#i know the quality of the video is potato but it is what it is

[inaconstantstateofchange]

bg3 modern!au idea where halsin is a conservationist, who mentions kind of despairingly to a younger colleague at a conference the way he's having such a hard time with outreach to get folks in his community aware of the wildlife around them and how important it is. the colleague makes an offhand reference to how tiktok is the way people seem to get connected to that sort of thing most nowadays, although hell if they have the patience to figure out the app, and wanders off to catch up with someone else. they will not realize until later (far, far later) the ramifications of this statement.

halsin is rather quiet for the rest of the event, makes his goodbyes, and then returns home to painstakingly research just how "tiktok" works, with the grim determination of a fighter entering the ring. if this is what it takes to raise awareness, then this is what he'll do. the cause is more than worth it.

the first roadblock he runs into makes him worry the venture will be over before its even started. the first few webpages he finds tell him patronizingly that his phone is too old to work for 'content creation'. and okay, so it's scuffed, and dented, and has maybe taken one or two tumbles into a mud puddle, but it ought to be more than serviceable! he goes outside and finds a patch of wildflowers, pulling up the camera function and shooting a shaky video. he returns to his kitchen table, squinting down at the results. he can see all of the distinguishing features of the plant that would allow him to recognize it in the wild, which means it's good enough to do its job. with a new resolve - that his family would have wryly labeled as stubbornness - he focuses his research efforts until he finally finds a webpage that will tell him how to make the app work with his phone.

when at last it starts up in a blare of sound and over-saturated colors, he grimaces, but presses on. it asks him to set up a username, and he types in his first name. the little circle spins for a moment, then tells him it's taken. he frowns, then adds a random number. 2. it spins again, same response. he frowns harder, then adds another. 6. it spins, spins, spins, then — welcome, new user @.halsin26! upload your first video to start using tiktok!

he decides not to overthink it. it'll either work out or it won't. he looks out the window, and judges there's still just enough light out. he returns to the little patch of wildflowers, and gives it a thumbs up. he starts a recording directly in the app, making note of the 60-second time limit with a grimace. to make the most of the time he has, he doesn't bother with an introduction, just kneels down next to the cluster of plants, careful not to compress the ground too close to their root system, and moves his hand just behind the flowering portion to visually distinguish it, and act as a scale reference. he keeps his voice low, since he doesn't want to overshadow the content itself, and quickly lays out where folks could run into this plant, its importance to its local ecosystem, and ways they could help its conservation. the most important things the average person can do, he states passionately as the timer begins its final warning, is to document the locations where they find said plants, so that the areas can be marked for oversight and protection.

he doesn't bother to look back over the video before he posts it. he knows what he said, after all. he stretches his arms up above his head, then massages the back of his neck where the muscles are growing stiff. as he heads back inside to start dinner for himself, he tosses the phone into a basket on the counter and forgets about it.

the video languishes in the algorithm for the evening, until a random user gets distracted from scrolling away from the potato-quality wildflower video someone's grandma uploaded and chokes on their spit as forearms that very clearly do not belong to anyone's grandmother enter the frame, gently cupping the air around the flower.

god i wish that were me, they type before they can stop themself. debating whether to bother hitting send, they choke again as an absolutely unfair voice begins to narrate the ecological importance of this particular plant. the voice is smooth and deep, just above a murmur with a pleasant backing rumble. they have never given a moment's thought to plants in their entire life, but all of a sudden they are invested. they don't even notice when their thumb hits 'send' on their comment, too busy swiping over to the profile to see if there are any other videos. it's empty of literally everything, default user icon, only-barely-not-randomly-generated username, only one video posted earlier that day. they go back to the video and copy the link to send to their friends, needing someone - anyone - else to understand the experience they just had.

a few more interactions like that, and the algorithm takes notice. it bumps the video to a few more users outside of the current sphere, and those ones like it too. more importantly, they are very likely to share the video with others, increasing the engagement far beyond anything it had right to expect.

by two days later, when halsin remembers to actually check the thing, it is sitting at a comfortable 2500 likes, and there is a whole fleet of comments waiting for him to review. some of them - many of them, actually - don't seem that relevant at all, and he frowns, but then he sees a few that actually seem interested in more information on the plant he'd described, asking questions about how wide its range is, if it could be found in this or that coloration, etc. these he responds to swiftly, then grimaces as he runs up against a 'character limit'? who ever heard of such a foolish thing. after a moment of glaring down at his phone, he sees that it will allow him to answer by video, and does so, stepping onto his porch and zooming in on the plants. (this blurs them into barely discernible blobs of pixels, but he does not notice.)

still others are curious about what other plants and wildlife he might be able to share about, and he leaves short comments under each letting them know that he will plan to upload some more videos soon, if there is an interest. one user has left a comment that he almost files into his mental "ignore" category, but goes back to reread at the last moment.

not convinced this isn't one of those 'booktok bait' things again but i stg there's a big ass patch of those fuckers behind a parking lot somewhere around here?

halsin responds to this one with a video too. now that he's getting the hang of it, it's actually a bit more convenient than having to type everything out. he thanks the commenter for sharing, then asks if they might be willing to do him a favor sometime – only if it wasn't any trouble, of course! – and grab a video or two of the area they referenced, and share it with him — or their local wildlife foundation, at least.

a few days later, he opens the app to check in to find that he's been tagged in a video by some user. bemused, he clicks on the popup, and it takes him to a slightly shaky but pristine quality video of an empty lot filled with tall grass. the person filming moves a bit closer, then zooms in, and halsin spots multiple cluster of that recognizable wildflowers, before the video ends and restarts. there's no narration to this one, only a barely audible music wheel spinning in the corner. the caption on the video says, @.halsin26 just in case you're not actually some weird account for a fetish i haven't heard of before, here's some of those plants you mentioned looking for.

#okay i have more thoughts but stopping it here for now before i lose even more time #sparked from a convo with a friend and my brain latched on to it #as ever this was... meant to be a short little thing #no comment on how that worked out #voidling speaks #bg3 #bg3 au #bg3 fic #halsin #bg3 halsin #halsin become a cult fave tiktoker with a dedicated fanbase #a beloved cryptid #im not really planning this as a ship thing but if you like the vibes of that please feel so free to run with it in that direction #i'd just love a tag if you do #my writing

[curioussubjects]

Extended scene from s04e02 Six of One

#battlestar galactica #bsg #starpollo #kara thrace #lee adama #bsg deleted scenes #this extended scene is for me and also evil because im crying real tears #there's not a single uncursed thing about it #the face journeys!! the entire part of the conversation that is unsaid!!! #''hold on to it until we see each other again'' cool awesome guess i'll go become one with the moss now #the double meaning of tell them they're going the wrong way gOD !!! #pilots love each other so fucking much im????? #they're in love??? #the pining is PALPABLE #patrick stewart-acting dot gif #also also the hand holding!! they dont want to let go 😭😭 #i am emotionally compromised #who wants to sit with me and cry about this a lot #i know the quality of the video is potato but it is what it is

[homunculus-argument]

Had a dream last night there was someone on TikTok whose gender presentation and accent were so distinctly and deliberately unusual and anbiguous that it was impossible to draw any conclusions of them. Their whole thing was people asking them questions about who they are and them giving answers that were both creatively poetic, oddly specific, and also not giving the simple straightforward answer that the straightforward question was clearly asking.

It had apparently started out as people demanding to know what exactly their assigned gender and nationality were, but since their answers were so funny it became a meme of people asking the most simple and direct questions and them giving these iconic kind of non-answers, as a bit that everyone was in on.

Like the video I remember seeing was of someone asking "hey what colour are your eyes? I can't quite tell from the video quality" and them answering "my eyes are actually the colour of potato flowers". And as potato flowers' colour ranges from white and pale yellow to shades of lilac, and their eyes were clearly either hazel or brown, this was not only an unusual way to describe someone's eye colour, but also a flat-out blatant lie.

I'm not even on TikTok but in hindsight that does sound like something that'd go down over there.

[thearchercore]

Lol lestappen is absolutely not PR. If they were we'd be seeing 'pap' shots of them hanging out in various places, and there would actually be a clear benefit to both of them out of this.

Instead, the only time we've seen them hang out is playing padel, and none of that is on their social medias. They don't follow each other. They don't post about each other. They basically ignore each other unless they happen to both be in the top three after the race or quali. And most importantly, there's nothing to gain (probably more to lose) to their public reputation by being in a PR friendship.

What they have right now is a tentative friendship based on convenience and a shared hobby.

fr, lestappen outside of work hangouts look like bigfoot footage sometimes lol. other drivers tend to hire a photographer when they play padel with max but that one time we know they were teammates we got one group picture and a video in a quality of a potato.

plus, as i mentioned before, neither max or charles really gain anything out of it. sure, max recently got more positive pr because people look at him and charles and go "oh, charles wouldn't be so fine with hanging out with someone who's an asshole". so in a way, charles humanizes him because people no longer see their own projection of the "mad max" persona the media created. charles doesn't benefit at all - ferrari doesn't vibe with max, the tifosi do not vibe with max. his friendship with max is not important for these people at all.

"What they have right now is a tentative friendship based on convenience and a shared hobby" -- i partially agree, their friendship is definitely stronger than in the past. i think also their shared history and experiences help. but because they're also very private people, i wouldn't be surprised if they talk more than they show in public spaces. they never make any noise when they hang out outside of the paddock, so there could have been moments that we just don't know about and if so -- good for them!

but also one thing i want to note, they are adults with busy schedules so i wouldn't expect them to hang out like besties or teammates because as someone who very much knows the friendship in adulthood experience, hanging out once in 1-2 months is very much the rough reality lol.

#lestappen

[ask-serendipity-sky]

I'm tired.

Show me your favourite satellite Jeon moment. It will make me fell better

Non-anon,

Of course, my love 💕 Anything for you.

(here I am shortening a tiny video on my phone lol so excuse the potato quality)

This is my favorite satellite Jeon moment because he looks like a little 🐧 trying to be by Jimin's side. He even messes up the pattern of the suit colors.

Black suits on one side and white suits on the other. He thinks he's so subtle.

And Jimin notices and finds it cute which gives us one my Top 10 favorite Jikook moments of all time...

❤Jimin getting lost in Jungkook ❤

He forgets all eyes are on them because he has more important eyes to focus on...Jungkook's.

And then Jungkook has to bring him back to Earth.

Jikook was giving intense married vibes here.

And you know what? I will be generous and give you more Jikookery with an extra dose of Jimin!

Pssst...Jikook married!

Bonus because Park Jimin is heaven on Earth.

How in the world is this man real?

Bonus bonus because we all deserve to see this photo of Jimin.

Ethereal aura.

And this one because we are judgmental here... Yoongi, again dude??? Lol

Hope you feel better, Shaz!

Thank you for stopping by.

#jikook #kookmin #asks #non anon

[britneyshakespeare]

i feel bad for raquel lee bolleau and i feel like what she's saying about the lack of transparency behind quiet on set is a bigger issue that the consumers of this type of content don't want to talk about or criticize. social media has led to a huge boom in tragedy porn and trauma porn about the entertainment industry but especially the children's entertainment industry, especially especially from the eras when the largest demographic in that audience were consuming it themselves.

it's already been problematic in itself that there is an oversaturation of unresearched and repetitive videos on the exploitation of former child stars. it seems like the creators and audience don't often ask themselves "have we gotten enough of this? do we need another take on it? is another video full of dan schneider rumors and gossipy forum posts really adding to the public discourse?" i don't know quite at what point it becomes exploitative that this content continues to be made, and be evergreen in social media algorithms. the volume, the reach, and the general lack of quality control are the evil triad. because we are far past the point where i really believe everyone consuming this stuff cares about exploited children. there's far too many people gawking and not reevaluating the systems of power involved. or, to put it more concretely: how many times do we all need to watch those clips of ariana grande squeezing the potato and spilling water on her neck? at what point is this just personally disrespectful and retraumatizing for the victims that for the most part we, the consumers of internet content, are claiming to advocate for?

quiet on set is the first time traditional media got involved in this niche. there is still a lot of value in some of the discoveries made by the series. but it does not have completely clean hands in this either. it does not feel like everyone involved in making the executive decisions cared nearly enough about the vulnerability of former child stars they recruited to share their stories, or hell, whose stories were told without their involvement, such as amanda bynes and racquel in episode 5. these people did not even give statements.

the focus of this docuseries was far too broad and not coherent enough at the end of the day. and they did not give enough support to all of the people they roped in to tell their stories about childhood trauma. i have a hard time trying not to be completely cynical about its whole production, because i really want to believe that many of the people who worked on it do care. not every individual involved knew or had control over the injustices that happened in its own production. but the executives? fuck em. they greenlit this thing, and probably incentivized the creators to make these episodes as fast as possible, because they knew it would be a cash cow. something as sensitive as THIS series should not be so poorly produced just because it will be a guaranteed smash.

#i am not going to watch episode 5. not unless investigation discovery addresses raquel sufficiently #text post #quiet on set #in many ways i think i'm just elaborating on what raquel has said herself. go watch her personal tiktoks #i think mainly where i deviate from her is that we all should be way more critical of the system we're contributing to #i already had criticism for how they talked about drake bell without any balance #i understood that they needed his involvement of course. it'd be extremely unethical not to have him #and i think for the most part his episode is the best part of the series. except for the very end #it's clear they had some favoritism with the former childstars they used for this #i think bell had such a good experience himself is because they knew they needed him. bc of how much he adds to it. #much of the series is really poorly placed together. like 100s of 'dark side of nickelodeon' youtube videos have been #but at the VERY least these youtubers have an excuse of not being professionals or journalists #this shit? should be doing WAY better. #and it's not. that's depressing. can we stop demanding all of these victims should come forward if this is the best they get?

[octahedral-chaos]

Asterism Borealis: Chapter 2

Getting To Know Each Other... And A Plan

Sakari learns more about her newfound party, and spend some time with Sonnet.

Warnings: Body Horror (Upcoming), TBA

Characters: Sakari (OC), Sonnet (Worldless OC), Styx (OC), Otis (OC)

"So... where exactly are we going?"

Sakari queried, following her newfound group into their motel room. They had just gotten two rooms for the night, after days of traveling across several countries in their quest.

"Like I said a few days ago, North," Styx spoke, unlocking the door to her, as well as Otis', room, "Specifically, far North. Further than the Boreal Elf settlements and definitely almost at the very top of the Earth."

This, of course, made Sakari a little nervous. She never left the country, not counting when she was a little kid, and even then it made her weirdly scared to go so far. It's not like this was going to be horrible, right?

"And why exactly are we going to the North Pole? Are we going to find Santa Claus or something?"

"Not that, but something even better," Otis chimed, ears raised in excitement, "we're looking for star people."

"Star people?" Sakari asked, somehow even more confused.

"Well, the Boreal Elves, specifically my culture, call them the 'Children of the Stars," Styx explained, "They're mystical beings who appearance varies. Sometimes they are described as being pure white with glowing blue eyes, or pure black with glowing orange eyes, like embers. Sometimes they don't even have a face at all, but a bright light where it should be!"

"Rumour has it, there's a grand city at the top of the Earth, where the Children of the Stars live, where they can play and dance to their heart's content. But they are also described to be skilled warriors, who fierceness and speed is not to be underestimated."

"... Oh," Sakari said, not knowing how to respond, "That seems pretty cool, I guess? But what if they're just myths-"

"We already have evidence, in the form of several pictures taken by Elven hunting parties, lots of Eyewitness accounts and even a video caught by a research crew, and that video is in high quality too!"

"Really? Could I see said video if it's okay?"

Honestly, Sakari felt incredibly awkward at that moment. She really did not know what she was getting into.

"Sure thing!" Styx chirped, taking out her laptop (Since when did she brought a laptop?) And placing it on the desk. After a few moments of awkwardly staring at Styx find a document, Sakari finally saw what Styx and Otis was looking for. And it was exactly what she was also looking for.

Starfolks. They were unintentionally looking for Sonnet's kin.

She stared at the text, well-researched and written, about every single detail that Styx could have found by herself. She stared at the, admittedly absolutely-horrible-potato-quality pictures, before glancing to the higher definition ones. They clearly depict strangely humanoid beings, some with wings, some with horns, some with long ears and tails, yet they all have the shared similarities of being roughly humanoid with black or white skin and blue or orange eyes, or face... glow?

Then one thing caught her attention.

A clip of an almost dog-like one trotting along the ice on all fours, it's white fur almost blending into the scenery, and the only thing visible was it's blue glowing face.

"How interesting..." She finally spoke, "I mean... with the amount of evidence here, they could surely exist." "I know right?" Styx happily laughed, "I always thought that they were so cool. It gotten even better when I decided to get into paranormal stuff, especially cryptids. I think it's cool how one of my favourite mythological creature turns out to be a sort of cryptid too!"

Sakari silently cringed at the mention of "cryptids." She knew Styx didn't mean harm in thinking starfolks are mystical undiscovered creatures, but knowing she had one with her made it somewhat awkward.

"It's getting late now, so goodnight I guess?" Sakari finally stated, before walking to the door. "I mean, you have a point, we should sleep now," Otis sleepily yawned, "Makes no sense trying to hussle to get out early when you wake up late."

After saying their good nights, Sakari walked into her room, unpacked all her belongings and got ready for bed. But before she go to sleep, she needed to check up on Sonnet.

Meditating, she got into Sonnet's... void-place thing. It was hard to describe, except as an almost blank and endless void with the only permanent object being a mirror where one could see the outside world. She couldn't imagined how lonely and boring it must have been for Sonnet, to be unable to do anything for billions of years.

And there was Sonnet, curled up like a cat, sleeping.

Quietly, Sakari walked up to Sonnet, before gently nudging them, "Wakie Wakie!"

With a grumble, Sonnet woke up, before murmuring, "Seriously, when I now managed to take a nap?"

"I know you're a bit grumpy about being woken up late in the night," Sakari spoke, "but it's about something really important."

"Okay," Sonnet continued, sitting up and ear-wings folded neatly, "So... what's this important thing you're talking about?"

"Basically, I learnt about what Otis and Styx are looking for," Sakari explained, "and it's exactly what we needed."

"What do you mean?"

"They're unintentionally trying to look for starfolks. Apparently, they might be living at the North Pole, or something like that."

"Really? I could see my kind again?"

"I guess? Plus, we could get closer to breaking your curse. And it won't hurt to learn about your kind even more."

"So... we're basically going to far, FAR North in order to find my kin? That sounds kind of dangerous, isn't it?"

"I know, but when we're together... we'll make it through. I know it."

---------------------------------------

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#OCTAfan says stuff #OCTAfan's writings #Asterism Borealis #My ocs: Sakari #My ocs: Sonnet #My ocs: Styx #My ocs: Otis #Long post #Ask to tag

[jimintomystery]

Foodfight! (ugh)

I voted for Dex Dogtective in a poll the other day and it reminded me that I never actually watched that shitty Foodfight! movie from 2012. So I did. This was not a good idea.

There isn't a whole lot to say about Foodfight! that hasn't already been said. The project was in development hell for so long that it defaulted on its debt, and investors took over to at least get something out the door. The most obvious issue is the bad animation, though that speaks for itself.

But here's the thing: This movie could've had Pixar-quality animation and it'd still be hot garbage. "What if mascots for popular products lived in your local store?" is a middling idea at best, and the story mishandles it every step of the way.

It would be easy to say this movie needed a lot of popular corporate mascots to really work, and the best they could do was Charlie the Tuna and the Vlasic stork. But I remember thinking the first Toy Story wouldn't work without heavy hitters like Barbie and Lego, and yet they got along fine with just Mr. Potato Head and Etch-a-Sketch. Similarly, Wreck-It Ralph succeeded with a cast of skillful pastiches of familiar video game characters, and mere cameos by the big names. In theory Foodfight! could make up a cereal mascot that reminds you of Tony the Tiger while leaving room for changes to fit the plot. But in execution we get...Dex Dogtective.

Dex is the mascot for Cinnamon Sleuth cereal, and also a detective, and also a dog, and also he dresses like Indiana Jones, and also he likes raisins, and also he runs a nightclub like Rick Blaine in Casablanca. So he has like six different gimmicks, and the cereal mascot part is easily the least important. The only reason you'd even suspect Dex is a character from a box of cereal is because he's in a movie about brand mascots. Indeed, none of the characters created for this movie look like they were designed to sell anything, least of all groceries.

The strongest concept in the movie (which isn't saying much) is that the brands are facing an invasion by the evil Brand X. This makes sense, seeing as Brand X is by definition generic, with no iconic mascot except the pejorative and mysterious implications of that term. Listen, I know this sounds dumb, but you could do something with this. In a world of where brands come to life in the form of their mascots, who or what emerges from a brand without a mascot? How would such a being differ from the likes of, say, Count Chocula? Such a character might reject some fundamental principle that the good guys hold dear.

At this juncture, a sharper "secret lives of things that aren't alive" movie could make some insightful point that ties the story together. Something about how the world needs brand mascots, I suppose. But nobody actually needs brand mascots, for pete's sake, except for the people who came up with this movie. So there's no core idea for Brand X to oppose--the good guys' world exists just to exist, so the bad guys exist just to destroy it. With that baseline laziness established, Brand X paradoxically has lots of mascots, all of whom look like Nazis for some reason.

Well, okay, technically Brand X's leader, Lady X, looks less like a Nazi and more like the Baroness from Cobra. But it figures that she doesn't quite fit in with the rest, since she created Brand X! Yeah, so at the end it's revealed she was a mascot for a poorly-marketed brand of prunes, and when she was discontinued she went to Brazil (???) for plastic surgery (???) to make her all hot. Then she somehow amassed the resources in the real world to create Brand X, complete with a human-sized android (!!!) so she could pass herself off as a real person and sell her wares to stores.

Dex is astonished by this backstory, since the mascots are like three inches tall and can't even leave the store. Lady X explains the plot hole by saying "Humans! When you look like this you can get them to do anything. Size only counts for men."

"Size only counts for men."

"Size only counts for men."

(She's talking about fucking.)

(fucking)

(-ucking -ucking -king)

Anyway, I need a nap now. Please don't watch this movie.

#foodfight! #foodfight #dex dogtective #i keep trying to call him 'dexter dogtective' for some reason #as if his name needs to be clunkier somehow

[gasolineb0y]

An overly detailed analysis of the scp foundations adopted son, the backrooms

Due to the fact that I have no control over my interests, ive decided that im gonna post cringe and start writing a minimum 100 word (50 for subrooms) review of every single backrooms level (or at least as many as I can get through before the hyperfixation burns out). And before we can actually get to the meat and potatoes, we gonna discuss the universal quality cap contained within the very premise of the modern backrooms (more under the cut)

The history of backrooms is like, pretty simple, and actually kind of similar to how scp started. Some guy posted an imagine with the caption:

"If your not careful and noclip out if reality in wrong areas, you'll end up in the backrooms, where it's nothing but the stink of moist carpet, the madness of mono-yellow, and endless backround noise of fluorescent lights at maximum hum-buzz, and approximately six hindered million square miles of randomly segmented empty rooms to be trapped in.

God save you if you hear something wandering around nearby, because it sure as hell has heard you"

The concept very quickly caught on, because even retrospectively, the concept is really good, and then people started to write about. And at this point, it varies very, very heavily from scp. Because scp-173s whole premise doesnt crumble like a sandcastle upon any elaboration.

Ill blaze through this part simply because its by far the most common criticism of the backrooms and im not getting ad revenue from puffing up a video about it. You cant add entities or other humans because the vagueness of the final line and also ruins the isolation inherent to the original passage. You cant add more levels because that gives the person somewhere to go and makes the person less trapped, you cant make your levels death traps because thats just not scary, and you sure as hell cant make them safe because that removes the looming threat of death (this last point also applies to lucky o' milk and almond water). But personally, I dont think that talking about this helps the writers, or even gives us a better feel for what these writers are doing wrong, so instead im gonna focus on the main problem with the backrooms

The writing style is contradictory with the material presented

Since the backrooms popularity boom happened congruently with the one for liminal spaces (which ill just use interchangably with "eerily empty nostalgic space, even though the original definition just describes one thats transitional) even the most recent levels try to invoke this sort of setting. This within itself, is great. Theres a lot of room for very personal, intimate horror, especially when combined with isolation. Guess what they tried to do with it?

They jacked scps writing style, which for those not in the know, is intentionally written from a dry, neutral voice. To describe a setting meant to invoke one of the most personal emotions one can have.

Beyond this, articles, as evidenced by their often dubious writing quality, are written by teens who are far too young to have experienced that kind of nostalgia, so a lot of the articles end up not being able to fully capture the feeling, even if they werent written like a courtroom report.

To summarize, the premise is just kind of limiting within itself, even detached from any disloyalty to the original premise of the backrooms.

anyhow Im releasing the first review tomorrow

#sidenote that I didnt wanna directly add to the essay but I still think is important #I partially believe that the reason for the backrooms scp esque writing style isnt just out of an attempt to play follow the leader but #as a way of circumventing the creator's poor writing skills by avoiding fields theyre bad at like dialogue or action #same reason amateur fanfic writers write script style but due to problems with the opposite fields #the backrooms

[cycloplasm]

Lots of new guys, lots of test designs! i'll give info on them, starting from up left to bottom right.

Pulasan! He's a drain fly, but he calls himself a 'were drain fly', despite him looking and acting the same way regardless of full moon or not. He lives in the Spooky level's forest, full of dead trees and with an ever present moon. Pulasan just loves to act feral and violent, and is not shy about clawing or biting people. As a result most people avoid him, and that actually makes him sad! He won't under any circumstances drop the 'were' act, but he IS lonesome and wishes someone could understand him. Also, Pulasan has the ability to create wolf spirits, but he seems to no real concept of what a wolf is, and makes them act like bugs (climb on trees for example) when they're not used to attack someone.

Second might be familiar to some, it's Lollipop Climber. He's a horse leech. I'm much more satisfied with his design now. He's a pompous vampire that sticks to all the 'classic' and strange vampire habits, like having to be invited and not being able to touch silver. He's constantly fighting with Bloodlime, Lollipop truly hates him because of the former's taste in music- Lollipop thinks vampires should only create or listen to classic orchestral! In any case, Bloodlime flexes with his big castle while Lollipop wallows in misery in his home, a pile of mud in a dirty pond.

Third one is Jambul, he's a black crazy ant (actual name of the ant). He's actually a very good scientist, if not the best in the Fruitbugs world- however his visual disability and crossed eyes make people not take him seriously. He studies storms, black holes and potatoes- the latter because he wants to create a new energy source. He's a kind person if you get to know him, but Jambul's very focused on his work, to the point he doesn't always sleep. Despite his huge hands and fingers, he's fairly dexterous, but has sometimes issues with what's around him and knock things over.

Fourth one is Quince- the original fruit is only white and fuzzy when it's not ripe, but Quince is just a young adult that could lose his fur as he gets older (but he might not get older since he's a video game character). He's a vampire moth. He works as a clothing store owner- he's affiliated with Cucumber, so Quince's products are high-quality and expensive. As a shop owner he's pretty pushy in a classic salesman manner, with sometimes peer pressure such as 'but you'd look WONDERFUL with this 999.99$ coat!'. Despite his customer pleasing attitude, he's actually kinda mean- he JUST bites people that dislike his style/products, and has the nefarious plan of 'conquering the fashion world', so that Cucumber's brans dominates the whole clothing market. He has this mean side because he was relentlessly bullied in his past, and wants to enforce a new norm to not be left out ever again. His wings were burnt by his bullies, that were initially his friends.

Fifth one is Swenson Red Grape, but he's just known as Swenson. He's a Sabethes Mosquito. He's a star that creates synth music, which is like our world's 80s lyrical music. Swenson composes and writes all his lyrics by himself, and he has few bodyguards and managers- because he dislikes using people and... He didn't actually want to be a star! He just started music in his room, and was peer pressured to do a concert because he was 'talented'. From there he got much more success than he ever wished for, due to the fact that his music is unique in the Fruitbugs world. As a result he's infamous for not being open to fans and paparazzis- he's actually downright cold/dismissive. He often dreams of 'escaping to the countryside' where no one knows his name. He wants to be seen as a person rather than a star/music creating machine.

Sixth one is Coast Live Acorn, Coast for short- he's a conehead mantis. He doesn't look like much of an acorn, but i tried to make him more alien than acorn-like. In any case, Coast is mean! He wants to conquer the Fruitbug world, to make everyone his servants. He believes he's the best alien in the universe, who's above any planet's lifeforms. To achieve his plan, he destroys buildings to rebuild them to his liking. This more annoying than anything for NPCS and other fruitbugs, who have to redecorate their homes from scratch and put away the Coast-shaped furniture.

Seventh is Hawthorne Wildflower, who's a common cricket. He's still the same as before in terms of personality. But i added the fact that he's very caring if you get close to him- he'll craft things for you and bring you... 'Gifts' (animals with 1HP so you can kill them and gain EXP).

Eighth is Criollo Cocoa, he's an unicorn mantis. Like Cocoa, Criollo creates chocolate- except his is very fancy and not poisoned. It's expensive too. He's very snobbish and believes he's above almost everyone, safe for fellow 'high quality' products creators like Cucumber. Criollo also says he's above eating his own chocolate, but occasionally during fancy parties, he'll take one or two without anyone noticing. Deep down he wishes he had more real friends, but he has too much issues interacting with 'regular' people. Except for Nacional Cocoa.

Ninth is said Nacional Cocoa! He's a yellow orchid mantis. He's a mime that loves to perform as the most dramatically sad man in the world. In reality, he's actually sad, but prefers to not let anyone know. The only things that bring him a smile are Criollo and making others laugh with his mime antics. Few people seem to like him though, because of his association with white chocolate that makes people irrationally angry in the fruitbugs world (for no real reason other than taste).

Tenth is Blood Peach, he's a question mark butterfly. He's a knight that works for Nectarine (that i need to update/redesign), and the two actually are in a close platonic relationship with. Blood Peach would do anything for his partner, and like the latter, Blood is no stranger in sending meat eating butterflies to eat his ennemies' flesh. Though he does prefers to fight 'fairly' with his sword if the other person has a weapon.

Eleventh is Peanut, he's a mole cricket. He lives in the Desert level, in an area is like the underground from pkmn Diamond/Pearl. The players must help him extract cool rocks via a minigame that's like fossil extraction from Spectrobs. Don't get him crystals/gems, he thinks those are overrated, he's a 'regular' rock-based geologist. Peanut rarely uses tools to dig, because his claws are efficient and his body is actually half mechanized, hence the smoke pipes coming out of certain parts of him. As a result, he has much more stamina than most people and can dig for hours on end.

Last one is Medlar, he's a girafe weevil. He looks like he has a mascot head on, but that's his actual face- he can emote but chooses not to. He used to work at an amusement park, where he was a mascot that took pictures with people and generally brought joy to the park. But it closed due to financial reasons, and it was left to rot. Medlar, knowing nothing besides how to be a mascot, also was left to rot. He still roams the park, hoping a visitor will come and enjoy the rides, and even take a picture with him to make him feel whole again. Even during the better days of the park, Medlar was obsessed with how people see him- partially because that would be bad rep for the structure, but also because he has zero confidence and relies on people to feel loved and worthy. He does not actually know who he is outside his role as a mascot.

#o #rose'socs #koncept drawign #sorry im on mobile i cant add a readmore #fruitbugs #fruitbugs pulasan #fruitbugs lollipop climber #fruitbugs jambul #fruitbugs quince #fruitbugs swenson red grape #fruitbugs coast live acorn #fruitbugs hawthorne wildflower #fruitbugs criollo cocoa #fruitbugs nacional cocoa #fruitbugs blood peach #fruitbugs peanut #fruitbugs medlar #the insps will be clear for some but idc 💖 these are test designs after all! #idk when any of these guys will get a finished ref but one day!! #first i need to do the Fossil Fuel Fiend... #also note that the sizes arent to be taken literally because for example swenson is normal person sized but coast is like. 3 meters which is #9ft10. or maybe a bit smaller? bc he's shorter than saskatoon but pretty tall #if you read everything i like you a lot. mosquito love blast 🦟💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

[lacebird]

would you mind sharing your sharpening settings for photopea pls? your gifs are always so hd!!!

anon, i literally don't know what i'm doing T_T it's such a hit or miss with photopea and the potato quality it generates asjfdgfnh here are my most used settings:

smart sharpen > amount: 150%, radius: 1px

sharpen

Then I also add some noise at 1-2%

but in the end, most depends on the video quality. i find that yt clips turn out so ugly T_T so try to find the highest quality possible <3

hope this helps u out <3<3<3

#asks #photopea #photopea tutorial

[ask-serendipity-sky]

https://youtu.be/-vbvkuMCr8M

such a piercing stare of jungkook to jimin at 12:57 mark. im a little sad not to see jikook interact much (or even horse around) in this video but i missed seeing them together i'll take what i can get! Jk looked a little glum as well but i don't want to think too much about it. I missed seeing all of them in one room and I wonder how next year's festa will be like..

Anon 2: Watch the new video, made around the period of busan concert. Jikook is not jikooking. I loved jihope interaction btw

Anon 3: What do you think about the BTS 10th anniversary project video that just drop? I saw one Jkker say it look like Jikook had a fight. To me it seems more like JK was feeling down and was really only smiling with Jin. So, what do you think?

Hello anons,

Jikook is not jikooking but also BTS is not btsing.

Jk wasn't being his silly self, only with Jin. And Jimin wasn't his funny self either, only with Jhope. And we know these two people are their emotional support people.

Jimin didn't play along with Suga,

(excuse the potato quality)

Jk didn't play along with Tae,

I felt Jhope tried to cheer things up the most but he was working overtime :( Jin and Jhope looked sad :(

I think that Jikook is sat away from each other on purpose (screw the company) because the moment they are next to each...eye contact and a smile.

Did you see when Jimin said he saw a bus ad for Jk's birthday?

And Jk said he saw an ad on a plane lol

and we know who gets the ads on the planes..

And did you FEEL Jk's piercing eyes on Jimin when he was dancing with Jhope lol

I think there is still Jikookery but, to me, tensions were there probably due to a lot of factors.

When Jikook is doing bad, they don't even look at each other or mention each other. In today's content they still did although things still felt off. Ms stuff, Jimin living with producers, Jk's Qatar trip, the company being shitty could be influencing all of that.

Thanks for stopping by.

#jikook #kookmin #jimin #jungkook #asks

[doberbutts]

Could you go more into what you mean by "prey based" protection? You mention it on one of your mondioring posts and I've never heard that term before, of course I've never gotten into bite sports which would explain why I don't know the term but I am curious.

You'll notice that a lot of my photos have the decoy moving in a side-to-side motion, or moving away from the dog, rather than a forward charge or looming over the dog.

***disclaimer: I do not know who this guy is, or the quality of his training program, but am posting this video for educational purposes as I think despite being recorded on a potato it illustrates both the difference in how the decoy works the dog and how the dog responds to the decoy for "prey" vs "defense". This dog was later sold as a personal protection dog for $25,000 as an adult. Personally I think 18 weeks is too young to work in defense, having worked a similarly aged puppy in defense it had repercussions for the rest of his working life***

In this video you can see the side-to-side motion vs the forward charge, as well as how different the puppy's response was to both. The only thing I would say is that while this is a very basic view of "defense" vs "prey", the "defense" portion also included some prey (running away from the dog) instead of continuing to challenge her and escalate. However she is very young, and I think it's not a good idea to continue to escalate such a young puppy, so there is that.

Mentally prey is a lot easier for the dog, while defense is more stressful. However in a real world situation, the dog would need at least some defense as an attacker isn't going to move like a prey object until the dog starts to give chase in the first place. You see more defense work in real world protection- personal protection dogs, military dogs, police dogs, border patrol dogs... but there exists some in all sports to varying degrees. Mondio is a primarily prey-based sport, so you will see far more of that quick, darting movement than an actual challenge to the dog's courage. There are some bites that have some amount of defense, but not a lot compared to sports like IGP.

[onewordshy]

Free Online Halloween Goodies

I made one of these lists every year and posted it on reddit but they deleted all my posts as spam a while back so I'm backing them up here!

Read - Abby Howard's short horror comics: An icon in the online horror scene (to me at least), Abby is known for crafting spooky stories with great art and her comics are a must read! The demo to Scarlett Hollow, her blockbuster visual novel, is also worth a play.

Play - QT: the so-called "anti-jump scare game" wherein you search through a spooky abandoned house trying to find your friends. It's super cute and perfect if you don't want something scary.

Listen - A Bnny Nghtmr II by BNNY RBBT: A Halloween themed visual album tied into a YouTube alternate reality game about a mysterious '90s pop star who vanished. The album uses unusual sounds and the autotune heavy style might seem grating at first but it's kind of mesmerizing and a good listen for the season.

Read - Ruby Quest and Nan Quest: Two legendary horror "quest interactives." The writing style is a little unusual and the artwork is kinda crunchy but trust me, they're gripping stories of people trying to survive terrifying ordeals, combined with escape room puzzles and psychological horror. I personally prefer Nan Quest (its "haunted hotel" setting really works and it's much more polished).

Watch - Lo by Travis Betz on YouTube: which is not only my favorite horror movie but quite possibly my favorite movie in general? It's about a man who summons a demon to find his missing girlfriend, it's very low-budget but it's incredibly creative and a great meditation on love and loss.

Read - Emily Carroll's comics: You might have seen these floating around before but they're good, His Face All Red is the perfect Halloween ghost story.

Play - The Night Is Darkening: a short, free horror game about a ship that gets stranded on a floating island. It's just a simple exploration game but gothic energy is strong with this one, despite the short length it had tremendous world building that made me so intrigued. More unsettling than scary.

Browse - MORTASHEEN: an online database of fictional monsters from the creator's fantasy setting. If you're into creature design and unconventional monsters and somehow haven't heard of this, get on it now.

Read - ALL HAIL THE MONUMENTAL HORROR-IMAGE: An article posted to The Outline that I think fans of horror would be very interested in, it’s in slideshow format so you essentially just scroll through screen caps of iconic moments from horror movies interspersed with text from the author opining on what exactly it is that makes them so effective.

Watch/Listen - Evil Dead: The Musical: A campy parody of the already campy horror franchise, the original Canadian cast of this show was professionally recorded for posterity and has made its way onto YouTube. The video is pretty potato quality but you know what, we’re lucky to have this at all.

Play - The Open House: A very unique horror game that takes the form of, of all things, a virtual guided house tour through a fairly mundane piece of real estate that slowly reveals itself as a house of horrors. While there are a few obligatory jump scares, the game relies mostly on the unsettling atmosphere and brilliant pacing to lure you in and keep you hooked until the terrifying end. A short game (twenty minutes if you’re quick) can be played in browser or downloaded, but here’s a play through as well.

Watch/Listen - Ghost Quartet: A one of a kind musical/theatrical experience. the show weaves a complex interlocking narrative that I can’t even begin to unpack but is ultimately about four friends who get together on a dark night to tell ghost stories. It’s an old school style of spooky, telling out tales of love, betrayal, revenge, and of course ghosts, all spelled out through abstract metaphor and fantastic music.

Read - Jared Pechacek’s Annual Harvest Festivals: A thread of microfiction tweets each describing mysterious local harvest festival traditions from a town called Springfield in every state in America. The brief descriptions are evocative and offer a fun twist on some classic Americana, sounding both familiar and surreal.

Listen - Old Radio Plays: There’s a certain kind of vintage charm to these old radio programs that’s very comforting, and while I don’t pretend to be an expert in these types of things I’ve linked to a handy tumblr post where another excited recommender has compiled some that they felt were noteworthy.

Watch - Daisy Brown: Daisy Brown is a web series that exploded onto the scene back in 2017 with the video “How I Feed Alan,” which shows a cheerful young woman feeding sugar pills to some kind of monster. The strange juxtaposition of the grotesque imagery with Daisy’s completely casual tone was instantly intriguing, and over the course of the next two years she’d upload regular vlogs that gradually unraveled the mystery behind this strange family.

Play/Read - The Shadows That Run Alongside Our Car: A fully illustrated visual novel that tells the story of two strangers driving a car through the zombie apocalypse towards an uncertain fate. It’s very well written, has great atmosphere, and the theme of searching for hope and human connection in the face of inevitable demise is more timely than ever.

Listen - LVCRFT: Basically they’re a collective of (pretty high profile) artists in LA who got together and decided to create Halloween music, and it slaps! They have several excellent albums full of spooky tunes that you should be bumping to while they’re still seasonal!

Read - Crow Cillers: The basic gist of the plot is that a group of kids get tangled up in the machinations of a cult who are trying to control an otherworldly dimension(?) called Ynce Iche, but that's just the starting point for where this comic goes because it's the kind of story that tears itself apart and sews itself back up. A diverse cast of characters and well written dialogue bring a lot of life to this experimental webcomic.

Watch - Local58TV: The brainchild of Kris Staub, a perennial fave of the online horror scene. The videos are short films designed to look like news broadcasts from a world similar to our own, but also different in a few key ways. Found footage VHS horror has been a growing field in the past two years and imo this is the best it's been done yet.

Play - Symposium of Grief: The story of a ghost trying to find his lost heart, this one is a bit more emotional than the others listed here. It takes place in a spooky town full of ghosts and monsters but it's more about trying to find connection and a purpose in life than anything else; the writing is funny and the art is gorgeous and I have no clue why it's free because it seems super high effort.

Play/Read - the uncle who works for nintendo: Is this a cult classic? A text based adventure game about being a kid and going over to your friend's house for a sleepover that goes very, very wrong. I don't want to say too much and spoil it but suffice to say this is more hair raising than you'd expect. Can be played in browser so you don't have to download anything!

Listen - Ellise: Ellise makes short, catchy pop songs that have horror themes, with her last EP being centered around fairy tales in particular. It's a bit "edge lord" at times but hey, that's part of the fun!

Read - Fuan No Tane: A cult favorite manga, Fuan No Tane is a collection of unsettling ghost stories inspired by the unusual urban legends of Japan. It's slice of life in a way, there's no plot and every entry is pretty short (some just a few pages long), but the imagery and mundane-cum-horrifying tone really stick with you.

Watch - Ultraman Max Episode 22: "Butterfly Dream": Kind of a wildcard pick but if you're into the more surreal side of horror then this one is for you. While the typical episode of Ultraman would see the hero fighting some sort of rubber suit monster, "Butterfly Dream" instead is a bizarre, experimental story about a man attempting to write an episode of Ultraman, a woman trying to craft the perfect monster, and the hero caught in the middle.

Play - Don't Get Spooked!: A twine horror game from Halloween aficionado bogleech.com, this is a silly little comedy game where you click links to navigate a haunted house and try to collect all of the endings. Very dumb but a lot of fun.

Watch - The Black Tower: A classic short horror film about a man who notices a new building on the horizon… and then can’t stop noticing it. The story is told entirely through voiceover and mainly static footage, which gives the film a dreamy and unsettling atmosphere, and the “monster” feels very unique even today. I think if you like the more artsy and understated side of the horror world you’ll appreciate this.

Play - There’s A Bear Outside: Spend the night in a cabin and encounter a totally normal bear. An unusual spin on the “campfire story” formula, this interactive text game loosely tracks the stories of different people who encounter a surreal thing (really, a completely normal bear) which causes their lives to spill open. Kinda spooky, kinda silly, kinda a surprisingly emotionally cutting exploration of the human experience.

Read - Third Shift Society: A supernatural action comic about a down-on-her-luck girl who discovers psychic powers that conveniently land her a job as a “Paranormal Detective” and adventure ensues. Kind of a stock standard Webtoon but it was nominated for an Eisner Award and also one dude has a pumpkin for a head, so, that’s fun!

Watch - Headless: A Sleepy Hollow Series: A web series that offers comedic take on the classic Legend of Sleepy Hollow, following meek school teacher Ichabod Crane as he tries to unravel the mystery of the Headless Horseman that haunts his new hometown. Chock full of crazy characters and wacky circumstances, the show has an interesting sense of humor but manages to land a lot of good jokes while still crafting a surprisingly compelling story.

Read - Katalepsis: An ongoing urban fantasy web serial with major horror elements that follows the adventures of a young woman who discovers that the gruesome hallucinations that have plagued her since her childhood are real, a revelation which almost literally throws her into a world of strange people with stranger powers. Has a relatable protagonist, a unique story, creative world building, strong character development, and also like every character in this book is a queer woman.

Watch - Zombie Prom: Boy meets girl, boy and girl break up, boy drives into a nuclear power plant and comes back as a zombie… that old story. And it’s a musical! This short film (a bit over a half hour) is a super campy parody of ‘50s teen romances with a lot of fun songs, perhaps a little low-budget but that’s just part of its charm. Notably features RuPaul as a villainous high school principal.

Read - Angel Chain: An ongoing web comic about two dysfunctional sisters who encounter an “angel” who they can control using charms attached to their flip phones, but not all is as it appears. Sort of like a bastardized parody of anime/creature collectors/‘00s culture, this comic isn’t very far along yet but it stands out for eye catching art style and delightfully emo sensibilities. Be sure to explore the homepage for secret links too~

Play - Night Work: This interactive comic casts you as a janitor on a space ship who does his best to survive when things go horribly wrong. A simple story elevated by the beautiful black/white/red color palate and some smart gameplay choices. Plays in-browser so there’s no download required and it’s really quick, though you’ll probably want to do it a few times to get the different endings.

Play - The Anthology Of The Killer: A series of short games about a young woman named BB who goes on misadventures and meets all sorts of kooky characters... who want to kill her. Swim through a haunted waterpark, stumble through the dark backrooms of a cursed theatre, survive the art in a judgemental museum, become the herald of a new form of music, and more! The visual style is immediately striking, very punk and surreal, but what makes the games stand out is their great sense of humor and unexpected intelligence- you'll find yourself thinking and laughing at the most unexpected moments.

Explore - Welcome Home: A fansite for a (fake) children's show called Welcome Home that was mysteriously "lost..." perhaps for a good reason. The characters and the fake show seem very cute, but as you click around the site you might stumble across several links that hint at something darker lurking beneath the cheerful exterior. Tying together the internet's fascination with lost media with the rise of "mascot horror," it's no wonder that this went viral earlier this year, which is great because it means there are a lot of "explained" videos/articles out there for people (like me) who don't have the patience to actually do ARG bullshit.

Watch - The Search For The Next Elvira: A deep cut from Elvira lore is that back in 2007 she concocted a reality competition show where she put thirteen youngsters through a series of challenges to determine who could best fill her bra shoes and it is peak '00s reality television- there is no budget, it's super cheesy, nothing makes sense, and yet you just can't stop watching. At only four 40 minute episodes, it's a fun little thing to have in the background.

Play - Elevator Hitch: A unique visual novel with escape room elements about a young man starting a new job at a corporate office finds himself sharing an elevator with an annoying executive... and that's just the start of the horror! Explore nine different floors, each with their own twisted puzzles, and try to find a way to freedom... if it even exists. Witty writing, a charming anime inspired aesthetic, and plenty of surprises in store.

Explore - A Book Of Creatures: A cute little blog devoted to recording different "creatures" found in mythology and folklore from all around the world. If you're a monster lover like me this site is a treasure trove because the creator goes pretty deep with the references and pulls up some fairly obscure creatures- and provides beautiful illustrations for each.

Watch - Gregory Horror Show - An animated series of short episodes that tell the story of a human who arrives at a mysterious boarding house full of terrifying creatures that make his every waking minute a nightmare. It's a more cartoonish take on horror but the memorable cast of characters and the surprisingly compelling story have made it an enduring cult classic.

Read - Dustin K Couch's Creepypastas: This creator has gone viral several times for his unique format of short form comedic horror stories that come in the form of fake social media screenshots about surreal phenomenon that takes hold via the web. Short, amusing, slightly unsettling, and punchy. Also on tumblr if you don't want to go to xitter.

[fallingsunflower]

Ratrry Body Language

Listen there’s not a lot to go off of so this’ll be short - just things I’ve noticed which I’m SURE everyone else has noticed too. Also a lot of my analyses are done assuming the people are sober. I have no idea if Harry or Emily are sober or drunk, but that could potentially also play a factor. Cha Cha slide video - literally cannot see much. I can't really say anything about Emily's body language but Harry's is...you know LMAO I just thought his hand looked weird because it was mainly in a fist which could be read as being uncomfortable but I wouldn't base anything off of that tbh. I can't tell where his thumb is, which is more telling, nor is the video long enough.

Fish video - So to me it looks like they were closely talking. I think Harry was smiling but hard to tell with the potato quality. I think he looks at the camera, then gives her a peck, then says something, and then she goes in for the big monty face grab open-mouth kiss *insert literally wide open-eyed Harry here*. Now you can prob view this a couple of ways. Either it was a classic make-out picking up steam, or if you think it's PR it could almost be argued that Harry kissed her for the camera, said something to her about it, and she progressed it further. I'm spitballing here but it depends how you view the situation. The open eyes suggest he was taken back. And the hand holding could also be viewed in a couple ways. Sometimes hand holding is an intimate gesture. It could also be viewed as "don't put it anywhere else".

Thigh pat video - Not much to say about this one but I WILL say that it is almost literally the exact same as the last Holivia make-out session that we got, even down to the thigh pat. I was wondering why it looked familiar and then it dawned on me. So do with that what you will

#emrata #ratrry

[solarwynd]

https://www.tumblr.com/solarwynd/747651444915748864/can-i-share-my-opinion-about-jungkook-and-that?source=share

Diff anon. Solar your points are so valid and I think you're right. I still have doubts this anon is right though just because all the points you mentioned also seem to apply for those smoking pics of JK and those I'm almost completely sure were staged. Also tkk's media strategy last year was crazy. JK would frequently go on a public Jimin love fest mode and Tae would go on a public JK love fest mode and simultaneously Tae tried to launch him and Jennie (I think a failed PR move) and the JK smoking pics (which made no noise). So in between all that if the video happened to be a deliberate leak, I feel that's too tawdry for BTS but with 🛴 at the helm, who knows what depths we might fall into.

Also I'm 100% sure that it was Tae and Jennie but a pap just coming across them? In France too. I'm not well versed in the practical situation but I've heard that the paparazzi laws in France are strict after the incident with Princess Diana's death. And taking photos that looked like they were taken on a potato? Doesn't seem random to me. I'm less sure with JK but there's some similarities. I know ssngs are the worst but they have so much time and money to track him but the moment they have to take a video it's potato time again? Meanwhile I'm watching the trend with those zoom tiktoks where people use their samsungs from the back of a stadium to zoom in and watch Taylor during eras tour. I think the bad quality is a feature too - just enough terrible quality that you can plausible deniability but still get buzz and people talking about you and building a certain image.

I'm just saying it's been ten years of half-rumors and hearsay and flat out lies about the guys' private lives but in 2023 we suddenly have two incidents for the both of them? Coincidentally before their solo release? I dunno. Might be a series of coincidences but it's interesting

Was TH’s hard launch with Jennie really just last year? Man 2023 was busy.

“I'm just saying it's been ten years of half-rumors and hearsay and flat out lies about the guys' private lives but in 2023 we suddenly have two incidents for the both of them? Coincidentally before their solo release? I dunno. Might be a series of coincidences but it's interesting”

No but this is so true. BTS have always been so careful about the details of their private lives and barely sharing anything. You can say that this is there way of freeing themselves from any previous restrictions they might’ve felt before chapter 2 but why go about it that way? I know that even Joon had a “slip up” where he posted a pic of him smoking on insta and then he deleted it but the amount of “confirms” you have to go through to post on that app? That for sure wasn’t an accident.

With JK’s smoking pics not making any noise I mean it did on twitter. People were thirsting after it but in terms of the audience they were trying to grab which was most likely American media considering he was in LA doing it out in the open, no one bit. No one in the US was gonna run that as a headline. Even with America’s perception of the kpop industry having strict rules, it’s just smoking. It’s not illegal. That’s why you have to ask (again if it’s staged) who’s planning these things out? And why are the operating off early 2000s or 90s rules to blowing up new acts in 2023? It just reminds me of that one Victorious episode where Tori was made into a big pop star and her manager turned her into a “bad girl” to interest the masses. But it just needed up turning people off from her.

“Also tkk's media strategy last year was crazy. JK would frequently go on a public Jimin love fest mode and Tae would go on a public JK love fest mode and simultaneously Tae tried to launch him and Jennie”

Jk’s Jimin binge was…something. I don’t think there was a particular strategy from him by doing that because fandom wise he had nothing to gain by mentioning jimin. Armys don’t care for jikook and jikookers are mostly biased towards him, they were gonna support him regardless. I believe there was some genuine interest there to see what was doing. (In retrospect, he was never gonna do it, but to be so in Jimin’s business, yet couldn’t still congratulate him publicly on getting that #1 on hot 100 🥴) Idk it just wasn’t expected considering they had barely been talking. Him and TH were at the hip so much last year, I would’ve thought he would’ve been the go to choice. (ig in a way he still was) Now TH was a strategist. It’s very obvious he wanted the best of both worlds with the actions he took, but neither helped him at all.

“I know ssngs are the worst but they have so much time and money to track him but the moment they have to take a video it's potato time again?…just enough terrible quality that you can plausible deniability but still get buzz and people talking about you and building a certain image.”

Ssngs are so particular about how they sneak videos and pics too. Like these people will literally be in trees to film these idols with those high grade cameras. “Building an image” as a member of BTS is a crazy sentence because while I get that everyone doesn’t know the members well individually, why would you want their introduction to you to be potentially staged cheap drama and not your music/talent? At their caliber it should be beneath them.