#and the nct schedule they released has so much going on except wayvs which are mostly tentative 😭 pray for ot6 their rent is due and

[nctdream]

sungtaro fans have been speculating that maybe shotaro didn't stay for nct tokyo was because the company decided to let sungchan debut + rookies in new bg instead since no more jpn members will be left except taro and since shohei's nowhere to be seen atp, just that the company said he's not going to be a part of those teams for health reasons. and maybe sungtaro didn't want to be apart,esp taro since his members won't be with him. also, i hope they just add shohei to new bg with his og members after they debuted, halfway through. like yeri in rv, when he's all better

a couple mutuals have said that maybe sungtaro + the rookies were supposed to debut in the next subunit (hence the nct universe show) but when shohei got injured the project was pushed back even more?? so sungchan and shotaro were probably asked if they wanted to wait Longer or just officially debut already but not in nct?

and then the nct tokyo survival show is just sm hopping on the bandwagon and making their own show while there’s still lots of hype from others like boys planet etc

[nct-perrie]

NCT U Relationships

𝓣𝓪𝓮𝔂𝓸𝓷𝓰 - in NCT 127

𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓴 - in NCT 127

𝓣𝓪𝓮𝓲𝓵 - In NCT 127

𝓓𝓸𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓰 - in NCT 127

𝓙𝓾𝓷𝓰𝔀𝓸𝓸 - in NCT 127

𝓦𝓲𝓷𝔀𝓲𝓷 - In NCT 127

𝓙𝓪𝓮𝓱𝔂𝓾𝓷 - in NCT 127

𝓚𝓾𝓷

Type of Ship — Familial, storge 

Words to describe the ship — Soft, Dependent, Caring

Song to describe the ship — Everything i wanted by Billie Eilish

Honestly, people didn't think much about their friendship until they were on NCT life together. They have a very supportive relationship and are always cheering one another on. Perrie loves his magic tricks and will never say no to seeing one of them. Kun has tried to teach her but unfortunately Perrie just cant seem to get them down.

Kun is the member Perrie goes to when she needs to tell someone something or needs someone to get something for her. Kun is usually one of the first one to know about any of her relationships, and he would cover for her and drop her off whenever she needed it. He is one of the members that know exactly how to comfort her whenever she starts to feel overwhelmed. After any panic attacks, she will usually go to him to recuperate. Nowadays, since he is in China a lot, they are talking on the phone whenever possible.

Many consider Hannah and Jungwoo the softest couple, but Kun and Perrie are slowly taking over that title. They have a very gentle friendship and appreciation of each other. They are not as loud with their affections as others are, but there is no denying their friendship. Kun tends to take care of Perrie in smaller ways, like zipping her jacket up, making sure her ears are covered when it is cold, picking fluff off her clothes, etc. Whereas Perrie will always compliment him and bring him up in a lot of conversations because she wants him to get the recognition he deserves.

Since WayV debut they haven't been seen together a lot and it does upset both of them but Perrie has claimed the spot as WayV's number one fan. She doesn't care if she's not suppose to mention them or talk about them because she will constantly boast about them. Whenever they come out with new music, she will constantly play it in the background whenever she goes live. However, the two of them do keep trying to find times where one of them can visit one another despite their conflicting schedules.

𝓣𝓮𝓷

Type of Ship — Unconditional, pragma

Words to describe the ship — Open, Dancing, Trusting, Artistic 

Song to describe the ship — Where the sea sleeps by Day6

These two are the definition of platonic soulmates. He may be older than her but there are no honorifics between them. They are two of the closest out of the whole NCT without there being any romantic feelings what so ever. They originally got close because of their shared love of dancing and the two have created multiple choreographies together, some that have been released and some that haven't. They teach each other a lot too when it comes to dancing since they have very different styles. Their energies seem to feed off one another and they seem to know exactly what the other one needs. Like if Perrie needs space, Ten will know without Perrie having to say anything.

The two of them can go from savage one second to soft the very next. Perrie is the only member that gets to experience his soft and sweet side. However, they also bicker a lot. It never escalates into an argument, but when they are together if they do not bicker at least once a day many people suspect something is wrong. But, if one of them gets in trouble or something happens, they make excuses for one another like saying, "I am sure Hannah did not do that because she was with me" or "I bet Ten didn't do that".

Johnny and Jaehyun have admitted on NCT Night Night that they did once get into a serious fight which led to them not talking to each other for nearly four days. They both said that they have never seen Perrie and Ten look as miserable as they were during that time.

The two have no secrets between each other. Whenever one of them needs to talk about something personal, they know they can go to each other. The two also gossip a lot with each other. Anything they learn, it is like it is wired in their brain to tell one another. If they do not talk at least once a day they start to get antsy. Therefore they text each other every day, even if they do not know if the other one is free or not.

Perrie still has some things she not comfortable doing around other members like things that wouldn't be considered appropriate but she never feels like that with ten because he is so open with her. Even when it comes to farting, changing clothes, etc.

The two also like to go out a lot. Usually Perrie prefers staying in, but if he ever asks her to go out she will always say yes. This especially happens whenever they leave the studio. They will either walk around or get something to eat. People can also expect a lot of pictures - both good ones and bad ones. However, they never post the worst ones.

The two of them also have very dirty minds which seems to get worse when the two of them are together. Literally, the two of them can make anything sound wrong when they are together. The members are kind of sick of it. Ten is also teaching Perrie Thai, upon her own request. She said its because she wants to be able to talk to his parents to get embarrassing stories about them but she really just wants him to be able to have something that connects him to his home.

𝓛𝓾𝓬𝓪𝓼

Type of Ship — Philia, Semi-romantic, Ludus 

Words to describe the ship — Teasing, Playful, Opposites, 

Song to describe the ship — My Same by Adele

The most unlikely friendship. When Perrie first met Lucas, he was with a member he felt comfortable with so he was his usual loud self but once he saw Perrie he seemed to quiet down. For a while Perrie was unnerved around him because she thought he didn't like her since he always quieted down whenever she came around. However, that changed once the other members got them to talk and since then they have gotten much closer.

He seemed to have made it his goal to keep her out of a bad mood. He never likes anyone to feel upset but Perrie most of all since he knows that once she gets in that mood it can be hard to get her out of it. Perrie really appreciates this and while she is not so good at words, she hopes he know that. In return Perrie likes to compliment him a lot, especially when it comes to his Korean, rapping, and dancing.

They have what many fans consider a one-sided love. Lucas loves to flirt with her but Perrie will ignore it and not flirt back like the way she does with other members. However, they both know its just teasing. In return, Lucas will make fun of her height and pretend he cant see her. He has purposely tripped over her multiple times, which has led to fans creating complication of it - that is how many times he has done it. People always like capturing this because Lucas always laughs very loudly while Perrie just stands there glaring and pouting at him. However, like with any other member Perrie will never turn down skinship from him.

Not many moments are captured since they only share one NCT unit together. But, the moments that happen on stage always leave people happy. He has a habit of picking her up and running across the stage, Perrie has hidden behind him and refused to move from behind him, no matter how much he tries to turn around or grab her. The two tend to get very hyper whenever they are together - especially on stage. 

𝓢𝓱𝓸𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓸

Type of Ship — Familial, Philia

Words to describe the ship — New, Dancing, Cooking together, Teaching, Understanding

Perrie is working hard in order to get to know Shotaro. Besides Yuta, Perrie is considerably good at speaking Japanese, and because of this she is trying to get closer to him. She knows how it feels to be in a new country and have to experience new cultural aspects, so she wants to limit the stress and confusion as much as possible. This is one of the few friendships where Perrie tries to start it or lead it because she feels like she has to since Shotaro is still pretty reserved.

The one thing that got them pretty close is dance. While Perrie would say every NCT member is a good dancer, only a selective few have an actual background in dance so Perrie enjoys that she can relate to that background with Shotaro. Given the fact that they haven't had much time do things together outside of their schedules, they have not danced together except for NCT choreo and practice but both want to one day.

Perrie is known for being affectionate but she made sure not to be too touchy with Shotaro since he may not like it or be used to it. However, sometimes it slips her mind and she told him to tell her if she ever made him uncomfortable. Luckily, he never has yet. He is also one of Perrie's helpers in the kitchen. Since Perrie moved into a new dorm with him, Sungchan, and a few other members, he is usually the one who helps her around the most.

𝓼𝓾𝓷𝓰𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓷

Type of Ship  — Philia, Storge, Ludus

Words to describe the ship  — Teasing, Animal parents, Confidant

Perrie had met Sungchan a few times in passing because of Jungwoo - mainly in the practice room - and they went out to eat once or twice with other members. However, Perrie would not classify herself as close to him yet. But once she learned that that he was going to finally debut, she knew she should get to know him better. One thing that brought them closer was when he moved into the dorm and saw her two pets chinchillas. He helps her the most in taking care of them and is now saying he's their other parent.

Perrie is one of the members who was very apparent in his recording on the album. One because they were schedules pretty close to one another and two because she produced quite a few songs as well. Sungchan felt very comfortable because of this and she managed to help him a lot. As a result, this has led to him seeking her out whenever he needs help with writing or even dancing sometimes.

Now that they have gotten closer, their friendship is much more open and comfortable. Sungchan has taken up to teasing her a lot just like the other members - especially about her height. But despite this, Perrie also has become a confidant to him and she makes sure he feels as comfortable as he can with joining NCT.

[regularbeans]

Best Artists of 2019

Hello and welcome to me forgetting how I do these things.

So as you may have noticed I got into kpop last year and then I continued getting into kpop this year. This year I got to know a lot of other artists in kpop and mostly spent my time listening to one specific artist (you will never guess whom) so this list is... just that ok. Also this category used to be called best newbies and only included artists I got to know in a specific year then I changed it to include any artist I listened to a lot but with a few exceptions all the music I listened to this year were new discoveries for me so...

Idk why I always overexplain these, huh.

Honourable mentions go to Monsta X, Nu’est, Chungha, Sunmi, Stray Kids, Bolbbalgan4, The Boyz, and returning artists Mamamoo ♥♥

7 - NCT (the whole of it but mostly 127)

As a baby kpoppie NCT always seemed so intimidating to me with its many many members but the few songs I liked from them upon first listen eventually lured me into getting to know them. Now I’m no expert but to me NCT is a little frustrating because I feel like the label could do so much more with them (and by more I don’t mean to make certain members work even more). I have to admit I often don’t feel like a proper fan because I don’t follow them very closely but to me their music is always the best part of the package and I care very little for their vlogs and... whatever else they’re doing, honestly.

But as a group I feel like they really could do anything as they’ve already explored so many styles and concepts there really isn’t anything that doesn’t sound like them. My personal favourites are Superhuman, Touch, and Boss but this year NCT Dream made a really good comeback I was 100% on board with with Boom, and Wayv’s debut Take Off was also 👌👌👌👌👌👌

6 - Oneus

I didn’t know a whole lot about anything when these guys debuted and I didn’t even know Valkyrie was their debut song for a long time. It was nice and I didn’t really keep them in mind any longer until they were on Weekly Idol with the other group I’ll talk about in a bit and then I mean, I just had to adopt them, I think we all did at that point. It was also around the time they had their first comeback and it was 👌👌👌👌👌👌 but they still only lived in my tiny brain as a group I’ll eventually get into. And then they released 가자 and I did!

They have two amazing rappers and a fairly versatile vocal line and a style that allows for both dynamic bangers and less radio friendly albeit still addictive tunes that defines their sound even further. I don’t know a lot about how they well-promoted they are, I know they have a shitton of schedules so I hope RWB calms the fuck down eventually and paces themselves because these boys are really promising.

I guess checking their title tracks, Valkyrie, Twilight, and *cringe* Lit should have to suffice but also Bingbing and Blue Sky.

5 - Tomorrow x Together

I never said I didn’t like them so stop staring at me.

Obviously their debut was exciting and interesting and I was really looking forward to seeing what they would be like. It wasn’t 100% my cuppa though Crown was an amazing song, I was still happy for them and excited to see how they would evolve overtime. I kinda fell off the bandwagon around May and June cause they weren’t really putting out content based around music and I’m not super interested in variety shows and reality shows unless I’m really invested in the members, but their first comeback was also 👌👌👌👌👌👌👌 The songs are really poppy and catchy and cover a variety of themes I think most people interested in getting emotional value out of music can relate to and Yeonjun and Soobin are just, simply put, my boys.

If I could have one comment on what I’d like to see change in the future it’d be the endless masking and layering of the vocals. I can just about tell their voices apart in certain songs but then they pump ‘em full of effects in other songs and I’m jus like whomstdve the fuck am I listening to?

Check out Crown and Run Away, their two title tracks so far and also my personal favourite, Magic Island and maybe Can't We Just Leave the Monster Alive? too and this one as well whatever.

4 - Taemin / Shinee

I’ll put these two together because yOU CAN’T SEPARATE THEM OKAY I mean it is true that Taemin’s solo material is vastly, vastly different from Shinee’s music but uh this is how I decided.

Shinee is very fun, very diverse, they have the most heart-wrenching songs and then the most upbeat melodies that kickstart the serotonin-production in my brain just like that. I mean they are just vocal powerhouses and they’re using it, but in the same time they have like, these low(er)-energy bops that are just so pleasant to listen to.

Shinee’s weird cause I have a Shinee playlist where I put all the songs I liked from them and I think I don’t know the title of a good half of them but I don’t think I’ve ever pressed the skip button while playing that playlist.

And then Taemin is just very different on his own. Vocally he’s way more strong than Shinee’s music would have you believe, and though he has a sexy concept going on most of the time he’s also not way over the top with it which is... weird to say because he’s very theatrical sometimes. But especially if you compare his most recent material to his solo debut stuff he just looks and sounds way more relaxed in what he’s doing (it’s almost as though he’s matured a little over the years. but only a little). Things you love to see: that.

From Shinee: Symptoms, Countless, The Reason, Drive, Don’t Let Me Go, 1 of 1 From Taemin: Stone Heart, Want, Move, Under My Skin

3 - Day6

I want you to picture this: me, crying.

I had heard about Day6 from one of my two kpop mutuals on twitter lmao but I always heard Days Gone By mentioned as the best song ever and when I checked it out I didn’t think it to be very special at the time. It was only because I thought Time of Our Life was ok and cute and Shoot Me was very catchy that I made a playlist with all their songs on it and listened to it one time when I had to walk a mile to the train station at five in the morning. And then I heard 121U and Headache and that was it.

I don’t think I say anything outlandish if I say Day6 could be from any other part of the world if you take a look at their sound. They’re very easy-listening pop rock, they’re the kind of melodic rock music I loved when I was in high school. So what makes them special?

That I love them, that’s what >[ I don’t think they have anything more than any other group in their genre but I think they just have everything to steal my friKKEN HEART. First of all I don’t know what kind of demon deal JYP made to get a hold of four vocalists like this, I mean they’re all different but instantly recognisable and their range is just ????????? I think Jae is considered the weakest vocalist (outside of Dowoon but I mean he’s drums) and even the notes that boy belts out are blowing my mind. He has a very natural, almost untrained-sounding tone, Sungjin’s very raspy and emotional, Young K’s voice is very open and full (I think he actually has the biggest range? I could be wrong), and Wonpil has that boyish, charming, kinda slippery but still stable voice that first grabs your attention.

And of course a lot of the writing credit goes to the group’s very own Young K which makes me feel a lot closer to them when I’m listening to their songs. So good job, guys, on everything.

Truly, though, getting to know Day6 has just been so special this year and it just goes to show how even mainstream pop music in korea can be so diverse and anyone could find something they like at any corner.

Holy fuckbucket, what should I even recommend? I guess listen to Shoot Me, 121U, Headache, then also my first favourite song, Somehow, my current favourite song Beautiful Feeling and my current second favourite song I Need Somebody and also their most recent comeback Sweet Chaos and my recent new discoveries Lean On Me, Goodbye Winter, I Would and but also just check out my Spotify playlist for them I literally love every single song on there. Fuck, Like That Sun, Letting Go, Sing Me, Rescue Me, 365247 i’M DYING HERE, SUNGJIN

BITCH, LIKE A FLOWING WIND

2 - Seventeen

hOkkkaAyy

For the longest time, well, for about five months I guess, I thought these guys would be first place on this list forever. They were the ones who broke the big BTS spell I was under for the second half of 2018 and I really just, fell facefirst into the diamond life. Getting Closer didn’t quite get me in the first round and even Home was a bit like, okay, cute, best of luck for them. Then something happened and both Getting Closer and Home just hit me like a fucking truck even though they’re on two opposite sides of the scale. You know. The song scale. The famous one? That one.

I made a tweet once that I still agree with, that loving Seventeen really is just cutting your own heart up into thirteen even-sized bits and every single bit is filled with so, so much love.

Like many/some(?) of the groups I love, Seventeen is self-composed and for that I am so grateful because their label Pledis is a shithole so thank fuck to Mr. Lee Jihoon for carrying the industry on his back.

The group consists of three units, all of which have their distinct strengths (except for the performance unit, those theatre nerds just had to be good at everything, didn’t they) and Seventeen makes time to explore all of those units, sometimes even making other subunits from different boy configurations (or boyfigurations for short) and somehow it manages to feel balanced and patient and not rushed.

And I especially love how admittedly they started to stop caring about what the public expects from them and they’re exploring concepts that excites them personally. They caught a lot of flak for releasing songs like Hit and Fear after the astounding success Home had back in January and a lot of fans and non-fans alike quoted the groups unwillingness to keep doing what has been proven to work as the reason of their diminishing sales and public interest.

And even though I personally enjoy their brighter concepts also, I just, I can respect that attitude, you know? At the end of the day Seventeen has an obvious and visible love for their own craft and there’s nothing more enjoyable than that.

Now I’m really in trouble as to what to recommend, they have so many different types of songs x”) Okay, Our Dawn is Hotter Than Day, Clap, Adore U, Home, Getting Closer. Also Hit. And like, a billion of their b-sides, just check my spotify playlist for them ok.

1 - Ateez

*feeling of fear*

Do I even have to go into why I love Ateez? Every time I think about them and just how big a part they played in my life this year I get this overwhelming urge to express just why and just how much I love them.

This year I really just... lost the ability to be happy about things that used to give so much happiness. It’s been a sad and scary downward spiral that I just don’t have enough strength to stop so I guess it’s no wonder that I’d latch onto the first thing that becomes an everyday positive presence in my life. Ateez and the memories connected to them this year have been the reason for the few and far between moments of happiness in my life in 2019 and for that I’ll forever be grateful.

It’s like. When it hits, it just hits, you know?

And I just can’t, can’t wait to scream my little heart out to their songs in March with Linn okkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

I guess if I could just have one wish it’d be for them to play Twilight, and Treasure, Illusion, Say My Name, Utopia, Hala Hala, Win, Mist, Wave, my whole Spotify playlist.

[deukaeloveclub]

If you were at SM and you had full control over the NCT concept what would be your plans for each subunit and NCT as a whole?

WOW. WHAT A QUESTION.

I don’t know if I have an exact idea but I have thought about this in the sense that I try to understand what SM is trying to do with NCT. 

I think I watched a video where someone said they thought that the concept of NCT is something that SM has been working towards since Super Junior and EXO. And there were some things they said that made sense. But at the same time to me it kinda just feels like SM had two (2.1/2.3?) boy group lineups they wanted to debut but didn’t want to debut as separate groups to reduce competition? Because NCT U, 127, and Dream debuted the same year and there was no new units until wayv, which technically isn’t nct now?, in 2019. So in a sense it feels like we’ve had the same big group since 2016? If they had staggered their debuts it wouldn’t. That spiel has nothing to do with answering the question I just wanted to get that off my chest. But if SM were to really commit to their own concept.

I think I would limit the units about 7? Idk it’s not a super important thing but in theory these are all subunits and 10 people feels like too much to call a sub unit anymore?

I feel like they should give each unit more specific niche concepts to differentiate them. The alternative is to promote the individuals / group dynamics more???

Better line distribution SM trains their trainees well so might as well use them. If you’re ready to debut them, then give them lines.

No unit gets a back to back comeback. Let the units rest and give others a chance to shine

Unit interactions/collabs sometimes they group feels very separated? It does necesarily have to be anything as big as NCT 2018 but maybe like a youtube dance cover with members of dif units esp wayv because you can post their mvs on your official label channel but letting their friends and technical members talk about them is a no????

NCT U 

I’d rename NCT U to NCT R or Rotate or Intro or Sleep or Waking. It’s main function would be to introduce new NCT members. Hence the possible intro name. Sleep or Waking cuz that’s part of nct’s concept and sleep is the beginning of a dream but waking up is when you start your real life. Or rotate since it’s a rotational unit. If I want a subunit larger than the number of debut ready trainees then I would rotate in members from other units, (and not just the popular members). They would probably comeback at least once a year to introduce any new members.

Since it’s a rotational unit I would want the unit to change concept and genre each comeback so that it allows new members to shine in their debut

NCT Dream

I guess I would leave this and allow it to be like an NCT U Jr. The intro group for any minor aged debut ready trainees. Put more of an emphasis on the graduation thing? Like every year have some way of signifying that they’re “moving up a year”. They’d keep doing youthful concept

This is more of a selfish thing than a business or concept thing but i would prob want to make ot7 dream a new permanent unit once they all graduate? The graduated members would just have to be rotate thru 

NCT 127

I kinda want to dub them the official beat-heavy performance team? And let them continue what they’ve been doing except they’d just comeback less.

NCT Japan

I was quite surprised when 127 put out a full Japanese album bc the nct goal is to have subunits around the world and 127 is the seoul unit(their name is even based on that). With japan being so close and their already being a Japanese member I assumed there would eventually be a Japanese subunit. So I’d make one

WAYV

I will give them that it’s probably not possible to promote in the exact same way bc the relationship with China but can we at least get an official schedule? So whatever few things are happening we can know about. I would release a full version of this (and make that their core sound?) Put Winwin upfront more, he’s so wildly popular and yet it rarely gets seen? Give Kun a chance to at least work on some b sides he’s keeps talking about how he can write and even posted that video of something he wrote (I know SM isn’t as big on having their idols involved in the process but a girl can dream)

Now that I’m thinking about it I’m wondering if the point is simply to have multiple units around the world with the same concept. I’m assuming they should be different bc that’s usually how subunits work but maybe that’s not necessarily SM’s goal.

Possible concepts

NCT Crooner Unit

r&b and soul concept. Maybe this would also be rotational unit bc I need a unit where vocalists can really shine.

NCT Rap

Also rotational? One could argue that 127 is already rap centered enough but they also are doing full out dances when they perform so I’d like to see a unit where they could focus more on their rap deliveries while performing. Also Mark and Taeyong wouldn’t be allowed for at least 2 or 3 releases.

NCT Scientists/Engineers

This is more of a visual concept but I think it would be fun to really explicitly play with the technology in neo culture technology like they could be engineers building new shit or they could like be time travelers who actually move technology forward in each era by gifting someone with technology or knowledge. They could do a cyborg concept. Actually if they incorporated technology into their lyrics it could be more than just a visual concept too. Think if Black Mirror were a music video.

NCT Culture

Same thing as the Science concept but basically with like art and fashion. Traditional Korean concept, theater concept, high fashion concept, museum v street art concept, foodie concept, etc.

To be fair to SM this is an incredibly complex concept to manage and it’s never been done before so they are making it up as they go along. Realistically not everything I mentioned is implementable and at least not immediately but there are definitely things I think they can improve on. I think that’s all my thoughts for now.