Ooh, I Have Aspec Thoughts On This. Calling On @aspec-kpop !

Ooh, I have aspec thoughts on this. Calling on @aspec-kpop !

Through my aspec journey, I've become more comfortable with the idea that my 'crudeness' acceptance is different from most of my peers but can also vary hugely depending on whom I'm with and the context. (I have one group of friends that is continually shocked at the innuendo-type jokes I can make.)

I've noticed that the allo people in my life don't have the same flexibility/understanding when ppl around them have different lines in the sand when it comes to crudeness.

I've been wondering, though, if my willingness to accept other's viewpoints in where the line is is because aspecs don't have the option to not. There's such a huge variability within the aspec community that it would be more bizarre to find someone that perfectly aligns with you than not!

So when I hear about things like this anon is saying, I'm instantly in that mindset of seeing it as someone else's level of acceptable crudeness rather than my own. (As long as it's not illegal behavior at least).

What do y'all think?

Hello! I need your opinion on this because I feel like I’m going insane and you are a sane army.

There’s a video from Jimin’s latest docu content where he shows the producers his comfortable position which is with his ass sticking out.

I find the things people were saying about this video concerning to say the least if not SH.

Hundreds of people were calling Jimin an omega…he is not a fanfic character, he is a human being

And were making veeery sexual “jokes” than in my opinion crossed so many lines while at the same time they were playing victim because they knew they were in the wrong

I can’t believe how normalized this is for all the members but more so Jimin. People were saying in the quotes that he is number one omega on ao3 like what?!?!

I like when the guys act sexy too, but this wasn’t Jimin acting sexy. This was him doing something with no sexual purpose, but this fandom is obssesed with sexualizing everything they do like Yoongi jumping on that bed.

All of this reeks of shipper influence, ''omega'' being a bullshit term only owned by fanfiction now, and you're right, he's not a character in a fanfiction, but that's not gonna stop shippers from seeing him as one and then treating him as one...Trying to rationalize the irrational won't do any good, not for me, or you anon.

The overall sexualization problem is a more complex issue that I don't even know how to talk about honestly. Because there are definitely appropriate times to sexualize them, when they are literally providing sexualized content (think CK for JK, or Namjoon posting workout videos shirtless) 'cause that's the reaction they want, they know that's the reaction they'll get. But we all think they're sexy all of the time too, just in different ways, because that's just how attraction works. There's definitely a line though between being like ''oh they're sexy, I'm attracted to them and want to talk about how sexy they are'' and ''omg they're so sexy let me talk about them like they're a sex toy'' that definitely borders on SH. I think plenty of people know where that line is and how to not cross it, and then you have people who don't and cross it, or they don't care where it is because they'll hide behind excuses as to why it doesn't matter ''they're famous so who cares'' ''I'm not being serious it's just a joke'' ''they'll never see it so I can say whatever I want'' etc. etc. again, I'd apply a lot this to shippers...

It's definitely weird, I'm not interested in engaging with that kind of thing (real shipping of the members), I try to avoid it by blocking ship names I know for a fact are more 'serious' and less 'duo' like Jik**k and Taek**k which saves me seeing a ton of bullshit. I also have ABO terms and a LOT of fanfiction terms blocked too. Basically just doing a lot of filtering to avoid things I don't wanna see...

I rewatched them all yesterday. It's so great to see JKs skills and intentions change throughout these videos. Tokyo still carries such emotional impact, though. Perfect song, excellent editing choices and I'm definitely biased toward the subject! 😉

LAST CALL: Generally how do you feel about watching reactors to BTS content?

This question sent me on such an unexpected spiral. Thanks @rae-sense for sending it in to @bts-polls ! I had the pleasure of a Fake Love Era deep dive revisit and it was lovely! (Shoulda been making gifs for my Run bts series but always happy to procrastinate being at my desk!)

My initial reaction was: Easy peasy lemon squeezy, it's JK. Buuuuut, since I've been successfully bias-wrecked by Jimin, I was curious if rewatching the content would lead me to a different conclusion.

My discovery of Fake Love was extremely pivotal in my BTS journey as it facilitated my desire to dive deeper into the BTS world rather than just listening to the music. I was absolutely convinced before Fake Love that music videos were completely unnecessary for true music lovers, they were sometimes nice but ultimately sources of random trivia along the lines of "did you know the music video is actually about xyz...". Maybe it's because I grew up without cable and MTV access but I never thought an mv could ADD to the music enjoyment/experience.

Anyway, along comes the Fake Love mv with its pretty visuals and hints of a further storyline underneath (I wouldn't fully realize how much I was craving something like the BU in the music industry until I connected the dots between Run and Fake Love but the foundation was starting to form). And then there's the break in the middle... hearing JK's voice seep in with the astounding fire and water visuals has permanently changed me. I will never again be the same person I was before hearing seeing experiencing this. To this day, I have that moment as my ring tone and I keep the volume on so that when I get spam calls, it's like the universe was telling me I needed a reminder that I do have a soul in my body. (It's actually made spam calls turn into something of a treat for me instead of an annoyance, I highly recommend this!)

So...We've established that I was completely suckered in by the Fake Love mv and was falling for JK as my bias as I ventured through all of the rest of the Fake Love Era content. Buuuut! The question rises: Was JK my bias because I loved those specific moments OR did I love those specific moments because JK was my bias??? Now we have a quest!

I rewatched as much Fake Love Era content as I could before my pre-planned errands yesterday with the intent of noting what stands out to me for each member to see if anyone can usurp my answer of JK for this question.

RM: I'm sorry but I think one of RM's best contributions to the Fake Love Era was ripping JK's shirt in that one performance...as he said, he created a legendary scene.

JN: Jin KILLS the intro and all of his solo scenes in the mv! He doesn't really stand out to me in the performances though.

YG: Yoongi's tiny smirk during the flame explosion does me in everytime. The rest of his solo scenes are very compelling as well. I love his rap section in the performance, it always feels like a treat to watch.

JH: Hobi's storyline in the mv was a little confusing without being familiar with the BU. The Fake Love performances that I think of for him are 2018 MMA, 2019 MMA and 2018 MAMA, that mannequin rise!!

JM: I want to love the flooding scene, because it's so beautifully shot, and there are times I think I do but there's something that sticks about it, not sure what it is though. I wish his dance moments were highlighted more though, they absolutely would have suckered me in if with more coverage. As it stands, I have to look for them to properly appreciate.

Jimin absolutely stands out during all of their special stage performances, the marionette dances, the lift by JK and V. I honestly don't know why it took me so long to 'find' Jimin.

V: V's storyline in the mv was very forgettable for me. Pretty visuals in the moment but I move on quickly. the only performances that sticks out to me is 2018 MMA at the intro where the camera follows him and the members appear in the line behind him but that's more due the excellent blocking than Tae himself.

JK: The 'Love you so bad' hook after the break! Still gets me. he's such a great perspective character on the rest of the guys, and his hallway scene is extremely compelling as well. there's a reason why his shirt lift moment was the most memorable of the Billboard music awards or whatever they said it was. JK does a great mannequin rise with Hobi in the 2018 MAMA performance also.

In conclusion: there are definitely some other members in contention, but JK still owns the Fake Love era for me.

Which member do you feel fits the "fake love" era the most?

Thanks for the poll question @rae-sense ! Always happy to post a submitted question.

LAST CALL: Do you use Rock Paper Scissors to resolve disputes more now than before your BTS journey?

Hmm, I think this style should simply be called a censored version. Literally just muted a few words, it's very abrupt and obvious.

Disappointed. But for anyone that was looking for it, here's the Spotify link. It's not easy to find by navigation imo.

The clean version of "TOO MUCH" is now on Spotify!

Jungkook Audacy Performance

Here's a link in case you haven't watched it yet. Please do watch it first as I don't like influencing anyone's initial reaction.

Back? Cool, I have thoughts.

I desperately wanted to love this but there are just some execution issues that I'm struggling to get past.

STANDING NEXT TO YOU

I actually didn't mind this performance much, still don't really care for the song but it's just not to my personal taste. This was the best application of JK purposely putting down the mic though, having him place it on the table. I always get just a little cringe when he puts it on the floor in the other performances but I have a suspicion it's supposed to be an enticing move that just does nothing for my ace self.

I still don't understand why there are so many dancers with JK. Especially on this small stage, it just looks crowded. Thus song is supposed to feel a little more intimate but the juxtaposition with so many others on stage with him is just awkward.

SEVEN

I got so excited when I saw the first JK duplicate! This type of filmmaking requires planning and preparation and I know the BTS production team is capable of some pretty cool visuals....but apparently the intended direction was to make the audience feel as seasick as possible while staring at a screen? What is with the continuous Dutch angles and floaty zooms?? Oh it's so bad. I can tell there was a great idea but it's just so poorly executed...

3D

I absolutely DESPISE the 'mute' method of censoring in songs. As much as I dislike the rap in this song, I'd so much rather hear it than the abrupt muting of specific words. Pretty sure there's something happening psychologically that makes me fill in the gap mentally and then those individual words stick around longer but with no context. I realize they do it because they need to comply with some broadcasting policy but I wish never again to hear a clean version of ANY song with this approach, fill it in with something else or don't do it.

But THIS song absolutely makes sense to have so many dancers, and they've allocated enough space for it.

CLOSER TO YOU

I wish I hadn't been spoiled as to this song being in this performance. It would have been a great moment of wonderment when a song other than the titles was about to start. Oh well, had to be in esrly meetings.

So...um...I understand the vision for this performance and it's actually an interesting idea with this song but...how do I say this nicely... This was completely reliant on JK's acting abilities to walk that fine line to not get into actual creeper territory and while JK is a great performer, he's really not that great of an actor. The edit didn't help him much either.

I'd like to end on a positive note though and go over some of the things that were great with this performance.

The set design! Absolutely gorgeous! Excellent idea and blocking for joining these songs into a cohesive performance.

The lighting! Oi, whomever was in charge of this, they did a great job! Absolutely perfection functionally for coverage and to support the storytelling.

That's it though...there will absolutely be some gorgeous stills and gifs that can come from this material. (not my crappy screen records, see someone else for the good ones! Lol) Overall this performance has continued the Golden theme of a great idea with some execution issues.

Personally, I don't associate Letter with JiKook other than from a performance standpoint, appreciating the blend of their voices. So I have a slightly different view on its existence as a hidden track. If there's additional meaning to them specifically with it, it's completely hypothetical because they have absolutely avoided telling us any of the specifics. It's nice to think about the possibility but Letter on its own has enough meaning and depth to be truly special.

I've actually done a whole post of the nature of fansongs (here's a link for anyone interested) but we didn't know much about Letter at the time.

I complain FREQUENTLY about not having Letter as an official release on Spotify but I do that with this point of view in mind (sometimes we just don't want to follow actual logic, you know, the heart wants what it wants). Having Letter be a hidden track that can only be accessed via physical record and only after getting through a ton of dead air of the last track of the album is so symbolic for me. This song is so precious that it needs to only be heard by those willing to go through those extra steps to get to it. The hidden font in the album itself was genius as well.

I think Jimin's reaction to Letter being used as intro and outro music during the JPD live commentary was interesting as well. He was absolutely caught off guard, and we know Jimin's default reaction in those situations is to laugh. It's like the staff just threw it in because it's associated with Jimin and maybe they were trying to evoke a feeling of closeness between us and him for that event but it felt a little too contrived to me. I'm glad he got them to stop it. This song is still my ultimate favorite song in all the music I've heard in my lifetime, and I definitely want to protect it a little from becoming weaponized emotion.

Anyway...did I have a conclusion to this post, no? I just can't resist gushing about Letter.

A few months ago, I was listening to Letter on youtube, looking at the lyrics. What I really like to do on youtube is reading the comments. Maybe it’s just me, but the YT algorithm usually shows up the most liked ones first and luckily they’re usually positive, interesting reflections, opinions, praises. I even found people confessing to someone and getting a reply years later once, lol. People sharing their stories related to the song/meaning of it, and so much more.

I found this comment, in Letter’s comment section. It said : “this song should not be hidden, it’s so good and a masterpiece😭”. I don’t know what they were referring to. Probably to the fact that it should be promoted just like the other tracks, and available for everyone (but it actually is, even if you don’t get the physical album, on YT), or maybe not.

Whatever they were thinking of, that comment hit me and I thought about it a lot. And even though keeping it hidden was probably a symbolic choice for Jimin, that comment it’s still true. That track should not be hidden, what it talks about should not be hidden or covered. Even if it all makes it more valuable and precious, and even if that just shows, again and again, that Jimin himself, as the artist that he is, was able to create a fucking masterpiece, for real.

I mean look at this.

https://href.li/?https://x.com/shyjjmn/status/1723774571927547938?s=46

This is delicate. Just like the love it talks about. Just like its meaning.

Even if I always said that Jikook’s bond is not about hiding anymore but it’s about protecting, sometimes’s still unpleasant to think about. Not their bond: what revolves around it. Please give me that. It’s still unfair. I’m not getting deep into it, we could but… no. I’m just rambling honestly. I’m just really, truthfully expressing what I think most Jikookers feel, not only as a part of the fandom (and its consequences) but mostly as humans. Human beings witnessing such a special bond.

Expecially when I think of young Jikook, using tweets or songs or numbers, to share with the world what normal people in normal life contexts scream out loud when and how they want: “I’m in love”.

Expecially when right after seeing that comment, GCF in Saipan popped up, and goddammit the timing. The timing.

I don’t wanna lie no more

I don’t wanna hide no more

What I found in you is so real

I don’t wanna hide no more

I don’t wanna lie no more

Now that I found you

Imma let you get the best of me

Jungkook being young, being so lyrics attentive, showing a young Jimin on the screen in the exact moment when this bridge drops, both times, is still one of the most tender, innocent yet painful things he has ever done.

And it all reminds me of the lyrics for Magic Shop, that song which is so special and important to Jikook.

You gave me the best of me

So you'll give you the best of you

You found me, you knew me

You gave me the best of me

So you'll give you the best of you

You'll find it, the galaxy inside you

That mutual love, that safe space, that being there for each other that Jikook always remember about each other and point out. A love that enables you to love yourself. The person who’s delivering these words wants the interlocutor to know that loving someone else so sincerely has to mean loving yourself in the same way.

Do you feel how deep and serious this all is?

Not to talk about the lyrics for Letter that didn’t make it.

Who hugged me tightly

Only you who protected me

Who only protected me

Who held my hand

Who held my hand thightly

You who reached out to me

Who held out your hand to me

Who held out his hand

To you who looked at me greatly

Sometimes I wonder how Jikook would talk about each other, romantically. How many sweet words they’d have for each other, more than they already do and share. What they’d say about their love, how they’d look while doing it. They’re so well spoken, good at exposing their thoughts, listening to them is enchanting already. And when they talked about the rainy day fight their eyes were sparkling, shining.

You know, I wonder how they’d act if they were really free of acting or speaking of each other/around each other every single time, with no second thoughts, hesitations, restrictions. Not just when it’s decided that, even if on camera, rules can be broken.

They’re private and reserved, but I’m sure they’d also love to tell some good stories, good fights, arguments, disagreements, or else. I’m sure a part of them, the same that made them be so loud about the Tokyo trip, or the same that made Jungkook edit and publish his GCFs, or the same that made Jimin change his watch’s time, wants and would love to open up.

And I just admire, fully, respectfully, the way they hold it back and protect each other. The way they dealed with it, deal with it every day, in the name of their love, for which they’d probably do anything in this world.

Letter should not be hidden, this bond should not be hidden, but at the same time, in this reality, that’s how we know Jikook’s safe and healthy. Even if Jikook should feel safe even if out of that closet (and the fact that it isn’t is bitter to me), all of this seems to be necessary.

Sometimes it’s “hiding in plain sight”, how they call it, sometimes it’s not. Some things probably improved compared to those years, to that 2018, but who I think really improved and made their skin thicker is Jikook. Their resilience is admirable. And it’s the real thing that made them last. They got support, they got each other, they got love, but none of this (by itself or together) is enough without resilience. You have to want it, to be willing to take that risk and love, love, love consistently, like they do, aiming to protection and defence all the damn time. And I know the way I feel about this should not egocentrically be the main subject here, so I focus on that instead. On their insane resilience, and their insanely human love.