So a couple of days ago, Big Hit dropped the trailer for the BTS Universe Story mobile game, which is being released on September 24th (go pre-register and watch the trailer!!!). I was able to figure out a couple connections that I'm not sure if others have caught, which is why I wanted to go through the video scene-by-scene and break down some of the elements. Without further ado, let's go! Small notes! All BU TW/CWs should be here--fire, blood, death, car accidents, fictional, etc. etc. Be careful! Also, I will be following the BANGTANTV upload, NOT the BTS Universe Story upload, since the BANGTANTV version had dates. (PRAISE BIG HIT) Translations are from @origamicrowns on Twitter, and additional info is from bucontentgui.de! Full credit to all sources! Any unlabeled pictures are from the trailer ^^ The first scene takes place on September 30th, Year 22. Already, this is different. We have never gotten a Note past August 30th before. Taehyung dreamed about the container fire on April 11th, Year 22. Not to mention the first time we hear about the container burning from Namjoon's point of view, it's happening on August 25th, Year 22...what's going on here? One possibility, which is strengthened later on in the clip, is that we are actually seeing it from Seokjin's point of view as he returns to the location after realizing what happened, many days later. Another possibility is that he is having a dream of what is going to happen, and his events later on push it closer, rather than further away from him. I'll elaborate more on this later on. Halfway through this scene we see a cut of Seokjin in his father's study, looking at a piece of paper on a clipboard. He seems concerned by what is written on it. The camera focuses on the painting in the background as well, which is The Raft of Medusa by Théodore Géricault. Back to Namjoon. Namjoon is at the container community, although it looks a little different from the way we remember it. First of all, there's fire everywhere. Second of all, people in black clothes and masks are running around, hitting mirrors, starting fires, and just causing general chaos. The mirror cracking is likely important--as I explained in my 'RUN' MV theory, glass breaking generally refers to time travel. One of them tries to attack Namjoon and they have a brief fight. This is spliced with scenes of Namjoon and Seokjin, obviously in a disagreement. Namjoon seems annoyed, whereas Seokjin seems desperate to explain himself. They are in two different outfits in these scenes--one of which I believe took place on the beach after 'Euphoria' (left), the other of which I think could've taken place on July 14th when they went out for drinks (right). Namjoon runs inside to find the little boy, Woochang, sitting right where he left him. Namjoon first talked to Woochang on June 15th. He was a kid that had been hanging around the gas station and the containers for a little over two months at that point. Later, he takes him to his container. They hug, and then try to leave the container. At the same time, we see that Seokjin has found a list. At the top of the list, it reads List of Residents in Forbidden Area. The highlighted line reads Number 7: Kim Namjoon, Male, 20 y/o, gas station employee, and a column that I can't read. Right after that, a black-clothed person throws a piece of something on fire into the entrance to the container. This is detailed more in the Note from August 25th (Namjoon), in the MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 album. After this, a latecomer arrives at the container. It's Seokjin. He's not wearing the same clothes as the previous scenes, leading me to believe they took place on different days. After he turns away from the container, the film changes to animation. Now, if any of you follow the +U at all, I'm sure you've already noticed a couple interesting "coincidences." First, I think Seokjin is on Magic Island. I mean, come on-- He's on a literal island. The video tells us that we have now cut backwards in time to May 22nd, Year 22. When Seokjin looks down, there's a small...white...fluffy....cat. "Coincidence" #2. (see my Odd-Eyed Cat thread for more information about the cat!!) The cat speaks first. "Hello. Long time no see" (or) "It's been a while." Seokjin responds, "tell me how to save Namjoon." The OEC tells him to "find the Map of the Soul. That's the only way you can end all of this." Seokjin is confused, and asks "the Map of the Soul? What's that?" But all the cat tells him is that "there will be a price to pay." During this scene, we get to see a close-up of the cat, confirming that it is, in fact, the Odd-Eyed Cat, as well as coming dangerously close to the image of the OEC from TXT's 'Nap of a star.' (left: TXT's 'Nap of a star' right: BTS's 'BTS Universe Story') Can I take a moment to mention how much I despise this stupid cat. Right after this, a train comes out of nowhere and almost runs over Seokjin. ... Okay, MOA. You know where I'm going with this. (left: TXT's 'Magic Island' right: BTS's 'BTS Universe Story') Yeah. Just gonna leave that there. After this, it's that classic scene from 'I Need U.' You know the one. (left: BTS's 'BTS Universe Story' right: BTS's 'I Need U') Yeah, that one. Except Seokjin is missing. So he smiles, and walks over to the boys-- and Yoongi walks into him and disintegrates. The whole memory vanishes just as quickly as it appeared. The train rails are yanked out of the ground to float in the air for...no? reason? And then Seokjin is standing in a tunnel as a car comes speeding down the road towards him. This scene is from 'Run,' and has a couple similarities to some +U scenes as well. (top to bottom: TXT's 'Eternally', BTS's 'Run', BTS's 'BTS Universe Story', TXT's 'Magic Island') Just before the truck crashes into him, however, it disintegrates as well. The tunnel is plunged into darkness as Seokjin blinks, and then a door opens, revealing the most classic scene from 'Run.' We also get a date: July 24th, Year 22. This is the day of Jungkook's release party. Does this mean that the party we see the boys having in 'Run' is actually Jungkook's release-from-the-hospital party? I go WAY more in-depth with the placement of 'Run' on the timeline in my 'RUN' MV THEORY post, so go there for more information! (top left: BTS's 'BTS Universe Story' top right: BTS's 'Run' bottom left: BTS's 'HYYH: Prologue' bottom right: BTS's 'BTS Universe Story') Instead of pulling out to the empty room like normal, however, the scene pulls out to reveal the scene from 'HYYH: Prologue.' (Which is then mimicked in the 'Love Yourself Highlight Reel.') The water turns into a field and it shows the boys running across it. (Back to 'Run' MV) I'd like to point out that since the door opened, we haven't seen Seokjin in any of these scenes, only the other six boys. Seokjin watches them run past before turning around to see a door in the grass behind him, seemingly leading nowhere. For any MOA reading this, the first thing that came to mind was Room 17. (left: TXT's 'Eternally' MV right: BTS's 'BTS Universe Story') When Seokjin opens the door, he sees Taehyung attacking his father. Once again...coincidence? Really, Big Hit? Your "coincidences" are getting too frequent, now. In 'Eternally,' when Beomgyu opens the door to Room 17, he sees himself fighting an unknown person. (left: TXT's 'Eternally' MV right: BTS's 'BTS Universe Story') When the camera cuts around to view the front of Taehyung, however, the door in the background is...closed. Taehyung wakes up soon after, obviously having a bad dream. (One that was likely about the events we just witnessed.) He sends out a text, which, after seeing the next few clips, was likely to the boys' group chat. We see Hoseok with the Just Dance dance crew. His leg is in a cast, and he likely isn't in Songju. We see Jungkook in school, looking unbelievably bored. We see Namjoon at the library, getting ready to read. We see Yoongi at his apartment, already reading. (Or perhaps writing...songwriting?) We see Jimin, barging in on Yoongi to show him the text on his phone. This is a little odd to me...I don't know why Jimin is with Yoongi all of a sudden. Their interactions in the BU are limited at best, non-existent at worst. So why Yoongi, of all the boys? Sure, Seokjin was obviously not an option, and nobody could contact Jungkook or Hoseok, but why not Taehyung, or Namjoon? This is eating at me, but I don't understand it. At that point, everyone checks their texts (except Seokjin) with varied reactions. Here, we cut back to animation. We also get to see Taehyung's texts, which say something along the lines of "everyone, where are you now? Do you have time to talk?" When (animated) Taehyung looks up, he sees (animated) Seokjin sitting on the balcony outside his window. Something is definitely off here, as Taehyung, well, he doesn't have a balcony, nor a window. We're told this is happening on May 22nd--the day the boys returned to the beach. Taehyung walks out onto the balcony and sits next to Seokjin, who...doesn't react. Taehyung pulls out the photo they took at the beach when they went the first time--you know, the one of them all around the truck?--and slips it into Seokjin's pocket. He still...doesn't...react. NOTE: The picture only has SIX people in it at this time!! Seokjin is NOT in the picture! Taehyung then puts an arm around Seokjin, who subsequently pushes it off. There's a Note somewhere that talks about Taehyung and Seokjin fighting on the platform. I think Taehyung says something along the lines of "I know you're trying to help us" and Seokjin says "I'm not trying to help anyone, and I don't need any help myself." But I can't find the Note, I'm really sorry. T.T Either way, I think that's when this scene is taking place. Then we have a reALLY ABRUPT CUT (also to May 22nd, Year 22 but later in the day) where we see Jungkook's car accident, in all of its animated...glory... Yeah, I screamed, gonna be honest. Interesting tidbits from the security camera: First of all, there was a security camera. Second of all, it was camera #2. Third of all, it happened on May 22nd, at 22:15 o'clock, which is 10:15pm for those of you that don't know military time really well. After a brief pause, the black truck (the bLACK TRUCK!!!) pulls off and drives away, leaving Jungkook alone. (My heart...) We get a glimpse of Jungkook's vision, which matches his description from the Notes ("The world turned upside down") and we also see...a stupid, white cat. Okay, maybe the stupid thing is just me. But the cat is there. Check my 'Car Accidents, Comas, Mistakes, and Memories' post as well as my 'Cats in Lore' post for more information on the car accident!! The cat meows and asks: "Are you sure you want to live?" (rough translation by me, apologies.) Then it fades to black. Next, we cut to August 3rd, Year 22. This is an important date to remember. Seokjin stands in front of a large, brown cabinet. When he opens it, he pulls out a dingy white notebook with the name "Kim Changjoon" on it. (Check my 'Seokjin's Father Compilation' post for more information!) But when he opens this notebook...it's blank. Until he touches the page, when the letters suddenly appear and spring to life, swirling and rushing around him. can we just appreciate the animation for a sec This scene is meant to represent Seokjin's Note from the same day, stating the following: (credit @papercrowns!!!) We can see the photos on the floor in the next live-action scene, as well! They're scattered around Seokjin's feet. He reaches in his pocket and pulls out the Polaroid from Taehyung--which was probably the "sparkling object" in his pocket. When he lifts it and looks at it, there are only six members, but when he lowers his arm, all seven are there. Seokjin starts to cry. (please don't T.T) The very last scene is a live-action one. All of the boys are cutting up and joking around in their old classroom (with their old hairstyles--I can't!) until it pans over to Jungkook, who is just quietly sketching in the corner. It cuts behind him, and you can see he is drawing a picture of his car accident. After he finishes, he gets up and silently walks out of the classroom, the boys' images fading as he does, leading me to believe they're not really there. Check out part 2 coming soon! Happy sleuthing! - Ilona O'Connor
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AuthorI'm just a tiny ARMY and multistan that wants to contribute. <3 Archives
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