#even more so with kpop

[btsbs]

The “Taennie” situation was really weird to me. I don’t really care about either of them & if idols get laid and get it out of their system good for them. But the way it was handled was strange and calculated. And it didn’t seem serious to me. Probably why they never “confirmed” the relationship and let it be all on speculations. And I wonder, why? It’s not like they need the promotion. It does nothing for them. But I also can’t help but notice every time a “taennie” situation was released, it was during some of YG drama involving contracts or messiness.

Lets go back to the start. Let’s assume TH was trying to get with Jennie & that accidental follow was him slacking so he had to make up an excuse real quick. That was December 2021. So, let’s assume they started hanging out organically from there. But it was controlled because the car photo (May 2022) that created the storm was too specific to be some random person that happened to catch them on their way to vacation. Where did it come from? We don’t even know that either. It was also burry enough that you could argue it wasn’t them. Companies would’ve done an statement by then, but they didn’t. It took that other BP member less evidence to confirm a relationship with the actor that lasted abt 3 months. And it wasn’t Dispatch that dropped the pics. In fact, Dispatch never mentioned them. But that’s not random considering they don’t speak on BTS.

The whole Jn “iPhone leak” was fabricated. How come every single photo of them is blurry or their faces aren’t clear. If you happened to have access to her information, you surely would’ve gotten HD pics, videos or messages that proves the relationship to the point there’s not denying. Might you, that whole Jeju trip had “leaked” pictures. That was not a “leak”, it was people from her side. BH made an statement about “postings” that were infringing on their artist and defaming so they would sue. YG did not speak about it at all.

Then nothing about them for a while to the point some people forgot. Just random pics kept popping up, so jn’s “leaked content” was going around for months. So, after a year and a half of the “accidental follow” and exactly a year after the car photo comes the Paris hands walk (May 2023). First, I need to talk about how some people knew something related to them was going to happen in Paris around April (there’s actual tweets). Second, it was terribly staged and on propose. And again, why was that? They don’t need a PR relationship. I also think is crazy how TH who’s probably the most careful and strict member of BTS even agreed to that stunt & even leave a signature. Also, the person that got the signature had a whole V magazine cover like they knew he was going to be there. That was so painfully staged. And the walking was also a bit awkward if I’m honest. It seemed way too staged and not natural. And when that happened I remembered thinking “oh they might be soft launching their relationship” and I was sure the BH/YG statements would come soon but didn’t.

After that whole situation, nothing more happened just some theories and speculations that they might have been together. But at the same time, I find weird how TH would try to shut down any rumor. For example, people speculating they left the airport together after the Paris walk and TH starting off a live right there in the car and showing he was alone. And so many more instances of this where he would tag or intentionally show the people he is with so there’s not room for speculation. And now we are here. Some Taennie shippers even speculate they broke up back in August 2023 (even before his solo debut) because the patterns did not longer match up. JN would stay with her friends after a tour date while the others would go back to SK so it wasn’t like she was in a hurry to go back. And I believe this to be right too because I think his relationship with the rest of the members was strained for a while and only got back on track by the end of the summer. Jm distanced himself from him for a while and I wonder if that was the reason but then it got better so I guess they’ve moved on.

And I think it’s not coincide that the break up articles came up when the BP renewal was announced and so V’s enlistment date. It was to not longer attach his name to hers in the media. I said since the start, this relationship will end when he enlists. And I was right. They didn’t need to confirm the relationship, but articles of a break up (of a relationship that did or didn’t happen since it was never confirmed) was needed for narrative proposes. The media won’t continue vinculating them on individual articles.

What it’s my opinion? I believe it’s very possible that they had a fling. It’s hard to fight the evidence. Fabricated or not. But I don’t think it was serious enough for them to want to be associated together. I think they were hooking up from time to time and both are hot so why not. JN did act like she was single most times and during her tour it’s not like they were spending much time together. In fact, most of the evidence in the leak photos date to 2022. Not of 2023 if not speculations. I think they naturally ended whatever happened between them since he was enlisting anyways. Most Koreans don’t take relationships seriously if the man hasn’t enlisted yet. JN is young and so is TH. And that’s okay. I wish dating in the K-pop world was more open and they didn’t care about it. But I still think it’s weird that the relationship was pretty much handled as a PR. That’s what makes me think it was real then turned PR occasionally. Some rl couples do it.

And let me not comment on JN posting the pictures wearing the exact same outfit of the Paris video 2 months after it happened. During the time YG was fighting off investors during the contract renewal negotiations and Lisa’s potentially leaving and dating a billionaire. JN knew what she was doing with that posting. It wasn’t a simple little posting. It was intentional. They knew it was going to revive the Paris vid.

I know this is long but, my conclusion is, they dated low key, nothing serious, broke up and it’s over. TH can freely focus on enlistment and she can move on w her own life. I also think there’s something still going on with JN and GD (even while her situation with TH) because there’s so much evidence of this but her fanbase mostly ignores it because they don’t want to associate her with him but it’s very obvious their relationship ( actually confirmed by Dispatch) isn’t as over as fans want it to believe. The most recent hint, GD spent weeks hinting at the concept of JN’s You & Me MV (a song she wrote with him back in 2018).

Are you the same taennie anon from the other day? I only ask because they were making similar points. I’m not sure when or how I became a go-to person for this since I barely commented on their relationship and didn’t even know most of this stuff but. Our boys are gone and everyone is sad and bored so I’ll bite. Let’s distract ourselves with a little gossip and speculation, with the disclaimer that I’m just trying to have a little fun with your ask and don’t take anything I’m about to say that seriously and certainly not as fact.

My biggest question around the whole taennie situation was always why we were seeing it. Relationships in kpop have traditionally not been allowed to see the light of day. Hybe at this point has the cash and the power to hide anything they want to, and they absolutely have several closets full of skeletons we don't know about. BTS are seven desirable guys, and over 10+ years and we haven’t gotten a crumb of gossip about any relationship- except for this? Why?

None of us have the answer to that question, and we probably never will. I don't really buy the whole phone leak/oops it got out theory, because as I noted above kpop is pretty good at keeping things in the dark when they want to. I also don't really buy the theory that Tae and Jennie really wanted it to be out, Tae has always been pretty outspoken about not wanting the idol fame to bleed over into his private life and personal time. I had a lot of respect for Chen from EXO basically being like 'this is my wife we are having a child accept it or move on' a couple years ago but taennie really didn't feel like that. In terms of the seriousness of the relationship, or that they ever really acknowledged it that officially. Hybe's comments on it were basically the press release equivalent of a shrug emoji, so on some level I think they wanted to keep people guessing and talking about it. Which takes me back to my original unanswered question- why was it allowed both to see the light of day in the first place and allowed to remain in public view. From exactly December 6 2021 to December 6 2023.

In my time here, it’s seemed like the amount of people who are really into both BP and BTS is pretty low, despite both of them being arguably the biggest global boy and girl group out of Korea. Both of their fan bases are known for their….intensity and devotion as well. It would make sense from a marketing perspective to try to align these two huge global fan bases and brands that had mostly been at war with each other up until that point. The power of aligning pop stars at the peak of their influence is huge. This hasn’t really been done in the kpop realm before, but it’s been proven to work other places. I was a teenager during the Justin/Britney and Nick Lachey/Jessica Simpson era- they had SO much attention on them it was wild. Neither Tae or Jennie themselves really need the promotion, but maybe it was an opportunity to see if that kind of dynamic could work in this market. Can you imagine the buying power if blinks and army were truly aligned? They’re both already so famous and loved, even if the experiment failed it would be unlikely their reputations would take much of a hit.

It also could have been an attempt at establishing them both more as individuals separate from simply being a part of their groups. I know all of them would love to have name recognition for being Taehyung instead of 'V from BTS' you know, no one refers to Justin Timberlake as being 'Justin from NSYNC' anymore and I think that is aspirational for most members of pop groups. Who are the names of members from NSYNC and 98 degrees that people remember 20 years after they've stopped making music, for most people it's the ones that had those relationships that boosted their celebrity to the point that other non-boyband related opportunities presented themselves. Kpop is different, but also hybe has really been trying to rip a page out of the US pop playbook lately so more things are probably possible than how it used to be.

Honestly, I do not follow BP or YG on really any level so I can’t really speak to any alignment of those activities. I think you’re arguing it was YG’s idea to distract from or promote their own activities, but I have a hard time believing hybe would agree to let tae be involved with anything that didn’t also have significant advantages to hybe. Hybe has kept all of bts on such a short leash, once they reached a certain level of fame they stopped doing ANYTHING that wasn’t hybe controlled and produced. Hybe was trying to take over SM earlier this year, there's no way they were letting YG captain the taennie ship to only their own benefit. Maybe there was more to it, maybe there wasn't. It was most likely real on some level. It was definitely managed by their respective teams as well, but how much so and why we'll probably never know.

[fairyhaos]

cruelest thing that kpop has ever done is impose a "you can't eat anything" rule on their idols in the country that says "have you eaten today?" as a way of showing love

[fumiko-matsubara]

A warm-up spread of the boys for an upcoming AU that I have been brainrotting about since the last 4 years, to mark my April return 🥰

Individual profiles, lore breakdown, and more characters coming soon 💕

[saltyyetbland]

ngl im fucking terrified of how the fandom will act when the asian ccs get added and they are confronted with asian customs such as honorifics, asian cultural norms, and the language itself (ie words that are common in one language that sounds like a slur in another) and i know most of the fandom will be open and welcoming but idk im probably being way too pessimistic as someone who is asian and has seen the bs that people can spew esp regarding things like stereotypes

[wonhes]

guys i feel like im going through another situationship breakup or something

[faunandfloraas]

Look, I don't believe in preferential treatment, it's not right.... BUT ☝️ if we're gonna have changbin saying sydney is skz's second hometown I just think maybe australia could not be charged things like 60+ dollars shipping.... or 75 dollars for a normal album at the most prominent music retailer when other places pay 15-20 for the same thing.... lol

[teenietinytangerine]

I just want to say that even though I am mostly a bts account and mostly talk about them, I truly believe everything that happened and continues to happen to yoongi, seunghan and jessie, only to name a few, is all coming from the same rotted root

fandoms should help each other to destroy it instead of using it to pursue useless, and actually hurtful to their own idols, fanwars

if i see one more person say "but they didn't help us when we needed them" grow up. just grow up. i cannot be explaining the same concept of empathy to the kid i'm babysitting and to you. it is so idiotic if you would just think about it, with honesty to yourself, for five seconds.

also, idols need to unionize.

[hoforwonho]

thank you, moonbin. rest in peace.

[seokmattchuus]

When Matthew tells you he's been a bit stressed with debut preparations, you help him get his mind off of things. With some handcuffs and a torturous, never-ending hand job.

[bananielle]

bello

[blizzardfluffykpop]

Just a Bad Dream

Summary: You have a nightmare and Changmin reaffirms his love for you.

Drabble

Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship au

Word Count: 539

Changmin (Q) X Reader

[A/n: This is inspired by his 4/4/24 IG post, I saw the aesthetic notepad photo of ‘For as long as I exist, you will always be loved.’ and well it made me cry and think this up. And two hours later, I finished this idea. So enjoy~]

------

You finally entered dreamland in Changmin’s arms. You drifted endlessly in the clouds until you landed in a new world. It started pleasantly. You were talking with Changmin on the couch, watching a movie. The two of you laugh at something on screen, and he reaches into the popcorn bowl, overtaking your spot. And you pout, pushing his hand, and then the two of you start playfully fighting and giggling at each other until it goes too far. Popcorn ended up all over the place, and soon, you were both screaming and yelling at each other. Both of you jumped up from the couch to make your point heard. But it wasn’t until you both stopped yelling that he venomously said, “I could never love someone like you.” He pushed past you, walking out the door and slamming it behind him without a goodbye. 

It hurt you hearing him say that so badly in the dream that your body started reacting. You could feel tears pricking your eyes as your stomach twisted into knots. You wake up with tears streaming down your cheeks. You wipe them away, sniffling, finding Changmin’s arms still wrapped around you. His eyes flutter open as he hears you sniffling. And he rolls you over to look you in your eyes, “Baby, what’s wrong?” You refuse to meet his eyes, tucking your chin in as you tell him, “I had a bad dream.” He brings his hand up from your waist to your cheek and holds it in his hand. “What was it about?” You shake your head as you cry again, “You…” “Huh?” You mumble, “You told me you could never love someone like me…” He gasps, your dream horrifying him. With his arm still under your torso, he brings you closer to him, and you close your eyes tighter, trying to will the dream away. He draws your chin up so you can look him in the eyes. “Baby,...” You finally open your eyes at that, “For as long as I exist, you will always be loved.” He wipes your tears with his thumbs as you whisper, “How can you be so sure?” He gives you a small smile, “I knew it the moment I started dating you.” Your tears slowly stop falling as you ask, “You mean it?” He smiles as he puts his forehead to yours, “I mean it. You never have to worry whether or not I love you for as long as I’m alive.” He pauses before reassuring you, “It was just a bad dream.” You search his eyes, checking that he truly meant it, “I love you so much, Changminnie…” “I love you too, babydoll.” 

After whispering to each other for a few more minutes, you roll over again, and he brings you into his chest again. He combs his fingers through your hair until you fall back to sleep. He pulls the blanket tighter over both of you. He gently kisses you on your neck before looking at his nightstand, seeing the concealed ring box he hid from you in plain sight. He drifts to sleep with one last thought, “I promise I’ll always love you.” Nuzzling his face into your neck, his favorite person in existence.

[what-the-fuck-khr]

photo from someone on Twitter (futi_21_) but there’s this person on Mercari Japan selling the selfie cards from Amano’s exhibit and SAY FUCKING SIKE RIGHT FUCKING NOW DONT PISS ME OFF

[nyasialiveshere]

Did nct ever make sense financially:

But I want to explain why though

Nct was started as a group with infinite members. The goal was to have a male akb48

That being said the financial success of akb48 depended on the members doing various activities OUTSIDE of the group with an emphasis on practical safe and relatively inexpensive projects= consistent returns on investment.

Also the group's success depended on the group being well, actually successful.

S.m's marketing strategy is the opposite. The group is successful just by virtue of existing, they will get million invested in them regardless.

The group at least was thought of since the early 2010s when most of their members join. We know the group did not have a name and was simply a large collection of male trainee's. The group was basically a basket to keep their trainee's inside of. Don't worry if you do not make it into xyz group you can go to Nct.

Johnny was originally going to be a member of exo and was later placed in Nct, not the first round but in a later unit nct U.

It's actually very odd the thought and financial process of nct. Because unlike with akb48 it was not the direct intention to have the members do other projects and have seperate careers. It is the method of s.m to have people in groups for a majority of their career and then they can do other things. Unless you are lucky.

Also akb48 built up over time. It is a very old group, whereas nct gained lots of members quickly and the direction wasn't always decided or clear.

Like Akb48, Nct or SRB14 had a more direct and connected with the public image. They were not exo who were meant to be distant to create intrigue. They all had a pretty nice and approachable personality.

"AKB48 was founded as "idols you can meet".[4]Japanese idols are entertainers/performers who appeal directly to fans for support. Close interactions between fans and idols allow idols to cultivate and maintain loyal fan followings."

You won't remember Exo having a group youtube channel with weekly vlogs or having so many varieties even though they were a smaller group. Each group has a specialized team and marketing style.

AKB48 like nct had specialized teams as well

"According to former member Misaki Iwasa, each team has its own theme. Team A represents freedom; Team B is idol-like, with cute costumes, and Team K has a strong, powerful image"

AKB48 was very successful and had their own theater which would cut down on costs. The concepts were also more down to earth, they are more a performance troupe than an idol group. The focus is on entertaining the fans

Nct being a boy group inside of the kpop industry had a lot of competition and also they didn't have much of a pull besides having lots of members. They still had to travel and book venues and sellout stadiums to break even. Because boy bands are made to impress and show out. Of course lots of money is spent on expensive music videos, hotels, lots of staff, appearances at awards shows, top fashion for each member. Which is fine for a small group, but when the members keep growing and growing every year eventually getting into double digits; almost half the size of AKB48 in almost 1/3rd the amount of time, how is that sustainable?

It's not.

Simply put the more employees a company gains the more they spend paying their employees. If NCT is a company and the staff and members are the employees, then almost every year their costs increased. Even when they had good years, it was offset by the fact that their money would be paying for another unit. This is why s.m ent went so long without any other groups. And when they finally made a new group they took members already in NCT.

Add in the fact that there are some artists getting paid and sitting on the bench. They cannot afford to add them into a project or promote them. They can only bet on people they know will bring in money.

If they had brand new people that would be adding more and more people to the payroll, which at this point they likely can't afford. They would need a new project with already existing employees and have them double their workload--since they are the main ones bringing in money anyway, recycle in-house music and producers, and garner outside forces investing money on this dumpster fire to create something that would be profitable for the company. Send them to America so you can rack up the prices on tickets and merch cause Koreans sure won't go for this.

And...........that's how you get super m

okay now I'm done.

Also one more thing, the artists are not making money off the music, they make money other ways.

Spotify also takes a lot from the artists

Please, please stop streaming (too much music fries your brain) and bulk buying(is awful for the environment). The music industry has been dead, these artists are literal slaves. Good day.

[babrieeee]

I know that we’ve entered the rockstar era now…but I’m still not over 5-star…this photo shoot specifically 😩

I mean, LOOK AT THEM😩😣

[babyleostuff]

why is signing up for seminars always such a hunger games experience

[faunandfloraas]

It is kinda funny seeing people talk about Seungmin lately because he definitely has gotten more bold and confident for sure. He's also just getting opportunities to be perceived as an individual on his own as well for the first time in a while but it's still jarring to see people be like Aw he was always such a quiet goodie two shoes little nerd and it's like...... he was the one to leave and seek out his own vocal coach and blatantly talk about it, which of course lead to I.N and Lee Know also doing the same, he was the one to go on bubble and tell off sasaengs who used to camp outside their old dorm for invading members privacy but also because it effected other residents and staff at the complex, something that i'm certain upper management wouldnt have been happy about, and he wasn't curt or nice about it either. like he's never actually been a wallflower, he's always had a pretty strong backbone and seems to stick to his principals, its not really new.