WHAT MAKES A FAN SONG?

As I've been thinking about this topic recently, I'd like to list out a few recent 'fan songs' and what components lead into that descriptor. This certainly isn't limited to the following ideas, just what's been bouncing around my brain.

The songs I'd like to frame this around are:

Take Two (TT)

Letter/Dear.Army (L/D.A)

My You (MY)

I'm limiting to these few as they are the ones that released while I've been actively paying attention to the BTS/ARMY relationship. I'd love to hear thoughts on the other fansongs as well, especially from anyone who was around during their initial release!

Song Links (I cant wait for the day we have a shareable version of Letter):

I'd like to submit that there are a few criteria as to what deems a song eligible for this classification. Not all songs will present all criteria, and ultimately it's up to the artist and audience to collectively agree but let's run with this, shall we?

1. CONTENT/SUBJECT MATTER

This is the most straightforward and easiest to recognise. What do the actual words, the lyrics state? Usually very visible on the surface-level but don't disregard the level of artistic interpretation and nuance in metaphors and levels of meaning! Some lyrics may have further meaning for the fans familiar with their other works. Or maybe it's just about a subject the artist is more willing to share with their fans rather than the world at large - not necessarily ABOUT the fans themselves but more a conversation directed toward the fans.

I'll just list some of the lyrics of each aong that stick out to me (using english translations where applicable):

(TT):

Even when the desert becomes the sea, we swim together

Even the lonely whales, we're singing like them now

We're together so I'm not scared of hoping for eternity

Because you're my belief and my only reason

(L/D.A):

I say uh-oh, I hope wе last forever

You-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh that felt like a warm spring day to me in the cold winter

I say uh-oh, I'll always cherish them

The fun moments between you and me

(MY):

On a starry night

Hope my you sleep tight

Shining purple light

Thank you for being by my side

2. CREATION PROCESS

This is tricky to nail down, particularly when the artist hasn't shared much of the process.

(TT): we don't know much about this process yet but it was clearly pre-planned enough to be ready for recording before Jin left. Also, (in my opinion) the bpm was obviously paced below what a typical catchy summer song would be. I honestly think the song would be better with a slightly faster pace but slowing it down makes it less likely for non-ARMY to catch onto it and thus more of a special gift to fans only. I don't know the bom just seems off to me with this one when i listen to it...

(L/D.A): do we know anything about this beside the images of Jimin's notebook?? Hopefully we get some nuggets of the story in the future. Boy shaaaare! 😋

(MY): JK clearlly planned to include ARMY in the creation of the songs lyrics. He posted a query to get fan participation, reviewed submissions, held a Livestream where he compiled some submissions into lyrics, and took time to explain afterwards why he couldn't use the submissions word-for-word.

3. DELIVERY

This can sometimes be evidenced when the artist releases the song in a way that will benefit the fans more than themself - usually monetarily and clearly not intended for charting.

(TT): released during Festa with no proper music video. (Also, see my point above about bpm?)

(L/D.A): released as a hidden track on the physical albums. Only people willing to spend money in support of the artist have access to the 'legally-acquired' song.

(MY): released during Festa with a lyric vid including many BTS/ARMY Easter Eggs.

What do you think qualifies a song as a 'fan song'? What about BTS' other fan songs - do they fit into these criteria?

Word of Honor as text posts (42/?)

What did you think about the 10 minute Free! Final Stroke movie clip that Kyoani posted on their YT channel?!

Haha but I already knew everything almost scene by scene, bc I was taking info from different places so it won't be bias. I feel like I've basically seen it already xD Plus its not like much happened in these 10 minutes. But I already cried at every tiny easter egg, especially the beggining sequence of shots of scenery, did u get from where all of them?

This, don't even touch me T_T

Tiny rolls:

As I've said I adore that they started it with everyone recording a message to Haru and how he affected their lives, also bc it reminds me of that drama when they recorded wishes for him (wink wink) and morning messages also lol

I love the "opening" with all the "steps of life", so simple yet so beautiful. Haru isn't in the shots tho hoho

Traditional beginning of Makoto getting Haru out of the pool and no chan is you know, we can't skip that, its how every season starts, even I'd feel upset without it. Although I'm just a bit afraid a certain part of the fandom would go crazy bc of the fact that they didn't bother to redraw it from 3x01 and it might just get into their usual you didnt even care to draw that one scene for my ship again. I mean, its already started.

I personally do not care tho, I needed it just for a tradition. Like with arson, covid and etc I don't think its important really.

I've been dying to see Rin and Ikuya's interactions like these since RTTW, so I just can't stop laughing. The most precious part of those 10 mins xD. Pls release the whole pics already, but the fact that we saw even a corner and the reactions is already priceless lmao

I won't even comment on these cockerels:

As for Kinjou, I just do not care. I wanted him to be something different and interesting and unexpected for free, not this lol. I just do not know whats the point in the last movie to add his and Hiyori flashbacks tbh, like I honestly don't think anyone cares, besides ppl who want maybe like 100 ships on free. Like we don't even know the dude, why should I care that they played in a sandbox once I do not know.

Sousuke precious calm potato as usual <3

Rin's festival priorities, I'm... lmaooo as usual, nothing changes, I'll make a separate post about it XD.

I just loved the meaning of the beginning nature shots a lot.

like flying sakura petals followed by a plane line

this I won't even say anything beside the fact that the mating season of these particular assholes is april, so beware LMFAO

bee is well known from the novel's "Sakura" chapter, u must know that moment, when Haru called Rin by his name the first time. There is red lighting on the shot:

this one is before the Australian trip, Makoto's call, when Rin admits that he loves Haru, again red light on blue:

I'm just... I want to cry because its all too well thought out T_T

The only thing I hated is that Haru was upset af. I've been warned that he's only happy during the trip with Rin and Ikuya, but everyone was having fun on the festival and he's like.. well, s3 style. I know why and Kinjou also didn't help, but like still sad :(

hahaha hey, do not be greedy, I mean this movie as it is, was jokingly called Free!Harurin stroke, let others have a bit fun too xD

Rin and Ikuya scenes are just.. everything I've wanted + bts photos is just amazing content, can't wait for their trip lol

Four main (playable) characters #2

Stranger Things 4 NSA #3

So in almost an hour, Netflix will be live streaming the third day of an event called Geeked Week. During this event, Netflix celebrates all their shows and movies and gives exclusive trailers, teasers and sneak peeks about future stories.

While they were announcements made on social media by unofficial but reliable and trusted sources, nothing was confirmed...

Until now.

"We're not in Hawkins anymore"

It's confirmed there is something coming related to Stranger Things, moreover it's the first thing that we see in the description so there must be something coming from this. From some sources, it has been said that we will get a sneak peek from ST.

Before you start going in a frenzy, let's take a look at all of the options that we have before jumping to conclusions. It could be something big but it could also be something small.

The 003/004 teaser, the third teaser centered around a character:

So as you may know, we had two teasers from ST4. One centered around Hopper and one centered around Eleven each representing what these two characters storyline will be in season 4.

What interesting is that Stranger Things Twitter once posted four images of four different characters, Hopper, Eleven, Joyce and Will with the number 4 next to them.

Many assume and rightfully so that this is indicating that there will be four teasers showing the four main storylines this season.

We already got El and Hopper, the only two left are Joyce and Will.

Even if I am skeptical about the main plotline that could carry Joyce next season. If some of the theories about Joyce's demise in season 4 ends up being true, it would make sense that they would give her one last important storyline next season.

Moreover every teaser so far had something to do with parenthood especially fatherhood. Hopper because he is a father and because Hopper has a lot of trauma due to what he experienced as a father but also because the last sound in his teaser is the Demogorgon which is called in D&D: "The Deep Father". This could indicate that we might go deeper in Hopper's psyche and his past.

Eleven was Brenner who was an abusive father figure to her and put her through a great deal of trauma and we could see more of her past with him maybr giving a new meaning to some of her interactions in season 1.

Now if there is a third teaser something related to that could appear in the teaser and the most likely candidate is Will who also had an abusive father who would be horrible to him because of his sexuality. Lonnie's actor has also been seen on set. It is also pride month and Will's sexuality has always been pointing him to be gay in the show, including some of his interactions with Mike. Father's day is also really close as it takes place June 20th during pride month, it would be very fitting if the teaser for Will would be dropped now.

For Joyce, Mother's day was not so long ago but considering there's more hint for Will, I think he is the most likely candidate. But you never know, Eleven's teaser had very secret easter eggs for why her teaser dropped at this moment. Maybe something related to Joyce's past ?

The reveal of the episode titles:

Now this could happen as we don't know anything about the episode titles yet and it would be a fitting anouncement during an event that celebrates Netflix's stories since it's an event that seems to be extremely centered around the narrative of their stories.

Moreover if the release is scheduled to be in early 2022, it would fit with the title tease of Season 2 and 3 who all took place one year before the release.

"In the Fall of 1984..."

"In the Summer of 1985..."

Could the adventure continue "In the Spring of 1986"?

An update on the filming with, or Behind The Scenes footage (possibly short interviews):

Now this is a possibility rather than a full blown teaser, we could have a look at some BTS footage with interviews and a recap by the crew and cast of ST until season 4 drops.

Or something a little bit smaller like new characters revealed or a new cast member coming in the ST crew. Maybe a small update from the set like how are they moving into the filming.

Though since they haven't finished filming, it would also be unlikely that we might get something like that.

A literal Sneak Peek:

Maybe we could literally have a scene or a clip of season 4. As I said, maybe a bit unlikely but they could decide to give us some sort of overall view of what season 4 is going to be about. Like maybe the first minutes of Season 4, to show where our characters are and what they are doing.

Or maybe something smaller introducing a key setting or element in ST4.

Pretty unlikely but you never know, Stranger Things is extremely unpredictable in it's promotion.

An 80's ad:

Why not ? Something like the promo for season 3 and Starcourt Mall but with a drastic change of tone. This could mirror it but this time instead of being about the quiet, happy, beautiful and thriving town of Hawkins, it could be about all the terrible and horrific events that takes place in this town but with a more serious tone. Maybe Nancy doing some journalism stuff and reporting about something happening in a certain place or in Hawkins overall.

Or an update on the economic problems of the town, the Hellfire Club and the view of the townspeople have on this club, what the army is doing and a hint about the supernatural plot of the season if there is one and if it is in Hawkins.

_____________________________

Whatever it is, we will probably dissect the hell out of it, as always. 😏

Stranger Things 4 | Sneak Peek

Hope

Summary: It’s quite an event watching all the kids hunting down colorful Easter eggs with your chaotic friends. It’s even more of an event when Hoseok has something special planned just for you.

Written for the BTS Ghosite Marathon. Prompt: Theme: Holiday

Drabble: 3/30

Pairing: single mom Reader x Hoseok, Yoongi x Jimin

Genre: fluff, humor

Warnings: Cute, plastic eggs being used as projectiles, chaotic Jinkook, fxm, mxm, gay married couple, someone gets spanked with a spatula 

Word Count: 1,272

The sun was blaring, feeling more like summer than spring, as you and your friends watched as kids ran through the expansive backyard, looking for pastel colored Easter eggs. They’ve been going at it for a while, especially since Jin and Jungkook decided to hide some in more difficult spots. The two chaotic men lean against the railing of the wooden porch yelling out confusing hints. Most of the kids have learned to ignore them by now, but they still have Namjoon’s son running around in circles, much to their amusement and Namjoon’s displeasure.

Namjoon sighs, glaring at his friends, and steps down into the lawn to help his son. He holds his son’s hand and walks around with him, looking carefully for eggs. It makes you smile when your daughter, Harin, skips by in her purple dress and offers some of her eggs to her friend. She obviously picked up on your competitive spirit as her bucket is nearly overflowing. You’ll have to give her an extra treat for being so nice and sharing. 

Your eyes shift to the other man down in the lawn as your daughter joins the circle of kids surrounding him and the egg filled tree. Hoseok’s white button up shirt, rolled up at the sleeves, stretches across his toned body as reaches up to gather eggs in a tree that are impossible for any of the kids to reach or climb safely. He hands them one by one to the excited kids with a beaming smile. Your daughter is last and after receiving an egg you can’t help but smile softly at the sight of Hoseok fixing the bow in Harin’s hair that’s come loose after all her running. Your daughter then shows off her basket to Hoseok with a grin and the two start talking about something but your attention to the scene is cut off when your friend steps up next to you and bumps your shoulder. 

“Your eyes are basically hearts right now.” Yoongi smirks at you before taking a bite out of the skewer in his hand. 

“Like your one to talk. You’re the mushiest when it comes to your husband.” You nod your head back towards Jimin who’s at the grill, keeping an eye on the food while talking to his best friend Taehyung.

Yoongi turns to look and you visibly see him soften as he gazes at his husband. “That’s true.” He looks back to where his best friend is crouched before your daughter listening to her talk enthusiastically. “Just like Hoseok is mushy towards you and Harin.”

“Please,” you frown back at Yoongi. “He’s only being nice.”

“He’s not like your ex. Hoseok really loves Harin and…” Yoongi hesitates, a rare phenomena as he’s always sure of his words before he speaks, “he cares a lot about you too.”

It’s been a rough few years since your ex left you, not ready or willing for the responsibility of a child. It broke your heart and you poured everything you had left into Harin. It was a blessing when Yoongi introduced himself when you were picking up Harin one day from school. She was walking out of class with a boy the same age as her who happened to be Yoongi’s son. After a couple successful play dates you and Harin were effectively pooled into Yoongi’s family and friend group. That’s how you met Hoseok, who’s been nothing but kind to you and a literal ray of sunshine in your life. 

It’s hard for you to believe that someone as well off and successful as Hoseok would want to settle down with someone with a kid and so much baggage. Maybe you can believe it but just rather not so your heart, and more importantly Harin’s heart, doesn’t get broken again by a person who decides later they are just done with you. Hoseok though has never been like that though, always offering and never wanting anything in return. He’s broken down your walls and built up so much trust in their place. 

“Mommy, look! Hoseok found an egg for you!” Harin’s excited yell breaks you from your thoughts. She dashes over to you with a toothy grin and a silver egg held tightly in her hands. 

Your eyes fly to Hoseok, and your eyes meet his. He’s standing with his hands in his pockets and is slowly heading your way. Hoseok’s still smiling but he seems nervous, as if wondering what your reaction will be to his surprise.

“Did he now?” You take the egg from Harin’s outstretched hand and stare at it for a good moment. 

“If you won’t open it, I will,” Yoongi threatens, staring at the silver egg with a grin. 

“No.” You bring the egg in closer to your body and turn slightly so he can’t see what’s inside. Ignoring his disappointed groan, you twist off the top and nearly gasp at what’s inside, but your hand does come up to your mouth in surprise. 

Atop a shallow bed of confetti lays a beautiful necklace with a silver heart attached to a smaller one. Each heart has a gem attached to the center where the heart dips in. The larger one has your birthstone while the smaller one carries Harin’s. 

“Do you like it?”

You just have stared at it longer than you thought because Hoseok’s now standing next to you with a crease in his brow. Yoongi and Harin are staring at you expectedly, and the other adults are looking over curiously as well. 

“I-“ your finger traces the smaller heart, “I love it, thank you.” You grin at Hoseok, whose shoulders relax and his beautiful smile turns even softer at your answer. “I can’t take this though, it’s far too nice of a gift, you didn’t need to get this for me.”

“But I wanted to.” Hoseok plucks the necklace out of the egg and walks around you. You feel his breath hit your neck and his hands come over your head to place the dainty chain around your neck. Once he has it clasped he circles back around to see you tracing the heart again. 

“Beautiful.”

Despite your embarrassment, you can’t help but stare at the kind man. Feeling a hand tug at your clothes you look down and give your daughter your hand to hold. The smile she gives you makes your heart realize that maybe it was time to move on to a new chapter. 

“Thank you, Hoseok.” 

“Woooo, go Hobi!!” Jin shouts while Jungkook drums enthusiastically on the rail. The moment effectively shatters, but at least all the kids find them hilarious. 

Yoongi glares at his friends before yelling over to his son, “Shiwoo, remember that thing your dad and I told you not to do?”

Shiwoo nods at his dad while Jimin nearly brandishes his spatula as a weapon. “Yoongi, no.”

“Forget what I said, go all out.”

Jimin grows under his breath but watches in amusement as Shiwoo expertly aims his eggs at the chaotic men and throws with a strong arm. Jin and Jungkook yell and duck for cover as all the other kids want in on the action.

“You’re welcome.” Yoongi grins, taking another bite of his skewer. He heads back over to his husband where he gets smacked hard with the spatula on his butt. 

You swear even the adults are children, but all of that is quickly forgotten when a large hand reaches for your own and entwines their fingers with yours. Looking at Hoseok, you give his hand a squeeze, allowing hope to enter your heart for something more with this man.

TØP Bi-Yearly Update #139: Don't You Shy Away (From Blogging About Fan Culture) (4/16/21)

Well... this week has been interesting!

A few years ago- heck, just one year ago- it would have been inconceivable to imagine Twenty One Pilots entering into a new era and me not being all over it. When Trench was released, I was practically a daily update page, covering every new drop of info as I reached it. Admittedly, a lot's changed since then. Some of those changes are just a matter of how much time and energy I have to run a blog. As I said ten days ago when it became clear that a new era was coming, I am deep into my doctoral work at the moment (and, due to defending my dissertation prospectus next Friday, will not be able to post next week either).

But there have also been some fundamental shifts in how I approach fan culture. The events of the last year, in the world and in my personal life, have made me really confront the problems inherent with holding people up onto a pedestal, of devoting any part of your life to following a stranger's, and of parasocial relationships in general. I cannot go back to the same mentality I formed in 2013 and kept until somewhere between 2017-19 where the music that I liked was a core part of my personality and writing about the people who made it was a thing that gave me purpose.

At the same time, though, I cannot pretend that I don't still love the band that provided me with indescribably valuable comfort at a time in my life where I needed it. Twenty One Pilots' music, message, and fan community carried me from one place to the next, and so did this blog. They're always going to be a part of me, my interests, and my history. So, yeah; I'm gonna keep writing about them, just with perhaps a little less gusto. And that's a healthy thing!

But boy, is there a lot to gush about. I don't know about the rest of you, but "Shy Away" has only continued to grow on me over the last week, leaving me very excited about the future of our band moving into the Scaled and Icy era.

Recap's under the "Read More". But before that, just gotta say (since I haven't for awhile): Power to the local dreamer.

|-/ (I ain't changing the logo, Tyler, you doof.)

Ok, so y'all don't need me to explain everything that's gone down in Cliqueland over the last two weeks. We had dmaorg updates that were quickly overshadowed by promo posters for Scaled and Icy (which, of course, is just an anagram of "Clancy is Dead", because Tyler Joseph hates me personally) featuring our new icon mascot, Trash the Dragon and an album tracklist. We had a sweet new website launch with plenty of nifty Easter eggs and the promise of an exciting livestream performance on the album's release date, May 21, after well over a year off the stage. We had several interviews where we got intel over when to expect a tour (no clue), where Ned's at (missing), and if the album's being produced under duress from Dema (no comment).

More importantly than all of that, we had a dope new electro-indie song/tutorial for Jay's music drop. After I initially responded with a somewhat subdued "This is fun", "Shy Away" has just continued to worm its way deeper and deeper into my brain; I'm still humming it every hour or so. I cannot wait to someday hear a room full of people yell "I LOVE YOU (ooh ooh)" in harmony. The music video, directed by Miles Cable and AJ Favicchio, is somewhat light on narrative unless you fall down some Reddit rabbit holes, but has some nifty visuals (and space buns). More exciting for me is seeing another BTS video from Mark; it's been over two years since we've gotten to see Tyler and Josh at work, joking around with each other between takes, and that's such comfort.

Clearly, lots of folks are also digging this song. While it's still early, "Shy Away" has been outperforming "Level of Concern" at this same point in its release, having the best debut performance from an alternative song at Billboard since... "Jumpsuit". We'll see if this poppier track catches on better with radio audiences than other TØP tracks have since Blurryface and deliver the band another bona fide hit. I'll admit, I'm skeptical- I haven't heard anything quite like this cross over to the Top 40 in a few years now, it's gonna need to have some time to grow on people, and those promising early numbers are starting to trail off. I'm excited to be proved wrong!

That's about all I've got for now. Like I said earlier, I don't plan on releasing another update until two weeks from now, but I might change that plan if they happen to mess around and drop another track over the next week. We'll see. I'm excited. My band's back in action! Stuff's wild.

Once again, power to the local dreamer.

|-/

As all of you probably already know, Jared had a solo virtual panel last Sunday (on the 22nd). If by chance you haven’t seen it I highly recommend checking it out, as always I will be linking to it at the end of the post. For anyone curious, he did talk a bit about the final episode of Supernatural and about Sam’s ending. 

Y’all know the drill so let’s just jump into my thoughts:

- I’m still not used to seeing him with his new short hair, and I love his longer hair so I hope he grows it out again someday, but it looks so good on him! It makes him look younger and so cute 😍

- Speaking of his hair, he’s not used to it either! He was asking for hair advice at the beginning of the panel because he doesn’t know how to manage it yet 😂 

- He was asked what his 3 favorite episodes are and he said: the finale, Sacrifice and French Mistake. The Finale because he is a fan of storytelling and for him the finale answered a lot of questions and wrapped things up in a way that he found meaningful, poignant, and frustrating but in a wonderful way, Sacrifice because it’s another episode were we really get to see inside the boys and see their commitment to each other, and French Mistake because it was fun and it really stands out in his mind as an hour of tv that he doesn’t know if any other show could do. 

- He said Sam and Cordell Walker would be friends, I’m soft 🥺

- Was asked his fav HP book, movie and spell. Book and movie are pretty much the same: Deathly Hallows, pt 2 in the case of the movie. Spell he said Expecto Patronum...then he said Sam and Dean were each other’s patronus...because when Sam was in trouble Dean was there and when Dean was in trouble Sam was there...I’m fine.... JARED PADALECKI WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

- I didn’t even have time to come down from those feels cause right afterwards he was asked his craziest, funniest bts moment he had on spn through all the years, and he gave two examples: when he was waiting for Tom to be born and when he and Jensen were waiting for the twins to be born.

I was not ready for this man to go into a full blown story about the day the twins were born. If you hear screaming, it's me losing my mind.

So, he mentions how when Tom was to be born he was anxiously waiting for G to message him and how after she did they filmed a couple more scenes before Clif drove him to Seattle. And he says that it was the same when Jensen’s twins were to be born, that everyone was glued to their phones and that it was a bit farther travel because D had the twins in Austin and so and I quote “we had to go way far away”. Then he told the story about how Jensen left his passport behind- I think this might be the first time we’ve heard Jared tell this story cause we’ve heard it from Jensen but I can’t recall Jared telling it by himself but basically for those that don't know the story goes that the day before D was to go to the hospital to have the twins, the boys were filming and Jared asked Jensen if he had his passport and according to Jared Jensen was all “I’m not the one who forgets things, of course I do” so Jared asked him as a favor that the next time they went to their trailers he just touch his passport, so they keep working and when they get a break they go to their trailers and when they meet back up...turns out Jared was right, Jensen did not have his passport.

They had been attending cons so he had left it in another bag thinking he was going to be taking that bag with him, which he didn’t, so they were stuck in Canada. Thankfully, they have friends who work in the Austin PD so they contacted them and they were able to help them deal with customs and immigration and everything, and Richard Speight who was directing the episode they were filming at the time was able to wrap up with them so it was hectic but they were able to get home in time which btw is exactly how he puts it “it was a pretty hectic moment but we got home in time.” 

There’s just something about him telling this story completely unprompted, and the way he tells it, and the look on his face as he’s telling it, and that he says it was a happy ending, and the “we got home in time” like you can just tell this was an important moment for him. And not important in the way of it’s important to him because of his friend or that his friend be there on time, no, no, it was important to him that they both be there, it was important to him that they both be home. Like, hearing him tell it you can tell that wasn’t a hectic moment for Jensen only, it was for him as well; and him mentioning the twins being born along with his first born it just gives me all the feels. (Timestamp)

- Moving on, when talking about how his acting career got started, he got up to get a Teen Choice surfboard he had won a couple years ago and we got a very nice glimpse of padabooty. I was staring appropriately 🍑👀

- He was asked by a fan from Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico! 🇵🇷) which country Sam and Dean would like to visit on vacation, and he said Puerto Rico!!!!!!! 😭 He said if Sam and Dean could have found a demon or something on the island they would have been here in a snap- Jared baby we got ghosts, aliens, el chupacabra they could have found something 😂 Not gonna lie every time he said Puerto Rico I squealed a little 💓

- He shared that there were some ad libs in the finale, and unsurprisingly they were the best scenes; there was some ad libbing in the barn scene when Dean dies and the boys greeting to each other in Heaven was also ad libbed. Bless this boy for trying to give Dabb and Singer credit but the little additions, the meaningful ones that had thought put into it, that called back to the Pilot they were all the boys and really by the sound of it mostly Jared. Like, even Sam’s son telling Sam it was okay for him to die like Sam said to Dean in the barn was Jared’s idea. 

Also this fucking softy, he started thinking about Dean’s death scene while answering this question and he got all emotional and misty eyed 😭

- Another Easter egg that the boys were the ones who added, was Sam keeping Dean’s watch, him and Jensen thought it would be something Sam would have kept and worn. 

When talking about that Easter egg he said him and Jensen are big watch fans, I don’t know why I found that so cute.

- He was asked his feelings towards Sam’s ending, and he said he had about a year and a half to think about it cause he had obviously found out way before we did, and that at first it was a little jarring and abrupt but then he says how would you feel about anybody’s ending? and that if you were told how you’re gonna pass whether you’d ever be okay with it so for him no matter how Sam ended it would have been difficult for him to wrap his head around, but once he did digest and spend over a year with it he, personally, feels it was the best way to tell Sam’s story and that Sam tried to live his life the way Dean would have wanted him too; he said that he’s passionate about Sam’s ending being appropriate and Sam got the ending Dean fought for so for him he’s as happy as he can be with Sam’s ending. (Timestamp)

So....here’s the thing, I’m happy that he’s happy with how Sam’s story ended but- I don’t know, y’all know I have my issues with the finale and Sam’s ending is one of the big ones so it’s probably my own issues coloring my view of this but it sounds like while he’s happy with the ending Sam got maybe it’s not the ending he would have wanted and like much like Jensen he too had his struggles with the ending like it sounds like a mild version of what Jensen has mentioned: he struggled with the ending at first but then after a year of thinking about it he accepted it and finds that he’s as okay as he’s going to be with it and it’s an ending that’s still appropriate to the character so he's happy with it. But like I said, I have my own issues with the end and that’s probably coloring my view. 

- He was asked about props that he kept and he shared that Jason, his stand in on the show made him and Jensen a very sweet gift. On the final day of filming he got two picture frames and made copies of the boys last call sheet, and framed them along with their tape marks. 

- When talking about what it’s like to be both an actor and producer now for Walker he mentioned how he and Jensen sort of became, especially in the later years, creative producers on the set of spn even though they didn’t have the title. I will, forever remain, of the opinion that they should have been named or given producer credits for this show and that they deserved a proper seat at the table. Honestly, the writers of this show had no idea the treasures that they had with these men.

- He was asked script changes due to covid and he said the biggest change he knows of is that originally they were going to bring back a lot of the cast to be in a scene or two in Heaven. But he also says that maybe it ended up the way it should and that it was pretty magical storytelling that it all came full circle to being about the boys because it was always about Sam and Dean. 

And I agree, it worked out for the best because I’m telling y’all I know it in my gut that if it hadn’t been for covid restrictions that ending would have been a carousel of characters and wouldn’t have been nearly as impactful or brother centered as it turned out to be. 

He also once again mentioned getting everyone together for a reboot in a couple years, I'm telling y'all I wouldn't be surprised if there was a reboot in a couple years. But I hope they don’t bring back everyone if there is one...🙃

- Because he's not done attacking me he said that Sam's Heaven is mostly Dean 😭

Another thing that was Jared's idea was having Sam dressed as close as possible to how he was in the Pilot because to him Sam's happiest moment was getting back on the road with his brother 😭

- He said he and Jensen will definitely work together again! He hopes sooner rather than later, and said that Jensen has a standing invitation to do whatever he wants on Walker. He doesn't know if he'll be able to go up to Toronto since he's so busy with Walker but him and Jensen will find something somewhere.

This man has my number, if he's not coming at me with the brother feels he's coming at me with the j2 ones; this made me so happy to hear, I'm not surprised in the slightest but it still made me so happy to hear him say he and Jensen plan to work together again in the future and it's so cute how he said sooner rather than later like he worked with that man for 15yrs you'd think he'd be ready for a break but nope he already wants to work with him again and is looking at his schedule like 'umm what week can I sneak off to Toronto?' ❤

Now, if I may take a moment to be petty and say suck it! to those who thought the end of spn meant the end of j2's relationship.

- The panel ended with him giving some advice for anxiety. He shared that something that has worked for him is accepting it ain't going anywhere but you can learn to live with it.

And that was the panel! Like I said if by chance you haven't seen it I highly reccomend it, it was a great panel, he was all in his brother feels and he was mentioning Jensen left and right, and he looked adorable- honestly, like it just made me happy and gave me a needed cheer up.

Jared Solo Panel November 22nd 2020

Hello, I always really enjoy and value your analyses so thank you for your content! I wanted to ask, thinking especially about the last In The Soop episode and how the fandom reacted/is still reacting to it (Taekook cuddling etc), how do you value skinship and Jikook skinship in relation to to the other pairs considering how all the members are so close with each other?

Are you new to my blogs? I think I've made my position on skinship pretty clear? No? I don't place much value on skinship.

Skinship is a shared love language of the group's and to me it's no different from a handshake within the group.

When people make a big deal about skinship I wonder if they've ever owned pets of any kind but especially of the feline species. Y'all don't go around yelling my cats are gay and dating eachother each time they rub on eachother do you? That's wild.

If it helps, think of BTS as a bunch of cats? Lol

Skinship is one of the ways they show love and affection for eachother and one of the means through which they achieve intimacy amongst themselves as a group. There's nothing wrong with that. To me.

It is not something I consider at all in determining whether a pair is gay, real and dating eachother.

Chileeee, Taekook cuddling pales in comparison to the kind of skinship they used to do in their early days? Y'all haven't seen them kissing cheeks while cuddling in bed have you? Y'all haven't seen Tae kissing JK's nape on stage have you? *narrowing my eyes at y'all.

Y'all haven't seen JK kissing Tae's nape at the airport now have you? Don't get me started on the secret Easter egg ILY sign they been plotting all over concerts and VLives through to this day.

People ship them for a reason you know?

But to me that's their dynamic. Tae has had a lot of influence on JK. A lot. JK has picked a lot from all the members but especially Tae, Suga and Jin if you ask me. Have you seen JK try to touch Jimin's peepee at a concert? Chileee. Most of the wild things you see JK try to infuse in Jikook are imported from his dynamics with Tae in Taekook. In my opinion.

What do you think they mean when they say they used to have a special bond? They really were something. But Jimin mitigates Taekook. That's how you know Jikook is real.

The fact, after all this history Tae has with JK, knowing him two years longer than Jimin does but still he cannot lay claims to JK the way Jimin lays claim to JK says it all.

While I do not consider skinship as a determinant, I place a lot of value on claim stakes. Dating someone gives you certain rights and privileges and laying claim to them is one of them.

No one in BTS all these years have laid that kind of claim to JK or Jimin besides Jimin and JK- hands down. And where someone tries to compete with them or challenge their right of authority over the other that person is met with hostility eg RM and Kook and their infamous standoff moments through time.

As I've said the only times Jikook don't and can't claim eachother in this manner is if and when they are broken up. When they are merely fighting they pretty much still have that right of claim.

So rather than fume over Tae hugging JK or Jimin cuddling Suga, I look at who is coming at Jimin or JK with a frying pan to exercise their right of claim over them- no one.

Right to claim is but one of the many other things I place value on in determining the realness of a pair not skinship.

As to whether I think skinship is problematic, I really don't think it is. It is only problematic if JM or JK has issues with it. Usually if you see them fuming it's because they feel that skinship is crossing boundaries.

BTS as a group are very touchy and if you are far removed from their culture it can be shocking. Cultural shock is a bitch.

These boys have lived together for ten years. Ten years! They are only recently learning to respect eachother's boundaries for reasons I have speculated on.

Is Taekook cuddling crossing said boundaries? NO.

They are trying to repair their bond. Expect the skinship to increase between them. Because to some of them, especially Tae, that's their way of bonding with eachother.

Honestly, I think it's beautiful and healthy. So long as Jimin and JK don't have a problem with it.

Signed,

GOLDY

‘Magic Shop’ and the Jikook Connections

This post will be pointing out seeming connections between Magic Shop and Jikook in a variety of ways. You can decide for yourself if these connections are coincidence or intentional. 

I want to start this post out by saying I’m not necessarily pushing an agenda that the sole meaning behind Magic Shop is Jikook’s relationship, however I do think there are a lot of striking connections that seem to have meaning. The song can absolutely simultaneously be about ARMY and about Jungkook’s relationships with the members, and I’ll be showing some reasons why. 

I’ll also point out that there does seem to be a connection between Jimin and ARMY for Jungkook, so a song having this dual meaning is not that out of the box, to me. I’ll let this video explain this point for me.

Influences

For those with absolutely no background on the song or its creation, it was a song primarily written and produced by Jungkook, and a self proclaimed message for ARMY.

In October of 2017, Jungkook and Jimin took a trip to Tokyo together, and on that trip documented a visit to Tokyo Disneyland in both Jimin’s vlog and GCF Tokyo. This trip is where many people theorize that Jungkook got the inspiration for a song entitled ‘Magic Shop’. 

In Tokyo Disneyland, there is a magic shop!

Some people speculate something important for the duo might have happened here, and some think he just might have seen the building and gotten inspired. I think either way, it’s a pretty meaningful connection between the song and their trip.

The trip seemed to have had a big impact on the pair, and Jungkook writing a song derived from an aspect of the trip is certainly worth noting. I’m not going to get too deep into how impactful the Tokyo trip was Jimin and Jungkook because I’d love to go more in depth on the topic at a later point in time, but I think if you’re in the fandom and paid attention, its pretty easy to see that their trip to Tokyo was impactful. 

Magic Shop was released in May, 2018.

The timespan between the trip to Tokyo and release of the song make it pretty clear to me that one event directly inspired the other. 

The Contents

As I said, it is absolutely possible for the lyrics to simultaneously be addressing ARMY, and have been written with a specific person in mind. I’m going to break down the lyrics section by section, and do a little lyrical analysis. 

Lyrics are made to be analyzed and interpreted. Artists encourage it. It’s also possible for two different people to get two completely different meanings from a song. I am giving you the meaning that I see, and if you disagree that is completely okay. 

Analysis:

I know that you’re hesitating because even if you say the truth

In the end it will all return as scars

I’m not going to say anything blatant like “find strength”

I will let you hear my story, let you hear it

This stanza seems to be directly speaking to the listener. I’m not sure what ‘the truth’ is, it could ba a variety of things. (Maybe ‘the truth’ is something to do with who this song was inspired by.) Anyway, this is our intro into this song of strength and unity. Jungkook says, “I will let you hear my story.” So the following is Jungkook’s story.

What did I say?

I said you’d win, didn’t I?

I couldn’t believe it (really)

Could I win it?

This miracle that isn’t a miracle

Did we make it?

To me, the first half of RM’s verse seems to be a reflection on the beginning of their careers. Jungkook told someone he believed they would ‘win’, and seems unable to believe that they actually did win. Jungkook was so outwardly confident in their success, but perhaps internally didn’t have this same confidence. It starts with ‘you’, then talks about ‘I’, and then finally it becomes ‘we’. This could be in reference to ARMY (you) and BTS (I). The ‘you’ could also be in reference to Jimin, if this song was indeed written for him. It’s interesting how he says “This miracle that isn’t a miracle” in reference to their success. It reinforces that he was acting strong and confident for the sake of someone else, but in reality thinks it was a miracle that they were successful.

(No) I was here

You were the one that made your way to me

I do believe your galaxy

I want to listen to your melody

Your stars in the Milky Way

Don’t forget that I found you anyways

At the end of my despair

You’re the last reason

For me who was standing at the edge of the cliff

Live

The second half of RM’s verse really reads like a love letter to me. This ‘you’ comes back; again, it is often interpreted as being a reference to ARMY, and I think that’s how Jungkook wants it to come across to us. But if you read it as if it was written as a letter to Jimin, it makes just as much sense. It would certainly explain the extent to which it moved Jimin, but we’ll get into Jimin’s reaction later on.

On days I hate being myself, days I want to disappear forever

Let's make a door in your heart

Open the door and this place will await

It's okay to believe, the Magic Shop will comfort you

Now let’s go back to Jungkook’s supposed inspiration for the song. I find it really interesting that he uses a place of a shared experience with Jimin as the place of ultimate comfort for himself and ARMYs. I think even if you disagree that the lyrics were written about Jimin, you can admit this detail itself is meaningful. 

I’m not sure who had the final decisions for which member sang which line, but if it was Jungkook, I think he used a lot of intentionality about line designation. Jimin is the one who sings the second half of this stanza.

While drinking a glass of hot tea

And looking up at the Milky Way

You’ll be alright, oh, this here is the Magic Shop

Again, speaking of intentionality of line designation, Jimin and Jungkook sing together for the first chorus, singing words of comfort and staring at the sky together. 

So show me (I'll show you)

So show me (I'll show you)

So show me (I'll show you)

Show you show you

To me, this line has a lot of reminiscence to the lyrics of the song Jungkook chose in ‘GCF Tokyo’, “There For You” by Martin Garrix. That song speaks of mutual support and comfort. ‘I’ll be there for you, but you’ve gotta be there for me too. Love is a road that goes both ways.” 

In the same way, Jungkook calls upon a need for mutual support. ‘You show me, and I’ll show you.’ I don’t know if he was directly inspired by the themes of Troye Sivan’s lyrics, or if it’s just a theme he connects to for personal reasons, but I find it interesting seeing this connection between the two events. It may have been subconscious, even, but it’s quite interesting to see.

Like a rose when blooming

Like cherry blossoms when being scattered in the wind

Like morning glory when fading

Like that beautiful moment

I always want to be the best

So I was impatient and always restless

Comparing myself with others became my daily life

My greed that was my weapon suffocated me and also became a leash

But looking back on it now, truthfully

I feel like it’s not true that I wanted to be the best

I wanted to become your comfort and move your heart

I want to take away your sadness, and pain

Okay, first of all, that’s beautiful. It makes me tear up every time I read it.

Jungkook, who’s telling his story through this song, speaks of a need for perfection that wouldn’t go away. He says that he was impatient and restless, and his greed held him back. He says that in retrospect, it’s not that he wanted to be the best, but that he wanted to become a comfort for ‘you’. (you= ARMY, or Jimin.) 

On days where I hate myself for being me, on days where I want to disappear forever

Let's make a door. It's in your heart

Open the door and this place will await

Magic Shop

While drinking a glass of hot tea

And looking up at the Milky Way

You’ll be alright, oh, this here is the Magic Shop

So show me (I'll show you)

So show me (I'll show you)

So show me (I'll show you)

Show you show you

Would you believe me if I said that I was scared of everything too?

All the sincerity, the remaining times

All your answers are in this place you found

In your Milky Way, inside your heart

Again, Jimin is given the line that to me reads as the emotional climax of the song. (The bolded words read as the climax to me.)

All the strength that Jungkook needed, he found within himself, and Jimin is the one who belts out this realization. 

You gave me the best of me

So you'll give you the best of you

You found me. You knew me

You gave me the best of me

So you'll give you the best of you

You'll find it, the galaxy inside you

So show me (I'll show you)

So show me (I'll show you)

So show me (I'll show you)

Show you show you

Again... this is so unbelievably poignant. 

“You gave me the best of me, so you’ll give you the best of you.” 

Oh my god. This isn’t a love song of finding your missing half. This is a love song about being fulfilled from within, with the help of someone else, and in return helping them find their own fulfillment. Jungkook is so, so wise. These lyrics are so amazing I can’t even really put it into words. 

If we’re using our dual interpretation that he’s singing to ARMY and Jimin, this is so incredibly meaningful. Imagine the weight of someone telling you that you helped them to discover the best within themself. You don’t have to imagine; he is singing this to us. But I also have an inkling it was written with a specific person in mind. 

“You found me. You knew me.”

I just want to emphasize the power and weight behind these words. This isn’t your everyday love song. 

The song ends with the returning theme of mutual love, once again giving me flashbacks to “There For You” by Troye Sivan, and by association also giving me flashbacks of the GCF Tokyo Film. 

Lyric analysis TLDR; In my opinion, the song is written with an intentional duality to be about ARMY and Jimin. The song is full of little Easter eggs that reference GCF Tokyo, from the title to the themes of mutual love in the lyrics. Jimin is also given climactic lines that would fit this theory. Something I didn’t mention is that even the genre/sound of the song bears resemblance to “There For You” with a synth pop style. By no means am I saying Jungkook copied or was not original, so don’t twist my words, but I think he very well may have been thematically or stylistically inspired by the sounds from “There For You” or may have subconsciously mirrored some style choices. (It also could’ve been 100% intentional for him to make people like us make the connection. We will never know.) 

Jimin’s Love for Magic Shop

Exhibit A: Comeback Vlive, May 18, 2018

This whole Vlive, Jikook seem extremely close/intimate in their interactions; JK teasing him and smiling at him with heart eyes, Jimin leaning into his space and looking at him fondly. 

As a prompt, Namjoon asks the members what the most difficult or most fun song was in the album. Jimin immediately brings up Magic Shop (21:43). Jimin personally thanks him for his efforts and says out of all the songs they recorded, Jimin put the most efforts into Magic Shop. When Jungkook goes on to explain his creation, and how it’s a ‘fan song’, Jimin just smiles at him with this endeared, knowing expression on his face. I really feel like Jimin seems to have some personal pride in the song, despite having not produced it or written it. And sure, it makes sense that he’s proud of his Jungkookie, but at the same time, something in his eyes just makes me think twice about the whole thing.

Jungkook said that when he was working on the song, all he felt was love for ARMY. Jimin smiles so wide and tells Jungkook he’s a smooth speaker, and that he’s “sweet like candy”...

Exhibit B: Jimin’s Vlive on May 20, 2018

In this vlive, he talks to fans about the album’s release, and around 9:30, begins to talk about how touched he was by the song. This takes him several minutes because he is so careful about the way he words it. 

He eventually gets across that its a song that touches him very deeply in comparison to all the other songs they perform, and the fact that Jungkook made it is very impressive to him. He even tells ARMY that they have to like it. 

Exhibit C: Jimin Twitter Video, February 13, 2019

And then... several months later, on February 13, 2019, Jimin posted a Twitter video of himself singing ‘Magic Shop’ with the ‘Injeolmi’ filter from the Snow app. (There is a theory about the Injeolmi filter being used as a ‘hint’, but I don’t want to get too far into that because it’s a little more on the delulu side. If you are aware of/believe this theory, I think it’s interesting to note.)

5th Muster VCR

Now I think it’s only fair that we look at the 5th Muster ‘Magic Shop’ film. This video puts the ‘Magic Shop’ concept into reality, with the member acting as components of the ‘Magic Shop’, where JK is on a mission to find something he’s missing in his heart. 

JK acts as the main character, coming to the magic shop to be healed. Jimin acts as the owner of the magic shop. 

I find it very interesting that they seemed to portray each member as a caricature of themself. RM destroys things, Suga’s character lazes about, Jin is surrounded by opulence, Tae goofy and photogenic, J-Hope loves dance, Jimin’s character... flirts with Jungkook. 

In the VCR, Jimin takes Jungkook to different rooms, each one containing a different member which tries to find the cure to Jungkook’s unhappiness, without success. 

Each time their remedies fail, Jimin goes back to the drawing board to think of something else.

In the end, with the help of the rest of the members, Jimin figures out the solution....

A pair of shoes? (I’m gonna be really honest I have no idea what that symbolizes... help me out here.)

Anyway, plot aside, I think you’re understanding what I’m getting at. Even in the skit version of this Magic Shop, Jimin’s role is special. He’s instrumental in helping JK, and he ultimately finds the solution to Jk’s problem. (Not to mention the flirting, like what???)

Due to extremely strict copyright, I can’t embed video, however here’s a link to all of the 5th muster DVD content if you’d like to watch it for yourself. 

Conclusion

Anyway, I’m not offering any ‘ultimate proof’, as I said, I’m just pointing out connections that I noticed. Whether or not the song was written about Jimin, I think it’s clear Jimin plays an instrumental role in Jungkook’s Magic Shop. 

I hope you enjoyed reading. If I missed anything you’d like me to add, let me know! 

If you liked this post a lot, buy me a coffee! I take requests. :)

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Next…

Agree so much with your post about the teams and fan engagement ! And love the way you articulated all of that. Although now I definitely am interested in knowing what your notes about the specificity of each team/artist cause I feel like they'd be fascinating to read. Hope you'll post them some day, and thank you for sharing your thoughts with us ! 😊

Awwww, that’s very kind! It’s definitely head canon city, I litcherally have ZERO clue what goes on behind the scenes (and I can’t stress this enough, none of us do), so this’ll look hilariously dated when we find out that blah woof was true all along, lmao (me @ myself, thinking of some random Grimshaw interviews from last fall, oh, bless). Let’s dig in!!

For those of you who just stumbled upon this post, it’s related to the one I made last night about how I think the management teams of all these men (mid-20s means = you’re a man, not a boy) are not, in fact, sabotaging them. They negotiate a lot of tricky interconnected arrangements that none of us are privy, to, plus they’re at least trying to achieve the goals their clients are going for. And they’re doing it—the trick is these goals are highly individual and not 100% sensical (at least given our own view from the afternoon, Arctic Monkeys ref, holllllllah!!!).

In addition, these goals constantly shift, as does the music industry itself—I drive my own self loony when I lurk on blogs that are seemingly broadcasting from 2012, confused by why xx’s team is so “terrible” because they aren’t throwing good money after bad to get on a radio playlist, or why they haven’t announced yy “properly,” as if they’re being paid to worry about this level of shit (which fires me up on about five levels, deep breaths in, deep breaths out). I’m much nosier about the signals we’re getting when we hear them talk in their beautifully media-trained way about their musical interests, when we get some of that sweet, sweet fan service with a Gallagher or a Capaldi, when we get that heads up about who’s attending what concert, stuff like that. These signals don’t necessarily indicate future collaborations, but they DO indicate what kind of image these guys want to have, the kind of music they want the public to associate them with.

Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself…their personalities and goals at the moment are all so vastly different, and I truly do love seeing how their teams are workin’ it accordingly. Again, please @ god, don’t @ me…opinions, massively unpopular opinions, dead ahead!

* Zayn. My read on Zayn is that he enjoys the creative process, loves writing and singing, digs collabing with people, but he doesn’t seem to give two shits about the biz side (and why should he? that’s called living the dream at this particular point in his career). His website recently added “tour,” which EYEBALL EYEBALL, but he doesn’t seem to be all that interested in putting himself back out on stage or into radio/print/etc. anytime soon, and again, why should he? His numbers are HUGE without pushing himself through the anxiety-provoking churn he endured for four years, so there’s no real drive for him to do any promo if he doesn’t want to (see: the netflix-like binge dump of Icarus Falls, which could be “sabotage,” or it could just be, “fineeeeeeee, here’s some stuff for you, enjoy”). What other artist gifts his fans with gorgeous covers of such a wide variety of songs that indicate he’s more interested in sharing them than selling them. Accordingly, his fan interactions seem fairly pure and not all that promo-y: he has a keen interest in fanart, he’s done some fan pop-ups/listening parties that are pretty low-key and *seemingly* fan-focused, and recently (with zero anything to really promote), he’s been posing for cute pics and chatting with randos on the streets of NYC. I recently read that his mgmt team is no longer with him, but that sort of folds into my feeling that he’s not pursuing anything biz-wise, hence no need to jump through those particular hoops (I think he’s also struggled with a lot of demons, so yeah, why add one more). Could he be adrift? Maybe, but the next guy is the posterman for lack of focus….

* Liam. Honestly, I worry about Liam most of all. His post-1D career seems very much adrift, and I like to joke that he’s giving me that tell-all about the D one sentence at a time, but goddamn, are people listening? The struggles with alcohol, the lack of focus on every level, the reliance on his dad’s career advice (which more clearly reflects his dad’s financial class, background, and history than it does Liam’s), and the overall confusion about look, sound, and direction also flow back directly into his team. I get the feeling that they aren’t sure what to do because LIAM isn’t sure what to do or what he wants, so they follow in his wake. He’s agreeable to a fault, so seeing him at a meet-and-greet at an HMV in Birmingham last week felt like a step back into 2010 for no real reason, just like hearing that he was more or less coerced into full nude photoshoots for an underwear ad (the decisions to say yes to both of those—who’s steering this ship? If it’s Liam, he needs to tell the team his overall goal, so they can plot a course he and his fans can follow; if it’s the team, ditto). Like Niall, Liam’s actually pretty good at the SM game: lots of selfies, snapchat filters, outfits, gym service, twitter interactions. But generally speaking, his promo is confusing, and that’s probably because there isn’t much *to* promote at this point, other than a mix of collabs, clothing endorsements, spon con, horse farms, and an album that’s always on the horizon. This might be tied to the general post-1D jolt they all went through, like a plane coming off autopilot and into the hands of someone who’s just learning how to fly it. Zayn debuted at number one, so his bump wasn’t as harsh, but the others are slowly, steadily finding their footing after taking some time to find themselves and their sound, releasing songs/albums, performing (or in Louis’s case, going through unspeakable tragedy). Liam’s still adrift…and somewhat admittedly, which is kind of telling in its own way. Just know that my nervousness on his behalf ratchets up every time he feels the urge to assure us all that he’s happy.

* Niall. Truly the one following the original 1D template, right down to working with most of the same people but with more of the overall control in his hands instead of a faceless management squad. Of any of them, he seems the most ambitious, the most scientific about the sound he’s after and how he’s gonna get there. His promo is a mix of new and traditional—radio shows, talk shows, podcasts, special events, twitter interactions with fans, twitter interactions with entertaining celebrities—and it’s all hustle hustle hustle, build build build, as if he were a new ingenue instead of coming up hard on solo album number two. He’s explicit in his goals, which is refreshing, but it means he walks a weird line with fans: on one hand, he’s done with their bullshit, get ready to get rekt if you start commenting on his boring food seasoning or home décor. But on the other hand, he fully recognizes how much he needs them, which is why we get so many peeks into his “normal” life (yet zero percent of his actual personal life). It’s also probably why the blatant tweets of the last two days seem so jarring to me (I might be alone on this one, but I’m not a fan of directives in general, and asking me to call radio stations on behalf of a rich white man to become even richer just rubs me the wrong way, same with asking me to stream stuff to get you to number one…you’ve been there, buddy, how about you calm down and build some character at number 51). And speaking of calming down, it does fascinate me that both Niall and Louis namecheck Taylor Swift as someone who gets the whole fandom push/pull thing right, so watching them try to reverse-engineer her secrets is fun. Louis nails it (that hotspot treasure hunt: chef’s kiss), but Niall’s heavy-handed easter egg dump in NTMY, she would never!! I think Niall’s team needs to watch “Calm Down” about five more times before they try that again.

* Louis. I think Louis honestly has an AMAZING team in place, and they’re all clearly on his side, which makes for a refreshing change. Like Niall, he has publicly praised Taylor Swift for how she engages with her fans, but I think he’s missing a key point: she doesn’t let her fans dictate strategy, and I HOPE that’s the case for Louis, too. His old team *was* shit, so yeah, encouraging people to do fan projects to get the word out was a good idea, but turning that spigot off to let a good (paid) team step in and take over has been, uh, challenging. He’s dealt with more than his fair share of personal tragedy, but every time he gets some momentum going, it feels like something bts pushes him back off track, and he tends to keep it private, which only makes his hardest-core fans scream “sabotage.” Rightly so, he’s focusing on his personal life, and rightly so, his team is giving him the space to do that, even when it costs cash money and throws a lot of shit seriously for a loop. It makes my heart soar to see the potential of what his team can do/is doing, how much space he’s being allowed to process what he needs to process. Weirdly, that’s an unpopular opinion, and a lot of people want to indulge in an angst wank fest where Louis’s the victim of a terrible team that won’t DO anything (nevermind the fact that he’s probably ASKED them not to do anything), so they undertake a tremendous amount of performative unpaid labor that ends up being counterproductive on just about every front. Even worse, most of them can’t seem to process the fact that losing your mum is a blow, losing your SISTER is a blow, juggling other siblings or close friends handling some serious demons of their own in the aftermath of all of *that* is a blow, let alone handling your own personal coping mechanisms, nope, they want Louis to release release release, perform perform perform, c’mon, what’s holding him back, he *said* he wanted to release an album this year, there’s “no reason” for a delay, gotta be his shitty team, free him. It drives me ‘round the bend because it’s the same talk from late last year, you know, when we later found out that at least one family member was losing a fight with drug addiction. Louis’s fan engagement/promo is therefore hella fraught: he has to balance LouisTM on twitter (Mr. Donny, he’s hard, mate), his werk IG posts, and his constant edging because nobody can remember or trust that he’s got this, that multiple things are in play. But he also knows his fanbase, knows that it’s resistant to any kind of change, so I hope he pushes through and stays true to what he wants to do. I was really encouraged with his last promo round because he seems to have narrowed in on a something solid, he’s got a plan, and it’s not, “hey mr dj, put my record on,” it’s getting his fans to trust that he and his team know what the fuck they’re doing, and spoiler alert, it ain’t radio, but go ahead and keep pissing off djs by sending angry tweets their way. (Related: why is it so bad to avoid the radio when all of us admit that radio music is garbage? Is it because it’s more about you than him? Much to think about.)

* Harry. My very favorite head canon is that Harry is Jeff’s nightmare client: what was perfection at first because the Azoffs are old-school promo all the way (no SM, baby, gimme that sweet, sweet paper), and that dovetailed nicely with post-1D Harry, but it quickly veered into mulish teeth pulling. Low profile can quickly spin into no profile, and that really doesn’t work too well when you’re trying to sell sell sell, even if your brand is Harry StylesTM. HS1 and Dunkirk in their own separate ways worked VERY hard to push past the still-persistent way the general public views Harry as boybander Harry Styles, or more accurately, former boybander Harry Styles who dated Taylor Swift (if you venture out and ask someone who’s not a fan), but what I love about Harry is that much like Zayn, he doesn’t seem to be too bothered by all that. Sure, he’s ambitious, he wants to challenge himself and do things, but he’s no Niall Horan. He’s put in his time! If he gets a number one, then cool, but he’s not gonna chase it. And this is where Harry’s team really reflects his goals and energy: sure, they want him to do some promo (that “Do” tweet, the entire bit about the fan in Australia and Harry Lambert’s follow, goddddd, I loved it, petty Harry, resigned Jeff), but they clearly aren’t forcing him. He drops a song that makes a HUGE splash, and the follow-up is…liking some tweets and going to a John Mayer concert (not a John Mayer fan, so that wouldn’t be my first choice, but I respond to the zero fucks given about the whole thing). The music industry has changed a LOT in just two years, so it’s kind of cool to see team Harry pivoting a bit, seeing more SM interaction, the kindness generator, etc., but that said, the team takes their cues from him, and he clearly doesn’t want to do a whole promo circuit beyond persons a, b, and c, and magazine R, F, and A. Does it make sense to have Rob Sheffield write a profile about Stevie Nicks-blessed shroom-eater Harry Styles when his new song sounds like the Zarry combo of my dreams? NOPE, but that’s okay, Harry wanted to talk to Rob, so that’s what happened. The new song is more streaming friendly, and thank CHRIST, a lot less crusty white dude stuck in the ‘70s, so I can only hope that the rest of the album is thus, but we shall see! We’ll also see if Harry’s fan engagement shifts any further into the active zone…so far, it’s been “I’m gonna follow some larries, like these fun generator posts, check out a few dads” and staged photo ops with the same familiar faces, but I think he’s dealing with his own major bts issues as well (album delayed at least twice; that entire stalking situation). I still contend the album’s coming in the next few weeks, so it’ll be interesting to see if/how any additional promo rolls out in this new world order post-gryles landscape, how many interviews he’ll do, but I like that there’s a strategy that seems less stodgy…kudos to the new SM team, at least!!

Oh man, that got really long! Hope you enjoyed, and YES, opinions opinions opinions, and they’ll be stupid in about three weeks’ time, thanks for coming to my already dated buzzfeed article

Cotton-Tails

Description: Easter is coming, but things aren’t hoppy in the house for anyone. Shattered Pieces fic, Endangered Species series.

Warnings: Use your own judgement

Posted: 06/03/19

Tags: hybrid bts, yoongi x reader, all members but Jimin, 

Angsty with little fluff: 4,624 words

A/N: This was the chapter I was working on when I decided to insert a small fluff piece between, also, I added somewhere close to 2 thousand words to this last night because it just felt incomplete and I because the next part is mother’s day, I had to give a little info before that part.  Also, as you can see from the gif, we’re centering on a different character this time...

“But—” “No!” You scolded again, firmly, scooping Heiran up and setting her firmly into the time-out. She was in tears, calling you mean with her little hands. You set the timer despite the insults, and walked into the living room to clean up the mess she had made. Jin’s ears were drooping. “She glued it to the carpet.” Jungkook was trying to get the confetti-size scraps of paper that she had pulled from the shredder gathered up. Hoseok was carefully cleaning the not-yet-dried glue from the coffee table. Yoongi, and Taehyung were figuring out the best way to remove the piece of paper glued to Jowoon’s hair in the upstairs bathroom while Namjoon was keeping Misuk away from the mess. “Hey, mom, can you…what happened in here?” Jihun asked, eyes huge, then he shrunk slightly when he heard his sister crying. “Oh. She happened.” “Jihun, did you put the glue away when you were done with it?” You asked, somehow managing to be calm. The guilty look said it all. “No, mom.” You just nodded. “I’ll send Namjoon up to help you with your schoolwork.” “Okay,” He whispered. “Does this mean we’re not dying eggs tonight?” “Depends on whether or not she calms down,” You answered, gently brushing your hand over his head so that he knew you weren’t mad, just…tired. You were always tired recently. He purred softly at your touch, ducking into your side and holding on for a moment before going back up to his room. You turned back toward the room, noticing Jin seemed to be paralyzed by the amount that needed to be done. You went over and gently tugged one of his droopy ears. “Jin, why don’t you go trade with Namjoon so that he can help Jihun.” He turned to you, and his eyes were watery. Dazed. “I can’t do this anymore,” He whispered, gaze drifting back. The others heard him as well, looking over at him. “Jin?” You asked softly. He dragged in a shaky breath, but he didn’t say anything else, and the scent he gave off choked the air with sadness and…something more. Hoseok and Jungkook came over quietly. “You’re stressed,” You started, making it sound more of a question. He nodded. “And tired. And you feel like it’s been years since you hadn’t been taking care of the kids, and yet only days since their parents died.” He made a choking sound, letting his head fall to Hobi’s shoulder. You took a deep breath. “And you feel alone.” He crumbled into Jungkook and Hoseok’s arms, sobbing outright. “I understand,” You whispered. “I understand that this is hard. Especially today, when nothing has gone right.” You moved forward and gently stroked his head and ears. You were honestly surprised that he had held out this long. Jungkook had outlets since he managed to get out and go see his friends pretty often, but Jin had lost his job before Jimin and his mate died. He had lost friends because he associated with a human. There was only so much stress a bunny-hybrid could handle and he’d reached his limit much later than you expected him to. And so very close to Easter. Yoongi had told you back in January that Jin was having a hard time, and since then you both had been trying to make sure he didn’t get overloaded, that he got out a bit, went out with the boys. But you knew this loneliness. It was the kind of loneliness that friends just couldn’t fill. It was the kind that stemmed from both parts of hybrids, that need to mate and be mated. The loneliness you had suffered from until Yoongi. Some part of your mind registered the timer going off, but you were to busy trying to comfort him in what little way you could to care about what the timer meant. Until Heiran was sobbing incoherently, hugging Jin’s legs and babbling. Jin looked a little shocked. Jungkook gave a strangled laugh. “I think she thinks you’re crying because of her.” “Well…” Hosoek hummed under his breath. Jin looked at you and shook his head slightly, trembling. You nodded, dropping down to gently pull her off of his legs. “Heiran, you need to let go. Jinnie isn’t feeling well.” She let out a wail, but wasn’t quite strong enough to hold onto him. But strong enough to kick you in the stomach. You dropped onto your butt, winded, and wincing. Yoongi’s snarl seemed to echo through the living room, which didn’t exactly help Jin’s already wild emotions and caused him to cower behind Hoseok with a startled shout. Heiran was stock still, tears still streaming down her face, but gaze locked onto Yoongi as he stalked over to the two of you. “Sit,” He ordered her. She sat, tears filling her eyes again. He dropped beside you, checking your scent and kissing both of your cheeks. “You okay, baby? She got you pretty good.” “I’m okay,” You whispered back. “Now’s not a good time for them to find out.” “Okay.” He helped you to your feet. “Heiran, what have we told you about kicking, hitting, and biting?” Her head practically dropped into her lap. Jihun had followed Taehyung and Jowoon down, and Namjoon was in the doorway to the nursery with Misuk. “You just got out of timeout. Did you want to go back in?” She let out a wail, sobs tearing out of her little body. Yoongi sighed and picked her up, shushing her softly and carrying her out of the room, especially when he saw how bad Jin was. He shot you a worried look before heading out and upstairs. Jihun was looking at Jin, biting his lip. “Jihun, I think we’re going to take the rest of the day off of school,” You said, your voice shaking slightly. He nodded. “Come on, Jowoon-ssi, we’ll watch a movie.” He quickly led his brother out, seeming to realize that it was definitely adult time right now. “Hyung?” Taehyung murmured softly, a slight whine coming out when Jin flinched away from his hand. “I’m not going to hurt you, hyung.” Namjoon came over without Misuk. “She was asleep,” He explained, then looked at you seriously. “What was that, with Yoongi?” “Right now Jin is more important,” You whispered, turning back toward the man who looked further and further away by the second. Jungkook was helping, knowing just the right things to do as a bunny hybrid himself, but he looked worried and sad himself. You took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to do, but this wasn’t your area and from a predator-prey stand-point you had no idea how to help him. Hoseok looked scared. “His heart-rate is really high.” You gave in and pulled out your phone, dialing the number of a friend and former coworker. “Taehyung, Namjoon, keep cleaning the living room. Jungkook, Hoseok, take him into the kitchen. It’s the cleanest room in the house right now,” You instructed as you waited for her to answer. It took about ten minutes for her to give you clear instructions of how to help him, starting with cleaning the house, making sure he’s warm, limiting the noise, and keeping the predators away from him. Then she gave you some more instructions that she said she’d also text you, before she had to get back to work. Jin was curled up in a ball on the floor, head on Jungkook’s lap, when you peeked into the kitchen. His whole body shivering. You quickly turned up the thermostat, then got the blankets from the closet that were sealed to prevent the tainting of smells and slid them over to Hoseok. Then you and the others started deep-cleaning the house, you checking on them periodically. By the time you all finished cleaning, Hoseok was managing to get some soup into a calmer-looking Jin, though you could see that one of Jin’s ears was bleeding, the cream fur tinged red. Jungkook seemed to be gently nuzzling Jin’s head. Those three were closer than the others, always had been a little closer. From what you understood it was because they had lived together, all working to pay for an apartment that they shared. Taking care of each other. The three prey-species among their predatory friends. Right now, you were grateful for it because you were pretty sure it was the only thing calming Jin down right now. You read over the instructions your friend had sent you, noting which ones were doable and which weren’t. “Hey.” You looked up, surprised to see Jin standing just a couple feet away from you. “Hey.” “Sorry for freaking out,” He whispered. “You did nothing wrong.” “I’m supposed to…they trusted me to…” He swallowed hard. “I know that you need me here, especially the closer you get to delivering.” You looked down at your stomach. “How did you…” “Yoongi is protective, yeah, but he doesn’t normally snarl just because someone falls. It’s a little fuzzy, but it was kind of obvious once I put it all together.” He was tugging on one of his ears, eyes closed, obviously still stressed. “Don’t worry about that. Let’s worry about you.” He winced. “There isn’t much we can do about me. I think…” He took a deep breath. “I think I just need to get some space, breath a bit.” “Okay,” You agreed, nodding. “But…I don’t think it’s safe for you to be alone completely.” He nodded. “I might ask Jungkook to go with me. Another rabbit is easiest right now.” “I’ll go with you, hyung,” Jungkook called over softly. One of his ears swiveled towards the two of you, while the other was focused on Hoseok. “I feel bad, leaving you with the kids and—” “Jin, you can’t help us if you’re hurt. Don’t worry about Easter. Go. Come back when you’re feeling better. We can handle things here.” He nodded slowly, then headed back over to Jungkook, hugging him from behind and burying his face in his shoulder. Hoseok took the chance to treat the injury to Jin’s ear. Yoongi’s tail curled with yours as he joined you. “What happened?” “Jin cracked under the stress. He’s going to head out for bit with Jungkook. Probably a couple days.” You leaned into his chest as his arms wrapped around you. “You’ll have to stop Taehyung from trying to go with them.” He grunted. “He’s already upset, this will really tick him off.” “Heiran?” “Cried herself to sleep. Felt bad because she thought Jin was crying because of her. Forget terrible twos, it’s terrible fives,” He grumbled into your neck. “You sure you’re okay?” “I’m fine, she’s small and I was unbalanced.” He kissed your neck, but he seemed distracted. “Do you think he’ll be okay?” “I don’t know. I also don’t know how well Jungkook will be able to handle the stress of caring for Jin on his own, but I’m just going to have to have faith that they’ll be fine. You better go start distracting Taehyung.” “Right.” He released you and went in search of the younger. You turned back toward the three in the kitchen. “You should go pack.” Jungkook nodded, then whispered to Jin. Jin reluctantly nodded, transferring his back-hug to Hoseok. Jungkook darted upstairs. You headed into the living room, checking on how things were going. Yoongi, Namjoon, and Taehyung were all focused on the spot in the carpet where the glue had dried, with Yoongi instructing Taehyung on how to treat it. Otherwise the room looked remarkably clean. Cleanest you’d ever seen it, and you’d really tried to make it spotless. But with three kids and six men running around it was hard sometimes. Hoseok and Jungkook were your allies, with Jin and Yoongi being tidy, but not necessarily clean. You rubbed your thumb over a dent in the drywall, absentmindedly wondering what caused it, but also wondering how Heiran was going to react to Jungkook and Jin being gone when she woke up. It would be easy enough to tell the kids that the two men had gotten sick and left to make sure they didn’t get the kids sick. It was pretty normal. Just a couple weeks ago Taehyung had had to stay at the apartment he and Namjoon kept because of a cold, another reason why he wouldn’t like Jin and Jungkook leaving. He hated having his pack separated and being separated from his pack. You were inviting nightmarish conditions in your household on top of your morning-sickness. How marvelous. You turned, watching Jungkook carry two suitcases out the front door. Hoseok met your gaze and nodded softly, walking towards the door with Jin still hugging onto him. You waited until Hoseok came back inside and he said that they were gone. He went to check on the kids while you went into the living room to calmly explain the plan to the others. Well, you hoped it would be calm. Taehyung was starting to ignore Yoongi and Namjoon looking around, nose twitching as he sniffed the air. “Where’s Jin?” Namjoon glanced at you. “He and Jungkook left.” “What?” He snarled, immediately rushing toward the door, but Yoongi and Namjoon caught his arms. “Let go of me! I have to get them back!” “And hurt Jin more?” You stood right in front of him. “They’re going to the apartment in town. Jin needed space. Jungkook is taking care of him. You can’t help them right now. None of us can. I don’t even know if they’ll be back for Easter, so I need you at the top of your game for these kids. I know you need your pack, I get it. But right now the health of your pack depends on you keeping it together while they go to heal somewhere else.” He whimpered pitifully, still struggling a little against the two men holding him. “Jin.” “Takes significantly less time to himself than all of the rest of you. He pushed himself too far. He’s still a bunny-hybrid, Taehyung. They don’t handle stress well. I should have insisted on him and Jungkook taking care of themselves better. Go check on the pack pups, Taehyung.” He blinked a couple times, then nodded. “Okay.” You nodded. “Heiran is going to be upset when she wakes up and Jin isn’t here. I’m going to need you reassuring her that Jin was just sick and that he still loves her. You’re the best one for that.” He nodded, then headed toward the stairs when the other two let go. Namjoon checked the baby monitor again, then sighed, rubbing his head. “What do we do?” “Are you working this weekend?” “No.” “Then just…be here.” He nodded. “I’ll go check on Jihun and Jowoon. I’ll keep the monitor while you and Yoongi…?” “We’re going to make a game plan for meals and such and get the dye ready for easter eggs tonight.” Namjoon nodded again, going toward the stairs. Yoongi slid his arm around your waist, other hand resting over your stomach. “You okay?” “I’m worried, but I’m okay. We’re okay. Need a nap, but that can wait. Can you cook dinner tonight? Nothing fancy, just something to fill their stomachs. I’ll get the egg dying supplies out. And the crayons.” “Crayons?” “So they can draw designs on the eggs. The dye won’t take as much to the areas where the crayons were used because of the wax which repels liquids.” “And you learned this…how?” “You do remember I’m a professionally trained teacher, nanny, caretaker and thus I am extremely well-versed in all things crafty that kids are capable of doing?” “Right,” He muttered, seeming a little bashful as he ducked down and kissed your stomach. His ears flicked and tail entwined with yours as you both went into the kitchen. “We can take care of egg stuff after dinner.” You nodded, tucking into his side as you both entered the kitchen, taking the quiet before the storm. “Y/n,” Hoseok came rushing down carrying Heiran, with Taehyung following closely behind. “She had a fever.” You froze, fear washing over you. “Get her into the carriage house, Taehyung go sanitize her room, the hallways, everything. Yoongi, keep making dinner.” You rushed to the closet and grabbed the medical kit, following Hoseok and getting ahead of him to get the door. You all had cleared the carriage house out sometime in January because it was hard to have adult time with Yoongi when absolutely anyone could hear you. Plus you couldn’t take the kids somewhere else if they did get sick, so you needed a space to separate the sick cub from the rest. Hoseok lay Heiran on the bed, tucking her in. “Should I go make soup?” “There should be the ingredients for that in the cupboard over there, make it here, then sanitize yourself and head back in.” He nodded, heading over to the little kitchenette. It made more sense now, her tantrums. Her fever was low enough still that she might not feel completely sick but it would be enough to put anyone in a mood. You gave her medicine, mixed with some special white-tiger supplements to help them fight of sickness. There definitely wouldn’t be any Easter Egg dying tonight. ——— Easter was quiet, but the kids seemed happy enough. Heiran had to have her own seperate Easter and she sobbed for her siblings on and off throughout the day, but seemed a little better once all the adults (except Jungkook and Seokjin) had visited her, and fell asleep to an easter movie while curled up in Hoseok’s arms. Jowoon was beyond excited about everything and kept having everyone hide the plastic eggs (you had Namjoon buy them because life kept getting in the way and they were reusable and you guys just put candies in them to make up for not dying eggs, Jihun was perfectly okay with it) again and again, even though they were empty now. He just really liked it, and you saw no harm in it. It was actually really good for him as he ran through the gardens, gaze scouring the plants and fixtures for his prizes. Not to mention he fell asleep at 7:30 from all the activity. Misuk was in a good mood all day. Jihun had his toy cars set up on the racetrack and played with them for at least half of the day, sending notes to his sister via the other men and reading her notes (carefully sealed in ziploc bags that were sanitized) with a smile. Only when you were tucking him in did he ask the question that was on everyone’s mind today. “When are Uncle Jin and Jungkook coming home?” You fussed at the blankets a bit more as you tried to think of how to respond. “I don’t really know, honey. Jin…he wasn’t doing well when he left. It might still be a while.” He nodded. “Is it because of us?” “No,” You answered immediately. “Never. This has been a lot of things all combining and pressing in on him. This started before your parents even died. It just finally wore him down because he didn’t take enough care of himself. And we didn’t take enough care of him. You know how we teach you to be kind and take care of your siblings when you need to?” He nodded again, gently tugging your hand to pet his head. You complied, smiling softly. “Well, as you get older, you’ll also learn that you need to take care of yourself if you want to take care of others. Some will call it being a little selfish, but it’s not. It’s necessary.” “So, like when you go to bed before we do?” “Yeah, kind of like that. If I’m too tired to take care of you, then I might end up hurting you and I don’t want that. But if the house was on fire, I would get all of you out before myself. Does that make sense?” You stroked his hair from his forehead, feeling the purr that emanated from him. “Yes noona, it makes sense. If we aren’t healthy, we take care of ourselves, but if we aren’t we take care of others, and if something bad happens we help others first.” “I help others first, you just get to safety until you’re older, okay?” He purred a little louder, more amused. “Yes, mom.” You kissed his forehead. “Good boy. Good night, love.” “Night, mom. Love you.” “Love you too.” You turned off the lamp and slipped out of his room, leaving the door open a crack. You went downstairs to relax with a book before bed since Hoseok was taking care of Heiran tonight, but stopped on the bottom two steps when the front door opened. Jungkook set the bags down, then noticed you and smiled tiredly. “Who else is up?” “Tae, Joon, and Yoongi,” You answered softly. “Jin?” “Half-asleep, but better. He was getting stressed being away today, so I thought we should at least come home and see everyone. We can go back if he needs…right?” You nodded. “Of course. We’ve got a strategy planned out. I don’t want him getting too involved if he’s still stressed. And he can’t see Heiran. He doesn’t need a cold on top of everything.” “Heiran is sick?” Jungkook’s ears perked up in alarm. “We caught it quickly and her fever broke quickly. It’s like a regular cold now, but it’s still in the sinus faze. The real treat will be when it moves to her chest.” You shook your head slowly. “Does he need help getting in?” Jungkook shook his head. “I just don’t want to wake him. I’ll carry him if you can turn down his covers.” You nodded and went back upstairs. Jungkook carried the half-asleep man in on his back, and you helped him get Seokjin in bed without too much jostling, taking the shoes off his feet and tucking him into bed. He looked somewhat better than before, or maybe you were imagining a difference. “Jihun, shouldn’t you be in bed?” You asked softly. The boy came darting in, all sleepiness gone as he hugged Jungkook’s neck. “Sorry, noona, I heard Uncle Jungkookie.” Jungkook pressed a kiss to the boy’s head. Jin was just awake enough to smile. “You want to cuddle, Jihun?” His voice sounded rough, like he was losing it. But you knew that Jungkook wouldn’t have brought him if he was actually sick. Jihun looked at you with big, pleading eyes. You nodded softly. Jungkook set Jihun on the bed, then disappeared with a murmured excuse of getting changed and a promise to be back. Jihun crawled under the covers and into Jin’s arms, purring and chuffing softly. “I missed you.” “I missed you, Jihun. Sorry I was gone,” Jin whispered. “It’s okay. Mom explained that you needed to take care of yourself so that you could take care of us better,” Jihun replied, snuggling into the man’s side and tucking his head under Jin’s chin. “It makes sense. Appa wouldn’t want you to get sick because you were taking care of us.” Jin’s eyes filled, and he didn’t respond except to kiss the top of Jihun’s head. “Love you Uncle Jinnie.” “Love you,” Jin choked out as Jungkook crawled in on Jihun’s other side and you tucked all three into the bed. You left them there, heading down the hall to check on Jowoon before poking your head in to let Taehyung and Namjoon know that the other two were home. Then to your room to tell Yoongi. He looked slightly relieved, even after you said that they might need to leave again. “But he’s back. That’s good. Right?” You nodded slowly. “It means he’s getting better. I had just explained everything to Jihun too. And he understood. Basically just reiterated it to Jin. Made Jin tear up.” “They grow so fast,” Yoongi sighed, pulling you into his arms. “Heiran?” “Hoseok said the meds knocked her out about fifteen minutes ago. We’ll have to make sure Jin doesn’t visit her. If he’s stressed his immune system will be weaker. I don’t want him getting sick.” “What about you? You’re pregnant. I don’t want you getting sick.” “She’s my kit. You’d have to put an army between me and her, and even then, I’d go down fighting and take some with me.” He purred softly to comfort you, seeing you get worked up at the scenario. “Alright. At least tell me you’re taking those immune system support vitamin things.” “Yes, love. And we’re sanitizing everything and opening the windows to air the place out every chance we get. It’s gotten to the point where she just sits by the window, trying to smell the flowers from the crabapple tree. But she can’t because her nose is stuffed up.” “Poor babe,” He murmured, nuzzling your neck. He’d mostly been on night duties, taking care of her if she woke up, because you and Hoseok took most of the day shifts so that Taehyung and Namjoon could escape illness for their company and work. “She mewls in her sleep, and it sounds so pitiful and painful that I just want to tear the world apart until I find a miracle cure.” You nodded, humming in agreement as well. “This is going to get harder once our kit is born, isn’t it?” You just laughed softly and he groaned. “So on top of being sleep deprived, I’m going to be super protective all the time?” “At least our kit will develop an immune system normally. Poor Jihun is so desperate to play with other kids but…I mean, risking him getting sick isn’t worth it. Even to him.” You rolled over and curled into Yoongi’s chest. “That is a relief,” He murmured. “We’ll have to set up a sanitation area when Jihun does start going to public school so that he doesn’t bring anything home.” You nodded. “Still have a few years before we need to think about it. Let’s not talk about them like they’re growing up. They’re not. They’re little cubs that will always form cuddle piles.” He purred softly, clearly amused. “Misuk is crawling around like she’s always done it, and standing, but you want to pretend that they’re not growing up.” You groaned in frustration. He laughed for a little while, then got quiet. “Did Jungkook look okay?” You nodded. “Seemed fine. Looked well-rested and didn’t even act like he wanted a break from Seokjin. He’s cuddling with him now, and Jihun.” “Do you think Jin’s really okay enough to be home?” You sighed and wrapped your arms around Yoongi’s waist. “Remember Thanksgiving? When I just needed you to hold me because I felt so alone despite being surrounded by those that cared about me?” He hummed in acknowledgment, kissing the tip of your ear. “Jin’s been taking care of them longer, without nearly as many days off, and with no one to hold him at night. I lasted two months. He lasted ten. He’s lucky his body, his biology, didn’t give out on him. Because he also had been struggling before from what I understand. How long has Jin fought for stability in his life, Yoongi?” He was quiet for a long time, then his grip tightened around you. “As long as I’ve known him.” “Then he may just be starting to break,” You whispered, then nuzzled into his neck as you both silently pondered what lay ahead.

Masterpost.  Masterlist.  Previous Part.  Next Part.

Tag List: @kimmie113080

Staring Contest

Taehyung x Reader Y/N

Fluff

Word Count: 2.1K

A/N: This was a request 💜

Are you nervous? You shouldn’t be, right? Because you’ve been doing this for four years now, right? You’ve done New York, you’ve done Paris, you’ve done Milan. You’ve done a ton of shoots; shoots with other models, male models, so why are you the biggest nervous wreck now as you make your way from your dressing room onto set? Maybe it’s the fact that you’re decked out in Gucci. Maybe it’s the fact that this is a photographer that you haven’t worked with before. Or maybe it’s the fact that you’re working with Kim Taehyung. Kim. Freaking. Tae. Hyung.

You’d have to have lived under a rock for the past year to not know who this man is. His k-pop group had gotten popular in South Korea and quite a few other countries since their debut in 2013 but just this last year their fame had really hit the states. And as it seems with most things, once you’ve made in America, you’ve made it.

You remember your first encounter with BTS. You were taking an Uber to a fitting, flipping lazily through some trashy celebrity magazine the previous rider had left behind when you turned the page, eyes settling on the most brightly colored heads of hair you’d ever seen. At first your eyes didn’t know where to look other than at the easter egg colored locks but finally once the sensory overload had passed, you were able to skim the article beside the picture. Billboard Music Award nominees and you’d never even heard of them.

Again, you looked at the photo, studying the faces this time. They were all attractive. Your eyes moved back and forth between the names printed below and the faces of the members each belonged to and when you got to the name “Kim Taehyung” and your gaze settled on the boy with pale lavender hair, something stirred within you. Every member was unique but something about him really stood out to you. Perhaps it was his dark eyebrows that made his gaze more intense. Or maybe it was the eyes themselves, wide, seemingly larger than they should be in comparison to the rest of his face. There was something about him. Something you couldn’t quite figure out. Something perfect that made him seem not quite real. Plastic surgery, maybe? No, in your career, you’d seen it all, from extremely well done work to completely botched and this boy didn’t look like he’d had any at all. How could a person like this exist? Photoshop then. It had to be. You were sure of it.

But then the Billboards aired and you couldn’t help but gape at your television screen as you watched this seemingly perfect man appear several times throughout the event. Nope, he was definitely real. And he definitely looked like that.

“Miss Y/L/N?”

You snap back to the present so quickly it leaves you feeling a bit dizzy. “Yeah?” you choke out.

Your roaming eyes finally settle on a shorter girl wearing a headset and holding an iPad. “Um, they’re ready for you.”

“Okay, thanks,” you say, your face growing a bit warm. You must have looked like an idiot just standing there on the edge of the set, but now you hold your head high and take a careful step onto the plush carpet covering the floor.

The set is extravagant to say the least but you’d expect nothing less from Gucci. Two walls have been erected and covered in pearlescent wallpaper, embossed with intricate designs. Sheets of black, sheer fabric hang down over sections of it, contrasting the white carpet and adding even more luxury to the ambiance. There’s a midnight blue velvet chaise lounge fixed in the center of the “room” and a small table beside it with two delicate glasses filled with sparkling champagne. The whole scene oozes luxe. Much like the pale gold colored silk dress you’re wearing.

Your fingers drift up to play with the ends of your hair, a nervous habit that always has your stylist cringing, and at that thought, you drop your hand again and clasp it firmly in front of you with the other. Where’s Kim Taehyung?

Your eyes fall on the entourage of people coming your way, catching glimpses of the blonde haired man in the middle of it and you feel your stomach churn. Stay calm, Y/N, he’s just a person like you. This is just work. But then the people in front part like the Red Sea and suddenly there he is in front of you. You feel the breath leave your lungs and the grip on your one hand tighten. He really is perfect.

They have him decked out in a simple tailored black suit but he might as well be dipped in gold with how he carries himself. Dripping with confidence. Those large, brown eyes of his that you’ve only ever seen on a page or through a screen lock on yours and the corners of his mouth stretch, pulling his lips into a wide smile. Ugh, your heart can’t take much more of this.

“You must be Y/N Y/L/N, I’m Taehyung,” he says, his voice deep even as he speaks to you in English. You can only imagine how much deeper it is when he’s speaking in his native language. “Are you alright?”

He extends a hand and you look at it for a second too long. Long enough to be a dead giveaway that you’re barely keeping it together. Finally, you find the will to reach up to take his hand. “Yeah, nice to meet you,” you say breathlessly. “Sorry, I’m just nervous.”

“About the photoshoot?”

“Um, yeah,” you say quickly. “Yeah, I’ve never worked with Gucci before.”

Taehyung lets out a small chuckle. “I’ve never done something like this before. I bet I’m more nervous than you are.”

“Oh, I doubt that,” you utter under your breath but flash him a smile. “Well, I’m excited to work with you. I’m a fan of your music.”

“You are? Ah, thank you,” he says and dips his head. Is that shyness you detect? Is this man just a walking contradiction? One minute carrying himself with a confident swagger, and the next blushing at the sudden praise? You’re intrigued to say the least. “I must confess, Y/N,” he continues. “I’m a fan of you as well.”

You have to clamp your mouth shut to keep your jaw from falling on the floor. “You are?”

“I’ve watched you on television during fashion weeks and seen your ads in magazines. You’re very beautiful. I was excited to be able to do this shoot with you.”

He was excited to be able to do this shoot? With you? Are you okay? Are you still alive?

“Miss Y/L/N? Mr. Kim?”

You finally tear your wide-eyed gaze away from the idol to look again at the girl with the iPad. “They’re ready for both of you.”

“Thank you,” Taehyung says with a smile.

The girl quickly ducks her head and hurries away, surely as flustered by his charm as you are. He turns back to you again and lifts his eyebrows. “Shall we?”

The sound that comes from your mouth is somewhere between a squeak and a croak but the man doesn’t seem to notice as he makes his way onto set. You just stand there and watch as he takes a seat on the chaise lounge, as directed by the photographer, and drapes his arms across the back of it. It takes you a few more seconds to realize that, oh yeah, you’re a part of this too and rush over to take your place on the lounge beside him. Your bare arm presses against his side and you can feel his body heat radiating through his white dress shirt.

“Okay, Y/N, can you lean more into Taehyung?” The photographer asks. You comply and he snaps a few pictures. “Lay more on him. Put your legs up on the lounger like you’re laying across it. Yeah like that.” Snap, snap “Up further. Lay your head on his leg.” Snap snap. “Okay, look at each other. Perfect. More seductively. Act like you’re in love.”

“Can I at least buy her dinner first?” Taehyung asks and suddenly your stomach tightens and you crumple into a fit of giggling. Taehyung joins you, lifting the hand that was resting by your head to cover his face as the two of you continue to shake with laughter.

The photographer gives you a few moments before finally interrupting. “Alright, alright, let’t keep moving, please.”

“Sorry,” you say and clear your throat to try and regain your composure.

“So sorry,” Taehyung adds and looks down at you, his eyes now glittering with amused tears. “Oh,” he says, “you have some makeup under your eye.”

“Oh I got—” you aren’t able to finish before he gently swipes his thumb along your cheek to clear the smudge. “Thanks,” you utter finally, your eyes unable to leave his.

“Perfect, stay just like that,” the photographer says before you hear a series of snaps from his camera.

Neither of you seem to want to tear your gaze from the other and after several moments like this, it’s become a staring contest of sorts. Who can get the other to look away first?

You part your lips slightly, wet the corner with your tongue to try and catch his attention but his resolve is solid.

“Taehyung, tilt your head a bit.” Snap snap. “Okay, try holding her hand.”

His fingers slide into the spaces between yours on the hand resting above your head and you feel goosebumps pepper your skin. Snap snap. But still his eyes remain locked with yours. Who’s going to break first? Definitely not you. This time you reduce your eyes to smoldering slits and you see the corner of his mouth twitch but still his gaze holds.

This is getting frustrating.

Finally, in a last ditch effort, you quirk an eyebrow causing his mouth to twitch again. His composure only lasts for a few more seconds before he cracks, the air escaping from his mouth in a quick gust as he, once again, doubles over in laughter. This time it’s you that follows behind, your already sore stomach muscles tightening painfully with your laughter.

“Alright, alright,” you hear the photographer say exasperatedly, though you can’t see him as you’re buried under Taehyung’s arms. “That’s a wrap. I got what I needed.”

The two of you completely collapse against each other now, your laughter echoing through the room as you throw your head back, tears streaming down your face. At last you pull in a breath and Taehyung sits up again, releasing you from his hold and giving you the chance to sit back up as well. Your hair is ruined. Your makeup is ruined but you’ve never had so much fun on a shoot before and you don’t even care anymore how you look.

“I think we made the photographer mad,” Taehyung says wiping tears from his eyes and still giggling.

“Yeah, I think my Gucci days are over,” you reply though you’re having a hard time feeling sad about it.

“Sorry about that.”

You give him a small smile. “No, it’s not your fault.”

You lean back on the chaise so you’re sitting beside him, both of you now facing the rest of the studio. No one else is looking at you at the moment and it feels kind of weird to not have all the attention on you, but it’s also kind of nice. You can imagine Taehyung probably doesn’t have this happen to him very often either, what with him being an international pop-star and all.

“I was kind of serious earlier, by the way,” he says and you turn your head to find him looking at you.

“Serious about what?” you ask.

“About taking you to dinner,” he replies, his voice suddenly much quieter. “I mean, I know I just met you and all but, I feel like it could be fun to hang out, just the two of us.” Then he glances up again at his entourage hovering just yards away. “Well…you know what I mean.” Your face hurts from the smile that has been on your face since his first uttered words about dinner and now it grows wider as he meets your eyes again. “How about it?”

You can only nod, struck speechless once again by this absurdly handsome man and the fact that he wants to see you again.

“Should I…have my people call your people?” Then he smirks. “I’ve always wanted to say that.”

You dip your head with a shy smile then meet his eyes again. “Or I could just give you my number.”

Taehyung nods. “I like that idea better.”

Predictions for Daredevil season 3?

Hmm I have a few predictions actually ;)

First and foremost I’m predicting one hell of a showdown between Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Wilson Fisk. They’ve been setting this up since S1 and it was brought onto a low boil in S2 when Matt threatened Fisk with never seeing Vanessa again. We know there’s going to be another trial which they’ve already shot so most likely the Kingpin is gonna get out of prison somehow sooner than we think as he alluded. Second Fisk is not an idiot, he’s crazy but he’s very intelligent and easily underestimated. The moment Matt threw down those threats it was game and its gonna come back to bite him in the ass in DD3. 

With both Matt and DD’s disappearance Fisk is bound to put the two together. And he’s gonna be out for blood. If Fisk learns Matt is Daredevil imagine the repercussions for that; this could mean serious trouble for Team NelsonMurdockAndPage. Foggy’s girlfriend Marci worked for one of Fisk’s firms and helped put him away so they’re targets. And of course Karen killed Wesley so that immediately puts her in Fisk’s cross-hairs. Yep expect to see this arc all come to a head in DD3. 

The third part of this prediction is Matt’s identity crisis. The authorities are already suspicious of his activities involving Jessica Jones and Luke Cage in Defenders. Something that Misty Knight seems to be particularly curious about. And with his supposed death that’s gonna be a tough situation to squeeze out of. In the comics Matt’s DD identity becomes jeopardized that Danny Rand temporarily takes up the mantle. And this arc eventually leads into the Beast storyline involving the Hand which I know we haven’t heard the last of. Most likely this idea could be put on slow burn in DD3 but it all depends on how they end the season.

The show did kinda hint on this arc being foreshadowed every time they talked about the darkness inside Matt. Like when Frank told him he was one bad day away from being him so it wouldn’t surprise me if they were planning this Beast outcome. Btw I really REALLY want to see this storyline happen in tv canon!!

The next thing I predict since DD3 is based on the ‘Born Again’ storyline from the comics is the enviable and EPIC Karedevil reunion. I’m expecting this slow burn love story to really heat up in the new season. They’ve been building Matt and Karen together since S1 and each season of DD so far has ended with Karedevil. There’s gonna be angst, there’s gonna be sparks, there’s gonna be passion and there’s gonna be sexy times! Yes I think we just may get our first of many Karedevil love scenes in DD3 with the danger growing. 

Most likely Elektra will cameo or turn up I doubt for the entirety of DD3 so fans can have closure with her character. I don’t see her getting ‘back together’ with Matt or even a love triangle. This season is all about going in a different direction and I certainly do not want to see a repeat of the ladder part of DD2 and Defenders.

Defenders was the closing of one chapter for Matt and embracing a new start. He’s coming back from the dead to rebuild his life and his relationships with both Karen and Foggy. Things he forgot about by the end of DD2. He knows he loves Karen and vice versa, its just a question of how they both get there now that Karen knows who Matt is and when she’ll reveal who she is to him. Which brings me to the second part of this prediction that Karen’s past is going to finally come into the forefront in DD3. And this will most likely be the thing that strengthen’s their bond. So by the end of the season they may very well be a couple.

Another prediction I have is a costume upgrade. Rumor has it we could be seeing the iconic DD chest piece sometime soon when Matt returns to Hell’s Kitchen in S3. I just don’t think its a stretch evident on bts ppl have been saying this new season is all about change. Matt could be fully embracing his heroic destiny this year now that he’s been ‘resurrected’. And with change comes a new outlook on life which I’m guessing will be his attitude this time around going forward. 

This is a minor prediction more so my own personal thought but we may in fact see Foggy and Marci’s relationship grow deeper in DD3. According to the Punisher, Karen and Foggy haven’t been speaking; probably due to Matt’s supposed death. No doubt that Foggy’s been seeking solace and comfort in Marci’s arms. and that could lead to future wedding bells. Maybe our resident Avocado at law just might pop the question at some point if he’s not too busying helping Matt take on Fisk professionally and otherwise. 

Now I know people are anticipating the arrival of Bullseye; mutual enemy of both Daredevil and the Punisher. I don’t think we’re actually going to see him but I do expect to at least have Easter Eggs dropped on this character either during DD3 or by the end. It’ll be interesting to see how he’s handled on DD if/whenever he’s introduced. We know Bullseye is essentially Karen and Elektra’s murderer however since the show has deviated away from the comics to an extent I don’t believe that even when he does show up Karen is going to die. They’ve altered her character taking over the role of Ben at the paper. Yes I don’t write the show and anything can happen to her but I’d like to believe she’s safe for a while.

But yah these are just some off the top of my head. If I think of any more I’ll either do a post on them or I’ll edit this response and add them. I’m expecting to be wowed by this season of DD since they’re labeling it “Awesomenesity”; plenty of action, stunts and character development. I just really want a stronger year compared to DD2. And I want redemption for Matt’s character. No more backdoor spinoffs just back to basics of what made S1 so fantastic. 

And I especially want to see NelsonMurdockPage to make an EPIC comeback in DD3! Their dynamic is and will always be the heart of this series for me. 

FRAME BY FRAME - All References in the MIC DROP Fan Video by Kiera and Arwen (with pictures and links)

First of all, go follow @seiyoko and @salukiart, they are amazing artists, animators, and creators!

If I missed any references, please message me and I will add them in!

The opening line of Dope - 0:13

At 0:08 in the video, all member’s names are graffiti’d on the walls.

A line from the song Come Back Home

From about 0:25 to 0:29, Steve Aoki’s eyes watch over the boys from the Mic Drop remix. Also, the TV says ARMY <3

Also at 0:29, there are posters lining the walls from BTS’s past comebacks. If you look closely, you can also see their logo on the controllers (this is much more easily visible later on in the video). The room MIGHT also be modeled to look like a room in their current dorm but I’m not sure.

At 0:30, the first screen of the game finally shows up, and it lasts for about 10 seconds. In that time, we can see:

The stage is modeled from their first music video, No More Dream

J-Hope (who’s character name is written as JHS in the game-- short for Jung Hoseok, his real name) is firing a Supreme gun that shoots fake money (lol).

The little mascot in the Info section is Van, a mascot from the BT21 series created by BTS and Line. Each mascot was made by/represents one member of BTS, except for Van, who represents ARMYs.

“Today, your dream begins! A new path has been opened, don’t hesitate!” I am pretty sure these are lyrics from one of their songs since, throughout the video, Van pretty much mostly speaks in lyrics. I haven’t been able to find this one though.

At 0:41, the stage changes to reflect their We Are Bullet Proof Pt. 2 music video.

Van’s quote “It’s like a desert here, there’s nothing but rocks” is a reference to the hidden song on the LYH album, Sea.

ALSO, a some of the monsters designs are based on lyrics and references from BTS’s music. I’m sure all of them are but I just can’t make the connection. Maybe the rock monster is also a reference to Sea?

Edit: Apparently most of the enemy designs are based off of album covers! This is according to Kiera’s twitter.

At 0:46, Suga joins the party as MYG (short for Min Yoongi, his real name).

J-Hope’s special attack at 0:48 is a reference to the short movie he stars in during the Wings era called MAMA (also the name of his solo song in the Wings album).

I’m not sure I even have to put this, but the great transition at 0:51 is a dead ringer for the iconic MIC MIC BUNGEE move that Suga and J-Hope do in the Mic Drop remix MV.

So now Suga is in the frontlines, attacking. His method of attack is the lighter he’s seen with throughout the entire HYYH series. It first made it’s appearance in the I NEED U music video (seen clearly at 0:29).

The stage has changed to reflect their music video N.O. The red and white color palettes of the monsters in this area are supposed to reflect the red and white album.

And at 1:05 (we’re only A MINUTE INTO THIS VIDEO WOW), they’re in the classroom setting from Boy In Luv. I have no idea what the monster is supposed to be. Is it balancing on a candle? Chalk? Does it represent the red string of fate???

Whoa hey, it’s 1:07 and we’re in the Just One Day music video! I’m fairly sure that paper airplane monster refers to the paper airplane J-Hope had in Spring Day? (At 3:20.) I don’t recall paper airplanes in their other MVs unless there was one in Just One Day that I missed?

Also, it looks like V has shown up! (As KTH, or Kim Taehyung.)

Suga’s special attack starts at about 1:09 and lasts until 1:14. In it, he throws a rock at the monster, an alarm goes off, and a piano falls on the monster’s head. This is a reference to the short film FIRST LOVE, released during the Wings era. In it, Suga throws a rock into a music store, where a piano sits, and an alarm goes off.

Back in the real world at 1:15, we can see more detailed posters from different eras. I just know the Dope era one on the right.

At 1:18, we’re in the underground subway setting for Danger. (If it wasn’t obvious, the stage appearances correspond to the order the actual music videos were released in.) V unleashes his attack, unfurling black wings and firing feathers. In the MV for Blood, Sweat, and Tears, as well as other subsequent material during this era, V was seen and associated with black wings. I think he’s fighting the Gucci snake? Because V loves Gucci in real life?

Also, Van is back! “It’s already your second year, time flows fast...” references their song Second Grade/So 4 More (which is an underrated BANGER btw).

Also, easter egg time: There’s graffiti reading “What Am I to You?” which is the title of one of their intro songs.

New player! Jin (aka KSJ, aka Kim Seokjin) appears at 1:24 and fights by blowing kisses :). Blowing kisses at ARMYs is pretty much his thing lol. Also, blowing kisses sends out hearts that hurt the enemy, and while that’s a common visualization for blowing kisses, I pray that its also a reference to Jin’s heart events.

They’re at the storefront present in the War of Hormone MV. The enemy he’s fighting is, I think, one of the black-clothed goons from Not Today and the Mic Drop remix MV. (It also appeared in Kiera’s last full-length fan animation of Cypher Pt. 3. That video is itself chock-full of references! Incidentally, I believe Van’s quote here is also referencing that song.)

Two seconds later at 1:26, Jimin (aka PJM, aka Park Jimin) makes his appearance. This time, they’re at the bonfire scene from I NEED U (also appears in their prologue MV I think). Their fighting a flower monster that I don’t know the significance of.

Jimin attacks with an umbrella. I think the umbrella is from the Love Yourself short films but I’m not entirely sure.

At 1:37, we get our first look at the achievement system in this game.

It’s all the awards they’ve won up until this point! Really awesome touch.

Two new players appear this time: Jungkook (JJK, Jeon Jungkook) and RM (KNJ, Kim Namjoon). I have no idea what Jungkook’s attack is: he pulls some string from his wrist and it transforms into a spear?  Jungkook’s attack may be referencing the move from DNA. Strands of DNA come oout of his arm and form a spear. (Thank you @bangpdofficial!)

The stage is a scene from their Dope MV. Van’s quote, “so this is Bangtan style,” references the same song.

I am almost certain that the lion enemy has a mane modeled after the lily flower that appears frequently in the Bangtan Cinematic Universe. It’s even got six petals.

At 1:46, Jimin unleashes his special attack. The attack involves him eating an apple and then teleport-kicking the enemies. I think this is a reference to his short film, LIE.

The stage is from the For You MV, a song/MV exclusively released in Japan. I am not sure what the enemies are supposed to be.

Jimin’s kick transitions into the next scene, where the stage is modeled after the tunnel scene from the RUN MV. I am pretty sure the enemy is a reference to Baepsae/Crow-tit, and this bird represents the wealthy older generation.

A wild BTS lightstick appears at 1:53! (Also, we got some new scenes of their room with some new posters.) 9:18 might refer to the date the Love Yourself album was released (thank you anon!)

A new stage shows up at 1:55. I don’t quite recognize it but it might be the Japanese version of I NEED U? We can also get a clearer look at the bird from Baepsae.

At 1:57 we come to yet another new stage modeled after the Japanese Run MV. It’s filled with graffiti of the names of a ton of their songs. 

V activates his special attack. A single lightbulb hangs from the ceiling and a table appears, which he kicks towards the baepsae. I believe it’s a reference to his interrogation scene in his short film, STIGMA.

Also, in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, V’s attack animation ends with him giving a peace sign and his adorable puppy Yeontan popping out of his pocket.

Two minutes into the video and we get a new stage (modeled after the Fire MV) and we finally see RM’s attack. He pulls out a giant lollipop and smacks enemies with it. He’s frequently seen with a yellow lollipop in the Bangtan Cinematic Universe.

And now they’re in a stage modeled after the Save Me MV.

Again, the stage changes into one based on Young Forever. I don’t know what that enemy’s supposed to be, but he’s pretty cool looking. And an animation for downed party members has never been so cute. (But what is that in Jin’s arms?)

At 2:08, RM provides an assist move that revives V and Jin. It takes the appearance of his BT21 mascot, Koya.

We get another look at the achievements screen at 2:10. It’s coming along nicely!

And a level selection screen a couple of seconds later! Not only does it show the title of the MV, but the description includes the album the song came from. The level code is also the date of the comeback (thank you @bangpdofficial)

2:18 shows a stage based on the Blood, Sweat, and Tears MV, as well as my favorite enemy design in the whole video: a dear featuring the circle designs from the Wings album cover. 

For his special attack, RM unleashes a phone booth to crush the enemies, referencing his short film REFLECTION.

More awards!

Also, seems like the boys have started taking notes. You can see a DNA strand drawn on the bottom one (blocked a little by the YouTube bar--sorry about that).

New stage at 2:30! It’s the train from Spring Day. Van’s line about forgetting shoes also references the lone pair of shoes featured many times in that video.

Jin summons his pet sugar gliders to restore the HP of the rest of the party (to the bewilderment of Van).

Jin uses his special attack in the Not Today stage at 2:45. He takes a photo with the polaroid camera seen many times in the Bangtan Cinematic Universe, and it turns the enemy to stone. It crumbles away under his touch. This might relate to the way Jin crumbled as though he were stone in the Blood Sweat and Tears MV.

At 2:50, we’re taken to a new stage. I think it’s based on the Japanese MV of Blood Sweat and Tears. Van’s quote is another reference to the song Sea.

A closer look at the controller at 2:55.

Even more awards! Too many that I can’t even count ‘em.

And at 3:03, we see a DNA-based stage. Van’s quote is once again from Sea.

Jungkook’s special attack has all the other members in BTS appear behind him in succession before he delivers a punch to the enemy. It’s safe to say that this references the song (not the short film) BEGIN, which is something of an ode to the hyungs of Bangtan. <3 (song) (film)

3:20. Hey look it’s pretty much a direct replica of that one scene from DNA (at 3:49).

At 3:25 we get our first look at the game over screen. Among a bunch of other “you have failed” messages, there’s this one (”don’t be such a try-hard”) that further references Baepsae.

Looks like they keep getting knocked out in the Mic Drop stage. That weird rainbow ball from DNA is tough.

Van’s words of encouragement are nearly a direct quote from the best-known line in Sea. “Where there’s hope, there’s trials.”

Last but not least, BTS’s achevements have earned them a spot on the world’s scoreboard, their debut on Billboard’s Hot 100 as number 28. <3

This fan animation was absolutely stellar and the attention to detail was mind-blowing. Even the tiniest details like how each member’s idle animation would work had so much thought put into it. Again, mad props to @seiyoko, @salukiart and @yowgurt for their incredible work!  

This entire "break" and Camille being around and the hair Louis going though is just so incredibly hard.

It’s incredibly hard to watch Harry and Louis’ situation. I don’t know the details, but I have some beliefs about their careers. The following are my own beliefs and are speculations.

First of all, I think Sony has more control over both of them than we think. Louis having to go through Larry denials, emphasizing Freddie & Eleanor, and praising Simon are things he would not do on his own. More evidence: talking about a non-existent girl band, promoting third-tier Syco artists, losing control of his Twitter account, the aggressively ineffective promotion of his own music, staged papped shots with E (NYC) where they went through four outfit changes in one day, his E tattoo.

I think during promo, Louis tried to do as much as possible to discredit Simon’s tactics, and it has had a huge strain on him. The BTS BTY promo video had several Easter eggs, including Louis slowly driving past a “Legal Grind” sign. We couldn’t help wondering why, in 90-degree weather, Louis wore long-sleeved shirts, pants, socks, the whole outfit. Slowly it became clear that he was covering all his tattoos, the ones matching Harry’s and his ankle triangle tattoo. Harry has been covering most of his as well. When was the last time we saw Louis’ ankles?

In my opinion, Louis must have legal and contractual obligations. He knows how shitty it all looks. He never talks badly about fans, and he was obligated to go on video denouncing “these people” who believe in Larry. That’s not Louis. No matter what, he would not diss his own fans.

It seems to me that Sony does not believe in a Louis Tomlinson solo career, judging by his career roll-out so far. My question is why support a solo album at all? Why keep Louis around?

From Dan W’s and the DM/Sun articles, one clue emerges for me: the future of 1D. Several articles question whether 1D could regroup with Zayn but without Harry. If Sony doesn’t see a Louis solo career as profitable, 1D is the cash cow they’re waiting on. They seem to want solo Harry and 1D under their labels. Zayn is also under Sony, through RCA.

Maybe I’m wrong, and Sony does support solo Louis, but I don’t see the evidence. Where’s the promo for his album, for his next single? I see no connections between his magazine shoots and promotions of BTY. His iHeart Festival performance was announced by a buried, pre-taped interview, a few days before the performance. If they knew beforehand, where was the promo? Where were the announcements? Niall and Harry’s performances were announced at least a month in advance.

As for Harry, I’ll mention a few things I’ve observed.

I don’t know why Harry continues to have girlfriends like Tess and Camille, except that they are consistent with his 1D image of serially dating beautiful women. Judging by Niall’s solo career, having a girlfriend and messy stunt-y stories associated with the songs aren’t necessary to solo success; in fact, as we saw with “Carolina,” fans reject the heavy-handed, manipulative narratives. Perhaps the women deflect speculation from “undefined sexuality” Harry Styles. To me, they reduce him to being a sex symbol again, and go against the serious, introspective nature of his music. Maybe the stunts are Sony’s idea. Harry is participating, but barely. I don’t think he wants it or likes it.

Whenever Camille is around, it seems to me that Harry goes hard against this womanizer image. The rainbow symbolism is part of his fight. I think the HS1 tour has been filled with telling moments: again, all my own thoughts.

His choice of covers is interesting. Harry has purposely taken the signature 1D boyband song, WMYB, and turned it into a self-empowerment anthem, specifically hooking the second rainbow flag of the tour (LA) to his mic stand during this song. The Chain is a Fleetwood Mac song specifically referenced by Rob Sheffield in his Louis/Harry write-up in Rolling Stone. JALBOYH was written in 2013 about loss and pining, the same year as Two Ghosts, and underscores the message of TG. Girl Crush comes from the same perspective as Woman (another song where he twirled a rainbow flag), and informs that song.

I think Harry also has obligations to Simon and Sony, which is why he continues to give articles to Dan W (despite Dan’s history of trashing both Harry and Louis), and may perform on the X Factor finale. The difference with Louis is that Solo Harry is what Sony has been building for.

I also found it curious that the Two Ghosts promo was so nonexistent. Why choose it as a single at all? Someone wanted it out there. Perhaps the angle of promoting it as a Taylor Swift-associated song was rejected? Perhaps Harry wanted it heard by the GP, on the radio, but didn’t want to talk about it. It was also during BTY’s heavy promo period, and may have gone silent for that reason. The mv was as neutral as possible, just the Abbey Road studio session, not an attention grabber. It almost seems as if HSHQ is downplaying the song, and Harry’s solo career, on purpose.

The choice of Kiwi as the third single is also interesting. It seemed to me that “Carolina” was the preferred song for a summer single, but was scrapped because of the PR disaster. Kiwi, to me, is clearly a middle finger to Simon and Dan W (https://www.seasurfacefullofclouds.tumblr.com/post/160666681365/hi-i-know-everyones-going-on-about-kiwi-being/amp) and BG. The fact that Harry goes so hard singing it on stage is satisfying to see, as is the fact that it will now be heard all over the radios. Harry screaming “I’m having your baby/ it’s none of your business!” over and over is everything.

To me, Louis’ and Harry’s career moves are very much tied. When one is promoting something, the other goes silent/ MIA. This doesn’t seem like Sony’s preference; they go all-out to promote Harry in the best and most connected ways. Harry’s promo has been limited to the few weeks after album release, and appearances on the shows of old friends (Corden, Grimshaw). Perhaps these are comfortable venues for him… as well as venues where stunts can play out.

But it is clear that Louis has a tough road ahead. We have to promote the hell out of him ourselves, as his fans. The industry is monstrous, and it’s very hard to go against it, but this is the age of social media, and grassroots success is possible, especially with Louis’ fan base. We have to try, that’s all we can do. We love Louis and he loves us, no matter what you hear. No matter what @Louis_Tomlinson posts, Louis is a person who loves his fans, is proud of being who he is, and wants a solo music career. We have to go hard for him.