#all great songs from MYNAME

[fyhjjxxn-blog]

Seyong + MV’s

[sohnswoo]

MAMA STAGE PRACTISE

masterlist || practise vid || mama stage

pairing: RYUJIN x StuntPerson!GN!Reader

genre: fluff, ryujin accidently punching reader too hard during practise, apologies everywhere

word count: about 500

A/N: since they did a reference to MYNAME (really recommend the drama, it's so good!great plot - pure perfection), I had to put a note.

You were a great back-up dancer, were part of an amazing dance crew and participated in a lot of shows – to showcase your amazing dancing skills. On top of that, you were also an amazing stunt person. You practised a lot of moves and your co-mates were always praising you.

You and your crew were chosen to be the dancers for ITZY‘s stage at MAMA – where they performed ‚LOCO‘ and ‚In the morning‘. But before that and inbetween the two incredible songs, there was said to be a short sketch with a reference to the well-known kdrama ‚My Name‘ starring Han So Hee, one of the most greatest actresses and also known as a look-a-like of Ryujin. Therefore it wasn‘t a surprise that Ryujin will play her role. You were one of the ‚bad guys‘ trying to stop her from getting to your boss, the villain.

Right now you were practising at the JYP company building and met all of the members. You guys were welcomed friendly and were also gifted some albums and flowers. In exchange, the dancing crew gifted them some coffee, boba milkteas and some delicious fruits.

You heard of itzy before, you absolutely loved their hit „Wannabe“ and learned the choreo to it shortly afterwards. The shoulder move became your favorite and therefore, you said, Ryujin will be your favorite member as well. You were really looking forward to working with them on their stage – even if you‘re a villain trying to keep the girls away. Thanks to your crew, you managed everything quite well – everything was done except for the short sketch.

„Alright so, I think we will include some stunts to match the drama more and more! I think it will turn out well since we‘re working with stunts people“, the choreographer said while pointing in your direction. „I expect a lot from you, Miss/Mister-“ „It‘s Y/N“ you say. „Alright, Y/N, will now tell you how to make it more realistic“

You went straight to the punching scenes and how to make it look really painful – without really getting hurt. However, when Ryujin was going straight after you and punching you from behind it did hurt. A lot. You didn‘t expect it to hurt that bad but it did. „Oh my god, I‘m so sorry Y/n-nim, so sorry“ She would apologize while bringing you an icepack and something to drink. „No, no, it‘s fine, really. Don‘t worry. I just didn‘t expect you to punch me that hard“ you say. „But still, I should have been more careful, I thought I wouldn‘t come straight for your ribs“ She would apologize a lot. REALLY A LOT. You could tell her that she was sorry, but you always told her it was alright. It was just a slight mistake – not for your ribs at this point but still, she didn‘t mean to actual hurt you.

„Don‘t worry Ryujin, I‘m doing fine! Let‘s get back to practise – I will show you how to do it again. This time – try to aim for my other ribs, alright?“ you laugh, trying to be funny. Ryujin would laugh as well. „Alright, Y/N. The other ribs it is.“

[emeraldbabygirl]

An entire list of idols/actors that I am a slut for (male version) this is for research purposes btw

Kpop idols:

VAV - all members

UNVS - all members

ENOi - all members

E’LAST - all members minus Yejun

Onlyoneof - KB, Mill, Nine, Junji and Yoojung

Teen Top - C.A.P and Niel

A.C.E - all members

2Z - all members

IZ - Hyunjun and Jihoo

N.Flying - Seunghyub, Chahun and Hweseung

TO1 (TOO) - Chanhyuk, Kyungho, J.You and Donggeon

Victon - all members

ATEEZ - Yunho, San, Wooyoung and Seonghwa (occasionally Hongjoong)

iKON - Junhoe, Bobby and Donghyuk

SF9 - Zuho, Hwiyoung, Taeyang, Jaeyoon, and Youngbin

ONF - Wyatt

Speed - Sejun and Taeha

History - all members

Cross Gene - Takuya

Black6ix - Ziki, Taeyoung, Yongseok and Jongwoon

Bigstar - Raehwan, Baram and Sunghak

Trusty - Haru and Chance

Kingdom - Muijin and Louis

Got7 - JB

Wei - Daehyeon, Yongha and Donghan

Be.A - Milly

The Boyz - Jacob, Juyeon, Sangyeon and Q

Myname - JunQ

UNIQ - all members

B.I.G - Gunmin and Heedo

N.Sonic - J.Heart, Sihoo, Byul and Zion

Noir - Seunghoon

Big Bang - Top and GD

Monsta-X - Changkyun and Wonho

Madtown - Buffy, Lee Geon and Daewon

Great Guys - Dongin, Hwalchan, Uiyeon, Horyeong and Baekgyeol

Dustin - Bel and Yoon

Spectrum - Minjae, Jaehan, Hwarang, Eunjun, Villain

Infinite - Dongwoo

Stray Kids - Hyunjin

2PM - Taecyeon and Wooyoung

BTOB - Minhyuk and Hyunsik

CIX - BX, Bae Jinyoung and Hyunsuk

Target - all members minus Boun

Vanner - all members minus Hyesung

Argon - all members

The Rose - all members

Block B - Zico and U-Kwon

N.Cus - Seungyong, Hojin, IF and Soon

LU:KUS - Jinwan

Mr.Mr - Tey, Changjae and Doyeon

Legend - Listen, Changsun, Lito, Jehyuk and

Topp Dogg/Xeno-T - Sangdo, Xero and Nakta

1TYM - Taebin

B.A.P - Yongguk and Jongup

MONT - Roda

Seven O’Clock - Vann

M.I.B - Kangnam and 5Zic

The Tasty Twins

Jay Park

Christian Yu

1Team - BC, Rubin, Jehyun and Jinwoo

SS501 - Kim Hyunjoong and Park Jungmin

Roh Ji Hoon

Penomeco

Click B - Minhyuk

H.O.T - Kangta

K.A.R.D - J.Seph

Map6 - Sign

Villian

Jinwoo

Gaho

ZPZG - Khan

JJCC - E.Co

Super Junior - Zhou Mi

Monster Woo

San.E

Rainz - Sunghyuk, Eunki and Ju Won Tak

Alphabat - Gamma

Hotshot - Jinhyuk and Hojung

My.st - Woojin

G-Most - all members

Cai Xukun

Z-Boys - Gai

One (from 1Punch)

Kim Jaejoong

IM/X1/Bae173 - Hangyul

NU’EST - Baekho

J.Jun

Xenex - Yuhyeong

Dalmation - Inati and Donglim

Dickpunks - Taehyun

BLK - Yao Ming Ming, Ilkyung, Inno, I, Taebin

The Man BLK - Jeongyou, Junwon, Chanyi, Woojin, Sungyong, Seung and Hyeongseok

UN - Choi Jongwon

UN - Kim Jeonghoon

D1CE - Woodam

IN2IT - Issac Voo, Inpyo

Checkmate - Yongseok

Ex member Youjin (KNK)

Ex member Hwall (the boyz)

Ex members Hyunwoong (2Z)

Ex members Cory and Daeil (24K)

Ex member Z-Uk (Bigflo)

Ex member Jungkyun (Bigflo)

Ex member Jiwon (Topp Dogg and Mr.Mr)

Ex member V.Hawk (Master One from Wonder Boyz)

Ex member Jeongguk (N-Sonic)

Korean actors:

Hong Jong Hyun

Lee Soo Hyuk

Kim Woobin

Nam Joo Hyuk

Park Bo Gum

Sung Joon

Park Hyoshin

Kim Young Kwang

Park Haejin

Song Jae Rim

Lee Junki

Seo In Guk

Kim Bum

Kim Soo Hyun

Jang Dong Yoon

Kim Jaewook

Japanese actors:

Takuya Uehara

Jpop/jrock idols:

The Rampage from Exile Tribe - Fujiwara Itsuki, Zin, Kawamura Kazuma, Hokuto Yoshino, Hasegawa Makoto, Goto Takuma, Riku, Kamiya Kenta, Takechi Kaisei

Ballistik Boyz - Miku Fukahori, Riki Matsui, Kanou Yoshiyuki, Masahiro Sunada

Sandaime J Soul Brothers - Imaichi Ryuji

Generations from Exile Tribe - Katayose Ryota

Arashi - Jun Matsumoto

The Gazzette - Aoi, Reita and Ruki

Golden Bomber - Kyan Yutaka

S.U.G - Takeru, Masato, Chiyu

Miyavi

[kpoptimeout]

Top 20 Most Underrated K-Pop Songs of the Decade (2010-2019) PART 1

The 2010s has come and gone before we knew it.  

Continuing with the K-Pop Timeout Tradition (see 2018 Ver) of listing the Top 10 Most Underrated K-Pop Songs because all the other sites are just bothered with the Top 10 that pretty much everyone will have heard of/have fan wars over, below we have created a list of the Top 20 Most Underrated K-Pop Songs of the Decade because 10 spots is not enough to cover the amount of talent slept on.

For these reasons, we will list 10 of them here in PART 1 and an additional 10 in PART 2. This is in alphabetic order NOT in the order of awesomeness because all of them are awesome. Also, all MVs are linked in the song titles because Tumblr won’t let me share that many videos in one post.

100% “U Beauty” (2014)

TOP Media has really failed to make their groups successful since TEEN TOP (and have not really promoted TEEN TOP these days either) and 100% was the first group to fall victim to TOP Media’s poor promotions. Debuting in 2012, the group had so much potential and talent. Rockhyun is arguably one of the best K-Pop main vocals of his generation (which global superstar Rain concurs as a coach on KBS’ “The Unit”) but most K-Pop fans won’t even know.  Out of their repertoire, we found “U Beauty” to be worthy of being in the Top 20 most underrated tracks of the decade because of how catchy and wholesome the song is - boy groups often go for either a very cute or very powerful sound and this was a perfect balance of the two. The boys are able to show their cool and manly side through the powerful choreography and the soothing bridge while the rest of the song is cheerful and sweet. It blows our mind that these boys did not receive more attention in 2014 following such a great track. The boys are still an active boy band so go support their latest releases and check out this underrated gem called “U Beauty”!

A-JAX “INSANE” (2013)

A promising boy band which debuted during DSP Media’s more problematic years (essentially this whole decade until 2016/17), A-JAX never got the promotions they deserved. “INSANE” could have been the right direction for the group to pursue (except DSP gave them cute songs afterwards and later no songs at all). Perhaps because this song was slept on at the time of promotions (the album only sold around 2000 copies) that DSP did not try the sound again. However, it is powerful, slightly dark, yet poppy and fun with a good amount of EDM thrown in. We have had lots of quirky sounding girl groups like f(x), Orange Caramel, Red Velvet and Oh My Girl but not many quirky sounding boy bands since SHINee. “INSANE” was a unique song that could have paved the way for A-JAX to have gone down such a path. While the group has officially disbanded this year, “INSANE” is without a doubt one of the top underrated bops of the decade that you should check out!

B.A.P “WAKE ME UP” (2017)

B.A.P had a great start during their early days and were essentially EXO’s rivals in the 2012-13s and brought the powerful self-produced boy band sound before BTS’ debut. However, likely due to a combination of TS Entertainment being shit and them being shittier after the members sued them during 2014-15, B.A.P never reached the heights of their early 2010s popularity again after returning in 2016 and have officially disbanded in 2019. While B.A.P dropped many underrated bops in their final years, we found “WAKE ME UP” to be the one making our Top 20. Not only was this song wonderful to listen to with the haunting repeats of “WAKE ME UP” in the intro and chorus, but it also has a brilliant message as one of the first K-Pop MVs to clearly illustrate different types of mental illness. Especially since the lyrics also spoke to some of the members, especially leader Bang Yongguk’s own mental health struggles, it was frustrating seeing such a good and heartfelt song receive so little attention in South Korea. If you love meaningful K-Pop tracks, you would love “WAKE ME UP”!

C-Clown “Shaking Heart” (2013)

C-Clown was one of the many amazing new groups in 2012 and had a clear sound and direction of ballad-pop bops. “Shaking Heart” was the last song they made in that style before their company made them go for the more generic mainstream hip-hop heavy sound and it definitely one of the best songs of the decade that was heavily slept on. It showcased the vast talents of the group - Kangjun and Ray’s amazing vocal colour and range (and lowkey still most visually powerful vocal line from a small label), Rome and TK’s contrasting rap styles, Siwoo’s consistency and Maru’s potential in becoming a golden maknae. The group has unfortunately disbanded in 2015, only 3 years after their phenomenal start. While most of the members appear to be doing quite well, with Rome (now going by his birth name Christian Yu) having founded DPR and being a famous K-Pop MV director, Kangjun having a solid modelling career and Maru re-debuting as the main vocal for RnB trio TREI, the group itself could have done so much more if more people took notice of what a bop “Shaking Heart” is and gave them the opportunity to do more tracks of that style. Hence, if you enjoy boy band tracks that combine more ballad styles with pop, this is the song for you!

Dalmatian/DMTN “E.R.” (2012)

Dalmatian, later styled DMTN, was famous K-Pop producer MC Mong’s boy band that was gaining positive attention until member Daniel’s marijuana scandal. Member Simon often still does impromptu fan meets when he travels for work (he is now a coach and producer for idol groups in Japan) but the group has been inactive following 2013. While DMTN may now be a group of the past, their music was without a doubt amazing, with “E.R.” being a perfect example of the epitome early 2010s K-Pop sound (those who heard the DMTN “E.R”/B2ST “Fiction” mashup back then knows what’s up). The song had an emotional chorus filled with amazing ad-libs and beautiful piano instrumentals, a subtle yet sexy choreography and dramatic MV. If you love the early 2010s K-Pop sound, you would love this underrated bop!

GLAM “I Like That” (2013)

Many new K-Pop fans either don’t know them or only know them as the reason Big Hit Entertainment has not been recruiting female trainees for many years now (because one member went off to blackmail world star Lee Byunghun - you can learn all about the drama here). However, GLAM was actually an extremely promising girl group and the first idol group fully produced by Bang PD under Big Hit. Like their now world-famous brother group BTS, GLAM was a group with great vocals and rap, with no problem going hard in choreography and making woke statements (their debut song includes lyrics about being down to kiss boys or girls). “I Like That” was a perfect example of their style and abilities. While the song was just a remake of 1990s K-Pop track "Why Do You" by Chuli and Miae, it was done so well it was essentially GLAM’s own song. It is fun, it is catchy and just a strong and confident girl group bop that existed early in the decade when most girl groups besides 2NE1 and 4Minute did not go hard but cute or sexy. If you love powerful girl group tracks, you would love “I Like That”!

HISTORY “DREAMER” (2013)

The first boy band ever debuting under LOEN Entertainment (now Kakao M), the 5-member group of all visuals had many amazing tracks usually in the vein of dark and sexy concepts. The members were also active in song production and choreography and honestly had everything one could ask for to create a successful group. However, South Korea and overseas K-Pop fans both did not seem to have noticed the existence of such a talented and consistently awesome group and they disbanded in 2017. “DREAMER”, their debut track, is arguably one of the best songs of the decade because of the stage musical style of the song - the piano instrumentals in the verses and the marching band inclusion in the buildup to the chorus, with the crazy smooth footwork and wonderful harmonisation of the boys. There is no other K-Pop boy group song like this. If you are a fan of musicals, this is the song for you!

Ladies’ Code “Galaxy” (2016)

Ladies’ Code had a strong debut, being one of the top rookies in 2013 along with current superstars BTS. While their developing career took a huge blow after the car accident which claimed the lives of two members, EunB and Rise, the remaining girls Ashley, Sojung and Zuny powered on to continue creating amazing music. It is painful to see how their excellence is still ignored by the K-Pop fan base at large. Even Billboard listed “Galaxy” as the #19 best K-Pop track of the decade and very deservingly so. “Galaxy” was their first return as a 3-piece and see the girls take a darker and more mature sound following their earlier fun and quirky retro bops. This transition was done well, as more retro sound choices like jazz instrumentals and 80s chime synths were still used in this comeback as a bridge between the sounds of the two Ladies’ Code eras. The song also complements main vocal Sojung’s exceptionally raspy and low voice very well. These girls are still active and deserve so much more. If you enjoy the darker experimental tracks of f(x), Red Velvet and LOONA, “Galaxy” would be your jam! 

MYNAME “Baby I’m Sorry” (2013)

Debuting in 2011 under legendary Korean RnB duo Fly to the Sky’s Hwanhee’s label, MYNAME was the boy band you knew could sing. And damn they could sing so well. Even the rappers of MYNAME sing typical K-Pop lead vocal quality. For this reason, it made a lot of sense for MYNAME to go for a more ballad-pop sound and flourish in such a musical environment. While they did produce a lot of great songs of that sound, the lack of attention from the Korean public pushed them to go for a more generic hip-hop based boy band sound in 2015. “Baby I’m Sorry” was an example of the greatness of their earlier sound which was just brilliant Korean action drama OST material. The MV was also one of the rare story MVs that make it seem like you are watching a movie (plus the boys acted well). While MYNAME is still active, they now pretty much exclusively promote in Japan, where they are actually appreciated and chart high. In Korea, the members gave their last shot as being idols in KBS’ poorly received survival program “The Unit” and now just act sometimes or model. If you love dramatic ballad-based boy band tracks, you should check out MYNAME’s “Baby I’m Sorry”!

Nine Muses “Wild” (2013)

Once known as the real generals of the Korean military due to their huge fan base among conscripted soldiers, Nine Muses was THE sexy girl group of the decade who somehow always existed between real fame and nugudom during their active years from 2010-2019. Like they have dedicated fans but they never win music show #1s. And the song that should have really put them on the map for all Koreans and K-Pop fans is their 2013 comeback “Wild”. This was just pop perfection - it is catchy, showcases each of the 9 members’ unique vocal colours and performance style, and had some of the sharpest and most in-sync girl group choreography execution of all time. It was also one in a long line of Nine Muse songs that sound like high fashion runaway music and arguably one of the peaks due to the specific line-up of members at the time. Check out “Wild”, if you would like to listen to one of the best K-Pop girl group tracks of the decade!

The other 10 Top 20 Underrated K-Pop Tracks of the Decade are listed in PART 2.

[rkxjongsuk]

Switch Up ||

april 2020 eval dancing; the chaser - infinite myname  playing instead: aoa luxe- feeling 

the month had been good to him, despite losing his roommate at the beginning of the month. the evaluation was one of the best things he got. the expectations of the chaser was great and the choreography was nothing to scoff at. jongsuk is one of those who loves the song. so the last day evaluation was pretty exciting.

he joined his group in the auditorium with a wide grin. he was eager to show off their dance skills that they had and this was going to be quite fun. the chaser was a fun song and they had practiced the dance enough to do it in their sleep. so, jongsuk had no actual hesitation in what was going to happen and how they could take this performance to the next level and be the very best.

however he wasn't expecting what had happened.

he wasn't expecting the music to be different. he was pretty sure that it was luxe's feeling and while the song had a similar tempo as the chaser, it was a beat behind, so he was thrown for a few moments while he tried to gain his footing again.

however, he knew his skills and knew that he wasn't about to sit back and let his group down in this eval, so after a few moments of fumbling with his feet and trying to figure out his rhythm, he managed to follow himself quite well while watching taeyang.

following a fellow dancer proved to be exactly what he needed and he got himself back on beat and by the middle of the song (up to the first chorus), he was doing pretty okay with the choreography.

of course, in his subconscious, he wanted to dance the girl group song, so it took almost all of his mental power to hold himself back from that.

so he was pretty good at that going on for that. Of course, myname songs were second nature to him, but the inner girl group stan was just rearing to come out.

[rkchaeryeong]

MGA Season 5 ୨୧ Episode 7 ୨୧ Finale Team Sirius performing BTSxBP and NO AIR With: @rkmason @rkyeji @rkkhg  Coaches: @rksxna @rkdoyexn @jinsoulrk

Well, Chaeryeong couldn't exactly pretend she was fine with being third place. They hadn't been “hard-hitting” enough and it'd felt “lacking”. She was upset and wondered where they went wrong. Third place wasn't all that bad – middle field out of 5 groups, but the girl couldn't help it, it wasn't good enough, they had to do better next week. She wanted the group to place 2nd at the very least, preferably 1st and set her mind to making sure they would achieve that, because when she looked at the group in her mind, she knew they could do it.

Losing someone from the group also made her expression fall and her stomach uneasy. Whether she had been in much or very little contact didn't matter – they were a team and it felt wrong that one of them had to go. At the same time—she realised if she told anyone they'd probably give her an odd look and call her selfish—she was happy it wasn't her, because a bad premonition kept lurking in her stomach, ready to pop out and scream “I KNEW IT!” every second while waiting for the results. It did make her feel a little guilty, being taught to feel that way when growing up. It didn't feel fair, but she couldn't change anything.

But now the girl was more determined than ever, making sure she'd show how much she deserved to still be on the show, that she indeed was worthy of getting a contract with trc, one of the hardest companies to get into and that it shouldn't have been her to leave. She couldn't fail when someone else had gone.

Another option for her was Nova. Though really she wanted trc. While she'd wavered for a few days over the previous week, since asking Jinsoul for advice, she really wanted to be in the same company as the older girl and who knew, maybe they could debut together? Not that she expected them to debut a new group so soon after k.arma.

Everything considered she was still in a pretty good mood as they went out to eat again on Thursday and then when they met for practise. She was confident they could do better and was excited to prepare for a second stage, though it would surely prove to be difficult to plan. However throwing ideas around, thinking about possibilities (or impossible things that were still fun to think about) was nice and put her into a positive mood, even if they had to agree on twice as many things. She was determined to not be a hindrance again, at least that's what she'd kind of felt like for the previous performance, and to throw in more ideas as well.

Hyunggu brought snacks and energy drinks and Yeji brought Korean BBQ on Sunday (which she was very thankful for and excited about as the girl absolutely loved food, also snacks.)

Chaeryeong was immediately fire and flame for the ideas thrown around, imagining the impact they would have, especially in connections of the missing impact last week. They'd show them what the trc team could do and wow their jaws to the floor. She was as determined as ever, a stark contrast to her often worried emotions from before the last performance. And while she'd ultimately felt confident with that too, she was already a lot more confident for the next two.

Again the girl wasn't shy to get help, after all, why should she reject the help she was given to better her performance? Trainees had coaches to teach them stuff, too, so it only made sense to use that help however possible. Chaeryeong had grown quite attached to Jinsoul, as such especially wasn't shy to ask her. Quite the opposite, she often wanted to show the other her progress when possible.

Additionally she'd asked Doyeon for a few more performance tips, who had already debuted. Being a fan of the group she was heart eyes as soon as she'd met the two idols the first time. She admired the elder girl, beautiful, talented and hard working, what more could an idol have? She wasn't a rapper but a great dancer and charismatic and helped Chae with things like cameras and expressions. While she'd gotten help on a few things before, one never learned everything there was to learn.

The performances they chose were also totally up her alley, even if the nova one didn't feature many lines for her. The girl didn't mind at all, finding more important that the performance would be smashing. And that she found it to be. Plus she was making sure to stand out with her dancing and the lines she did have. She'd prove herself either way, that much she was making sure of. She also really liked all the ideas they'd gathered for the performance. The outfits were cute and she was excited as hell for the dance.

But even more than that, she was excited for the trc performance. She loved the theme, though she couldn't lie, she'd rather have been a demon than an angel. Yet everything they planned just made her so impatient to finally show the ceos and audience, she couldn't wait. She stayed longer and practised more. While they had a bit more time, there was also twice as much to prepare for. But this week, nothing could stop her.

Hyunggu started their introduction. “Shining bright,” he said, then all of them joined in to shout “we are Sirius!”. It tied into both performances. Nova with the galaxy theme and for the trc performance, in mythology, Sirius stood in connection to Hekate and Asteria. Hekate was a witch, which fit the demon theme and Asteria stood for “of the stars” or “the starry one”, which fitted the nova performance more and she was the goddess of falling stars, which then still suited the trc stage, again with the demon and fallen angel theme. So the girl really liked how everything was connected, but in addition to that, their performances also stood in connection to the past week. They were antidote then and intentionally mentioned poison in their mash-up.

The trc performance was first, though she would've preferred it the other way around, she found it to be a bit more effectful that way, but they'd manage to impress either way, the girl was confident. After their introduction the four got into position on their thrones to the sides of the stage. The girl's thrones were on the left side and white with added feathers to them as well. The boy's ones were much darker. At the beginning, the lights were all off, the stage completely black and a giddy feeling grew in the girl's stomach. Honestly she loved the ideas they had for this so, so much, the whole theme had her buzzing and wanting to show it to the world.

Finally the spotlights to reveal the four turned on. There were iron fence and gate, white roses would be timed to appear red through lights once the time came, just so later the tarnished metal of the fence could be revealed. There was a carpet leading to the gate of heaven and little deco items like a bowl of green apples, with one red apple.

The feathers on the chairs, once clinging to the two girls fell as they got up to walk to the gate of heaven. But they were stopped by the two demons, walking from their own thrones, but their black feathers were already on the floor. Chaeryeong had a curious expression on her face, just as a curious, enticed angel would.

Their outfits were pretty, angel-like with wings and crowns of white roses. Everything was thought through in so much detail, even their head pieces matched trc—triple crown. They boys were wearing dark red suits, giving a much less soft image. While she would've liked a demon suit, the girl's outfits were so pretty, she didn't mind being the angel here at all.

As soon as the four met centre stage, the pyrotechnics went off and Chaeryeong was so into the performance already, she didn't even flinch in surprise, which was a surprise in and of itself.

Everything was self-choreographed. Yeji began the song and Chaeryeong was again noticing how beautiful her voice was. Hyunggu soon followed after and the girl got ready for her first lines.

I can’t look away, no way I can study for this test My parents and teachers hate you You send me messages, pictures, even small gifts I can’t help that I like it I can’t stop, how do I quit you? There’s already so many pictures of you in my room Not just an hour but a year’s disappeared like this Your sweet words are only poison

The girl had never been in love, barely ever had crushes. But she'd always been good at acting out the emotions, imagining how it could feel like. Her rap skills had improved so much after the last few weeks, however this would end, she'd learned so many new things, that alone made the whole ordeal of many hard weeks worth it. She smoothly flowed through her rap part, enjoying the dance as well and the two girls were handed red roses as she mentioned the small gifts. But they threw them aside. Her rap moved on to Minho's, who did a move from myname, further tying the performances together. His rap impressed her, just as the vocals of the other two did.

She was completely drawn into the performance, playing her part, expressions fitting like she'd been taught by Doyeon and Jinsoul, who she hoped would look on this performance with pride whenever they would be able to.

They play of good and bad continued, flames flaring up with every mention of “fire”, but especially through “playing with fire”. The girls avoided the red apples, unbeknownst to them though, the poison was in the roses they earlier tossed, a dark omen. Every interaction and they fell over to the other side a bit more, their wings slowly destroyed, dirtied as they're losing feathers, which would eventually have to result in them falling completely.

Pour out some oil in my burning heart Kiss him, will I diss him? I don’t know but I miss him This past addiction, this love is crack The colour of this love is black

Her next lines arrive much too fast for her liking, wanting the performance to never end, unlike usual where she couldn't wait to show her rap skills. She moved smoothly, her face mirroring the emotions of the words spoken. They were in too deep, floating deeper and deeper, enticed by the evil that was hidden as a promise of love.

My love is on fire

Oh I'm playing with fire

The flames grew with the end of each of her two last lines and she put her all into the dance, enjoying the last few moments of the performance. By now their flower-crowns were taken away by the demons and their wings barely held up. The demons revealed themselves as what they truly were and what they'd done. Crowns of black roses found their way onto the girl's heads and the gate revealed itself for what it was: their path to damnation, the gate to hell. True to the lyrics, they've been taken over by evil and there was no way back now.

She swayed to the beat as effortlessly as ever and once the last note faded and they broke their ending position, then bowing, Chae felt tears shoot up into her eyes. The girl blinked them away quickly—this wasn't the end just yet and she hoped it had looked as enticing, as she felt lost in the performance.

Waiting for their second performance, the girl continuously moved, whether she walked, her hand fidgeted with something or something else, she was itching to be on stage again. Minho had done a great job with the mash-up for the performance and she'd come to like it a lot, even though she usually wasn't the biggest fan of mash-ups. But now she had to get her head in the game, going through the choreography and lyrics a few more times, to calm herself down.

They were called for their 2nd performance and she was excited to show a different image. It was like a throwback to before everything happened in their first performance, like a look at a hopeful past. They were wearing cute school uniforms and had desks set up. Eight backup dancers were included to make the stage look less empty, for impact. All twelve of them had a desk. Though no one could see that just yet as they started out with an all black stage again.

Their intro message was “our love is in the stars”, changed from the original to fit their team and instead of falling leaves, there were stars. The intro started to play and black light was added, turning on and off, making their white shirts and shoes pop out.

Minho was right at the front, then Hyunggu and after him Yeji, who mimicked loading a gun and shooting. The tables were turned and in what she found to be quite the impressive move, the girl jumped to run over three tables, before landing on the ground and dancing right away as centre. The intro ended with them running back towards the tables that were now flipped over by the background dancers, the desk's tops spelling their team name, “Sirius”.

They'd be the brightest stars tonight, just like Sirius, and they'd be the ones wearing the crown, she had no doubt the rest of the team was just as determined.

The background was pretty and summer-themed, which she thought easily evoked a good mood. She danced, loving this stage as well and gave her movements her all, so they would be as perfect as they could possibly be, no matter whether they had to be softer, rougher, fast or slow. While she put effort into looking as charming as possible in the previous performance, this gave her much more ability to “flirt” with the audience. Not having lines till later made this perfectly easier and she gave her best to stand out as much as she could—but of course not so much that it would seem as though she was doing her own thing or trying to overshadow whoever was currently in focus.

Her gaze was strong, but not scary and after having practised it a lot, found the cameras pretty easily. Unlike before, she was a lot more consciously aware of all that she was doing. Before, she did everything as practised to look how she was supposed to, when she was. She'd given strong gazes and all that, but it was different now, where she could pay attention to her surroundings in much more detail, just like she could pay attention to the others that much more. And once more she realised what strong a group they were, she was sure they could place first. That was not to say the other groups didn't have it in them, or to underestimate them. It was definitely a hard competition but she felt good, she couldn't imagine those emotions wouldn't carry out to those viewing. They'd worked well together, it should show.

Her first line came after a shared one, followed by one of Yeji that transitioned to her rap.

Your song is my favourite I hear it instead of being tempted by the pied piper As if the darkness is going away My dream will never end Shine on my heart even more Even if everyone else leaves me Tell me you’re on my side I don’t need anything else All I want is you you It’s true true, aight

Her rap tied into their previous stage, her calm off-stage self long left behind, exchanged for a charisma

that first presented itself when the girl started dancing ages ago. Her rap was practised to as close as perfection as she could get. There was undoubtedly much left to learn in the world of rap for the girl, but with the help she'd gotten, there was no doubt she'd delivered.

The rest of the time flew by and she made a finger heart with one hand next to her leg. It was the last performance of her for the whole show and the realisation hit her hard. Once they made their way off the stage, she could feel an overwhelming emotion rush her her, that she couldn't even place. She was proud, sad, happy, adrenaline still rushing through her. Confidence was there as usual, but also the worry that it hadn't been as good as she'd hoped. Just like the song suggested, it was hard to breathe, like there was no air, as her chest raised and fell heavily.

She quietly patted her eyes dry, trying to keep the others from noticing, though she wasn't sure how well she succeeded. With hands that were so shaky, they didn't really go where she wanted them to, she squished her cheeks, doing her best to calm down and the young girl hoped they wouldn't draw the final results out too long. She'd been to dancing competitions before, but this really was something else. There was only hoping left now.

[rkwendy]

It’s The Endgame.

Coaching Solo for the Final Episode of MGA Season 5

Featuring: @rkmiya, @rksxngyeol, @rkkenta, @rkxbin, @yewonxrk, @jacksxnrk Special appearance: @rkchaeyoung @hyunark

Wendy’s lips couldn’t help but set into a firm line as she watched the results of the MGAs on TV. This wasn’t any good. The kids were going to have to redeem themselves if they wanted to prove that they truly belonged on that stage. The other companies’ performances may have outshined their teams. Part of her feels responsible for not doing enough as a coach. She shakes her head as she reads the notes the producers have handed her. The kids were going to have to think bigger and be a little more creative and daring as a one-last ditch attempt. It was go big or go home at this point of the competition. 

She doesn’t have much time to spend with them this week because of her own commitments as a member of AND*ROMA and all the preparation that comes with it. However, she’s still trying her best to be a good coach and wants to be there for them as much as she can. 

She’s also aware of the comments they had gotten in contrast to the other coaches. Perhaps some image reversal was in order? Especially now that the kids have shown improvement with last week’s military training.

Despite Sunmi unni’s best intentions and advice, Team Polaris seemed to have a mindset similar to hers in a more extreme fashion. Wendy had suggested to go bigger, bolder, and to think out of the box, but she wasn’t expecting them to go completely crazy. She had tried her best to retain some semblance of control, but her creative and ambitious side had been piqued as the rest of the team threw in more suggestions. As she imagines how everything will sound in her head, Wendy nods as she takes notes. She doesn’t want to dampen these contestants’ fire, now that it’s sparking back to life after a last-place finish. Sungyeol oppa is completely onboard as he even fuels their passion by suggesting special effects. Wendy only shudders as she thinks to herself as she starts sending Sunmi unni messages via Kakaotalk. Sunmi unni definitely wasn’t going to be pleased. She almost chuckles as she thinks of how she’ll have to finish mixing everything as soon as she finishes her own training for the day. 

The concepts they had come up with were going to be impressive to watch if executed properly. Then again, that is what they’re there for: to make sure the contestants can pull this off. This is a high-risk, high-reward kind of thing, in Wendy’s opinion. She’s more realistic about things, but she also believes in what their team is capable of. Wendy then spends the rest of the night at the studio that she has come to call hers as cuts the songs according to the contestants’ requests. She also throws in the special effects that they asked for as she searches for royalty-free sounds on the Internet. The sooner she finishes this, the sooner the team can practice. In the meantime, she hopes they still do the exercises she taught them the week before. 

With one singer less, Wendy then takes it upon herself to hit two birds with one stone: improve everyone’s singing and hopefully change the public’s perception of them as coaches. 

“I trust that you’re still doing the planks and running in laps, yes?” She asks as greeting after presenting them with the final audio they’ll use for their performance. “Some of you have an issue with voice projection. I’ll give you some tips on that,” Wendy says to them as she settles on the chair assigned to her. 

“You have to know how to open and close your vocal chords. The thing is, a lot of people want to look good while singing, so they don’t open their mouths properly. You need to lower your jaw and really open your mouth.” Wendy demonstrates it by opening her mouth wide enough to lower her jaw. “If you open your mouth like that, your vocal chords open up naturally. Let’s give it a shot, everyone.” 

Once she’s satisfied, she continues talking. “I have another tip and this time, it’s for doing high notes. As scary and risky as they are, there’s only two things to keep in mind,” she says. “There are sounds that go inward and sounds that go outward. It has something to do with how you breathe when making those sounds. For example, I’ll be singing ‘그녀를 지켜라 날 잊지 못하게.’” She almost chuckles at how the song to come to the top of her head is a MYNAME song. She thinks of how the tune goes before taking in a breath and keeping that breath in as she sings the line and leans backward, pointing to herself. Her voice sounds like it’s being held back, and she hopes the kids notice it. “That’s an example of a sound that goes in. Meanwhile… 그녀를 지켜라 날 잊지 못하게~ It sounds way better, doesn’t it? ” She opens her arms like she’s doing the Baby Shark dance as she sings the line properly. She hopes Insoo sunbaenim doesn’t think she butchered his line if he ever hears this. 

“When practicing high notes, remember to use sounds that go outward. Ah!” She demonstrates as she gestures for them to repeat after her. She keeps repeating the same syllable as she breathes outward, raising the pitch and volume as she goes. When they pull it off, she gently claps. “Great job! In fact, the sound you make when you’re angry is the best one to make for high notes. DAD, WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!” She yells as a demonstration before laughing. After calming down, she adds, “You may laugh, but that’s actually a good sound to make.” She smiles at each of them. “You can practice by being angry with me. I’m a big girl. I can handle it.” She senses some hesitation from some of them. “Think of this as your chance to get even for all you’ve been through last week.”

Wendy decides to pay extra attention to Kenta, who suddenly has more singing responsibilities now. She can trust Jackson to sing even in his sleep, so she’s not too worried about him. Kenta on the other hand has been promoted from sub-vocal to lead vocal. She is going to make sure Kenta can at least pull off what he has to by show time.

“Ah~” Wendy sings as she opens her mouth. She watches Kenta as he repeats after her. She nods. 

“Just move your jaw downward, Kenta,” she instructs and points at her own jaw. She sings the note again. As he repeats after her, Wendy notices an improvement in his voice. “Just a little more, Kenta. Repeat after me.” This time she sings a higher note than the previous one. She gives him a thumbs up. Wendy decides to push Kenta to his limits by singing a really high note. She has to applaud his effort for trying, and that’s what she does. It may not have been perfect, but it’s a step up. 

Meanwhile, Changbin comes to consult her for feedback on rap lyrics. She had liked what he had come up with, but she feels like rap is completely out of her depth. She tries not to show her internal panic as she turns to the nearest PD. “Am I allowed to phone a friend? Or two? I need backup!” At the PD’s nod, she then turns to Changbin. “I know a thing or two about lyrics, but I want to get you the best help I can, as rap isn’t my field of expertise. Let’s just hope they both take the call,” she admits with a laugh as she goes through her contact lists to look for two specific numbers. 

She had actually wanted to ask Hugo oppa, who Changbin seriously reminded her of, but he’s busy with preparations for PER_SE’s debut. However, it will benefit Changbin to get help from two very different, but incredibly talented female rappers — assuming both people she calls pick up their phones.

“Chaeyoungie~ Are you busy?” Wendy asks as soon as the first of two people picks up. As she explains why she called, she puts her phone on speaker mode for Changbin to hear. “Hang on, I’ll send you the lyrics so you can read them as Changbin performs them.” 

Wendy listens and takes notes as she listens to Chaeyoung give her feedback on the rappers. Her feedback is a mix of things Wendy had thought of, but there were some things Wendy sure how to do or correct as well. Phoning a friend had definitely been one of her better ideas. It was less risky than kidnapping Chaeyoung in the practice room and dragging her here. 

When Chaeyoung’s done (or was forced to go back to practice, Wendy’s not sure), Wendy gently sings “Thanks, Chaeyoungie~ I owe you food later! See you when I get back~” 

That’s not the only person she thinks of calling. She’s more sure of Chaeyoung’s schedule, as they literally live together. However, the second person she’s calling is probably not as free to take calls. Wendy decides to risk it all the same. She blinks at the cameras for comedic effect as the phone rings for the second time today. 

“Hyuna unni~ Are you busy?” Wendy asks as soon as a familiar voice that’s not voicemail (thank God) answers. She doesn’t bother holding back a snort as she realizes that she may have called Hyuna unni while the older girl was resting from training. Her suspicions are confirmed when Hyuna unni says “You want my help? Okay cool uhm — let me get a coffee.” 

Having Hyuna unni onboard is always a great help to Wendy. After all, when it comes to making music, the two of them are almost always on a similar wavelength. It’s one of the secrets to their teamwork. She knows this isn’t any exception. She’s desperate and is glad her friends pulled through. 

When Hyuna unni is done (or wanted to go back to bed — again, Wendy’s not sure), Wendy sings “Thanks, Hyuna unni~ I owe you cookies! Love you!” before ending the call. 

Turning to Changbin, she says, “I hope they were able to help. I definitely wouldn’t have thought of some of the things they said.” She hides her face in her hands as she laughs. 

At some point, one of them brings up the question of the coaches’ own MGA experiences. Wendy’s genuinely surprised at this turn of events. This is the first time any of them had asked her about it. She chuckles as she thinks back to three years ago. She tells them about the things Team Nova did, as well as Ricky oppa’s high standards. “What I did to you guys is chill compared to the dance boot camp we went through with Ricky oppa!” she says with a laugh. “He was very hands-on and helpful with my team back then…” 

On the night before the live performance, Wendy makes it a point to drop by the practice room. After all, she won’t be allowed to watch them live due to her own schedules. Once Sunmi unni is done with her pep talk, Wendy decides to give it a go. “I know Sunmi unni covered most of it, but I thought I should try this pep talk thing too. My figure skating coach used to tell me ‘You are the one thing in life you can control.’ Sure, you can’t control what the CEOs and the audiences will think of you, but you can control what you do up there tomorrow. What matters is that you have fun and give everything you have on that stage. No one can take that away from you. And if people see you love what you do, then it will be easier to win them over. After all, isn’t that what performing is? Despite what happens, I want you all to know I’m proud of you. Win or lose, you’re the best to me.” 

Wendy takes turns holding onto their individually as she looks at each of them in the eye. “My coach used to do this right before I took the ice,” she says with a gentle smile as she shakes their hands as her coach used to do to her. “I believe in you. You’ll kill it up there,” she says before hugging each of them. “It’s been an honor coaching you guys.” 

[rkkyul]

190613 MGA SEASON 5  +  EPISODE ZERO ⟨  ━━  ❀ °    PART THREE: INTERVIEW, SEOUL ARTS HIGH SCHOOL  ⟩

kyulkyung allowed herself to relax as they prepped her with makeup, a service she was extremely grateful for. she hadn’t thought to where any to the event - figuring she’d just mess it up anyways after her exhausting routine. anything she slapped on her face would’ve ended up looked oily and gross by now, curosety of the sweat that left a glossy shimmer to her forehead. the makeup artists just dabbed it away with towels as they worked, eventually presenting a kyulkyung that was camera ready and a bit more put together. 

the woman sat before a camera as the interviewer read over a series of questions with her. already she was quickly trying to formulate okay answers and hoping they didn’t ask any hard questions. kyulkyung smiled and nodded along with the man, giving a reassuring thumbs up when he asked her if she was ready to get started. the woman sat up straight in her chair, folding her hands neatly in her lap and letting a soft smile naturally come upon her lips. 

Q & A    GO AHEAD AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF, PLEASE.

kyulkyung nodded and glanced quickly at the red light that flicked on - signalling the beginning of her interview. she decided to first introduce herself briefly in chinese, wanting to sneak a preview in there about exactly who she was and where she came from. “hello everyone! my name is zhou jieqiong.” chinese fell so beautifully off her tongue, sounding so much better than her korean. she made the language sound so easy. korean was a tad bit different for her. although she had lived in seoul collectively for over a year, one could tell by her slightly accented korean that it was not her mother tongue. “hi! i’m zhou jieqiong and i was born in shanghai! right now i’m a dance instructor at hook & crook academy but ballet is my foundation.”

Q & A    PLEASE EXPLAIN THE MEANING BEHIND YOUR NICKNAME.

“ah.” the woman let a tiny laugh bubble past her lips. “well, my nickname is kyulkyung and that’s what i usually go by here. people have trouble with saying jieqiong, so my mother and i found something kind of similar for me to go by. kyulkyung or jieqiong - i will answer to either!”

Q & A    YOU SAY YOU HAVE A STRONG BACKGROUND IN BALLET, WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN TO STRAY FROM THIS PATH? WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE?

“if i’m being honest, i took a break from dancing for a few months towards the end of last year.” kyulkyung twiddled her thumbs nervously as they sat pooled in her lap. ballet was a touchy subject for her after her departure from knb, but she was prepared to deal with any questions that arose from the show. however, she couldn’t help her heart skipping a beat when she began to relieve last years tight lipped events. “it was my first break since i started dancing, really. it gave me some time to think and expand my talents. i guess ballet can get boring after awhile?” she joked, “after i moved back her, i began teaching hip hop and pop classes and it was all history from there. everyone there persuaded me to give this a try.”

Q & A    AND IF THIS SEASON GOES WELL FOR YOU, WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO GAIN?

“hopefully a contract... yea, that would be nice.” kyulkyung grinned, “but if anything, i do hope that this will get me back out there and bring both me and the academy i work at some recognition. this platform is also great for learning, i can’t even begin to imagine what kind of talents i’ll see here. i’m kind of really excited for that actually.”

Q & A    WHAT IF YOU DO GET THAT CONTRACT? WHO DO YOU HOPE IT WILL BE FROM?

“my top pick is definitely nova, no question.” the woman was not extremely well versed with k-pop. of course she knew a few groups, not individuals really but she did have a few names of popular idol groups under her belt ( mostly thanks to her students ). kyulkyung held her main favorites and knew songs from a few others, but in all honesty she was more interested in the companies that trained them. there were hundreds of different companies, but yet all were nowhere near the same. each had their own unique style, different brands of artists and groups they’d like to create thrown out into the industry without end. nova’s artists always caught her eye; they were extremely hard to ignore. “nova always puts out amazing and creative choreography and i just really like that. myname in particular - i always love their performances.”

a few words were exchanged before they signaled that the interview portion was over. kyulkyung smiled and rose to shake the hand of the man, feeling satisfied with how that went over surprisingly good.

[siyeonrk]

MGA SEASON FIVE !      EP. 1 → PART ONE: CALLBACK PERFORMANCE       ( SINGING FLY 0:00 - 1:55 )

when she receives the email, she assumes it’s a politely-worded rejection letter ( albeit automated and thus, void of any actual sympathy ). it’s disguised a little like a positive note from the subject line, but siyeon’s received enough strongly worded emails from her parents about her behaviour at boarding school to know that’s how they reel you in — give you a false sense of serenity before hitting you with the hard stuff. so, she doesn’t rush to open it. she’s in the middle of her shift, hands ( and now phone ) covered in flour so she pushes it to the back of her mind and carries on through to the evening, the notification almost forgotten until she gets into the safety of her bedroom at home. 

a text from jeno lights up her screen but she barely reads the message. instead, her eyes are drawn to the box below it, the sender screaming at her loud and clear. mnet global auditions. yes, her rejection email, and so finally, she picks up her phone with little care, sighs as she clicks through to read it. 

congratulations. she thinks it strange to include the word on your final communication with someone, but the further she reads, the more it sinks in that this isn’t a rejection, far from it, actually. by some miracle, she’s through to the next round, one of far too many whittled down to a mere hundred— how had she sneaked her way in? endless wit and charm? potential for spinning a narrative down the line? she can barely believe it. 

so she reads it again, reloads and reloads as if closing the app or restarting her phone will prove to her that it’s just a figment of her imagination, that it isn’t real — that she hasn’t been contacted for a callback. if her phone hadn’t cost so much ( and hold so many memories ) she’d have dropped it straight to the hard floor. 

the next morning, when it’s all finally sunk in somewhat, she re-reads it again with a clear mind. two minutes, prepare a song, dance or rap for judges and the other ninety-nine contestants. for a moment, she feels a little nervous. she’s never sang for a group so large before, her biggest venue being her friend’s family-and-friends-only birthday party in late 2017 of about fifty people. or rather, forty-five that were actually awake by the time she took the microphone. god, who thought inviting their conservative extended family and all their grandparents to an 18th birthday party was a good idea? out of loyalty, she sang the full five songs she promised she would but after the second verse of the first, she was ready to call it a night. 

regardless, she has to do it. if not to be able to say she did, then to prove to herself that she can. her biggest problem is choosing a song. she already knows immediately that she’ll sing. what is the real question, though. for the auditions, she’d chosen something she felt would be entertaining and upbeat enough on a long day, but she doesn’t want to continue doing exactly the same thing. she’s not thinking too much about making herself memorable amongst so many likely far more talented contestants; in all honestly, the probably vital concept completely slips her mind. instead, she’s wondering how she can build upon what she auditioned with, how she can show something a little different without venturing so far out of her comfort zone that she risks it all. she wants to sing something familiar, something soft, without it being just another happy acoustic guitar and piano song. maybe something slow and sensual? an english ballad? 

in the end, spending hours scrolling through songs, she settles on something closer than she’d intended, but still distant enough that she feels that it gives off a different vibe. this time, she should have the chance to show off a little more colour to her voice. there’s a little tame belting, plenty of opportunities for her to adlib. it’s a great version of an otherwise very pop song, too, that she hopes most of the audience aren’t familiar with so it piques their interest when the backing track starts. 

only time will tell, and tell it will, as she spends the next few days practising it endlessly. her coworkers are fed up of her noise in the kitchen, her grandmother even grew tired of her singing wherever she is, whatever she’s doing, that she’d started going out on walks to the convenience store more, despite siyeon’s protests about her health. ( the doctor had said it’d be good for her to get out more, get fresh air and stretch her legs, but siyeon worries. she always worries. ) 

when the time comes, she nervously takes a seat, re-tucking her t-shirt into the waist of her jeans. the belt feels a little tight under all the lights and the pressure of so many eyes scanning by her as each contestant seems to be glancing at their competition. it’s hard not to run over the crowd growing when she knows there’ll be familiar faces amongst them, friends she’s not seen for a while because they’re all so busy with this and even a few ex-idols, too. her curiosity usually gets the better of her, after all. 

the hustle and bustle begins to die down as the next step of the auditioning process begins. now it feels like a tv show, with their elaborate stage and the lights dimming and cameramen whizzing around. she doesn’t know how much of today will make it into the first episode of the show, or how much of their previous round of auditions will either, but it’s a question long forgotten in the back of her mind when they announce the arrival of the judges. she expects it to be a group of known idols, seniors in the industry that are highly respected and regarded for their respective talents, like lc9 and myname members, or that phenomenal vocalist from she’z, but lo and behold, it’s another step up even from them as the ceos saunter in and suddenly siyeon thinks there’s no way I can do this and her palms begin to feel sweaty. 

this is so much pressure, she thinks, so much more than I expected. having to sing for a crowd so large already was enough to shake her a little bit, but she’d gotten over that with time. this, however, is an entirely different ball game— and she’d had no time to prepare for it. maybe if she’d known the ceos would be here, she’d have practised harder, brought something more extravagant to the game. they’ve seen countless talents in their lifetimes, what makes her think they’ll even bat an eyelash at her? 

but she’s here now and she’s worked so hard for it. she’s spent more hours than she has fingers and toes three times over readying herself for this moment — for being called down to sing and to show them what she’s capable of and hopefully, what she could be capable of in their experienced hands. she sucks in a deep breath. she has until she hears her name to centre herself and thankfully, with a hundred contestants, there’s plenty of time to get there. 

( and of course psych herself back out again, and then up again, then out, then up— and so forth. ) 

by the time she is called, she isn’t really sure what she’s feeling. it’s numb, surreal, and she thinks she’s probably going to trip on her way there just to ice that sweet, sweet carrot cake, but soon she’s standing before five of the most influential people in the industry and her palms are sweaty and her feet fidgeting and she’s bowing ninety degrees for a little too long. 

“I’m park siyeon and I’ll be singing fly by jiu.” she barely has time to shuffle her weight about to loosen herself up before the backing track is starting. 

it’s softer, already more subtle than the pop genre original, but siyeon honestly likes both reasonably equally. despite her usual affinity for acoustic tracks, she appreciates the harmonies and positive vibe of the first iteration of the song. after all, it’s a song about self love and that’s always best expressed through a happier beat, she thinks. but this version, the one she starts a few seconds in, comes from a different place. it might not entirely be something that’s overly important to her, to her own growth, but she knows confidence, spreading your wings, believing in yourself— they’re things so many people struggle with and if she can touch anyone with this deeper, more emotional rendition, then she’ll consider it a success. 

she does have to actually make it through the next two minutes first, though. 

invisible 안갯속에 나를 찾아야만 해 yeah 작은 불빛 그 희망은 상상만으���도 you’ll find

for the first verse and pre-chorus, her voice is much more gentle in tone. it’s akin to her audition, a little too breathy in places and a little too powerful in others as she moves into the chorus in due time. when she watches clips of these shows, so many contestants close their eyes, look as if they’re totally submerged in the moment but siyeon smiles, clicks along to the beat with a bit of bounce in her body. she wants to look relaxed, like she’s having fun ( and isn’t, instead, screaming for basically two minutes in her head not to forget the lyrics or mess up; no biggie ). of course, it means she probably looks like she’s trying too hard, but she’d rather appear nervous but trying than too dramatic, than emotionless or dry. delivery is just as important as actual talent, right? or maybe that’s just what she’s telling herself as she fails to see how else she might stand even a fraction of a chance against the other performers she’s seen thus far. 

높은 곳을 향해 손을 뻗어 볼 때 닿을 것만 같은 느낌 바라왔던 날들 가까워진 걸까 저 하늘에 그려져

just spread your wings 저 끝까지 가슴 뛰는 소릴 따라 두 눈을 감고 꿈을 펼쳐봐 you’re a hero, you can fly you can fly, oh, yeah, oh

the belted notes of the chorus are a contrast to what she’d handled in her audition. she doesn’t want to fall flat, so she always ends up putting a little too much gut into them, a little too much effort. on their own, they sound great. on their own, the softer verses sound great. together, her song is a little disjointed, her transitions between each unpolished but the potential is there. she lacks a little of the control they so likely desire, but it shows in her adlibs that she’s capable of it — if only she were to know what she was doing, if only she had someone to guide her along the way. 

though, again, maybe that’s just what she’s telling herself to plough through the worry that she’s already messing everything up. is there a world record for fastest mga audition to go wrong? at least she could stand a chance at that if all else fails. 

단 한 번도 보지 못한 세상이 펼쳐질 거야 구름 위로 날아올라 ‘cause your wings are made to fly

somehow, with the blink of an eye, she’s at the second verse and generously more than half way through her performance. she mellows back down to her quieter tone, though her bright smile doesn’t falter. she can’t let herself slip now; she’s made it this far and she’s determined to make it to the end. she’s no longer nervous about singing for the sheer number of people here, nor the ceos, instead a little elated despite other worries that she’d had the honour at all. after all, she can barely begin to imagine how many people auditioned and yet, here she is, one of the hundred the roster was whittled down to. that has to mean something, right? potential ( as a trainee or just as entertainment on the show, she doesn’t want to think too hard about ) shown, possibly, or even just to help buffer up their favourites for the show ( by comparison, she’s sure they’d look much more impressive ) but whatever it is, she’s here and she intends to savour every moment of it. 

due to the layering of the original, there’s a lot that’s missed in this subdued, single vocalist version. for that reason, she has to skip the first half of the opening line of the pre-chorus this time around, her voice projecting clearly with the run from the end of the verse. she’d practised it especially hard, recording herself to see how it sounded. she’d wanted them to think she’s professional, serious about this— isn’t fancy vocal tricks the way to do that? thankfully, she’s not able to overdo it, so it’s still quite tame as she executes a pretty adlib or two throughout. she wishes she could sing right through to the very last beat, show them how sweet her voice is in the slightly higher bridge, but her time is coming to an end. 

손을 뻗어 볼 때 닿을 것만 같은 느낌 바라왔던 날들 가까워진 걸까 저 하늘에 그려져

it’s not the most natural finish to a performance, but she does her best to fade out as the instrumental behind her does the same. the harsh cuts of her audition song had put her off, so she’d asked for help this time making sure she wouldn’t be remembered for making ninety-nine contestants and the five ceos jump out their seats at the sudden melody. 

when she’s done, satisfied, she bows once more and makes her way back to her seat. her heart’s thumping aggressively in her chest and the contestants sitting around her offer her encouraging smiles as she makes her way back over. her fingers shake against her thighs but she’s done and now it’s just a waiting game. a really horribly painful waiting game. 

[rkjoohyvn]

↠ * mnet global auditions season 4 ,                                        ♥«´¨`•°.. » episode eight ! seniors / semifinals »                  ¸.•* TELL ME by INFINITE MYNAME ! ( LINE DISTRIBUTION & STYLE ) `*•.

it feels surreal.

when she’d first auditioned for the show, she’d lacked so much confidence that she nearly didn’t audition, had to rely on her friends and her family to support her in order to go through with it. now she’s here, absolutely dumbfounded---but, of course, eternally grateful---that she’s made it so far, with only one more performance between now and the final episode.

her nerves are worse than ever.

but she can’t stop now, not when she’s so close. last week had been a roller coaster, having to compare herself to so many other great singers, many of whom were better than she was, with better experience, better technique. but all her practice during the previous week hadn’t gone in vain. despite the slew of eliminations done that week, a few that were such a plot twist that even she couldn’t believe it, she still stands, ready to tackle another challenge.

for this week, they’re once again given a list of songs to choose from, and it’s almost a little too easy for her to choose. she’s been a fan of myname since their debut, and she would love to do justice to one of their songs on a show as grand as the mga’s, so when it comes time for her turn to make a choice, she’s more than ecstatic when she finds that there are still spots left on that team.

when everything is said and done and all the teams are settled, she finds that bin is in her group again for the third week in a row, and she’s grateful for the familiarity after all the changes that have been happening quite rapidly over the past month and a half. even though she’s unfamiliar with the other three, the group as a whole settles into an easy comfortableness, likely spawned by the mutual understanding of the experience they’ve been going through over the course of the show and the mutual understanding that they must all do well not only for themselves, but for the overall group performance.

for some reason, choosing a team name always seems to have a bit of playfulness to it, and that continues on even into the semifinals. they linger a lot on the idea of pasta due to bin’s inherent playfulness, but eventually settle on the name rest, which they agreed would be stylized as RE5ET. it’s a meaningful name, not only for the song they’ve chosen to perform, but also as a concept for them as contestants on the show. they want to reset the audience’s perceptions of them, to show a new side, and it resonates with seola much stronger than any of the team names she’s performed under before. it immediately makes her feel connected to this piece more than any others despite not having had any practices for it yet.

lines are divided, and although there are no teams for this round, jei seems to carry herself with that aura, and it’s quite admirable. she reigns in the tomfoolery when she needs to, makes sure everyone’s on the same page before they move on to other details. it makes the process so much easier, and she honestly believes that it’s because of the other girl that everything is running so smoothly.

she’s more than satisfied with her lines this time around, feeling as if she’s being given parts that show off her range and technique, and it makes her feel appreciated and recognized, giving her all the more reason to want to do well. they trust her to be able to pull this off, and she doesn’t want to let them down, especially when they’re all so close to the end. she has to not only try her best, but do even better.

so she spends every waking moment practicing. even when she’s at work on the weekend, she’s practicing. cooking with her dad? singing. giving dogs baths? singing. taking them out for walks? singing. training them? feeding them? picking up their poop? singing. she even stays up late into the early mornings when the sun is about to rise, practicing choreography until her body can no longer stand and she knocks out cold on one of the benches in the practice room. these spacious rooms with mirrors for walls have become her second home in the past weeks, and though she’d previously struggled falling asleep on the hard surfaces, she no longer has any trouble finding dreams as she lies on the hardwood floors.

performance day draws closer and closer, and she gets more and more anxious by the second. it all builds up more and more until eventually it all unloads on poor, unsuspecting hyunjin. fortunately, rather than it being a burden on her teammate, it appears to be cathartic session as he, too, reveals his troubles for the upcoming performance, confiding in her that he’s nervous about doing another myname song when the first time he’d performed it, he hadn’t done so well. she can understand where the worries are coming from, but what she’d seen from him so far during practice, she’s fairly confident that he’ll be able to show how much he’s improved since the last time.

she has never been one for revealing her weaknesses, always hated doing so as a perfectionist, but with both their worries out in the open, she feels there’s a need for something more light-hearted. she suggests a rap battle, knowing he’s far more skilled in the skill than she is, but hoping it’ll help boost his confidence anyway. they throw on a beat, and as expected, he’s quite impressive. she feels almost embarrassed to follow it up with her own “rap.”

uh, yeah ramen, corn balls, udon chips, chocolate, jelly candies too chocolate milk vitamin water and hot dogs don’t forget to buy your lotto tickets! yeah

she tries to keep to the beat as much as possible, but rather than coming up with a rap that makes any sort of sense, she merely lists off ingredients found at a convenience store. isn’t it always said that you should rap what you know? in the end, she dissolves into a fit of laughter, but despite the abysmal showing, hyunjin gasses her up nicely, giving her a much needed confidence boost as well and making her glad they’d talked.

on the final night before the rehearsals, the entire group agrees to a sleepover at the practice room, and with her stuff already there from the previous night, she doesn’t have any extra preparations to do. instead, she ends up buying snacks for everyone just before the rest arrive and, after another rigorous day of practicing, they all settle down for the night. however, instead of sleeping, they spend time together laughing, joking around, enjoying each others’ presence. it’s the last night they’ll have together, and they want it to be memorable.

pasta comes up as a topic of conversation again, and they end up talking about what pastas they would be, taking quizzes to help them make decisions. in the end, seola picks noodles, “because it’s my favorite.”

after another hour or so, they all finally fall asleep in preparation for the following day.

on the day of filming, her nerves are on fire. once again, she’s in a team that’s going last to perform, and she isn’t quite sure she’s going to make it all the way through to their turn this time, especially now that they’re performing outside. she still spends much of her time pacing around the backstage area, hands wringing, mouthing along to the lyrics of the song, performing the choreography with as little movement as humanly possible. she’s fairly certain she tries to make conversation with some of the other contestants, but it’s hard for her to focus on what they’re saying when she’s so preoccupied with performing in front of such a large crowd.

finally, their time comes, and she follows her team up onto the stage. they’re a vision in white with black accents, a clean and crisp monochromatic stage concept that fits in with both their team name and their song. they introduce themselves as a group first before following with their individual introductions.

“hello! we are team re5et!”

when it’s her turn, she steps forward, bows deeply, and speaks. “i want to keep on showing a better, more improved version of myself to the public, and only go up from here. i’m contest #4025, kim hyunjung.”

once everyone is done introducing themselves, they fall into their starting positions. she gives herself time to take one, long calming breath, eyes closed, her father’s words still as clear in her ears as the first time he’d said them to her so many weeks ago.

remember to have fun.

hyunjin starts off the song with some spoken lines and a bit of center focus, followed by bin’s singing. it feels like an appropriate way to begin, the both of them quite charismatic.

her first line doesn’t come until the pre-chorus, so she spends the first verse focused on her dancing, making sure each movement is not only sharp and precise, but that it also tells the story and conveys the feeling of the song. after all, body language speaks just as much, if not more, than words sung or spoken. she does the same with her expression, brows furrowed, bringing up painful memories of her own past to help emote.

she hasn’t thought about her mother leaving in such a long time.

i know you in my heart 날 위로했던 말 i know you in my heart; words that comforted me  -------------------------- 다시 뜨거웠던 때로  just like the days when things were hot 

she takes center stage for her first line, singing strong and clear even as she hits her choreographed moves with strength. she focuses her gaze out into the audience, engaging them in the story she’s trying to tell of wanting to reignite a past love that’s dwindled, of wanting an old love to return. her first line is fairly short, but she hopes she’s made an impact as she moves to the side to allow bin to take center stage again.

어딜 가든 어디 있든 wherever i go, wherever i am 네가 그리워 못 참겠어 i miss you so much, i can’t take it anymore 제발 다시 내게 내게 돌아와 줘 please come back to me again 제발 다시 내게 내게 돌아와 줘 please come back to me again

once bin has finished singing, she once again returns to the middle of the formation, voice loud and clear as she sings the second part of the chorus. she focuses on keeping her voice steady and lines sharp, all the while trying to remember to show the emotions of the song with her expression. she reaches out toward the crowd as part of the choreography, making it seem as if she’s reaching for what she’s lost.

tell me tell me tell me tell me

she harmonizes a bit with hyunjin for part of the chorus, but takes special care not to overpower him so that he shines more than she does during the short segment. instead she focuses more on keeping in time with the beat and musicality of the song so that she’s synchronized with the rest of the group knowing that it’s what myname is known for.

the song flows effortlessly into the second verse, starting off with hyunjin’s rap.  she puts her best effort into the choreography, demonstrating power when needed, and softer lines when they’re called for.  her expressions remains both focused and pained as she dances, even as she falls to the back of the formation. 

돌려볼게 안아볼게 i’ll look back, i’ll hold on 다시 뜨거웠던 때로 just like the days when things were hot

for her next lines at the end of the pre-chorus, she makes her way back up to the front but doesn’t take center position, allowing for a more seamless transition for bin to do so for his own lines.

어딜 가든 어디 있든 wherever i go, wherever i am 네가 그리워 못 참겠어 i miss you so much, i can’t take it anymore 제발 다시 내게 내게 돌아와 줘 please come back to me again 제발 다시 내게 내게 돌아와 줘 please come back to me again 

tell me luv

once again, she moves into the center for the second part of the chorus, repeating the same choreography with the same gusto and emotion, reaching out toward the audience again in short bursts, expression full of longing. she sings  with hyunjin again during the short line that follows, moving back in the formation to give him center once more. she keeps the focus on dancing and synchronization again during the rest of the chorus, including during the short line she has in between, up until the start of the bridge where they fall into a line of sorts, unmoving.

내 귓가를 가득 울린 melody the melody that rang in my ears

during her line, she walks a few steps across the stage, each movement with strong intention as she sings, eyes focused on a camera that moves along with her. she moves along with the formation during bin’s line as the song eventually begins the chorus once more, though more slowed down and intentional than the first few times it was sung.

제발 다시 내게 내게 돌아와 줘 please come back to me again 제발 다시 내게 내게 돌아와 줘 please come back to me again

she sings her next lines with longing, each word extending into her dance lines, a perfect harmony, and, matched with her expression, conveys the song’s meaning well.

tell me luv (adlib)

she has one adlib in the song, but it’s a powerful one, and one that she’s practiced over and over again throughout the week, both in and out of the practice room. she moves off toward the side of the stage, stopping choreography for a bit in order to pull off the note. she doesn’t forget to maintain her expression as she opens her mouth wide enough to sing the note uninhibited though controlled, shutting her eyes tight to add to the effect of anguish for the song. it’s clear and strong and in tune, and she could not have asked for a better outcome of it, and it takes everything she has not to smile out of pride as she falls back into formation.

luv luv lu lu lu lu

her last line is short, almost imperceptible in the whole grand scheme of the song, but she treats it just like all her other lines, sings it with purpose and technique. she spends the rest of the song dancing, having fun with it even as she focuses, even as she emotes the song’s feeling on her features.

the song then draws to a close with bin’s final line, a fitting ending as she stands at the outer end of the formation, gaze drawn toward the ground. she stands there in her ending pose for a few seconds, the cheers of the crowds coming in as if she’s driving through a tunnel, gradually growing louder until she’s back to reality, no longer just performing on stage, but remembering she’s still a contestant on a show and that a high-five is next, followed by the eliminations. she only hopes she can properly thank all the people who’ve supported her, even with eliminations in the back of her mind.

the future is out of her hands for now. she hopes fate treats her kind.

[callmecayce]

Happy Donghae Day!

2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017

Today marks the seventh annual Donghae Day. That is, it’s been seven years that I’ve been a kpop fan. This year also marked my two-year anniversary at my full time job (for those who don’t know, prior to 2016, I had been working two jobs for almost nine years). Not everything has been good, the state of the world gets worse, we lost three idols from groups I love, as well as author/chef who meant a lot to me personally. But it hasn’t all been bad or sad, it has been like so much of life - full of everything. 

My journey into kpop started with this post and has continued forward ever since. The links above are all of my previous Donghae Day posts, including the original reblog. This day has become more than just the simple reminder of my love of kpop. Instead it has become a celebration of the things, and the people, that I love. To me, Donghae Day, like kpop, isn’t just about the music or the idols. It’s about everything that comes with that - it’s about friends, food, love, life, and joy. It’s understanding that kpop is more than just an escape from the shittiness that is the world today. I am forever grateful for that Donghae gifset and for everything that has come after - from the music itself, to the tv shows, to the concerts, to all of the friends of I have made. 

Before I get into the really fun stuff - I want to take a moment to talk about those friends. People talk shit about women who like pop music, they judge you for liking cute boys, for writing fanfic, for listening to music, going to concerts, buying plushies/albums/whatever. But none of that matters, not really. What does matter? All these people I’ve become friends with. Over the past year (Donghae Day year as well as 2018) I have made friends with so many new people - some close friends, some not - and it is wonderful. This, to me, is at the heart of what I love about kpop and is deeply important to understand why Donghae Day is so important. Of all the things I love about kpop, it is my friendships that are the single best part. So, to all of my friends (kpop fans and non fans alike), I love you all. Thank you for being amazing people. ❤️❤️

And now … the fun stuff!

So, you say, seven years? And I say: FUCK YEAH, SEVEN YEARS!!! 

What has happened since last year’s Donghae Day? A LOT and sort of not much at all. Kpop-related, there were two really big events for me. One of the was that @namjoonrecyclables and I went to Chicago to see VAV! It was a fantastic concert, though we both realized that we’re getting too old (lol) to drive down to Chicago the same day as the show. It’s also the only concert we’ve been to in 2018 and our wallets are grateful. The other thing that happened was that I flew out to Colorado to see @jillwandersen after not having seen her since the concert in 2014. It was also quite a lot of fun. 

A lot of smaller things have happened this year. As I said above, I’ve made new friends. I’ve also gotten into a ton of new (and not so new) groups that I am trying to learn. I also bias way too many people (the list is ever-growing). I finally admitted that my favorite groups (aside from Speed) are Seventeen and SHINee. My husband is still there, though he’s left BAP. My boyfriend list has held steady (though this may be changing - read: growing). 

I also made this playlist, called Everything’s Gonna Be Okay. It’s 20 tracks long (for now) and about an hour and 12 minutes long. You can find it on YouTube and Spotify. Please, enjoy.

Last year I talked about all the nugu/underrated groups that I love - but I can’t do that this year. Not because there aren’t any, but because there are too many. I was talking to @killerzebras (also known as my sister) the other day about why I love kpop. She told me I didn’t need to justify why I loved it, but it got me thinking about what it is that keeps me loving kpop. I am really good at loving things, but it tends to be fleeting (for many reasons, most of them perfectly reasonable) - but kpop? My love for kpop appears stronger than even my love for pro-cycling, which, for a time, I thought nothing could break (that is another post for another time and probably not on here). 

I think there are two huge reasons why I continue to adore kpop. The first is because of the friends I’ve made, as long as I have friends who love kpop, I will keep loving it, too - sharing is something I have slowly learned to love and, within the passed year, have worked on embracing. The second reason is that there is always new content. People often talk about the fact that their fandoms (books, movies, tv shows) only have limited content and often the endings are just that - endings. That works for some people, but not for me. Kpop is different (again, for me), it is, for now, the gift that keeps on giving. I get new groups to love (my heart is forever big enough), new idols to care about, new music to listen to, and the groups I already love give me more music. There is always, always something new to love while still loving what has already been. It’s not all unicorns and candy, sometimes it’s heartbreak, but there’s always something for me to love. 

I’m sure that there are quite a few things I’ve forgotten to talk about this year, but this post is already way too long. Therefore I want to talk about two (hilarious) moments in 2018. The first is the release of Infinite’s song, Tell Me, and their comeback in January. Some of you know that for many years I was not a fan of Dongwoo, for various (and dumb) reasons. However, 2018 became the year that I turned into a Dongwoo fan. 

I mean, really. How did I resist for so long? Thanks, 2018 Infinite comeback, for changing me.

The second … the second thing is something I am still embarrassed about even while having embraced it. It is something that several of my friends (especially @namjoonrecyclables) have been waiting for literally ever to happen. I have, somehow, after all these years, become a proper fan of EXO. Why, you ask? WELL, THAT’S A GREAT QUESTION. And the answer is as equally as embarrassing - it’s because of a stupid Soompi EXO quiz. You think I’m joking, but I’m not. Google said, hey you like Soompi and kpop quizzes, why don’t you take this What’s Your Relationship With EXO? quiz and I said no, but also why not. I mean, I can’t count and didn’t notice that it was just the current EXO members in the picture (it was early in the morning and I didn’t look too closely and I like quizzes … ) and so I took it and then this happened:

Look, I’m not saying it was a good idea. In fact, it was a terrible idea and I joked about it and then SM released the We Young MV with Chanyeol and Sehun and even while I love that song I joked some more because it was funny, right? Me, stanning someone in EXO just because a Soompi quiz told me to. Except … I kept joking about it and everyone who knows me knows that my biggest kpop weakness is soft rappers and @namjoonrecyclables told me (on purpose, for which I love her) that Chanyeol is a soft rapper and I was like no. But also, wait he is? And then, because I’m me, I took another quiz and it confirmed the first Soompi quiz and then I was like, this is embarrassing as fuck but why not embrace it and now, HERE I AM. 

I love Chanyeol. I bias Chanyeol. And I’m an EXO fan. I think I need help because no one knows who I am anymore. But, honestly, that’s fine. So, I guess, thanks for that Soompi.

This year’s Donghae Day is on a Friday, which means it is a full-ass day packed with stuff. @namjoonrecyclables and I have both taken the day off from work (yay!). We’re watching kpop mvs and a kdrama. We’re going out to lunch and doing more of the same. Then my friend H and I are going out for dinner and to see a movie. Why? Because we can. Because it’s Donghae Day. 

Seven years is a long time. It’s the seven-year curse year not for me (I hope!), but for groups that debuted the year I got into kpop. Of the ones that debuted in 2011, these are the ones I love: B1A4, Boyfriend, and Myname. Myname debuted a few weeks after I got into kpop, it’s so wild. We’re all still around, hopefully for longer than seven years. 

Donghae Day is about all of this. It’s about having fun, it’s about loving the things you love so much that sometimes it hurts. It’s about doing what you love and being with people you love, and it’s about living. 

I say this every year, but I don’t know where I’ll be in a year. Will I even still be a kpop fan? The trend so far seems to be yes, of course! But you can never rule anything out. Which is why I love to pour my heart into being a kpop fan. Nothing lasts for ever, but I’m going to love kpop for along as I can with as much of my heart as I can. 

I want to thank you all for accompanying me on this journey - whether you’re a kpop fan or just someone in my life who tolerates my love. Thank you all and here’s to many, many more Donghae Days if that’s what the future holds for all of us. 

[emeraldbabygirl]

Man I worry about the future of underrated groups when members go into the military. When Kyungil went in History disbanded soon after, then Minsu went in and Boys Republic is on some weird hiatus thing, then my boy Dino went in and I thought things would be fine for Halo when they went on that produce show but then the members dropped out and then Jaeyong joined a Japanese group. Now I find out Halo quietly disbanded. I was so upset and still am, I always said they deserved more and I wish they could’ve stayed together a little longer I miss my babies so much. Then Sangwook went into the military, then Jeup and now Baron. Like, that’s too many idols from underrated groups. Like, I’m afraid N.Tic, Imfact and VAV will have the same fate that History and Halo did I’m so said. I miss all these groups so much. Gurl I haven’t even watched VAV’s comeback yet I’m too afraid I’ll cry and Ion wanna cry. And what happened to MyName and Hotshot? I miss Boyfriend too. Bro, the boy groups that went on the unit, I miss them all. I just miss all these great groups that are so underrated and under appreciated. They never made bad songs and when a lot of them are friends and hang out together, like Taeho and Raehwan and when Ayno danced to a song he made with Halo, that was so cute. I really miss these groups. And I miss the groups that are still around but now active like Argon, Target, Vanner, Alphabat. And MVP having a comeback, I’m hoping it won’t be their last and that they’ll be able to have more. Man I’m such a loser for these absolutele gems. Underrated groups are just so perfect and deserve so much. Like, bands too, 2Z, IZ, The Rose, D.Coy ugh. I just really miss a lot of groups rn. Older groups too like B2ST, MBLAQ, Teen Top, Madtown, 2PM, older groups really hit different

[fuckress]

Tag Game. Again~

ooooooooooook here we go again xD tagged by @butterflies---instead to redo this one~

Rules: Answer ten questions, give ten questions, and tag ten people!

Questions:

1. What show are you into right now? hm... not really any... a bit of villainous, a bit of voltron, a bit of... yeah no, I’m not watching anything right now..

2. Do you have any pets? I myself don’t. My parents have a cat tho

3. Hobby/ies? Drawing.. gaming.. watching bullshit videos on youtube..

4. First word that comes to mind? HERESY (listening to some Warhammer 40k shit right now)

5. Last song you heard outside (while you were shopping for example)? MISSIO - I don’t give a...

6. An embarrassing moment? if you don’t want to talk about it; then favorite color? Oh my~ why not both~ I was at work one day and pretending to be busy n stuff. It was already afternoon and my boss walks into the office and greets me. My stupid brain decided it was still morning so I replied with “good morning”. He smiled, wanted to walk away, stopped and turned back and asked whether I just said good morning in the afternoon. A bit of awkward silence later we just laughed. yay, brain. and favourite color is magenta.

7. Which fictional character would you not want to meet in real life, and why? Hmmmm... Hisoka from Hunter x Hunter. As much as I tend to fangirl over him and even tho he’s my favourite character there, he’d probably just kill me. So yeah. Not so keen on dying

8. What’s your biggest / funniest kitchen fail moment? uhm... I think I even made a post at that time xD i was cooking and trying something fancy with a red whine sauce but i didn’t have an corke opener. so I tried to get it open with a screwdriver and a fork and other stuff unil i gave up and ran to a shop that was still open at that time. and in the end the food was horrible so all of that effort was totally not worth it.

9. What’s a holiday that doesn’t exist that you’d like to create? uuuhhhhhhhhhhhh..... procrastination day?

10. What is your signature victory move (when something great happens)? high pitched squeaks and weird laughter while jumping around and clapping like a weirdo

aaaalright... thinking of 10 questions.... uhhh...

1. What fictional character would you like to meet in person?

2. What fictional world would you like to live in?

3. Are we there yet?

4. Favourite game?

5. Ever made any OCs? (drawn or only in your mind?)

6. Are we there yeeeeet??

7. Got a favourite number?

8. White or dark chocolate?

9. Do you do any sports? Or would you want to?

10. ARE WE THERE YEEEEET???

aaaaand I’ll tag.... @probablyatree @anyotheranybody @thenecesaryevil @100procent-nani-sore @zennim @lunashadow6955 @awesometie @kage-hyena-grump @infectiousbinary @myname-adnanref

Have fun~

[rkxjongsuk]

May Evaluation: Back Performance 

                 Back - Infinite MYNAME || Lyrics 

Live singing and dancing at the same time? Well, this evaluation was Jongsuk’s to dominate. He loved dancing and singing and since he was a Myname fan, time to once again show his level of fanboy  that he was.  

Live singing and dancing at the same time? Well, this evaluation was Jongsuk’s to dominate. He loved dancing and singing and since he was a Myname fan, time to once again show his level of fanboy  that he was. He loved loved dancing, since after all dancing and singing were the base of his youtube channel. it was what he had been for years. The day of evaluation performances came and jongsuk was  pumped. he was so incredibly excited to go at one of his favorite songs from the nova boyband and when it was his turn, he pranced into the practice rooms and waved at all the trainers. his favorite vocal trainer gave him a playful wink befor he started off. he sat down on the floor and almost like it was a live performance on a music show, he began. his voice was strong and even singing live with just the instrumental in the background, it was evident that his voice was trained for professional singing. there was almost no breathiness  and only on one of the parts in the beginning did his voice falter but it was a high note. he moved smoothly, switching from sitting to getting up to that breakdown where the movements switched from the smooth and slow to fast and hip hop. his weeks of practice paid off and he couldn’t help but smirk a bit as he hit the chorus of the song. he just couldn’t help it at all. he knew that he was doing great. he could probably pull this off as well as he had expected. this was great! he managed to get close to the end of the song and easily put down a great high note, steady but not too high showing the range of abilities. after he finished, he set the mic down and skipped off. that had been a great evaluation.

[rknvna]

// ( ★ ) STAR BRIGHT CASTING AUDITION 2017 : INTERVIEW

it’s a deja vu moment -- patiently perched with a leg crossed over the other next to several other idol hopefuls; a beacon of lithesome placidness amongst a sea of electric energy within the area. she’s not sure whether her lack of nerves is something that she should be proud of during this time around, especially when there’s several others within the vicinity who are just as good as her -- if not better at what she can do -- but at the same time, nana sees no point in losing herself to thoughts of concern and anxiousness over what could happen during the interview process. a company either approves of her or not; and even then, other opportunities would most likely make their way towards her.

“im jinah-ssi?”

or. at least she hopes. but second time’s the charm after all, right?

the sound of black pumps clacking against hard concrete makes her presence known within the room, the woman making sure to greet everyone that passes her with a waist bent in a 90-degree bow, manners ever present while throwing them a dazzling smile. it’s not until she’s front of the chair until she gives a full bow and introduces herself to the the staff.

“hello! my name is im jinah, and i’m 22 years old. please take good care of me!”

several beats pass while everyone gets situated, nana all too familiar with sound tests and adapting the lighting to her angles and she adjusts herself in the chair, tugging at the hem of her black cashmere sweater and tightening her ponytail; making sure she looked presentable for the camera, intimidating her with it’s unrelenting black screen.

the director in front of her steals her attention away, and she knows it’s time to start.

“ lets start off with the question that you’ve probably been anticipating. on your application it states that you’ve been a royal trainee for nearly two years in the past -- why did you leave? ”

the soft laughter that leaves her lips is one that leaves an awkward taste in her mouth, and she’s smoothing manicured nails through her hair in response. “you didn’t tell me you were going to start off with the hardest question, you guys.” she grins through the slight blunder though, pursing glossed lips to ponder about what to say -- it’s not like she say that she outright disliked the company after her years under their belt. “royal is a great company, honestly, and the talent that they have right now as well as the ones they’ve produced are amazing. i’ve learned a lot while i was underneath their wings, especially about who i am, particularly. i just think that it wasn’t the right company for me.”

auburn hues dash from the camera to the man in front of her, and glancing in his eyes she knows he wants to press upon the topic more, but he moves on to the next question ( most likely due to time constraints ) and for that she was truly greatful.

“ i see. so why do you want to be an idol, after all? why give it another shot? ”

another question she’s been asking herself for the past several months -- since she’s been watching royal survival with envy within her eyes. “honestly? at first, i didn’t. i just wanted to dance and do things related to dancing. but i’ve realized that “just dancing” is my comfort zone, it’s something that i’m good at and no one can take away from me -- and i can’t stay in my comfort zone forever. i feel like i’m a performer, i love to entertain people on stage, and in order to grow as a performer you can’t just do what your comfortable at only and expect people to love you, you know? being an idol is a challenge to push myself to be the best performer i can be -- someone who’s more than just a one trick pony.”

“ interesting. speaking of skills, describe what you think you’re best at, and what you think you need to improve on and why. ”

“i’m confident in my dancing,” nana replies, swiveling a leg over the other as she straightens her spine in the chair, “it’s something that i’ve been doing for years and that i’m really passionate about. at my former company in japan, they trained us in several dance styles so i feel that i could be a chameleon when it comes to any dance concept. i enjoy rapping as well, which comes as a surprise to many people.i still have miles to go in that before i can say i’m content, but i feel like it’s something i can learn and build on.”

“as for what i can improve on ...” eyes study the floor for a couple of seconds while she hums, trying to capture her answer, “i’m not the best singer in the world. i’m not tone-deaf, which is a good thing i think, but i don’t think there’s any way where i’ll be able to belt notes in a ballad. it’s very weak, so i can always use some substantial lessons in that.” she nods along with her words, confirming them.

“ who would you consider to be your biggest influences? ”

this was something that wasn’t asked the last time, she thinks -- but then again, it was two years ago that she was at this audition last. “exile always comes first. they’re all amazing dancers and they have good singers, and i love the way they just captivate the audience both with their dancing and their charisma. they’re one of the reasons i started dancing myself, honestly -- and because of their school i feel more well rounded as a dancer.” the woman stops herself from going on and on -- because she talk for weeks about why she likes exile, “myname is also another influence. i love how their movement is extremely sharp, intricate and compelling. plus, the chaser is probably one of the best songs to come out of korean pop music, if you ask me.” laughter follows her words, but they die out quickly before she continues, “i also really, really admire tasha because of her tenacity as well as her flow -- it’s one of a kind, something you aren’t going to find so easily in korea. i hope that one day i can be as half as good as her in rapping and singing -- but it’s a pipe dream, honestly.”

“ what is the biggest obstacle that you’ve had to overcome so far? ”

silence fills the room for a minute as nana ponders over the question, lips jutting out in a slight pout as she thinks. her eyes wander down to the floor, and she hums for a minute before she glances back to the camera. “rather than an obstacle externally, a physical battle, i feel like i’m the biggest obstacle i’ve had to overcome – my psyche, actually.” her tongue dashes out to wet pink parcels before she continues, “you’re your own worst enemy, right? when i was a part of a crew, i went to several dance battles. during that time, you get to see so many people perform who have varying skill levels and years that they’ve been dancing. for me, back then, i used to constantly compare myself to others regardless of my skill level and that would bring me down. it took me some time and self-reflection, but now instead of bringing me down, i use that energy and drive to push me even further to become even better at what i do. it’s like a rivalry – but instead of "i want to destroy that person,” it’s more, “i see that person and their skills and i won’t lose to them,” it helps me better myself in a more healthier way.“

“ what about your family? what are they like? ”

“i’m the baby of my family, the youngest of four. i have two older brothers one sister. our family life is ... strained, to say the least.” she nods, gazing at the thin golden bangles upon her wrist, fingertips playing with them lightly, “every family has their problems, you know? mine is no different, and we don’t talk as much as we used to as a group... but at the end of the day, blood is thicker than water. we’re here for each other when we need it and we support each other when we can. my mom wasn’t that supportive of my chosen career path because she didn’t find it “profitable,” she says, making air quotes with her fingers adjacent to her face, “but i feel like she’s starting to come around, somewhat. the same with my eldest brother, too. but everyone else has been very supportive of me, and i’m thankful to have them by my side.

“ i see. a last question before i let you go -- if you weren’t trying to become an idol now, what would you be doing right now? ”

nana feels like her lower body is about to go numb due to how long she’s been sitting in this chair, beads of sweat starting to form upon her back within the sweater due to the lighting, so she internally takes a breath of relief at the revelation of the last question. “i’d be doing the same thing i’m doing right now. i’m currently finishing up my fashion design degree and hongik university, and i also have a fashion and lifestyle blog that i’m doing well in. if there wasn’t a way that i could be an idol, i’d continue doing that and focus more on modeling and trying to get my name out there in the fashion world, pretty much. i’d actually enjoy being behind the scenes of a photoshoot instead of in front -- being a stylist, setting up the scene or picking out the clothes or something of that nature. as for dance wise... i’d like to hone my dance skills enough to become choreographer. i think that’s what i would do.”

a nod comes from the man before he adjusts himself in place, taking a deep breath before saying, “that wraps it up! thank you for your time, jinah-ssi. good luck with your dream.”

“no, thank you for having me, and listen to me ramble on! i appreciate you and all the staff for your hard work!” she bows again before the red light on the camera turns off, and before she knows it she’s out the door.

[narika-a]

Ultimate Bias Tag

I was tagged by @heebiejbies. I’m sorry it always takes me like a year to get to them but to make it up I will do all of your tags today 😂

Listening to 24K while doing this was a bad choice, now they make me feel guilty 😂

Rules: answer the following questions about your top 3 ultimate biases and then tag 5 people. the questions below are for each of the biases.

1. who are your 3 ultimate biases? (any group)

As always tags like this are out for my head but just so you guys know, I have way more biases ultimate or not and I love all of them 😂

I will choose Taeil, JunQ and Jooheon

2. when did you first see your bias? *list all three*

Taeil - ‘H.E.R’ MV, I absolutely love that song and mv and was like who is this smol nerd and bam fell in love immediately, what really caught my eyes t first was that he was wearing glasses and he looked so cute with them wth

JunQ - ‘Too Very So Much’ MV tbh that blondish hair fit him so well and I was just so in love with his prts in that song and now I just love him in general jesususus

Jooheon - ‘Trespass’ MV when he was in that jail cell and then this happened 😂

3. was he/her your first bias? *all three*

Yes for all of them 

4. your favorite thing about your bias?

One of the things because honestly I could write a paragraph for each 😂

Taeil - How secretly evil he is

JunQ - How adorably awkward he is sometimes

Jooheon - How fierce he looks when he performs and how soft he actually is off stage

5. what do they specialize in?

Taeil - Main vocals and those freaking vocals are no joke, I mean have you heard him singing omg that voice is amazing!!!

JunQ - Main rapper, vocals and that beautiful smile omg

Jooheon - Main rapper, vocals, squishy boy ahhh

6. what group are they from?

Taeil - Block B; JunQ - MyName; Jooheon - Monsta X

7. zodiac sign?

Taeil - Libra

JunQ - Leo

Jooheon - Libra

Whoa two Libras 😂

8. Favorite picture/gif and why?

The caption for this gif is really accurate Me at Taeil getting the tattoos he wants, wearing whatever he wants, loving his eyes, and being all around more happy driving his massive truck around

Because I love his freaking smile why else and that lip earring and that hair colour omg

Glasses + eye smile + barista+ being all round cutie = my heart explodes

9. why do you love them?

To keep it simple. What’s not to love? They’re talented, visual, vocals no joke, great personalities etc etc omg 

I’m tagging: @lis-redfox, @bubblyemotions, @aleaexo and anyone who sees this because why not 😂