sanccharine:

smart insomnias do your thing

I gotchu, Mala! As the partially self-proclaimed “smart Paladin”, I must try to show off my smarts in some way. Obviously, I may miss some details and such, but I’m open to other interpretations and ideas. :)

Everything is below the cut for people who have not seen Dreamcatcher’s mystery code yet. <3

I’m going to focus on this part of the mystery code because it’s the part that I think interests me the most and has the most to offer. I’m sure that most people have figured out that the comecback date is April 12, 2022 since that is the date listed in the top right hand corner. In the top left hand corner, the words say “Air Monitor.” In the center, a model of a planet plus a bar above it that is almost filled from left to right. Below this all, there are seven numbers with labels in three horizontal rows. Now that the facts are out of the way, let’s get to the interpretation part of it.

• I’m going to take a small leap and say that the bar is supposed to represent the amount of air pollution on Earth. The left part of probably represents zero to little air pollution, and as you travel to the right, the air pollution increases to more and more unhealthy levels. The bar, in the picture, is filled to the cusp of the right-most section. The world is already in peril, as shown in the other parts of the picture, but what could lay beyond when we finally enter the pink section?
• I’ll be honest and say that I have absolutely no idea what that top row of numbers is supposed to mean, so I’ll skip to the other four numbers.
• 03, which is three oxygen atoms, is a molecule that is basically the formula for ozone. Simply put, trillions of those particles make up the ozone layer. That ozone layer protects every person, plant, animal, and thing on Earth from the most harmful of the sun’s rays. As you may know, in recent years, the ozone layer has been thinning out due to the effects of industrialization. We’ll get back to this in a minute, so keep this in mind. I’ll also add that there is a good form of ozone (stratospheric ozone), and a bad one that harms our health (ground level ozone), but I’m going to choose to focus on the good one.
• S02, which is one sulfur atom and two oxygen atoms, is known as sulfur dioxide. In the natural world, volcanic activity and copper extraction produce S02. The burning of sulfur-bearing fossil fuels also produces S02. It is very toxic, and can cause death at high concentrations.
• CO (one carbon atom and one oxygen atom; is known as carbon monoxide) is a very dangerous and deadly gas. Pretty much any building that you enter with have a carbon monoxide detector of some sort in it because this gas is colorless, odorless, and can go undetected by humans until they experience symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, and in the worst cases, die from it. CO is found in fumes when you burn fuel in cars and trucks (that’s why you should never start a car in an enclosed space like a garage), engines, stoves, lanterns, grills, fireplaces, gas ranges, or furnaces.
• NO2 (one nitrogen atom and two oxygen atoms, known as nitrogen dioxide) is primarily produced by the burning of any sort of fuel. Power plants, cars, buses, trucks, etc., all produce this gas. This gas, at elevated levels, can be damaging to humans. It can cause respiratory sicknesses and can cause further complications in the future.
• All four of these numbers have a unit next to them, which is ppm. PPM simply stands for parts per million. In case you were not aware of this fact, when we talk about atoms and molecules, we are talking about extremely small numbers. This, however, does not mean that these numbers are trivial in any way. When we talk about healthy amounts of S02, CO, and NO2 that can be in the air without being toxic, we usually use parts per billion, or ppb. Obviously, the fact that we are using ppm instead of ppb is extremely concerning. That means that (probably) deadly amounts of these gases are in the air around us. To add onto that, low amounts of O3 compared to the amount of other gases most likely means that the ozone layer has depleted to unknown lows, which causes the sun’s Ultra-violet light (causes cancers, would pretty much lead to the death of everything on Earth if not for the ozone layer) to get through in harmful levels. This would lead to the post-apocalyptic sight that we see in the rest of this mystery code.
• So, you may be wondering, what does any of this have to do with Dreamcatcher and their comeback? Let’s circle back to the Dystopia series for a moment. A simple way to sum up the Dystopia series is with the phrase “Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil”. Depending on personal interpretations, you may see the Dystopia series as a warning, that you should think about what you say and how other people may interpret your words. However, there are two critical things the Dystopia series does not hit on that I think their newest work will.
• The first part is people’s actions. Have you ever heard the phrase “Actions speak louder than words?” I cannot recall the numerous times that I have been hurt by someone’s actions, and how that person did not think about how their actions could affect other people. Obviously, we’re talking big scale here. Actions such as, say, refusing to educate yourself on global warming and its effects on the Earth can lead to denial about the issue at hand: global warming. I don’t want to get too political, but I think that mob mentality and selective censorship of media (aka showing the people the news and opinions that agreed with their own views) also play a part in global warming.
• The second part is calling out the faults of society instead of just the individual. Personally, I see the Dystopia series as a conversation between two parties: the performers and the listeners. It comforts the listeners who were hurt by others, and it calls out those who hurt others. I think that this comeback could possibly be a very nice wake up call about the fact that our planet is slowly dying. It could talk about the carelessness of man, or how all of the fighting in the world will get us nowhere if we take no action.
• I would like to end this by saying that I would be pleased if they decided to talk about some societal issues like global warming, but I’ll be just as happy if they only use a post-apocalyptic setting as a backdrop for another story. I’m so looking forward to this comeback, and I hope you are too. I’m just a bit too excited for some new music from them, so writing this helped me calm down a bit, even for just a moment.

Maybe, Just… Maybe

author: psychojimin

length: oneshot

word count: 13,287

rating: PG-17

author’s summary:

“Very unlike the usual customers that visit a strip club on a weekday night. Not a regular, not a traveling businessman carrying a briefcase. There’s this dangerous look about him, though. A dark glint in his eyes that kindles Jimin’s curiosity.”

read it on ao3

don’t forget to leave kudos & comments on the work!