andy-wm

[andy-wm]

Why is Bam on insta?

This thought flashed in my head when i saw the most recent photos of Bam.

Maybe I'm just slow and everyone else figured this out already but maybe not, so I’m sharing it.

The Bam insta account isn't just a fun side project set up by JK while he’s doing military service. He doesn't even have an account for himself*, so why would he make one for his puppy? It's not like he needs (or wants?) more followers or influence, and he could have just used his t1ct0k, where hes already got gazillions of followers.

When bowwow_bam first appeared, many comments suggested he created it to keep in touch with ARMY while he's serving in the military. And yes he DID share the account with ARMY on weverse, but I doubt that's the reason it exists.

Bowwow_bam is not for ARMY...

The photos JK gets from the training centre let him know that Bam is happy and well cared for.

Even though Bam has been in and out of the training centre often while JK has had his schedules, those stays were brief compared to 18 months. This time, Bam will basically be living there full time, long term.

Maybe this is why JK sent Bam to the training centre so often in the past, when he might have left Bam with friends or family instead. That way, the training centre became familiar to Bam before his long term stay.

Bowwow_bam is for JK

Bam's photos are likely sent to JK directly, so why post them to a public platform? And why post ONLY these?

Why?

Sure, it's a good way for JK to stay connected to ARMY with minimal effort. Let's not be foolish enough to think he doesn't care about that. It's pretty clear he wants to pick up his career where he left off when he comes back. (It goes without saying that BTS - and JK - will still have millions of fans after MS.)

But i don't believe thats the only reason Bam has an insta account, and i dont think it's the most significant reason either.

There are so many ways JK could have maintained a socials presence. If he wanted to be on insta, even just reposting old content would keep him at the forefront of ARMY's mind... if he had an insta account* that is.

It also got me thinking about what JK will be doing with his time off.

He isn't all that close to his family, he tells us. And most of his friends are idols, from what we see (although that could be selective information), so probably insanely busy with their own schedules. And his Bangtan brothers, his found family, are also doing their service. And he and Jimin are apparently on different shifts (if the information we have is correct).

So who is he connecting wiith?

Who is his link to home and normality?

This doggo right here is.

Besides letting JK know that Bam is happy and well cared for, the photos connect JK to home and give him something tangible to look forward to on the other side of his service.

They'd remind him that this episode of his life has an end date, that he has a place to return to, and that somebody is waiting for him to come home. Bam is waiting for him.

But why post them on instagram?

We know JK has a strong connection with ARMY. He's said many times that we're his safe place (debatable, honestly) and his happy place (I truly hope so). He's told us it's ARMY he talks to late at night when he's alone. He's also set clear boundaries about what he's prepared to share and how close we're allowed to come - although he blurs these lines himself sometimes... naked livestreams from his bed come to mind, but i digress...

I believe the insta account - Bam and ARMY together - is his anchor. This is his link back to his life before and after MS.

Sharing these photos from the training centre with his three (or four or five) million closest friends would validate for JK what his life has been, and will be again. It tells him we (like Bam) are still here, still waiting, without him ever having to ask.

It keeps that part of his life real for him.

Just to be clear,

I'm not downplaying the significance of Jimin and JK serving together in the companions program.

In my mind nothing could be more significant.

Jimin is with him day after exhausting day, just as he has been for the last twelve years. While that must be an enormous comfort to them both, these long and arduous days must still seem endless.

Getting through this difficult time with any sort of optimism would require something to look forward to, and recieving photos of Bam would give JK much happiness, and remind him that there is life outside of the camp.

They'd serve to remind him that at the end of it all he will see his beloved doggo in person...

...and that he and Jimin will go home and his little family will be whole again

💜🐰🐶🐥💛

*pretty sure he does tho...

~as always, opinions are my own and all of this is conjecture~

#jeon jungguk #park jimin #jikook #kookmin #국민 #true love #jeon bam #bam's dad #jimin and jungkook #bam's insta #bowwow bam #bts military service

[andy-wm]

I love this!Jikookclipse 💛💜

Solar eclipse today

Enjoy everyone!!! 🌒

Bisous 💜

[andy-wm]

Totally agree with absolutely everything here.

Would I prefer it if some of these things were different? Yes (i dont think the 'always single/boyfriend model' is healthy for fans or idols, personally). Does that mean I'm going to constantly yell about that, or pretend it's not real? No.

The industry is far from perfect. But it does have elements that are wonderful too, and i adore these guys beyond words so I'll support them where they are.

Reality checks in Army

Your fav doesn't inhabit a dystopian world where everyone (fandom, company, members...) universally despised him, with you as their sole supporter.

Your fav is an adult living in a democracy as part of the artistic and affluent elite, with the autonomy to make their own choices, free from external control [maybe you are not because of age or type of culture or society, but he is].

Your fav possesses greater knowledge of the music industry and his career than you do. Respect their decisions and give him credit.

Your fav is just that—your favorite. Embrace the diversity of artistic tastes in Army and respect everyone's freedom to choose who they support and stream in this Chapter 2

K-pop incorporates cultural elements like fanservice, skinship, bromance, and the “single” idol for his fans, which are inherent to the industry. So, you will always encounter "shippers" "supporters" " solos". Be respectful of the variety because that's the commercial goal of the whole fucking industry.

Thus, avoid adopting a moral high ground; being a "better fan" isn't solely determined by your hours of support/stream. Respect your fav and the diversity of his fan base +

Remember your fav simply asks you for support in their artistic work and respect for their personal boundaries. If you don’t agree, you have the option to step away.

Your fav is surrounded by a robust support network, including family, friends, advisors, counselors, and lawyers who offer professional and personal guidance when needed. They, along with your favorite, know what's best for them, not you.

You might not have affection for the people your fav cares for and decides to share the time with, but you need to respect them. You cannot alter your fav's relationships, no matter how much you wish to reshape reality. At the very least, refrain from insulting their loved ones; that's not to be the good and supportive fan you claim to be.

Your fav is their own person, not a reflection of your desires. They experience their own emotions, not yours. They lead their own life. Focus on appreciating what they offer you, and don’t try to create your own version of him (the fall will be harder)

Embrace a live-and-let-live attitude within the fandom and be respectful.

The joy will be greater 💜

[andy-wm]

D-Day movie was amazing tonight. I'm in awe of Mr Min. His charisma, command of the stage, benevolence, talent, skill, and passion are a force to be reckoned with. Watching that footage reiterated to me why he's my bias.

I was incredibly fortunate to see that performance 3 times, including day 2 of The Final in Seoul, and so of course i saw Jimin performing with him.

I took a huge risk, jumping on a plane to Seoul at short notice and hoping that the stars would align and Jimin would be performing with him at the concert i was going to. What joy when the first bars of Tony Montana played!!

My brain definitely disengaged though, so my memories are almost as fuzzy as my footage. I have a special talent for recording abominable video at concerts.

Nevermind, here it is anyway...

[andy-wm]

I've read and reread your analysis of FACE--applying Freytag's pyramid plot structure--more times than I like to admit. And I keep coming back to this part:

Then we have the surreal, melancholy Dive, drawing us further into this dystopian world. It also uses sound effects to make us feel like we are being pulled through time. Dive is reminiscent of a soundtrack from a video, but it's been separated from its film reel, leaving the listener to guess and imagine the scenes unfolding. It feels like Jimin has come untethered from his reality.

Thanks for making Dive my new obsession. :)

I never thought Dive was just a throwaway addition to add time--like some have suggested--but that it is part of the trajectory of the story. And I love how--just like with every other part of FACE--it is open to interpretation. Is he running towards or away from something? Is he showing how happy he is on stage or how he pulls himself together to be the Jimin everyone expects? Is that the sound of drinking water or something else?

Yes, I like to overthink these things. Sue me.

But your eloquent description here really struck a cord--being pulled through time...untethered from his reality. Coupled with the other-worldly chord sounds, I suddenly thought of The Aquarium by the composer Saint-Saëns. Do you know the one I mean? It gives me that feeling of looking through glass at a secretive world, where everything is mysterious and unsettling.

Anyway, you've given me a new appreciation for Dive, and solidified why it is not only important in recounting Jimin's journey, but perfectly placed on the timeline.

Thank you.

Hey Isaidnothankyou, thanks for your message! One of the aspects of FACE that keeps bringing me back to the album is the narrative.

Like you, I am captured by the role that Dive plays on its own and as part of the album. It tells such a succinct story, it could be an audition piece by a Foley artist.

But knowing that Jimin is behind it, and knowing what an intensely private person he is (like only comparatively recently did we discover he has actual walls and a ceiling in his apartment haha), i am literally stunned into silence at how intimate and revealing this piece is. I love that it has become a favourite for you too, because it is worthy of so much attention 💛

#park jimin #bts jimin #jimin face

[andy-wm]

"What is this in my pocket?? Wow, its a note with a pertinent question.. and it even has my name on it!"

Jungkookie you sweet sweet thing, we all know it was you that wrote it...

His Standards, 100% his criteria

🐰: In first place, Jimin Ssi

💜💛

Video ▶️

[andy-wm]

Do u think Jikook will ever do a collab? For an MV I mean.

Their voices mesh really well. And their dance styles while very very different is not incompatible.

Also their on screen chemistry (the reasons for that can be debated lol) is 100/100.

If they do an MV, it would break charts easily.

It doesnt even have to be romantic or queer-coded. Just them being best buds, going on a bro trip, having time of their lives singing and being silly would suffice. .

Yesssss, that would be AMAZING! I really do hope we get something like this. Maybe it was part of their NY trip, that would be so awesome. Their voices do sound beautiful together, and their energy and chemistry is electric 💜💛💜💛💜💛

[andy-wm]

I’m gonna be real with y’all, most of the time these days I don’t think Jikook are dating per se But they are… they are… they’re… what are they? What’s their problem? What’s their DEAL like one min you’re just cute bros and then I remember jungkook sucked on jimin’s EAR

Said a long time army-jkkr on Twitter. You may know her - Jennie, a lesbian in a long term relationship, who once was a hard-core jikooker. But for past two years, she thinks they are not dating but are two cute bros. There are only 1-2 incidents which make her rethink her 'Jikook are bros' final decision. Just like majority of jkkrs, it's either ear sucking or hickey, which one day if JK himself comes and say it didn't meant a shit or does same thing with someone else gets immediately debunked. But does 2 incidents matter when rest everything they does, if we look around us or even among bts are all common dynamics between two men who are super close ? If even long term Jikookers don't think they are dating then why would we have to believe they are a couple 🤔 Because majority here are super convinced they are a couple when in reality it's 90% chance that they are not.

I think this is the anon in my previous post who was frustrated i didn't answer their question. I am not exactly sure what the question is.

Anon, if you are asking if i think they're dating, i really can't comment on that.

Relationships come in many forms. As many as there are people on earth. What you call dating, i might call hooking up, or FWB, or partnered. They may have booty calls or they may be married. Or maybe they're poly and are dating several people. Or maybe they're asexual and they really adore each other and they don't have sex at all ever because they just don't.

We don't know how they define their relationship and its pointless to speculate.

It's also not important.

It's not important at all.

The term we use doesn't matter. What matters is what they are to each other.

I think they love each other.

I think they are or have been intimate partners (I lean towards are).

I think they are very invested in one another, and they support each other emotionally and physically and professionally.

(Watch the original clip of the gif below and you'll notice Jungkook helping Jimin ease into his seat. Boy couldn't sit down without help. I'm not speculating as to why.)

If they call that dating, cool.

If they call it life partners, awesome.

If they call it BFF who regularly go to bed together, I'm happy if they're happy.

And just for the record, I watch their intractions and take my cue from them. I am not really influenced by the opinions of others. "The majority of jikookers think X" doesn't affect me. I see what I see. And what i see is deep love and attraction and mutual respect and healthy boundaries.

I dont know if they are or are not dating, but if you're looking for a guidebook on dating, you could do worse that watching these two

💜💛

#jeon jungguk #park jimin #jikook #kookmin #국민 #true love #bts jimin #bts jungkook #are jikook dating #anon ask

[andy-wm]

Why you have asks open if you aren't going to answer ?

Just to annoy you, sweetheart 🌝

#anon ask #stupid questions

[andy-wm]

What we know now, after they have started MS

This is a short post, because life is a lot right now and i have very little emotional energy. But this felt important, so here I am.

Tonight I revisited an older post and realised I'd never completed the thought process i began there...

When Jimin released his solo album, FACE, I wrote this analysis post.

Part of that analysis talked about my impression of JK's backing vocals on Letter.

We had seen Jimin's Production Diary, and based on the clip of JK in the recording studio I thought he didn't know he would be asked to sing backing vocals.

Here's a screen grab of that post:

After watching the docuseries, BTS Monuments: Beyond The Star, we know that was correct...

It was a surprise to him when Jimin asked him.

In fact both aspects of that prediction were right, he didn't know about the song at all.

I have two questions:

Why would Jimin have kept the song a secret from JK?

And

Why wouldn't Jimin himself ask Jungkook to sing it? Why get PDogg to ask him? Jimin was RIGHT THERE.

Actually, make that three questions.

Why did Jimin scurry away as soon as JK asked to listen to the song?

Jimin earnestly said, "I made a fan song", while holding Jungkook's face in his hands.

That's such an intimate gesture, by the way. If my Best Friend held my face that way while they told me they'd done something, I'd take it to mean that the something was significant for/about me.

Jungkook asked to listen to the song, and Jimin... vanished. He retreated to the sofa to sit out of Jungkook's line of sight.

He's suddenly shy? Shy of Jungkook's reaction?? Wierd, but ok...

Unless the song is REALLY significant to JK....

In short, yes, it is REALLY significant. We already kinda guessed that right? But now, in light of their situation, it's more significant...

So, Jungkook recorded his part of the song.

Lets think about the lyrics...

Bear in mind this was written and recorded long before they had confirmation that their application for companion enlistment was successful...

These lyrics are even more significant in that context.

Plus

This is the part of the song that's in banmal. The switch from polite to familiar signals a change in the relationship, (I wrote about that in a previous post) and since Jimin always talks to ARMY politely, we can asume this part of the the song (at least) is directed at... someone else 👀

"We dont know what the future holds, don't worry I'll stay by your side."

Now consider that Jimin has written these words for not only himself to sing. He's asking Jungkook to sing them with him.

He's asking Jungkook to sing this love song with him.

With no hesitation, Jungkook says yes. He does the recording there and then.

And when JK is finished recording...

He tells Jimin that the song is really nice. Immediately, Jimin is a limpet. He's all over Junkgook like he's made of Velcro. A stark contrast to his earier behaviour when his vulnerability made him scurry away.

Jimin jokes that Junkgook should record a message for ARMY and Pdogg calls him out on that lie. Of course JK refuses. "It's your song." he tells Jimin.

Jimin is pushing his luck here, first asking JK to record a message, and then asking him to claim ownership (or share responsibility) for the song.

Jk has no trouble saying no to that.

It seems like more than a meaningless joke to me. One of those suggestions alone might be, but both? It left me wondering if Jimin suddenly felt scared that he was revealing too much with the song?

I'm kinda impressed that JK, for all his love and support, wasn't prepared to rescue Jimin from his choices. He simply, but gently, said no. It tells me a lot about their relationship.

It also tells me a lot about both JK's honestly and his belief in Jimin.

eta, I was tired and once my thought bubble popped i just hit 'post' and fell asleep. But it's exactly a year since Jimin released FACE and i think it's a pretty cool coincidence that i came back to this randomly on this day.

Happy FACE day, ARMYs. 💛💜

#jeon jungguk #park jimin #jikook #kookmin #국민 #true love #bts jimin #jungkook #bts jungkook #bts enlistment #park jimin letter #letter for army

[andy-wm]

Happy birthday Tae bear...

You whacky dishwasher, you handsome saxa-phonist, you lovely alien, you charming man.

Bangtan Sonyeondan wouldn't be the same without you.

We adore you!

사랑해!

#kim taehyung #tae tae #bts v #tae bts #taehyung #happy birthday Tae

[andy-wm]

I wholeheartedly agree. She owned her sexuality in such a positive but unserious way and i loved every moment.

🎶 listening to seven while I do dishes and fuckin jammin 🎶

Man “Come here baby let me swallow your pride” is such an underrated line…Latto absolutely KILLED her part in Seven, and then we all (as a fandom) made SO much more noise about how we hated Jack Harlow’s part in 3D…like yeah he’s a creep but why is it always the ugly that gets elevated while the beauty gets forgotten so fast?!

So. Latto appreciation post. She fucking nailed that verse 😅

[andy-wm]

the worst thing that could possibly happen to ao3 is it being put on the app store so please stop asking for it because you don't understand what would happen if that went through. ao3's whole deal is it archives EVERYTHING, while the apple app store's whole deal is keeping everything clean and safe. so if ao3 were to have an app all of the 'bad' stuff, including nsfw in general, would have to be censored at best or would be purged at worse. the google play store is more lax but who fucking knows what GOOGLE would police if they got their hands on the archive. do not ask for an app. do not use third party apps. it's on mobile browser functioning perfectly, just fucking use that before you ruin everything for everyone please.

[andy-wm]

Closer than this

Its definitely a fan song.

Mostly.

It's mostly a fan song. About love.

I will never let you go

It's a love song.

But it's also a fan song, right?

We can tell them that, right?

Right???

#park jimin #jikook #kookmin #국민 #true love #jimin closer than this

[andy-wm]

He really is waving that flag

I mean...

💙🤍💜🤍🩷

#park jimin #bigender flag #androgynous #jimin closer than this #bts jimin

[andy-wm]

Season's Greetings, ARMY!

Since we probably won't get a Season's Greetings this year, I made my own. Happy holidays ARMY!

Wishing all ARMYs - especially those who believe in true love - a safe and happy end to 2023. May 2024 bring you good health, prosperity, and the return of Jin and Hobi!

#true love #국민 #bts enlistment #season's greetings #bts ot7 #fanart friday #bts seasons greetings

[andy-wm]

I grew up in country with conscription and agree with a lot of what Anton Hur says, especially about defending someone else's empire. It was never romanticised for us but the sense of national pride of Koreans was also not present.

I also admire his actions in support of his belief. War is devastating and unnecessary.

if you're unfamiliar, anton is a korean to english translator who actually did the english translation for bts' book beyond the story. from what i understand, he has been on pretty good terms with army since and has not fallen into any of the traps a lot of other people who find themselves in the army spotlight usually do? but feel free to correct me if i'm wrong. though, even if i am, i don't think it detracts from his statements above.

i felt the need to highlight this opinion over here because i maintain the (unpopular, i guess?) position of if you're not being radicalized by this experience even just a little bit, then you need to widen your overall focus.

i do not want to be the bearer of only doom and gloom and please cope as you see fit within reason, but i have seen enough romantic takes on this whole situation that i kind of wish i could shake a few people.

the risk level here for the boys isn't zero. what happened to seokjin already proved that. all of them being strong both physically and mentally doesn't negate people's valid concern for their well being. it is not a lack of confidence in them or some form of "coddling grown men" to express distress over a situation that can go sideways at a moment's notice.

if you don't believe me, by all means, don't take my word for it and go find your own sources, that is something i will always encourage. but here's a freebie for you to start with.