"Off Limits" - Gojo Satoru
4,120 words.
warnings. n*sfw (18+), tongue piercing satoru, substance use, satoru is a plug, fuckboy! satoru, oral sex (he eats your pussy OUT) , both characters 🚬 🍃, resolved sexual tension, porn with a BIT of plot, mildly dubious consent, fucking at a party, he makes you squirt
notes. this was originally posted on my ao3, which is much more longer. i've shortened it down and fixed errors I made on ao3 originally (see if you could notice what it is 😭)for tumblr so its more of an easy read! <3
banner cred. @/yunonoai on twt/ig
You had about an hour and half to get ready, before you had to make your way to the Mappa Frat House down the street. Chloe's brother, Satoru, and his friends were inviting you two to some house party they held every year building up to Halloween.
To be real, it took you A LOT of convincing for Chloe to have you come to the party with her. You were never a party person. The thought of throwing up your guts after your system has consumed all types of shit. Or the annoying guys that slap your ass from behind in hopes of getting time with you in the bedrooms upstairs.
You were the total opposite of Chloe, and honestly, you envied her. She was a social butterfly who could blend in with anyone if she needed to, and she was evidently liked by the other students of any clique out there.
Oh, and by party animal, I mean it. Dresses in every colour, length and pattern. Heels of every inch and style. She just knew what to do. Practically, if you got her to go to your party, that's how you'd know if it was a good fucking party.
Sitting in front of your desk finishing your makeup, which you were surprisingly good at, you giggle as you watch Chloe attached a lasso to her waist.
She had looked really cute in her Woody costume, and you were in fact, dressed as a sexy Buzz Lightyear. Earlier on at Ann Summers, Chloe was begging for you to match with her. You couldn’t refuse. It was a 2 for 1 sale anyway..
You smiled as she started to record a few tiktoks before hitting the road.
"I'm gonna have so much fun with this rope tonight."
"Mhm.." you let out a hum as you focus on doing your eyeliner. It was hard not to laugh at what she said, but you managed to suppress a giggle.
You lined some lashes with glue before placing them on your lash line. Your makeup was flawless tonight, and you were grateful because it had been quite some time since you've done a full glam. A bit of setting spray, and you spun your chair around to face Chloe.
It was as if she was a proud mother from what she was seeing in front of her. "Gorgeous! You look like a doll. A sexy one. Stand up really quickly, let's take a few pictures before heading out."
You stumbled a bit from the high heeled boots you were wearing, and you had to adjust the fabric your ass was practically eating as you stood up. You and Chloe took a few cute pictures before heading out to the Mappa House.
As you guys got there, it was already packed with all shit ton of people spread out on the front lawn doing all sorts of stuff.
The loud music from the inside could be heard from where you were standing. People were smoking, making out, doing keg stands.
Honestly, Chloe was right. You looked at a group of girls huddled and chatting near the door, and one caught your eye. The girl was wearing nothing but black tape on her boobs and underwear.
You nudge Chloe. “Chlo, what is she meant to be..?”
She giggled a bit before replying, “Who knows.”
You got a bit nervous as you walked on the path leading up to the main door. Spooky Halloween decorations were all over the House, and sometimes you were unable to tell what and what's not a decoration..
A man was standing just inside the door, it seemed like he was waiting for Chloe.
The guy dressed up as Johnny Cage from Mortal Kombat. You'd never seen him before, and he looked a bit intimidating.
You heard Chloe call out to the man. "Kento!" ..So that's his name. You stood behind Chloe like a loser as she gave him a hug. She pulled away and stayed pressed up against him.
He smiled, "I'm glad you came. And who's this pretty girl?"
Kento turned to you as you looked at Chloe, she held you close to her too and gave you a proper introduction. "This is my best friend and room-mate, I convinced her to come along tonight!"
You returned the smile to him, he seemed like an okay guy. "Hi, nice to meet you."
Chloe winked at you, and you smirked, knowing what it meant. You gave her the look of approval as she took her lasso and tied it around Kento, pulling him to a room somewhere in the house.
You laughed as you made your way to the kitchen, after they disappeared up the stairs. How outrageous.
It was more quiet, which you liked. Making your way to the far end of the kitchen, you opened the fridge and scanned what's inside. You decided to take a small can of Pepsi. You sighed as you turned around, closing the fridge shut with your butt.
The presence of someone behind all along startled you, leaning against the island watching you this whole time.
"Oh my fuck. Why are you creeping up on people like that?"
It was a person, assumingly a guy, his face covered with a ghostface mask. He was dressed in all black. A simple black fitted tee and jeans. He had a fake knife strapped to his belt.
The mysterious guy took off his mask, and placed it on the counter behind him. Of course, It was Satoru, Chloe's brother.
You let out a labored sigh as you leaned against the fridge, unable to move.
"I'm surprised you showed up tonight, I thought you never will."
You slowly slid to the right trying to escape him, turning your back to face Satoru as you popped the can open on the counter. "...It was a last minute decision."
"Seems like you got a costume too, huh?" Eyes sliding down your body as he finished his sentence.
Your eyes widen, realising your ass was on show to him this whole time. I'll kill this man if he thinks I'm up to no good.
You quickly turn back around to face him with the front of your body, and it didn't do you any justice as he was just met with your almost exposed chest. Party in the front, party in the back.
"I'm not complaining, you look good." he reassured you, trailing his eyes down your body from head to toe.
"..Thanks." Quickly, you took a huge sip from the can as you looked at him. This drink will only un-calm my nerves.
"I'm actually not into parties myself either." he spoke, and you almost choked on your drink.
"You? THE Satoru Gojo? I wasn't expecting that."
"No, I just like more intimate parties. Big ones like these annoy me. I don't know and don't care about 3/4 of the people who are here."
He continued, “You wanna come with? I’m going upstairs. There’s one last free room. And that’s the master room.”
Chloe was already busy, and there wasn’t really anyone else you could talk to around here. You had no choice.
”Hmm, okay. I’ll follow.”
He made sure to grab his mask from the counter, and the two of you left the kitchen.
As you made your way up the stairs, you could feel other girls eyes piercing through your back like daggers. Luckily, they couldn’t recognise you that easily.
By the time you set foot on the upstairs landing, you called out to him. "Satoru," you continued, "Who's room is this even?"
"Suguru’s, but it's cool. He won't give a fuck."
You followed behind him for a bit until you reached the master bedroom.
”Lock the door if you don’t want people coming into this room eating each other’s faces off.”
You blankly stared at him for a bit before turning back around to twist the lock. The music from downstairs turned faint and so did the chatter.
For a frat house, Suguru’s room was actually clean, you expected dirty plates and what-ever-the-fuck to litter the rest of the room, but the only exception was the clothes scattered on the ground. You watched and sat yourself down on the bed as he rummaged through the drawers for something.
Is he… reaching for a..
He picked up a lighter from deep inside the drawer, taking a joint out that was untouched from the same drawer, but kept away in a tiny zip bag. Phew.
”You smoke?”
You looked at him. “What do you think?”
”I’m guessing no.” You didn't know if you were to be butthurt by his quick and certain answer, but you don't see a reason why you should be anyways. His words went a bit quiet as he concentrated on sparking the joint between his fingers.
He took a hit from the joint as soon as it was burning perfectly. “Damn, that shits good.”
”Is Suguru not gonna be pissed if he finds out you took that..?” You questioned him.
”..Who do you think sold this stuff to him?” He flashed his famous smile as he saw the priceless look on your face.
You chewed on your lip and looked at the ground. “Oh, right.. yeah.”
You forgot that Satoru was basically the one who sold 🍃 on and off the campus.
He walked over to you, and sat beside you on the edge of the bed. “You don’t wanna try?”
Satoru took another hit before blowing the smoke out on his right side, making sure it doesn’t hit your face.
“I don’t know. I’ve never done it before, plus I’m scared.” You continued, “More scared I’ll start coughing like a bitch that I’d make a fool out of myself.”
Even though the only source of light came from the bedside lamp, you could still see that his eyes were glossy, and at this point a tiny bit bloodshot. “I could teach you, here.”
He held out the joint towards you, the smell was so strong it was probably sticking to your clothes by now.
”Quick, it’s burning away for no reason.”
You held the joint between your fingers like a cigarette, and looked at him for assurance.
”No, not like that.” He took your fingers and placed it properly between your pointer and thumb. “You look like a loser if you hold it like a cigarette.”
”Okay, what now.”
”Do it, take a hit.”
You stared at it before bringing it to your lips. Satoru spoke from beside you.
”Like, almost as if you’re sucking. Make sure it really gets to here.” He points to his chest.
You slightly squint your eyes as you take a mistakingly big hit.
”Now hold it for a bit, then exhale. It’s gonna hit better.”
The joint left your lips as you held it for like two seconds, and you let out a laboured exhale.
“Good girl, see? No coughing.”
You passed it back to him and Satoru takes another hit.
”..How’d I know if it hit me?”
He smirked, “You’ll just know. Don’t worry, I got you.”
All of a sudden, it felt like everything slowed down and your face was being grabbed to the ground.
You felt a bit relaxed knowing that Satoru was beside you, and you managed to take a hit without embarrassing yourself and going all snotty.
Unwillingly, you take the joint back from his hand to take another hit.
”What happened to Ms. I don’t smoke?”
You rolled your eyes before you passed it back to him again.
Satoru smiled at your reaction before speaking again. “You wanna play a game?”
Stomach churning, and not really liking where this is going, you answered. “..like what?”
”I ask you a couple questions and you answer, then you do the same to me.”
You snickered. “Isn’t that just called ‘getting to know each other’?”
”Yeah, I just wanted to make it sound more interesting.”
“Okay, why not.”
“How about, if you refuse to answer a question you take off one piece of clothing.”
You looked at him with a , ‘nice try’ face. ”Nuh uh. Not happening. Just ask the questions.”
”Aww, it was worth a shot.”
“Start asking questions or I’ll change my mind,” you changed your position on the bed to lie down on your stomach. It was more comfortable than stiffly sitting on the edge of the bed.
”You ever had a boyfriend?”
”Once. But I was like sixteen.”
Satoru just nods. “Your turn.”
“Did getting your tongue piercing hurt?”
He turned to you and smirked, “I’m surprised you noticed it. But nahh. Not really, it was just the healing process that hurted.”
Your face slightly grew warm, “…Yeah, I noticed it yesterday.”
He just smiles, and asks his second question. “You ever gotten your pussy ate before?”
You swallowed your spit as you propped yourself up slightly. “I’m sorry, what?”
”You heard me.” He takes another hit of the joint even though it’s almost shrunken to the smallest it can be.
You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. “…No.”
”…Good.” Satoru muttered, but you couldn’t really hear.
It was your turn to ask question again.
”..Why’d you want to get it pierced anyways?”
”Dunno. Why’d you think?”
Silence and tension grew between the two of you. You didn’t know if the naughty answer that crossed your mind was right or wrong.
You didn’t know if it was the temperature of the room or the shit you smoked. You avoided answering his question.
”…Y-your turn to ask the question.”
His next question came out immediately.
“..Wanna see for yourself?”
Your breath hitched as he spoke. You didn’t know what to say. And you didn’t know what he meant.
”Is that a question you’re using up or are you just saying that… as a joke..”
Satoru stood up and walked over to the dresser, placing his costume props on top. In fact, he took everything out of his pockets and placed it on the dresser.
You watched him glance at his phone for a bit, reading all the messages from his other homies before placing it down on the dresser and not replying.
A pool was forming between your legs, and you gently clamped them together while still lying down.
You’d be lying if you said you totally didn’t want to strip everything off and be naked by the time he turns back around. But you kept your composure.
Satoru turned back around, walking back to the bed. He sat on the same edge he was on a few minutes ago.
”And what if I do wanna find out,” You spoke, testing the waters.
His voice was laced with honesty. “I don’t want to push you out of your boundaries, we don’t have to do this. We can forget that this happened and my sister won’t ever know I was near you.”
A few thoughts were racing through your mind. I mean, Chloe was busy, you literally had weed in your system and you never thought you would’ve. There’s a first for everything, right?
You gently crawled over across the bed, closer to him. “…No, I do want you to show me.” Your voice trailed off quietly, you grew shy as you drew back.
He turned his head behind to face you, and was able to see the sincerity in your eyes. Not gonna lie, he was very attractive. And I was literally begging to have his head between my legs.
You came closer to him again, and found yourself placing your lips on his first. The two of you melted into each other, with the lingering sexual tension finally resolved.
The good girl act no longer existed, and time around you felt like it had stopped. This was something you needed, and you finally got it.
He was extremely gentle with his hands, and softly guided you to move back further onto the bed, placing your head down on the pillow.
You slightly squirmed as he placed his knee between your legs. He pulled away from your neck before looking at you from above, caressing your cheek with his thumb.
“Just relax doll, I’ll take care of everything.” He left you with a peck on the lips as he slowly peppered a trail of kisses down your body, going lower and lower.
Your breath hitched as he cupped both of his hands around each of your thighs, kissing your inner thigh as he looked up at you in between.
His hands were cold, and caused your nipples to harden from his touch. But the heat of your body cause him to warm up in no time.
He paused for a moment. “Can I?” Satoru points to your tiny shorts before you responded with a nod. You slid them off and threw them somewhere in the room. You’ll find those later.
You watched as he used his teeth to teasingly slide your thong off your body, down your legs. You grew goosebumps from the feeling of the fabric slowly gliding down your skin.
It was painfully slow, but it made you want him even more. He knew what he was doing, and for your first time getting eaten out, it was like winning the lottery if Satoru was the one doing it.
He took them from his mouth, and placed it in the back pocket of his jeans before kissing past your inner thigh, Satoru placed a wet kiss on your throbbing clit before doing a few small licks with his tongue.
The mixture between the metal of his piercing and tongue made you shudder, causing you to whine and clamp your thighs around his head gently.
You felt Satoru's soft hands grip slightly your skin firmer, spreading your legs more apart and keeping them wide open for him. You were expecting his hands to be cold, but surprisingly your skin was met with his warm touch. He sucked on your clit gently, before lapping at it again hungrily.
Your two hands were occupied themselves, one grabbed onto his hair and the other clutched onto the sheets beside you. He only pushed his tongue deeper into you, basically gently fucking your hole with it.
Practically losing your mind from how good Satoru made you feel, you could tell he was enjoying every single noise and reaction you made. You felt the way he smiled against your dripping cunt as he cycled from sucking to licking.
”…Don’t.. stop..” you continued, in short breaths. “…Please”
He hummed gently with his eyes closed, his lips glossed with his spit and the juices from your pussy, and the sound of someone’s phone ringing echoed in your ears, releasing you from your trance.
You looked down at him annoyed as he hauled his head up from your legs. “Not my phone, mines silent on the dresser.”
You turned to the far end of the bed to your left and saw your phone screen was flashing. Reaching for it, you saw Chloe was the one calling.
Turning the phone screen for Satoru to see, he squinted his eyes a bit to read who the caller was. “You can answer,”
Before answering the call you laughed a bit, as you saw how ridiculous you made him look after grabbing his hair.
”Chloe?” You watched Satoru as he tried to listen in on the conversation.
He whispered, “Put it on speaker.”
You nodded, and Chloe could be heard on the other line speaking.
”Hey girl, just checking on you. You okay?” You heard her and Kento giggle as she tried to speak over the phone. But it was a bit louder around her, so that means they were with a bunch of other people now.
”Yeah, I’m…” Your eyes widen and flutter as felt as Satoru placed his head back down between your thighs, slowly and slightly lapping at your clit again with the cold metal orb on his tongue causing you to throb again.
You felt as he carelessly swirled his tongue around like there’s no tomorrow, but this time he let one of your legs go and thrusted a finger in and out of your hole, emitting a squelching noise as he continuously sucked, stimulating you like crazy.
The pleasure overwhelmed you, and you had to bite down on your bottom lip to suppress a moan.
”Heyyy, you there?”
You were unable to answer as your own words became nothing but breathy as you try to form a sentence.
”…Y-Yeah, everything’s fine. I’m in the…b-bathroom.” You felt his lips curl into a smirk against your inner thigh for a second time as he heard your little lie over the phone.
You furrow your brows, making an “O” shape with your mouth.
Your hand holding the phone fell flat onto the bed, and by now you were no longer listening to whatever Chloe was saying on the other side of the line. Your mind was clouded, and the knot in your stomach tightened as you felt an orgasm approaching.
Lucky for you, Chloe ended the call less than ten seconds ago as it seems like she was busy with something else. Hopefully Kento.
He felt the way you quivered even more than last time, and held one of your legs over his left shoulder as he thrusted another finger in, still lapping and sucking at your dripping cunt as your breathing quickened, becoming irregular.
”Cum all over my face,” He murmured against your warm lips, and that did it for you. You liked the way he was gentle with his hands, slowly using one to rub your thigh on his left shoulder. He was deep in there, and he ate your pussy like it was a five course meal.
You watched as him as you rode out your orgasm, your head falling back against the pillow. Your mind was all over the place as you endlessly squirted all over his fingers that curled inside of you to aid your high, and felt as you slightly pushed your body more towards him.
“S-shit..” Was all you could say. You saw the way the piercing was exposed for a split second as he stuck his tongue out, the juices from your release dripping all over his mouth.
As he gently pulled away from between your legs, a ‘pop’ noise was heard after he gave your clit one last suck.
You couldn’t help but laugh at the way his face was soaking wet. Luckily it didn’t go past his above nose. Or he’d be partially blind for the rest of the night.
The neck of his shirt managed to be slightly soaked with splatters from your juices. But he didn’t care.
“..You got a little something on your face..” You say, pointing to your mouth with your finger to tell him where it was.
He smiled, and you watched as he used his tongue to wipe the corners of his mouth, but took a random towel hanging off the door to wipe the rest off his cheek.
“Damn, Suguru’s gonna be pissed when he sees how soaked his sheets are.” Satoru laughed as he looked at you still with your legs spread out, trying to recover.
No can do, the towel that was previously used by Satoru was passed to you after.
The wet circle underneath you had expanded from soaking into the sheets for too long.
Satoru grabs your shorts that landed just in front of the door and tossed them back to you, but as he walked away a knock could be heard.
It was Suguru, of course it was. “Yo, whoever’s in there is cheeky enough to lock my own damn door!”
You quickly slid on your shorts as you turned to the body mirror beside you, combing your hair with your fingers.
Honestly, you were a bit upset that your fun was cut short. But you couldn’t stay for too long or eventually someone would break the door down.
“Man shut the hell up, it’s me, Satoru. I’m in here.” He responded. You watched him in the mirror as he slowly came up behind you, turning you around and gave you a sweet peck on the lips. Making sure you knew he didn’t just want to leave you hanging like that. That you weren’t just a toy to him.
The two of you walked to the door, twisting the lock to it. “Here, you go out first. I’m right behind you.”
You nod as you left the room, and shyly smiled at Suguru on your way out who was dumbfounded, followed by Satoru behind you.
And of course, Suguru couldn’t help but notice your pink thong that was still hanging off Satoru’s back pocket.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ ⤳ © luvwestwood ‘24. all works are owned by me, and originally come from my own head. please do not re-post on a third party platform without my permission!
⊹ ࣪ ˖ ⤳ as always, thank you for the love on each and every one of my posts. 🎀🩷
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begin again 🌷 (split pt. 3)
pairing: charles leclerc/fem!reader
type: instagram imagine, social media au
notes: the long awaited part 3! this took so long only cause i had no idea how i want it to go lol anyway i hope u guys love this one :D lmk what u think!
about: almost a year after your split with charles, fans take a trip down memory lane and wondering why the two of you seemed to have watered things down after soft launching other people months ago. a bunch of rumors also set twt crazy along with speculations at your paddock appearance where you apparently support ferrari.
read: part 1, part 2 (can read on its own, but the parts provide context hehe)
yourusername
liked by isahernaez, lilymhe, landonorris, and 231,298 others
yourusername back at the happiest place on earth ❤️
lilymhe Have fun, love xo
yourbff Looking that good just to watch a race????
tyretactics QUEEN I ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO YOU EVERY RACE
charliez1655 miss mam twt is on fire we all miss you 😪
leclercsluv wdym shes almost always at every race
ricciardoshooey no they meant w charles lol
yourusername recently added to her instagram story!
Now playing: Charles Leclerc, 2023 Austrian GP, Post-Sprint Shootout Interviews
yourusername
liked by yourbff, lilymhe, carlossainz55, and 210,593 others
yourusername on a wednesday, in a cafe, i watched it begin again
lecslover looking GOOD AS HELL QUEEN
sainzplaylist god shes back to the man shes been soft launching i think i am going to be: sick
1655lecs that might be charles, we don't know 🙏
sainzplaylist yeah i think its time we let that go lol
wagsqueens mam im sorry wym by begin again???
charles_leclerc
liked by pierregasly, finemidnights, carlossainz55, and 982,221 others
charles_leclerc It's nice to have a friend 🌅
tyreexpert u cant tell me thats not y/n 😪 she's his friend after all...
joris__trouche Looking sharp!
lecssainz16 war is over you guys theyre back at it i am in my acceptance stage now
Some months later...
yourusername
liked by charles_leclerc, pierregasly, lilymhe, and 756,293 others
yourusername i am and willl always be your number one fan. words cannot encapsulate how proud i am of you; truly, you deserve all of this and so much more. congratulations, my love ❤️
it's nice to see you running towards me again :)
ps. yes we've been soft-launching each other the past months hahaha
leclercfan AM I DREAMING SOMEONE PINCH ME
livwatchraces i screamed when i saw you guys on the screen!!!
carlossainz55 Aaand they're back 🎉
charles_leclerc Thanks, number one shipper
charles_leclerc
liked by landonorris, maxverstappen, arthurleclerc, and 1,982,384 others
charles_leclerc Sunshine in human form.
A few months ago, I started hanging on to the fact that in good faith and in good time, things will eventually work its way out. Almost a year ago, it seems as if we have closed a chapter but today, we are living proof people who are made for each other can begin again.
Ce sera toujours toi 🤍 It will always be you.
scuderiaferrari We missed you tons, Y/N! ❤️
wagsf1 the queen of all queens is back we love to see it
lecslover it's years later and he still talks about her the same way he always have 🥹
sainzchamp The way theyve been soft launching each other all this time and that one rumor of Charles being with another girl was still Y/N 😭
yourusername sold our apartment already? too bad 😆
charles_leclerc I never actually sold it, if I did, I'd probably buy it back
---------
tagging: @slytherheign, @honethatty12, @siovhanroy, @mehrmonga, @mess-in-side, @leclerc16s, @thelovehypothesis, @dakotali, @aldene-styles
notes: eeee and its finally done! cant believe it took so much time before i finished all three parts lol anyway thank you so much for those who waited for the part three (i see all the asks on my inbox and the comments ehehe) i really just didn't know how i wanted it to go so! i hope you guys love this and lmk what you think <3
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I’m relatively new to the fandom and have really enjoyed a lot of your posts… I have a question that I couldn’t quickly find an answer to in searching through your tags…
What’s the deal with streaming? Like, I listen to BTS. I enjoy them a lot, I listen to a pretty even mix of all their albums though I probably like MOTS:7 era the best). Some days I listen to them like all day lol (if I’m cleaning the house or something) and I listen to them a lot in the car or while working. I’ve enjoyed some solo releases more than others so I naturally streamed those more. but like the more I start following accounts on here and on army twt the more confused I get about the intense pressure to stream constantly? I’ve heard that people play certain songs (or albums I guess?) on repeat on mute and/or have dedicated streaming devices they keep going all the time.
Not to be negative or rude at all but like…what? Maybe because I’m new to KPop and have never followed it until BTS but that just sounds so weird and… idk the word, maybe disingenuous? Again I do not mean this as an attack I am just genuinely confused. Wouldn’t BTS themselves want us only to listen if we were actually enjoying it and not out of some competitive attempt to get better ratings? It feels so odd to me, like that is not how I would behave with any other artist that I love. I would only ever listen to them out of a genuine desire to hear their music. But there seems to be so much weird shaming out there for when/if songs are not streamed heavily enough? And for any other artist I would just write that off as a difference in taste among the fandom, but here it’s treated like a personal wrong against the artist…?
But as I say that I’m sure there’s more to it… I have definitely seen people talking about payola or chart manipulation so idk. If I should google this instead, just tell me to, I just have already tried and didn’t find that much clarity, just a bunch of people on quora and Reddit talking about certain songs not getting streamed enough.
Anyways this is super long, sorry if it annoys you. Just thought you seemed knowledgeable and levelheaded enough to ask? Love your posts. All the best.
*
Ask 2:
Okay wait I’m the anon that just asked about streaming and I went and re-read your post about “inorganic success” — I had read it before but somehow I didn’t put together that the 24-7 streaming is an attempt to combat payola or like go up against it I guess. Okay. That makes more sense. I still feel like there’s a weird focus on charting but I guess if it’s about getting more concert venues and more radio play it makes sense.
You can ignore my last ask then I’m sorry if I’m being dense or something lol.
***
You haven’t at all asked a stupid question. Your confusion is easily explained by you being new to k-pop, and everyone new to this madhouse asks this question eventually. I’ve talked about this before, but can’t find the post for the life of me so I’ll briefly go over it again.
First, you need to understand what k-pop is. K-pop is a system that gamifies music consumption. Competition is something you’ll see in the music industry regardless. Western stans such as Arianators, Barbz, and the Beyhive have organized around streaming goals and efforts for at least 10 years now. But there’s no other music industry that explicitly emphasizes competition among groups and fans, the way the k-pop industry does.
Competition is baked into its DNA:
From the idol training system under agencies with supposed specialities that are treated like warring houses a la Game of Thrones (a mentality created by the Big 3),
to the music shows where fans are encouraged to vote daily and weekly for the best artists and where wins are tied to streaming numbers,
to the highly publicized year-end award show criteria that outline key metrics for wins in streams, sales, and fan votes.
Basically, the k-pop industry creates a clear hierarchy of talent and acclaim for artists in their system, directly stokes fan participation in buying into that hierarchy, and the numbers are the easiest litmus test/short cut to settle the question of who is at the top.
And all of this is served with a cocktail of parasocial delusion and entitlement that has (more easily manipulated) fans thinking their perceived investment into their faves, earns them the right to micromanage their fave idols’ careers. All of this benefits the labels and industry because they’d rather have you more engaged (even if toxically), than not.
Everybody here buys into this system despite what they’ll tell you, some just manage to keep their wits and perspective to prevent getting sucked in, while others fall headfirst into it.
And so, like I said in my ‘inorganic success’ post you referenced, the focus on streaming is part of fans really just playing the game. Excess is something you’ll see on the charts in any case, whether in k-pop or in the West.
The difference with BTS and ARMYs however, is in the why of how the fandom streams. Essentially, you’re more likely to find people just as passionate about the music itself as they are about giving that music its due in hard numbers and consequently, recognition. You’re more likely to find fans like this in the ARMY fandom, than any other, in my opinion. Some people forget that the og ARMYs were k-pop fans first. They were fans who intimately understood how this system worked, they understood why the Big3 maintained dominance in k-pop for literal decades, and they saw the worth in the music BTS made, loved it enough to invest time into the playing the game better than anyone else at the time - pushing BTS from nugu status to where they are now, competing well outside the realm of the k-pop system but in a space that remains complex and highly competitive.
Another aspect that differentiates how ARMYs stream vs other k-pop fandoms, is that due to the sheer size of the fandom in absolute numbers, the average ARMY typically streams less than a typical k-pop stan. Basically, in other fandoms the typical stan has to stream more per person to have even a fraction of the gains seen in the ARMY fandom. ARMYs also aren’t doing anything other fandoms aren’t doing, it’s just that so far, they’re more efficient at it and don’t have to worry too much because BTS makes music that keeps attracting more fans, adding to the size of the fandom. They’ve also generally stayed away from more illegal methods given the intense scrutiny and animosity the fandom has faced for being part of the reason BTS upended the ordained hierarchy in this space. It sounds silly but it’s true.
But that’s only one side of the story. The other side is that in the fandom, everybody here really just does what they want. And many people genuinely enjoy listening to BTS that much and that intensely. Going by personal experience in what I observed before I became ARMY, I noticed that many ARMYs are Type A and organized - people who like and study data. The first time in my life that I saw someone create a spreadsheet for fan theories on a k-pop MV, was when an ARMY made one for I NEED U MV. I’m not sure what it is about BTS, but from the beginning they’ve attracted the sort of fans who genuinely enjoy listening to music often, people who enjoy creating and playing around with playlists, and people who track and measure applicable data. So your assumption that the people who stream like this are people who don’t actually enjoy the music, is wrong. In my opinion. For a lot of ARMYs, streaming and appreciating the music isn’t mutually exclusive.
Personally, I listen to music a lot. And I’ve always been that way, so when I became ARMY, I just sort of naturally fit into that culture. The sort of music BTS makes is a joy to listen to, I play their stuff literally everyday and it feels like the most normal thing in the world for me to sleep to Serendipity sometimes (in my sleep playlist which includes brown noise and rain sounds), or to do laundry to Let Me Know playing, or to drive to UGH and Set Me Free Pt 2 playing. I have multiple accounts because I listen to all kinds of music all the time, and it’s just convenient for me to have things set up such that I can flip on a playlist in every situation I’d want one on.
But like I said, the reality is that everyone in this fandom does what they want. It’s true there are certain people in the fandom who obsess over streaming, these are typically chartmys and akgaes, but most other people stream however they like. Fandom in general is a pressure cooker environment so I don’t blame you for noticing that pressure, but at the end of the day you really should just do what makes the most sense to you.
ARMYs generally recognize the reality of the space they are in, they recognize what it means for BTS, and most simply tweak their normal listening habits to maximize the gain and support to BTS. Plus sometimes it’s fun to play into fandom’s initiatives as a way to connect with other fans (such as in streaming parties).
I ended up rambling but let me know if this answered your question.
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