#Aladdin Interpretations and Meanings

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Yo! Good morning/evening, hope you are fine^^💝. I wanted to ask you a question but I was afraid that it may bother you or something (you know..that feeling when you are scared that you might disturb someone or being an unwelcome person) but yeah I will ask you since i was serious about your answer for some time now so I hope I'm not annoying you or something *feel free to answer only if you wish^^. You seem to know the characters pretty well, you are quite capable and great at reading and understanding them, one of the things I'm serious about is what do you think would make someone qualified enough to be with malleus? Do they have to be of the same species?certain Reputation, stature or traits?(sorry can't help it since I can't rest until I know everything about what interests me and figure it all out😅). Thanks for giving me some of your precious time I really like your blog, you're amazing💜

No worries, you’re not bothering me at all ^^ I love to talk about my hyperfixations www

Now, I know a lot of fans (particularly on the EN side) like to ship Malleus with their OC and especially with Yuu so I want to first make it clear that my response is NOT meant to invalidate those Malleus shippers. Whatever I say here is based on my own interpretation of canon lore (and let’s be real here, TWST won’t ever confirm if anyone is romantically interested in Yuu because it might not work with how some players view their own relationship with that character). In fanon, anyone can be with anyone, but in canon there are very specific in-universe rules and expectations laid out for Malleus so these are what I will be referring to.

I also want to emphasize that the final traits I discuss in this post do NOT reflect Malleus’s personal tastes or views. He has little say in what kind of an individual his spouse would be, so his own preferences are not speculated about or taken into account here. The traits I will be bringing up are based on what I believe the lore implies are the desirable traits for those marrying into the Draconia royal family.

We got it? Good 👍 Read more below the cut!!

Firstly, I’m completely disregarding the ideas of “Malleus can love whoever he wants to love”, “Malleus can scare people into accepting who he loves”, and/or “Malleus can change the law so he can marry who he loves” (a la Sultan from Aladdin or through some other Disney magic or logic). Here’s why:

In general, those solutions for “high stakes issues” are too simple, and that has never been how Twisted Wonderland tackles complicated problems. Just look at every single OB boy’s backstory. They’re so complex that they aren’t totally resolved by the end of their books; these problems persist and are long term things each of them are working on addressing. This is also true of the politics TWST introduces to us; Leona for example explains how there is social pushback and resistance to the idea of infrastructure reform because the culture of the Sunset Savanna stresses harmony with nature. This has made it difficult for them to adopt new technologies because real politicians in their world have to seriously weigh their cultural values with their health and societal progress. The only time there are really easy solutions are in events or vignettes where the emotional stakes are not super high, but who Malleus marries is, in fact, super important since this will entirely change the life of a main character and his country.

With that first bullet point in mind… No, Malleus cannot love whoever he wants to love. Certainly, he may feel affection for another but he can never truly be with them. He is royalty and the only heir to the throne of Briar Valley. It follows that he is expected to marry for political reasons/to better his nation. This is a non-negotiable obligation for him.

Rather than saying, “Malleus cannot scare people into accepting who he loves”, I think it’s more accurate to say Malleus knows he probably shouldn’t. I mean, yes, he may be upset about his S/O not being accepted by his people but I feel that is discrediting a lot of the loyalty he has for his own country. As a kid he may have thrown tantrums when he was upset and potentially harmed staff, but as a 178 year old he has a much better understanding of decorum and maintaining it in spite of his own grudges. For example, even though he personally dislikes Leona he still commands Sebek to apologize to him because, at the end of the day, this could harm Briar Valley’s relationship with the Sunset Savanna. That’s not to say that Malleus can’t be petty (he definitely is)—but implying he would be petty toward basically his entire country just because they would disapprove of the one he loves?? (We know this would likely be true because Sebek’s parents faced similar backlash when they got together.) I feel like his own sense of awareness and responsibility for his country, crown, and people would override that. As an example, Malleus states that he has never been in a car before because the senate would be against it and often kept Malleus in the castle. Someone of his power could easily ignore them and sneak out and do whatever he wanted, yet the dialogue implies Malleus didn’t. He obeyed his political advisors even when he was younger and arguably much more immature. Malleus might not like certain decisions made about his life but it sounds like he ultimately complies with them.

Continuing from the previous point, let’s say for the sake of argument that Malleus does scare everyone into line. What about his public image and the mental health of his S/O? Maybe Malleus can frighten people to not talk out of turn to his face, but he cannot control what people whisper about him behind closed doors or to treat his S/O well or like they actually like them. Not only would they be alienated (away from their own home and forced to adapt to a new one) but they’d be treated oddly by others too. What kind of reputation is that for Malleus? To be a tyrant king who throws a hissy fit anytime someone talks about his partner in a way he doesn’t approve of? With a spouse who is not at their best mentally because of the constant ostracization? (This is similar to what Leona experienced in his childhood.) I don’t think Malleus would want to subject anyone to that kind of life, especially not one he loves. And again, this attitude would be the vast majority of his people. It’s not like it can be avoided or resolved in an easy manner, especially when the people of Briar Valley have proven to be against change.

Lastly, Malleus would not change the law so he can be with whoever he wants to. To begin with, I doubt this is a unilateral position the senate would approve of. But okay, let’s accept that Malleus is royalty so his power overrides the advisors’ power. So he effectively just changed a law for a very selfish and personal reason rather than changing something to actually benefit his people. That doesn’t feel in-character for him, not when Malleus seems to understand that it is the duty of those in higher status to help those below them rather than themselves (see: Riddle’s Suitor Suit vignettes. Malleus has acted selfish before, yes (who remembers Endless Halloween Night? His Dorm Uniform vignettes? I do.)—but never at the cost of changing the status quo of his country. (Book 7 is not included here because he’s in a very distressed emotional state then; this “new law” scenario posits that Malleus is in a normal state of mind.) This is a major change—change which Briar Valley, its people, and most importantly, Malleus, are not ready for. You think there wouldn’t be social pushback against this? From a society that has become complacent with its own way of life and is still isolated from the rest of the world? That Malleus, someone who struggles greatly with accepting life changes himself, could enact such a big change so easily? (On a more technical level, you don’t just pass a law and it instantly becomes tangible or real, there is a process of approval and then implementation.)

Additionally, it’s made clear in Ghost Marriage that “[Malleus] cannot enter into an engagement lightly”, which is why Sebek goes in his place. Eliza, the Ghost Bride, is royalty (er, albeit dead) but it seems that royal status is not enough to qualify as his partner. Maybe this is because she’s dead and doesn’t have anything of value for Briar Valley (no land, no people, no political power), but it could also mean that the partner has to be given the thumbs up by other parties.

All that being said, here are some of the conditions I think would have to be met for Malleus’s future spouse:

Has to be someone of equal or at least high status. This means they also have to be a royal or at least of nobility. This appears to be true of Malleus’s dad, who is referred to as a duke.

Because of how self-contained Briar Valley is + nocturnal fae having beef with diurnal fae, I imagine his partner would have to also be a nocturnal fae. This would also solve the MASSIVE lifespan difference between fae and non-fae because at least fae would be far closer to each other even if their lifespans fluctuate but subspecies.

Someone suited to rule by his side. Being married into any royal family is no joke—it comes with the expectation that you will contribute somehow, and the partner should be fully equipped to enter the world of politics with him.

Piggybacking off the last point, I think mental fortitude is also a prerequisite. This is because being a politician (navigating the social climate both within your country and outside of it, keeping your people and colleagues happy, maintaining public approval, managing laws, dealing with potential attempts on your life, etc.) can be very stressful and can hurt those who are faint of heart or not prepared for the responsibility. Leaders have to make tough calls at the drop of a hat, and they have to be ready for it.

Has a lot to offer in terms of benefits to Briar Valley as a country. This could be in terms of resources, connections, and/or political savvy. This appears to be true of Malleus’s dad, who acted as a diplomat for Briar Valley.

Vetting and formal approval from the senate. lmao good luck with that

Has to be able and willing to have a child. They at least need an heir to the throne to succeed Malleus. (However, knowing how exclusionary and conservative as heck the senators are, I doubt they would accept anything but a biological child 💀)

Preferably someone with powerful magic or is skilled at magic already so as to lessen the chance of “tainting” the bloodline with a weak mage or a non-mage.

I believe that Briar Valley would prefer someone with old fashioned values like them, not someone pushing for massive reform. They have a culture that is resistant to change and a history of fighting for resources with outsiders, so if Malleus’s new spouse tries to introduce a bunch of technology or open its borders to other countries (even if they have good intentions), the people + the senate may oppose them. His father is implied to be open-minded, but he at least understood that such change isn’t reasonable without time and effort dedicated to the endeavor.

All that being said 💦 I think that this topic is actually less about what Malleus as an individual wants and what his country, his people, and, yes, even his asshole senators, want. This is basically an arranged marriage situation so that their country can maintain power and relevance. It’s about the collective and what Malleus must do for their perceived security and prosperity.

#twst #twisted wonderland #Malleus Draconia #twst x reader #Malleus Draconia x Reader #disney twisted wonderland #disney twst #Sebek Zigvolt #Leona Kingscholar #Yuu #notes from the writing raven #question #spoilers #Eliza #Ghost Bride #Aladdin #twst analysis #twisted wonderland analysis #twst character analysis #twisted wonderland character analysis #tw//homophobia #tw//transphobia

[ephemii]

okay let me ramble here because i need to be a nerd about scarabia for a minute-

as an egyptian, im naturally gonna be very biased (and excited) when seeing characters with arabian origins because a) it pulls out my scrutinizing side in seeing whether or not the creator of said character did their homework on the cultures and nuances and b) it makes it easier for me to relate to said character, making me love them even more!!

so i wanna talk about kalim and jamil for a quick second!!

Slight book 4 spoilers under the cut!!

•☽────✧˖°˖☆˖°˖✧────☾•

here im actually gonna focus on their names! i love their names a whole lot, because,

🌺 while jamil [jah-meel] ((the "a" in Jah is pronounced like the "a" in cat)) is a pretty generic name when it comes to media diversity, it's still a very nice and "refreshing" name, as i call it. also, it's the masculine adjective of "pretty/handsome/nice" and.... they're not wrong lol

🌺 as for kalim al-asim, his name is actually quite interesting! firstly, kalim [kah-leem] ((same withe the "a" as jamil)) means "speaker/interlocutor" in the arabic hyperbolic verb-adjective system— as in, when someone does [verb] a lot or is described to be excessively/wholly [adjective]. (although that isn't to say the verb or adjective, in the sense of "excessive" is bad! i.e the person could be (excessively/wholly) a liar "kaddhaab" OR (excessively/wholly) generous "kareem") so I feel like that fits his character a whole lot, actually. very bubbly and sociable!

🌺 the second half of his name, al-asim, is also very interesting. in the game, there's a little bit of misinformation on what "al" in an arabic name would mean. in the game it's explained that "al" would mean "son of" or "of the family" which... isn't really true, actually. instead, when wanting to refer to someone as "son of" you would say "bin" or "ibn"— kalim bin asim. also, that is to say, it's kind of an old system of naming, but scarabia is inspired by the ye-olde vibes of arabia in aladdin, so it's fine lol

🌺 so then, the "al" in his name, in this sense, is actually something a lot simpler! "al" in arabic is like the prefix "the"! So for example, someone could be named mohamed al-sayyaad —> mohamed the sayyaad (meaning mohamed the fisherman!) in which case, it can be used as an overall family name, but it doesn't really mean "of the family sayyaad".

nowww, when seeing what the adjective "asim" means, it has me scratching my head a bit because his name could actually have three possible meanings! :0

🌺✨ asim as in [ah-seem] ((once again, same with the "a")): أسيم

when أسيم is broken down to its fundamental components, it gives several meanings, notably; "goes on to order something" (which fits very, very well)

OR: "directs his sight/gaze to..." (which... also fits.....given jamil's signature magic 👀)

it can also be interpreted as someone who has authority.

🌺✨ a second meaning for [ah-seem]/[qah-seem]:((قسيم)) in this case, the "a" in "qah" would be like the "a" in water. also, if you're wondering about the "q" I'm just writing it in the exact way it would be written and pronounced in proper arabic if it were to BE that word/meaning specifically, as i know in-game his name is written as "Asim"... but to clarify, in egyptian arabic it's not necessary to pronounce the "q" when it's at the beginning of a word or name, so we just pronounce it as "a".... again, I'm writing this in my perspective, an egyptian :)

which means, literally, "the share"... why i feel like this interpretation is especially significant, though, is because "the share" here, in arabic, would actually refer to someone's destiny or fortune!

in this case, that the destiny of kalim and jamil is master to his servant, respectively, vice versa.... in that, that was how their fortune played out; that was what destiny has written for them in terms of their relationship— something that jamil can do nothing about, the hopelessness of it leaving him to harbor resentment for his inability to change his own fate. which, as we saw in book 4.... 👀 (this one is just SO. GOOD. OOF.)

🌺✨ and lastly asim as in [aah-sim]/[qaah/sim] : قاسم

which, in the case of (قاسم) would mean distributor/divider literally, and more specifically, someone who gives, who is able to share. and given kalim's overly generous personality and tendencies, it's very much fitting!

•☽────✧˖°˖☆˖°˖✧────☾•

#twisted wonderland #twst #disney twisted wonderland #jamil viper #kalim al asim #ツイスト #ツイステッドワンダーランド

[twisted-wonderland-but-gayer]

Hi if you still do things for the parent 7 au, how would protagonists of the movies feel about their villain caring for a kid? i feel simba would be a pouty brat (if its still kid simba), alice would have the least personal tie to QoH, i cant decide if snow would be jealous becuse ¨hey! thats my stepmom being more of a mom to some kid than her real stepdaughter!¨ or if she´d just be happy E.Q loves someone other than herself. And so on

Okay I was gonna make this a fewe request but I've been struggling with it. Instead I'll give you my take

Alice (cartoon) is a kid at the end of the day. She finds the Queen unreasonable and rude and can't believe she would have a kid to begin with. If anything she would feel bad for you. Tim Burton Alice is kinda trying to kill your mom. She feels bad for a different reason. You are to be orphaned because of her. She knows the Queen can be kind but that doesn't mean that wasn't cruel to her people

Simba rationalizes it as much as he can but can't make sense of it. It would make sense if you were one of his own but your not. He was capable of such compassion to him as a kid, to be a loving uncle. And he never got that. He's not mad at you. But he is still hurting... also how to did he adopt a person.

Ariel is also conflicted. Especially cause since Ursula adopted you, you're all technically family. She is a bit sad that Ursula seemed not to care for her at all and chalks it up to her being closer to her father, a man she hates. She wishes she could have gotten to know you better, and part of her wants to save you from Ursula because she believed she'll corrupt you... but she knows that if she takes you away from your family, it would be unfair to you and you'd never forgive her

Aladdin can't believe this guy has a sweet spot for anyone. He wants to throw hands with him again, kid or no kid. He really doesn't get how you're so good despite being with him. Obviously Jafar was able to be a good person, he didn't want to be and feels no pity, except maybe for you.

Snow is also a child. And in some interpretations, the queens step child. This really does cut her deep. She's not mad at you at all, she thinks you're lovely. But she's just a kid who wants a mom or a dad and she never got that. Grimhilde never gave her the time of day and now she's fawning over you. Why can't you all just be a family?

Hercules is very suspicious of you. Hades had been a nuisance his entire life and now he has a kid. He's a bit suprised Hades is all soft for a kid and thinks you must be under a spell. Probably tried to save you from him which gets messy and you say that Hades is your father and he means a lot to you. He'll accept it and then just tell Hades to not involve you in his schemes. To let you chose your own path. He is not afraid to strike you down either.

Aurora no matter the interpretation seems very gentle and forgiving. I think she would be happy that Maleficent has someone she can be close too. So long as you are safe and happy, she accepts it.

#babybulbasaur920 #not writing #not requests #the great 7 parents

[silvermags]

Silver Assigns Theme Songs Part I: RWBY

Here we are in the first post of one of the dumber ideas I've had. RWBY is going first because it's the first list I finished. Links to the songs mentioned will be under the cut. (AJ specifically should beware of spoilers because I still want you to watch this.)

Ruby "You Are Enough" by Citizen Soldier. Just go watch the V9 finale, then listen to this song, and try to tell me it is not Ruby Rose. You will never convince me that this song is not hardcore Ruby Rose.

Weiss: "Speechless" from the live action Aladdin movie. Didn't like this movie, did like this song, and there is a reason there are at least three AMVs of this song featuring Weiss already up on Youtube. It's because it's perfect.

Blake: "This Is Me" from The Greatest Showman. This is not the attitude she started with but it's the attitude she grew into and you love to see it!

Yang: "Phoenix" and actually I'm not sure who does it, pretty sure it was written for League of Legends. It's catchy though. Anyway, I know that her name means dragon, but have you considered that between the fire and her character arc this girl was made for phoenix imagery?

Jaune: "Lullaby" by Nickelback. The vibes are correct. That is all I can say.

Nora: "Crazy Angels" by Carrie Underwood. I admit, this is the one I was least convinced about. Maybe I'm just listening to the wrong kind of music, but Nora is actually really hard to find a song for. I landed on this one because "sweetheart with a wild side, girl next door with a rebel smile" isn't a bad description of our favorite Valkyrie, even if it isn't the best, and this is absolutely the kind of song that I can see her enjoying, unlike most of the others.

Pyrrha: "Just a Dream" by Sam Tsui and Christina Grimmie. I also contemplated "Watching for Comets" or "Lucy" by Skillet, or "Living Without You" by Beth Crowley, but I'm not that mean. It's a very sweet, sad song about lost love and lost opportunities.

Ren: "True Colors" originally by Cindy Lauper, covered by everyone and their dog, I'll be linking the Celtic Woman version because I like it the best. Go watch V8 again if you don't know why this one fits.

Oscar: "I'm Still Here" from Treasure Planet. Oscar's character arc, plus the vibes, ended up making this one win out.

*Bonus!* Emerald: "Lovely" originally by Billie Eilish but the specific version I'm assigning her is a rock cover. I don't have any real concrete reasons, but the vibes of the song combined with the way (In my interpretation) Emerald has always wanted to be safe and loved made the choice for me.

Ruby:

Weiss:

Blake:

Yang:

Jaune:

Nora:

Pyrrha:

Ren:

Oscar:

Emerald:

#silver assigns theme songs #rwby #music #video #ruby rose #weiss schnee #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #jaune arc #nora valkyrie #pyrrha nikos #lie ren #oscar pine #emerald sustrai #citizen soldier #aladdin #the greatest showman #nickelback #carrie underwood #celtic woman #Youtube

[chiarrara]

Nanami anon here. I really hope they develop Mahoro with these sorts of themes in mind. I can't believe I forgot the princess aspect of Nanami, it's such a big thing in Utena in regards to self delusion and how people end up stuck in gendered social roles. This general perspective is what's keeping me interested in Bucchigiri cuz I can see so much potential for that sort of depth. I'm so glad I could help spark this sort of discussion (it's been sorta hard to find people willing to engage with these kind of interpretations).

Hiiii Nanami anon! I'm so glad you came back!!

Yes I think this story is so interesting even just in the potential it sets up. If it doesn't deliver on that potential it could be disappointing, I guess. but it brings up a lot of interesting discussions either way, so I'm just enjoying where we are right now and the conversations going on in the criminally tiny fandom.

To be completely honest i spent a lot of time arguing with people about the literary worth of this show on another platform and it was just depressing. Nobody wanted to engage deeper than surface level appeal, and only would approach it through an extremely narrow lens of expected tropes of the type of show *they* wanted to watch, and a demand for pandering to one type of fan in a genre it doesn't even really belong to, instead of honestly approaching it for what it is and the story it's trying to tell. I've been trying to curate my experience more so I can actually enjoy myself, and interacting with the small community of people here who actually like to enjoy and analyze the show within the literary conversation it's clearly trying to have has been so much more fulfilling.

ANYWAY, I love what you're bringing up because self-delusion is such a big theme here! and specifically how it interacts with compulsory gender roles!!! Like, Arajin is trying so hard to fulfill compulsory heterosexuality, but is running away from the very masculine coded honor-through-fighting that senya and the general culture value. A lot of people suspect that his pursuit of losing his virginity is a way to make up for his self-perceived weakness and failure to uphold the masculine ideal of honor-through-fighting when he was young.

THEN when MAHORO stands up and displays that ideal, he is able to achieve it (at least for a moment). There's also discussion that if this follows Aladdin, he's going to lose the genie and some point and will have to essentially prove himself as honorable without the genie's help. This could be interesting. We'll see what happens.

So is fighting masculine coded in this show? Or is it just the height of honor? Or is fighting for the right reasons or in the right ways honorable. Because not all the fighting is portrayed as a good thing.... I'm thinking out loud here.

Anyway, Mahoro is also stuck in this gendered role obviously, but I wonder how much self-delusion will play into it. She believed she needed to use her role as a cute girl to stop the fight, but all those attempts failed. Ultimately what worked was dropping the facade, dropping the role & those tactics, and standing up to fuckface (i do not care about this man I'm so sorry lol) as HERSELF. Saying what she really thought, how she really felt about these people and the whole situation. And basically willing to sacrifice her well-being to do so. Ooooh this is so interesting!!!!

I really can't wait to see where this goes, I know I keep saying that but. It's true. I mean, Matakara could be said to have some delusions about honor. Maybe the way he sees his brother is diluted. He believes in Arajin to a fault, but he was proven correct. Although it wasn't him that sparked the change. I dunno, a lot to think about.

I'm so glad I could be an intermediary for this discussion! I don't know anything about Utena, but if y'all do feel free to talk through me lol. I'm loving this.

#bucchigiri?! #bucchigiri #jin mahoro #arajin tomoshibi #matakara asamine #revolutionary girl utena #mahoro jin #bucchigiri analysis #bucchigiri meta #bucchigiri predictions

[shellyseashell]

descendants au where the core four plus some others are sent to auradon. they all have the same plan (get the other vks off the isle) but go about it in wildly different ways. there is no communication among them. (also they have foster families but that’s besides the point)

mal, being maleficent’s daughter (2014 maleficent) is a protector. and not above cursing people to get her way. she’s staying with mulan and shang, so maybe she learns a less violent way to protect people, but it’s also enforced in her to do what’s right. while she’s encouraged to just try to fit in, she knows from her mother that sometimes you can’t blend in. currently, her plan is to intimidate ben into listening to her. it may or may not be working.

evie is also not above cursing people, though she prefers to charm them first. or manipulate them. staying with snow white doesn’t help at all, surprisingly. though maybe she stops caring about her looks so much. anyway, she’s a healer, so with every chance she gets she’s ranting to whoever will listen about how bad healthcare is on the isle. it may get disgusting sometimes, but hey, it’s working. ben insisted they send better medicine on the next boat.

jay has magic, because jafar was a sorcerer when he was sent to the isle. with the barrier, he may not be at his full potential, but hey, it’s there. now, jafars scepter is in auradon. jafar tells jay to steal it and sure, okay, he’ll do it, if only so his father will feed him should the whole thing not work out and they’re all sent back to the isle. but then he realizes the scepter would give him more power, and jafar is always lamenting that he’ll never be as powerful as he was. so jay decides to steal it to prove he can be that powerful, and with that power he can liberate the isle. also, he’s staying with aladdin and jasmine. aladdin knows exactly what kind of person jay is, because he was him once too. he guesses jays plan within minutes of meeting him. he says nothing, but when jay is inevitably caught, he makes sure he’s not sent back to the isle.

carlos is happy to just not be his mothers servant, but given he’s staying with cinderella, that’s enough for her to fight for other kids to get off the isle.

isidora, my oc, is the daughter of the queen of hearts/red queen, since i base my headcanons off the live action. anyway, she couldn’t careless about auradon. she doesn’t care about the isle much either. this isn’t because she doesn’t want others off the isle — she does — but her mother is having an affair with time himself, so she knows things will happen when they happen. even if that means she has to bully time into helping her. what she does care about is how many places in wonderland could be turned into homes. she doesn’t exactly have much of a gang, but she does know carlos, and through him she has connections with mal, and mal has a lot of connections, as one of the main leaders of the isle (kinda want to call that alliance the triumvirate tbh). her personal goal may be not getting beheaded by her own mother and working the salon, but she has a sister to look out for, and mal may call on her resources one day. also, she’s staying with alice in wonderland, and let’s just say she fits right in.

claudine was invited off the isle, but she was also smuggled off so her father wouldn’t find out. she’s honestly just happy to be away from him, but she’s also part of the lost revenge, and uma is her captain. technically uma’s orders were to not forget about them, but claudine interpreted that as “get us out of here, if you can”. so she gets close to ben, makes sure he knows exactly what happens to vks. as one of the isle kids with the worst home lives, who better to inform him? her foster family, the de chateaupers, support her on the basis of she exists, and if frollo of all people was allowed to raise another kid, who else was?

how do these plots collide? i don’t actually know yet, except that that’s not all that’s going on, and the isle becomes a war ground at some point.

#feel free to ask more about this! #gonna call it the foster family au #since that was originally what it was #foster family au #disney descendants #mal bertha #evie grimhilde #jay descendants #carlos de vil #descendants oc #oc: isidora of hearts #claudine frollo

[faintingheroine]

Nihal’s Arya in Selman Ada’s opera version.

A translation by me:

“Once upon a time I was a child

No one noticed me

I was patient

I was really offended, no one knew

Now I progressed a lot

I became a sweet young girl

Attractive, respectful

I read a lot of books

The conqueror of my heart

Whoever you are, land on my heart

(…) Fly me to free places”

Okay, I think this is enough for me to make my point. I hope that I haven’t misheard any words. I have the libretto at home as a second-hand leaflet, but I am not at home right now. You can see how the part is acted out at 6:24 minute mark here.

This is not merely a one-dimensional representation of Nihal, it is the opposite of book Nihal in many ways. Nihal imagining a “conqueror of my heart”? Nihal wanting to leave her home, wanting to fly to free places like Jasmine from Aladdin??? Nihal wanting to grow up makes some sense early on in the book when she kind of wanted to emulate Bihter with the çarşaf, but she quickly abandons that course of action. And tbh, I think Nihal likes fashion and jewelry independently from any eagerness to grow up.

Clearly, Nihal is merely a symbolic foil to Bihter in this adaptation rather than a developed character herself. Which is fine, it probably works for the opera’s story, but it is not an accurate representation of the book Nihal at all.

@muzikalsiren I am sure the opera is good as an opera, musically I like it though my knowledge of opera is very very limited. But based solely on the libretto, I don’t like the interpretation of Nihal. I understand why they did it but as a fan of the book character I kind of resent it. I hope this does not offend you. I am absolutely fascinated with the fact that you acted in an adaptation of Aşk-ı Memnu, I find it absolutely amazing even if I have misgivings about the opera’s libretto as an adaptation.

@princesssarisa @artemideaddams @ariel-seagull-wings @literatureismyentirepersonality An encapsulation of what I mean by the misrepresentation of Nihal.

#aşk ı memnu #aşk-ı memnu #nihal #opera

[svankmajerbaby]

ok i just watched the mina le video on movie musicals, and im still thinking about how movie musicals are marketed but most importantly to me, how theyre made

so bc musicals are "cringe", three movie musicals have been hiding the fact theyre not musicals in their trailers, and focused on selling, what else, nostalgia and the association with a previous intellectual property. in the actual context, its not a surprise, though it does mean theres a void of actual interesting movie musical projects. i personally think that the fact that we havent had a movie musical of the best original one made in years, hadestown, is a real shame... but considering that, even though its not a particularly hard musical to convert to screen, it would be extremely easy to fuck up through movie star casting and a bad choice of director who doesnt know their way around a musical number... still, i would like to see someone try.

but anyways.

what i personally have an issue with is the decision between movie actors who cant sing and stage actors who cant act in the way movie directors supposedly want. the choice to go with big movie actors the audiences are familiar with, and that also act like the audiences expect actors to act, is understandable. producers suppose actors can do anything if they try hard enough and they can carry a tune and do some dancing with the proper coaches and a month or two of rehearsals. but i personally am of the mind that a theater actor, a stage actor, is a much more valuable performer in a movie musical because they already know how to inhabit a musical character, how to move and interpret the overwhelming emotions a musical character needs to embody. besides, at least to me, the beauty of a musical is to see an amazing musical performance, that matches accordingly with a compelling story and characters. i wouldnt want to watch a billy elliot movie musical if it didnt have great dancing, for example. i wouldnt want to watch a wicked movie if the actors couldnt perform the songs perfectly in character. musicals are at their best, of course, when the music drives the story forward, and i feel like thats a skill that most directors dont have. the reason les mis didnt fully work for me is less because of the "realistic, flawed singing" (which did bother me at times, especially with the more action involved characters like valjean and javert) and because the cast was so badly directed and unbalanced. thats why something like west side story 2021 is so important to me: a movie with 99% musical theater actors, which are all well directed by a movie director who knows how to move the camera around the performers to instill a sense of dynamism and excitement. i maintain that choreographers in general should try directing movies. the in the heights movie, even if i didnt personally care for the music, was excellently directed because it was obvious the director had a sense of the rhythm the movie needed, and that the best way to convey that was through the camera. this is why i thought guy ritchie, an action director, would have been great for the aladdin live action remake –and then i was proven wrong. i keep blaming disney, though: watch the man from uncle and tell me ritchie wouldnt have been a pretty good movie musical director in other universe.

apart from the mean girls musical remake, which didnt even have that good a score in the first place, i do have faith in the future of movie musicals. if we need to go to already preexisting intellectual properties, and have five remakes to be able to have one original movie musical (even if that movie musical is something like la la land), it would have been worth it. i still dont understand why the entire cast of the west side story remake arent established cinema stars, apart from rachel zegler and ariana debose. or why there arent more opportunities for stage actors like amber gray and mike faist to make the jump to screen, or why tried and tested screen actors like amy adams and evan rachel wood who have proven that, given a score that allows for their specific voice types to shine, they can be great at performing movie musical roles. there isnt a bigger focus on the creativity i havent watched the color purple movie musical yet, but the fact that the director has worked with beyonce for her music videos immediately gives me hope that this is someone with the creativity and talent to know how to move the camera with the performers and the music. the wicked movie has the in the heights director, so even if the cast is half movie actors (i have little faith in jeff goldblum and michelle yeohs singing abilities tbh), i trust that at least it will be an entertaining watch. similarly, i try to have faith that, if the hercules live action remake gets out of preproduction, theyll have a strong set of muses actresses coming from stage musicals to carry the best songs, and that guy ritchie will be able to be more creative and take bigger risks –that is, if the evil mouse allows him to.

wonka was a decent, middle of the road movie that just works. to me, it didnt become the great musical it could have been because it didnt fully get the need for a stronger underlying darkness that makes the spirit of roald dahl, and because it kept tying itself with the mediocre 1971 movie. but i think it was a step in the right direction, with the right director and the right music, even if it relied too much on stunt casting.

#i like mina le though usually shes more of an opinion channel than actual hard information i think. but this one was interesting #les miserables 2012 #west side story 2021 #wonka 2023 #la la land 2016 #the color purple 2023 #in the heights 2021 #wicked 2024

[conceptalbummultiverse]

References in chapter 36 of Strange Fascination

I know, I haven’t even made a post promoting it yet, but ssshhhhh…(yes, there is a new chapter!) I thought that I’d make a quick post about a few song/real life references in this chapter, since @tabb1tha pointed out one that I didn’t even intend. (Ziggy having white blood is not a reference to the Aladdin Sane album cover- I think that the mysterious liquid on his chest is supposed to be a teardrop, and as for why I gave Ziggy white blood, I've just always liked that concept in general; I first used that concept for a non-human OC in a story I wrote when I was about 10/11 and I wanted to bring it back- but I like that interpretation, it very well could be that!)

The most obvious one is the line “I’m never ever gonna die, and I’m never ever gonna get old” from “Never Get Old” by David Bowie, off his Reality album! (I like Reality a lot, and as an aside- I like the album cover, you guys are just mean.) I wasn’t intending to reference this song as there’s supposed to be a theme to the songs I do reference (that aren’t from the concept albums that I based the universe on), but I think I had been listening to Reality and just felt like throwing it in there.

When Whatsername reads the katakana on the back of Ziggy’s cape (side note- I’m not sure if you’d call it a cape? you know, that thing that Bowie’s wearing at the beginning of the Ziggy Stardust filmed concert that gets ripped off him? but I wasn’t sure what to call it), she reports that it says “hamburgers.” This is a reference to the last line of my personal favorite David Bowie song, “Sweet Thing” from Diamond Dogs. (Well, the entire Sweet Thing Suite is my favorite song of his.) I needed to think of something kind of dumb and silly that could be written on the cape- in my head, Ziggy’s cape was custom-made and the designer who made it had included it as a joke because he knew that the clueless English people (or… English-presenting in Ziggy’s case) who had ordered it wouldn’t be able to read it and would just think it looked cool, so he could write anything he wanted on it and they’d never notice. He was right. Anyway, I chose “hamburgers” because I always thought that non-sequitor at the end of “Sweet Thing” was funny, as if the narrator is losing their train of thought: “If this trade is a curse, then I turn to the crossroads and… hamburgers…” I don’t actually know if there’s a way to write that word in katakana, but… *shrug* Apparently in real life, Bowie’s cape said something badass like “breath of the dragon" and it was rendered in such a way that the letters, when read out loud phonetically, said “Bo Ee.” (I can't find the link where I read this originally, so I might be wrong about that.) I figured I couldn’t use that in my fic because I would have wanted it to be “Zig Ee,” and that didn’t fit the mood of the scene that I was going for.

The outfit Ziggy is wearing below the cape is this outfit from the 1980 Floor Show:

I like this weird-ass outfit. Not much more to say here!

As for non-Bowie-related references, it’ll become more apparent in the next chapter, but Whatsername’s letter begins with “Where have all the riots gone?”- the first line of the song “Letterbomb” by Green Day.

If you’re keeping track of lyrical references- by all means, do so! There is a rhyme and reason to how I chose them- I’d say about 99% of the lyrics I reference in the narrative that aren’t from the albums that the fic is about are from the same two OTHER albums. Both are by the same artist, and both were released in the 2010’s. And yes, that artist made one of the albums that the fic is about. (I feel like this has narrowed things down maybe a little too well, but I don’t want to start the hunt for lyrical references until the story is over and they’ve all been used.)

#SF: ALS #behind the scenes i guess

[hollowwhisperings]

Star Symbolism in KH

Kairi

was a literal shooting star (arrived to Destiny Islands via meteor shower).

was possibly the SAME 'star' that Riku & Sora swore oaths/wishes to each other on (as in Necklace Theory)

her face replaces the central paopu fruit of Sora's first Heart Station, when comparing Sora's DDD station with the one Ven enters in BBS.

in Sora's Heart Station, the paopu fruit/star/Kairi is the central icon... and is directly between Riku (formerly a sailboat) and the Sleeping Sora's face.

as one of the Seven Lights/Princesses of Heart, Kairi is the KH equivalent of a solar system's sun.

is depicted as 'starcrossed' with Sora in their childhood cave drawings of each other, a scene they recreate IRL in KH3 with two paopu fruit (that neither of them actually eat??).

has her first KH1 'reunion' with Sora in Neverland, located via Second Star On The Right (etc). in KH1, Kairi is narratively equated with Wendy (& Riku with Tinkerbell).

when the mural in Traverse Town's 'Secret Waterway' [are these sewers plz say they aren't merlin why is your house here] changes from depicting [a sun?] to a 'Moon' (i cannot find any screenshots of this mural for the life of me but, across the KH series overall, Riku Is The Sun/Light to Sora's Moon & the mural change happens between visits to Hollow Bastion and Riku). since Kairi remains, unchanged, and immediately gives Sora the [Promise Charm] keychain BY THIS MURAL, Kairi can again be interpreted as a 'star'.

Kairi's promise charm is made of five thalassa shells knotted/sewn together to form a star: it symbolises good luck and safe voyages for sea farers (who traditionally use stars to navigate by).

her [Promise Charm] keychain allows Sora to form the Oathkeeper keyblade, which looks like this in KH1:

in Sora's KH1 Dive to Heart, the "free" Princesses of Heart (Kairi, Jasmine, & Alice) share a Heart Station. They are depicted as three crowned silhouettes: one with a radiant sun (Jasmine?), another with a moon & stars in a cracked sky (???), a third with... what could be a hand? idek, have a pic:

(i would guess that Kairi is either the one held? in a hand OR the one with a moon & fractured, starry sky: Jasmine has Aladdin & comes from a hot world, thus Sun; Alice kind of only works with the "hand" holding her, playing into her being in imminent danger & her Looking Glass role as pawn-that-becomes-queen. KH3 frequently uses pawn imagery for Kairi AND Sora, both becoming 'Alices' in that game... nope, Kairi's probs the one with a moon & two stars: the silhouette is uses to imply Wendy & thus Kairi. the tendrils look like vines in the top image so that's likely a callforward to the Garden Maze in Wonderland)

Riku, as The Light, is replaced or halo'd by The Sun throughout the series: the opening cutscene of KH1 has Sora blinded by Riku before they sink into the ocean... Kairi means 'sea', btw. Kairi's primary role in KH thus far has been that of a Shiny & Distracting Star that draws attention away from Riku, The Sun.

in That Tunnel Scene in KH3, where Sora follows Riku's Light, Sora & Kairi easily become two 'stars' crossing in the night. Kairi's association with Neverland makes instances of her with Two Stars possibly Significant.

Sora means 'sky' (& void). One of the "Arc Phrases" in KH is "One Sky, One Destiny": Sora is the sky, Riku is the Sun, Kairi is a Star, Ventus is the wind... you see where I'm going with this.

Kairi, post Melody of Memory, will be studying with Master Aqua... and thus Ventus. Both Kairi & Ventus have been "falling/shooting stars" from Sora's POV (Kairi & Ven also just have A Lot in common: amnesia, mysterious pasts filled with Lore, mad scientists experimenting on them, getting kidnapped as bait, getting kidnapped for their 'pure' hearts, strong associations with childhood, staying in Sora's Heart Hotel... uh, maybe they should have their own list). Ven & Kairi would be 'Two Stars' studying under a 'Moon' (Aqua).

Naminé, Kairi's Nobody, is also associated with stars: paopu fruit, wishes, promises, lucky charms, childhood, magic, etc.

if i've missed any "Kairi Is A Star" moments in KH, do add them in reblogs. there's bound to be a star reference in the KH soundtrack. Kairi's association with 'promises' is referenced in Chikai (mostly as a Dig from Riku's POV of the Paopu Scene in KH3), for example. i'm also curious as to where else Ven is associated with Stars (& if Stitch has any Kairi connections beyond his whole "E-Stitch Go Home" thing).

#kh meta #kh spoilers #kairi meta #kairi is a star #riku is the light #star symbolism in kh #i kind of love how being a star distances kairi from soriku BUT MAKES HER CLOSER to all the deep lore & keyblade master stuff #riku is off being orpheus while kairi has Conspiracies to unravel #the boys get the heroine's journey arc and kairi having a hero's

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Related to the previous ask, it kind of makes me think of my semi-headcanon. In the source material of the Disney movies, some of the villains aren't really evil (Hades is the most decent Greek god, the sorcerer and the advisor from Aladdin are two different people, etc). What if in TWST, the stories are similar to that?

[Referencing this post!]

TWST has certainly teased or suggested the idea of real happenings being manipulated or changed depending on who tells it + the passage of time. It also happens in the real world, both with historical events, anecdotes, and pieces of fiction (fairy tales, fables, etc.). This probably is what results in the juxtaposition between Yuu's understanding of the Great Seven in their dreams versus how the Great Seven are depicted and revered in Twisted Wonderland.

Right now, it's still unclear as to whether Yuu's perspective or the perspectives of those in their new world is the "true" version. One could be right, both could be right, or neither could be right. I like all of these possibilities!!

It's entirely possible that multiple people and their achievements were merged over time into a single entity credited with all of their achievements. It's also possible that the Great Seven of Twisted Wonderland are actually nothing like the classically evil villains we know of in the original Disney films. The films themselves aren't even "accurate" themselves, as they often pull from fairy tales with many different variations, some of which are quite dark. Disney made their own interpretation, and then TWST made its own interpretation of that interpretation.

That doesn't mean the Great Seven are necessarily infallible heroes (much as the characters and their textbooks often extol them and their accomplishments). I feel like a more realistic real-world parallel would be historical figures that are often painted in a good light due to all the stories circulated about them. Think of like how your own textbooks and how prominent people get praised and credited for various discoveries and inventions!! But as people who have actually existed in their world, surely there must also be instances of the G7’s flaws, failures, or even personal lives beyond their achievements, and it's odd that we so rarely hear about these (particularly the negatives).

There's still a great number of mysteries we have to unravel about the nature of all the Disney lore in our world versus the twisted world!! Lots of wiggle room ripe for speculation ✨

#twst #twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #disney twst #notes from the writing raven #question #Yuu

[bad-blood-animal]

But since I am on here talking SINo spoilers, what gets me the most from this story update is that the Piggies implied they have past memories of the things they have done, and die so Dorothy could safely escape the nightmare hoard. Before she can stop them, the bomb goes off. She stands, stunned. 'I see. I am in this world, because.... ' That makes Alice, Snow, and Dorothy the only survivors as the others died trying to end the calamity the game has caused. In the first Elimination, it was Douma Eriko [Dorothy Alt], Yukishita Miki [Snow White Alt, and Alice. I also really love how [as much as they could with events and minimalist writing] Aladdin & Hameln's relationship developed over time. We went from Hameln saying he doesn't need his help and Aladdin saying money can buy anything, including family and relationships, to telling Hameln that money can't buy the relationship they made together and living a life together in the newest arc, happy and content with one another while taking over PM work and becoming Pokelabo devs. After event and weapon stories show the two becoming friends after their rough start in Butler and taking each other to an art museum and getting lost talking with each other for hours. The devs always sort of joked around about the two coming together, and while they aren't on screen kissing and 'official' the subtext was rich and could be interpreted however you want it to. It's clear though that they mean a lot to each other. I remember something official saying they would tie in eventually. If you read the early weapon stories for the wrought weapons you can also see Pokelabo employees keeping records of their experiment, which we know now was this project which unleashed disaster in our reality, and made people turn to nightmares, including some of the characters themselves. Yoko Taro [who appears in this arc] has always emphasized Dorothy was important to the story. Her time machine from the reality arc was the biggest cause of the events in Fusion as well. I don't find it coincidental she is alive with Snow & Alice once again. All in all, for as wonky as this arc was, a lot is coming together. Things from even year one are finally on display in this arc. There's a coming soon book after this one, but part of me feels the story is reaching it's ending. 5th anniv Faitsu did say the story was reaching it's conclusion at the Story of Authors, which this arc is sort of a sequel to.

#spoilers #sinoalice spoilers

[welshoot]

Twisted Wonderland Dorm Names Analysis

Each of the dorms have intriguing names that link them to their respective Disney Movies that were used to their inspiration as well as to various other references. I thought it might be fun to take each name apart, piece by piece, and analyze them funsies. Analysis is below the cut due to length.

Heartslabyul, for me, calls to mind two words, “Heart” and “Labyrinth.”  The Queen of Hearts  is most likely the inspiration for the heart part. At Disneyland there's an attraction called “Alice’s Curious Labyrinth, however the labyrinth section of the name could also be a reference to the veritable maze, or labyrinth, of rules the dorm members are expected to know and follow. 

As for Savanaclaw, Savannah probably references the pride lands from The Lion King while claw might reference lions or even just beasts in general. 

Octavinelle is a bit trickier, but the prefix Octa means eight, like the eight tentacles of an octopus. Vin has two different possible implications. There is the more common one, typically linked to French, that implies ‘wine,’ but I highly doubt that wine has anything to do with this dorm's name. The other possibility for vin comes from the Latin word ‘veni’ or ‘venio’ which means ‘come.’ Finally, ‘elle’ often implies ‘she’ or sometimes ‘they.’ Putting all that together you could interpret Octavinelle as “She with eight (tentacles) comes,” which might link back to Ursula from “The Little Mermaid.”

 For Scarabia the Scarab references the Golden Scarab Beetle that Jafar uses to find the Cave of Wonders and Arabia is where Aladdin is set.

 Pomefiore basically translates out into apple flower, with apple no doubt being for the poisoned apple. As for the flower part of the name, that could be referencing that Snow White is often used to name white varieties of flowers. Additionally, it is the apple blossom, or the apple flower, that eventually becomes the fruit so referring to this dorm as an apple flower could be a way of saying the students there are still growing. 

For Ignihyde, Igni is latin for fire (Hades’ hair) as for -hyde, many chemicals end with this suffix. Interesting ‘Hyde’ is Middle English for a measure of land and it’s plural form is ‘Hydes’ which is very similar to Hades.

Finally, for Diasomnia,  the prefix “dia-” has Greek connections to meaning through or across as well as Latin connections, via the Latin word ‘dies’, to meaning day. “-Somnia'' is Latin for sleep, sleeping, dreams, or dreaming. Thus Diasomnia could means something along the lines of across dreams, across sleep, through dreams, or through sleep. However, it could also mean something akin to day sleeping or day dreaming. Both meanings line up surprisingly well with “Sleeping Beauty” and, additionally, Silver. Additionally, one could argue that the happy ending of “Sleeping Beauty” is reached through sleep and/or dreams since it isn’t until after Aurora has slept, and possibly dreamed, that she finds out she can be with the man she loves.

#Twisted wonderland #Heartslabyul #Savannaclaw #Octavinelle #Scarabia #Pomefiore #Ignihyde #Diasomnia #Etymology #analysis #mywritings #twst #Disney TW #Latin #Greek #French

[pan-magi]

Another time for me to go into anime and manga differences, woop. This one is more technical in how some things cannot be simply adapted because different mediums. Somewhere out in the interwebs (outside tumblr) I saw someone claim that adaptations have to be 1:1 to be good and this is also a semi-refutation of that.

I go kind of in lecture mode I'm sorry ><. I try to keep the tone relatively informal so I hope it isn't too boring of the read.

Here is the manga panel in question:

(From when Aladdin and Alibaba are in Amon's dungeon and witness the slime reforming and regenerating. The text here is "A slime appeared (x3)." I believe in the official English release the translation is slightly different with "Here, a slime. There a slime. Everywhere a slime." I do think that one is slightly funnier which is important to this.)

(If any aversion to slime or gooey things this isn't the post for you. It's my whole example. Also some with Aladdin almost being eaten at my example at the end.)

You may be thinking what's the big deal with this simple panel? The anime has the encounter be basically the same. You are correct. However, the presentation is very different.

What I find funny about the panel is the repetition of the slime going splat and the accompanying text reinforcing it. It is so simple and so effective. The scene is basically like "oh, look, there's one here. And another one here. Oh no, they're coming together. We're in trouble." The delivery works best with a graphic novel medium as compared to an animated one.

The crux, in my opinion, is the emphasis the text and narration give. If Aladdin and Alibaba voiced the line out loud it would have been out of place and out of character for both of them. Neither are type to have stream of consciousness observations spoken out loud, which the above emphasis will be if given to a character.

Without the text emphasis, the scene doesn't really convey a joke. It's more of a standard action scene. That's fine. A way to attempt to add it in the anime is to linger on the slime an extra moment to draw attention to the uh oh funny.

Here is the equivalent in the anime:

The first column I set to a 150ms; the second is slowed to 200ms. The slightly slower one can add some foreboding. The meaning is not clear though and up to the audiences interpretation on why the camera chooses to linger on the shot, as it were. If someone watching does not get the visual joke and frame the whole thing falls flat. That is a failure to the action end of the scene that demands a quick pace.

What's the big deal for a straightforward joke? That is about it, really. I chose it because it has the clearest distinction in being a 1:1 scene and conveying two different tones due to the simple medium difference. I do not think the anime is weaker. The scene in movement lends itself to be more action oriented. Thus, that's the focus. If it tried a literal translation of that visual joke it would have fallen flat and ruined it.

The anime does still have the comedic (also horrifying) framing that is allowed to be translated more literally. See example two:

&

The above gif is set to 2 seconds per frame. I don't know what the timing is for the anime. I was lazy to check, eep. The important part is the jump cut makes it funny and makes it work so well. In my opinion at least.

That's a wrap~ Sorry for being a bit dry and lecture mode. Magi does a decent job and that means letting the show breathe as an adaption. I wanted to take the opportunity to be a bit of a nerd about it. haha. Thanks for reading.

#magi #magi: the labyrinth of magic #magi labyrinth of magic #i've sat on this thought for literal ages #that's the majority of the posts on this blog really #magi alibaba #alibaba saluja #magi aladdin #includes photo edit #my stuff #my gifs #finally finished it though so yay me #after rewriting it... #long post #the read more broke the image set so i took it out #my apologies for the length

[mirageofadesert]

Interpretation of and Appreciation for BTS Jimin’s “Filter”: lyrics & performance, and it's relation to art

(or: How Filter helped me survive on stan Twitter)

This is my interpretation of the possible meaning(s) of Filter (song and performances) with added rambling why I love this song so much and how it helped my keep my sanity in the insanity that is stan twitter. But I also want to talk about interpreting BTS’ art in general. So when I say "this is what Filter is all about", I’m always mean "this is what I think" - why I emphasize this distinction here, will hopefully become apparent by the end of the post. 

Interpretation: Put a Filter on my Soul

On a surface level Filter is a seductive, alluring and sexy song, however, there are multiple layers of meaning intertwined in lyrics, vocal style and music. If you consider its placement within the order of the album, Filter is on the "darker" (Shadow) side of Map of the Soul: 7. Jimin's live performance perfectly reflected this complexity of meanings.

A quick summary: The album talks about the relation between persona, shadow, and ego (skipping anima) according to Jungian psychology. While these aspects are part of the personality itself, filters are attributions or projections from other people onto people. Thy lyrics seem to allude, that one can’t control others people perception of oneself. Still, the song is playfully encouraging us to use these filters. By doing so, the narrator of the song regains a different kind of control over their public image. Therein – in my opinion – lies the empowering message of the song.

Another meaning is how BTS and Jimin can empower us as fans:

Your face that finds it dull, the tip of your toe that finds it boring Please look at me nowPut your cellphone down, don’t even think about turning your head Let me know your typeYou can pick and use one of me, yeah

Jimin - as the narrator - addresses the listener directly. They seem bored and stare at their mobile phone. He asks them to focus all their attention on him. The lyrics are seductive. The narrator continues to ask to choose and use "one of me". I think, that this mean filters, but it could also mean that these filters are part of the persona(s).

Oh, I place my hands onto your eyes Oh, I come closer to the secret I will bring you to a completely new world Yeah, open your closed eyes now, go!

The song now leads us very figuratively into a new, secret world. The seductive tone becomes more and more pointed. The interaction between Jimin and the listener has gone from "looking" to a more physical level. Music and vocal style reinforce this sensual experience. Open your eyes!

Mix the colors in the palette, pick your filter Which of me do you want Will change your world, I’m your filter Apply to your heart

We are now asks you to select a (colorful) filter. This could mean an aspect of his perceived personality. He seems to hand over control to the listener, they decide how he appears. Again he asks to use him, this time on one's own heart. This is reminiscent of RM's speech, in which he asked ARMY to use BTS. It is something BTS has been quite vocal about; Jimin himself have stated, multiple times, how he wants to make music that comforts and heals people.

(OK) What do you think, are you getting the idea? Is it not enough yet?(Yes) Girl you have your chance I can be your Genie How bout Aladdin? I will become anything for you You can pick and use one of me, yeah

Things are getting more intense. Jimin promises to be whatever the listener wants and desires. Yet, the way Jimin offers himself is rather bizarre. It is intentionally too much. This is made clear when Jimin sings: "Is it not enough yet?" Then take more, use him more. The tension of the song increases as it slowly becomes clear how twisted this invitation is.

Look at me who turned into a child all of a sudden The more you look, the cuter I am, like crazy Neither tastes nor standards matter in front of me You become to want me and only me Yeah, because it’s you who made me

The filters are part of Jimin's public persona, part of his image, just like "cutey, sexy lovely". But these filters are not created by Jimin, they are projected onto Jimin by fans. It is the fans' distorted view of Jimin – it’s you who made me. So cute that he even becomes like a child: "turned into a child all of a sudden" reminds me of the recent discussion we had about the infantilization of idols.

Jimin as the “narrator” of this song is aware of these filters, but he still encourages us to use them. Filter could be read as an empowering song, because Jimin admits, that he has no control over the projections onto his person. This could include positive attributions as well as criticism and hate. Even if we as fans mean well, all our perspectives remain only filters that we put on him. These filters say more about us than they do about him. But they are also there for us, helping and comforting us.

Jimin himself was rather vague about what Filter is about. He stated, “Filters can be the things within a camera application, or social media, but it can also mean people’s perspective or prejudice.” I feel like he leaves it open for fans interpretation on purpose. In the promotion for BE, he also answers with “Filter” when as was asked “Which BTS song makes you feel the most ‘you’?”

When I first heard the song I was really surprised by the Latin vibe. I had accidentally stumbled on a leaked description of the song a couple of hours before the release, but was sure they were lying. His voice, the guitar, the background harmonies and ad lips made me fall in love instantly. Jimin's voice sound so different during those parts, because he switches vocal styles so much, that some fans (at first) were even convinced the ad lips were done by someone else. Maybe the reason for this does not only lie in the arrangement of the song and is a stylistic choice, but is musically giving us different versions of Jimin as well. While being relatively short with 3:00 min, it feels even shorter to me. The more or less abrupt ending leaves you wanting more – which perfectly fits its lyrics and meaning. It’s a good song for looping – not that I would ever commit such a heinous crime! (#streamFilterto400M)

Performance

The performance explores these themes, I mentioned so far, but adds further levels of meaning. Filter could be seen as not being defined by one thing - be it cloth, gender expression or contradicting images.

On one level, Jimin switches clothes like filters. Some he chooses himself, some are given to him by others (his dancers). All the cloth are mainly black or white and none of them stay on for long. Finally, Jimin completely disposes of these clothes and appears in a bright red or purple suit. While the dancers had previously surrounded Jimin and seemingly controlled his movements, Jimin now leads the dance with his alluring movements and the dancers follow. For me the stage is a lot about taking binary opposites, emphasizing the contrast but finally finding balance.

Jimin's performance is mesmerizing. He could have been easily overshadowed by the many props and background dancers or the stage could have been messy, but his performance (dance, vocals, expressions and his ability to emote a story) makes it easy for the audience to center on him and only him. It’s not my favorite choreography, but maybe my favorite performance by him (Lie ftw!).

Art and Interpretations: Adding Filters

Art is made to be interpreted by the recipients. There is never the “one true” meaning of art, but it is subjected to varieties of meanings, that not only include the messages of the artists themselves, but what a diverse audience attributes or projects onto art is valid as well. BTS make art. Filter – song and stage – is art. But there is a line between interpretation of art and a psychoanalysis attempt of the artists behind it. Filter is an artist’s expression of Jimin and other collaboration artists (e.g. choreographer, lyricists, producers, make-up artists, stage design, backup dancers and more) – it’s not an expression of Jimin's “soul”. What I'm trying to say is, that BTS makes art, with messages that should be interpreted, but it still does not mean, we actually learn anything about the artist themselves. We have seen why that difference is important, in the discussions after Map of the Soul On:e, where some fans went too far, by saying that Jimin was coming out as nonbinary.

Takes like this article “How Park Jimin of BTS Helped Me Feel Seen in My Brown, Queer Body“ from a while ago are valid, but are also our interpretation of the song and our projections onto Jimin! Every interpretation is basically another "filter" fans create. They reveal more about us, than about the thing we try to interpret.

Here are some more interpretations, I had bookmarked on Twitter:"genderfluidity", "pleasing others", "Gender expression", "in relation to Lie", "Illecebra and Arcane" and "Filter Dance Analysis Thread". I don’t personally agree with them, put that is not significant. It shows a variety of perspectives that art can provoke.

What my interpretation tells you about me

One thing, that weighs on me is how fan narrative have distorted our views of BTS members, here Jimin. Be it from YouTube introduction videos, fanfiction characterization, shipping conspiracy theories, resentful or hateful defamation, over the top infantilization, victimization and more – fans project all kind of images and ideas onto BTS and believing they are true. This can be quite frustrating at times. But in my interpretation of Filter, Jimin understands that this is just what it is – projections of others. He distances himself from those, in a way saying that it does no longer bother him. But this is just speculation. For me, seeing him maybe meaning this, is helpful in navigating the insanity that are kpop fan spaces. It helps me cope with the baseless hate and negativity against BTS I come across on a regular.

#bts #jimin #filter #BTS jimin #jimin filter #map of the soul #bangtan #bangtan sonyeondan #park jimin #kpop lyrics #bts lyrics

[forabeatofadrum]

I, uhhhh, had fully told myself to write today, because for the first time in 1.5 weeks my day wasn’t occupied with my thesis, but instead I thought to myself: “Hey, what if I work more on my thesis anyway?”

So, hi! Hello and thank you @aroace-genderfluid-sheep, @facewithoutheart, @artsyunderstudy, @larkral, @quizasvivamos, @cerriddwenluna​ and @captain-aralias for the tags.

I mean, I did talk about some angsty fic ideas on my blog, but nothing happened. I mean, I now have 3 ideas for the same premise, thanks to @cerriddwenluna and @thnxforknowingme, but I didn’t write and if I am going to write then I really wanna focus on finishing existing WIPs. I did call my mum on information re: the glass bottles. We’re donating them! My mother also almost cried when she heard the news.

So instead of new fic, I’m going to show you something fun. Or I think it is fun. For my thesis, I’ve had 7 interviews so far. I ask my respondents to talk about media and now I started analysing the first 6 interviews. While doing that, I wrote down which TV shows, movies and books have been mentioned by these 7 ladies. Under cut with the weather, because it is a lot:

Glee

The Bold Type

Atypical

Killing Eve

Heartstopper

Stranger Things

Outer Banks

Community

Alien

The Last of Us

Adventure Time

She-Ra

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Heroes of Olympus

A Portrait of a Lady On Fire

ANNE+

Heartbreaker

Sex Education

The Danish Girl

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Star Trek

Deep Space Nine

Ocean’s 8*

The Prom

Brave*

Aladdin*

A movie with George Clooney and a chick*

Married At First Sight

Dix Pour Cent

Madre Solo Hay Dos

Black Panther*

The Owl House

Carol

Black Mirror: San Junipero

Puss In Boots 2*

One Day At A Time

Shadow and Bone

Once Upon A Time

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

A Court of Thorns and Roses

The Vampire Diaries

Lucifer

Supernatural

Orphan Black

Sense8

Something from the Wachowski’s about a transgender bowling club

Disclosure

In The Heights

Ellen Degeneres on The Oprah Winfrey Show

Vrouwenvleugel

Orange is the new Black

Pacific Drive

Gia

Girl, Interrupted

Snowpiercer

Your Place Or Mine

Heartbreak High

I Am Not Okay With This

Special

Wednesday

It is cool to see different interpretations of them, especially from stuff that I also like. They teach me new ways to look at titles I love. Another note is that not every title was discussed in a positive light. In fact, some titles were liked by some, but disliked by others.

* indicates that they didn’t have anything to say re: queer rep, but the show/movie just came up.

Kinda interesting to see such a wide variety, and I am only halfway with my interviews. Some titles are mentioned by multiple people, others are only mentioned once. (For example, only one person mentioned Glee, which is maybe a good thing because I need to be totally neutral and pretend that what people say is completely new information, and I cannot be normal about this show.) (I’m literally listening to Glee while I type this.) (Although, okay, I do mention Glee myself, if needed, for the topic of queercoding/queerbaiting/heteroflexibility.)

Not really sure what to do with this and also not really sure y’all care, but hey, I am having fun!

And now, the weather: @blurglesmurfklaine @coffeegleek @esperantoauthor @otherworldsivelivedin @caramelcoffeeaddict @sillyunicorn @bazzybelle @dragoneggos @raenestee @tectonicduck @nightimedreamersworld @urban-sith @thnxforknowingme @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @takitalks @justgleekout @tea-brigade @ivelovedhimthroughworse @moodandmist @whogaveyoupermission @bookish-bogwitch @confused-bi-queer @ionlydrinkhotwater @1908jmd @special-bc-ur-part-of-it @chen-chen-chen-again-chen @cutestkilla @nausikaaa/@wellbelesbian @martsonmars  @shrekgogurt @boyinjeans

#thesis lol #wip wednesday #tagged in