as his guts are removed) and throws Red out into a fake world. When Roy or Lesley decides this world is a failure, Roy encourages Red to destroy it by pulling their plug, and another loop begins.

Three. The pilot. Though scrapped, the pilot is still oddly canon since Clayhill is mentioned to have disappeared in Transport. We can assume that Lesley had been experimenting, but was ultimately unhappy with the tone or characters of Clayhill and decided to destroy it to try something closer to her original concepts. If I were Lesley I would have kept the horrible bowling ball joke though

Four. The TV series. It seems as if Lesley is at last satisfied with her creation, at least for the time being, and keeps the loop going in this one world contained in one funny pink house. In this world, Lesley is physically close to the puppets to keep a watchful eye directly over them. She seems to be having a problem with them gaining self-awareness, especially Yellow Guy, who actually meets her over and over. Still, this just continues in an endless loop, never going anywhere. Memories are dissolved as soon as they form, characters are reset like clockwork, and nothing ever changes. Lesley seems content, though it’s difficult to tell…

All done! Wow, if you read this far, you’re a star!!!!!!! THANK YOU <3

For those interested, I also have an in-depth Big/Bigger Boys analysis not too far back (I haven’t posted in a while!) and a handful of questionable fanfics which use my interpretations and slip into character analysis on my AO3 :D

LOTS OF LOVE! Stay sillyyy! 💕

[dearweirdme]

i know ppl don’t want to hear this but rn the best company for bts to be in is bh, and they know this very well. i feel like ppl baby them too much and think they’re controlled and aren’t capable of making decisions on their own but they know their power and of course the renewal was made in terms that is beneficial to them. that’s why it was done by external advisers. bts build bh from the group up and they have actions there. bts has a lot of power in the company compare to a lot of idols on their own. it’s silly to consider another place. and this isn’t me being a pro-hybe this is me being realistic.

no, they don’t have all the power and there’s a lot of issues behind the scenes for sure but when people go “they shouldn’t have renewed w bh” what is the alternative? sm? the company w lee sooman? the one that created the slave contracts and is the creator of the weirdest things kpop has even seen and the reason why it took kpop to be treated seriously until bts came into the scene. yg? the one w a reputation from having more idols in jail or legal trouble than in the actual studio. the company that built their entire brand based on media play? and jyp is not like could ever take bts. they barely can hold onto the ones they have. the smaller companies depend on hybe for money. most of them are under the hybe conglomerate or the kakao one which is not any better. just look at how 70% of kpop got whipped out of spotify a few years ago (except bts/hybe groups) cuz kakao didn’t want to renew a deal w spotify kr. it took that for the kpop stans to realize kakao holds the majority of kpop.

we liked it or not, the power of bts and their influence can only be hold by the company they themselves put sweat into. they can still move some shoots in there in comparison w any other place or any other idol. i can see bts leaving the company in the future and building their own or becoming independent (like epik high). but in the meantime, that’s where they’re going to be.

Hi anon!

Jep, that’s my take on it as well.

[gaymer-hag-stan]

GIRL WAKE UP, 2NE1 ANNOUNCEMENT

GIRL I know 😭😭😭😭

I'm so happy for them!

No news of new music yet, but they are doing a world [citation needed, because if this is more than Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia and maaaaaybe the US I'll actually be impressed] tour and last time this happened they released a new album right after announcing it so fingers crossed!!!

Ngl, I am extremely grossed out by the "welcome home" shtick put on by YG because girl, you abused them for years, that's not a good home. But... If we are to be objective, YG is probably (allegedly, hopefully) the company that can actually give them decent budget for promos, concerts and recording - I don't think any of the girls' individual labels can realistically fund a 2NE1 comeback, even if YG gave them the rights to the group name.

At the end of the day though yes, this is very good news! (Please come to the Netherlands or at the very least somewhere Europe!)

[divinesangel]

ik u say everything is alleged but theres likely a lot of truth to it but its just sad tbh like they want to do music but not be treated like puppets or an object but thats kind of what the idol image is really, realistically they cant even fully be themselves naturally without having to alter some aslect of their personality and even then if idols do one thing they can get hate train if fhey tryo alter it they still get hate train. its like they cant win and ppl like yg and probs even jyp as well dont even show concern for when idols are upset with something. what do u think will change if at all or will kpop remain the way it usally handled idols?

not using tarot here, but i think this is how every industry works more or less. i think it's worse with kpop because most fans are deranged. putting jennie as an example, it's insane the amount of hate that she gets for doing literally nothing. it's kinda the same with wonyoung. if they were western celebrities, things would be much different, and they definitely wouldn't get treated like that. it's obvious that it's all coming from the people who follow kpop. it's kinda hypocritical for the stans to preach about wanting idols to be more free, but the second they are, they trend on social media + have a hate train.

i think that in order for the industry to change, the public needs to change first. because it's not even k-fans at this point, but international fans as well.

[mysmorgasbordoffantabulosa]

Damn so many tae leaving bts asks, like first of all where the hell would he go?? Let's be realistic, hybe is the best company for him and as for bts, I hope yall realise one of them leaving bts would have their careers mostly over, like a lot of fans would turn against that member, like a lot turned against zayn, with bts it would be even worse cus they sell the whole we are seven forever, we love each other, we're family and wanna go on until forever all the time, fans would be super fucking upset about that, there would be solos that stick by the member that chooses to leave and maybe even some armys if the member is amicable with the rest of the members but a lot of people would feel lied to and disappointed in everything, they are all successful with bts, realistically even if they didn't like each other (which we know they do), why would anyone choose to shoot themself in the foot like that

and that's just going on the assumption that they don't like each other, but they do, they call each other brothers and family all the time, tae solos always say some bullshit about how he is actually only besties with wooga which is crazy cus tae very clearly loves all of his members and considers them family too, yall just really badly want him to leave the band and are projecting that on him when he has never expressed any sort of wish to leave

it just reminds me of the bitchy persona they push on tae cus of his resting bitch face I suppose, when tae is nothing like that at all, he really is such a sweetheart and he's very obviously full of love for the people close to him and he very clearly loves bts and wants the band to continue together for a long time

and no hybe is not perfect, no corporation is but the fact that so many want him to go to yg or sm or some bullshit when those are known to be shitty and for their slave contracts, like do you all even care about him at all😭

[xiaojianggshi]

Hi bestie I know this weird or confusing heheh but does yg entertainment planning to debut another girl group than babymonster

this is just from my personal observation and opinion; realistically, yg will continue to debut another girl group.......... it just wont be any time soon. its been 7 years since blackpink debuted, yg seems to take time with their groups before making new ones.

[nimuss]

dewasa ini keknya, semakin kesini semakin ada-ada aja cobaan hidup, godaan beraat wkwk. Bahkan kadang sampai mencipta pikiran² menjebak seperti,

"apakah ini privilege atau ujian?"

"ayolah, rasional aja.."

"be realistic"

semacam jastifikasi di tengah sifat manusia yg tak pernah merasa cukup dan lingkungan sekitar yang mendukung🥲

Maka sunggu bersyukurlah kalau masih diberi kesempatan untuk berpikir lagi, merenungi lagi prinsip-prinsip hidup sebelum benar-benar mengambil sebuah keputusan.

Ingat-ingat dan pertimbangkan risikonya apa, jangan sampai gegara mengkhawatirkan masa depan di dunia, akhirat jadi taruhannya"🥲

Maros, 31 Mei 2023

Malam sebelum memutuskan untuk menolak tawaran kerjaan, ketika sebenarnya diri merasa butuh kerjaan tambahan wkwk.

[peppertaemint]

different anon but i feel like i'll die waiting for a tm x jm collab (yes, i'm dramatic) and lately I've been thinking about kai x jm as well. The three of them have been my fav boys for years and now that jimin is (kind of) free, I can't stop thinking about the possibilities, even though I know I shouldn't get my hopes up, especially because I don't remember the last time we saw a SM artist and a hybe/bighit artist interact 👀 and i'm just speculating, but I find it weird how since bts started to open up a bit, they started mingling publicly with artists under different agencies but not a single one of them from SM, not even invited to the JITB party? ANYWAYS I hope this is just me being paranoid and subconsciously looking for drama, because I need some things to happen and I don't have the time for them to play montagues and capulets

Oh Anon, I do think there is probably at least the undercurrent of legit drama somewhere in all of this, but it’s not quite Montagues and Capulets. It’s BTS being isolationist for the last few years that makes it appear that way.

If you look back at old vids, there was lots of interaction between BTS and SM groups, most notably SHINee IMO. Jonghyun praised them on his radio show, and there are cute vids of baby BTS in their orbit and having cute exchanges. Minho worked with Taehyung, too, and they have some cute moments. One underrated gem is SHINee going HAM over a cover BTS did. SHINee really are those ppl everyone stares at like wtf is wrong with them. BTS are performing an old school Shinwa jam and yeah, they like it too much LOL.

But you want mingling and interaction and collabs. Realistically, unless private social events are shared publicly, we’re only going to see stuff happen at events. I don’t know the full guest list for the JITB party, but I had wondered if Key might be in Jhope’s orbit for a few reasons. The question will be who might be around when Jimin goes on music shows with Taeyang? It would be cool to see Jimin mingling with everyone.

If you want to see recent instances of Hybe artists interacting with SM artists, then look at TXT and Enhypen. They both have shawols as members and there are lots of recent things. I think Nikki reunited with Key just this past year (he was part of a baby SHINee performance as a kid 🥺).

Back to the matter at hand: will we ever see Jimin with Taemin or Kai in public for work or fun again? It really seems unlikely because when was the last time we saw him with that friend group? Obviously he’s still close friends with Ha Sungwoon and he seems to be the person Jimin does the most with. There’s no reason to think they aren’t all still friends.

Remember the dance video of Kai, Ten and Taemin? How cool would it be to have Jimin in something like that? I just see a bit of a problem with this happening. Black Swan was the last artistic dance Jimin or BTS did. It’s been years. And look at the collab choice. This is dance “lite” - I have no idea if Jimin is interested in pursuing a dance heavy solo career. Hybe’s strategy for BTS still sounds very US top 40 to me. The Taeyang collab certainly has some of that. RM’s Indigo was majorly US top 40. And let’s be real. Although SuperM’s sales were fine and they have loads of US fans, their sound so far doesn’t match that. We can argue till the cows come home about how American culture and presence have influenced the Kpop genre as a whole, but I still wouldn’t describe most SM artists as capturing a contemporary US top 40 sound. I think SM has a signature sound (which it deviates from at times) and that they lean toward timeless or classic or even out-of-time with their music. So I don’t know. I can see why artists from labels like YG are a more natural fit for BTS collabs. There’s also a stronger k hip hop influence there.

So will there ever be something of a collaboration? Who can say? Sigh.

[sizzlingpatrolfox]

https://twitter.com/moviestarjjk/status/1669744334873190402

they are fighting over fancam views because kths are mass buying views on tiktok 😭 i swear if tae and jk release their albums close together like jm and yg did i'm gonna have my popcorn ready

I thought of this tweet

Pjms realized the hard way about bots and stuff when choreography fancams of Taehyung had more views than Jimin's lol, that was just not realistic.

Sometimes I do kinda wish that pjms would watch Jimin BTS content but then again, I don't watch it either 🤒 I don't even have a TikTok account.

[usedpidemo]

You need a smash hit. Who has the best shot of producing the next chart topper?

Realistically, you can slap IU’s name on anything and it will sell like hotcakes.

But musically speaking, GD or B.I. Probably my YG bias coming out, but either of them.

[luv-again]

*laughing maniacally* giving ygs soft shadow ???

this high school outcast piece is sending me. it's so me, it's so not what's expected either. I didn't realise the week's theme was movie tropes. I,, I think I inadvertently kicked them in the face and went, 'NO. life is silly and never works how u want it to so I present u: this Thing'

my writing style is my experiences mixed with a dollop of 'I expected this to happen and the universe said how abt this instead'. I like to drive home a realistic aspect into my pieces but is it that ? idk

convincing myself I'm gonna bring sumn new to the table

[akmu-archives]

[140407] ['PLAY'] - Promo Materials (Part 1)

Content

Album Introduction

Profile Photos

Pre-release & Post-release Promotional Materials

Album Introduction

AKDONG MUSICIAN DEBUT ALBUM [PLAY]

AKMU, the sibling duo of Lee Chan-hyuk and Lee Su-hyun, are from Mongolia. With a different upbringing than most teenagers, their first appearance on K-Pop Star alongside nature was refreshingly new. Perhaps what we needed in our monotonous daily lives was the ordinary yet beautifully optimistic perspective of these two siblings. With catchy lyrics and lively melodies, AKMU captured the hearts of the judges and the public in an instant during the program. Their reinterpretation of ordinary themes and playful transitions always feel pleasant and comforting. A year after the audition, AKMU is now bringing a breath of fresh air as YG Entertainment's rookie artists with their debut album.

Their debut album [PLAY] signifies playing and communicating through music. The teaser video and album jacket, shot in Jeju Island, showcase AKMU's pure and untainted image, reminiscent of mysterious beings in the forest. Raised in Mongolia, the siblings blend seamlessly with nature, and their album exudes a healthy, organic vibe that stands out from the rest, which might even feel extraordinary when seen through the eyes of the outside world. They see the complicated and dizzying world with a pure perspective, naturally expressing it through their music like organic farming.

In this debut album, the siblings tackle common subjects with their unique perspectives. Tracks like "On the Subway", "Anyway", and "Hair Part" are infused with AKMU's imaginative and creative flair, making them relatable to all listeners. Their music offers subtle healing to those exhausted by the world.

LEE CHANHYUK, the main producer of AKMU, composed and wrote lyrics for all the songs. He also participated in the arrangement of the title tracks "Melted" and "200%", showcasing his talents as a singer-songwriter. LEE SUHYUN's stable and soothing voice adds pure strength to the music. The sight of the guitar-playing brother and singing sister brings a warm smile to our faces.

Hoping that AKMU's extraordinary music brings comfort to this chaotic world, we press play on their musical journey.

[Credits]

1. Give Love [Title]

A song inspired by the "Give Love" written on the hearts needed in a smartphone game. In this song, which is born from Akdong Musician's unique imagination, Akdong Musician asks for love to give to someone who doesn't accept their love, even if they have given that person all the love that grows in their own heart. The light and catchy chorus stands out, and the vocal impact between the verses adds to the fun of the song.

Music & Lyrics: Lee Chanhyuk Arrangement: Denis Seo, Shin Seungik

2. 200% [Title]

A love song with a light and rhythmic melody, the song tells the story about spending the night preparing a confession, but were too nervous to say anything coherent in front of the person, which Akdong Musician wittily expressed with their own sensibility. Centered on the kick sound of the bouncing drums, it features a groovy guitar rhythm, electric piano, and brass that accentuates the funkiness. Akdong Musician's unique sticky folk-pop melody and witty rapping stand out.

Music & Lyrics: Lee Chanhyuk Arrangement: ROVIN, Lee Chanhyuk

3. Melted (얼음들) [Title]

The majestic piano intro adds weight, followed by a beautiful melody of sweet piano, string section, and rhythmic guitar lines. The powerful vocals of Lee Suhyun and Lee Chanhyuk stand out in the chorus, and the melody leaves a long-lasting impression. A song that conveys the pure and innocent curiosity of a child asking, "Why is ice cold?"

Music & Lyrics: Lee Chanhyuk Arrangement: ROVIN, Lee Chanhyuk

4. On the Subway (지하철에서)

With a gentle melody, the song sings in a realistic and fun way about the different kinds of people that gather on the subway, swaying along. The song compares the world to a subway - a place where we easily encounter each other, a miniature version of the world.

Music & Lyrics: Lee Chanhyuk Arrangement: ROVIN

5. Hair Part

A woman who had never received any attention became pretty one day when she changed her hair part. The lyrics about how men who didn't know her approached her, and even women who followed her, are something that teenagers might have imagined at least once. The song features funky and groovy drums and guitars, electric pianos that tickle the ears sweetly, and a lovely melody.

Music & Lyrics: Lee Chanhyuk Arrangement: ROVIN

6. Artificial Grass (인공잔디)

Artificial grass is jealous of real grass. A song that compares living freely doing what one wants to artificial grass. In the first verse, they make a comparison to artificial grass, expressing the feelings that only they can feel - despite how to others, it may seem better to be artificial; and in the second verse, they make a comparison to real grass, singing about the joy in being real. You can feel Lee Suhyun's powerful voice against the light drumbeat.

Music & Lyrics: Lee Chanhyuk Arrangement: ROVIN

7. Don't Hate Me (안녕)

The story of an outcast. A song that conveys loneliness, rather than the feelings of anger and revenge. A perfect harmony is created by the addition of lyrical guitar riffs, jazz drums, and Lee Suhyun's calming low notes. Through this song, Akdong Musician expressed the hope that many friends would understand their hearts and have a loving heart for each other.

Music & Lyrics: Lee Chanhyuk Arrangement: Philtre

8. Little Star (작은별)

A song that expresses a wish to shine like a star that always shines, even though the shining stars in the night sky may actually be satellites. The catchy chorus and the forward-moving rock beat bring a sense of emotion.

Music & Lyrics: Lee Chanhyuk Arrangement: ROVIN

9. Anyway (길이나)

A song that amusingly describes the eyes of ordinary people we meet on the street: when encountering someone of the same sex, it’s a stare-down, when encountering someone of the opposite sex, it’s pretending to be haughty. This is a refreshing song where Lee Suhyun and Lee Chanhyuk's melody harmonizes well and their fantastic chemistry stands out.

Music & Lyrics: Lee Chanhyuk Arrangement: Denis Seo, Shin Seungik

10. Idea (소재)

Songwriting ideas have run out. By using this as an idea, a cool dance song was created centered on exciting drum beats and cheerful synth sounds. It's a song that combines lyrics and rap well, and conveys a hopeful message for friends who can't create their own stories.

Music & Lyrics: Lee Chanhyuk Arrangement: ROVIN

11. Galaxy

A song that stands out with a sweet melody line that combines addictive chord progressions with catchy lyrics. The phrase "Galaxy, by any chance, [...]" is not meant to call out the literal galaxy, but rather a clever wordplay, allowing us to get a glimpse of their wit once again.

Music & Lyrics: Lee Chanhyuk Arrangement: Denis Seo, Shin Seungik

Profile Photos (Naver Vibe & YG Website)

-> Download Hi-res Images from Google Drive

Related Clips

Pre-release Promotional Materials

[140331] AKMU - "악동뮤지션" DEBUT TEASER PIC #1

[140401] AKMU - "악동뮤지션" DEBUT ALBUM "PLAY" TEASER

[140401] AKMU – “악동뮤지션” DEBUT TEASER PIC #2

[140402] AKMU - "악동뮤지션" DEBUT ALBUM PLAY LIST

[140403] AKMU - "악동뮤지션" DEBUT ALBUM PLAY Pre-Order

[140403] AKMU - "악동뮤지션" PLAY IN SEOUL FOREST

[140405] AKMU - "악동뮤지션" PLAY IN CAFÉ

Post-release Promotional Materials

[140409] AKMU – “악동뮤지션” DEBUT ALBUM RELEASE

[140409] AKMU - "악동뮤지션" PLAY IN CAFÉ (Reminder)

[140409] AKMU - "악동뮤지션" AKMU PLAY BOX

[jentlemahae]

i totally agree and tbh we can basically guarantee that we’re not getting any group music in 2024 bcs jisoo will be filming all year. i just meant that yg will finally want to have more bp comebacks bcs they won’t be making money anymore, as bp made over 80% of their profits and now they can’t even profit off of them as soloists. they’ll be losing investors like crazy too and apparently yg have essentially been told that baemon need to be at ive success level if they want to keep their investors so rip to yg being a part of the big 4 lmao

oh no worries, i didn’t think u were saying that! it’s just that i feel like on twt people are expecting a new bp cb like tomorrow, and other than it not being realistic it’s also not in the pinks’ best interests 🙃 i shouldn’t be surprised bcs stan twt is not exactly bright but still!

and that doesn’t surprise me, baemon was their last shot after bp and so far they have NOT played their cards right! 🤷🏻‍♀️ im genuinely curious to see what they do next but honestly they’ve already screwed up imo

[mysmorgasbordoffantabulosa]

This incident is very different from the tae//////nnie incident. I could easily say mediaplay for Tae////nnie, but I cannot say it for Jk. It's worse this time. I can't get over it and I can't deny it. It looks very realistic. I was not expecting.

"This incident is very different from the tae//////nnie..."

Is it?

As time has progress whilst I still think there was some media play it was mostly from YG's side, and I feel HYBE were less involved than I originally thought.

On the face of it, yes this looks bad but there are some holes in the evidence provided (the design of the windows, the wall and the overall furniture plus in order to get that video they'd need access to a private buisness building opposite and if that business is involved they'll be sued to high heaven eventually.

Add to that the blurriness and the fact it's coming from a Blink and Brian solo stan who is clearly a Tae anti too...

It's all very sus to me.

[topconfessions]

If all the people here are speaking facts, GD getting charged with drugs again, Lisa making a show in the White Horse, Rosé allegations of using cocaine on insta, and Jennie becoming a yacht girl…. adding all those companies getting sued because the only thing they do is mistreat their artist and TOP going to the moon, Korean music industry is becoming messy like 🇺🇸 and man I love to see it

People aren't trying to accept that, duh, by default, now that Korean music and entertainment industry is acknowledged by North America with agreements between agencies, companies and brands back & forth to work together for profit in both ends, of course shit is going to hit the fan. It's an economic boom for Korea in entertainment and tourism. Also this means for benefits for the government cause more scandals, while tainting the industries image, means more cover ups for elected officials to divert heat off of them when it matters.

And same here. A part of me misses when kpop was very niche and obscure. It's mainstream now and there are benefits as well as downsides. I know that I'm seen as that admin who always believes the negative or worse about YG entertainment like an anti, but I'm just a realist now cause I used to be defending and hard core standing my faves not thinking the industry was like America.

Also, don't forget what TOP said about the industry. One of the girls from aespa spilled tea about how it is working conditions wise too recently! Top being bold enough to say the industry is just treating idols like machines holds a lot of weight.

And again, YG has a different culture and foundation than SM. I'm sure SM and HYBE does similar shit but they seem strict and don't tolerate them letting that get loose.

These idols becoming exposed to American industry and social norms will bring success and trouble. GD is gonna do what he wants and I'm not shocked he him. A neitzeen on Korean news post about GD (so I read on netizeen buzz) said these celebs have so much money that life becomes boring and whether they experiment or just curious about it, they usually become addicted and I agree.

I want GD to chill out and blackpink to succeed and not be caught up in shit. Also Jisoo seems unscathed so far. I'm surprised she hasn't transitioned into an American film role even if she can only speak Korean and its just a Korean role. The idol got cancelled fairly fast and that was a terrible show. I'm somewhat Appalled that nobody says anything about the fact she was willingly on one of the most disdained and poorly made shows of the last 3 years. But I guess a bag is a bag.