#exact fansign

[jdidolau]

48. fansign day 2

[steamedeggs]

kihyun enlisting literally has me feeling so unwell .

[starlost-mochi-x]

Hi!:) Sorry if you busy but could I ask you something? I was thinking if you could do something where you have frequent migraines and Felix is there to take care of you and comfort you. Thanks (and also I waned to say that I love your writing). Bye 😘

awww thank you TT so sweet. hehe sorry this took me so long, anon... i had this in my drafts for ages but it's here now ! here you go <3

haze - lee felix

pairing: lee felix x reader

summary: felix helps you out when you get a migraine

genre: fluff, idol! au, jisung is goofy at the start (but what's new tbh), chan is helpful (again, what's new), not proofread nyehehe, softie lix, bit angsty, reader gets migraines :(

a/n: comments, likes, reblogs appreciated <3 divider from @chilumitos

You laugh just as Jisung shovels a forkful of pasta into his mouth, grinning wildly as sauce stains the corners of his mouth. Minho slaps him on the back and Chan chides him frantically, reaching across Minho's lap to wipe sauce off Jisung's mouth. At this point, your stomach hurts from laughing so hard, a slightly painful but gleeful ache settling in the pit of your stomach. Next to your side, Felix is doing the exact same, and you both lean heavily on each other as the sound of chattering and excitable laughing fills the night air.

Felix was getting together with the boys for a night out, and had invited you along, knowing that the boys would be pleased to see you. You had gladly agreed, having nothing else to do apart from sit at home and scroll through your phone. Felix had driven the both of you to the restaurant where you were meeting the boys. Stepping out of the car, the cold, chilly air of the evening had hit you both straight in the face, and you had grinned just as the rest of the boys had come bounding up.

Jisung had tackled you in a full-blown hug, Minho and Seungmin both having to pry him off you, while Chan wrestled with Changbin's arms that were wrapped tightly around Felix. You'd been released, slightly breathless, but so, so glad to see them. Their schedules hadn't allowed for much personal time, so it was lovely to be able to sit with them under the deep gloaming of the sky and eat to your hearts' content.

It had been so long.

Finally controlling your laughter, you held onto Felix's arm to keep yourself upright, wiping away a stray tear of mirth just as Jisung choked. Chan let out a yelp, moving to Jisung's side, and Hyunjin slapped his friend harshly on the back, trying to dislodge the food.

Felix and you bent over wheezing just as Jisung cleared his airways, flipping two thumbs in the air and grinning. Your head was beginning to hurt from the laughing but you brushed it off as the rowdy group continued with the meal.

The night progressed smoothly for the next few hours, the boys talking and laughing and chattering, and you doing the exact same. Your head was beginning to throb slightly and you sipped on your drink, the iced, saccharine, carbonated drink doing nothing to ease the growing aching in your temples. Pressing your thumbs discreetly to the space under your eyes, you breathed deeply, trying to still the aching throb. When that didn't work, you dropped your hands, sighing. Guess you'd be nursing a headache for the rest of the night. You clenched the cold glass in your hand, the condensation dripping off and forming a ring on the varnished table underneath. Felix nudged you suddenly, his eyes alight with the soft, golden glow from the street fairy lights hanging overhead. His voice was soft, considering the fact he'd been pretty much yelling excitedly for most of the night.

"You okay?" he smiled, leaning down a little to peer into your eyes.

You nod mutely, not wanting to exacerbate the pain in your head, and not wanting to risk ruining the night for Felix. It'd been so long since he'd been able to just enjoy himself, no dance practices, no promotions, no fansigns or vocal lessons. Just him and his friends.

And you.

But it felt like your head had been split in half. A searing pain shot through your forehead, followed by a dull ache where the bridge of your nose met your eyelids. You clenched your fists, trying to stop a rush of frustrated tears. Why did you always have to ruin everything?

Felix, noticing your worrying lack of response, placed a reassuring, warm hand on your thigh. He leaned down a little more, eyes filled with concern and a little confusion.

"Sunflower?" he spoke lowly, just loud enough for only you to hear. "What's wrong? You look pale..." he took your hand, squeezing it lightly. You saw Minho and Hyunjin glance at you out of the corner of your eye, seemingly worried, or curious. Or both. Hyunjin looked away hastily just as Felix leaned in to kiss your forehead. Taking your hand, he stood up, and so did you, with some difficulty.

"Where are you going?" Chan said, eyebrows furrowed in concern. He looked between you and Felix, rising out of his seat a little.

"Home," was Felix's reply.

A chorus of disappointed awwws and protests arose from the group. Felix only gripped your hand tighter.

"Why?" asked Jeongin.

You collapse back into your seat, unable to stand any longer. Your ears were ringing and your knees felt weak. The fatigue had spread to every part of your body and you weren't sure if you were even going to make it home. Doubling over, you plant your forehead onto the table with a thud, groaning at the pain.

Nervous, concerned murmuring breaks out amongst the group before Chan waves them silent with a hand. You feel Felix's hand on your bicep and around your waist, Chan's forearm looping around your other arm. They both stand and begin walking down the street, where Felix parked the car. You hear him give the boys a half-hearted goodbye before he's focusing on getting you inside the car. You hear Chan murmuring before the door opens and you're back in the passenger seat, the smell of leather and Felix's favourite cologne filling your nose. You see Felix hug his friend, then Chan's hand affectionately running through your hair, then the door shuts and Felix is driving home.

The drive home feels like ages.

You balance precariously on the border between consciousness and unconsciousness, the world outside the window swirling into a blurry haze. Your head feels numb. You barely register a pair of warm, steady arms wrapping around your frame, and then suddenly, you're in bed, Felix's hand smoothing over your forehead. He tilts your head back and gives you medication, elevating your legs on a thick pillow once your restricting jeans have been gotten rid of.

You feel him gently tugging off the rest of your clothes to avoid making you overheat, and you do your best to help, but he rubs your limbs and shushes you quietly before turning the AC on and covering you with a thin, breathable blanket. It's not long before he undresses and slips into bed next to you, burrowing into the blankets the way he always does. He lets out a pleased squeak at the warmth before he turns over, his hand coming out from underneath the blanket to trace little patterns over your stomach. You feel him doodling hearts, and even through the pain, you can't help the little smile that tweaks at the corners of your mouth. You weakly reach a hand out and touch his cheek, just as you begin to fall into the deep, immuring sleep of the utterly ill and exhausted.

Felix kisses your palm, light as a feather, before tucking his head into the juncture of your neck. He murmurs something, very quietly, into the soft skin.

"I love you, sunflower."

a/n: i hate getting headaches :( just the worst

[svt-nari]

the airport incident / part three

warnings: language (the word s*** is written once, panic attacks, stalkers, weird creepy man, not proofread! a/n: i’m so so so so so so sorry for not posting this sooner, i was trying to finish it as soon as possible and i’m really sorry if it’s not as good as you guys expected. also,,, this will have a continuation, not sure if a part four, but i’ll post other chapters about this whole situation.

part one | part two | part three

nari remembers the exact first time she heard that name. seventeen’s first comeback had just happened and they were holding a small fansign. they were still a small group, not much recognition but they were happy and living their dreams. the fourteen young adults/teens were ecstatic, people coming to meet them and get their autograph – it was just like how they saw on tv.

as fans passed by, one of them caught her attention because he was a bit older than the other people there – probably in his mid-thirties. what made him stand out the most too was how he skipped every single one of the boys just to meet nari.

he greeted her and she greeted back, laughing at his enthusiasm to see her. he apologized to all of the boys, claiming that she’s someone he likes a lot. everyone laughed at that moment, it was funny. though, they didn’t know that from there on he wouldn’t just be a harmless fan.

the second time they meet she was shopping with a friend – a private going, her personal life. many fans saw her because they were also shopping, taking pictures and asking for her autograph. but, nari knew he wasn’t there before they arrived. no. he arrived there with them. she thought it was just a coincidence when he entered the mall doors at the same time as her, bumping on her shoulder and apologizing, feigning surprise when he saw who she was.

nari knew it wasn’t just a normal fan behavior when he asked for her autograph and gave her a card with his number written on it, claiming that she could call him whenever she felt like it. something about him gave her chills. but she ignored it for her own sake, nodding along and trying to convince herself that it was normal for fans to give idols their number.

two years passed when the third huge issue happened, nari knew it wasn’t all just a coincidence. he was stepping foot in her family’s apartment building, moving to the floor bellow to the one where her family lived. she knew that he was aware of what he was doing, he made sure to wave at her and tell her that he was moving there. claiming that he didn’t know her family lived there.

but she knew it was all a big, fat lie.

she was scared and she told her company, getting a huge “we can’t do anything without proof!” as a response – as if the fact that he moved to her parents’ building wasn’t proof enough. they told her it was just her mind playing tricks on her since it was a public building, that he could have just rented it. but she knew it was far from the truth.

he had been following her, she knew because she took the time to memorize his plate just in case something ever happened to her. nari’s safety was in game, she didn’t want to end up hurt because of this guy. she knew he followed her to her family’s home because of his car plate. that made her even more terrified of him.

she had to beg her parents to move, took the time to find a new place for them just to get them to be safe and away from that maniac. though, she wasn’t expecting his reaction to that.

a few days after her parents moved to their new place, nari received a letter on her own building - her members’ home, the dorms. it didn’t have any name nor address written, meaning it was delivered by someone and not the post office. the moment she touched it, nari could feel her whole body shiver. as she opened the letter, her heart pounded in her chest with each word she read to herself.

“hi, hwang nari.

it’s me, your hajunie. i miss you so much, don’t you miss me too? well, i hope you do, because i’m planning on seeing you as soon as possible. i know your schedules are full because of all the comeback preparations, it’s hard being talented, right? well, you sure do know since you’re amazing.

i’m sorry i took so long to reach out, but i was organizing how i could do it all without messing up or having someone else mess it all up. i’ve been keeping track of you though. i memorized your schedules and made sure to be there whenever i could - even if i didn’t make myself known. i’m sorry for letting you down.

though, you also did something to make me upset. i mean, how could you move your family away from me? i just want to get closer to you, meet your - our - family. your actions really hurt me, hwang nari. can’t you see that i just want to see you happy and healthy? that i do everything for you? that we are made for each other? well, if you don’t, i’ll remind you :)

tell jaebeom-ssi to be careful. i have never approved nor appreciated your relationship with anyone. have i not made myself clear when i asked you to never see anyone? i wasn’t kidding, nari. you don’t want your career ruined by this little scandal, right?

i hope you can wait for me, just a few more weeks and then i will see you and hold you. wait for me, darling. i’ll show you that we were made for each other.

much love, your hajunie <3”

she could feel her throat closing, her heart pounded and she reread everything over and over. her mind going miles per second. the thoughts never ending, questions unanswered roaming around her mind. how did he know her address when she’s never seen him around the dorms? how did he know she was dating jaebeom when they were never in public together? what did he mean by seeing her and holding her? wait a few weeks? it all made the young woman’s head spin.

nari gripped the stairs railing as hard as she could, her breath shortening as scenarios ran through her head. she could feel herself slowly slipping into a anxiety attack, her mind not being able to process it all as she looked around. she felt watched, as if some type of paranoia - but she knew it wasn’t just her seeing things.

the first rational thought that came to her mind was calling one of the boys, so she quickly took her phone out of her pocket and dialed junhui’s phone. it took him a few seconds to answer but, the moment he did, jun was already out of the door and towards the buildings ground-floor.

the moment he laid eyes on her, he felt his own heart tighten upon seeing his sister’s state. she had her breathing uneven, tears streaming down as she sat with her face on her knees.

“nabi-ah…”, he sighed worriedly. “oh my god, what happened? are you okay?”

jun sat down next to her, bringing the upset girl to a hug. her sobs instantly got louder, her face buried on the taller one’s chest. her hands gripped his shirt, trying to grasp her breath. he didn’t know what to do, so he just sat there and rubbed her back, whispering reassuring words to the upset girl.

“what?”, she said out loud. the whole venue quieted down, the surprised gasps being the only thing to be heard in the moment. “repeat it.”

“noon-,” mingyu started, being abruptly cut off by the girl.

“no. i said. repeat. it.”, she huffed.

“his name is kim hajun… i saw it on twitter if i’m not mistaken it’s his name.” the taller sighed, his head hanging low.

she knew he wasn’t mistaken. she knows him and now that it got to this point, she’s sure she should’ve told them earlier. if she had just told them about it all, it wouldn’t be like this.

“i know him.”, the boys looked at her with furrowed brows, her manager quickly sighing and bowing his head upon her words. “i know i should have told you about this sooner – a lot sooner – it was just,” she sighed. “i didn’t know how to bring this up.”

“we have had some sasaengs before, i know it’s not an excuse, but i didn’t think it would come to this. the most he did was send a letter to m-“

“wait,” jun exasperated. “so that letter you were crying about all those years back…”

“yeah…” nari sighed. “it was from him.”

she came closer to the boys, having cheol bring a chair so she could sit down amongst the boys.

“he also gave me a letter yesterday…”, she fidgeted with her fingers, focusing on something else than the thirteen boys around her. “i didn’t want to talk about it, but i feel like ot got out of hand and-“

“you feel like it got out of hand!?”, s.coups scoffed. “he touched you and he’s been stalking you. it got out of hand a long time ago!” he exasperated.

“i know, i know!”, she stood up. “but do you think i wanted it to get to this point? he threatened me! he threatened to hurt you all, to hurt my parents!”

everyone’s eyes widened upon hearing her words. she have never said anything about this to anyone, she never even showcased any different emotion. she was so lowkey about it that they never even suspected anything.

“what do you mean by it?”, chan looked at her with a frightened expression. he was clearly worried and distressed by this, which made nari feel even worse about the whole situation.

“the letter jun mentioned, all the way back in 2017…”, nari sat back down. “he had moved to my parents’ building because he discovered where they lived, then i asked them to move once again and he didn’t like it one bit.”, she adjusted her glasses, biting down on her lip as she remembered that in her head. “i was with jaebeom at that time and he somehow knew it, so he sent me a letter threatening to expose us and saying t-that he didn’t l-like-“, her breathing got uneven, her chest tightening as the memories came back.

instantly cheol hugged her, seungkwan getting up to bring her some water and dino going to her side to hold her hand. they knew she was having panic attacks more frequently, so they wanted to make sure it wouldn’t be as bad as the last one.

“it’s okay, we can talk about the other letter some other time. your confirmation was enough for us to take matters, okay?”, jeonghan whispered, petting her head reassuringly.

“yeah, don’t worry about it now. they’ll work with what you told us. when you’re ready you can tell us everything, okay?”, shua smiled at her. “your safety and wellbeing is our number one priority.”

the one thing nari was sure of, is that; if they knew that the company already knew about it and did nothing to change it all, shit would hit the fan. for now, she just wanted to avoid it as much as she could to not make things even worse.

all rights reserved © svt-nari, 2023

[skinzchoerim]

OnlyOneOf's dOpamine concert in Warsaw - my experience (+sentimental musings about the lore and its messages)

The first thing I need to get out of the way is that their crowd interaction game is 1000/10. They went on stage already knowing at least two greetings in Polish, and then Kyubin and Nine did a whole pantomime to explain their understanding of them. They presented "elo" as being very casual, best done with a bro chest bump, and they were correct about that. The funniest thing was when Nine showed "siema" (a greeting that's basically just as casual as "elo") as being very polite and official with a bow of the head. And hey, if he thinks that's the most official greeting in Polish, who are we to argue?

The translator wasn't very good so a lot of the context got lost, but they said that while sightseeing they met an elderly lady who was a lyOn. Then they met an elderly man from Busan who they hoped to turn into a lyOn, but he wasn't interested, and Nine said that's just how people from Busan are lol. Junji talked about how much he loved the view and that it made him feel really sentimental, which somehow turned into JunRie doing a couple dance with a spin. I really wish I had a video of it, I also can't find any taken by other people 😔

When the time for seOul drift came they asked about a Polish car brand, and of course everyone yelled "MALUCH!!!", so it was hilarious when they asked us to do a Warsaw drift in a maluch with them.

At some point the audience started chanting "zajebiście" which basically means "fucking awesome", and they were very keen to learn how to pronounce it. I really hope they remember it cause that would be iconic.

Now let's do a time leap and go back to what happened before the concert.

I watched the fanchat from afar and had the best view of Yoojung who looked really invested in everyone he talked to. I was surprised to see how wide and baby-like Rie's face is, it's really cute. Everyone says they look even better in real life, and personally I don't find that to be true. I think they're exactly as beautiful as they appear on screen. I'll explain it in more detail later.

Now for the fansign, which... my god. My worst fear when I saw how little time was reserved for it came true, because it really went by at the speed of light. I'm really glad I brought the prints to give them, because there was no way they would have noticed the shirt. For reference, here is what I gave them (Yoojung got two):

Junji was first, he smiled and said a cheerful "Hi!", I handed him the album and then quickly gave him the print before having to move on to Rie who was already making eye contact. I don't remember his exact reaction to the print, but he seemed positively surprised. Yoojung was the one who had the biggest reaction, his mouth did the '0' he often does and he either gasped or said "wow", it was all genuinely too fast for me to process and file away every detail. I don't remember Nine's reaction well because I was still reeling from Yoojung's (also I was distracted by his scar makeup, cause damn, it looked realistic). I think he said "thank you", although I'm not sure if he even looked down at the print. Mill also seemed positively surprised. Kyubin was last, and thanks to that I got to watch his reaction for the longest, although it was still barely a second. He looked at the print and then made eye contact with me while he was handing me the signed album. There was something about the look on his face that made me wish I had a moment longer to ask what was going through his head, but unfortunately all I could do was smile, give him an awkward nod goodbye and walk off. Did he recognize that he's seen the drawing before? Was he just surprised? Did he like it? I have no idea.

The hi-touch went by even faster since the staff told us to run. The pictures were taken with about 10-13 lyOns each. After the whole thing was done, I knew that for the next concert (fingers crossed 🤞) I'll have to buy the VVIP+ benefits. To be fair to myself, there was already a lot going on in the days leading up to the concert and preparing for the fanchat would've only added unimaginable levels of stress, but I think that the second time around, I'd be able to approach it with more ease. More on that later as well.

While waiting for the concert to start, some of their songs were playing in the background. The volume was fairly low and the amount of noise in the hall made it impossible to hear anything beyond the bassline and percussion, but that just made me wish that they'd release their entire discography with only those two elements cause let me tell you, it sounded SICK.

I started to really regret not getting the VVIP+ benefit once the concert began and the people in front of me covered the view with not just their heads, but also phones and lightsticks. I was only in the third/fourth row, but everyone in front of me was taller so I couldn't see everything that was going on, and seeing the videos others shared on Twitter it does seem like I missed a lot. Still, it was the perfect spot to get sprayed with water which happened more times than I could count (mostly Kyubin's deed, thanks bro I needed it).

The performances were absolutely top tier, but did anyone expect otherwise? I need them to release the dOpamine remix, I'd listen to it way more than the original. I couldn't see Yoojung during begin at all because he performed a little further back, so I'm really glad that once the medley was done they all sang the choruses of the solos again with the audience. Did I cry? No, but very fucking nearly, especially when we all sang begin together. Another moment that nearly brought me to tears was when Nine finished performing beyOnd and the music cut one line into the second verse. Obviously part of the reason why it sounded so heartbreaking was how unexpected the ending was and how much I wanted it to go on for longer, but it also sounded like someone suddenly took away his voice, so it fit the theme of Things I Can't Say LOve perfectly.

Speaking of having his voice taken away, I'm happy to report mine wasn't. The concert experiences I ruined for myself by freezing up and not joining everyone else in having fun outnumber the ones I approached with ease and made great memories during. I was especially worried since the previous concert I've been to, Odd Eye Circle's, unfortunately fell into the former category. The English version of Loonatic was my skinz before skinz existed, and when they performed it, anxiety got the better of me. I couldn't even open my mouth to attempt to sing along, and I still have regrets about it, because I know it would have been a liberating experience.

But none of that happened this time. I sang every song along with them (was I feeling smug that I knew almost all of the lyrics when the people around me only knew the English bits? yes, sue me). I put my whole fucking soul into my favorite songs, especially mirage, seOul drift and skinz. I can't even begin to describe how special it felt. Yelling the lyrics to skinz with lyOns all around me and OnlyOneOf a few meters away felt like a full circle moment. skinz was the beginning of so many things for me, and it's such a therapeutic song that's been helping me express myself unapologetically slowly, bit by bit over the past two and a half years. It doesn't matter that I don't have as many vivid memories of the concert as I wish I had, because I know that those two hours on June 12th 2024 have been euphoric and liberating, and I will carry that feeling with me every day, getting a little taste of it each time I listen to these songs again.

While after the fact I do wish the concert had gone on for longer, at the time it felt like the perfect length. The amount of songs in the encore was a genuinely nice gesture, because they were slowly getting people prepared for the end while constantly whipping out another performance, which is a really smart way to leave the audience in high spirits. I think they ended up performing four songs for the encore - OOO yOu, angel, lOve me and dOpamine (without choreo this time), and then the first verse and chorus of time leap right before they left the stage.

The acoustics in Progresja aren't the best, but it was an amazing experience to hear them sing live. I feel like in a lot of recordings it's kind of hard to tell if they're singing live or if it's playback because the vocal and music layers sort of merge into one. I might share the videos that my mom took with her phone, because hers actually captured that live quality of their singing.

I know me writing this here won't change anything, but I have to put I out there - these kinds of stages weren't made for K-pop acts. I can't imagine anyone aside from the people in the first row or someone very tall was able to see the elements of choreography that took part on the floor or the subtitles on videos (which come on, they at least could have had the foresight to place them on the upper part of the screen, not the bottom). K-pop groups - or anyone who doesn't just stand there holding a mic but has a visual side to their performance - should perform in buildings that are constructed like theaters, with the floor gradually rising so everyone can see the stage comfortably. It seems that the Madrid venue was exactly like that, so if anyone reading this was there or at a different concert in a similar venue I'd love to hear about your experience!

Now something that might cheer up anyone who hasn't seen them perform live - this concert made me very grateful that cameras exist and allow us to watch their performances filmed professionally. It's obvious that they're amazing performers from a distance, but only when a camera gets up close and captures the way they express every song and choreography with their faces does it actually hit. I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, Yoojung is such an impressive and expressive performer, both in his body and face, and having close ups of his facial expressions is a gift from heaven.

As I laid down in bed and my emotions were cooling off, it dawned on me how many good things in my life I owe to them and how special it is to have this one artist I can point to and say "the time I spent with them changed me for the better". I think seeing them live isn't even the pinnacle of my experience as a fan, but everything I carry with me every day that I have thanks to them. That being said, I really want to see them again. Most of what I've written down here was right after the concert, but now I don't feel like I remember as much as I want to. Nonetheless, this was my favorite concert among the ones I've attended and the most special experience of my life so far. Next time I'm getting VVIP+ and getting closer to that stage so I can finally enjoy the view in peace. I'm not even taking the option that they won't return here into account. They will last forever and they will have an infinite number of world tours.

This is where this post stops being a concert review and becomes sentimental musings of an unhinged person, so strap in. I did my best to structure this section in a way that would clearly communicate my thoughts to someone who isn't the owner of my brain and therefore doesn't have the exact mind map of interpretations of the various elements of OnlyOneOf's lore. The things I say here might be something most of us have thought or felt at some point, so what I hope to achieve here is simply it put into words, because I don't think anyone else has done that in the context of OOO.

I have to start by defining what exactly I mean whenever I say “the lore” (please don't make a drinking game out of every time I say "lore" in this post, you will die). Just like with any other K-pop group who has a deeply thought out concept, “the lore” encapsulates everything related to their conceptual work - songs, music videos, lyrics, teasers, MV descriptions, symbolism, references etc. What makes my definition of OOO’s lore deviate from how I'd define other K-pop groups' lore is the elements that make OOO's lore itself different from any other. K-pop storylines are known to be complex, but the ones I’m familiar with can all be described in the form of a story with specific characters played by the members, various events, superpowers and plot twists. OOO’s lore is more focused on emotions - loneliness, desire, love, fear. Because of that, the facts of what happens in the work itself can take second place to the emotional value of it. Their story can't be analyzed like a book with a beginning, middle and end, because it's too ambiguous and multifaceted for that. We can instead discuss the themes and observe the emotional progression happening within the lore. I like to compare analyzing their lore to untangling the chord of your earphones, because when you start getting frustrated at yet another impossible knot, you can just give it a rest, put the earphones in and enjoy how their art makes you feel.

I think it was the youtuber LOU who first viewed something OOO had made through the lens of cubism in her video about dOra maar, but I'd take it a step further and say that OOO's art makes the most sense if you look at everything from a cubist perspective, i.e. there isn't a single perspective on anything, but multiple viewpoints that all work together to create what we could call "the lore". It becomes easier to take a look at the whole picture the lore paints if you keep that in mind.

We observe an internal journey across various songs that connect to each other in smaller or bigger ways. We can, but we don't have to view all of them as being one person's story. The lore contains a collection of themes that create an ambiguous, unnamed protagonist whom we see represented by the bOy wearing cOmme des garçOns or the characters in the be series. None of them are THE protagonist, but they all make up the protagonist, because they all offer different perspectives on the themes that drive OOO's art and have been building up the group's identity over the past five years.

All of what I've mentioned thus far is just creative fiction. There is another perspective on their art that has real life implications, because there are real people whose job it is to express the inner world of the protagonist through songs and performances. OOO's music videos acknowledge their status as idols in the same way other K-pop groups with a fictional narrative do - they break the fourth wall by showing snippets of choreo and lipsyncing in between storytelling. OOO could be written off as nothing more than actors in entirely fictional roles if it wasn't for how intertwined they are with the themes in their art, in no small part thanks to how active they are in the creative process, but even beyond that. Their job as idols is acknowledged within the narrative (skinz MV, beyOnd description, the name of undergrOund idOl). So, their life as idols with a fandom is yet another perspective through which we can view their themes.

Here is where our role as spectators becomes important, because this aspect of the lore couldn't exist without our input. The way we respond to it and the conversation we create around it is what gives it meaning.

One side of the lore is the human side - the intimate and natural imagery of the libidO MV, the cozy warmth of cOy, the fun of blOssOm's choreography. On the other side, there are parts of the lore that feel emotionless and cold - MVs like sage, time leap, asOiaf, dOpamine, or graphics for Off angel and dOra maar. This dichotomy is something that can be used to discuss a lot of themes, like emotional distance in romantic relationships or a feeling of being ostracized by society. For the benefit of this post, I'll focus only on parasocial relationships between artists and fans.

Being a fan is both an experience of intense connection and distance that goes way beyond just oceans and borders. The one-sided nature of a parasocial relationship can be difficult to navigate for some people, but it seems to be something a lot of us need. It's comforting to know that you can develop a strong emotional bond with someone you're completely detached from and don't have to do any of the work a real interpersonal relationship needs; you just get to enjoy yourself as you receive art and entertainment. But that comfortable distance distorts the way we perceive the artist's personhood. We know and understand that they're a fellow human being, but we can't help that we never have an opportunity to experience them as such. They’re not people to us in the sense that they have no physical presence in our lives, they're just a series of recorded images projected onto a screen, filtered and airbrushed. We can watch them act like regular people on and off the stage, but whether we want to or not, we perceive them as more glamorous than anyone we meet on a daily basis. How could we not when part of their job is to tower over us while looking like a perfectly crafted illustration every time they get on stage?

This is where another theme present in OnlyOneOf’s art comes in, which is putting someone on a pedestal. In their songs, it's discussed in the context of romantic, artist/muse or God/follower relationships, but the part of the lore I'm talking about here is something that exists in the way we as spectators perceive them and their work.

Idols are human - I'm aware I'm not making an interesting point by acknowledging that. The reason I've been inspired to write about this in the first place is that I realized how being in physical proximity to someone you have a parasocial relationship with can shift your perception of their humanity.

I didn't buy the VVIP+ benefit because I knew I would be way too nervous about those six minutes and I'd probably spend most of that time awkwardly pretending I can hear what they're saying through the noise all around. Never meet your heroes, because you might make an idiot out of yourself, or however the saying goes. I thought I was in the vast minority who felt this way due to my anxiety while other lyOns would be ecstatic to get to meet them face to face. However, while I was standing in the queue I overheard a lot of people talking about how nervous they were, which is funny, because why the hell would any of us be nervous? They're the ones who are about to have a crowd of strangers observing their every move and recording every little mistake, they should be feeling the most nervous of us all! This got me thinking about why anyone would be nervous to meet their favorite artist, and the conclusion I came to is that it's intimidation. We're not wrong to feel intimidated; I think it's perfectly normal and natural in this scenario. I'd say it’s also quite healthy, because you’re not able to get too familiar with someone who intimidates you, which ensures the emotional distance required within a parasocial relationship is kept. As with everything, it's about balance. The problem appears when the emotional distance between a regular audience member and an idol grows so large that it becomes dehumanizing. Unfortunately, seeing how Korean netizens and international fans alike latch onto tiny things to criticize about the things idols do and say, this is still a very relevant topic. A pedestal that's too high can result in an approach that's entitled, cold, and often cruel. An idol becomes an imitation of a person, someone untouchable and unshakeable. Any words thrown their way, especially online, feel insignificant in comparison to their towering presence. For the people with an especially cruel streak, finding out their actions have a psychological impact on a public figure probably makes them feel like they regained some power in this uneven relationship. To them, it's nearly impossible to perceive an idol as someone with a right to receive empathy, because in their mind, the idol is too far removed from the humanity they observe in people who exist around them.

What's important here is that the lore shows us the full spectrum of who OOO are - they're idols, singers, performers, actors; they're people with fears, desires, intimate stories and hidden sides; people who have dopamine running through their bodies, people who need connection with others and people who have things they can't say. These things can't be separated from the members, because they make sure to take this message beyond the art itself. They don't filter themselves nearly as much as most idols have to - they swear, make dirty jokes, write songs about sex, casually talk about kissing men and offhandedly mention having a romantic life without apologizing for it. They're underground idols, and they intentionally distance themselves from the unforgiving audience members who would have a heart attack if their faves acted one tenth as relaxed as OOO do on a daily basis.

What I'm trying to get at here is that OnlyOneOf's art is created with the intention to create more empathy - for queer people, for mistreated lovers, for discarded muses, for people reconciling their faith with their sexuality, for one's own self despite having a lot of internalized issues. Through doing that, they override the loneliness inherent to the stories their songs tell and create possibilities for connection. They give us art that makes us feel less lonely by being a reflection of our messiest, most intimate feelings and experiences, and in turn they ask us to recognize them as a reflection of us and to not isolate them from the full human experience just because of the job they chose and its restrictions. When Jaden Jeong said they're the future of boy groups, I think he hoped they could influence audiences to humanize the figure of the idol.

I watched them between the professionally executed performances as they riffed off of each other, laughed and zoned out while looking at the audience. There were no cuts to a different, more flattering angle, no hand in the editing room controlling what footage sees the light of day. They look more beautiful in real life not because anything about their features looks different, but because the reality of being in the same space with them and finally getting to experience them just as any other human being, even with some distance still present, is a very special experience that holds beauty of its own. At that moment, I couldn’t remember why I was nervous before, and I began to wish I had sat down with them and shared a short conversation about any random thing. It would have been imperfect, but there was no reason to be afraid of that. They're just six guys of flesh and blood who clearly love what they do and whose work has given me happiness and purpose over the past two and a half years, and I would have cherished those six minutes of interaction.

On the train home, I discovered a more sentimental feeling while listening to them, especially the songs they performed, but not exclusively. There was something more personal and artistic I heard in their voices that made each song feel like more than just a recording, but a special moment in time shared by people who created something they wanted to share with others. This feeling fades the more the time distance grows between the current me and the me that attended the concert. Two hours weren’t enough.

I don't know how to end this post other than to say how fascinating it is that including imagery of fan/idol culture and technology within the lore so it mixes with all these deeply intimate stories makes everything OOO do a living piece of art. Simply existing as idols and people fuels the reason for the existence of their concept in the way that it currently exists, and I just think it's incredible.

[ohmygs-blog]

hi!! idk if u saw this, but as i was reading again some of your works, in your “what are we” texts mark asks reader “will u be my girl?” and recently in a fansign he said exactly this when asked how he would ask someone to be his girlfriend :( just thought this was really cute!

aw wait omgggg 🥹 but i guess its time to be honest with u guys… i’m actually dating mark and he told me those exact words soooo 😊😊😊!!!

no really tho that’s like actually so crazy and maybe i’m literally psychic guyssss 🙈🙈🙈

[skzoologist]

Meeting Bae at a fansign event

request: meeting Bae and interacting with him by @thightswideforhanin

word count: ~1.6k

warnings: none

genre: crack

a/n: As I mentioned earlier, I really don't know how exactly a fansign works, so I could only go off on things the internet provided me with. This is the result, I hope you're happy with it! I think you will be, dear, considering you just caused Bae to malfunction lol

Please let me know if I left a warning or anything out, I will add it in! Reblogs, likes and feedback are greatly appreciated!

!I don't condone anyone stealing my work and posting it anywhere without my permission, or feeding it to AI!

!This is just fiction, my interpretation of Stray Kids. By no means is this how they are and how they behave in real life!

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

They’d had their latest comeback a week ago, STAY still recoiling from its mind-breaking effects. The feedback on it was overwhelming, giving immense glee to the boys who took great pride in their work. Nothing made them happier than their fans’ joy, caused by something they all worked extremely hard for. Shaking the musical industry was their goal, and they’d succeeded.

Of course, with every new comeback came the time for a fansign, something that was always exciting, for both participating sides. For the fans, because they could finally meet their beloved idols, and for the members, who were happy to personally chat with the people who’d supported them through their arduous journey so far. Bae was no exception to this rule, no matter what anyone would think. He loved his fans dearly, despite his cold appearance and hard to approach aura.

But god, did he wish they would fluster him at least a bit less.

On stage, in comments under every picture or video, in their own edits, it didn’t matter, never did. There was bound to be at least one person saying a cheesy pickup line, something they all knew worked on Bae like a charm. The man loved cheesy and bad puns, which was the exact reason why he’d been dragged to Chan’s lives several times, just for the elder to read some comments out loud and cause Bae’s skin to flare up on camera. It was an endless cat and mouse game, one Chan enjoyed tremendously.

So imagine when these people could say those things to Bae’s face directly. He slightly dreaded it already to be quite honest, even though the event hadn’t even started yet.

“How’re ya holdin’ up?” - it was Chan’s voice, a sweet melody calming to his anxious mind. “It feels like there’s more than usual.” - that was Bae’s only reply, his dominant hand disappearing behind the veil of his hair, no doubt to lightly tug on his earlobe hidden there.

The leader just grabbed onto Bae’s shoulder, giving it a few gentle squeezes, reassuring the younger successfully. Bae couldn’t help feeling like this, he never did exceptionally well in social settings. Maybe that was why he naturally gravitated towards Jisung, the two too similar in that sense for their own good.

An unexpected force threw Bae almost off-balance, his own legs and a strong pair of arms immediately compensating for the sudden added weight to his back.

“I’m soooooooo excited! Aren’t you, Bae hyung?” - it was their little sunshine, his energy off the charts.

Bae and Chan just chuckled at him, the latter ruffling his hair with fond eyes. The tallest member took the young one’s legs into his hold, shifting the boy properly up onto his back and giving him a piggyback ride. Felix naturally didn’t complain, happiness practically radiating from him thanks to the surprise affection Bae was giving him. This caused Chan to loudly laugh, his phone already in his hands and taking a video to show the others later. Bae’s cheeks slightly dusted, but he was used to this already a bit, thankfully.

“Oh wow, Hyung’s favouritism is showing again.” “Seungmin, what are you– Oh my god, you’re right. Dal hyuung!” - Jeongin’s voice whined after he rounded the corner, eyes watching the scene in mock disbelief.

Bae merely looked back at them with a raised eyebrow, as if to ask them both if they wanted to take Felix’s place. The two immediately shook their heads, dropping the act before they activated their hyung’s overbearingly affectionate side and doomed themselves to be coddled to death.

The others trickled into the same room as well, their eyes instantly latching onto Bae and teasing him, asking where their own piggyback rides were. Changbin was the most vocal about it, only calming down once he was promised to be the next to get one. The otter’s ears were already red, even though he hadn’t even met a single STAY yet. He had to do something about it and quickly, lest they were called to go out like this. But no matter what he wanted, Felix had a plan of his own, not releasing Bae even when the man stopped holding him up.

“Lixie…” “What? You started it, now you’re stuck with me!”

What had he done to deserve this…?

“Hyung’s gonna have to go out like this and I’m already loving it.” - it was Jisung, eyes twinkling in evil delight. “Oh absolutely, me too. You record and I take photos?” - Hyunjin replied, the two sharing a brofist before laughing at the glare Bae sent them.

True to his words, Felix didn’t let the older go, causing Bae to start holding him again in fear of any accidents happening otherwise, injuring one of them.

They were soon called to go out and take their places at their respective booths a few minutes later. The mere thought made Bae hesitate, something that Minho took the opportunity of, stealing a butt smack from both him and the koala clinging to his back. Felix was merely surprised for a split second, while Bae yelped quietly, glaring at the running form of his cat-like hyung with no real heat behind his gaze.

Knowing he had to get it over with either way, he followed Minho, bumping into the man playfully before letting the younger get down from his back. There was cheering from their audience, no doubt enjoying their silly interactions that were hard to come by when it involved the Glacial Prince.

Bae took his seat, being the sixth in line, sitting right between Hyunjin and Minho. The fans were absolutely ecstatic, excited chatter barely contained for the sake of their idols. Everyone was holding something, either an accessory for the members to put on, or a plushie to cuddle and play with. The first fan was taken to the first member, the beloved maknae of the group. A minute or two later they were ushered over to Seungmin’s booth, the next fan taking their place.

It went like this for a while, nothing major happening. Thankfully the first few fans decided to have mercy on Bae, merely chatting with him about their latest comeback happily and not giving him anything too embarrassing to put on yet.

This soon changed, the next fan looking entirely too thrilled to take a seat in front of him at last. Bae recognised them, remembering how they usually held a sign with a pickup line about him or Jisung in their concerts, shouting their names and overpowering the speakers’ high volume. He mentioned this to them with a gentle smile while he signed the page their album was marked at, causing them to gasp and nearly shout in excitement and disbelief.

“Of course I remember, I have good memory.” - he chuckled out, pushing back the album into their awaiting hands with another smile. “Ohmygod I love you Bae oppa, I have the biggest crush on you!” - the words stumbled out of their mouth, surprising not just Bae, but themselves as well.

The idol blinked back at them, pale cheeks rapidly tinting red with each passing second. No words that formed in his mind could successfully leave his mouth, giving ample time for the STAY in front of him to recover. They quickly placed some clip-on cat ears onto the table, seemingly high quality and fluffy. Pleading eyes stared into Bae’s own, their request clear and unmistakable.

With a quiet, well-hidden sigh and closed eyes, Bae gathered his inner strength, knowing fully well his members would not let him live this down for a while. It was only a matter of time before one of these somehow got onto his head, he knew that well.

So, his hands gently took the accessories, swiftly attaching them onto his long hair that was dyed a deep violet. The reaction was immediate, a poorly concealed squeal leaving the fan’s lips as they complimented him over and over, the gushing merely strengthening the rising colour on his cheeks.

For their last minute they simply talked, the fan grateful for having been able to meet him this close and expressing their gratitude. Bae gently smiled at that, thanking them for supporting the band so much through thick and thin. 

When the pair's time was up, the eager fan promised to attend the next concert as well, not wanting to let their crush down. His skin that was slightly faring better heated up once again, his attention stolen by the next fan and the album he had to sign. Bae tried his best to focus solely on the new fan in front of him, despite feeling the stares on the sides of his face from his members, no doubt lured by his flustered state that was pointed out by the shy girl sitting at his booth.

“YO, BAE HYUNG, THOSE LOOK GOOD ON YOU! WANT ME TO BUY YOU SOME?” - Jisung’s voice cut through the shushed chatter, pulling in everyone’s attention. “Don’t worry Sungie, I already got it covered.” - Minho replied calmly, that smug expression already sitting on his face as he watched Bae.

The male in question could only hide behind his hands, his walls of defence completely crushed and crumbled down, clearly hearing everyone’s chuckles and the fans cheering as he only hid deeper into the palms of his hands. He couldn’t look into anyone’s eyes, not even the poor fan who was right in front of him, obviously enjoying the show, if her giggles were anything to go by.

Flustered, Bae could only hope his fans would have mercy on him for the remainder of the event, knowing fully well that it was naive thinking.

[svt-chanel]

Chanel being ✨️ICONIC✨️

1.☆ Chanel was once spotted in a bar trying to pull someone and all of the comments were "w rizz"

2.☆ One of her pics went viral and even locals were asking who she was

3.☆ Many companies wanted Chanel as their Trainee and even tried to bribe her but she ended up chasing Pledis

4.☆ Prada, Dior, Chanel, Miu Miu, and even Celine wanted and even argued over her on TWITTER...So Chanel decided to become each brands Ambassador over the years. (The brands cried on twitter once it wasn't their turn anymore)

5.☆ The president of China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Australia all admitted to being Chanel fans. 6.☆ Everything she wears/eats becomes viral and sells out almost immediately.

7.☆ Momo of TWICE, all BLACKPINK members, and other kpop idols have told Chanel about her being the Asia role model and are even look up to her.

8.☆ many western artist want to collaborate with her.

9.☆ A famous painter has admitted that Chanel is the muse of his most famous paintings.

10.☆ She winked at an interviewer and they just kept stuttering.

11.☆ A flirty idol blushed when she winked at the camera.

12.☆ All of the girl aussies (Danielle, Lily, Hanni, and Rosé) started to fangirl over her in a live and eventually said "I need to touch grass." Becoming a famous moment between all those fandoms and especially Carats. (Due to her having solo schedules she couldn't make it to the live)

13.☆ A few idols argued over who she would sit next to at an award show.

14.☆ She had once manspread in a live and it became a famous moment with Carats simping over it and making edits.

15.☆ Carats meow instead of bark at concerts and her satisfied reaction becomes famous.

16.☆ A clip of her hands at a fansign go crazy viral "IDK WHO SHE IS BUT PLEASE CHOKE ME"

17.☆ On a solo live she read put a comment that said "mommy? Sorry." And then laughed and said "Mommy? Yeah you can call me that." Whike smirking.

18.☆ Once during an interview she stared at on object (hella) hard but everyone brushed it off thinking she was zoning out until that exact object fell while she just smirked and looked away.

19.☆ A fan had been secretly recording her in an airport and she immediately found the camera but when she looked at the camera her eyes turned fully white as if she was possessed scaring everyone around her and they left.

20.☆ In all of the group M/Vs that she films people say they see her behind her members copying their EXACT movement once the company heard about this they released a statement saying that you're never behind your members but somehow they still see you.

21.☆ A picture of you was shown on the news because of you're album sales but as soon as you showed up everybody's TV glitched and all they saw was you for 10 minutes straight and lots of people said that after a few minutes the picture started smiling.

22.☆ During an award show 2 of her tts top charts then compete against each other.

23.☆ Even antis dont deny that she's the 3rd gen it girl.

24.☆ When dancing on stage the top of the award broke off and she went viral for it.

25.☆ She passed out on stage but she was still singing her lines somehow.

26.☆ On a live with SEVENTEEN she was off to the side doing her own thing while the members were playing around but the fans attention was on you only and they couldn't figure out why. (There was even theories made about it)

27.☆ Chanel is chosen to represent Vietnam, Korea, and Australia for MRS UNIVERSE every year (2017-2024) and once she even won for all three countries.

28.☆ Once at the mall a kid (13 year old) saw her there and said "Isn't that Chanel from SEVENTEEN? She's so pretty." And she couldn't help but blush.

29.☆ Her debut (solo) song "Smart" broke the guineas world record for the most streamed debut in history.

30.☆ She died her hair as a blue and black wolfcut and it immediately became known as the "Chanel Hair"

[gaykey]

can you share your thoughts on the guilty promos? the outfits, the themes, the performances etc.

suuuuper late here anon, this has been in my drafts for ages, i'm sorry!

i can, but i make no promises that my thoughts will be anything interesting. i'm not really operating at full function at the minute, but, this ask has been sitting in my inbox for a little while now, and i feel bad.

so - i had to catch up with his performances and stuff for this, because i hadn't watched them all, but i have now, though i will admit, i'm not up to date with every single bit of promo he's done.

to start. outfits. now, i'd say they've been quite eclectic? in terms of? overall style and execution.

i think we've seen a few different sides of the taemin stage fit spectrum with this promo season. a few of my fave:

the culty uniform:

this was such a simple look but i really loved it. it's the fact that all of his dancers are wearing the exact same thing. not slightly more feminized versions like they usually tend to.

like, it's more of a totslly genderless vibe, in a different way to how taemin usually does it. his looks tend to be more of a straddle between tradition masculine and feminine styles, whereas this is neither. i think it's super unique.

and also, because it also is very fitting for the themes of guilty, and the music video. the themes of forced conformity ect. i find it really impactful for such a simple fit, paired with the 'no makeup' make up. it has layers. possibly my fave from his stages.

i have to talk about the fit that went viral lol

see, this is some standard taemin fare. the vampire vibes. lace, ruffles, victorian-esque, masculine and feminie touches. gloves. all around a good look. and it casued a little bit of hysteria too. very fitting for guiltys vibe. if it were anyone else, i'd actually say it was a publicity tactic lmaooo.

a few others are, the military-esque look he did, with that boxy black coat, the fuzzy jumper that he aldp wore to the fansign event, and the all white one with the rips, and drapes, and cut-outs (which is veeeery key during bad love era).

overall, i think the styling is really cool, and though it has some very taemin elements, and looks that we're used to seeing on him. it still is kind a new vibe for him? like, idk, it's giving more gritty dystopia. a slightly rougher look for him than we usually get with his solos.

still gender non-conforming, but yeah, rougher. dare i say, edgy?

taemin, usually has quite sleek and put together styling. this feels more chaotic, and thrown together, almost like something his ragtag group of escapees have rustled up themselves.

like the denim skirt look! i don't know how to explain it, other than that look gives me king of the junkyard vibes.

again, so fitting for guilty.

i'd also like to talk about the make up

like, on one side we have the cunty alien look from his the rizzness performances

because????? what a loook! obsessed actually. the make up, the nails, the baggy all black fit with the over the top gold accessories? so good. i really loved all of this looks for this song.

buuuut, he also did some really soft looks too which i loved. either pink blush right under his eyes, or just in his lids, with a bit of glitter. or, a total no make up look like i mentioned before.

almost 'clean girl makeup' but i really fucking hate that term.

the contrasting looks do it for me they really do.

something something "on that vague border between good and bad" something something.

and this one.

this fit was a grower for me. but now? wow wow wow. there's levels to this.

in terms of the overall promo, i think it's suuuuuper interesting, that's more focused on one, taemin's vocal ability, and two, how respected and loved he is as a veteran idol.

it's so great to see so much focus on his vocals because, they do tend to get overshadowed by his dance ability. he did killing voice! like, it's a crime that shinee or a member has only now been in killing voice but ok.

his musicality has been at the forefront this era.

and, wow. the videos featuring all his fan boys.

this was a taemin request, i'd fully believe it. he wants to feel loved and desired by boys, and he got his wish and them some with this promo.

i've never seen another male idols promo revolve around his desirabilty with men before. it's actually so interesting.

like taemin loves to perpetuate the parasocial realtionship with fans, we all know this, but, he's been doing that more on lives and stuff? lije more one-on-one fan interaction.

whereas his actual official promo has been all about how he's the 'idol of idols'. it's a unique approach.

um yeah, i think those are most of my thoughts about guilty era.

[kmgkmg]

LOOKIN FOR YA - LEE DONGHYUCK

word count: 2.1k...

pairing: donghyuck x gn!reader

synopsis: idol!donghyuck is desperately searching for his soulmate, which happens to be you!

genre/s: fluff, soulmate!au, strangers-to-lovers, idol!hyuck, non-idol!reader

warnings: none!

rating: pg

a/n: my second nct fic! i feel like hyuck would fw joyce wrice’s music HARD, so i thought of him while listening to her new ep the other day. fic inspired by lookin for ya by joyce wrice. 

From the earliest that Donghyuck could remember, he always wanted to meet his soulmate. He found the system of soulmate matching unfair, especially with his occupation. How was he supposed to find someone who had the exact same birthmark as him? He thought he would’ve found his soulmate in his adolescence, but after waiting until after his 12th birthday, he decided to leave it up to fate. If he could go back to the past, he always tells Mark, he would wait until he was slightly older to increase his chances in meeting his other half. Due to his romantic outlook on life, he regrets joining SM at such a young age, yet there was no denying that he loved his job. 

He loved singing, he loved his members, he loved his fans, but he couldn’t help but feel as if something was missing. 

Although birthmarks were the only way to tell who was your soulmate, they remained invisible until you met or were soon to meet each other. Unlike what most have heard about soulmates meeting, you weren’t able to tell when you were close to your soulmate. It’s not as if your birthmark turned a bright color or changed temperature, everything was relatively normal. Your birthmark would remain visible for a short window of two months, if you hadn’t found your soulmate by that time, you lost your chance to find each other forever. 

Donghyuck had gone through the daily ritual of checking his entire body for an emergence of a birthmark, but each day he was met with disappointment at his stagnant appearance. Him and the dreamies had just finished their schedule for the day and he was beat. After washing up, he plops on the bed next to his members and mindlessly scrolls on his phone. 

“Was that always there?” Mark points at Donghyuck’s back to which Donghyuck responds by quickly running to look at his own reflection in the mirror. He had yet to check himself for anything today, and lo and behold, there was a newly visible birthmark on his right shoulder blade. 

The boy stares at his shoulder, still in awe before exclaiming, “Holy shit. Mark, I finally have the chance to meet my soulmate!” While some members such as Jaemin and Chenle had already met their soulmates, each member was eager to know when they would be able to meet theirs. Donghyuck’s passion towards finding his other half was the strongest, it was clear to all the boys, especially his best friend Mark. 

“Congrats dude!” Mark replies with the mood in the room shifting as the boys are visibly happy for Donghyuck and his hopeless romantic antics. 

Renjun doesn’t let the excited mood last for long, “I’m happy that you have the chance to meet them, but we did so much today. From the fansign, outfit fittings, and album jacket shooting, how do you plan to find them?” 

Donghyuck doesn’t let Renjun’s reality check hit him too hard and his faltered smile swiftly turns into a mischievous grin. The grin that they were all used to, the one that was always the start of his notorious schemes. 

“That can never be good.” Jisung chimed in as all of the members continued to look at Donghyuck, awaiting what he was going to say or do next. 

“Ah het!” Donghyuck exaggerates cuteness by making a peace sign and putting it next to his eye. The members look at Hyuck, speechless and disgusted by his behavior. He’s unphased and quickly pulls out his phone, earning looks of wariness from the members. “Hey Czennies! I know some of you just saw me with the fansigns today, but I have a very important question. You see- the thing is- my soulmate birthmark is finally visible!” He takes a pause to set up his phone on the nightstand next to him, then moves his tank top slightly to show his birthmark. “So, if any of you have this birthmark, or know anybody with it, please let me know!” Donghyuck grins and waves at his phone one last time before ending the livestream. 

Mark can hear his phone ringing from the hotel suite’s dining room and although he typically is a faithful employee to SM, he can’t help but be amused at Donghyuck’s boldness. Idols were taught to never let fans know about their romantic life. Dating was frowned upon, but still semi-accepted. Talking about soulmates on the other hand was completely unheard of. Jaemin and Chenle kept their soulmates as secrets from the fans and the public.

The members look at Donghyuck, still stunned at his actions as he now had a triumphant glow. “Well, that’s certainly one way to find your soulmate.” Jeno raises his eyebrows, impressed by his friend. 

“I’ll deal with whatever the company has planned for me as a punishment by myself, sorry Mark.” Hyuck looks empathetically at Mark, understanding his boldness and impulsiveness would most likely cause his leader trouble as well. 

Mark shakes his head in a nonchalant manner, “Nah man, don’t worry about it. I know how much you want to find your soulmate. I got your back, but we should really head to the company to talk to the PR team to get this sorted so it doesn’t blow up into something bigger.” Hyuck quickly agrees and they head to the company, preparing for the consequences of his livestream. 

“We want to hold a press conference revealing that you were lying about having your soulmate birthmark show up.” The PR team leader announces, not expecting the frowns on the idols’ faces. 

“Wait, he can’t do that.” Mark quickly defends, his tone turning stern.

The PR team leader scoffs, “And why not? Must we remind you both that you are under contracts and according to clause 34a, you must never speak about soulmates or your birthmarks.” 

“Still! Think about how much revenue we bring into the company, that has to count for something.” Mark protests, his frustration growing stronger by the second.

Donghyuck didn’t mean for Mark to get this involved, feeling sorry towards his friend and leader he finally speaks up, “I’ll do it.” 

Mark’s head whips back towards Hyuck’s direction and he recognizes how serious his friend is, “If Haechan says he will, then I guess I can’t refute that.” 

The PR team leader closes their folder before heading out of the room, “Glad this could be settled efficiently then.” 

Mark and Hyuck sit in silence for a while, Donghyuck unable to meet Mark’s eyes. 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Mark asks, his voice laced with concern as he reaches out to rub his member’s back. 

“For the members, of course.” Hyuck finally meets Mark’s eyes and gives him a meek smile before standing up to head back to their hotel. While Hyuck told Mark it was fine, Mark couldn’t help but notice the way Hyuck’s eyes were moist and the way his voice faltered.

Throughout the past month, multiple fans had tried to approach Hyuck and prove to him that they were his soulmate. Some went as far as to tattoo a mark similar to his birthmark, but he could always tell it wasn’t authentic by being able to distinguish even the smallest flaws in the details. The press conference had helped in dispelling the rumors from the public and news agencies, but fans were convinced that their precious Haechan was looking for his other half. He tried to remain optimistic, but it was hard when he only had a month left and no leads.  

Today they were filming a promotional video for their upcoming tour and later needed to rehearse for the concerts as well. It was a day full of appointments with fellow professionals and Hyuck could feel himself getting worn out already. He had finished his shooting of promotional photos and video clips a while ago, now all that was left to do was wait for the director to tell them when he needed to be present for the full group shots. He closed his eyes, not tired enough to fall asleep but not energetic enough to keep his eyelids open any longer than he needed to. 

“Food delivery!” You announce, walking into a studio full of people in their own worlds. It wasn’t unusual that you delivered food to celebrities, especially since your best friend’s restaurant had established itself to be a hidden gem within the industry. What did cause you to be surprised was that someone had ordered your favorite dish, kimchi jigae. Your friend’s restaurant’s focus was fusion food, but it was rare that people ordered dishes that weren’t fusion. You had come to Korea a couple years ago, wanting to visit your friends but they all convinced you to stay longer with them. 

Getting back to the task at hand, you saw an empty table labeled for food delivery and began to unpack the orders. 

Hyuck’s rest was cut short as his nose was overcome by the lovely and familiar scent of kimchi jigae. He had asked his manager to place an order from this restaurant, shocked by how rich their stew tasted. After a long day, he couldn’t have been more thankful that it was his turn to choose the menu. He couldn’t remember the name of the restaurant and when he finally was able to recall the name, it was posted on the restaurant’s website that they would be closed for a month. He had been counting down the days to order again. 

He gets up from the couch he was resting on and notices you placing the food down, only before realizing you had a birthmark identical to him on your shoulder blade. His face lights up as he once again thanked the gods for the season being summer, making everyone inclined to dress appropriately for the hot weather. 

“Baby, I've been looking for you.” Hyuck purred to himself as he makes his way over to you. You were still clearly preoccupied with setting up the food the neatest that you could, so focused that you had yet to notice his presence next to you. “Hey, I’m Donghyuck.” He says, making you nearly jump out of your skin at the sudden voice beside you. 

“Oh, okay! Donghyuck...” You trail off, looking for his name but frowning when you can’t find it.

“Ah shit, sorry! I meant Haechan.” He corrects himself, relief quickly washing over you as you find his name, attached to the order of kimchi jigae? You were still unaware of how he was unable to stop staring at you, in awe that he had just found his soulmate.

“No worries. You made a great selection by the way! The kimchi jigae is definitely the most underrated dish we serve.” You state, handing him his order before getting back to sorting the food. 

He clears his throat, indicating he still wanted your attention, “I’m sorry if this is too forward, but have you met your soulmate yet?” He points at your shoulder blade, leaving you to feel confused at how he knew it was your soulmate birthmark. 

“Oh, I haven’t. But how did you know where my soulmate birthmark was?” You ask, suddenly curious about the boy in front of you. 

He takes off his jacket and moves his shirt aside enough for you to see an identical spot on his shoulder blade. Your mouth is now agape, as you instinctually stroke your fingertips over his skin, tracing his mark. He feels himself turning shy by the sudden physical contact, shivering from your cold touch. 

You realize what you have been doing and promptly remove your hand from him, feeling embarrassed at your own actions. “I’m so sorry! I haven’t met anyone with a similar birthmark yet so I guess I was just in shock.” You ramble, only for him to put his jacket back on and face you once again. 

“Well, I haven’t met anyone with my birthmark either, and I’ve been looking pretty actively for the past month...wait, did you deliver to a styling studio last month?” Haechan asks, suddenly remembering that the restaurant was closed for the past month.

You try to recall the past orders and remember that you did, in fact, deliver to a styling studio. “I did, someone placed an order for kimchi jigae back then too, I assume it was you?” You answer, with his face lighting up more as you confirm that you are his soulmate.

“Yes, and that was the day my birthmark became visible!” He starts out excited, “We’re soulmates- uh, I realized I never caught your name.” The realization that he never asked you of your name makes him begin to blush, shy at his own excitedness. 

You grin at his clumsiness and how cute he looked when he was flustered, “Y/N L/N, nice to meet you Haechan.”

“Y/N.” He repeats softly. “Nice to meet you soulmate, and please, call me Hyuck.” 

[theninthdoor]

Hello again~ Ten told me he might be born in the morning in a fansign early this yr (said he didn't know at first). Can a tarot tell me if he really remembers that it was indeed in the morning, or did he just not want to disappoint me going home empty handed, or did he lie for privacy reason? Thxx again 😂

(he's so sweet and kind BTW gah, and beautiful)

cards: four of wands rx, ten of cups

He was saying the truth, I believe. Also, he might not have said the exact hour or been clearer on when it was (what part of the "morning") because he didn't remember correctly. If he did imply it, however, I feel like he still wasn't sure if that was correct or not.

(Disclaimer: All is alleged and for entertainment purposes only. Based on current energies.)

[dojae-huh]

https://www.instagram(.)com/p/C2zo-FZy2GL/?img_index=1 Look at the 3rd picture of Doyoung's recent IG post. Fans suspect that he spent his birthday with his family because of the letters he got from his parents (but this is basically confirmed), but the 3rd picture made me think he spent the exact midnight of his birthday with Jaehyun. The table arrangement is only for two people, it was neatly prepared which made me think it was a specially prepared for Doyoung. Judging by the light of the room, it was definitely at night. It was not with his family. It looked like an intimate date for it to be with his fam, and there would be more dishes. I saw a tweet that the cake from the 4th picture was the one that came from his family. Also, if you look closely at the corner, the shape of the chair was the exact shape of the chair he was sitting on his Weverse live, which I believe was recorded on his own flat. Doyoung probably spent the midnight and entire morning (before his first Weverse live -- around 2:30 PM KST) with Jaehyun, then spent the rest of the day with his family, then came back home again (before he started he 2nd Weverse live -- around 8 PM KST)

What added to my suspicion was Doyoung did not comment a "thank you" or an acknowledgement of Jaehyun's Weverse greeting post, unlike what he did with Yuta and Johnny's posts (people that he is not with). Doyoung said Jaehyun asked for permission to post it, making me think they were together when Jaehyun asked for permission and Doyoung gave his verbal acknowledgement, hence there is no need to comment online. The time Jae posted it was 1:33 AM KST, could be while they were together, celebrating. JohnDo shippers are claiming that it was JohnDo (https://x(.)com/johndosoreal/status/1753081199566954568?s=20), but I don't think so. Look at the 1st and 2nd picture, Doyoung's hair is unruly and he doesn't have makeup on, compared to what he looked on his Weverse live, where the Johndo shippers are claiming he saw Johnny after that live. That was definitely taken on the midnight of Doyoung's birthday (he does not have makeup on, isn’t styled).  Add the moment from the recent fansign where Haechan was definitely teasing Jaedo, a celebration between the two of them clearly happened. 

Jungwoo also shared on his bubble that he watched a movie with Jaehyun yesterday (https://x(.)com/captainuwu/status/1753281384939188517?s=20), and funny enough, Jaewoo shippers used that to come at Jaedo shippers (that JW and JH are together inside on DY's birthday), but we all know the members are infamous for covering Jaedo up all the time. I’m guessing they watched the movie probably on the time Do was out celebrating with his family. My question was Doyoung also watched Gongmyung’s movie on his birthday, but with who? Gongmyung reposted the IG story he posted, thanking him, so it definitely wasn’t with Gongmyung. 

At the end of the day, these were all mere speculations (we will never know anyway), but what strengthened my speculation is Doyoung's habit of inserting Jaehyun as lowkey as he can (he subtly inserted Jaehyun's Weverse post for his birthday during his live, but none about the other members who also posted about him). An IG post full of people greeting him/sending him birthday wishes, it's impossible not to include his bae as discreetly as he can. What I’m definitely sure of was they were definitely together on Doyoung’s birthday (thanks Haechan for confirming that)

Link Link2 Link3

I also think Doyoung spent the evening with Jaehyun, and those pictures of a table are from that time. It is the order of the photos, in addition to the arrangement being for two and the evidently home set up, that make me believe so. Doyoung uses IG to be "semi-public" about Jae, convey to Jae his feelings.

The letters from the parents were put after the pictures with the SM cake and peripera congratulation display. Therefore, the letters have no connection to the table.

Doyoung posted his mom on his IG in the past when she visited Seoul. I would expect him to post his parents or photos of himself taken by his mom (and tagged it) instead of just letters. Unless there was a reason to not talk about them at length.

I also have a suspicion Jae asked Yuta to post on Weverse before him to not stand out as the only person who wrote something there.

It couldn't be JohnDo. Its not them.

Recently I had a few moments, when I saw a gif on twitter of two members interacting and, on a first glance, thought one of them was a neo N. Then I instantly dismissed what I thought I saw with "no, this particular neo wouldn't act like that". On the second glance or reading the description, I discovered I was right. What I'm trying to say, there is a certain degree of believability for every proposed action by a neo/neos that is based on the kind of relationship they share or their character traits.

Jungwoo always covers for JaeDo, it's his responsibility at this point, lol. I saw the story about the ticket, but didn't clock that it was on Feb 1st. Going with the parents would be optimal, Do did it in the past. Jaehyun joined them back then, and it was also covered with the help of the members, by the way.

Doyoung covered for Johnny a few years ago, their story about going camping. I'm pretty sure JN was out on a date, was seen in his car/at the camp site, so there was a need for an explanation. JN was very unhappy talking about the moment, which completely contradicted the occasion (considering how he likes to have Do to himself).

[cakejerry]

https://x.com/moonlightkive/status/1831725500626030765?t=vJ6uq1YusGsvc8Q1PFMNKA&s=19 40k likes for this. armies genuinely see him as a fragile homosexual alcoholic with a lifelong ed which I GUESS if we deep it it's not TOO far off but why none of the others are ever singled out for eds or at the very least disordered eating or being alcoholics when they've talked about their bad habits in a more extreme way and more frequently (jk saying he's on a water diet every cb or namjoon telling armys that skipping dinner and fasting is good and healthy just to name a few) (yoongi literally having a dui AND a drinking show if that doesn't scream severe alcoholism idk what does and jk getting drunk and passing out on live). like why these labels especially the ed label sticks only with jimin? i need to **** everyone and then myself.

Stop I was literally going to screenshot and shit on this exact tweet before I remembered I'm ignoring everything about ays. But literally, I'm more and more convinced each passing day of my theory that jimins supposed "ed" is simply a mass hallucination based on like. One random poorly translated interview back in 2014 and a witness account from a fansign or something. And then word of mouth has just delivered it as canon to the growing fandom. (Same with that one singular jimin interview that everyone takes as gospel to mean he hated everything about his fuckboy persona but i have ranted about that endlessly already). Also 'ed' was fodder for teen girls self insert fanfiction. Much like every other part of jimins existence.

Mind you this was already a thing in 2015 and it GOT ME. I literally have a trauma response to seeing his bare stomach because the thought of him starving himself to get abs triggered me so bad, and i dont even fw eds im just an empath. But even back then I knew it more as an oral tradition than an actual sourced fact. Like sure, I'm sure he spoke about it in one way or the other but 1) so has every other member, as you said, and 2) from my pov in 2021 he has talked about nothing but food for the past 3 years. Literally every time he's on camera all he talks about is pigging out on the couch watching his little shows and getting drunk. This is literally him every time there's food present or mentioned:

So even if our trepidation in 2015/6 was justified, there is literally NO REASON for armys in the CURRENT YEAR to be virtue signaling about something this man supposedly said ELEVEN YEARS AGO. MORE THAN A DECADE.

But he is a fragile homosexual alcoholic ill give them that.

[linolinoing]

i'd like to give my two cents about this whole messed situation so please forgive me for my longass rant - i'm the first person that's disappointed with this single - bc of who it involves, but also because it's not an artistic direction that i'm liking (mediocre pop music, remixes, radioplay just for money and western validation)

i'm very aware skz are grownass adults who at least have an idea of what's going on in palestine, but despite that, and assuming the fact that they are not zionists and actually care about palestine at least a bit, tbh i don't think that even if they wanted to they could say something - i mean jype literally have forbidden chan to go live for a year bc of some twitter drama, and now felix hasn't done a live in over month since he apologized for showing coca cola and in the end they're kinda forced to tell stays to listen to the song cause that's literally part of their job

and sure they are probably genuinely happy with the collab, but that doesn't mean they agree with personal/political ideas of the artists they like or collaborating with, or that they do not care about palestine, or that they don't want to say something - there's still a legal contract and as much as skz are not slaves, they are definitely not free to say or do whatever they want and if chan can't get a tattoo why could he speak out about politics? (yes, genocide and settler colonialism shouldn't be politics but in our world they sadly are or they wouldn't exist in the first place)

i mean i've seen people saying that on instagram skz are free to post what they want but i honestly think that's not completely true bc no celebrity in the world is free to post or say whatever they want, celebrities literally have professionals to help them with their image (and even the ones who speak about political things they still have professionals behind them monitoring the situation) and with how they appear to the general public, so while for most stuff yes it's probably is a genuine act from skz, social medias and what the kids say can be forced and used as "distraction" or to "downplay" (we've seen multiple times the kids going live in the exact moment the fans were trending on twitter bc were disappointed and angry at the company's action)

we've seen how jype do not care about the kids health and reputation (they overwork skz, they did nothing when "fans" were threatening to show up at fansigns to literally harm the members or when trucks with insults were placed in front of the company) and especially how they only care about the money so i seriously think that since that company is seeing how most fans are streaming the song and how this song was literally only made for the usa and at the same time jype is seeing how a lot of fans are definitely not happy with this shit they're trying to to make seem skz are on the board with the song (whether they actually are or not), from posting selfies to saying positive stuff about the collab - that's literally marketing and for the company in this situation it's the best solution to keep earning the cash while trying to change fans' opinions who do not agree with this

i'm not trying to make any excuses for anyone here bc skz are not some children or hermits who do not have internet access to at least stays telling them to do better (and even in the impossibile case they do not, jype definitely knows) - but at the same time i think we forget how well crafted celebrities' actions and words especially during controversies can be. i mean i've only spoken from a greedy-company-who-only-want-money point of view to try to get a sense of what the fuck is happening - which is something that i obviously hate. so yeah sure seeing how fans (who atp don't care about people lives, even skz reputation or music and it's quality), jype and therefore skz are reacting and handling the situation (promoting the song than any comeback they made) is disappointing to say the least ffs

I'll add a cut to shorten it a bit for everyone's tl ⛷️

Don't apologize, I don't mind it all, you're welcome to rant anytime!

I think I've said this today already but I agree that this is a jype/rr doing and skz didn't pick these producers themselves, they're either work for rr or work with charlie, and I don't think skz knew how problematic puth is. I understand they can't openly say what they think and I don't expect them to, but I highly doubt anyone is forcing them to post selfies with puth or talk about him on bbl. I'm sure there are things they can't post but in this case it doesn't seem like anyone is making them post all that. As a fan it's just disheartening to see this situation unfold. I don't think they are bad people or that this collab says anything about their own values, but I don't want to completely absolve them of any responsibility yk

As for their artistic directon, I just hope it's a one off thing for this collab and for the actual upcoming album everything will go back to normal, I know now everyone releases millions of remixes to chart and its kind of rules of the game, but there are artists who do it creatively, like realising extending versions or skz with la4 rock version. Basically those types of remixes don't feel forced and insincere. Also this song sounds just like a puth song and nothing else, hopefully we won't see more of this on their actual album 🥱

[yunwooz]

my least favorite thing about atinys is how hoity toity they get if they have stanned longer than other people. more often than not i see shit trending that is like “how could ANY REAL ATINYS not know about xyz” like the elitism is so rampant in the fandom and the classism of people who go to fansigns/vip soundcheck barricade to every concert stop is so heinous that it makes trying to enjoy things in the fandom miserable. it’s the exact reason why i and so many other fans solely go on twitter to scan through the topics and keep up to date on ateez contents without wanting to interact with chronically online users

[straystars-and-planets]

Hey, I get it. Losing Channie's room has been an upsetting and emotional experience for a lot of STAYs, including me. They were always something that cheered me up on the weekends. More than anything I am sad for Chan -- he's often said he really enjoys being able to livestream and interact with STAY, and my biggest hope is that he is doing okay right now. He didn't deserve the initial backlash, and he certainly doesn't deserve the shitstorm (pardon my language) happening across social medial (tweet, tiktok, bubble particularly) right now.

(Goes without saying but this is all my personal opinion/thoughts, feel free to ignore, take with a grain/spoonful/ocean of salt)

Right now I am so frustrated with the narrative that this happened solely due to poor management on the part of JYPE and/or JYP. To be clear: I have many reservations/issues with the way JYP and JYPE manage their groups/artists. Whatever your opinion on SKZ's management, that is not the main issue here. Because it was STAY who created and contributed to the situation we are currently in today.

In fact I'm ANGRY that STAY and other fans of Stray Kids are not taking responsibility for their role in all of this. I think enough has been said about the openly toxic content creators/social media accounts who went out of their way to speculate and circulate rumors about groups having conflicts/drama with Chan and/or Stray Kids, so I'm trying to keep this part short. TL;DR - these "STAY" go against what Chan himself has explicitly stated multiple times across different platforms:

He has asked STAY to stop defaming and hating on other artists. In the specific YT live that was the subject of the initial "drama" he even went out of his way to say "I'm not going to name names" and "I'm not gonna say specific artists."

He has told STAY to stop sending hate or to spam JYPE. At in-person fansigns, fan calls, on Bubble and on lives, Chan has said "Don't hate the company" or something similar. I can't recall the exact words but he has also stated or implied that when fans do this it ultimately reflects poorly on Stray Kids and stresses him out more.

But I also wanted to shed light on the ways I think many STAYs who are unproblematic or largely neutral in this situation may have inadvertently amplified the messages of the toxic/vocal minority of the fandom or unintentionally made the situation worse. A lot of times we react emotionally to any unfavorable or negative news about our favorite artists/idol groups. I get it - for a lot of people Stray Kids are an anchor, safe space or home where they can be themselves and find comfort. So when we hear about anything negative it's easy to have a knee-jerk response of protect protect protect. But I think in that process many STAY (once again, who are mostly unproblematic and not trying to start any drama) don't think about how the ways they go about finding information, letting others know about information and defending Stray Kids are causing small incidents to evolve into large scandals.

I can't claim to know all the solutions or fix everything in this fandom, but there are some things I've noticed that could be done better, or in a way that doesn't reflect poorly on SKZ. As individual members of a larger fandom, I hope that in the future we can focus on not engaging or at least minimizing engagement with the toxic + vocal minority of the fandom that tries to stir up drama. These accounts are trying to get attention at the expense of SKZ and STAY by creating conflict.

What do I mean by that? First up: when you do see a video that appears to be speculative or for the purposes of spreading rumors/gossip, don't just share it immediately. I get it, it's a potential "threat" SKZ's reputation/wellbeing. But look into it before you post: are there any outside new sources, official posts, or statements by SKZ members or JYPE actually backing this up? And if you have mutuals/friends who are asking what's going on, can we refrain from sharing the content directly? DM them a TL;DR or summary. Try to reduce the use of share functions (like reposting, quote retweets, sharing tiktok links, etc.), all that does is boost problematic/speculative content into the FYP/feeds/TLs of more people. After a certain point mass commenting "take this down" or "is this true?" is just going to boost the engagement on these kinds of speculative posts. Hopefully it goes without saying, but try not to 'like' these kinds of speculative videos/posts. At the end of the day, any/all engagement from well-intentioned STAY trying to discourage toxic behavior and inform others will lead to better metrics (views, likes, shares, etc.) for these problematic accounts, which may encourage them to continue posting "controversial" content. TL;DR - Bad PR/exposure is still PR/exposure for the part of the fandom we DON'T want to amplify.

and PLEASE, for the love of all that is holy, can we stop with the cryptic comments? I know this usually comes from a good place - we don't want negative words trending in association with SKZ. But cryptically commenting "omg I hope [member name] is okay...." is just going to rile people up more. Just either comment directly a brief summary or send the person a DM. If you comment a brief but clear summary then it also helps prevent other STAYs from potentially engaging with speculative/gossip content to find an answer + people will read that instead of also commenting "what happened?" Half the time I feel like these minor issues snowball into giant problems because some STAYs freak out when other members of the fandom refuse to be clear about what the actual fuck is going on.

Finally, just leave other artists out of this. Full stop. EVERYONE loses the minute STAY involves other artists, other companies and/or other fandoms. Seriously. Yes, sometimes there is very obvious evidence (footage of artist interactions, screenshots, vague artist instagram posts, etc.) that there is something going on between two individuals in the K-pop industry. But until Stray Kids or JYPE says anything about it, trying to get other parties involved is only going to hurt SKZ and STAY. It's contributing to the image that STAY is a toxic/aggressive fandom. It's going to turn away baby STAYs or people considering becoming STAYs away from SKZ's music and content. It's going to reflect poorly on SKZ because their management and other people in the industry may assume they badmouth other artists/colleagues and sic their fans on them with no reason or for irrational reasons. And (as we have witnessed) it might result in SKZ being penalized for something that should never have blown up to the point it has. Even if other fandoms or certain social media accounts are trying to provoke STAY, let's try to be the better/more generous people (we don't have to forgive them, but no need to expend so much energy/attention on them). Ignore/block/disengage/report - stop quote retweeting/quoting these people and drawing more viewership towards accounts who are trying to stir the pot. Don't actually tag these people, use a slash/punctuation to break up the tag so they don't get more attention/engagement (ex. @/[account name]).

Small ending note: let's not forget the agency of the artists themselves. I know we all have misgivings with how Stray Kids is managed. That's fine. Consumers/customers are allowed to be critical of the way a company is managed or how a company manages its employees and business. But we have to trust that Chan and all the other members know what they are doing.