#singularity theory

theory: well, when everyone thought that we are done with the HYYH series, bighit proves that we aren’t even done with it, not even one bit. in a way, this video could be seen as a standalone since there aren't much relations, but do stay tuned as i uncover the relations. 

not especially when they released the album covers of the Love Yourself Tear Album, and we see this continuation of the flowers with Love Yourself Her Album as well, notice how they actually fit. 

also, take a look at the Y version of LY Tear, there is a line that would most likely connect to the last instalment of the LY Series to spell S, E, L, F. 

also, notice that in LY Tear, the flowers have untangled themselves, as if to say that this is the end, this is how they are ruined by love; how they are now facing singularity which later could be seen as loneliness. 

i found this on twitter (ctto), that, if you like at the flowers again, it spells out  ‘Tear’; yes to the graphic designs ???

but moving on, this intro, Singularity is done by Taehyung that has a nice jazz, slow burn vibe to it. full analysis of it right here.

but let’s start off with the meaning of Singularity. 

Singularity = the state, fact, quality, or condition of being singular. 

Reference 

hence it could be interpreted as loneliness, especially loneliness after a relationship has ended and has been well conveyed throughout the whole mv of Singularity; right from the props itself and his acting. 

notice how the props that Taehyung uses are clothestand, though i know it’s a choreography done by Keone Madrid but the fact that he portrayed the ex-lover as a clothestand, and that he portrays the same intimate, sensual feelings with an inanimate object eg. the clothestand.

according to this tweet, Namjoon was the one behind these lyrics for Singularity, writing them after he was discharged from the hospital since he had a recent surgery.  hence the depth of the lyrics brings one to places for sure.

anyway, notice how everyone was shocked to see that this intro had a choreography just like boy meets evil. based on this tweet, it has been revealed that bighit actually teased us during the 2017 MMA, in which it featured Taehyung dancing to the same intro routine with the back up dancers.

thanks bighit for the unnoticeable hint. everyone thought it was just part of the dance and performance. 

moving on, remember i said that they are several parallels to DNA, I Need U Jp, BST, BST JP. , Wings Concert Trailer etc, here’s how.

with DNA, the same kind of wide set

with I Need U JP, and the use of flowers, specifically flora.

BST, and the same kind of neon pink filter, during the 2nd chorus of BST to match Singularity. 

BST JP, with those filters seen again here. 

not to mention the Wings Concert Trailer together with BST, them with the dripping ink from their eyes.

yet, apart from this, it’s interesting how ink comes out of one eye, as if they're crying. i would like to assume that this idea or concept is somewhat similar to the Weeping Statue ( i mean this could be far-fetched, but consider it as my personal opinion )

a weeping statue = statue which has been claimed to be shedding tears or weeping by supernatural means. Statues weeping tears of a substance which appears to be blood, oil, and scented liquids have all been reported. Other claimed phenomena are sometimes associated with weeping statues such as miraculous healing, the formation of figures in the tear lines, and the scent of roses.

Reference

keywords from here, are statues weeping tears of oil etc and scented liquids ( possibly paint, ink ? ) just like these scenes above but also the fact that it has to do with the scent of roses etc ( just like the one in Singularity )

however, for eg. the meaning of the Virgin Mary weeping is as such.

Some believe that because of the state of the world has caused the Virgin Mary to weep tears of blood because of all the losses of life.

Reference 

yet, i find it interesting that out of everyone, only Taehyung had the mask on with the ink dripping from the eye as compared to Jungkook and Jimin. as if to say that Jungkook and Jimin are weeping because of the losses of life of the other boys but for Taehyung’s case, it is from the mask, to say that another identity of him is weeping but not really him. 

remember how in Euphoria, the storyline of HYYH changed, and so he isnt exactly weeping, he is just putting a facade. 

i mean, then again, at 0:36, there is this scene of Taehyung extending his hand to get attention and it just reminds me of their Wings VCR Concert Trailer as if Taehyung is trying to get out and escape; that same vibe.

then, notice how he is wearing the Gucci earring called Loved. the fact that the earring is ‘Loved’ since to say that he is no longer in a relationship, he used to love someone, he is lonely now; in the singularity phase. 

notice how there is this quick scene of the roses. 

as such, the flowers here are mostly to blue and lavender, faint pink possibly.

naturally, there are meanings to the colours of the roses. so, i did some research and here is what i got.

Lavender = Love at first sight or just an enchanting way to say, "I love you!" Lavender roses can offer a daily reminder of your love and eagerness to grow your relationship.

Pink = Words like admiration, gentleness, grace, gladness, joy and sweetness are just a few ways to describe the meaning behind the pink rose. A pink rose can also convey happiness, gracefulness and admiration.

Blue = symbols of love, prosperity, or immortality.

Based on another website, Blue = the impossible, or the unattainable. Since the blue rose itself is a rarity in nature, it stands for something that is hardly within one's grasp, an object that seems too difficult to be achieved. Thus the blue rose is admired and revered as an unrealizable dream.

Reference: here, here and here. 

so based on this, it is safe to say that these flowers represent unattainable love, love that was impossible especially if it was fake love as what has been hinted during the 2017 year-end shows. 

notice how this is specifically for the scenes of Taehyung and Seokjin just like how the whole HYYH series revolves around yet again. 

not to mention how the lavender represents ‘love at first sight’ as what bangtan have been promoting in their Love Yourself Her Album, especially in DNA, in which it is in their DNA upon seeing their loved one during the first time, it is fate, it is destiny, and it is not a coincidence. 

첫눈에 널 알아보게 됐어 서롤 불러왔던 것처럼 내 혈관 속 DNA가 말해줘 내가 찾아 헤매던 너라는 걸

=

I recognized you as soon as I saw you As if we’ve called each other The DNA in my blood is telling me That it’s you who I’ve been looking for

Reference: Colour Coded ©

but also, i found another meaning of the blue rose and i think it is really befitting. 

The meaning of the blue rose could also be in sync with the quote which goes, "some doors should never be opened."

Reference

so in a way, as if to say, one shouldnt fall in love in the first place, to protect yourself from all the negative feelings and singularity that would come when the relationship crumbles down. 

but anyway, moving on, within these scenes, it seems as though Taehyung seems to be carrying a Smeraldo flower. 

remember prior to the LY Her album, there was the Smeraldo blog that was active but is now closed. ( translations of some of the Smeraldo blog posts here ) 

also, the Smeraldo flower is actually a flower created by a man, it wasn't originally grown by mother nature or anything. it’s meaning is ‘The truth I couldn’t tell.’ 

remember how at the end of the Euphoria video, Jungkook asked Seokjin, “Brother, is that everything? Aren’t you hiding something more from us?”

and then, these few scenes where Taehyung looks up at Seokjin as if to say he knows the whole truth, so maybe he didnt even forget in the first place, but he doesn't seem to confront Seokjin about it; most likely the other boys dont know what’s going on, or even if they do, i guess they haven't had it all figured out yet; maybe just some hints that things aren't the same since in the Euphoria world, the timeline changed (Euphoria theory here).

sidetracking back to Taehyung wearing the mask in Singualrity, one could also consider this as he is actually weeping since he knew what Seokjin is doing but given that the rest doesnt know, so he tries to hide his true feelings. 

but moving on, i like to bring up the point of the whole ‘frozen lake’ metaphor in the lyrics of Singularity. 

이얼어 붙은 호수에 또 금이 가 그 호수에 내가 날 버렸 잖아 내 목소릴 널 위해 묻었 잖아

=

A crack again on this frozen lake I dumped myself into the lake I buried my voice for you Over the winter lake I was thrown

보지만 결국 엔 언젠가 봄이와 얼음들은 녹아 내려 흘러 가

=

But in the end, spring will come someday The ice will melt and flow away

Reference: Genius 

it’s not a common metaphor, but i did some research, and this is what i found. 

“Your frozen lake is the name for what you want most in the world. And you want it. You want it so bad that you’ll do anything to get it and your heart takes over. But because of that it destroys you in the end. It’s right there sitting in the middle of the frozen lake. And you think you’re fast enough to go out there and grab it before the ice cracks

And what you don’t realize is you’re already standing on the ice and it’s falling apart around you.”

-K. Blye & M. Deeks

Reference

notice how the fact that the frozen lake metaphor is used to say that in between, everything else around you is crumbling, falling apart much like the relationship that has just ended. 

hence these scenes.

then it also shows how Taehyung is now touching the so called melted frozen lake, to which he sees his own reflection, as if to say that everything has already fallen apart, and now he realises that he is in singularity. 

notice how familiar this is with Hoseok in BST ( read my Taehyung and Hoseok’s pairing theory here )

but what’s interesting is that remember in BST, it ended with Seokjin’s face being cracked, and everyone got a shock because why would they do that to his face.

but now it kinda makes sense, because think of it as now Seokjin has realised that everything surrounding him would crumble and fall apart, hence maybe why he now tries to go back and correct the mistakes, creating parallel worlds, despite knowing he would sacrifice himself eg. Euphoria 

moving on, im going to go back to the lyrics, and notice how it brings the idea of the phantom. 

잠시 들어간 꿈 속에도 나를 괴롭히는 환상 통은 여전해

=

In the dream I shortly went into My agonizing phantom pain is still the same

Reference: Genius

when they brought up the phantom in verse 2, one would see the whole mask aesthetic.

honestly, i thought they were doing some kind of Jabawockeez thing but of course with this style of music, it’s not likely. so my next guess, would be the Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber. ( a classic )

The Phantom of the Opera talks about a lady named Christine who then grew up in the theatre scene, though she wasn't outright a singer, since she was young, she has been receiving lessons of music by the ‘Angel of Music’ who was none other than the Phantom himself. 

see, he was a man who had a disfigured face, hence the mask to cover his flaws. but as time passes, he grew infatuated and loved Christine though of course Christine didnt really feel the same way since she had someone else named Raoul. 

but apart from this plot, the Phantom was known to be the one lurking in the Opera house etc but more importantly, he was a musical genius, composing great operas. the Phantom was known to have experienced unrequited love but more importantly, loneliness, otherwise could be interpreted as Singularity. he has lived a life where many fear him, many have not seen him either, hence many would not love him at all.

with his disfigured face, when he was young, he was most likely not treated well, hence no compassion or a sense of empathy or love shown to him which was why towards the end of the Phantom of the Opera,

Raoul finds the lair and attempts to persuade the Phantom to spare Christine, begging him to show compassion. The Phantom refuses, and captures Raoul with the Punjab lasso. The Phantom tells Christine that he will free Raoul if she agrees to stay with him forever, but if she refuses, Raoul will die. Christine, heartbroken, tells the Phantom that it is his soul that is deformed, not his face. As the Phantom and Raoul both plead to her, Christine mournfully wonders what kind of life the Phantom has known. She tells the Phantom that he is not alone and kisses him, showing him compassion for the first time in his life. The Phantom, having experienced kindness at last, understands that he cannot compel Christine to love him, and sets them both free. Raoul hurries Christine out of the lair, but she returns alone to give the Phantom back his ring. The Phantom tells Christine he loves her, before she tearfully exits with Raoul. The weeping Phantom huddles on his throne and covers himself with his cloak. The mob, led by Meg, enters the lair. Meg pulls the Phantom's cloak from the throne, finding only his mask on the seat. She lifts the mask up into the light and gazes at it in wonder as the curtain falls.

Reference: Wikipedia; Synopsis

so here in a way, it is as if the Phantom has finally accepted his fate of not being loved by Christine but sets her free. perhaps this could be the next hint for Love Yourself Answer which would be the final instalment of this whole series. 

i did some research on the significance of the mask in the Phantom of the Opera

The short answer is this: the motivation for every event set in motion is the severe, present-from-birth facial deformity of the Phantom; the deformity that he wears the mask to conceal. He was actually forced to wear it as a child, since in the mid-1800s(and quite a bit later), an accident of birth like that was often seen as a devil's curse, a sign of uncleanliness, or similarly dark circumstances. Over his lifetime, the mask became the symbol of all the hatred and condemnation he'd gotten from everyone around him, as well as the place to hide that disfigurement. Crutch and shield and prison and symbol.

Reference 

notice how the phrase devil’s curse is used, hence relating back to my Jungkook HYYH: the Notes theory  especially since in the HYYH notes: L Version, it seems as though Taehyung had a hard time starting with his own family. 

Taehyung 29 December YEAR 10

I took my shoes and threw my bag and went into the main room. My father was really there. I didn’t think of how long he was going to return or where he had been. I only raced recklessly into his embrace. I don’t remember clearly afterwards. Whether it was the smell of alcohol, the cursing or the slap to my cheek. I didn’t know what was going on. He reeked of alcohol and his pants were foul. His eyes were bloodshot and his beard was growing wildly. He hit my face with his large hand. He asked what I was looking at. He then lifted me in the air. His crimson eyes were frightening but I was so terrified that I couldn’t even cry. This wasn’t my father. No, this is my father. But then again, he wasn’t. My two feet shoot in the air. In the next moment, my head crashed hard into the wall and I slumped to the floor. It was as if my head exploded. My vision flickered and I blinked a few times. My head was filled with the sound of my father’s harsh breathing.

i love how vast and ambiguous all these scenes were, even more so when there were these few scenes that only showed certain angles of Taehyung’s face as if the rest of his face was covered by a flaw.

but lastly, this scene has got me thinking why it was there in the first place. 

this scene only came for 1 second before the video transited to something else. im not exactly sure what this is, but i would safely assume it would be a reference to the whole frozen lake thing, the one where Taehyung finds himself in the dream.

but anyway, i do think that Singularity has some hints to offer, but of course, aesthetics, music, lyrics and choreography, thank you Taehyung for pulling this off so well, i can’t wait for what bangtan has in store for us. 

so what’s next?  

So the first thing we see is Taehyung in a black room with four other people and a coat hanger. Taehyung being trapped is a very common imagery in BTS videos, but we’ll get back to that later. This black room is reminiscent to other rooms we’ve seen before in BTS MV’s (one in DNA, Serendipity, Euphoria, and even Daydream). I believe these rooms are almost like a mindscape of sorts. Possibly even the world they see in their dreams. Either way, this world is taking place in Taehyung’s mind and thoughts, we’re seeing a visual representation of his mind, much like how we saw Jimin’s in Serendipity and Jungkook’s and Jin’s in Euphoria. I’ll try not to talk too much about Euphoria since I haven’t found a clear analysis for it. But just keep in mind that Singularity takes place through Taehyung’s eyes and mind.

Next we see him dance with the coat hanger. The illusion is supposed to look like somebody else is dancing with him, when really he’s dancing with himself. His own hand caresses him, almost like he’s trying to comfort himself, or love himself. Here’s the issue though: The love Taehyung is putting on himself is fake. It’s fake love. I’ll explain this more later, but because the coat isn’t on an actual body, you can see it as the love he receives from others is fake as well. There’s no one actually there to caress him, he has to do it himself. At one point, Taehyung covers his mouth with his own hand, like he’s trying to stop himself from saying something. Or other people are forcing him to stop himself from saying something. Throughout this video we will commonly see things that point to Taehyung trying to tell us something, but not being able to. I have a theory on what the thing he’s trying to say is, but it’s a little controversial and I don’t want to strike any rumors so close to come back. If you want to know my theory, you can message me here or on twitter, but just remember that if you do, it is JUST A THEORY. And probably not even a correct one at that. Moving on.

We see a small scene of Taehyung behind a wall of ice. Singularity has a lot of imagery pointing toward ice and being trapped in it. Even in the lyrics he talks about being thrown into a frozen lake. I think the ice sort of represents how cold he feels on the inside. He’s depressed, he’s sad, and his heart is cold as ice. And he’s trapped in it. Mind you, I’m not saying actual, real-life Taehyung is depressed (in fact it seems like all of the members are in a good place mentally, though we of course don’t know that for certain), but the character he portrays in the MV’s is. His character has a deep history in the MVs as being one of the more mentally unstable. It make sense that his mind is darker than the others, his character has gone through a lot.

In the next scene, a wall of the room Taehyung and the dancers are in opens, causing orange light to come through. Orange represents joy, sunshine, creativity, success, happiness, and even sexuality. I think this is showing us that even though Taehyung is trapped in a black box, there is still joy left in him. If he manages to get out of this black box he’s in, he could transition to a bright, orange world. But the scene right after that shows us a wall of ice again. It’s reminding us that even though there’s still brightness in his mind, he’s not completely out of the cold darkness yet. To further prove this we also get a small scene of Taehyung walking toward a blue light that’s now being shown into the room. Blue represents sadness, but it can also represent trust, loyalty, and wisdom. It’s showing us that there are many different sides to Taehyung’s mind.

Finally we come to the scene with the masks. There are 8 masks and in the middle is Taehyung. The number 8 is very significant and can be taken one of two ways. One: 8 is considered a lucky number in Chinese and other Asian cultures. I believe that the outro to Tear will be called Lucky and I have reason to believe that it will be a duet between RM and Jhope. On Twitter both RM and Jhope have made a lot of references to luck and four-leaf clovers. However, a more theoretical explanation would be that two: 8 is represented by infinity. In order to understand why that’s important though, we need to talk about what a singularity actually is.

I’m sure you’ve seen some people on twitter being confused/excited/worried to see Singularity trending number 1 yesterday. Most of these people expressed that they thought there was a scientific breakthrough. This is because in science, a singularity has a pretty scary meaning. A singularity is basically the center of a black hole. It is the gravitational pull formed by a large force of mass in an infinite small space that creates black holes. Think of singularity as the eye of a storm or tornado. It’s very similar to that. Black holes are very common in outer space, but we have yet to see one formed on Earth successfully. And trust me, you don’t want one to be formed on Earth. If a black hole ever formed on Earth and got big enough (because believe it or not, there scientist that actually CREATE black holes. You know, for shits and giggles.), it could potentially be world ending.

Singularity and infinity are related to each other quite a lot, which makes sense as to why they would have the number 8 in plain sight like this. HOWEVER, before I continue, I want to mention something I just saw on twitter. A user found out that there’s another song called Singularity by the band Space Pirates. You can look it up (unless you’re easily scared or it’s late because it is FREAKY), but basically the album cover is of similar white masks. The sound of the song is instrumental, but it’s very spacey. I have reason to believe that with the sound of this song that is obviously being represented in Singularity, on top of the representation of the number 8, that during Tear, black holes will form doe to the excessive use of wormholes by Jin. KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR ANY IMAGERY OF BLACK HOLES!

Ok so, the next scene to analyze is the scene of Taehyung in the dark room sitting in the corner with a single gem on his foot. I have tried to find what kind of gem this is, but I’m not sure, I don’t have a lot of knowledge on things like that. If any of you know, let me know. The only thing I can think of is that since there’s only one gem, it’s pointing to the literary definition of singularity, which is the act of being singular or separated from others.  Regardless, we see Tae in the corner and on the walls around him are maps and newspaper clippings. These papers are covering the walls and windows, only letting a small amount of light shine down on him. Later on, Taehyung reaches out to the light, signifying that he wants to reach it, he wants to be bright again. Or bright for the first time. There’s also another scene where Taehyung is surrounded by ice, but he’s laying on a small square of light. Helps further show that Taehyung longs for light and brightness.

Now let’s talk about flowers! The flowers that are overgrown on the walls are specifically pink pearl roses. I couldn’t find any meaning for pink pearl roses, but there is meaning for pink roses. Femininity, gentility, and refinement are the main meanings, which doesn’t really mean much to us, BUT, Taehyung does have a sister and a mother that he misses. Maybe these flowers represent them? They are wilting too so.. Anyway! We also see a bouquet of blue roses catch on fire later on. Now, I’m a mystic messenger nerd, so I already knew what blue roses represent. It’s unobtainableness or impossibility, since blue roses don’t naturally exist. However, that didn’t make too much sense to me, so I decided to see of there were other meanings. Here they are:

Wishful, imaginative, and free pieces of mind

Unobtainableness, destined to remain as a dream, and a never-to-be-fulfilled wish

Love at first sight, unrequited love, and impossible love

New beginnings, accomplishing the impossible, and fighting all odds

A complex personality, a person that does not prefer easy interpretations (ain’t that the goddamn truth)

Power of being manipulative

The quote “some doors should never be opened.”

That’s a lot of meanings, and it’s up to you decide which one (or ones) you think make the most sense.

There’s one other flower: the smeraldo. Now the smeraldo flower has a history with BTS, the first time we saw them, it was in one of Jin’s selfies. The smeraldo is similar to the blue rose; it doesn’t actually exist. The meaning of smeraldo’s though is, “the truth I couldn’t (or didn’t) tell you.” When Taehyung has this flower, he moves it toward some of the masks. The mask move away from the flower, showing that Taehyung is trying to tell them something, but they either aren’t listening or don’t hear. He eventually gives up and lets go of the flower. The masks have it near them, but it never touches them. They may get close to the truth, but they never actually reach it, because Taehyung can never actually tell them. Take that as you will.

We see Taehyung standing in a small pool of water in the same room the flowers are overgrowing. I think this is supposed to show that he’s sort of drowning in his own mind. You could also see it as him looking at his reflection in the water, showing that he’s trying to reflect on himself. That would also point to connections between him and RM.

The last time we see Taehyung in his room, the color shining through is now white. White represents purity, goodness, and innocence. I see this as showing us that there is still hope, that Taehyung is still a good person and he can go back to that pure innocence. If he actually will though is another story.

In the very last scene, we see Taehyung put on a white mask. This shows us that he’s covering up his true self, he’s hiding something from us or the people around him. Also note the rainbow colored earring that says “loved,” almost like he’s reminding himself that he’s loved. But he’s not loved for who he actually is, he’s loved for the person he show others. Which is fake, it’s a fake love. Even the love Taehyung tries to show himself is a fake love. We know based on everything else that his mind is in a dark place. He’s trying to convince others that he loves himself and that they should love themselves, but he doesn’t actually. As for the black tear, I think you can see this as a few things. Either that he’s just a dark person who’s darkness is overflowing and starting to show on the outside, or that he’s becoming more broken due to the ever changing time stream.

Anyway, that’s pretty much it for Singularity. As I said before, keep an eye out for black holes, the number 8, and anything to do with luck (specifically from RM or Jhope). And if you are curious about what I think Taehyung wants to tell us, just message me. It’s too close to comeback to have that possibly turn into a rumor, especially if it isn’t true.

If you have anything to add or a different interpretation, just let me know! Also, if you haven’t read my last BTS theory, here it is: https://ashlynbuggy.tumblr.com/post/172093318880/i-got-really-bored-so-i-decided-to-write-down-my