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thedaytheworldburned · 1 year

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Ghost Girls and Superpowers: BTS, HYBE, and the Past, Present and Future of TOMORROW X TOGETHER

My uni semester is over, and y’all know what this means.

Unhinged essays thousands of words long rather than actually contributing to TXT’s theory landscape.

Um... anyway.

This is a follow-up from this post about BTS’s military enlistment and my hopes for TXT. Because some people say that HYBE is only BTS, and some people say that it’s more than BTS, but both arguments have truth to them, in my opinion.

In this post;

The history of BigHit and HYBE

The growth of BTS - how and why?

TXT’s debut and the growth of BTS’s baby brothers

The hope of 2020 and the failures that followed it

The management and growth of BTS after the English Trilogy

The management of HYBE’s other groups

BTS’s enlistment and what it means - an analysis

The future of TXT, Le Sserafim, and HYBE’s other groups

Conclusion

Sources

A brief and educational analysis of my sources

So sit back and get your eyeballs ready to read. It’s gonna be a long one. But PLEASE I’M BEGGING YOU, feel free to skip the sections you find boring and just read the sections you’re interested in. Not everyone is interested in the management and advertising of the kpop industry the same way I am *crying noises*.

HYBE have ramped up efforts in recent years to reduce the portion of their profit that comes from BTS. But their efforts have only been partially successful - a reduction from an insane 98% to a still massive 60%. So will this be enough to keep the company going after the loss of the group in 2023? Well, I think not, and that’s exactly why I made the original post and this essay. So here is how and why HYBE has failed in the past few years.

Sorry @twentythirteez. It doesn’t contain as much TXT as you maybe hoped it would...

But on the bright side, I hit a new word record! This one is 10k words.

Oh dear, what am I doing to myself?

Full insanity analysis below the line.

Curses, Scandals, and HipHop: The Origins and History of BigHit and HYBE

BigHit was founded by Bang PD in 2005, and initially managed groups under or with other companies, such as 2AM. They debuted their first girl group, GLAM in 2012, who are known for being the origins of ‘BigHit’s Girl Group Curse’ and one of the biggest and earliest scandals in the kpop industry, which resulted in a member being jailed. For further information on this scandal, and the girl group curse, see Ploopy’s video on the subject.

The disbandment of GLAM, and the loss of other artists like 2AM and 8Eight was a big issue, and the company had very little money and even less influence in the industry - only a few talented trainees and producers.

Hitman Bang had one plan left - BTS. He had signed the first member, our hero RM, in 2010, and the group had debuted in 2013 with a hiphop image influenced by RM and Suga’s time as underground rappers, and Jhope’s dance past. BTS had mediocre popularity as a group outside of the Big 3, and the company was so poor that there are rumours that the members and staff had to use their own cars and clothes as MV props. I have not been able to confirm these rumours, nor identify which MVs are of concern - it seems that ‘War of Hormone’, ‘DOPE’ and ‘NO’ are considered the most likely.

But BigHit and Hitman Bang marketed BTS well, and BTS worked very hard, resulting in, after considerable struggle, the growth of the group and the collection of a VERY dedicated and loyal fandom.

BTS became worldwide superstars, which left BigHit, and our pal Hitman Bang, with some very big concerns. BTS made up about 98% of BigHit’s revenue in 2018, which resulted in a ticking time bomb - would BigHit be able to diversify so that the company didn’t collapse when BTS were called for their mandatory military service in 2020? At this point there was no guarantee that BTS would be exempt, and BigHit had to plan for the worst-case scenario.

And so, the great expansion began. Hitman Bang worked on expanding BTS’s storyline, which had been a huge pull for their fandom. This was done through acquiring Source Music, and their girl group Gfriend, whose storyline had been planned in connection to BTS, and the wonderously planned TOMORROW X TOGETHER, whose concept, from the first 3 release albums even down to the debut date and relationships with BTS members, had been planned in advance. They additionally debuted ENHYPEN under Source Music and acquired Pledis, with NU’EST, SEVENTEEN, and fromis9. These efforts lowered BTS’s contributions slightly - to around 87% of total revenue in 2020.

But that still wasn’t enough. And so begun the creation of HYBE - acquiring companies, growing their groups, and gaining resources and property became very key and VERY OBVIOUS focuses of the company. This included efforts in Japan and America, and, of course, the eternal struggle to make BTS bigger continued, especially with the release of their three English singles, which were, again, very obviously aimed at (naïve) hopes of a Grammy win.

The company rebranded as ‘HYBE’ in 2021 and continued its growth, along with attempts to break the Girl Group Curse with Le Sserafim and NewJeans. These efforts... well, I personally consider them a failure, although certainly less so than previous groups like GLAM and Gfriend.

And where are we now? BTS have just announced their military service and hiatus, yet still account for 60-65% of HYBE’s revenue. HYBE stands in the balance, and the question remains - have they grown enough to survive after the loss of BTS? Or have they failed? Well I think so, but let’s look at how and why.

Burn the Stage: The Growth of BTS

Now, let’s take a closer look at the superstars themselves: BTS.

They debuted in 2013 with a hiphop concept and mediocre success at the beginning of the 3rd generation of kpop. The members, as fitting of the time, had far less training, and less skills, than modern group members. But they had passion and talent, and their hard work paid off, as they became a large group in the 2015 period and only continued to grow. By 2017 they had cemented themselves in the global, and especially American, market, and were winning awards which had only ever gone to American artists. By 2019, they were on top of the world, and in 2020 and 2021 they got bigger than any artist has really ever been... except for the Beatles. But even that is arguable.

So how did they get there, and why was it BTS that became this big? Why not TWICE, or EXO, or even a group like SEVENTEEN? All of these groups are big, but nowhere near the same level. And why? Well, let’s just say that BTS had the right message, in the right place, at the right time and with the right management. And that combined to do the impossible. So, in no particular order, here are some contributing factors;

Their storyline and album structure - BTS’s albums are arranged in a very careful way. They show the progression the members went through - school, youth, that odd in-between period, fear, self-acceptance and love, then self-reflection and legacy. This album structure is easy to follow and many of their fans followed this progression with them over almost 10 years. Additionally, their storyline, which was one of the first major storylines in kpop and which is complex and with a lot of depth, was a huge factor to them gaining fans. People were interested in the storyline and where it would go - and more importantly, the story and message of pain, love and growth that it told. After TXT and Gfriend’s storylines became connected to the BTS one, it brought in even more fans, although it did peter out a lot after ‘FAKE LOVE.’

Their message - BTS have always sent a message of being confident in yourself and healing after suffering, but their message became especially amplified with YNWA and the Love Yourself series, which followed a progression of fear and hate to self-love, and which was accompanied by global speeches and charity fundraisers. As an anonymous person on the internet said; ‘BTS’s have so much power that they can get millions of self-loathing teens to scream that they love themselves.’ And yeah, this is a big thing. Many people say that BTS saved them, and it isn’t hard to see why they have made such a big impact on so many people. Their music is a source of comfort and confidence for many, and they go through the five stages of grief with the listener, while also guiding them out the other side. It’s a powerful message that few groups had at the time and that even fewer executed well, so it’s no wonder it made BTS stand above the rest and gain fans outside of their typical music market - many older fans cite this message as a key aspect of them becoming an ARMY. Additionally, the exploration of psychology, and the concept of things like Persona, Shadow, Self, and Ego, brings a lot of interest to the group - it’s just another thing that adds to their uniqueness.

Their management and marketing - From 2013-2020, BTS’s marketing was top tier. I’m saying gold-star, 100/10 levels of epic. BigHit always marketed them as a group portraying the feelings of the youth, which was supported by BTS taking part in the production and writing of their own music. As they became more popular, they continued on this journey of growth which captured people’s hearts and minds. And, the whole time, BigHit was not only marketing them worldwide, but was also ensuring the members built the most intense parasocial relationship with their fans to ever exist. Bon voyage, In the SOOP, vLives and a million other snippets of content gave a very curated, but outwardly organic, look into their lives. This made the fans feel like we personally knew the members, and, of course, made them more likely to stream. When you know more about someone, you generally care more about them and their future, and you’re more likely to move towards making that come true. And in this case, ARMY felt (and still feel) as if they have a personal relationship with the members, and thus will work till the ends of the world to help them succeed. It’s one of the reasons they were able to grow so big - because much of the fanbase is so dedicated, they’ll do anything possible to make BTS succeed - thus, they win almost every voting or streaming-based award they’ve ever been nominated for. I’ll also note that this parasocial relationship, and the emphasis the group and company have put on marketing it, is something that we see with all of the most popular celebrities to have existed. One Direction, The Beatles, Justin Beiber and more - they’ve all had very intense paarsocial relationships that have been furthered by marketing some succeeded fans who got to meet and be friends with their stars, so that we can all have hope too, of one day marrying Jungkook. Wow. That said though, BTS’s parasocial relationship is much more dramatic and goes far further than all of the other artists mentioned, and possibly more than any other artist ever.

Their dance skills and hard work + talent - There’s no denying that BTS are both very talented, and great dancers. But it’s not just that. They work hard to improve, and we see them improve. Their routines are mesmerizing and synchronized, at a time when most groups didn’t have either of these things, and they were likely a key part in the dance-heavy focus that 4th gen developed. They showed that one thing you definitely need to succeed in the industry is an eye-catching, or at least trendy, dance.

Their variety and variety shows - They showed their variety through appearances and interviews, and through their content itself (the albums and MVs and their different concepts). The beginning of Run BTS, their reality show (not to be confused with ‘Run’ by BTS or ‘Run BTS’ by BTS) in 2015 was the literal beginning of an era. The show showed the charms of the individual members and their chemistry as a group, and gained them much popularity as memes and clips circulated. They seemed happy to embarrass themselves, and this brought them down to earth and was endearing to a lot of people. And, of course, the show was just generally very entertaining. After this, we saw a lot of other groups creating their own reality shows. These shows had always been a great way to showcase the personalities and charms of the groups and members, but BigHit and BTS created their own, which did all of these things to an even greater extent. And thus, the memes were born, BTS feeling like your best buddies rather than celebrities was born, and everyone had a great time. I guess.

Content content content - BTS put out, and always have put out, absurd quantities of content, and even more so in the past than now. Concerts and world tours, Run BTS, other shows like in the SOOP and Bon Voyage, constant vLives and weverse chats, social media posts, albums and on and on and on it goes. Now, this is something that lots of kpop groups do, but BTS, as always, took it to another level. The extreme quantities of content they put out was their primary tool to creating these parasocial relationships - you could literally watch BTS 24 hours a day if you wanted to, every facet of their lives that has ever been seen by another human being. And this amount of content, this personal and to this extent, just isn’t something that a lot of other kpop artists, or any other artists or celebrities in general, do.

Their personality and uniqueness - These were best shown off through Run BTS. Sure, it’s inaccurate to reduce the members to one personality trait each, but for most of their careers, and as they were growing, this was what defined them as a group, individuals, and brand. Smart, mature or maybe not, tired tsundere, ball of sunshine, libra, weird, and strong baby. This is an essential aspect of popular boy bands and has been since their inception, but, interestingly, it isn’t a HUGE aspect of the kpop industry. Just in the same way that kpop was made from the best aspects of Western pop and j-idol music to be more successful, it seems that BTS and HYBE combined the best aspects of the k-idol industry and Western pop (as always, noting that I use ‘Western’ and ‘The West’ VERY loosely) to become more successful. These personality traits are something you see in a group like One Direction, and less so in groups like TXT and ATEEZ, for instance. And, speaking of One Direction:

The disbandment of One Direction - One Direction were well known for having one of the most loyal and dedicated fandoms ever. The fandom was one of the reasons I never became a fan of them, despite liking some of their message and music. And honestly, I’m glad I wasn’t a fan, because the fallout was insane. One Direction went on ‘infinite hiatus’ and then... disbanded? I guess. And their fandom, millions and millions of mostly teen girls who had latched onto a group with a positive message to help them cope with the harsh world and the way it treats women, were turned out onto the street, as such. So they needed to find something else that they could enjoy, and which would tell them that it’s okay to be a girl and enjoy things. Side note: the One Direction fandom certainly had a large number of fans who were not teenage girls, and it is inaccurate and unhelpful to stereotype the fandom as only made up of teenage girls. It had many older fans who were primarily there for the message and community provided, and also a large queer population. And, gee, this group of people sounds very familiar, doesn’t it? Mostly teenage girls, but with a large portion of older people and queer people? Holy moly, if that isn’t BTS’s fandom?! A lot of One Direction’s fandom felt abandoned and were on the verge of trauma, and they gravitated towards the closest equivalent - BTS. And when I say this, keep in mind that this only ended up being a small portion of BTS’s fandom. Everything about them brought people of all sorts in, but the disbandment/hiatus of One Direction was definitely a big influx.

And these and many other factors combined to make BTS as successful as they are today. It wasn’t necessarily that the rest of the industry did less, or worse, it was just that BTS did more, and what they did, they did very well. There are more talented and more skilled groups, but BTS had the right strategies at the right times, and a little bit of luck, to pull them through.

Cats and Time Travel: The Debut of TOMORROW X TOGETHER

TXT were originally conceived around 2017, during the height of BTS’s storyline. And it’s a good thing that Hitman Bang had plans, because BTS’s success (and portion of the company’s revenue) only grew from that point onwards. Later, in 2018, the group’s concept and lineup were solidified, and a Harry Potter concept fitting debut date of 04/03/2019 (9 3/4) was set. We were introduced to the five members and their charms, and many ARMY were curious to see where this new boy group, the first after BTS, would go.

And they debuted, with the absolute masterpiece that is ‘CROWN.’ And thus followed the memes:

Trust ARMY to make a meme like this. TXT got their first music show win after a week, a feat which had taken their brother group over 2 years, a show of the immense support they had from ARMY and non-ARMY alike. Their fandom grew, and so did they. A big draw of TXT was their incredibly well-produced songs and MVs, and their top-tier dance skills, pulling off tough teamwork-based choreographies from debut. They also had the clear beginnings of a complex storyline through the ‘Nap of a Star’ MV, and there were hints that their storyline would tie in with BTS’s, through the ideas of time travel, superpowers, and self-acceptance and love.

TXT’s next two albums, THE DREAM CHAPTER: MAGIC and ETERNITY showcased their versatility in executing many concepts, and maintained the many established layers of their concept; magic and time travel, Harry Potter, friendship, BTS, and, even more BTS - self-love and becoming a voice of the youth. This really cemented the cohesion of TXT and BTS as individual groups, and also of the connected nature of their storyline. Since BigHit had also acquired Source Music around this time, their girl group, Gfriend, was also involved in the storyline, and heavily rumoured to be the ghost girl seen in TXT’s MVs.

In 2020, BigHit was going strong. They had survived the initial hit of the pandemic, and their groups, both part of the storyline and not, were thriving. They had bought more companies in preparation for BTS’s impending military service in December, and debuted their new vampire-themed boy group, ENHYPEN, which would begin a second storyline universe separate from the BTS one, with a teased werewolf group (now known as the Japanese &TEAM).

BTS was on top of the world, TXT and Gfriend were thriving, and BigHit was as prepared as they could be for December 4th and Jin’s 28th birthday.

The BTS Law and American Awards: 2020 and the Grammys

Jin approached 28, and BTS only grew stronger, an ARMY with them. Everyone was in anticipation - would the South Korean government break their own unofficial policies and give BTS a military exemption? Or would BTS become part of the literal ARMY? The fans were literally ready to single-handedly unify Korea, if need be.

A few days before Jin’s birthday, the South Korean government passed a law which became known as ‘The BTS Law’ - allowing certain celebrities, including idols, who had achieved certain milestones of spreading Korean culture worldwide, to postpone their military service for 2 years. All of the members of BTS qualified, as they had been given awards of cultural merit previously. It was disappointing for ARMY who hoped for a full exemption, but it gave everyone, and especially BigHit, some hope. They now had two whole years to build their portfolio as a company, so that their name didn’t remain synonymous with BTS, and, more importantly, to show the government that the best option was to give BTS a full exemption.

Going into 2021, BigHit were on top of the world, literally, and some fans who didn’t quite understand the importance of influence in the industry even said that BigHit was the single biggest and best company.

BTS had released their first all-English song ‘Dynamite’ in August of 2020, as a gift to the fans, but also, not so subtly, an attempt to push further into the American market. BTS had achieved every award under the sun available to them, but there was one thing that would take them from being, in the eyes of the American public, the obsession of silly teenage girls, to a serious pop group with a crucial message relevant to their generation.

BTS needed a Grammy.

And thus began the ‘English Trilogy’ - started with ‘Dynamite,’ then followed by the questionable ‘Butter’ and the even more questionable ‘Permission to Dance.’ All in English, and all in the place of the Korean album that so many fans desperately wanted.

When ‘Dynamite’ failed to achieve it’s Grammy win, despite a landmark nomination and record-breaking success, instead of giving up, like many fans had, BTS and BigHit continued onwards. There are so many layers and concerns to the issue, so let’s consider a few perspectives.

The Grammys and their prejudice - It’s a pretty well-known fact that the Grammys discriminate primarily against three categories of music/artists - non-white artists, non-English music, and pop music in general. BTS fits all of these categories - thus, their chances of winning were instantly low, no matter how good or popular their song would be. The Grammys are an old institution, run by the kind of old white men who hate all of the things listed above. As sad and undeserved as it was, there was no way even a song as groundbreaking as ‘Dynamite’ would win. And if ‘Dynamite’ had no chance, ‘Butter’ and ‘Permission to Dance’ may as well have not been made, for all the chance in the world they had.

Does Dynamite even deserve to win? - Well, in my opinion, no. And this is an opinion shared by many ARMY, kpop fans, and music fans in general. And it’s not because ‘Dynamite’ is a bad song. It’s because it is one of BTS’s songs least deserving of a Grammy. A common contender I saw, which absolutely deserves to win every award ever created, was ‘Black Swan.’ It isn’t my style of music, but the artistry, effort, passion and emotion that went into the creation of ‘Black Swan’ makes it a piece of modern art. BTS’s work and message would be far better represented with a Grammy for ‘Black Swan’ than ‘Dynamite.’ But, of course, ‘Black Swan’ was in Korean, and not a title track, so not even a contender to be nominated. ‘Dynamite’ was important and started trends left and right - and, of course, it was exactly what the world needed at that time. But it just isn’t the best, or even a good, representation of BTS and their work.

Trying to be Western - This was an argument that was put against BTS after the release of so many English songs. They had previously said that they wouldn’t make any English music, and fans found this weird. But I think that the issue is less BTS, and more what the general public of the world, but especially America (the biggest music industry in the world) views as ‘legitimate music’. No non-English song has been commonly played on radios in the US (and other English-speaking countries like Australia and England) other than when it was a meme. Think ‘Gangnam Style’ or ‘Despacito.’ Did anyone care about those songs other than that they were both memes and the former had an older fat guy presumably making advances towards a hot young woman? And don’t we find making fun of fat people funny, huh, America? Because fat people aren’t real people with feelings and creativity, they’re just stupid and worthless, right, America? Hmm... So we must think from the perspective of BTS and BigHit. They want a Grammy, because they want to be seen as legitimate and hard-working artists worldwide, and because Suga said he wants one, and if Suga wants something we’d better get it for him. But they know the Grammys are racist and prejudiced, and so they only have one option - try to fit in with the most popular songs - the most boring, white, English songs to ever be created. Because no one cares about someone like Taylor Swift’s hard work or the depth of her lyricism - it’s the boring-ass catchy songs which will be successful. And thus, they need to make these songs, with American producers, in the hopes of getting a Grammy.

Does BTS even need a Grammy? And why so many trashy attempts to win? - Well, to be successful - no, they don’t need one. But we all knew this. The fact of the matter is that the South Korean government heavily considers international achievements - such as winning an Olympic medal or a World Cup - when assessing people for military exemption. The Grammy may just have been another award for many of the artists who were nominated and won, but by failing to win the Gramm, BTS were very possibly sentenced to military service. If they had won, it’s incredibly likely that they would have been granted an exemption. The pop landscape moves quickly, and the Grammy for BTS was likely a matter of life or death for their group. Sure, it was something they wanted, but it could have been the difference between a long-lasting legacy and the rapid death of the group. And that is likely why they and BigHit pushed so hard to win it.

So, in conclusion, the Grammys suck, and their attempts to use BTS to gain viewers in later years were both very obvious and only cemented their fate as a dying and increasingly less-respected award show.

Fandoms and World (Read: American) Tours: The Fallout of the English Trilogy

So what’s the situation with BigHit/HYBE in 2021? BTS had been given a new lease on life, and a chance to prove to the government why they should be given a military exemption. They had failed to get their Grammy, so it seemed the only other option was to get as popular, and as rich, as possible.

So what did HYBE, who had been managing BTS next to perfectly for years, do? The same company that gave their artists a near scandal-free life for 8 years, who helped them develop their talents to become commonly regarded as the next biggest thing since the Beatles, and the face of the kpop industry?

Well, they went on... a world tour???

Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with a world tour. It built hype and allowed the group to have interviews and appear on American stages and shows. But the government gave them a military postponement so that they could continue to grow, and the fact of the matter is that a world tour doesn’t grow the group that much. A world tour, with expensive concert seats and hype that only really comes from already being interested in a group, doesn’t really appeal to those outside of the fandom. So they didn’t really gain a lot of new fans - or, at least, not as many as they gained through new albums and the like.

BTS still grew, but, to me and to many others, they didn’t make the most of these few years. We felt that they would best use the two years of borrowed time they had to release many new songs and, as I seem to keep saying like a broken record, continue to grow exponentially. But they didn’t. They went over a year without releasing a Korean album, and when PROOF came, it was VERY underwhelming. An anthology album?!?!?!? Sure, I understand it’s importance in their journey as a group, and it’s meaning as a reflection of their past and future. But the album only had 3 new songs, and the most interesting of the 3 CDs - the 3rd one, wasn’t even available on Spotify. And even then, it was only interesting because it contained some new demo tracks, not even new songs. PROOF was expensive and lacking in new content, and its importance could only be seen by the group, the company, and a few ARMY. If BTS had been releasing several new albums over these two years, PROOF would have been a fitting send-off to the members just before their military service. But as it stood, their first Korean album in almost two years, it was disappointing. And I think this, and BTS and HYBE’s seeming obsession with becoming top American artists rather than Korean, turned off a lot of people.

Of course, BTS are not trying to be American, and they never have tried. But in appealing to the largest music market in the world, it seems that they have forgotten a little about the rest of the world.

And perhaps BTS’s lack of growth through only appealing to pre-existing members of their fandom would be fine for HYBE, if the other artists under the company grew.

PunkRock and Angels: HYBE’s forgotten groups

With the comeback of Brave Girls in 2021 and the debut of groups like Aespa and Ive, the post-BTS Law period became dominated by girl groups. And yet, boy groups still remain arguably more popular, and with far fewer barriers to success. At the start of this era, HYPE had two other major groups under their belt: TXT, and ENHYPEN. Gfriend had been mysteriously lost to the HYBE girl group curse, and SEVENTEEN, as a self-produced group, needed little management to stay successful (that said, HYBE still manages them badly and doesn’t use their talents and skills to their fullest extents).

So what did they do? They faded ENHYPEN’s iconic vampire concept and music style to a generic ‘bad boy against the world’ concept, and the group’s subsequent releases were barely discussed against the backdrop of girl groups with badass or generally sophisticated concepts. ENHYPEN have had two comebacks in the past year, with ‘Future Perfect’ and ‘Blessed-Cursed,’ both of which were forgettable in the sea of other comebacks.

A similar thing can be said for TXT. TXT’s success skyrocketed from the moment of their debut, initially propelled by ARMY and later by those who had discovered the group for their own merits. This growth continued through THE CHAOS CHAPTER, which heralded in their new punk rock concept to go with the darker segment of the storyline they had just entered. This was an important part of their concept - switching mood to reflect the current portion of their non-linear storyline we would explore. But after two albums with the same concept in a row, some fans, including and especially myself, became worried that they would never switch from this concept, no matter what the storyline dictated. We hung on in anticipation and waited.

And waited, and waited and waited. One of TXT’s strengths had been relatively regular comebacks with hints leading into the next album, but we waited nine long months for Minsode 2, during which time TXT seemed to do... nothing? They had a concert in October of 2021, and their Weverse concert for New Years and their fansign for their third anniversary in March, but these were all paid contents that a relatively small portion of the fandom had access to. There was no continuation to the storyline and well-produced music that so many people had been attracted to.

I wrote this 7000 word monstrosity of an article about why TXT are in the best position in kpop in January of 2022. And at the time, it was very true and I genuinely believed it. But, although I leave the essay up as it is still important and has good points, I no longer believe that TXT are in the best place in kpop. One of the main factors riding on this essay was that TXT would continue to produce content on a regular or semi-regular basis, and especially to continue their storyline in another song that was on top of the industry, like Blue Hour or LOVESONG. But when Minisode 2 came, it was too little too late, and, although it continued the storyline, the title track ‘Good Boy Gone Bad’ was underwhelming as a song, a choreography, and, most importantly, a title track. The choreo was satisfying and portrayed the lyrics of the song well, but lacked the teamwork and unique formations we expected from a TXT choreography. The major complaint with the song was that it was kind of cringey, especially the repetitive, droning ‘good boy gone bad’ in the chorus - was there nothing else you could say here? You only want a one-phrase chorus for your first title track after nine months? For real?

‘Good Boy Gone Bad’ became more of a meme than anything else, which is perfectly fine in theory - songs that are memes are played often and get exposure, which in turn often brings at least some fans to a group. But meme songs are best when the song itself is memey. ‘Good Boy Gone Bad’, a genuine exploration of the aftereffects of an abusive and codependent relationship and the emotional, physical, and mental symptoms it leaves, should not have been capable of being memed in any way. And yet, the ridiculous poor choices that riddled the chorus made it one. It was well-known for all the wrong reasons. And while it was well known that a group called TXT had a funny song called ‘Good Boy Gone Bad,’ the comeback itself barely made a splash in the wider industry. Looking back, the only reason I cared about it was because I was a MOA anyway, and because TXT had a world tour coming up. If I hadn’t been a MOA, I couldn’t have cared less about this song, even with its interesting additions to the storyline and meaningful lyrics.

So let’s elaborate on why TXT are no longer in the best position in the industry;

Long hiatus - The pop industry moves quickly, and the kpop industry even more so. You need to stay on top of things. There’s a reason groups like Everglow and Blackpink are becoming less popular - few releases means fewer new fans and old fans become bored. You don’t grow as a group and so fans are less emotionally invested. Yes, kpop is much more than just music, but without new music you aren’t really a kpop group, and fans WILL drift away.

Focus on fans only - As I said in the BTS section, world tours are great. They brings fans closer to the group and they bring the group and company lots of money. But they only appeal to current fans. They don’t bring in (many) new fans and they don’t grow the group. Additionally, Minisode 2 was an album that didn’t appeal to the current mainstream trends, and instead focused on the specific subset of fans who had been following the storyline and would go to the effort of reading and understanding the lyrics.

Bad title track - As I said above, not many people liked ‘Good Boy Gone Bad.’ The concept was interesting, the music good and the lyrics great, except for the chorus which was the biggest letdown I’ve seen in a TXT title track since ‘LOSER=LOVER.’ TXT title tracks are going downhill and I don’t want to see where they go next.

Storyline muddling - At their debut, TXT had a pretty solid and well-realised storyline - they were children who had grown up on the Magic Island that had featured in both BTS and Gfriend’s storyline, and thus had powers, but also curses. They mirrored BTS’s storyline (think V fighting his Dad and Beomgyu fighting his Dad), and they had themes of self-love, belonging, youth, and friendship, just like their older brothers. And then LOVESONG and LOSER=LOVER came around, and we got hints of the old storyline, but also something new about some boys falling in love and becoming part of a codependent relationship. But this was different, unlike what we were used to, and a little confusing, honestly. And then the HYBE webtoon was released, which brought TXT and their storyline into the real world? Which was something that seemed quite incompatible with what they had previously been. So now they have three storylines, or more, or less maybe, and they’re all a bit muddled up and, like ENHYPEN, HYBE doesn’t seem to know what they want to do with TXT and their storyline. There have been changes and recons and the confusion of it all has destroyed one of the best things TXT had going for them - a compelling, cohesive, and complex storyline and concept. I even made a post talking about how TXT’s storyline seems to have DID.

America tour or world tour? - Why would you have a world tour, which already appeals to very few people (only fans who can afford the concert) and then only go to America, a small portion of your fans which are a small portion of the population to begin with? It’s a bad choice and the management of TXT’s world tour has been criticised extensively, from the very small locations to Kai getting a nosebleed.

HYBE’s obsession with BTS - TXT were once marketed as their own group with their own talents, but, after the BTS Law, HYBE seemed to, bizarrely considering they were going to go to the military, only focus on BTS. The marketing for TXT and ENHYPEN faded into oblivion, and, other than a few new groups like Le Sserafim, it seemed that BTS had become synonymouis with HYBE once again, and that TXT and ENHYPEN were comparatively ignored.

Concerns for another hiatus - It’s been four months since TXT released Minisode 2, and I am genuinely concerned that we are going to see another 3/4-yr hiatus. Of course, they are on tour and shouldn’t be overworked, but, as I keep saying, tours don’t bring in new fans, and their progress as a group stagnates as long as they are on tour without releasing a new album. There have been no hints of the next era of TXT, and, while it’s possible a teaser will drop tomorrow, especially after such an uncharacteristic hiatus, I am concerned that it will happen again.

And nothing to carry them - TXT may not be releasing albums, but they are still releasing contents - vLives, TO DO, and other Youtube shorts and behind-the-scenes. But this content isn’t of the type that will bring in new fans. No-one watches vLives unless they’re a fan of the group, and the same with behind the scenes contents on Youtube. TO DO could work - after all, a lot of people got into BTS and SEVENTEEN because of their variety shows, right? SEVENTEEN even have an entire second fandom dedicated to their variety show. But the fact of the matter is that SEVENTEEN and BTS both have fun group dynamics which keep the audience entertained, whether they know the group or not. And this is how they bring in new fans. TXT have a fun group dynamic, but not nearly to the extent that the above two groups do, and TO DO just isn’t that fun out of context, or as a non-fan. It isn’t even that fun to many fans like myself. So when they aren’t putting out albums, TXT have nothing to maintain a steady stream of people becoming new fans. And this is a problem in a fast-paced industry.

It didn’t help ENHYPEN and TXT’s cases that the remnants of HYBE’s attentions that weren’t on BTS were on their new girl groups - post-IZ*ONE Le Sserafim and the oddly-named New Jeans. Both of which have had run-ins with the HYBE girl group curse, but which, as 4th gen becomes the generation of girl groups, have had more mainstream popularity and acknowledgement than their older brother groups. Both groups have also been, in my opinion, badly managed (Le Sserafim more than the latter), but have still managed to make a splash and succeed. While I see general kpop fans talking about and checking out their songs, the same doesn’t happen for TXT and ENHYPEN.

HYBE’s other groups have been forgotten (literally, in the case of NU’EST), but they may need to become more noticed, after a recent event which made headlines across the world.

The Army vs the ARMY: The Military Enlistment of BTS

After the BTS Law in 2020, HYBE had been in many talks with the South Korean government in hopes of winning exemption for BTS. But their hopes were in vain, and no further exemption or postponement had been agreed upon by October 2022. So, on the 17th October, after their free concert in Busan, HYBE released a statement saying that, after his solo promotions in October, Jin, the eldest member of BTS, who would turn 30 in December, would apply to cancel his military extension, and would enlist when he receives his enlistment notice. This sent ARMY, and the world, into a mini panic, with tears, laughter and articles upon articles and tweets upon tweets being shed.

There were many interesting details about this. The announcement was made after BTS’s free concert, which, may legitimately be the last concert BTS ever holds. Jin said this was so he could have a happy concert with the fans, rather than seeing them all sad. Additionally, it sugests that HYBE’s discussions with the Korean government had either fallen through or were foreseen to be falling through. This likely caused the company and members to take events into their own hands.

There are other implications and common points of discussion which I think could be important to note/discuss/be aware of;

Arguments for and against BTS’s military service - The biggest argument against BTS’s enlistment is the huge impact they have on the South Korean economy - they reportedly contribute about 0.5-0.7% of the GDP. This is yes, a very tiny portion. But most of the largest contributors are huge companies like Samsung. The fact that a single group can contribute this much to the economy - enough to actually show up as a notable percentage - shows how insane their monetary power is. However, the greatest argument for them enlisting was that military enlistment is so engrained in Korean culture (on both sides of the DMZ), that the group would likely be shunned by a good portion of the South Korean population if they either didn’t enlist or got an exemption. This was seen in the early 2000s with singer Steve Yoo, who, when he tried to avoid his military service by becoming an American citizen, was exiled from Korea. His reputation was so stained by this that he went from being one of the most liked singers to one of the most hated, and many in the general public still believe he should never be allowed back in the country as long as he lives, despite him getting down on his hands and knees in an official plea to the government. BTS getting an exemption would not have been nearly as bad for their reputation, but still likely would have reduced their favour and popularity in Korea.

Jin’s character - Jin has stated many times that he sees military service as his duty as a Korean citizen, and that he would go as soon as he was called. He has never expressed a wish to not serve, and ARMY are divided between those who wanted to let him go and do what he sees as his duty, vs those who want BTS to have an exemption, no matter the wishes of the members. Jin has established himself as a generally responsible and mature person, and somewhat traditional in his beliefs in duty to serve his country. HYBE’s announcement specifying that JIn himself applied to cancel his extension was honestly a very good idea for BTS’s image in the public. These actions are directly in line with the character that Jin has created, and so maintains his integrity as a celebrity. This additionally proves that BTS are not trying to ‘become American’ and head away from ‘their Korean roots,’ as they prioritise their country and duty to their country over the wishes of the international fans and music industry. This statement was the absolute best way that BTS and HYBE could maintain their reptutation. That said though, HYBE hasn’t really had a good reputation lately. At least BTS still do...

What was even the point of the extension? - My legitimate belief is that the government gave the group the extension to then see whether it was worth giving them an exemption. As discussed above, HYBE, through their trashy management of the group in 2021 and 22, showed the government that it was best for everyone to make BTS do their service, and to save face among the Korean public.

But what about President Moon? - When BTS were given an extension on their date to enlist in the military in 2020, President Moon (Moon Jae-in) was the president of South Korea. President Moon has often expressed his love for BTS, including presenting them with Awards of Cultural Merit - the exact awards which allowed them to delay their service. But President Moon was replaced as President in May 2022 by the conservative candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, who was president at the time HYBE was having talks about exemption with the government. I don’t think it is a big step to assume that BTS would have been much likely to receive an exemption if President Moon, or the democratic party, were still in power at that time. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think they would have received an exemption either way, but with President Moon and the democratic party, it is entirely possible that BTS would have had a lower-grade exemption, such as a reduction in the term they need to serve, as the democratic party, backed by who would be the ex-President Moon, would have emphasised the cultural and economic merit of BTS, rather than the military service emphasised by the conservative party. It likely wouldn’t have made a big difference, but is still interesting to consider.

Who said ‘f u’ to who - the government, or BTS? - When discussing the enlistment with non-kpop friends, one said something I had never considered - ‘so BTS said ‘f u’ to the Korean government?’ And my initial reaction to that was ‘wtf definitely not, that would assume that BTS has any power over the government’. I have since discussed the possibility with some kpop friends, and have reached a more well-rounded perspective. Both BTS and the government said ‘f u’ to each other - but the government certainly had the upper hand in this situation. Let’s go step-by-step. If we assume BTS said ‘f u’ to the government, it is because Jin and the members enlisted on their own terms, rather than those of the government, and essentially sent the message that they wouldn’t be holding onto the possibility of exemption, because they don’t need it to succeed and have a legacy! But if we look at the government saying ‘f u’ to BTS, it’s because they’re the party in power and they have the ability to give or revoke the hope of military service as they see fit, taking control of the phenomenon that is BTS and dangling military service over their heads like a carrot on a stick. Giving BTS an uncertain future is the ‘f u,’ showing that they are still the ones in charge. But both of these are partially the case. The government did hold military enlistment like a carrot on a stick, but more for HYBE, who desperately chased it and the financial security BTS gave them. The government said ‘f u’ to HYBE, and BTS kind of said ‘f u’ to both of them. But BTS’s ‘f u’ is a very small, pathetic one, because an ‘f u’ assumes that the ‘f uing’ party have made a decision that makes the other party lose out, or puts them in an inconvenient situation. And BTS, a relatively small part of Korean culture and economy, just don’t have the power to ‘f u’ the government. The government wins if BTS enlists and they win if BTS doesn’t enlist. BTS picked the option that was slightly less convenient for the government, which is where their tiny ‘f u’ comes from, but the government maintains power, which is where their massive one comes from. They both were annoying each other, but pretending that BTS has any cultural or economic power over the government is just wrong.

The future of BTS - will they survive the military? - I don’t think so. As I said earlier, the pop industry moves incredibly quickly, and the kpop industry even more so. Yeah, BTS will only be gone for 2-3 years, but in that time the third gen will likely have become completely irrelevant. Very few groups that have been interrupted by military service have been able to continue, and none of them have large mainstream popularity. As close as it gets are probably SHINee and EXO, both of which continue and are loved and iconic, but which have both seriously faded in popularity since their service. ARMY are used to ridiculous quantities of content from BTS, and this three-year gap won’t sustain a fandom so used to content content and more content. I think BTS will keep their promise of coming back in 2025, but that their popularity will be drastically reduced. They just won’t be the current hot thing anymore, in an industry that thrives off the next current hot thing. In their statement about BTS’s service, HYBE referenced their latest title track ‘Yet To Come,’ and how it is a mark of how the best of BTS is still yet to come. But this is wistful thinking on HYBE’s part. In my opinion, the best of BTS had already passed by the time the song came out - they were still getting more popular and were still the most popular group on the planet, sure, but they weren’t experiencing the exponential growth of 2017-2019. The lull in albums just didn’t do much for them, and with the approaching knowledge of military service, I feel like a lot of ARMY started looking for other groups in preparation. Especially those who had been Directioners didn’t want to be thrust into the world without a main group again. Things just aren’t looking up for BTS. And it has nothing to do with their immense talents and skills, but instead as they are a product of the industry they are a part of.

Implications for HYBE - Well, BTS may be a much smaller percentage of HYBE’s revenue than they used to be, but 65% is still a lot. Le Sserafim and NewJeans have been pretty successful, and with the girl group popularity of fourth gen I think HYBE will push them more. As much as I hope that this means TXT and ENHYPEN get more funding and are pushed more as groups, I just don’t think this is going to happen. HYBE will continue to expand rather than develop what they already have. And this is pretty sad, but it’s what they’ve been doing since BTS became popular. And because of this, HYBE has become more of a corporation and less of ‘artists and music for healing.’ They’re losing a large portion of their income partially because they weren’t managing them well. This is either the end of HYBE as a company people respect, or the start of their turnaround, where they manage groups fairly and the groups go up in popularity as one, not in competition to each other.

The enlistment of BTS will have a big effect on the music industry and especially kpop - that’s for sure. But the effect that it will have on both HYBE and BTS themselves depends on a multitude of factors both in and outside of their control. So I am, in a way, morbidly curious to see where this all goes.

Scandals, Minors, and the sleeping star: The future of TXT, ENHYPEN, Le Sserafim, NewJeans and more.

I don’t see Le Sserafim and NewJeans being anything other than successful in the future. NewJeans have brought a refreshing and (possibly too) youthful spin to y2k and retro concepts, Le Sserafim only have two releases and both of them have been iconic hits, and both groups somehow managed to survive their scandals, at the expense of Garam’s career and a bunch of album sales. As I’ve said several times, from 2021, girl groups have ruled the 4th gen, and Le Sserafim and NewJeans can only really go up (unless HYBE manages them to levels of bad that have only been seen in CLC and Exo).

I think ENHYPEN will continue in the same direction - somewhat popular and growing, but slowly. They have quite a niche music genre and concept, like Dreamcatcher, so I think they’ll stay how they are. Same with the soon-to-debut &TEAM, Japanese brother group and werewolves to ENHYPEN’s vampires.

ENHYPEN’s management has been a little dodgy from the start, and their concept is very fragmented. They started off as creepy vampire orphans. Great, so that brings in all the people who love the non-sexual vampire stories. And then they have ‘Drunk-Dazed,’ bringing in the fans of unconventional noise music, and sticking with the superpowered vampire theme. But ‘Fever’ comes with that, and, as iconic as it was, it rubbed many people the wrong way as a sexual choreography in a group that was almost half minors. And the recent group of ‘Tamed-Dashed,’ ‘Blessed-Cursed’ and ‘Pass the Mic’ have alienated almost all of the fans I previously mentioned. No more explicit vampire storyline, other than in the webtoon which you need to actively research to understand. No more noise music, just the usual pop summer songs and whatever the very questionable ‘Blessed-Cursed’ was. If you like the Gothic stuff, it’s gone. If you like them being niche, it’s gone. If you were holding on for the werewolves, you still have a while to wait. And if you were a very weird person who sexualised the minors in the group, well, it ain’t as easy anymore. ENHYPEN seem to have a similar problem to Kep1er - although they have solidified an identity as a group of people, their musical identity is all over the place. And their concept doesn’t even call for it, like TXT’s does. I hope that with the debut of &TEAM, ENHYPEN’s storyline and management will turn a new page. They may be niche, but HYBE could still make a lot more money from them and their fans to make up for BTS’s gap.

SEVENTEEN are largely self-managed and produced. They have their own small group of staff that stick with them, and their success is largely self-made. They’ve had a few dodgy releases in recent years, like ‘Rock With You’ and ‘Ready to Love,’ which have been more of a product of them overworking themselves than any bad management on HYBE’s part. And just as their questionable releases weren’t dictated by the bad management of HYBE, SEVENTEEN’s success won’t be caused by good management by HYBE. I think that SEVENTEEN’S success will continue and grow. Many CARATs criticise their decision to move towards more mainstream pop music in recent years, but I think that the SEVENTEEN heart and soul is still there. We shouldn’t be looking for ‘the next BTS,’ because every group is unique and they are themselves, but if there was to be a ‘next BTS,’ I don’t think it would be Stray Kids or ATEEZ or anyone else - it would be SEVENTEEN (although SKZ have a pretty good shot). SEVENTEEN are also currently under HYBE, so an easy transition. They have well-made self-produced music, two factors ARMY find important, and they have strong, complex choreos, and manage to have both popular and meaningful music. They also have a similar vibe to BTS, as they are both third gen groups, and they have English speakers which gives them a wider audience. But most of all, SEVENTEEN have variety. They are the only group I’ve seen so far that actually surpasses BTS in variety skills. And this is very evident by their second fandom, Cubic. BTS’s variety skills and the unique roles of each member were crucial to their success, and SEVENTEEN’s popularity has skyrocketed because of GOING SEVENTEEN. The members don’t quite fit 2D single character traits like the members of BTS, but you could still push them into small groups if you wanted, and if you want to go deeper, they all appear clearly as complex human beings. They are each bias-worthy, which is crucial, and they have similar levels of popularity. Additionally, SEVENTEEN are a group for all - everyone will find something they like.

The moral of the story is that SEVENTEEN will be fine. Until next year when Scoups’ military service comes up.... Cry with me, y’all.

And finally we come to the heroes (?) of the story, who are so heroic they’ve barely been mentioned... whoops. TOMORROW X TOGETHER, who have recently been managed in a less than great way by HYBE. They’ve lost, or at least had complicated and confused, many of the things that made me place them as ‘the best position in kpop right now’ in my essay. They’ve lost the versatility, the mainstream appeal, the serious nature of their storyline, the well-produced title tracks, the variety skills and the appearances on many shows which gained them popularity. TXT only appear in the public consciousness now through memes, which, yes, is the case for a lot of groups. But TXT never tried to be memes, or even to be funny. Their very serious content just couldn’t be taken seriously because of how HYBE managed and marketed them. And then this world tour came, only focusing on fans and with a tiny number of available seats compared to the actual number of fans. I feel that a lot of problems with TXT came from HYBE’s fear of reality shows after BTS were mistreated on them. And yes, TXT constantly being compared to BTS wasn’t and isn’t good - but I feel that if they went on more reality shows and showed the variety that was peaking through at the beginning of their career, they would reach and thus gain more fans. They don’t have the fanbase and the strong message that BTS did, so they can’t follow the same route, as they have been doing. Or, perhaps we could consider they are going in reverse from BTS? From dark to light concepts, from light to dark. But either way, their musical identity has become exactly what it shouldn’t have - obfuscated and overshadowed by that of BTS. TXT are far from the worst example of HYBE, or any other company, poorly managing a group, and an argument could be made that they aren’t being poorly managed, since their numbers continue to grow. But they haven’t experienced the same growth as they once did, and their lack of an impact in the larger industry is not a good sign. It is this lack of an impact that made me want them to be better managed, and to write this essay. More people should hear about your comeback than just members of your own fandom and a few people who watch music shows live on a weekly basis.

Conclusions

BigHit started with the slogan ‘music and artist for healing,’ and their initial success with BTS reflected this well. But they started to get greedy and fearful, and started to both acquire companies and groups and neglect these companies and groups in hopes of supporting themselves and the sinking ship BTS would leave them in when they went to the military. There have been many victims of this, notably Gfriend. But I am concerned that other groups will fall to HYBE’s newfound greed - especially TXT and ENHYPEN. HYBE no longer embody their motto - while the artists continue to heal, the company is becoming less and less viewed in the public eye as a cool group of artists and producers, and more and more like the corporations whose level it has tried to pull itself up to. Now that BTS are going to the military, the future of HYBE and its groups hangs in the balance - will they be able to pull their act together and make a splash in the industry again, or will they fall apart and forever be known as a company synonymous with ‘BTS’? Let’s just say that I don’t have high hopes for any artists under the company other than Le Sserafim and NewJeans, and maybe SEVENTEEN for the next year before they too suffer the ongoing effects of the Korean War. It’s sad, but this is just the nature of such a harsh and competitive industry - people become greedy, no matter how good their intentions are (we even saw this with BTS’s attempts to gain a Grammy), and, in the end, the fast-paced kpop industry consumes all.

Anyway, stan ‘Can’t We Just leave The Monster Alive?’

Sources

Zeimba, H. (2022) ‘BigHit Entertainment’s Transformation to Influential HYBE, 2022 Overview,’ KWorld Now.

‘HYBE's Cursed History with Girl Groups - From Glam to New Jeans’ by Ploopy678 on YouTube, 2022

Shapiro, A. (2021) ‘BTS Made $200 Million With Hybe. Now Ariana Grande And Justin Bieber Are Cashing In On Scooter Braun’s Deal.’ Forbes

Yoon, S. (2022) ‘HYBE ≠ BTS after big investments in diversification,‘ Korea JoongAng Daily & The New York Times

Peoples, G. (2022) ‘HYBE Revenue Up 31% But Losing BTS Will Squeeze Margins in 2023.’ BillboardPro

‘Will BTS Survive with ONLY 3 Members? BTS Military Plan (2021 Updated!)’ by Rice Squad on YouTube, 2020

A Brief Analysis of my Sources

Disclaimer that my references above are not accurate to any referencing style in particular, since they have been changed for Tumblr’s formats, and that they are in order of appearance, not alphabetical order, as they should be.

Ayo here again comes my obsession with sources. I will discuss them in the order they appear in my source list, which is also the order they appear in the essay (although I haven’t given specific reference points). My points of discussion mostly include why I chose these sources and why it was okay for me to use them in this context (this context being a non-professional internet essay). Unfortunately, I can’t show examples of sources I discarded and explain why as I have... you know, discarded them and don’t remember where I got them from.

A disclaimer that I did use Wikipedia for this essay (gasp). I do not condone the use of Wikipedia for academic or professional essays of any level (school, undergraduate, post grad and so on). Wikipedia is only acceptable when cross-referencing well-known facts across multiple sources. In this case, I sued Wikipedia for my ‘history of BigHit/HYBE’ section, as all events mentioned are well-known facts and thus cannot be obfuscated by Wikipedia. However, I did not feel comfortable using Wikipedia for the more specific or subjective elements of this essay, which is why they aren’t my only source and weren’t really used past the first section.

The rest of my analysis may sound repetitive but is still important.

Zeimba, H. (2022) ‘BigHit Entertainment’s Transformation to Influential HYBE, 2022 Overview,’ KWorld Now.

This was largely used for basic facts, same as Wikipedia. It is a semi-professional article seemingly written by someone who does this full-time and is invested in HYBE and BTS. Thus, it was okay to use for recent and basic facts.

‘HYBE's Cursed History with Girl Groups - From Glam to New Jeans’ by Ploopy678 on YouTube, 2022

Ploopy does this professionally (aka is paid to tell the facts/her perspective). This makes her more reliable. Additionally, she makes her research and sources public for Patreons, and clearly puts effort into and ensures integrity of her sources. I wouldn’t use her for an academic essay that wasn’t about fan reactions, but for my purposes here, her work is appropriate, valid, and relevant.

Shapiro, A. (2021) ‘BTS Made $200 Million With Hybe. Now Ariana Grande And Justin Bieber Are Cashing In On Scooter Braun’s Deal.’ Forbes

This is another professional source on what is generally considered a professional and reliable business website, Forbes. I only used this source as a backup to verify some of my economic facts. Also I did some research, and I am pretty sure the person who wrote this IS NOT Ben Shapiro’s cousin/sister, so my conscience is clear?

Yoon, S. (2022) ‘HYBE ≠ BTS after big investments in diversification,‘ Korea JoongAng Daily & The New York Times

This source has questionable professionality, but I feel that it being in association with the New York Times is a good sign. I used this one for stats on BTS’s portion of HYBE’s income. Since the source is recent, it gives recent information, which is useful for an essay like this, since my essays become outdated quickly in the world of kpop (crying over the TXT one). I would not have used this source if this essay was in any way professional, but, since it isn’t, it’s all good.

Peoples, G. (2022) ‘HYBE Revenue Up 31% But Losing BTS Will Squeeze Margins in 2023.’ BillboardPro

This was another professional article, from a professional site/organisation which is known both for its relevance to the music industry, and for being accessible to and less discriminatory against kpop groups than most international organisations. It’s overall a reliable site for economic music-related news, and, as it is both recent, and written by an actual person, rather than an organisation, I feel fine using it for this essay.

‘Will BTS Survive with ONLY 3 Members? BTS Military Plan (2021 Updated!)’ by Rice Squad on YouTube, 2020

This one has questionable professionality, but is still made by a group of people dedicated to their content creation and who prioritise Asian voices (I believe the creators are mostly South Asian?). The video is extensively researched, and makes sources available. It also is pretty recent, and was updated when new information was made available to the creators. I would not be surprised if a new video was uploaded by the creators after the news of BTS’s enlistment. This video has a lot of content, including the history of enlistment and several possibilities for BTS. It’s a video that initially prompted my interest in the topic of BTS’s enlistment, and is useful for an essay like this.

Source Conclusions

Always look for professional sources, when you can. Someone who is paid to make news content is usually more likely to put effort into that content than someone who isn’t. Although that has changed with the advent of the internet.

If you read this far, thank you. I really appreciate your efforts and attention. I would really appreciate if you could reblog or like this post to show that you read it - and thank you again! <3

#txt #tomorrow x together #bts #army #moa #hybe #bighit #le sserafim #essay #one direction #enhypen #newjeans #&team

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thatforgottenbasilisk · 3 months

Text

the unofficial adventures of the unofficial archive group chat

Chapter 1 (AO3)

Originally posted on 1/22/2024

Summary:

TIM TAM TOM: martin you do not owe him an apology

TIM TAM TOM: i think you promoted yourself to his best friend actually

sash (❁´◡`❁): He's going to be asking you out any day now

TIM TAM TOM: married within the year

sash (❁´◡`❁): However I wouldn't bring up spiders again with him he's got the 'intense arachnophobia' note on his employee file

mahtin: He showed you his file?

sash (❁´◡`❁): No

mahtin: Oh

OFFICIAL archive discord

#general

hibitchcus flower just slid into the server.

hibitchcus flower just changed their nickname to TIM TAM TOM

Turbo nerd as in the movie joined the party.

TIM TAM TOM just changed Turbo nerd as in the movie's nickname to sash (❁´◡`❁)

sash (❁´◡`❁): Acceptable only because of the kaomoji

Good to see you, Blackwood, Martin

TIM TAM TOM: ugh god marto please tell me you just made that account 5 minutes ago

Blackwood, Martin: I'm sorry I've literally never heard of Discord!!

sash (❁´◡`❁): Give him a break he probably thought it was an official work thing

sash (❁´◡`❁): Directly affiliated with the Magnus Institute, London

TIM TAM TOM: please sash no jon references this early in the morning

Blackwood, Martin: It's 11:30?

TIM TAM TOM: if it's the AM it's too early in the morning

sash (❁´◡`❁): You voluntarily wake up at six, don't act like you're one of us

Blackwood, Martin: You're a morning person?

sash (❁´◡`❁): He goes to bed no later than 10 pm except for on special occasions

TIM TAM TOM: why would you call me out like this

TIM TAM TOM: im wounded

Blackwood, Martin: You should be

sash (❁´◡`❁): You should be

TIM TAM TOM: youre ganging up on me already i see how it is

TIM TAM TOM: also your name is giving me hives

TIM TAM TOM just changed Blackwood, Martin's nickname to MARTY PARTY

MARTY PARTY: Now I'm getting hives

sash (❁´◡`❁): You can change it in the top left corner

MARTY PARTY: Thank you!!

MARTY PARTY just changed their nickname to mahtin

mahtin: There, more acceptable

TIM TAM TOM: what did i JUST say about jon references

mahtin: You don't pronounce the 'r' in my name either? Nobody does? This is London?

TIM TAM TOM: yeah but jon is the most intense about it

sash (❁´◡`❁): MAHTIN YOU FORMATTED THIS INCORRECTLY!! JAIL FOR A THOUSAND YEARS!!

TIM TAM TOM: MAHTIN THE STANDARD WAY THAT WE FORMAT THINGS HERE HAS TWELVE-POINT FONT, NOT ELEVEN!

sash (❁´◡`❁): MAHTIN I DO NOT CARE IF YOU HAVENT DONE A REPORT LIKE THIS SINCE YOUR MASTER'S THAT YOU GOT TEN YEARS AGO! I'M GOING TO BE A BITCH ABOUT IT ANYWAY!

TIM TAM TOM: MAHTIN!

sash (❁´◡`❁): MAHTIN!

mahtin: I mean, to be fair, I truly haven't got a clue on how to do half these reports and follow-ups

mahtin: It's been too long since I've done anything outside of, you know, Library Things

mahtin: I don't blame him for being frustrated sometimes

TIM TAM TOM: once you get used to it its not hard at all

TIM TAM TOM: esp since you did it in uni all u gotta do is dust off them memoreez

sash (❁´◡`❁): Jon is unecessarily dramatic and mean about it though

TIM TAM TOM: ^^

sash (❁´◡`❁): He's like that with most things, though, so it's fine

sash (❁´◡`❁): He doesn't mean anything personal by it

TIM TAM TOM: we only bully him a little bit for it

mahtin: ah

sash (❁´◡`❁): ... 'ah?'

TIM TAM TOM: ??

mahtin: I see

mahtin: I may owe him an apology?

sash (❁´◡`❁): You what

TIM TAM TOM: im torn

TIM TAM TOM: on the one hand hell yeah lets go marto my man

TIM TAM TOM: on the other hand jon? is he okay? did you actually hurt his feelings ? the only reason hes not in the discord is bc hes fucking insufferable rn and also bc electronics dont like him-

mahtin: I could tell you what I did? To make you not torn?

TIM TAM TOM: no

mahtin: Well I'm going to say it anyway to determine if an apology is in order

sash (❁´◡`❁): Yes go ahead don't let Tim convince you otherwise

mahtin: Well

mahtin: I may have started a bit of a fight with him?

mahtin: Might have implied that he didn't pay attention in Uni?

mahtin: I was completely pulling it out of my arse but I was tired of being corrected on a bunch of little things like I'm SORRY it's been over TEN YEARS since I did ANY education

mahtin: So I dug in my heels on some inane little thing and now it's kind of. On sight

mahtin: This has been going on for a few days now? I'm surprised nobody picked up on it honestly

mahtin: I mean who has an argument about spiders? Even most arachnophobes agree that the jumping ones are cute! They're small and fuzzy what's not to love!

TIM TAM TOM: martin you do not owe him an apology

TIM TAM TOM: i think you promoted yourself to his best friend actually

sash (❁´◡`❁): He's going to be asking you out any day now

TIM TAM TOM: married within the year

sash (❁´◡`❁): However I wouldn't bring up spiders again with him he's got the 'intense arachnophobia' note on his employee file

mahtin: He showed you his file?

sash (❁´◡`❁): No

mahtin: Oh

TIM TAM TOM: if sash says dont bring something up w someone it means she hacked into somewhere she shouldnt and saw things nobody wanted her to see

TIM TAM TOM: she does that with everyone btw

sash (❁´◡`❁): It's easier to just look at the 'phobia' part than dance around like "hey, most people at the Fear Research Institute are absolutely fucking terrified of something, which club are you in? what should I not talk about with you?"

sash (❁´◡`❁): It's EFFICIENT and not personal information in the FEAR RESEARCH INSTITUTE it's basically an icebreaker question in Artifact Storage

sash (❁´◡`❁): For example

sash (❁´◡`❁): No clowns or mannequins with Tim

TIM TAM TOM: or creepy dolls

sash (❁´◡`❁): Or creepy dolls

sash (❁´◡`❁): I'm fine with pretty much anything in all honesty but I'll let you know if that changes

mahtin: Does my file say anything? I don't remember what I said my fear was

sash (❁´◡`❁): Yours was something existential like 'loneliness' or something like that

sash (❁´◡`❁): I don't tend to get that deep with my coworkers so if it's not going to come up in conversation I don't put in as much effort to remember it

mahtin: ... Interesting

mahtin: I don't remember what I said my fear was but I'm fairly certain it was something concrete

mahtin: Might've been snakes? I used to be scared of snakes for a while

mahtin: Then I got a part time job at a pet store for some extra money and their snakes were cool so no more of that

mahtin: But I was only asked the fear question once? During my interview?

sash (❁´◡`❁): ... Weird

TIM TAM TOM: ... indeed

#tma #tma fic #my writing #the unofficial adventures of the unofficial archive group chat #the unofficial adventures of the unofficial archive group chat fic

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thetwelfthcrow · 4 months

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Hey, I get it – everyone's got their own style. Rocking a dress? Totally cool. But let's not brush off the not-so-cool stuff Max said before. Comparing Lewis' comment to ableist slurs ain't fair.

Max only apologised when things heated up and the Mongolian government got involved. At first he said “it wasn’t his problem”, so let's not play down the ugly words.

Defending your countryman’s cool, but not at the expense of sweeping the unsavoury remarks, made by both him and his entourage in the past, under the rug.

We can appreciate the speed on the track without turning a blind eye to the words off it.

We, as a community, should raise the bar and stand up for what's right. It's important to call out wrongdoing, even if it involves our favs.

oh i like your tone! i appreciate your input.

i never said what max has said should be brushed off. i didn't mean to compare lewis' comment to what max said either, that's not the point i wanted to make.

max may have said, at first that it wasn't his problem, until he realised the severity of the situation yes. isn't that incredibly normal though? not realising you made a mistake until other people get involved and let you know that you did make a mistake? and then, once you realise the severity of the situation, you apologise? doesn't he deserve some acceptance that he said something harmful from an ignorant standpoint and then learned that he shouldn't say that again? this is not to say we should forget it, this is not to say that it wasn't bad what he said, this is all to say that he, like anyone else, is allowed to learn.

i didn't mean to defend him either. while i understand where he came from and why he said it (in the sense that it's a common swear word in the NL), i don't condone his behaviour. while i understand that he was filled to the brim with adrenaline and then you often say things you don't mean, i don't mean to say he was right for saying what he said.

i only mean to underline that regardless of who said what, everyone deserves to learn. everyone deserves empathy and patience and room to make mistakes to then get told by people they trust (friends; colleagues) that they shouldn't have said/done what they did. this whole cancel culture is so counterproductive. if i said something i didn't know was a slur, had negative connotations, or whatever, and someone said 'you! Zhalia! jail for one thousand years!' and never calmly explained what i did wrong, i will never learn! when someone sits me down and goes, hey z, maybe that wasn't so smart, because what you said/did is very negative toward other people, be careful of your words ok?' then i will learn, then i will understand, then i will change.

we as a community. i. i'm sorry but i never see the worth of calling people out on the internet. is it truly so important to harass our blorbos for what they said? do we have to go after their families and into their insta posts and dms and whateverthefuck to show on what moral high ground we are to lecture these ignorant fools on stuff?

okay sure we can let them know. we can send them stuff and go, hey, maybe not so smart. but also: is it our responsibility? does being a fan of someone mean you stand behind every word they say? because then i must've missed a fandom-course over the years. i never saw the value in that. i never saw calling my blorbos out as my responsibility, no matter how much i disagree with what someone said or did. i think, personally, i'm simply too old for meddling in that type of stuff. i like being here on tumblr and spreading things from afar and talking to fellow fans about it, but do i have to personally go to @ racer bia and message her 'hey girl, liking slurs on twix is maybe not the way to go' and will she then respond 'oh hey, you're so right babe, thanks!' or what? or should i make tweets with 'things bianca has achieved; a threat (zero follow ups)' to shade her? or should i block and cancel her? should we alert the newspapers? what am i supposed to do here? because personally, i wasn't planning on doing anything but reblog that screenshot. and yeah, i respond to anyone who sends me asks.

to close off, i wanna quote a friend on this who, in her reblogs, said: i think we should care about liked tweets a proportionate amount, as in lets not act like she said it with her whole chest. also i think giving a 18yo zero chances to improve/apologize is not good

i hope that this made sense :)

#zhalia's lil' answer chat #Anonymous #discourse #discourse: bianca & now also max

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overheaven · 7 months

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💖👻🖊😈🌈(puppy Jiro fic) and 👩‍🏭. And 🍰, 'cause why not! 💜

under the cut because the fics mentioned in here feature the “noncon” and “underage” archive warning tags, and incest ships ⚠️⚰️🕊️

👻 What is one WIP you think you may never pick back up?

oh jeez i have SO many because i often will get ideas for like, a single passage but nothing else. sometimes those take more shape but most of the time they stay dormant in my scrivener files u_u

i was working on a like. weirdly high concept thing about a cyberpunk-ish Hypmic AU where the BBs are androids that Rei’s been engineering. i got the idea after binge-reading Chobits lol so yeah it kind of follows the genre trope of Oops! Sentience! and i like the idea so much but i just don’t rly know what to do with it :P

🖊 Post a snippet from a current WIP.

from a SK8 fic, featuring a human furniture kink from my kink bingo card:

😈 Is there anything you enjoy doing that you think your readers hate?

i wouldn’t rly know what my readers hate (like i answered in a previous ask, i don’t get a lot of comments/feedback so i don’t rly assume anything about my readers, good or bad?) but i do feel a little bit of “sorry i did this. it will happen again.” whenever i post a fic about fem!Jiro LMAO

🌈 What inspired you to write [insert fic here]? (puppy Jiro fic)

oh my god the puppy Jiro fic. i think it was just that i was doing Dead Dove Kinktober and i really wanted to write something weird and yucky! i like body modification, especially when gender changes are involved it just. scratches my lizard brain. puppy hybrids too! so yeah it’s honestly just an idfic auhauhuh

👩‍🏭 If one of your fics was going to get you arrested, which one and why?

LMAOOO honestly my entire reijiro repertoire but it might be “荷物 — baggage.” the puppy jiro one is ICKYBAD because of the extreme age gap and unethical experimentation parts but it’s like SO wack that it’s almost funny imo. baggage is definitely a taboo fantasy but it’s more rooted in reality where forging documents and country-hopping to avoid arrest and kidnapping your favorite son by means of transporting him as luggage are uh. uhhh yeah jail for one thousand years. and i did want it to be a little melancholy and very uncomfortable to read despite how spicy it gets so yeah i guess i’d be an accomplice to Rei’s crimes there PFFFF

🍰 Name one of your fave comfort fics (doesn’t have to be your all time fave).

ok so i don’t really know how to pin down what a “comfort fic” is to me because i mostly read smut and/or dark fics! so i don’t reread things for like “yay warm nice” feels, i reread for “horny dismal pain” feels…

however i read one recently that was absolutely beautiful and is still haunting me in a deeply touching way, like something more akin to bittersweetness? and i want to mention that here! “are you near me? (my door is open)” by paranatellon REALLY captivated me. it has literally all of my favorite things— a macabre setup, body part gifting, eye horror, epistolary elements, Rodrigue as a background character(!!!), gorgeous imagery… the characterization is spot on for everyone, especially Dimitri who is just so very unwell but still treated with so much care and sympathy! i really love this fic!!!

#ask meme #fanfic asks #cw incest

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titch-the-eskibro-bandit · 9 months

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Hi, I know it's been a while since I've posted. I think something so important is accountability. When you have a public social platform whether you have 4 followers 400 or thousands it's so important to look at behavior both past and present and say yes I did or said this previously I do not support this now. I'm sorry if I said or did anything that was ignorant or just hurtful. Truth is I regret a bunch of things I posted. Of all things arguably my most problematic era was being a Degrassi blog of all things.

There was a time I dismissed Tristan being biphobic very early on when he said a line. He was biphobic. And thank fuck there were so many fans who called out that shit as harmful. Because it was and it still is. Even now it's still such a prevalent thing in the community especially with gay men towards bisexual men. Or lesbians with bisexual women. For someone who is queer herself I shouldn't of defended it the first time I heard it. I shouldn't of defended it period. I go both ways I wouldn't ever want someone to say that to me or anyone on the spectrum of sexuality because there's nothing to change or apologize for. Thank you to every single fan who said it was. Thank you for calling me out at that time even when I was too ignorant to see it for what it was. I am sorry. As an adult. Fuck that shit. Fuck the me that said those things.

Degrassi of all shows normalized a lot of things that shouldn't of been normalized. Katie raping Drew. Zoe doing child pornography to take back power after her assault. Biphobia. Ableism etc. We shouldn't herald a show for having representation as perfect because even shows with spectrums of representations aren't perfect. Or even shows/movies with little representation can fall under the umbrella of problematic normalization. Gossip Girl normalized rape culture with Chuck Bass where he attempted to SA two of the main females in the first episode and later the show demonized one of the girls for having 'sex' with him when she had hit a low point and Chuck took advantage of her. He was romanticized as a romantic lead and good endgame when he was an abusive predator who deserved jail not marriage and a child. Sex in the City Carrie was biphobic and it was normalized. The vampire era normalized so much pedophilia. It's okay to still enjoy the shows, media or movies you consume despite the problematic tendencies if you recognize and call out said problematic tendencies.

Whilst it's easily to look back and be like well oh it was normalized so my reactions at that period are fine. I think it's so important to look inward to yourself and reflect on if you have said or done something harmful to the community you have. I was harmful. It doesn't matter what I was going through. It doesn't even really matter if it was normalized I contributed to a bad stigma which hurt and potentially invalidated people. That's not okay.

Whilst queer representation hasn't 100% improved over the years seeing shows like Kitty x0x0 or schitts creek and many others depict bisexuality, pansexuality and the spectrum in general with so much respect and love makes me want to cry with happiness. I'm so thankful that kids and teens growing up get that. It's important ESPECIALLY if you are depicting a same sex relationship to see gay characters love and respect their spectrumed partners. I want better for the community I'm a part of. I want the representation that's deserved. The world is shitty and scary enough having that small ember of hope is needed.

#my one non regret to the degrassi fandom is my friends I made #they are genuinely good people who I love very much

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araminakilla · 2 years

Text

Day 35: 🎶 La Seine, la Seine, la Seine 🎶

First clip of the movie thanks to the Tumblr blogs of @sastiorn and also @shields-and-depthgauges-oh-my for posting it. Because we are only 5 weeks away from the premiere of the movie in Spain, they are releasing little sneak peeks of the third movie. Maybe we will get more of them in the following Fridays or earlier than that.

Anyway, I just LOVED the clip and all the implications it carries in less than 40 seconds. Like boy, those were some intense 40 seconds.

I will explain why in three words:

Police vs Mummy

Should we also include Tad, Jeffzoni and Ra-Amon-Ah as well? Yes, but also no.

Why? Because he is according to the director, a VERY important character in the third movie and according to french sources, Tad has his main nemesis in Ryan, the leader of the mighty trio of archeologists.

Of couse, the agents and the curse are a problem to him too but guys... everything is indication they are Mummy's main problem.

Incan mummy has the curse on him, he's the one who is battling to not let it take over him and it looks like he's losing forces to keep it at bay.

Pickles and Ramirez are following his account and being involved in his possible capture (especially Mr. Pickles, but that's a theme for another post)

After the Louvre incident, they have a very good reason to arrest him: the Mona Lisa being vandalized.

But something else has to happen for them to call the army, maybe they saw him transform into Ammit before arriving to Egypt.

In their eyes, they are doing a great favor to the world by eliminating this monster. They don't really see the content Mummy posted online.

At least is confirmed Agent Pickles just is seeing a monster, a potencial menace trying to hide with a phone filter.

It is possible this image is the first time the group encounter the french police (after the agents failed to reach them on land) and some police officer says on a megaphone they are arrested.

The one who is more worried in the image Mummy, as Tad is more surprised and Ramona is just confused.

It looks like Mummy is trying to push away the police boat, to no avail. He wants to get away from them ASAP

And let's look at the best part of the clip in my opinion:

"I'm too young to go to jail!"

"Nobody is going to jail"

Can we just. Talk about. This scene 👆🏽

So much emotion and details!

The way Mummy at first looks so amashed, like he just broke something very important on a elegant building... which he kind of did, but that's not the reason he's so worried as he thought he made the painting better.

Then the way he looks many times at the police boats, then back at Tad then at the boats in less than one second. The undead is so nervous he can't focus on only one person, using his hands to give himself air as if he's suffocating for a panic attack.

Then there's the fact he says he's too young to go to jail, which should be a joke given he's +500 years, but comparing his age to Ramona's (probably more than a thousand) and the way he acts in general, he feels like he died young, maybe mid twenties.

Also Tad, he is very worried about playing a part in the persecution and how everything is his fault to begin with.

But he manages to look at Mummy and giving him a little shook with his head denying the thought of his friend being in jail, being him the one who has more visual contact with Mummy while the other doesn't know where to look.

He also raises his hand to calm down his brother while reassuring him nobody is going to jail. It's so heartwarming.

But Mummy only thinks he will go to jail if they managed to capture him?

Oh sweetie... you kind, cursed, anxious, little peruvian andean child. No, jail will only be a sweet dream knowing what people could do to a living mummy.

And then Ramona breaks the moment while saying the equivalent to "Look where are you going slaves"

She DID call them slaves in the clip. She's definetly royalty, but also looks down at Mummy for the simple fact that he is not egyptian, denying that he is even a mummy to begin with. I'm really curious to see her development.

Going back at Mummy, he really just wanted to be somebody to the world, not in the "famous and rich" aspect, but he only wanted to be recognized as a fellow being that, in the modern world of humans, could fit in.

But everything backfired at end with many people being NOT happy with his existence, and now the agents know about what he really is...

and these two french police officers

and all of those french people there

and the rest of people on those boats.

Hence, this "discovery" could lead us to:

This scene, where an authority of Paris has to probably calm down its citizens by all the conmotion that happened in and out the Louvre Museum.

Maybe they already know there was a Monster in Paris (*roll credits*) or two.

I just want a good resolution to all this scandal. And for "good" I don't mean "everyone forgot about the incident. Tad and Mummy went scot free and everything was back to normal. The end"

No, what I'm talking about is how the world is going to react to the fact that there are two living mummies, magic, places that have a lot of riches in their own countries. The unknow.

How things will end up with Victoria Moon, agents Ramirez and Pickles, especially Mr. Pickles as he is the more determined of the two. He really wants someone guilty and resolving that case.

Hope the end is not only an average end, but the beggining of something greater.

They have the potencial, they just have to play all the cards right.

#tadeo jones #tadeo jones 3 #tad the lost explorer #tad the last explorer 3 #tadeo jones meta #tadeo jones analysis #tadeo jones theory #tad stones #mummy (tadeo jones)#jeffzoni #Ra-Amon-Ah #ramona (tadeo jones)#agent ramirez #agent pickles #tadeo jones ramirez #tadeo jones pickles #yeah I had to do at least two references to A monster in Paris #my brain was begging to #tad 3 countdown

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ilexdiapason · 2 years

Note

talk to me about sausage man

oh yeah i get to do this now bc im free of post jail !!!!

so ur sausage. and u live in the empire of mythland, a thousand years ago, and you're maybe a little bit tortured by Entities and corruption but it's okay because you have a couple friends to stand through it all with you. not least of all your best friend pearl! you have a lot of fun battling each other.

and then a demon comes and wracks ur world, destroys ur empire, and ur best friend withers to death in front of u, and thats. not great. everything is gone, everyone is killed.

but you come back, because that's what happens in minecraft, right? just not in the way you used to come back before.

this is your afterlife. you convince yourself that you're an angel, and you build a big old church to live in, and you call it hallow's reach. and then when you die again you reincarnate as half witherborn, and you build a new half of your house, and you call that wither's grasp. and you don't really remember the things that came before, although you are a little wary of any red sheep you see wandering around the place.

fast forward eight more lives, you learn, you grow, you die. finally, on your tenth life, you are reborn as an angel - a real one. you finally finish the church and your holy ground. oli orionsound plays you out with a soundtrack of hallelujah as you ascend to heaven.

your friend pearl is there. she welcomes you in, says she's been following along on her big tv. you have a lot of fun battling each other again. and then you take a nice big nap.

when you're reborn, it's in another world unlike the last, and again you don't quite remember what came before, although you are tortured by Visions this time instead. you build a new empire, though - sanctuary. a place that everyone can come to feel safe, feel like they have friends around them.

and you build a church. a cathedral, more precisely, but it's holy ground. you name it la catedral de santa perla - la madre de girasoles. it just feels right to you.

#ijust. sosig :)#AND DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON HOW OLI FACTORS INTO THIS #safety tag

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fakecrfan · 3 years

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Hi just want to say your story about the superhero was incredible. It broke my heart and I loved it

AN ASK ABOUT AN ORIGINAL THING I WROTE? 🥺

I wrote two superhero stories but only one has been getting likes in my activity feed recently so I think you mean my construction superhero short story. (checks the post) oh uh wow that’s getting more traction than I realized. Shit. So that’s why a bunch of people followed me recently.

Anyway, I don’t know if you are still watching my blog anon but since you liked my story have another snippet I whipped up just for you.

Excerpt from an interview with prisoner #4598, also known by the code names “Constructor,” “Destructor,” and “the Architect.” Transcript incomplete due to being salvaged after the attack on the prison records. Interview conducted by Mitchell Newman.

---

MN: Okay, well, since our memory experts can’t see anything in your head but muck and have established we’re not going to get any information out of you, anyway…

4598: Lethe is very good at memory stuff.

MN: Right, yes, of course she is. So since you’ve forgotten all useful information and I have to visit you at least for two hours a week just so this doesn’t count as solitary confinement--

4598: Could I talk to Sandy?

MN: Ms. White hasn’t asked to speak to you.

4598: Right.

MN: Anyway as I was saying, since I have to be here anyway why don’t you just tell me about yourself? Give me the whole manifesto.

4598: (no answer).

MN: Right. Well. Let me just continue then and you can answer if you feel like it. Sound good? Good. So, here is my question. What do you think about what people call you now? The first time you got arrested, you didn’t escape for months. Why?

4598: (no answer)

MN: Everyone thought it was because you needed to know the makeup of the material in order to shape it. When you stayed put they thought they’d gotten you with their Akonite walls. But it turns out you never needed to know that and you were just… sitting in there anyway.

4598: Right.

MN: What stopped you from escaping?

4598: (no answer)

MN: Did you think that you’d be let out if you played along, since you had good PR then?

4598: No.

MN: Okay. Was it that you still believed in the justice of the system?

4598: No.

MN: Second thoughts about trying to stop the construction of that stadium?

4598: Uh, no.

MN: Alright then. Why?

4598: (no answer)

MN: Is it related to your apparently still-developing powerset? Are you hiding some ability or--

4598: Depression.

MN: What?

4598: I was depressed.

MN: Ah.

4598: Everyone I had looked up to wanted me in jail. I thought no one would agree with me, so there was no point.

MN: Right.

4598: Uh, that’s something Sandy taught me. It doesn’t really matter what powers you have. If you want to get things done--big things, like building cities--you need lots of people. The things I’ve done, rebuilding… It's always because people have helped me. Cleared away poisons so I could go in the area. Gave me materials. Helped me learn.

MN: And without those people, you decided you couldn’t do anything?

4598: Yeah.

MN: So what changed your mind and made you decide to enact the largest villain breakout in history?

4598: It…

MN: What’s that?

4598: I had to try. It wouldn’t be right to just give up immediately. I couldn’t do it alone so I decided to find people who could help.

MN: And those villains--many of them serial killers and terrorists--these people shared your altruistic goals?

4598: (no answer).

MN: Right, sorry. That was a bit blunt on my part. I just mean it must have been a difficult group to work with.

4598: Hm.

MN: You’re pretty famous for not killing anyone yourself, even now. I really believe you don’t want people to die if they don’t have to. How do you reconcile that with working with, oh, Inferno. You know, the one that burnt innocent congressmen alive?

4598: (no answer).

MN: Some of the villains who escaped that day went on to kill innocent people, even if the ones you became friends with didn’t. Do you have any regrets?

4598: ...Skinner killed three children before we caught him. Toxica got… one, but made 48 people very sick for a while. Um, the others--I counted it all up. The amount of people who died due to the actions of villains that escaped because of me was 28.

MN: So you--

4598: The attacks your heroes do on other countries have casualties that number in the hundreds. Thousands sometimes.

MN: We were tracking down a highly dangerous villain with a power that could--

4598: That could not do half of that damage. They never can. The serial killers and terrorists--they’re hideous people. But there has never been one with the power to do what American “heroes” do every year.

MN: That’s because we kill them first.

4598: And then there is the damage afterwards. The sickness. People who die in the rubble. People who have their entire homes destroyed only to be turned away as undesirables when they try to find a home somewhere else.

MN: That’s not equi--

4598: You asked me if I have regrets. Yeah, I do.

4598: I regret every single fucking base I built for all of you.

---

The rest of the transcript is unsalvageable. Prisoner #4598 escaped shortly after, as containment measures on the subject once again failed. Future heroes are advised to use lethal force on sight, as containment has proven impossible and these transcripts indicate de-radicalization is unlikely.

#my writing #my original writing #superheroes #constructor #thank you so much for the ask!#I'm sure this won't get the same traction as the original post but!#in case anyone else wants to read more #long post

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spilledkauffie · 3 years

Text

Game Night

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader Word Count: 2.2k T/W: fluff A/N: Part 2 of Bingo — a few months later

I am SO SORRY this took me way longer to post than it should have!

Bucky Tag List: @anreeixcobra ❤︎ @tsnelf7 ❤︎ @fandom-princess-forevermore

It was Friday night, which meant one thing: Game Night. Ever since Yori introduced you at Bingo, you made it a tradition in your relationship to play board games on Fridays. For the most part you kept it to fairly modern games, but tonight was going to be a surprise.

Tonight it was your place, 8 o’clock. Bucky showed up with a six pack of root-beer in glass bottles. You added a few to the fridge as he found his usual seat at your apartment table. He waited for you to round the small apartment’s bar and join him. Sliding the glass bottles across the table to Bucky, you smiled, biting in your bottom lip, as he slid your bottle back, now without its top.

Easily he popped the top off his own bottle with his left hand; it was as he was about to take a sip that he caught sight of your look, “what?” he furrowed his eyebrows, questionably.

“So. . . tonight,” you tried not to giggle.

“What?” Bucky asked again, this time finding himself following your smile despite his will not to.

“Tonight is going to be special,” you clasped your hands together, “because I found some stuff that’s as old as you.”

“Wow, thanks,” Bucky said sarcastically, taking a sip, shaking his head, blinking softly as he saw you rush to convince him it would be fun. Sighing deeply, he gave in, “alright, what is it?”

“I’ll be right back,” you twirled on your heel and left the room.

Returning to shaking his head and the glass bottle, he paused after settling the bottle on the table. It’d been a long time since anyone cared about anything actually as old as him. He’d been pretty good at keeping up with the times, a lot of things he knew just got an upgrade, but the thought of something from his actual childhood felt a little heartwarming.

“Okay,” you declared, reentering the room with a stack of vintage boxes in your arms that made Bucky lean back in his chair out of shock, “here we are.”

His jaw dropped a little at what you had brought out as you set the stack on the table. Watching you take a deep breath and exhale with a smirk, he shook his head, this time silently asking “how?” You set your hands atop the stack, rapping your fingers across the top box as you smiled again.

Smoothing your hands out across the box top, you cleared your throat, “no peeking,” bringing Bucky’s attention entirely to you.

“Option number one,” you held up the rectangular shape with severely faded letters across it, “Scrabble, released 1938.” The box very gently met the table, “option number two,” you looked at him attempting not to giggle as you saw him cross his arms over his chest, genuinely listening to you intently, “Sorry! released 1934, Battleship, original pen and paper game,” you clarified, he lifted his eyebrows, impressed, “and last but not least, Monopoly, released 1935.”

“Wow, you uh- you really did your research,” he commented, looking over the stack of authentically vintage boxes.

“Of course,” you shrugged with a smile, “my boyfriend’s 106, if I want to bring back some childhood nostalgia, that requires some research. . . and late hour ebay bidding in our case.”

He nodded, a faint smile showing, before it faded with his next words, “I hope you didn’t do too much research on me,” he looked up, hand resting on Monopoly.

You calmly slid down into the seat across from him and stared with a kind smile still on your lips, reaching to touch his hand, you stroked your thumb against his knuckles, “I’m more of a first hand account, direct source, kind of girl when it comes to people,” the corner of his mouth tugged into a smile.

You knew, just not everything, and he wasn’t sure he was prepared to have another living soul know it all quite yet. Luckily, you were someone who seemed to actually understand that.

“Or,” you announced, lifting a pointer finger, as if requesting a pause whilst you went to a nearby drawer, returning with a much smaller box, “we can get really really old school, even for you” the box met the table top, “standard 52 card deck, English edition, circa 1516. . .obviously not original.”

Bucky chuckled, looking to you, tonguing his cheek, before picking up the cards, “I hate to tell you, but that’s just a little before my time,” he squinted at you, teasingly.

Biting your lip, your shoulders shifted with the giggle that came after his comment, “so, come on,” you sat back down, this time with your elbows on the table and hands laced, to support your resting chin on top of them, “what should I beat your butt in?”

“Oh,” Bucky, attempting to appear insulted, began raising his eyebrows, “you think?”

“Yeah,” you laughed your words while looking at his serious face, “I think, better yet, I know.”

“Well, I don’t know where you get your confidence from. You know you are talking to a local senior Bingo night champion,” he shrugged with a head tilt, as if that was supposed to be a big deal.

“Woooow,” you drew out, smiling uncontrollably.

“But,” he sighed, “okay,” he shook his head once, accepting your challenge, “let’s go, you’re on! Monopoly,” he brought the box towards himself as you set the others on the floor next to your chair.

You watched as he picked up the little metal pieces, examining each one individually. There was an expression you’d never seen before, he was remembering something positive from his past. A memory that sparked a smile that you helped bring about. He surveyed the board, with all its bright colours and familiar street names.

“It’s been-” he paused, looking upward, doing the math in his head, “it’s been 85 years since I played this game,” setting each piece he stopped at the boat, laughing to himself, “you know, Steve used to always be the battleship.”

A soft smile came across your lips, while you watched him remember exactly how to set it up. You picked the Scottie dog and he picked the vintage race car piece.

“Were you always the race car?” you ventured, wanting to know more about his childhood, you knew he didn’t talk about it often.

“Oh,” he glanced to the piece he had just naturally picked up without a thought, “yeah, well, I think,” he gave a quick, but somber smile, before clearing his throat, and actually looking up, “and my sister, whenever she’d actually manage to get mom and dad to let her stay up with us, she’d always be the thimble,” he leaned back in his chair, smiling, “whenever it was her turn to move she’d put it on her finger and hop it down the street names.” He leaned back to the table, “we never made her go to jail, even if she landed on it, Steve would make up some rule that let her skip it.”

“That’s really sweet of you guys,” you said, looking softly at his smile.

“Yeah,” he swallowed, “but don’t think you can skip jail,” he changed his tone, preferring not to dwell on the past even if it was positive.

“Don’t think I’ll be visiting,” you smirk confidently, “better watch out for the money man yourself.”

“Wow, who is this?” he dropped his jaw, “she’s so sarcastic, does Yori know this side of you? Do you sneak jellybeans under the table or something evil like that?”

Laughing, you took your root-beer, “just give me my $1,500 so the smack down can actually begin.”

Two hours later, after a long battle between Boardwalk, control over the railroads, and many, many visits to jail, you sat back, lips quirked, arms across your chest as your little Scottie sat in jail.

“And three thousand, six hundred, and five. . . I’m sorry, but that leaves you,” Bucky set his elbows on the table, wincing at you, “bankrupt.”

“Fine,” you huffed jokingly, giving your best pout,“you win.”

“Aww, c’mon,” Bucky reached out a hand to touch your forearm comfortingly, accompanied by a smile you couldn’t deny.

“You wanna go again?” You offered seriously, resting your hand on top of his tenderly, happy to see him so happy.

“It was really fun, but let’s play something else, this time you pick,” he offered.

Breaking into a smile, you gave a nod, and he asked what you had in mind. It took a moment, you wanted to make this good, and you wanted to see it be a little more of a struggle for him, if you were honest.

“You know, I know it’s later than your. . .original timeline, but there’s this fantastic game called Twister,” you smirked, perking an eyebrow to ask if he was up for it.

“Twister?” He repeated you, tilting his head like a confused puppy, “what’s Twister?”

“I’ll show you, but,” you glanced over to your small apartment living room, “we might need to arrange the furniture a little.”

“Don’t worry,” Bucky stood, “I can handle that.”

Smiling, you stand, “okay, just push it all to one side, I’ll get the game.”

Ten minutes later, shoeless, you both stood looking over the polka dotted sheet on the floor. Nodding happily to yourself, Bucky shook his head almost in fear.

“Make sense?” You asked, having just explained the very simple rules, you turned to face him.

“Oh, I’m sorry I asked,” he sighed, shouldering off his jacket and tossing it onto the couch along with his glove, “yeah, it makes sense,” he set his hands on his hips, pondering this new game intently.

“Okay, you first,” you held up the spinning arrow, and began.

One hand and foot at a time, sometimes struggling to reach the spinner, but you both made it work pretty well. Having kept to one side of the sheet, it came time to get a smidge more twisted.

Bucky managed to keep balanced and spin a green dot with his left arm, conveniently it placed him right over you. As he began to reach for green, he carefully calculated how best to approach the green dot in order to keep his balance. It was a pretty far reach and he’d need to balance himself whilst reaching over you.

“What’s the matter old man, can’t quite move like you used to?” you shamelessly giggled.

Raising his eyebrows at your tone, “ohhh, wow,” Bucky said sincerely, finally placing his left arm over you and to a green dot, now above you he tilted his head sassily, “respect your elders.”

His last sentence only made your giggle turn into a genuine laugh. You closed your eyes and threw your head back a little. Admittedly, Bucky thought it was funny too, but he didn’t laugh, he just took in your smile and the sound of your laugh, enjoying every single moment of it.

When you brought your head back up, you were about to respond sassily, but instead you found his lips meeting yours. With a small squeak of surprise, you relaxed into the kiss, glad that he was finally confident enough with you to take a chance now and then. He tasted like vanilla root beer, which mixed wonderfully with the scent of his cologne you were finally close enough to smell.

It was soft and slow at first, but slowly, with his right hand palming the arch of your back, you eased into his touch, lower back almost meeting the floor as you both sunk down a little. You completely forgot about the game, as you reached your arms around his neck gently. Keeping the kiss close, you felt him hesitate to deepen it, so you gave him a small sign of encouragement, by moving your hand to the side of his neck, naturally bringing him even closer.

You had no idea how long you’d been there, on that polka dot sheet, but it was such bliss that you didn’t even care. Smiling into the kiss, you felt him smile back.

Parting, he pressed his forehead to yours, “I win,” he whispered, lips in a smile.

“What?” was all you could ask, still mesmerised by the kiss.

Bucky motioned his head to his left arm which happened to have been keeping the two of you steady. . . all the while remaining on the green dot. You dropped your arms from around his neck, to the floor, elbows supporting you as you looked up at him, shaking your head.

“That does not count, Bucky,” you tried not to smile as he kept his arm as still as possible.

“What? But my hand’s still on green,” he dramatically gestured to it, making you bite your lip to repress a giggle, trying to match his seriousness.

Shoving his chest directly above you, he feigned an ‘ow!’ before you softly pull him closer again.

“If I kiss you are you gonna hit me again?”

You smirk, “I might if you don’t.”

Bucky smiled, lips almost touching yours, “alright, sorry,” he smiled, voice almost a whisper as his lips brushed against yours, “I’m still learning the rules to this game.”

606 notes · View notes

five-rivers · 3 years

Text

Green Sky Highway

Phic Phight Phic for @deuynndoodles

The Fenton Ecto Cell Bettery (aka the Better Battery) was designed to draw power from not only an internal, pre-charged store of ectoplasm, but also from ambient, atmospheric ectoplasm. This meant that it would never run out of juice so long as it was in the Ghost Zone. The Specter Speeder was designed to travel in the Ghost Zone. Thus, the Betteries were the perfect power source for it. In theory.

In practice… Well, that just wasn’t working out, and Maddie didn’t know why. She gripped the underside of the dash and tried to push herself deeper beneath it to get a better view of the machinery.

“Maddie? You see anything?” asked Jack, who couldn’t fit under the dash. He’d been inspecting as much of the engine as he could from the inside, which wasn’t much. The Speeder wasn’t designed to be serviced while free-floating in the Ghost Zone.

Which, now that she thought of it, was a serious oversight.

“Everything looks fine,” said Maddie. “Except that it doesn’t have any power. Nothing’s lighting up, but all the connections look good. You?”

“I can’t get anything to work. Anything. It’s like… we’re in some kind of technological dead zone. But that doesn’t make sense.”

Maddie pulled herself out to see Jack vigorously scratching his head and shedding dandruff everywhere. “Ghosts do tend to disrupt technology.”

“But we fixed that. We designed all our weapons to work with that.”

“We know there are things we don’t know,” said Maddie, “and it’s always good to find new things! Though not pleasant to find them out like this…” They should really test their inventions more, honestly.

But it had been over a year of testing since they opened the portal. They had to jump in at some point, didn’t they? That was the whole point of the portal.

She sighed. “Well, we didn’t have a lot of forward momentum when the portal cut out.” She looked out the window. “We could see if we can get out and engage our jetpacks.”

“Uh, about that,” said Jack. He swung open the door to the jetpack cabinet. The empty jetpack cabinet. “I may have forgotten to put them back after refueling them.”

“Jack…”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

Maddie massaged the bridge of her nose with her mostly-clean knuckles. This was a repeat of the handle inside the weapons vault. At least he wasn’t pushing the blame for it back onto Danny or Jazz. That would definitely have started a fight.

On the other hand, there really wasn’t any guarantee the jetpacks would even still be functional, so maybe it was for the best. For certain values of best.

She groaned.

There was a knocking sound. “Is that coming from the engine?” Maddie asked.

“No…” said Jack, slowly. “I think it came from the door…”

They both turned to stare. Something moved outside it. They shifted to get a better view out the window.

Phantom was out there, tapping on the door with a ten-foot pole.

“That little unnatural abomination,” cursed Jack under his breath. “He’s going to scratch the paint!”

Phantom apparently saw them and waved. “Hey!” he shouted, just loud enough to be heard through the walls of the Speeder. “Do you guys need a lift?”

Jack and Maddie turned to each other.

“How did he know we were here?”

“I don’t know,” said Jack. “Do you think he followed us?”

“It wouldn’t be difficult, but I’m surprised he didn’t show up on our detectors.”

“He does seem to have the ability to drop off of them.”

“True,” said Maddie. “So, how do we handle this? Fenton bat?”

“I don’t know, Mads. He might be, uh, sincere? That time with the ectofiltrator he did help me.”

“That’s one, single, datapoint. He’s a been a menace every other time we’ve encountered him.”

“I don’t know that we have much other choice,” said Jack, nodding towards the dead engines and the empty jetpack cabinet.

Maddie huffed out a sigh, then looked back at Phantom, who waved again.

“Fine. We still have to decide how to deal with him while we’re cooperating with him. Or if he decides to show his true colors.”

“Good idea.”

Danny knew this had been a terrible, terrible idea the moment his parents opened the door to the Speeder armed to the teeth. Why did they always feel the need to do that? None of the weapons, with the possible exceptions of the Fenton Bat and the Fenton Crowbar could even work here.

How his parents had, on their first jaunt into the Ghost Zone, managed to run smack into the Time Locked Lands was beyond him. They had to go to the one place in the Ghost Zone that the Speeder wouldn’t work and after coating the Speeder with some kind of anti-ghost spray that Danny absolutely refused to touch again. Ever. Especially in ghost form. Except with a ten-foot pole.

(If they’d left the spray off, he could have just pushed the Speeder back out of the Time Locked Lands. But, no, they had to make everything as difficult and painful as possible.)

“I am not carrying all that,” said Danny, flatly.

(Especially because it would all turn back on once they left the Time Lost Lands, and if there wasn’t a Specter Deflector under all that, he’d eat his own belt.)

“Then we aren’t going anywhere with you!” proclaimed Maddie.

“You’re stranded in the middle of the Ghost Zone. I don’t think you have a choice.”

“We do!”

“I could literally just fly over there and snatch you right now. Plus, again, stranded. Do you even have any food in there?”

“Of course we do!” said Maddie. “We aren’t incompetent.”

Jack looked guilty. Danny decided not to bring it up.

“Okay, but still, you’re going to run out eventually, and then you’ll still be floating in the Ghost Zone with no way to get out. You aren’t going to get another friendly ghost coming by.”

“I’ve never seen a friendly ghost to begin with!”

“Maddie…”

“I can just leave, you know,” said Danny, planting his hands on his hips and bluffing for all he was worth. He was not leaving his parents here to be used as hostages or who knew what else.

Hopefully, they wouldn’t call the bluff. They shouldn’t. No sane, reasonable person would. He was their only way out of this mess. On the other hand, his parents had never been completely sane, reasonable people.

Danny thought his odds were about fifty-fifty. Which meant he could hope.

Jack and Maddie had an intense, whispered conversation. This, thankfully, lead to them divesting themselves of most of their visible weaponry. Which meant that they still had more guns on them than most professional soldiers during a firefight.

Well, it was better than he’d expected. But it was still too many.

“Take the Specter Deflectors off,” he said. “What do you think will happen if I try to carry you and you have those on.”

There was muttering.

“Come on, come on,” said Danny, snapping his fingers. Which really shouldn’t work through his gloves but did anyway.

Sometimes ghost nonsense was good for making lasers fly from your hands, and sometimes it was good for tiny aesthetic breaks in physics. It was a grab bag, really.

“Alright,” said Danny. “I’m going to fly over and pick you up. Don’t hit me.”

Oh, jeez, he was not looking forward to carrying them all the way over to the portal. Sure, he could bench press a school bus, but there was a difference between holding up a school bus for a minute and carrying two people who hated his guts a mile through enemy territory while flying slowly enough not to give them windburn.

Sure, it’d probably only take a few minutes, even then, but those would be the longest few minutes in his entire life. Not counting his actual death.

Being carried by Phantom had to be the single worst experience in Jack’s entire life.

It wasn’t the speed or the lack of control – he loved carnival rides – or the height – Jack couldn’t tell you how many buildings he’d jumped off in pursuit of ghosts – or even the fact that Phantom was a sinister specter, and ectoplasmic emanation, a putrid piece of protoplasm – he’d been carried by ghosts before, usually ones who were a lot more upfront about wanting to kill him.

Actually, Jack didn’t know why he didn’t like it. He just didn’t.

Maybe it was just how uncomfortable it was? But Jack did way more uncomfortable things. Like interacting with his sister-in-law. Brr.

Maybe it was the lurking feeling behind every interaction he ever had with Phantom that there was something he just wasn’t seeing, some hidden truth that would make everything about Phantom, every contradiction, every confusion, make sense.

Nah, that couldn’t be it. Maddie would have figured it out by now. That’s why they made such a great team. He noticed the things she didn’t, and she noticed the things he didn’t.

“You’re going the wrong way,” snapped Maddie.

Just like that!

Wait. That was a really bad thing.

“I’m not going the wrong way,” snapped Phantom. “I’m avoiding Walker’s prison. I don’t know how he didn’t catch you on your way out, but I’m not eager to be thrown in jail for a thousand years.”

“Ghosts have jail?” asked Jack surprised.

“Depends where you are,” said Phantom. “Walker isn’t really a sheriff, though. There’s no government behind him and he just makes up rules randomly so he can lock up anybody he doesn’t like.”

“Like you,” observed Jack.

“Why doesn’t it surprise me that you’re even wanted by whatever passes for the law here?”

“First, rude. Secondly, there are realms in here that are just as organized and civilized as any country on Earth. Just because you opened your portal into the equivalent of post-apocalyptic Detroit doesn’t mean it’s all like this.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” said Maddie.

“I could arrange that, you know,” said Phantom, stilling.

Jack laughed nervously. “Maybe another time?” The ghost would do what it would do, but they didn’t need to encourage him to bring them even deeper into the Ghost Zone. They were currently banking on Phantom’s obsession with heroics to get them home, but if they changed the equation… Yeah, Jack didn’t want to deal with the consequences of that.

Ghosts were like computers that ran only one program. One homicidal, destructive program.

It was like that thought experiment about an AI whose job was to maximize the number of paperclips. It’d just keep on making more and more paperclips until nothing was left. Which was why they had to be stopped.

Easier said than done, as Jack and Maddie had learned.

“You don’t have to be so freaked out,” muttered Phantom. “It isn’t like I’m going to kidnap you or anything.” He pretended to sigh.

What was the point of that? He had to know that Jack and Maddie wouldn’t fall for his tricks. Actually, come to think of it, he was miming breathing, too, and had been the whole time.

Maybe that’s why Jack was so uncomfortable. The constant undercurrent of deception.

Hmmm… something to think on.

“What’s that?” asked Maddie, pointing.

“Uh,” said Phantom, who did a double take.

Ooh, that wasn’t reassuring.

Danny clenched his teeth, his parents’ reactions to him weren’t reassuring, and even less reassuring was the way Pariah’s Keep had moved from its usual creepy location and to this new creepy location. Not that there were any non-creepy locations in the Ghost Zone. It was part of the place’s charm.

No, really. Some part of Danny craved the creepiness. He was half-ghost, after all.

(Even if his idea of creepiness was, according to his friends, sort of lame.)

But back to the main point. The keep really, really shouldn’t be here. And it was creeping him out.

It should be okay to just… fly past it, though, right? Just being in its airspace in the past hadn’t done anything bad. So, flying by with his parents in tow shouldn’t do anything either. Right?

Danny put on more speed, just in case. This coincided with a bunch of large ghost ravens (or were they crows?) dive bombing them and forcing him to land to defend himself and parents. The only land around being the rim of the island that supported the keep.

He knew something like this would happen. Maybe not exactly this, but he just knew he’d be attacked and everything would devolve into nonsense, and—

Huh. The birds weren’t attacking him, just his parents. Oh, these were racist (mortalist?) birds. Gross. Trust Pariah Dark to have bigoted birds. He called up a shield to protect his parents. Whereupon they shot him in the back, shouting about how he betrayed them to the birds, because why not?

Why was his life like this?

He pushed himself up off the ground. Starbursts twinkled behind his eyes. Neither his parents nor the crows were in sight. The crows could have gone anywhere. His parents on the other hand…

There was only one place they could have gone.

Well. At least none of the nonsentient traps would work on them, seeing as they were humans. What were the odds that they’d run into one of the sentient defenders?

Well… considering the ravens?

Yeah. That’d be about one hundred percent.

“Maddie, I don’t know about this…” said Jack, examining the tall, vaulted ceiling.

“We had to get away from Phantom. This was the only way to go.”

“But he came here for a reason, Mads,” whispered Jack, tip-toing.

“Yeah, this is definitely a trap. But what can we do?”

“Jack? Maddie? This is not a place you want to wander around in! Oh, holy—” There was a loud thump.

Maddie grabbed Jack’s hand and pulled him forward. “We have to get away from him.”

“Come on! This is a floating island! I’m your only way off! Why are you like this?”

“He has a point,” said Jack.

Maddie stopped. “I guess he does.”

“This is literally the worst place you could have picked to run away!” A sound like a very large door opening and closing reached their ears. “This is Pariah Dark’s place! Where did you even go?”

“Mads?”

“Yeah?”

“Who’s Pariah Dark?”

“I think that was the name of the ghost that sucked the town into the Ghost Zone a few months ago.”

“Please, guys! I’m trying to help you here! This place is ultra-dangerous! You could accidentally – yikes! – wake up Pariah Dark.”

“Maybe we should…”

“Yeah,” said Maddie, “maybe we should.”

“Phantom!” called Jack. “Phantom! We’re over—” The floor opened up underneath them and they fell into the dark.

Maddie woke to a dark room, tied to a chair. She noticed the faintly glowing ghost in front of her and jolted backwards.

The ghost wore a set of painted and engraved plate armor, a pair of lavender-white eyes glowing from behind the slats of its visor. A knight, of sorts, Maddie supposed.

“You…” droned the ghost in a painfully stereotypical ghostly moan. “Enemies of the king… why have you come here?”

“Huh?”

That was Jack’s voice. He was tied behind her, apparently.

“We don’t have anything to say to you,” snapped Maddie.

“Uh,” said Jack. Something twisted behind Maddie. “Are you a friend of Phantom?”

“A friend? A friend?”

“I’m going to take that as a no,” muttered Maddie.

The door of the room flew off its hinges. “Fright Knight!” shouted Phantom, pointing a glowing finger. “Wait, you aren’t Fright Knight. Who are you, and what do you want with my- With, uh, the Fenton ghost hunters? Who I don’t know very well at all. Promise.”

“What,” said the ghost.

“What,” said Maddie.

“What,” said Jack.

“Okay, forget everything I just said.” He gestured at the ghost. “Who are you?”

“My name is Paladin, my liege.”

“Okay, okay, cool, cool. I- Wait, what? What did you call me?”

“My liege?”

Phantom looked like he was having an existential crisis.

“Maddie was right!” exclaimed Jack, who couldn’t see Phantom’s face. “You did lead us into a trap!”

“What? No? I’ve never even met this guy before! You are a guy, right?”

“Yes, my liege.”

“Right. I’m going to put that on the backburner and freak out about it later. How are you- Why are you—” Phantom shook his head. “Why are you here in Pariah’s Keep?”

“It’s your keep.”

“Since when?”

“Say what now?” asked Jack and Maddie at once.

“Look, this is news to me, too. But, back to the question. You. The keep. Why? I mean, you weren’t here before.”

“That is because Pariah sealed me, my liege. When you defeated him, I was released and immediately swore fealty to the true king. You.”

“I am so freaking out right now, but we’ll revisit that. Later. Right now, I have to get these guys home.”

“But they have hostile intentions towards your person, my liege!”

“Everyone has hostile intentions towards me. I’m honestly surprised you haven’t attacked me yet.”

“Ah. My liege, perhaps you should seek the services of a priest, if all your experiences with new people are such.”

“Is that the medieval equivalent of a therapist?”

“I fear I do not know what that is. Why do you ask?”

“Because the last time I talked to one of those, they purposefully picked at every one of my insecurities and then tried to murder my, uh. Someone close to me.”

“An evil counselor, then,” said the knight, gravely.

“I want to agree with you, but somehow I feel like you’re talking about something completely different than the image in my head.”

“That may be true, my liege. Doubtless, you are very wise.”

Maddie was… lost.

Very lost.

Even so, her prerogative was escaping. She started twisting, trying to get to the knots around her wrists.

“Did you, uh, pilot the castle out here?”

“Yes. I sensed that mortal enemies of the king, that’s you—”

“I will debate that as soon as my brain stops screaming at me.”

“—had entered the Realm.”

“Right. Yeah. Thank you. But I can handle these guys. And I need to get them home. Please. I made a deal with them.”

“With these?”

“Hey!” said Jack, offended.

“I mean, I use the term deal pretty loosely.”

“Hey!”

“But yes. Please. Just. Dang. How did you tie them up that quickly?”

“It’s a hobby.”

“Do you mind if I take the chairs?”

“They are your chairs, my liege.”

“I’m still not used to that.”

“Are you quite certain you want to take them? And just… Let them loose? The dungeon here is very functional. We even have an oubliette.”

“Raincheck. But thank you. Really, I mean it.” Phantom flew behind Maddie, and she protested as the chair she was in was yanked upward. “Uh… I might have gotten turned around a time or two, so if you could…”

“Of course! The keep does seem to have sustained some damage, so we will have to take some detours.”

“Phantom! Phantom! Put us down and untie us.”

“Nah, I think I like this better. Your kids can untie you once I bring you back!”

“You’re going to drag us all the way through the Ghost Zone?”

“That’s the plan.”

The rest of the flight was surprisingly pleasant. No one attacked, and his parents were much easier to carry in the chairs. Sure, they struggled, but the struggling was much more manageable than the wriggling from before.

They were mad at him. But they were always mad at him. So.

No loss, really.

With the utmost carefulness, Danny set them down in the middle of the lab, still tied up, and then began zapping then tossing their most troublesome inventions into the gaping maw of the portal while they screamed at him.

Normally, he wouldn’t do this, especially after successfully rescuing his parents and hopefully raising their opinion of him, but some of those inventions were painful. Like. A lot painful. And dangerous. Also, he was doing his level best to avoid thinking about the whole ‘king’ thing.

Which he couldn’t do forever.

Especially since Jazz walked down the stairs, probably drawn by the screaming, to see Danny shoving half of the Ghost Catcher through the portal sans-strings.

“Uh,” said Danny.

“Get that ghost, Jazzy-pants!”

Danny vanished and fled upstairs.

Jazz had seen many strange things in her life, but that scene was one of the weirder ones.

It took some time to untie her parents, longer to extract herself from the ensuing rant and their attempt to salvage their equipment from Danny’s all-too-explicable rampage. Honestly, she was surprised Danny hadn’t snapped earlier.

She opened the door to his room. It was empty. She squinted. He was not just leaving her hanging like that, with no context to what happened other than their parents’ ranting. She opened her door.

Danny was lying on his side on the middle of her rag rug, hugging Bearbert Einstein.

“A ghost told me I was king and that I needed a priest.”

Oh boy.

#danny phantom #phic phight #phic phight 2021

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