ilyiza

[ilyiza]

Dear Peppertaemint,

This unnecessary mess with Taemin and fan behavior has made me think about different levels of disclosure within the fandom community, the industry, if there are limits and who should be aware of them. I have some questions, more like openings to get some food for thought because I don't think there's some definitive answer to this.

Do you think an idol should be more careful when they disclose information regarding career management? I couldn't help but think of a similar situation with Jimin when he casually revealed in an interview with Japanese media that BH considered having a music video for the entire album an unreasonable request. That led to uproar and I admit I was surprised and angry myself. But then again, Jimin didn't elaborate more on that aspect and the matter hasn't been brought up again. I believe that the situation with Taemin is sort of similar, as in he made a statement on a live stream which was taken as an indication of mismanagement by SM. Do you take they should be more careful on how idols phrase their statements? Perhaps either elaborate more, knowing how the fandoms are behaving lately? Should they take that into consideration? Or perhaps they have no part in how fans are reacting?

Hi @reflections-in-a-critical-eye <3 I love that you sent an official Ask, lol.

I've been thinking about this since the mess started, and although it is complicated, I think it's a mix of pervasive low EQ as well as the Western savior complex at play.

It would be a shame if artists felt they couldn't share what they already do with us. I appreciate Taemin's honesty, even if it creates chaos. I wouldn't want him to stop being himself because of fan behavior. Apparently, that's what happened with NCT Ten due to fan behavior, and now he barely comes to Bubble or anywhere to speak to fans. :( And we know Jimin really limits what he shares, too, so we wouldn't want that relationship damaged further.

What I think is required is EQ on behalf of the fans. This feels silly to write, but it's sort of EQ 101 that is helpful for everyday life. Emotions can be contagious and some people are more prone to catching them than others. Having healthy boundaries means not accepting everyone else's emotions. If an artist says "I'm upset" that doesn't mean you have to take on that upset.

Another part of EQ, complicated by social media, is how we interpret each other's emotions. In-person, someone can say, "I'm disappointed by this," and as the listener, we're using verbal and non-verbal cues to understand the full meaning of what is being said. How upset is the person, how much has it affected them, do they seem okay, are they sharing to unburden themselves, does the issue seem resolved? These are all questions that often go through a person's head when they're confronted with someone sharing their thoughts and feelings. When this happens in person, it's a natural process for most of us.

When we're encountering a piece of media, for some, it's much harder to engage in these EQ processes. When Taemin sends Bubble messages, unless he adds a specific marker of tone (like the Korean "haha" or "keke" or some other emoji or face), it's up to us to interpret the extra bits. We don't know if he was crying while sending these messages or playing Nintendo or something, totally fine (I don't think he was crying, btw; I am just using that as an example!).

I'm not sure what Jimin's non-verbal communication was when he dropped the bit about the label denying him music videos for all songs on his album. If he was smiling while saying it, that would be a signal that although a disappointment, what happened is okay. When Taemin said he was disappointed, he wasn't sad or distraught. Those non-verbal cues told me that, although it wasn't what he'd hoped for, things were okay and this wasn't something to dwell on. Instead, many people latched onto his disappointment and took an emotion that maybe seemed to be at like, an intensity of 3 (to me) and ratcheted it up to a 10. This isn't good for anyone, and especially not him.

The other side of this is fan as a Western savior (colonialist!). It's a constant issue when it comes to international fans of Kpop, many who are Western and perceive that Western ways are superior, and that success in the West is of greater value than success in any part of Asia. They also feel that they "know better" than industry people in SK (and often even their artist!), and that they must demonstrate activism on social media to "save" their artist.

A good example of this is that even when international SHINee fans were confronted with K fans asking them to stop engaging in online activism about Taemin's performances because it would be damaging to him to continue, they did not stop. Being confronted with cultural context (K fans were explaining that what they were doing wasn't good culturally and was reflecting poorly on him), they did no self-reflection but carried on, trying to "save" their artist.

There are a lot of nuances of Korean culture that feel counterintuitive to non-Koreans. I had a Korean friend tell me that I should use filters on my thoughts and opinions in writing so people understand clearly that I'm stating my thoughts and opinions, such as "I think that..." etc. At the time, I thought it was odd and a misunderstanding of rhetorical writing (LOL, me being an asshole), but later in my study of the Korean language, I learned that this is how people are expected to express thoughts and opinions in Korean and the language is set up to enable this. It's considered impolite or aggressive to use different constructions. So, in this way, I'm not surprised that international fans struggle to understand the Korean perspective. It's subtle and nuanced and might feel counterintuitive to them depending on their home culture.

There is one other facet to consider, and that's just plain bias. We are biased toward our favorites and want them to have everything. And how dare anyone not give them exactly what they want. Fans are like out-of-control parents at their worst, lol. So, even if a calm and perfectly fine Taemin says "I'm disappointed because of X", a swathe of people will go into crazy mommy mode. Give my baby boy everything!!!

Anyway, this is probably a too-long reply, but this is my take on what's happening here. I don't think idols need to change their behavior, even if part of me thought, Taemin, you've really done it now. LOL. There is a fundamental difference between sharing honest emotions and fans struggling to parse them versus situations where bullying and harassment are thanked or congratulated (RM), or someone saying they received death threats from fans is met with silence (BTS). Even though Taemin's words did spark the fan debacle, he still took responsibility for it all and spoke about Yeonjun when his junior was being slammed online. While it's true he made no mention of the girl group who covered Guilty, I think he mentioned Yeonjun specifically because of the fan's bad behavior.

Jimin may have deserved an infinite budget for his debut album, and I certainly would have loved to see more beautiful, dance-focused MVs from him, especially in a larger project a la Lemonade. But, that wasn't in the cards this time, for whatever reason. It's understandable to be disappointed by this. If I heard Taemin wanted a visual album and didn't get it, I'd be so sad. But I guess there is a final EQ point to be made. Just because we feel sad or angry, as you mentioned, that doesn't mean we have to act on it... Were you secretly emailing expletive-laden missives to Big Hit, hmm? Did you launch "akgae" campaigns online against other BTS members in hopes that they'd be sidelined so Jimin could get a bigger budget? Do you have a secret DC Gallery account?

[ilyiza]

[ilyiza]

BEOMJUN BRAINROT

Todays post will be a different vibe from my normal content, I ask for your permission to let me be silly and delulu and extra today ok!? This is not one of my normal serious analysis posts but rather me being just a regular old shipper and loving a pairing. Im not trying to prove Beomjun real or anything like that but rather fan-girling over my love for their chemistry and bond and pointing out all the amazing parts of their dynamic and how things have shifted between them ok?! If you want something super in-depth and serious then you can look at my old Beomjun post here. Its old and outdated and maybe I should be focusing my time on updating it but I went back and re-read it and there is a lot there that leads up to what I rant about here haha.

So I have loved Beomjun for a super long time. Freeze era really solidified it with their developing chemistry. The flirting and cat-and-mouse dynamic with a lil sub/dom undertones. The sweetness that they had mixed in there too?! *chefs kiss*. Like yas I wanna watch these two argue and tease each other every day. Does anybody else feel like their dynamic has evolved even more tho?! OMG they are on another level these days and its more like this love and care and fun and constant skinship that they have and I melt and die every time I see it. These days Yeonjun looks at Beomgyu like he hung the fucking stars and Beomgyu turns into a shy mess and the MOMENTS they have these days. And ummmm why was Beomgyu mentioned in Yeonjuns friends poster HUH?! The only member that was mentioned on his friends poster?!! Perhaps do his friends also know Beomgyu very well?! Connecting dots here people

and Beomjun date!?

while Yeonjun was in this fit too?! I die. Also when Beomgyu hurt his shoulder and Yeonjun gave him the old comfort rub and Beomgyu nodded like ‘im ok, its ok’. Like this was during a performace

and this

LOOK AT THE FUN THEY HAVE TOGETHER

Its like the hardcore flirting phase from freeze era has evolved into this beautiful sweet thing and I cant. I CANT. GUYS>>>>WHAT IS THIS?!

When did this start happening between the two i'm short-circuiting. If you wanna have a real fun time check out their concert moments, I dare you to control your emotions watching them frolic and have fun on stage and flirt and touch. Its a tough time im telling you. These two were born for the stage and have such unbelievable fun together, like they are always on the same page you know?! Just living for it. They have so many moments in the Memories DVD that I have seen floating around, you bet your ass I will be watching them and Sookai when my DVD FINALLY arrives. Oh they still fight, but the tension 😂

Look look they do the mic pass to hold hands too 😭https://twitter.com/beomjun_yeongyu/status/1647645761876656128?s=20 

They are comedy gods too…the to do episode where they are flashing whats in the box?! I died laughing. I just love how insync they are and how they get each other so well and can time their flirting and fighting and comedy SO well to deliver the goods constantly. Like Beomgyu here? Genius.

Ugh and when Beomgyu was doing aegyo on stage and Yeonjun got entrapped so was the only one that hung around and watched without realising that the other members were trying to tease Beom about the display 😂😂https://www.tiktok.com/@bgyjth/video/7218665637491608838?_r=1&_t=8bhFLGFRBKb 

Am I even going to be allowed to post so many links haha. I just wanna provide like 50 instances where I die for them but I guess that just cant be the case 😂Like the HUGS that they are giving each other these days my god.

Also did you guys know that there is a Beomjun divorce era during blue hour?! The lore of their ship is a whole thing.

Also their fics? Top fucking tier, the EMOTION. Their editors for their ship content? Story-tellers, artists.

Beomgyu posted a pic of Yeonjun in the airport recently cause he gives the people what they wanna see!!! Love him for that.

Yeonjuns R13 outfit was *chefs kiss* and then he came on stage in THOSE BOOTS AND THE LONG BLACK THINGY. Jesus help me. I am SUCH a fan of the Yeonjun 'gender agenda' much more than the Yeonjun 'manly man agenda'. Hear the people Yeonjun. Ok im getting off track. I could post like a million other things but I dont think I can, there are link limits on these posts and I think you guys get the point haha. LONG LIVE BEOMJUN.

[ilyiza]

The Taehyun Situation...

I got a lot of asks from people saying that they were interested in me talking about the Tae situation so i'm going to put in my angle for whatever it's worth but it might not be the angle you are expecting...

Ok so for those that may not know someone on twitter uploaded a video of Tae in a club. Its very obviously him and it appears that he is dancing with one or two girls in the video. In a follow up video that the twitter user posted its pretty clear that Tae has his arm around one of the girls while dancing. This video blew up and the tweet currently has been seen almost 11 million times. I was in korea at the time and my socials blew up with the news. Peoples reactions have been everything from supportive, outraged that he was with girls, outrage that his privacy was breached and joking that the club and its music were sub-par. 

I dont think I even need to comment on the privacy aspect, OBVIOUSLY Tae shouldnt have been filmed and this video shouldnt have been shared. It was shared with the intention of ruining Taes reputation. Whoever posted it was malicious and spiteful. You can tell in the video that hes aware that hes being filmed and that breaks my heart. We havent heard from Tae on Weverse since and we all miss him. In fact all of the members were silent for days.

As for the club quality? I have been to a few Korean clubs and my oh my do I dislike Korean clubs haha. The music is always terrible and blaring (im talking crazy loud) and its SO dark in these tiny places. Most of the time you have to go downstairs to a basement-type area to get into the club and the whole thing feels claustrophobic. I have seen people smoking/vaping and spitting in them and I'm like…na pass. I prefer to go to pub/bars in Korea but even then its a pretty loud and chaotic environment 😂The club I saw Tae in perfectly reflects what I have seen in real life, but who am I to yuck someone’s yum? If he was vibing and letting off steam from his crazy stressful life then power to him. 

I dont know why Tae was there. Maybe he was invited by someone, maybe he knew the girl/girls he was with, maybe he met them there who knows? Tae could go to clubs all the time or maybe this was a one off. Who really cares honestly. 

I think the main thing this showed people is that idols arent always what they are perceived to be by the fans. Some people seemed shocked that he was there…like people tend to think that what we see of them in their job is all there is to them. That their job and public personas indicate their whole lives. Its just not true. Heres a hint…do you really think your idol is wearing glitter make-up and bunny ears and soft, fluffy cardigans behind the cameras? Do you think they are doing cute lil aegyo normally?

What I felt when I saw the clip was…..relatability. Im not in my early 20s anymore but when I was I used to go to the clubs every weekend! I used to dance and make-out with boys and get super drunk. I had a great time and those are some lasting funny stories I still share with my friends to this day. I actually loved seeing Tae potentially get to have some sort of normal life and experiences (too bad someone wanted to exploit that). I understand that young fans or fans from deeply conservative countries/religions may not be familiar with this kind of thing but I'm telling you that dancing at a club with a drink dosent make you a bad person, dancing with a person of the opposite sex doesn't make you evil and having fun after work is normal. Imagine the stress and pressure these boys are under everyday?! We saw in their recent promotions that they work 17 HOUR DAYS during their comeback promotions with less than 3 hours sleep in-between days!! SEVENTEEN HOURS!! No wonder Tae needed a beer 😂I have spoken about this before when someone stupidly complained to me about a short promotion period right before their last world tour. I hope they realise they need to sush now. I'm sure no one here has any idea what its like to work as hard as they have for SO many years. The industry is cut-throat and brutal and thats just a fact.

This incident also showed many fans that there is a incredibly high chance Tae is straight. As you guys know I already predicted this. It just goes to show how deceiving fan-service can be aye? Thats why I try to use so many other forms of evidence instead of what the members do on variety shows or on wlives. 

Although it is terrible that this happened to Tae I think we can take a reminder that idols are human too. They probably do so many things we arent aware of or cant imagine them doing like be assholes during a fight, fart, kiss, smoke, drink and swear. People tend to forget that sometimes. I think that what happened to Yeonjun recently showed some of this too, black-out drunk anyone?! 😂I actually love seeing korean idols as human, it makes them so much more relatable. In fact the day the drinking ep with tae, yeonjun and yoongi came out I had a terrible hangover and I felt so much better knowing im not the only one that accidentally drinks too much sometimes 😂 

Now if you are coming from the angle of being ‘worried for them’ please be careful with that line of thinking. These men are adults, they are allowed to drink and dance and make human connections. Do I want Tae actions to tank TXTs reputation? Of course not…but if that were to ever happen over something like this it would be the FANS fault, not theirs. We need to remember that.

How do I think Tae or the other members view this situation? Hmmm thats a thought I have pondered over a few times. Tae was so clear on the 슈취타 episode that he is super ambitious and really reaching for the stars with TXT and their success. This had the potential to derail those dreams. Yoongi even said something on the episode about a member not bringing down the group in order to reach the heights they want to with their career. I feel that Tae was either ashamed or really angry at the situation. It could be both too I guess. The other members probably go out a lot too and might have thought it was a good wake up call for their actions moving forward. I think that they would have been supportive of Tae but scared for the consequences. Im positive there was a company meeting. I think the whole thing will blow over though. Most people have forgotten about it already and some people are still unaware of the situation.

I'm not entirely sure that I have covered all of my thoughts in this post but for now this will do. Please feel free to ask anymore questions you have or discuss this further with me. 

[ilyiza]

HOUR 2

I was writing my Yeonjun deep dive post and became uninspired, just like that. But then all of a sudden inspiration came back to me when I started thinking of a special Sookai shoot coupled with a question from an anon asking when I thought that Sookai got together. Now im not sure if this post will answer that but I do want explore a bit of analysis on hour 2 Sookai and how i think that the shooting of this dvd fit might fit into the the overarching timeline that is ‘Sookai’. I have spoken about Hour 3 before here for those that are interested. I understand that not everyone has access to Hour 2 so I have tried to take as many screen shots as possible. Context: this was after CYSM comeback (May 2020), where we found out the Soobin was having a rough time. He went on a walk with taehyun and spoke to him about his difficulties. It was filmed at the start of July 2020 or the end of June 2020 from what I can gather, if anyone can find the exact dates please let me know so I can edit this post.

So from the very start of the DVD we get some interesting info. Taehyun calls out Soobin on him wanting to share a room with Kai and says that those two can't live without each other.

Soobin’s body language is a little stressed after this, he stretches his arms up over his head to release some tension from the conversation and basically starts rapping about how Kai is actually the one that wanted to share a bed with him the other night.

It's interesting to me that at no point do either of them deny what Tae claims, but Soobin suddenly turns it into a ‘who likes who more’ showdown. This feels a little like a convo that would happen at the beginning stages of a relationship, trying to figure out who likes who more and although it still happens to this day and happened prior to this i can't help but feel there was a desperation at this point, like he intentionally brings up other scenarios to try and prove his point rather than the more common ‘ok ok’ or laughing it off like he does these days. It's also interesting that while Soobin is quick to say that Kai actually wanted to sleep with Soobin, Tae actually said that it was Soobin who wanted to sleep with Kai. I have a feeling that Tae knows that Soobin wants to sleep with Kai, i wonder why this is? I feel like Soobin may have told Tae something or did something for him to draw this opinion. Like he's not pulling this assumption out of nowhere you know? He has reason to believe that Soobin wants to sleep with Kai but doesnt mention the opposite of Kai wanting to sleep with Kai, despite some evidence of such (as Soobin points out).

When they reach the hotel and Sookai find out that they are sharing a room, Soobin practically pounces on Kai, repeating again and again how happy Kai must be.

We also see Soobin try to take a peek at Kais paper when the room allocations are given out. It's not well illustrated in this pic but trust me he did.

In the moment they both look very excited to be sharing a room and to be honest the reaction is kinda extreme, like Soobin grabs Kais face and basically bombards him?! In the past when they were sharing a room Soobin hugs Kai onto the bed but i haven't seen this kind of reaction between or with the other members when they have been allocated a room together. For comparison Tae and Yeonjun are sharing a room and have pretty much no reaction at all. Yeonjun says ‘its about time i share with tae’ while not even looking at him and tae says ‘thats right’ without looking at him. I have never seen this reaction from Soobin when he is sharing a room with a different member either. Something to think of. 

The odd thing is that even though they make a big game out of who gets what room and there are cameras set up in the rooms we never again see them sharing the room. I wonder why that is? We know that they shared the room and maybe a bed, Kai posted a selca of it (which we will explore more later). And in the past the rooms have been filmed and more footage shown like in their other dvds. Hmmm odd. Like its probably nothing but just something i noticed.

The DVD goes on like normal Hour DVDs, they do photoshoots, go shopping, play games and reminisce about each day. However I noticed a few key points when I was watching the DVD. 

On one of the days we have the infamous red string photoshoot. A few things stood out to me during this day. We first see Yeonjun and Soobin doing their photoshoot. There is literally no flirting. You can hardly catch Soobin and Yeonjun looking at each other. Like look how close their faces are here and...nothing.

But then we see Soobin and Kai paired up and my oh my the flirting is off the charts!! They pull every Sookaism in the books, Kai throws a kiss at Soobin, Soobin fishes for compliments, they tell the camera how much the other must like working with them, they talk about clinginess, they act cutesy toward each other, they try and get reactions from each other, they stare into each others eyes, they are physically close and lean into each other. (Credit for gifs choi-soobin on Tumblr:)

Once again Tae being the provoker of truth that he is even said before the shoot ‘can I look forward to the gums chemistry?’ because he knew EXACTLY the way they were bout to act. Tae knows all about Sookai its seems.

On this day we also see Kai pick Soobin up bridal style as another one of his million ways to show his strength to Soobin and physically touch him haha. After the duo scene we have a shoot with them all on the bed and the way that Soobin tickles Kai with his whole soul is gratuitous at best haha. He has his leg slung over Kai and is looking directly into his face, lucky for him it just so happened that Kai decided to look directly into Soobins face too, coincidence? I think not. All of these interactions feel so overwhelming like two people that are milking the situation for everything its worth. But we will get more into that later.  

Towards the end of the trip the boys go shopping for gifts for each other then have some spare time to do their own thing. They separate in small groups and do activities that they want to do like fishing or ATV riding and come together at the end for swimming at the hotel. Of course Sookai are together the whole time and you can really see them finding excuses to talk to each other and hang out. ‘Smell this perfume soobin’ *sprays it on Soobins arm*….Look at me casting my fishing rod Soobin *bickering and teasing and laughing with only each other while Tae fishes*. Its sweet to watch and so very obvious. Like at one point Soobin wants a kind of tangerine that a shop doesny have and Kai is devastated for no real reason haha.

When they go swimming it's just Soobin and Kai in the water first for some reason and they are grabbing each other and pulling each other into the water, having a ball. It looks like more excuses to touch have been unlocked. That's where the infamous Soobin ab shot comes from and for all MOA who werent around back then, it was the first time we ever came close to seeing what Soobins belly looked like and when I tell you MOA internet set on fire omg. 

The DVD ends with the normal stuff, they share presents and Yeonjun and Kai hug and have moments then Soobin has his predictable meltdown that I wont talk about despite the fact that I am tired of defending this man against his jealousy when he won't bloody stop it haha. 

So there we have it, a not-so-brief summation of some of the Sookai moments in this DVD. Now as I have always said that I didnt know exactly when Sookai became a thing but in this post I wrote in March of 2021 you can see that I felt a strong shift in Sookai around May-October of 2020. After watching this DVD again and having some more time away from that era I think that my stance is much stronger for a May-July shift in Sookai. I have been watching some of the vlives from around that era too and its just undeniable that there is a big shift in their behaviour around this time. If you go and look them up you will see that almost every famous Sookai vlive starts around this time period, this was Soobins era of i will speak about Kai non-stop while he isnt here and the vlive where Kai looks at Soobin a million times then Soobin catches him (and loves it) and poor yeonjun becomes distracted by them in the background. We also get Kai sitting on Soobs lap for the first time etc. In the DVD they are more connected and obsessed with each other than ever, their actions are very over the top, they flirt and get real close real often. Even the members comment on how close they are and we see a hint of awkwardness every now and again which just cements how new this whole thing is to them. Most of the time these days they are able to mostly focus on their jobs, with a little moment thrown in here and there, but looking back on this footage they are still very wrapped up in each other the whole time. They become so distracted by each other it's cominal. This behaviour is almost undeniably some sort of honeymoon phase or beginning  phase for the duo. Have many of you had your first relationship or first reciprocated crush? Almost everyone becomes a ‘bubble’ with that other person. Your hormones are going nuts and all you have on your mind is THAT PERSON. You wanna be close and flirt and laugh and play and I believe that we see a lot of that in this phase of Sookai. Of course to add to the story we then get october era Sookai which is a whole different beast. I think in the October phase we see the duo much more comfortable and solidified, but maybe that is a conversation for another day (go find blue haired Soobin and Kai moments, you will see what I mean).

Another thing that I found particularly interesting about this trip was the fact that Kai posted this picture at around this time. 20th July 2020

Now you can see from the room views in the DVD that there are two beds in each room but clearly Soobin and Kai are in the one bed, under the covers to take this photo.

Am I saying that they shared a bed this whole trip? Not at all, but it was something that I noticed. It was also interesting that Kai had not been heard from for a while then posted this photo and left. The next time we heard from him was when he posted another Sookai selca of him and Soobin on the day he started MCing (for which Kai was there). 

One more thing that I wanted to touch on slightly to give better context to this era was the difficulties that Soobin went through just before this time period. We know that he had a really tough time during CYSM promotions and confided in Tae during this time, now with more context to this time period and after this research i wonder if some of the reason he didn't confide in Kai and the reason he was having a hard time was in part due to his feelings for Kai? Now I could be totally off base and when people used to ask me about it I was always like ‘not everything is about a ship’ and i still believe that. Like very realistically lots of other pressures and issues were on his mind but to say that his situation with Kai wasn't might be a little naive too. This is also why I think Tae might be the ultimate Sookaist and wingman...he knows. Ultimately it's a theory and im not positive, it's just something that I wanted to point out for the sake of completeness when looking at the era. 

Ok then thank you so much for reading this, I really appreciate it! Please let me know your thoughts on this! One day I might look at constructing a more accurate timeline or talk about later in the year for Sookai but i'm pretty happy with just talking about mid 2020 for now. I will take a break until the next analysis post, it might be a while until the next one comes out so hopefully this holds you over for a while! Have a great day :) 

[ilyiza]

Q. The Best Moment of H:OUR in Jeju?

SOOBIN: When Hueningkai and I went inside this place like the swimming pool and our shoes were tied with a red string, they didn’t ask us to look at the camera or to make certain expressions. It was very natural, and they took photos of me and Hueningkai talking, Huening and me looking at each other, and we told really lame jokes and laughed.

[ilyiza]

My Metrics: Tyunning

So here it is! Yet another addition to My Metrics series. 

What we are going to do today is explore the dynamic between Hueningkai and Taehyun. I tried following some sort of structure for this one like my other posts but I just coulnt do it, so this is way more like a long-ass essay instead of a segmented post, sorry! My other metrics posts on Sookai, Yeonbin, Taegyu and Beomjun can be found in my Masterlist. We will once again go through:

A) Tyunning, a synopsis and my thoughts on their dynamic

Tyunning are definitely not one of the most popular ships, you can see evidence of this in my two previous popular ships (Lets play the numbers game! Lets play the numbers game!). This makes sense as both Taehyun and Hueningkai are the least popular members out of TXT. That being said I think that almost every MOA is aware of their friendship and dynamic. They definitely have the ‘Best friends’ agenda which can be seen quite easily when looking at simple things like the fact that they are the only same aged friends in the group and the fact that they have been roommates since the beginning of TXT until this day. 

Of course in order to understand these two better we need to understand their individual personalities and how they relate to their overall dynamic as I do with each one of these posts. I have covered both Kai and Taes personalities in detail on here but I wanted to add a little more on Tae, so lets start shall we? 

Of course i still think that things I have said about Tae in the past ring true; like the fact that Tae has a rock solid mindset, he’s a logical and no-nonsense thinker who has strong opinions on the world and the way it works. He seems very mature and very aware of the expectations and demands of the kpop world and works to achieve them. I find Tae so interesting because he obviously loves being a kpop idol and MOA and being a part of TXT, we see him wanting to take care of his body and voice so that he can look good and perform well but at the same time he calls fans out on their bullshit and calls out anything he sees wrong or broken with the industry. Also Tae has no problem with inverting flirting and a more typical response to fans when interacting with them. So often hes like miss me with that shit 😂

Like yes he wants to be here but hes not willing to sacrifice his integrity and authenticity. I also really feel that Tae wants to be seen as authentic and intelligent and sexy and talented but like jeeze doesnt that get exhausting!? Kai on the other hand is often the opposite of this, hes way more go with the flow and his confidence manifests itself as more as much more relaxed. We know that when he didnt do well on debut evaluations he was ok with it and just got ice cream afterwards 😂. Like Kai just doesnt seem as pre-occupied with what others think of him and I think that Tae respects that, even if he is much more of a ‘self improvement forever’ kinda guy. Tae has made comments before that he would much prefer to spend his free time trying to improve himself on important things like learning to cook and not playing games (like Kai does) and isnt that so interesting? That these two distinctly different people are so close? I think that it shows how much they have gone through together to be so close despite their differences. I'm sure that there is a part of Tae that wishes he was more like Kai and a part of Kai that wishes he was more like Tae but thats just me theorising.

One of the most amazing things about Tae is his connection to the fans. Like this man is on Weverse more than any other member, its so reliable that Tae will post a lot every week (and sometimes everyday for periods of time) and I adore that. Tae said that he wants to be like a bestfriend to MOA and more than just saying that he actually puts in the work to achieve it you know? Like also he wants to be fit and strong so he puts in the hard work to achieve it. Tae knows that he can achieve his dreams and goals, hes confident and determined. I would think that in a different group Tae would make a fantastic leader. All of his strong personality traits make it even more endearing that he has this giant squishy soft spot for his best friend Kai. Just like in other aspects of Taes life, if something is important to him then it gets his time, effort and attention, and Kai qualifies whole-heartily for it. Soobin has said in the past about Tae and Kai that '... those in their boundary, they will give them all their sincerity and love but those outside, they don’t give much attention’.

I think that Tyunning have so much more to them than meets the eye and some of the reason some people dont see what they really have is to do with their differing love languages. Like Tae’s love language is so obviously words of affirmation whilst Kai's is so obviously not haha. Kai seems like a quality time kinda guy. Kai can struggle at times with outwardly saying really deep and emotional compliments and sentiments yet Tae has no problem at all saying the most heart-felt meaningful thing just off the cuff in like a random interview 😂 

Despite Kai feeling less at ease than Tae with saying emotional poetry its not like it never happens,  there is no shortage of evidence from Kai that Taehyun means the absolute world to him. Here is something that kai said that really showcases kai’s feelings for Tae. For example  Kais message to Tae: 'yo, Taehyun! first of all, you did a great job this year. It was such an inventful year. I also had a lot on my mind, but still there were fun and good times. In a way, it was a special year. thanks to you, the members, and MOA, I had a great year! I actually smile a lot around you, and there are many times when everything you do looks cute. We can't always be happy when we work; i think it's amazing that you constantly try to actively find your happiness. When i see you working out and cooking to be more happy with your life, i think that's really amazing. i don't think there's anyone else like you. Even in frustrating situations, you get back up again. You're cool-headed, but also a warm-hearted person who cares about the team and about MOA. You're someone who takes the lead and is patient. our Taehyunnie who always tries his best and grows from it, no one can replace you. thank you and I love you always. Thank you for being part of TXT I look forward to 2022 with you'.

Now this a line that someone said about a different kpop duo yet I thought it fit so well with Tyunning that I decided i would use it for them: ‘If the world needed to be burnt down in order to save the other, Hueningkai would see it as a sacrifice and Taehyun would see it as a necessity.’

(This line fits Sookai aswell…..our Kai has many strong men wrapped around his fingers 😂😂)

Look I know that im gonna get questions about whether or not Tae and Kai got along in the beginning or if they fought and you know what? I have no idea 😂 Maybe Kai lied and got called on it. Maybe he didnt lie but backtracked on his statement when word got around. I have no idea and you know what? I dont think it matters! Who cares. Some people fight, some people aren't close at first. Its all ancient history so lets move on from it shall we? We have so much evidence that they get along super well now and love and respect each other a tonne.

The fact that Tyunning have shared a room since the dawn of time and still seem so chill with it and actively talk about wanting to continue that dynamic is so interesting cause I get the feeling that they mean it. I think that any 20 something male would prefer a room alone and I wouldnt blame them for that at all but the fact that they dont voice it and rather say that its comfortable and that they appreciate each other is so friggin adorable i cant.

Tyunning are so comfortable in each others presence, like there is no awkwardness when they are speaking or interacting, you can tell that they have a natural ease with each other built up other the years. Even when they had to do the ‘Descendents of the Sun’ skit they still remained pretty chill and professional about it to get shit done. Also i love that while MOA dont get to see Taes cute side that much (its a crime i tell you) Kai is telling us at every given opportunity how cute Tae is so we know that he is really seeing a side to him that we arent all privileged enough to see all the time. Then we have the other side where Kai describes Taes body as sexy all the time and hypes this man right up 😂 Also im sure that no one can forget this and the million other clips of them wrestling:

I just adore that Kai is the gay icon of TXT (if you think its Yeonjun your wrong) and yet Tae is the only one that can bring him into a manly wrestling UFC match at any given opportunity 😂i love the way that they play and have fun together?!

With all this being said I think that things have changed a little with Tyunning more recently. They feel very much like a relationship and dynamic that was established a long time ago and now they don't need to performativley re-enforce it again and again to us you know? Tae and Kai dont engage in pretty much any fanservice and their relationship is sparing on the flirtiness (especially when you compare to duos like Beomjun who thrive on it). We do see Tae cling to Kai sometimes but I feel that its very genuine in nature such as when Tae is a bit anxious at an airport or awards show and needs his rock. Sometimes it happens when Taes excited too. *cough* Tyunning height difference supremacy *cough* 

Some other things have changed too. They all used to say that Soobin, Kai and Tae would be the ones that would spend time at home but now that has changed, these days Tae and Yeonjun go out while the others stay at home. These days i dont think that Tae and Kai are hanging out at home together as much as they used to, however I think that is just a natural progression of them growing up and changing as adults. 

I think it goes without saying that I dont think that there is now or has ever been something romantic going on with Tyunning. There is no evidence of that at all. Especially with Tae being our number 1 Sookai fanboy, but maybe that is a post for another day!

Thank you so much for reading! You all mean the world to me!! Xx

[ilyiza]

Sookai in the Beginning

In this post I want to discuss what Sookai’s dynamic used to be like in pre-debut and debut days. I want to look at how they interacted with each other, what their relationship was like and compare it to what we see in Sookai today. Now I am reminding you all that I don't see everything through rose coloured glasses, I am realistic with my views so some of my opinions may sting a little, be warned! We will be discussing moments from Sookai in the beginning and lets be honest it's not all perfect! So with that in mind let's get started!

We all know that Sookai were best friends during their training days, we know how much Soobin and Kai loved spending time together and that they met each other's families and didn't really have much time or desire to get to know other trainees. As Soobin said he felt that he was fine with just Kai. But these are details that we know now and when TXT first debuted we didn't have too much insight into their significance to each other. We knew little details like Soobin thought Kai was cute in his yellow chick jumper for their teaser trailers but we found out the depth of their relationship months into their debut when Soobin went on his ‘Let me tell you bout Sookai’ agenda during Magic era in 2019. That was when he started going on awkwardly long spells about Kai and their relationship during solo vlives and they had a few of their infamous click clack vlives such as the one with hugging with Soobin saying what they meant to each other. I think that Soobin opened up and spoke about what he had with Kai for two potential reasons: either because he felt that the fans were not recognising their bond enough or because the romance kicked in between them and he was all heart eyes haha. 

But either way let's call a spade a spade. In those early days we didn't really know! Like those people that used to say that Soobin and Hueningkai had a dad/son or brotherly relationship had ample evidence for that. I have been a MOA since pre-debut, i have seen it all, in order and the first year of Sookai interactions definitely set up a totally platonic Sookai narrative in quite a few ways.

For example Soobin got on vlive and said that he raised Kai, during the U.S showcase show on the beach Kai seemingly referred to Soobin as Mum while grabbing Beomgyu and Soobins shoulders. We also did not have Soobins never-ending affection for Kai; on their first ever click clack vlive Soobin reads out a comment from a fan ‘Hueningkai is cute’ and then immediately says ‘Noooooooo’. Now maybe you are saying ‘But what about Kais birthday in the US’?! Well yes in the pre-debut series TALK x TODAY: ZERO Soobin stayed up until 4am organising Hueningkai’s birthday and birthday present, (if you havent seen the clip please watch it and die over the tenderness that Soobin felt for Kai) but we didnt see this series until it was released in March 2020. There were definitely intense moments of close friendship happening in the beginning but it got lost in some of their other behaviour.

Like here Soobin avoids a hug from Kai, we would almost never see that now:

We also have Soobin winking and Kai not having it

In terms of affection and flirting it was a mess. There was very little of what we see these days. It seems like when TXT debuted that both the boys werent quite sure how to act. This leads to some odd disparities in their actions at times. A mix of affection and disliking affection, a strong push and pull. Kai was still all about rubbing bellies (maybe not quite to the extent he is now though) but there were times where Soobin was trying to get away from it, he even said that he was tired of the belly rubbing, we see that happening in the full clip of the link below but I couldnt find the original video:

We also saw times when Soobin would pounce on Kai but Kai would recoil and try to wriggle away from this touch. In general at times they seem affectionate but then uncomfortable with their actions on screen and almost try to play it off

And all of this was while Soobin and Yeonjun were flirting it up in the corner, Yeonjun dishing out air kisses and ear-touches like he was getting rent from it. Like yeah, I totally get why people couldn't pick it at first. Things have obviously changed since then but that future dynamic we now see is not the point of this post. Its obvious now looking back how close they were but at the time we didn't have all the evidence. 

An interesting thought to consider is why we didn't have consistency with Sookai in the beginning, but I think that we have the answer to a degree. Soobin has said more recently that he used to be preoccupied with who he thought he should be after they debuted, rather than acting 100% like himself. He might have thought in the beginning that it was better to not show the true depth of their closeness. He may have also found the on camera affection distracting or confronting. I for one would not blame him for that at all, as we know TXT debuted to probably the largest amount of pressure out of any idol group ever. BTS were the most popular group of all time and everyone was looking to TXT to match that fame. They also suffered through a lot of criticism and fans that were not ready for BTS to potentially share the spotlight. There is also the fact that Sookai were likely platonic at this stage, very busy and very distracted. 

So what were Kai and Sobbin like in the beginning? Soobin was this shockingly shy guy that could hardly get a sentence out without giggling and hiding behind his members. It was so bad that I used to cringe watching them attend their debut variety shows omg 😂 You would also see him try with all his might to appease the audience, Soobin put forward his most extroverted self and tried to get his traits and personality out there. Unfortunately that involved things like letting people pull then measure his skin and putting forward awkward personality traits. Soobin was the one that ‘liked bread’ when they introduced themselves jesus help me 😂 

Kai…..was pretty much the same 😂 He was cute and bubbly and pretty much exactly who he is today but younger. There was a lot of emphasis on the fact that he played instruments but yeah thats true and he still does it. He said that he was cute and loud and yep that also rings true today. TXT made sure to establish early on that Kai is Korean for all intents and purposes but the fandom made wild claims that he speaks like a billion languages haha. Remember when everyone was like ‘Kai speaks German!’ but he totally doesnt and he never said that. Kai loved belly rubs then and still loves them now. My thoughts are that as the youngest and as an extrovert Kai didnt have the same pressures to deal with as Soobin did and as he already had defining personality traits he was in the clear. During the US showcase Kai took on a lot of speaking when Soobin was nervous and he looked at Soobin a fair bit for Soobins comfort; Soobin thanked Kai for this and he ended up getting a crown. This laid the foundation for a dynamic that still happens to this day. You see at concerts, awards and shows that Kai does a lot of the speaking (more than a maknae would be expected to) and looks at Soobin directly all the time. 

So was there anything romantic happening in the beginning? Well first I want to remind everyone that Kai was 16 at debut but lets be honest most 16 year olds have crushes, romantic feelings and often relationships. People think that just because Kai looked very young that he was a literal 9 year old at debut. Give the man some agency and respect. People in the kpop world are terrified of saying anything at all about people underage and of course there are absolutely things that should not be approached but what I am exploring now is the possibility of a 16 year old having a crush, that is all. 

With all that said when looking at Sookai I actually didnt see anything too definitive from Kai’s side. Like yeah there was affection but there was affection between all the members, Yeonbin used to be so much more affection back then too, for example. Most of the potential evidence is from Soobin, but only loosely. There is MAYBE something I can pick up on in the US showcase Talk x Today series and that's when Soobin and kai share a room. Soobin makes a few strange remarks to kai right before they go to bed. Soobin says ‘Dream of me’ right before they fall asleep. It could be nothing but jest though. They also had that strange dynamic where they were sitting on the couch and they put their heads together in a way we have seen many times since then.

But once again it could be nothing. Also in the ‘First Stories’ memories DVD Soobin disgruntingly says that Tae and Kai look like a married couple while sharing a bread snack. Again is this a person not wanting to share their friend or something more? Hard to say but his behaviour was odd.

I am open to the idea that maybe Soobin had a crush on Kai pretty early in their friendship, or maybe was just intensely infatuated with him. We have nothing solid though so I can't draw conclusions. Were there clingy moments? Absolutely, but this was mixed in with such odd messaging that I wont draw any definitive conclusions here. 

After watching hours of early days footage the most fascinating thing to me is how much their dynamic has really changed over time. The Sookai of today is so different, so consistent and so loving. Watching clips and variety shows really showed me the difference in their dynamic. If you are a newer Sookaists I highly recommend them for context (also they were ADORABLE). 

So that about summs it up! Please let me know your thoughts and opinions, I appreciate everyone that took the time to read all of this!

[ilyiza]

A Little Jaywon

Ok here are some very quick thoughts on Jaywon. If you are here for Sookai and dont care about Jaywon, that is a-ok! See you next post 😘

When watching the main episodes of iland it wasnt apparent to me exactly how close Jaywon were due to all the antics of the show. I feel that iland just didn't showcase their friendship very well and they weren't together in the same team or even in the same building for a lot of the show so it was even harder to spot. Like yeah if you watch the footage of them from the iland big brother cams you see that they would follow each other into the same room, wait for each other and play together etc. but in the actual show it was harder to spot if you werent looking. We did see Jays goodbye where his lips touch Jungwons ear but like, that could have just been a coincidence, and then Jay was pretty aggressive about how he would break the iland egg to get Jungwon back if he got eliminated but you know, friend things. Looking back on compilations now of iland its so obvious that they were amazing friends, I just wasn't looking you know?

After debut I remember watching them snuggle on the bus and on the bed together and thinking, wait are these two good friends?! Haha. From there it became more and more apparent to me that the two were close. We saw that Jungwon was really the only one Jay would give an inch of affection to and it kept surprising me that Jungwon didn't care? Like when Jay pulled Jungwon onto his lap during that vlive I thought for sure Jungwon wouldn't have a bar of it but he was chill like what?!

The whole situation was so shocking for fans cause no one showed this kind of affection in Enhypen yet here we were. Jay was all over Jungwon in their monthly wrap up/goal videos and I just thought it was cute, they were friends, very normal levels of kpop skinship and Jay has an almost parental air about him so I didn't find it too interesting at that point. 

However as time went on things just ramped up and and up. I saw like a million moments of Jaywon acting really differently with each other when compared to the way that they would act with the other members. They were always together, doing things alone, always talking about each other and the other members' reactions to them were super interesting.

I feel that there is definitely something significant about their relationship. Are they actually together? I'm not sure?! 

Now as i am ever the one for evidence to back up my claims I wanted to put in some examples of behaviour that I have seen from Jaywon to make me reach the conclusion I have but I couldn't really put it in any sort of coherent manner so here is basically a list of moments and examples of things that make me go…wait what? Why?! There is so so much more but I can't be here all day! 

Jay posted photos of jungwon asleep on his lap, which was so shocking at the time cause i was like huh? Then there was more behind the scenes lap sitting and en’oclock lap sitting and a pattern emerged. Jay was not so subtly in the background of all of Jungwons photos for a long time (and still is occasionally). Jay bought Jungwon clothes, made  him a steak on his birthday and Jungwon bought Jay an airfryer for his birthday (and said that only Jay is allowed to use it). The members said that Jay always has his arms around Jungwon at home. Jungwons grandmother gave snacks to Jungwon to give to Jay, they both stated that they eat a lot of meals together and posted photos of their meals. Jay called Jungwon with his cutest puppy dog voice to be beside him for no reason during an interview and when Jungwon got there….nothing. Jay just wanted to sit with him 😂. Jungwon said that Jay is his favourite hyung in a letter to him for his birthday. Jay gave Jungwon a tickle attack when Jungwon was in his bed which was highly unnecessary! Jungwon said that he would take Jay to a deserted island with him and that he doesn't get bored when Jay is around. Jay said on social media that a photo of two little cats sleeping together was him and Jungwon. You could just feel the fond that they had for each other. Jay and Jungwon basically sat on each other and played fingers when they thought they couldn't be seen which was…interesting. In a team that relentlessly teases each other and doesnt let each other breathe Jungwon went out of his way to make Jay happy by giving him food that he likes during an en’oclock episode, even the members were surprised. Jungwon developed a preoccupation with jays chest and went on a few questionable touching sprees. Jay is crazy affectionate with Jungwon but when Jungwon does it back you can literally see him having a conniption 😂

Jungwon started mentioning Jay at every opportunity, even when it's totally unrelated and irrelevant to the conversation, even when Jay isnt even there. ‘Jay likes corn’ ‘Jay says avocado is nature's butter’ ‘Jay is good at stuff like this’ ‘Jay doesn't eat many vegetables’ ‘Jay doesnt like sour drinks’ ‘Jay likes pineapple pizza’, He's like a walking Jay encyclopaedia. Yet Jungwon is the leader?! The blatant favouritism is wild 😂. Jaywon said that they spoke on the phone a lot when they had covid, Jungwon going so far as to say that he called Jay too much. In Jungwons famous 4 hour vlive you can see him losing his cool when Jay doesn't answer the phone when he calls, then when they get on the phone together Jungwon doesnt stop laughing at any little thing Jay says. Jays ability to find an excuse to pick up Jungwon or give him tickles and pull him in closer is an artform, so subtle and yet not at all as Jay isn't like that with any other member.

Jay and Jungwon have gone on multiple restaurant dates together (at least 3 that I can count), they have taken Han river walks alone together, they have been on a shopping outing together. It's wild to me that whenever Jaywon posts about going out together alone that the fans literally say ‘finally, another jaywon date photo’ like what?! What ship has that much date evidence?!

Recently Jay posted a photo of Jungwon in his bed after he got home from his second case of covid, very cute. With Jaywon they have a consistent pattern of behaviour where they are almost always together and they are often physically attached.

Then there is the way that the other members react to Jaywon, just panic and disbelief mixed with whatever they can do to spar the duo on 😂In a vlive Jake pointed to jay and then jungwon and then jay again and did a heart behind their backs….like….what was that? Or Sunghoon spotting them canoodling, getting in the way of them on camera and then laughing at them. Niki takes couple shots when he can too. And the members make them say cory shit to each other on variety shows. This is all interlaced with their panic at the way the duo acts at times 😂

There is so much more and sorry that the examples are all over the place but yeah, as time went on I was just like wow these two really really get along. There is loads more to say and unpack about this but I really just wanted to knock out a few of my thoughts. Thanks for reading this mess!

[ilyiza]

Q: if you could become other members, who would you want to be?

[ilyiza]

So uh.. thoughts on the dinner?

So I'm assuming this is mostly talking about the bomb dropped today about going on break (still today my time sorry I'm late!). If anyone wants to talk about more specific moments or things mentioned during the dinner, let me know on a separate post!

I have a lot of thoughts, some I'm honestly still trying to process through myself too, so we shall see how coherent this post is. Something I think is important to remember here though as well is that everyone processes news differently. As long as someone isn't being disrespectful, the range of emotions as someone handles this type of news/hiatus, is okay. No one is wrong for crying or being very upset. Just like no one is wrong for not being as upset or however else they feel about it. Give everyone grace, no matter what. It's okay to handle and process things differently. Let's also remember that they assured us this is not disbandment either.

I honestly also find it hard to express a lot of my thoughts over this too much. They shared a lot about their exhaustion and basically about their burn out with how things were going. Talking about the pressures of the idol industry that really doesn't allow breaks or even just a moment to process how things went before you need to be putting out something new. How hard that is on them, mentally and physically. They talked about needing this. And I for one, am happy they are taking it and prioritizing themselves here too. Regardless of how else I feel about it personally too. I also am incredibly thankful for the way they told us about it. They held onto this for so long, giving us their everything. And when it was eventually time to do what they needed and to have this conversation. They recognized the impact it would have and they love us so much, they did it with such care. Most people would have shared this in a press statement, either through the news or just their company. But Bangtan made sure to do it in a way that was special, through a dinner with us, to make sure we knew that their love for each other and for us is geniune and that will never change. I'm so appreciative of their honesty with us always and we will always be here to support them, no matter what. They are so loved.

They stressed that this isn't something negative, and that this is a healthy plan for them. A plan to keep them together as a group and as Bangtan for even longer too. They are going for longevity here too. They asked us to please take their words as they are and to trust them, love them and support them. Just because this isn't something negative though, doesn't mean it's also not super emotional at the same time too. It's a break from group music and concerts. That's a huge change for them. It means they won't be working together daily anymore as they have been for the past decade. That's a huge change. They will be braving the industry as solo artists for the first time, even if they also will always have each other's backs too. It doesn't mean that change isn't scary and overwhelming and emotional. Even if said change is needed and in the end will end up being a good thing. And we are all, and BTS is all emotional for a large variety of reasons too. I've also seen a lot of people referencing things said that weren't totally accurate in their efforts to talk about this and how BTS feels about it. So I'm sharing these:

A thread about Yoongis phrasing of hiatus

And Jimin about not being alone/a solo artist

Both of which i think are important distinctions to be recognized. Solo projects does not mean lack of support from the group either. They will always be each other's biggest cheerleaders, as referenced from each other hyping up the others solo works we haven't even gotten to hear yet during this dinner.

Another just general thread of better translations and context too

And Hybes statement:

I also find myself thinking about how rhey mentioned this was something that's been on their mind, and was even their plan since 2020. MOTS7 was supposed to be their last album before this break happened and they focused more on solo projects. Things changed because of the pandemic. But when you go back and you take a look at that album, it speaks loudly. Just keep in mind that they are feeling burned out. Exhausted, in need of a break. Suga specifically talking about how writing lyrics is one of the hardest things to do right now but they are expected to keep turning out music. And then go really pay attention to the lyrics of Black Swan again too.

WAB the Eternals lyrics and the MV that took us back through all their eras. The callback to everything. The callback to their debut song. The outpouring of love to their fans with that song too. And keep all the things they shared with us in mind as you watch and read those lyrics too

The outpouring of feelings in that album. It's insanely intense, especially if you keep these thoughts in mind as you go back through it.

Even friends, which is super lighthearted but mentions Many times in the chorus about always staying together even if the cheers die down one day.

And wrapping the whole album up with Ego? A song about learning to focus on yourself and needing to put yourself first and love yourself and trust in yourself? This whole album needs a relisten from me honestly.

This being the planned last album of their chapter 1 originally makes a lot of sense. The pandemic happening. Canceling their tour. Making them decide to postpone these plans for two years. It didn't make those feelings go away and it only propelled that level of fame they have even higher. To a point where its harder on them than anything else probably. They need this. So I can be happy for them for it. Even if we all cry together over it for a while. And the lyrics in Yet To Come too. It's all very emotional knowing everything we know now

They are also very clear they aren't going anywhere. They will be back. And if nothing else, this break truly shows how much they value their sincerity in their music. They don't ever want to lose that. And this is the best way for them to all make sure of that too. It seemed like they felt like they were losing sight of their music and of who they were as people. So they decided to take a step back and reflect and focus on that for a little while here too. To make sure they never lose what makes them who they are. And then they can bring those things back into the group with them, making it stronger than ever. Especially seeing as how they are taking this step back instead of just coasting on their popularity as they could have. That's not what they want. Their art is too important to them. And they aren't going anywhere. Like JK said at their last concerts, this is never going to be the last time!

Like Tae also shared, this is an effort to be even more true to themselves and sincere with us. To be Bangtan for an even longer time. And that they are happy.

It's okay to be overwhelmed. It's okay to be upset. While I'm happy for them, I am also overwhelmed and upset here a bit too. I'm also incredibly excited for chapter 2 and all the solo projects I know are coming. Its going to be incredible in its own way. It's a Rollercoaster of emotions. It's okay to let yourself feel all of them. They can all coexist at the same time. Just try not to catastrophize things either.

And in an effort to help cheer some of you up if it's needed. Keep in mind they will be coming back, they said so and they also said that they are making a choreo for Run BTS for the next time they do a concert all together. So while we don't know when, we do know this hiatus will end eventually. That OT7 music and OT7 concerts will be making a comeback. AND we are getting more music then ever out of this too. 7 new albums are coming in the close future! Plus We can all, but especially baby armys, use this time to catch up on any content we haven't seen. Run BTS the show is going to come back. They want to keep it and keep filming their show together. And while you wait, you can catch up on the previous 156 episodes that are already out. There is 8 previous festas of talks and other content out there to watch, 4 seasons of Bon Voyage, 2 seasons of ITS, 3 BTS movies, 4 documentaries, 7 seasons greetings, all the winter and summer packages, all their concert tour DVDs, all their appearances on variety shows over the years. All the jacket shooting for Albums and previous bangtan bombs and vlogs. You can go through and find any music you haven't heard yet, either on YouTube, SoundCloud, or from previous albums. Now is your chance to catch up!

Plus, in an effort to make everyone extra emotional, on the way home from filming this dinner, JK took to Instagram to post this video with this song for us too. Because he is an angel

The times between comebacks were getting longer and longer. We went almost 600 days without an album. They were preparing us for this in their own way too a bit. Slowly but surely, they are just confirming it for sure now for all us. They are going to be okay. And we are going to be okay. And it's also okay to just be an emotional wreck about it all too. Because while this is a whole ass easy. Your TLDR is that I'm incredibly emotional and upset. But I'm so thrilled for their solo works and happy they are doing what is best for them, even if it's hard. And I trust them. They will always have each other, and they will always have us.

Love you guys 💜💜💜 My DMs are always open, and my blog isn't going anywhere either. I have too many timelines and post projects to get through here too along with keeping up with new schedules they will eventually drop on us! Lol I truly hope everyone is doing okay. 💜

[ilyiza]

Hi! Welcome to Sookai fic recs!

Feel free to submit an ask for any lost fics or any fics with specific tags! You can do it anonymously or with a username! We'll do our best to help you find what you're looking for! Asks are open unless stated otherwise

As a starter up here are a few general Sookai recommendations:

Will that be all? By stilljunhui (acyria)

⭒Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

⭒Pairings: Choi Soobin/Huening Kai

⭒Status: Completed

⭒Word Count: 2144

⭒Summary: 

 “Maybe he noticed you staring at him, like, literally every night.”

“I wasn’t being obvious.”

“Dude,” Yeonjun deadpanned. “You’re over 180cm of pure obvious.”

Love you always By juvenileDREAMS

⭒Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

⭒Pairings: Choi Soobin/Huening Kai

⭒Status: Completed

⭒Word Count: 548

⭒Summary: 

This is not how people play the question game, but he tries anyway.

Almost like magic By midnight_files

⭒Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

⭒Pairings: Choi Soobin/Huening Kai  Choi Beomgyu/Choi Yeonjun

⭒Status: Completed

⭒Word Count: 15366

⭒Summary: 

Mind you, Soobin is very assertive when he needs to be. He would not be Hufflepuff’s head boy if he lacked that trait. However, everyone has a weakness.

His just comes in the form of a person.

Colors on my palette By midnight_files

⭒Rating: General Audiences

⭒Pairings: Choi Soobin/Huening Kai  Choi Beomgyu/Kang Taehyun - Mentioned  Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun - Past;Skimmed over

⭒Status: Completed

⭒Word Count: 2563

⭒Summary: 

kai counts the memories needed for his canvas.

The world won’t wait for your uncertainty By dracometria

⭒Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

⭒Pairings: Choi Soobin/Huening Kai 

⭒Status: On going

⭒Word Count: 19000

⭒Summary: 

He wasn’t familiar with the stars like Kai was. He knew he was often described as the moon, but Kai was the sun, and Soobin just wanted to be in the same sky.

My Roommate Is a Forest Fairy By dracometria

⭒Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

⭒Pairings: Choi Soobin/Huening Kai 

⭒Status: Completed

⭒Word Count: 15146

⭒Summary: 

Kai nods. “Gardenias mean 'you’re lovely',” he says shyly as he squeezes Soobin’s hand.

Soobin smiles fondly and presses a kiss against Kai’s forehead. “You’re lovelier.”

The court where i met you the first time By dracometria

⭒Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

⭒Pairings: Choi Soobin/Huening Kai  Choi Yeonjun/Choi Beomgyu

⭒Status: Completed

⭒Word Count: 11554

⭒Summary: 

Once is a mistake, twice is a choice, and three times is a pattern. Soobin knows this, and yet he keeps on kissing his rival anyway.

Strawberries with your coffee By dracometria

⭒Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

⭒Pairings: Choi Soobin/Huening Kai

⭒Status: Completed

⭒Word Count: 10552

⭒Summary: 

(Soobin isn’t sure if Kai notices that he is walking a tightrope of control, suspended high and ready for free fall.)

H is for Helium By dracometria

⭒Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

⭒Pairings: Choi Soobin/Huening Kai

⭒Status: Completed

⭒Word Count: 10308

⭒Summary: 

Huening Kai makes out with a gorgeous stranger and doesn't question his life choices until said stranger shows up as the TA for his chemistry class.

Alternatively:

Taehyunnie he’s my TA!!!!!!!!!!!!! :(((((( 

Holy shit. You made out with your TA?

what are the chances ughhh i didn’t know!!!! what am i supposed to do now >< 

Want to meet up with me and ‘Gyu when you’re done?

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two hands aren’t enough to count anymore (the twelfth kiss) By dracometria

⭒Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

⭒Pairings: Choi Soobin/Huening Kai  Choi Yeonjun/Choi Beomgyu

⭒Status: Completed

⭒Word Count: 5923

⭒Summary: 

“They’re playing Spin the Bottle inside.”

“Oh? Is there someone here you wanted to kiss?” Soobin chuckles.

“It’s easier to just ask, isn’t it?”

“That’s not romantic.”

“You’re not romantic.” Kai scrunches his nose. “You’re cold, and you’re making me cold.”

Alternatively: soulmate au where the things your soulmate loves are permanently marked onto your skin.

Supercut By gokurakuji

⭒Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

⭒Pairings: Choi Soobin/Huening Kai

⭒Status: Completed

⭒Word Count: 12216

⭒Summary: 

The last thing Soobin expected from his not-quite high school reunion was to end up in a bedroom making out with the kid who was two years his junior.

HOMERUN By gumscale

⭒Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

⭒Pairings: Choi Soobin/Huening Kai

⭒Status: Completed

⭒Word Count: 4046

⭒Summary: 

Soobin wonders how he let Yeonjun talk him into all of this. Because surely trying to fix someone’s broken heart isn’t something he should’ve done in the middle of a fucking baseball game.

Rainbows By juvenileDREAMS

⭒Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

⭒Pairings: Choi Soobin/Huening Kai

⭒Status: Completed

⭒Word Count: 1548

⭒Summary: 

Soobin thought he had lost him forever.

Aquatic adoration By stilljunhui (acyria)

⭒Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

⭒Pairings: Choi Soobin/Huening Kai

⭒Status: Completed

⭒Word Count: 7538

⭒Summary: 

On the last school trip to the oceanarium, Soobin was paired with a guide who looked like she would rather watch paint dry than lead a group of kids, so a part of him was worried that he would end up with someone similar. He was pleasantly surprised to find a man who looked not much younger than himself, with blonde hair and a bright smile, looking very excited especially with what appeared to be a dolphin hat on his head.

"My name is Huening Kai and I'm your guide for today!"

or, Kindergarten teacher Soobin takes his students to the oceanarium and meets Kai, their very enthusiastic guide. The kids are not the only ones falling in love with him.

Fine Line By mymelancholy

⭒Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

⭒Pairings: Choi Soobin/Huening Kai  Choi Beomgyu/Choi Yeonjun

⭒Status: Completed

⭒Word Count: 32598

⭒Summary: 

“I’m sorry, it’s just. Are you telling me that you are now running an anti-bullying club alongside the kid you used to bully in high school?”

“I did not bully him!”

“Oh, puh-lease, you were obsessed with him. You couldn’t just let him live his life, every little thing he did you had a problem with and you watched him constantly.”

(Or: Choi Soobin learns the difference between love and hate very, very, and I mean very slowly.)

I watch the summer stars lead me home By dracometria

⭒Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

⭒Pairings: Choi Soobin/Huening Kai

⭒Status: Completed

⭒Word Count: 7619

⭒Summary: 

"I have always noticed you," Soobin says truthfully.

How long has Kai known? How much does he know? How does he always know when Soobin needs him? Does he believe in coincidences? In fate? In no hay dos sin tres?

Is he willing to stay?

2am need a bit of you By Merakicats

⭒Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

⭒Pairings: Choi Soobin/Huening Kai  Choi Beomgyu/Choi Soobin

⭒Status: Completed

⭒Word Count: 1801

⭒Summary: 

Kai trails a string of light kisses on Soobin's neck, jaw, cheeks, lips. He covers as much ground as he can, marking all the available space. It's the only thing he can do to show the world Soobin is his.

Because it's not Kai's name on Soobin's wrist, and it's not Soobin's name on his.

Vanilla Sundae By Merakicats

⭒Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

⭒Pairings: Choi Soobin/Huening Kai

⭒Status: Completed

⭒Word Count: 6003

⭒Summary: 

Soobin is worried about Kai. Something is off about the younger's behaviour and he's adamant on making it his mission to fix...whatever the issue is. On the other hand, Kai is just trying his best not to fall any harder.

Alternatively: Soobin takes care of Kai.

Thank you!

[ilyiza]

Masterlist

Welcome to Sookaiforsookai! On this blog I primarily explore the dynamics between Soobin and Hueningkai from TXT. Over the years I have really enjoyed speaking about the dynamics of all the members of TXT and a bit of Enhypen too. I like to discuss my opinions of the kpop industry and fan-culture as a whole. My goal is to always be critical of what we are seeing and to never lose sight of reality.

If you are new here please click 'Keep reading' and explore some of my Sookai posts. This list is by no means everything I have ever posted but does include all of my large analysis posts and a few more important asks I have received. Also some of these posts are really old and things might have changed in slight ways since then, as I wrote the posts as things were happening. Apologies for any comments/dynamics/speculations that may have been true for me at the time that may now be a bit out-dated.

Analysis Posts

껌딱지즈🍓🍌🥭🍊🫐 (Vlive breakdown)

Analysing Interviews

What makes it romantic?

Confirmation Bias

Beomjun: My Metrics pt 4

Yeonbin: My Metrics pt 3

Taegyu: My Metrics pt 2

Shipping: My Metrics pt 1

Lets play the numbers game!

Lets play the numbers game! pt 2

To Do Episode 53

When you doubt Sookai…are they really real?

Relationship in the air?

Togetherness…sleeping

Asks that may be worth a read

Is Kai an introvert?

Weight

Tagyu part 2

When did I think Sookai was real?

But SOOGYU REAL 

Sneaky ass groping pls

When would you stop believing? 

What are TXTs sexualities?

TXT dating

Kais personality

TXTs career damage

Are Tyunning close?

Skinship

A vlive breakdown

Holding hands

Jealousy

Fairy of shampoo

Hyung and maknae

In the long run

MC Sookai

But HK is SB’s kid right? pt 2

Tyunningsoob

A newbie arrives and then another newbie!

Under-appreciated HK

Another point of view pt 2

Who is whipped?

What is my blog about?

0x1 Lovesong comeback moments

Growth

Another point of view

My first troll ask!

Having doubts

Social Media Sookai

But HK is SB’s kid right?

Top Moments Series

Top Moments - To Do Episode 64

TXT’s 3rd Fanlive Sookai Analysis 

Top moments - non sookai edition

Sweet Moments

Top Sookai moments 2021

HOUR 3

The most significant moment in Sookai history

Youre so pretty i could die

SB and HK nap together

Bunny head kisses

Other Stuff

The GQ Interview

Kai’s Voice

Would Sookai ‘Come Out’?

Submission

Freeze Era Sookai

0x1 LOVESONG

Relationship in the air?

So what changed my mind?

@spokenfor22 - Kais personality

Fic recs and my ideal fic ideas

Fansigns 

Fansigns pt 2

Jaywon

Sunsun

Jakehoon

Heejake

[ilyiza]

Hi. I'm OP of the fanservice question again. I came back to say I wasn't the other anon (who clearly didn't read anything you've written). And because I wanted to say that I enjoyed reading your opinion. I do understand that fanservice is a huge part of K-Pop and I did dislike BTS doing what TXT is doing now back during the Gayo episodes. It was too much for me then too. Because in my opinion fanservice plays with something, with a sexuality, that is not accepted in South Korea. And that leaves a sour taste to be honest. Me as a queer person, I can only imagine how queer Koreans do feel about seeing idols on stage being all over each other while I'd knew I'd have to be very careful what I do with a potential partner on the streets. Look at what happened to Holland.

And it's not the fanservice in general that bothers me. I don't care about idols hugging, cuddling, being close, playing up their bond on stage for the fans. It's the type of fanservice that clearly implies more while clearly being fake or forced with (like the TXT clip I've sent you or idols playing the tissue or pepero game) that doesn't sit right with me. Especially because a group like TXT really doesn't need. I guess I'm so bothered by this especially, is because quite a lot of fans were loud and proud of HYBE being a better company than the rest. And if you even dared to say anything, you immediately were labelled as an anti. When I'm far from that. In my opinion HYBE is as good or as bad as any company out there, HYBE just has the privilege to be selective in what they're doing due to BTS' huge success. But this is a completely different topic and I really don't want to annoy you.

I do want to explain though why I mentioned Jikook and Taekook as a way for HYBE to make money though. First I want to say that I have nothing against ships or shippers. To each their own as long as they stay respectful. Now on to why I said that HYBE used Jikook and Taekook. I might be wrong, it's just my own observation. In 2020, around Dynamite era until the end of the year, HYBE went out of their way to make Jikook seem like a "unit". They were often placed together in units, may it be for photoshoots like the pictures for the VMAs, Season's Greetings with them being in a unit alone, Run, the Dynamite MV, being placed next to each other in interviews, the Dynamite Christmas version videos or even the Dynamite choreography. At the end of the year, at the HYBE NYE concert, they even were separated from the group in the VCR, appearing together in a scene, with the background being "their colours". And they were the only members who appeared separately in a unit from their groups. I remember this because shippers were excited about it, expecting a Jikook performance during that concert, that didn't happen.

All of this came to an abrupt stop in 2021. Suddenly it seemed like the focus switched to Taekook. They were put into units almost always, the New Year's card drawings, the Japanese fanclub videos, the preparation videos for Festa, just to name a few. The biggest hint for me was though Taekook always being in a unit when it was about selling merch. Both times HYBE sold merch for concerts, Muster and Permission to Dance, Taekook were in a unit together. It looks like that what they were doing with Jikook in 2020, they were doing with Taekook in 2021.

(Yes, I didn't mention Memories here because while Jikook did have some moments in Memories of 2020, it wasn't advertised like this. The teaser had almost no Jikook.)

Like I've said I could be completely off and maybe the reason for all of this is a difficult one from what I think it is. (I'm sure shippers came up with an explanation of their own.) This is just how it feels to me.

And now I've bothered you enough. I only came back to explain my train of thoughts and I don't know if any of this even made sense to you. I sincerely hope you have the greatest day.

Hey anon. No worries, I didn't think you were that ignorant anon, I know it was probably just a troll who stalks my blog or something. You talk about quite a few topics, so I'm taking it one by one.

Firstly, I don't think there's any way us on the internet in these fan spaces can assume what queer koreans think about fanservice, unless you're one of them, but you haven't stated as such so I will assume you're not. I could be wrong, but I haven't read about or heard any queer people in SK commenting on this practice so we don't know their views. Also, you're basically assuming that all idols who do fanservice are straight. That idol blank canvas works in multiple ways and the ambiguity towards their sexual identity can lead people to believe what they want, not just that they're automatically only straight, have secret girlfriends and they do fanservice with their bandmates. And there's another point here to be made. Fanservice and the K-Pop industry can be used as means for idols to express themselves, especially if some of them are queer because it works under the guise of entertainment and nothing more. Another point that can be made is that some idols do have queer themes in their art and patterns can emerge. We can't just dismiss that. Art can be the perfect medium to allow queer idols to show parts of themselves. And who says some idols don't enjoy some kissing and ass grabing on stage?

Secondly, I agree with your take about Hybe and how supposedly it's a better company than others. It's not. They use(d) fanservice just as everyone else.

Thirdly, if we're going by the notion that Hybe used jikook as a main ship in 2020 and taekook in 2021, then that begs the question, what's the angle, the story? What are they trying to portray? Because looking at all the examples you gave, I see two very different angles.

So, lets see what we have then. In jikook's case, they were put together as a unit in different types of content. I would like to mention that units for photoshoots, choreo, the NYE concert VCR, sitting next to each other during interviews is not a big indication for purposefully promoting an angle, as switches are made constantly. If we're to take that into consideration, then all of BTS are a couple and they switch it up every year. But, you also mentioned Dynamite Christmas version and I would also add MMA Black Swan because there is an angle there, which has heavy tones of homoromanticism in a quite explicit way. What was the reason?The agenda? I don't know. But I must say that instead of using fanservice for homoeroticism and cheap thrills for fans, they went for a more softer, romantic portrayal and they used it in their performances, not interviews or games. They used artistic expression. And I think that's smart and because of this particular reason, I'm not judging it and I really don't care if the duo in the ship is only for the cameras or not. Hybe didn't use the same tactic when you say they focused on taekook in 2021, and it's easy to conclude that by just looking at the examples you gave. What they did was just using a unit in various content that doesn't actually say anything about the ship itself. Lmao, they were just stuck together in the same frame. And Hybe does this frequently. What did they achieve by that? Taekookers being happy to see their faves in the same room or the same photo, just as any other shipper of all 21 possible ships.

This is not me making a point about which is the superior ship or the real one, as I don't care about that, but I wanted to use your argument and built on top of that to see where it goes and my conclusion is that if we're going with your opinion, that Hybe uses ships and changes them after a year, then they do a poor job of treating them equally.

[ilyiza]

Hey Storm! Hope you are having a great mother's day! I just watched this video, for the first time. (Yeah, I know... where have I been?) It's cool to see the guys performing "Born Singer" in 2015, knowing it's track #1 on PROOF. I wonder if they will do a remix? Either way, just thought to share the video link with you... Super excited about the comeback!

https://youtu.be/8cUQ3lF3_O8

Born Singer is such an emotional way to start this album. And then going through their title tracks since then and ending with Yet To Come. They really are telling us A STORY with this anthology 😭 PLUS the fact that Born Singer was a song they made and released in 2013 (as a remake from J. Cole's song) but has NEVER been on an album. I hope yall realize this opens up the potential for all of the other SoundCloud tracks to maybe be on this album too 😭

And because I can, Born Singer links because if you haven't seen them yet, you absolutely need to. These song is so amazing and man, the emotions. They really are Born Singers 😭😭

When they first posted the song:

Born Singer Bangtan Bomb

2015 Born Singer Live Performance

Born Singer Rehearsals (this is precious)

Born Singer 2017 Live Performance

2021 JK singing Born Singer on Vlive

We are not ready for this album. I can't wait to see the tracks they picked for Disc 2 and 3! The idea that we can know probably chart Born Singer, from 2013, a song that means so much. Man. I cannot handle my emotions for all that right now 😭😭😭😭

[ilyiza]

I discovered this little piece of gold on Ao3…not even sure how I happened upon it. Stockwell by rkiveink.

It’s good…such good writing… an interesting character driven piece with Jungkook at the center, set in London. I’ve mentioned before how I’m always hoping to find good JK-centric stories…well this definitely one.

It’s a little heavy, still at times funny, certainly sexy. The author revels in Jimin’s dominate side…I live for that, such a rarity in fics…yet still the nurturing soul that is often associated with Park Jimin remains.

I don’t do reviews (not really) and I hate to give spoilers, so I’ll just say this story is so worth reading.

Check out my list of recommendations HERE. Also be sure to check my Ao3 bookmarks because I have some stories there that are not my rec lists but are such great reads.

[ilyiza]

Do you believe that Sookai is a fanservice ?

If your answer is no, how do I answer to people who say this? 🥲

Hi Anon,

No i do not believe that Sookai is fanservice, have they done fanservice? Absolutely. Is their bond fanservice? Not a chance.

Fanservice constitutes actions that are done publicly to excite fans. Sookai spend A LOT of quality time together behind the cameras, they spend time together with each other's families for christmas, go on dates to the movies together, sleep the night together and have developed the vast majority of their bond and dependance on each other privately prior to debut. This time spent together takes hours and hours are not performative; unlike some 20 second flirting on camera whilst getting paid. Sookai’s actions are sincere, and they have told us many times seriously and sincerely that they have an incredible bond.

If people cant see that Sookai isnt fanservice I wouldnt waste my time arguing with them, they clearly dont want their mind changed for whatever reason.