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A commission I purchased from inf-eli-x! Check them out!

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Taemin & Minho | 'Guilty' Challenge 💞 [x]

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2min without context is really something

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When Taemin try to ask tricky question to Minho & ....Minho's witty answer ❤️

Taemin : Have you been in love, Minho ?

Minho: with you 🫠

Taemin : Why did you look at me like that?

Vid©

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These two 😂 [x]

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© till’s pic_k 🌙 do not modify.

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ChangNiel at Let’s Eat Together

I watched both in the span of two days and while there was nothing too overt, there was still some high-quality content that I wanted to put down in writing. The two broadcasts are available on the V-app for anyone who’s interested. :)

1. Niel’s eating habits - While Niel does admit that he’s probably the pickiest eater out of all the members, he does sound a little upset when Ricky says he’s not fit for mukbang. Enter Changjo, who quickly jumps to Niel’s defense–it’s not that Niel is picky per se, but that he just has cravings that differ from day to day. Nobody else seconds him, not even C.A.P., who supposedly eats frequently at Niel’s apartment. That is knowledge Changjo possesses because he’s eaten with Niel enough to notice the habit. In fact, I would say he indulges it, because you can see in both broadcasts how often Changjo serves Niel food on his plate, whether it be the tiger prawns in 2017 or the chunks of grilled meat in 2020. As he’s said himself, he’s comfortable with all the members but he’s closest with Niel–and that includes being close enough to know food preferences.

2. Changjo’s eating habits - Angels would know how long this boy has struggled with his self-image and eating habits, so I was glad that in both mukbangs Niel encouraged him to eat by jokingly feeding him all kinds of dishes due to his claim that he’ll eat anything, pushing his soup towards Changjo when the latter used it for a spoonful of rice, and insisting that he try the lobster after noticing he (Changjo) wasn’t having any.

NB: It’s hilarious how the two of them ranked 3rd for the members’ internal vote of who suits the mukbang concept best. I’m still waiting for these two to do their own mukbang, honestly–we’ve gotten a few precious seconds of them eating together, but a full show with them just chilling, eating whatever they want and answering fan questions would be beautiful.

3. MC Niel - As always, Niel does well hosting the show and steering where the conversations go. That naturally includes pulling our daydreaming Changjo back to the present. We don’t know what goes through the youngest’s head, but we do know he loses interest pretty quickly unless Niel invites his participation (Exhibit A: he has no clue on the rules for the acrostic word game they do at the end of the 2017 broadcast because he hasn’t been listening and only returns to reality after Niel tells him he’s up). 

4. Dancing Boy Changjo - He’s content to hang around in the sidelines when they’re doing the karaoke portion but who can say no to Niel? His favorite hyung wants to do the choreography, so of course he’s in! Niel offers to set aside the table Ricky smacked into, but Chunji points out they won’t need it. Unlike Ricky, Changjo knows exactly where the table is, and true to expectation, does a bang-up job dancing around it (literally).

5. Flirting coach Changjo - After breezing through his own recording for ‘cheeseball video call with Angels’, he feeds Niel lines for his own video recording (I was rather confused because at times it almost felt like he was saying it to Niel and not relaying lines) and not a single Teen Top member called them out for it, which was very surprising and unusual. As a bonus, Niel admits that Changjo’s got a knack for flirty lines, saying ‘[he] can be very sweet’. If Changjo isn’t annoying the heck out of Niel, he’s actually very sweet and caring–but we don’t often dwell on this because most On Airs focus on that notorious love-hate relationship of theirs.

6. The lack of personal space - It becomes evident how close the two of them end up sitting together when the cameras zoom out and you compare it to how evenly everyone else is spaced out. They start out around the same distance as the others, but eventually it shortens, whether because one is giving the other food or because Changjo has a habit of resting a hand or arm on the backrest of Niel’s chair, who knows. Sometimes, when one of the others is talking, you’ll hear them having their own quiet conversation in the background, too.

Overally, very satisfying to watch them eat as much as they wanted. If there’s anything that’s changed, I would say that Changjo’s aura has become less of a flirtatious, mischievous boy’s and matured into a silently supportive young man who exudes playfulness when coaxed by a particular person. As for Niel, making it to 10 years has lifted the anxiety from his shoulders–I think this 2020 we are finally seeing Niel unfettered from all the expectations, and more open about displaying his clear affection for Changjo. These are positive and promising changes, and I hope that their relationship continues to grow deeper and more steadfast in the years to come!

[nielhang]

Why ship ChangNiel? (part 2 of ??)

Niel considers himself both Changjo’s biggest rival and biggest supporter/fanboy. If you don’t believe me, check out any of Teen Top’s interviews and you’ll notice that Niel is always trying to do something so Changjo gets his own fair share of attention rather than be stuck as the group’s wallflower. Often he makes it a point to bring up Changjo’s title of “Dancing Boy”, and more recently he’s bragged/whined about Changjo’s transformation from chubby teenager to gorgeous, muscled man. Oh, we could argue that Niel sees himself in the role of facilitator and does this for everyone, if to a lesser extent, to keep the ball rolling, but he’s certainly never fawned over C.A.P the way he has over Changjo. (And C.A.P has never eaten up the attention as greedily as Changjo has). When they’re pitted on opposite teams, you can expect a heated exchange, mostly because Niel is so good at provocation and Changjo’s not the type of maknae to take things lying down.

As for when they’re on the same team? Absolute chaos, and in the best way possible. In the making of the No. 1 album (if I’m not mistaken), Changjo once says that Niel is the most child-like and innocent out of them, and truly, Niel’s actions do make us doubt sometimes that he’s older than Changjo. Changjo, unlike Ricky, doesn’t really refer to himself as the maknae or act anything like one, but Niel’s presence seems to signal that it’s okay for him to act like a kid once in a while. I personally think that Niel understands best that Changjo wants to be treated as an adult rather than as the youngest, which is why Niel’s never babied him the way he has Ricky, but he also senses when Changjo just needs to let loose and paves the way for him to do it without feeling too embarrassed (i.e. Niel makes a fool out of himself first so Changjo can follow suit).

Niel is known for his witty remarks and merciless jabs (plus the occasional flying kick) at his team members; no one is safe from his ‘eagle eyes’. No one except for Changjo. He’s consistently made fun of C.A.P’s laziness, cackled at Chunji (and L. Joe’s) status as the worst at dancing and didn’t even think twice about kicking him (twice!) on broadcast, picked on L. Joe, made Ricky the group’s target on a regular basis. But Changjo? Niel has been strangely silent. He’s made fun of Changjo at times, of course, for the sake of variety–Changjo’s diet, most notably, and his short temper–but it’s rare for him to talk about Changjo in a negative light, not when there are easier marks (such as Ricky) around, and not when he knows how Changjo’s sensitive about his weight. While Niel is no pushover, though, he doesn’t have any problems letting Changjo ‘bully’ him. Changjo can act as mature as he likes, but it all flies out the window when he’s trying to get Niel’s attention, one method of which is making fun of him.

Contrary to his ill-tempered image on broadcast, however, Changjo is actually a good little maknae, and he’s especially loyal to Niel. He’s very quick to pick up on what Niel’s trying to do; as soon as Niel starts ragging on one of the members, Changjo’s right behind him. If Niel jumps in excitement, a second later Changjo will join in. Niel is the only one Changjo will allow to drag him around by the necklace like a dog, and he’s the only one Changjo will have no qualms giving in to. Niel wants a polar bear? Changjo will do it, because apparently he has no sense of pride, not when Niel’s right there with him. In all likelihood, if Niel said 'jump’, the first thing Changjo would say is 'how high’. He’s that dedicated.

In terms of personality, Changjo and Niel are opposites. Changjo is the type who would sit around until he gets dragged into some mess or other; Niel is the type who would probably start the mess in the first place. Unlike Changjo, Niel has more than sufficient interaction with every member of Teen Top to fuel all his pairings. Changjo, on the other hand, really only has Ricky as his playmate (for lack of a better word) aside from Niel, which explains the huge following of ChangRick shippers. What’s important to note is that Changjo’s behavior is very different with these two people. With Ricky he’s busy playing guardian/big brother, an act so convincing that any outsider would immediately peg him as one of the oldest and not the youngest of Teen Top. Being with Niel, by contrast, is incredibly liberating for him, because he is free to do as he likes, knowing that Niel will be right beside him no matter what.

Being with Niel also brings out the possessive streak in him. During the first few minutes of the video for the 'Making of the 'To You’ MV’, Niel suggests a high five using their feet instead of hands. Changjo is quick to latch on to Niel from behind with both arms wrapped tightly around his waist and his extended leg right underneath Niel’s. If the rest of the group had done the same, this wouldn’t nearly be as sensational, but the thing is, they don’t. They are supporting each other by holding the next member’s waist loosely with one arm. In L. Joe’s case, he’s hanging onto Niel’s jacket, which I find hilarious because he could have chosen to use Changjo as his support but he didn’t, leaving Changjo free to just press himself against Niel, who braces one arm against Changjo while doing the foot high-five. Even during the breaks in between, Changjo hovers constantly behind Niel like a ferocious guard dog ready to attack anyone that approaches his master (a habit he’s yet to break). Have you seen him act this way around anyone? (And no, before you can say Ricky, think of it like this: everyone bullies Ricky. He’s the resident 'victim’ of the group because he’s too cute for his own good. Not to mention Niel is usually the instigator of the bullying, so no, I don’t count that.)

Changjo has also groped Niel in public. I kid you not. YT user and genius creator of ChangNiel videos NAM CAPER has an excellent video of Changjo doing precisely that. Please direct your attention to Changjo’s thumbs. Do you see that rubbing motion? From all appearances it looks like he is attempting to rub Niel’s nipple. Niel’s protective hands over his chest do not help this assumption at all. Still not enough? There are more than enough gifs of Changjo’s hand squeezing/rubbing circles/caressing/groping the inside of Niel’s thigh from Never Stop in Guam episode 1. It seems the older Changjo gets, the bolder he gets. And Niel’s NOT DOING ANYTHING TO STOP IT.

And people wonder why this ship exists. Ha.

[nielhang]

Why ship ChangNiel? (possibly part 1 of many)

Let��s face it. Changjo has had a massive crush on Niel since before debut, and that hasn’t changed, only gotten worse. In K-Pop we’ve gotten used to idols taking skinship to the next level, and it’s become the base argument as to just ‘how real’ our OTPs are, but to be fair Changjo isn’t really the type to initiate it. He is clearly not comfortable with having his personal bubble invaded by other people. If you don’t believe me, check out how far he sits from the other members given the option (and compare it to how closely Niel sits with the others, for instance). He rarely speaks or reacts in interviews unless prompted, and more often than not he looks utterly bored out of his mind.

This all changes when he’s with Niel. Niel draws out the most adorable and the silliest reactions from him almost effortlessly, and it amazes me every time to see the expressionless Changjo become a chatterbox (who doesn’t stutter over his sentences!) and smile at Niel and the camera. Changjo, who’s a nervous wreck at answering questions, becomes so much more eloquent when it’s just the two of them, and he isn’t glaring at the camera, occupied as he is with maintaining eye contact with Niel. While it’s true that Changjo generally makes eye contact with other members during self-camera time, such as Ricky, he ends up looking away because the other party continues to speak facing the camera instead of looking at him. This is in direct contrast to Niel, who purposely looks away from the camera to meet Changjo’s eyes (eye contact with the camera be damned).

I personally believe that Changjo takes a lot of his social cues from Niel, who is far more skilled at expressing himself, so he usually follows Niel’s lead, and with his encouragement, is constantly improving his variety skills and becoming more comfortable being in front of the camera. It’s almost as if he feeds off of Niel’s positive energy, as Niel’s involvement in any scenario coincides with the beginning of more active participation on his part. Gone is the unfocused look in his eyes; he can’t help but pay attention when Niel tallks, even if it’s just to nod and agree with what he said. Notice also that whenever he finds Niel’s words/actions amusing, he will instinctively try to bite his lip or hide his mouth altogether with his hand (which he doesn’t do with the other members).

Additionally, he doesn’t mind one bit when Niel sits down shoulder-to-shoulder with him, despite the fact that there is actually a LOT of remaining space left on the couch; he’ll even encourage it. There’s one particular episode in Teen Top 100% Rising Brothers where they are shooting their own variety shows and they’re in the middle of the ‘Hunter Game’. Plenty of space remains on the large sofa, whose occupants are only Niel, Changjo and Chunji, but Chunji sits to the far left while the two are squeezed tightly on the right. The situation becomes even more ridiculous when a few shots later, they have both shifted to sit on the floor, but are no less glued together, with Changjo’s right arm stretched out to accommodate Niel and braced against the sofa. This is only one of many situations broadcast on air that are not visible at first glance, but are nonetheless proof that he enjoys physical contact with Niel more than the others.

Several fancams demonstrate that he initiates the majority of the hugging, but I can’t pin them down as mere fanservice because for all Changjo’s boasting about fanservice, he seems to have a line which he won’t cross even if it’s for the fans (although I could be wrong, of course). In the Pictionary warm-up game for one of the earlier episodes of Teen Top 100% Rising Brothers, although C.A.P. correctly guesses Niel’s drawing, it is Changjo who first rushes over to a triumphant Niel and envelops him in a hug. The I Love You game from the first season of the aforementioned variety show also reiterates the idea that he has no qualms with being touchy-feely towards Niel. Even the 100% members were surprised at his boldness, and Niel panicked because he hadn’t expected Changjo to place a kiss on his hand.

So what have we established here? Niel is undeniably a big influence on Changjo, and despite all their teasing and trolling they are close friends (and perhaps more?). We could even argue that they have the closest relationship within Teen Top. With two such opposite personalities that balance each other’s best and worst out so well, how could you not ship ChangNiel?

[nielhang]

Twitter prompt: Exposure

The image of Niel lying motionless on the floor, utterly drained but eyes trained on him, burns itself into Jonghyun’s memory. He makes a show of undressing, not bothering to hide his smirk when Niel’s eyes hungrily follow the leather pants sliding down his thighs.

He tosses the discarded pants away and they land right next to Niel, who, for some reason, looks disappointed. Minsoo sends his pants flying over to Niel, too, as if for insurance. The main vocalist’s arm shifts again to adjust the camera just as Jonghyun pulls up the waistband of his denim pants.

“You’re going to have to edit that out,” Jonghyun says, but he’s smiling. He pulls up the zipper lazily, enjoys the way Niel is transfixed, mouth hanging slightly open. He appears to come back to himself only when Jonghyun pulls the leather belt through the loopholes. Niel’s smile is angelic.

“I know,” Niel replies, tone light as if he’s discussing the weather. “Are you okay with having your upper body exposed?” Jonghyun plays along. “Of course!” At any rate, the footage will be for Niel’s personal consumption. There’s nothing left of Jonghyun’s that he hasn’t seen, and vice-versa.

“Oh shit, such confidence!” Niel’s eyes are practically sparkling with delight. Jonghyun lets his mind wander briefly to what the older man plans to do with a video of him shirtless, then decides he doesn’t really care. This body is something he’s dedicated to Niel–he’s free to use it as he wants.

A corner of his lips tugs upwards and he answers, “Of course!” Niel films exaggeratedly and reacts as if he hasn’t seen Jonghyun’s bare back before. Jonghyun holds back a snort; just recently he was clinging to that same inked back and digging his nails in hard, leaving crescent-shaped marks. Niel’s honey-coated voice had been weak and whispery, his mind hazy with pleasure. Jonghyun wasn’t sure which one he liked more: teasing him relentlessly until he was a soft, whimpering mess, or taking care of him in the aftermath.

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THEY’RE SO TOUCHY; I LUV IT.