#look at extreme kpop stans for example

[sp8sexual]

I just want to add: internet safety is a constantly changing game and it’s a learning process. If you didn’t know this stuff before or something never occurred to you that it would be a problem, it’s not a negative thing on you.

It literally never occurred to me that ask games can be used as personal information until i saw a post mention it and i grew up in 90’s internet safety era of if you breathe wrong on the internet you’ll end up kidnapped and murked.

What is MOST IMPORTANT, is to know that you can always, always change or adapt how you go about internet safety. And that that is so much better than just deciding ‘welp it’s out there sucks to suck’.

The biggest thing is to make it so your information is hard to find! Even if it’s ‘already out there’, being buried under multiple now irrelevant and informationless posts makes digging for your info a chore and less worth it. The longer you keep up your new internet safety habits, the more likely it is that old information becomes irrelevant and more up-to-date information is hidden (except, of course, things that. don’t change).

If you already have information up: what’s important is assessing what information you are giving away and how easy it is to find this information.

You want any information about you to be hard to find. You want it so only people you have actively chosen to trust with this information can have it. AND you have to decide for yourself what information you want to share or keep hidden—based on your own comfort level, NOT what is “expected” of you.

This post has already gone over really good things to consider ‘important information’, but to better help you think about what your own comfort level is: an easy way to decide what is “important information” is to think about or look up what information is needed to make a bank/credit card account, a passport or id, etc. things of that nature. very “official” type things. If you need a piece of information to legally prove you are who you say you are, that’s a piece of information you probably do not want out there for just anyone to know.

Another really good way to assess is to ask yourself: is this something I would willingly Just Tell a complete stranger? If the answer is ‘no’, then it’s not something you want to announce on your socials. Cos guess what! Everyone here is a complete stranger.

Go over your online accounts, check what you have publicly available (in bios, etc). On tumblr it is easy to stay fairly anonymous, as the website isn’t built on sharing photos/videos like other social media, but for all your socials you will want to check who has access to your posts. While you’re at it, check your privacy settings for your accounts. Social Media Companies™️ are strangers too! They don’t need to know jack shit about you!

Life is a learning experience! Learn and grow constantly! You’re doing great and i’m proud of you!

This post is specifically meant to help kids and emerging adults that were not taught what you might not want to share online.

The purpose of not sharing personal information is to make it more difficult to connect up information about you, and especially to make it difficult to connect the "you" online to the "you" offline. The reasons one may want to do this range from maintaining safe relationships outside of an abusive relationship, to making it harder to put together enough information to break into their bank account, to being actively concerned about doxxing and swatting.

For any of these reasons, if you're not completely sure you will be fine having that information on the internet indefinitely, it's best not to share it in the first place. The internet is full of turmoil, but we all know that some posts never die, and that others are archived.

Here's some information that is generally considered a bad idea to share publicly or privately online, with the exception of applying for jobs or working with online financial and legal systems, and some strong alternatives.

Your full legal name, or any particularly distinctive part of your legal name. My first name has less than six hundred people with it in the States. I use a nickname on this blog for a reason. Nicknames are a great alternative to legal names.

Your birthday, especially if you also share your exact age. That allows for people to look for you based on your exact birth date, which is a very powerful piece of information. Unlike your legal name, there's no way I know of to change it. Consider not sharing this at all. For age, "minor" or "adult" are all the information a reasonable person should need.

Your precise location. Big cities, like Tokyo, New York City, or London, have a high enough population to act as a bit of a smokescreen, but as a rule of thumb, stick to stating a local with at least a million people in it. I often just use my time zone, since it's the main thing people need to know online.

There's other information that is questionable to share openly online, particularly your personal phone number and email, but those are the three big pieces of information that it's generally not a good idea to share either publicly or privately. This is because they can be plugged into background checkers and other databases to try to find you offline. The more information you share, the more someone can narrow down who you are. If that is something you are concerned about, consider following these guidelines about what not to share.

I encourage people to add onto and spread around this post.

[etoilesbienne]

re: boundaries

I've made many posts previously on this subject already, so people are already aware of my stance regarding disliking the way "boundaries" as a concept are used by the mcyt fandom, however I want to have a brief meditation on why this is the case, and a look at common arguments about them.

however i do want to make clear that i don't mind boundaries as a concept, actual boundaries. as in "if you do x, i will respond with y" kinds of boundaries. I think cc are completely fair and understandable in this kind of perspective. if someone makes a kind of content they dislike, they're free to block that fan or express discomfort over it. That's normal.

my critical eye is turned toward the fandom's perception of "boundaries" as a sort of fandom ruleset, either you follow them with the in-group, or you're thrown in the out-group and labelled all sorts of insults, anywhere from a criminal offender to just having people be plain nasty toward you. this in my opinion, really feeds into the fandom habit of having "cliques" as fandoms are social networks that are voluntarily joined. i find it juvenile at best.

at worst, on the other hand, is the concept of mcyt having mixed in kpop stan culture around 2019 with smplive (great server. horrific fandom at the time it was run. all of the smplive fans still left are veterans worthy of respect for surviving that.), which caused a very explosive mixture.

kpop fandom has this outlook and parasociality toward idols because these idols are borderline unreachable. even in smaller groups, companies generally (not always.) discourage idols from talking one-on-one selectively with fans. there deserves to be a more thorough examination of kpop fandom with stan culture, that i believe i am not fully qualified for. my point is that kpop idols are a hell of a lot harder to reach for english fans, whether through language barrier or through professionality done by companies.

the explosive mixture is bringing this same mentality - the mentality that these people you look toward as the main source of the fandom as being untouchable, perfect people. it's dehumanizing in its own right, but aside from that, it creates a dangerous fandom situation. as best shown using smplive with CallMeCarson from before.

CMC is the origin point of boundaries within the MCYT fandom, having held a live in fall of 2019 talking about how a popular danganronpa themed wattpad smplive fanfiction was upsetting for him to read. CMC had an intense fanbase that could and would look up to him no matter what. of course the fanbase would go after and harass this author off of the internet and deleting their work (which remained lost media until this January of 2024. Almost half a decade.) after this situation, only months later it comes out that CMC had in fact been manipulating women aged 17 to early 20s, into sexual dms and sending him explicit photos of themselves for around a year. i am of the opinion CMC would have done this behavior regardless, however, the fact he had access to so many women who put him on a pedestal without considering he could exploit them was exacerbated by the stan culture mentality of mcyt's fandom at the time. this is not a criticism of the women, it is a criticism of the fandom culture of the time for failing to treat carson as a human being who had every capability to treat people like this.

no cc is exempt from that mentality by the fandom. carson knowingly used his position within the fandom to make the choice to do that to those girls. no cc should be exempt from the real possibility of the consideration that they can fuck up, not always in the way that they necessarily need to be cancelled or deplatformed, carson is an extreme example that is absolutely not representative of cc as a whole, but there needs to be a healthy level of doubt and separation between creators and fans.

to reiterate: cc are not your friends. cc do not need you to speak for them. you do not know these people personally. to present your defense of them and their personal opinions like you spoke to them directly and are close friends is dangerous, both for yourself, and for other fans in the community.

everything i have listed is why i always will be critical toward any fan group or clique that presents themselves as being pillars of the community, and why i am critical of any page or resource that tries to list "boundaries" as hard fast rules to be self policed by the fandom. not only is that punitive mentality, it's careless and poor understanding of how communities at large work.

i don't think a "boundaries" list is necessarily a bad idea in the long run either, if these lists were, like, compilations of streamers' twitch chat rules, that'd be cool! but generally these lists lack any nuance of why and where some boundaries may apply. like a ton of streamers hate ships being spammed in chat, but could give less of a fuck about people making ship fanart. or like wouldn't care as long as the ship art isn't put in their main tag.

as well as the general ignoring of regular boundaries, we all remember the horror show of people dono-ing to cc in 2020-22 asking for their boundaries right? like just so we're explicitly clear, walking up to someone and asking what someone's opinion of making adult content of them is very much sexual harassment. that's objectively something fans should not be asking to cc. if they want to say something, they can speak up on their own. they do not need your prompting. if you wouldn't ask it to your boss in an office, don't ask cc it. tangentially related is the ignoring of boundaries based on disliking fans harassing each other or other cc. those boundaries never get to be prioritized for a reason, as those behaviors feed into the stan culture mentality of pitting sources against each other in fan wars.

parasociality and stan culture turn mcyt fandom into a power vacuum where fans who like to self-police to a dangerous extent try to take charge. this makes the fandom worse.

[chim-chim1310]

Bc he clearly isnt stable and sometimes strains his performance in Inkigayo is an example and many were hating on him for that, he cant just come back and sing badly again The GP wont take him that seriously.

He needs to improve his vocals even if as a fan you think he is already perfect that mindset isnt good if you wanna be better. See Dua was critized for her dance and now she is praised after a lot of pratice and gained more fans that is the mindset a person should have.

Jimin got hate for literally announcing that he was performing on those korean shows. The solo stans were salty because other members didn't do it. It was not because of his unstable voice.

If you are talking about encore stage then First of all, so many people said that there was some in-ear problem. And Second, even if there wasn't any in-ear problem, encore stage is for fun NOT to show off vocals like some kpop stans think.

When you have to show off vocals, you do well in live performances and concerts. If jimin is unstable there then you can rightfully give him constructive criticism.

His live performances on the other hand were perfect. What are you even talking about? I agree he is unstable sometimes but that's extremely rare and he has improved so much, just look at all the live performances in the concerts. He was so good there.

They're not perfect. Everyone has a bad day. You're talking as if jimin is unstable in every stage. Encore stage doesn't matter, the live performance matter. And he was perfect in live performances.

People were hating him for the encore stage and those were mostly other members solo stans, or blackpink stans (even if their own faves vocals are mid af). So kpop stans has some weird hatred towards jimin and they nitpick everything he does. Encore was a good opportunity for them.

Taehyung's voice is unstable too sometimes but no one hates on him as hard as they did to jimin. Infact people barely even mentions tae or any other member being unstable eventhough they are too sometimes. They just need excuses and will nitpick everything to push jimin down.

These haters will hate on jimin for literally breathing. It's sad but it's true. All of jimin's live performance are so good.

And you're talking about mindset.

As a fan when I heard jimin's live performances (the actual performances) they were all so good, his vocals were so beautiful.

And for jimin....... and his mindset as a artist, check out any of his interview and he had said millions of times how he always strive to improve himself.

Jimin wasn't even given vocal lessons still he became the lead vocalist, just look at the way he has improved so much by teaching himself, he sometimes take jungkook's help too for vocals, he IS dedicated to improve himself and his improvement shows. You are exaggerating some things. Imo jimin sounds perfect in face performances.

Taehyung was given vocal lessons along with jk but still he didn't become the lead vocal. Ask yourself why? Taehyung's voice is good but it doesn't suit all types of songs. Jungkook's voice is good too, his strongest point is stability, but if we look at it, his voice is just basic, nothing special and unique.

Jimin's voice is beautiful, angelic, seductive, deep, unique all at the same time. And even without the vocal lessons he has improved so much all these years.

I don't even know which recent performances you have watched to say this.

[ohwiseswami]

Let's Talk Stans For A Second

This post is a long time coming (and will be very long by the end) but I've been thinking about it a lot lately. I'm tired of kpop stans treating adult idols with kid gloves, so here are a list of grievances on this point.

A lot of this mostly applies to bg stans.

Idol Critiques. It's fine if you wanna baby actual minors, but stop excusing every fuck up of adult idols. On the opposite end of the spectrum, stop admonishing other fans (or even casuals) who make entertainment out of the things your favorite member says/does. I don't really stan people but I do have favorite groups/members, so I'll use them for example. I like Yeonjun, some people find him extra. This is not my problem and I don't care. I like some NCT songs. Some people see them as a noise factory. Doesn't matter, it's not their preference. My point is, stop getting mad over people having opinions. As long as no one is like actively in Doyoung's face bullying him or something, I don't see the problem in critiquing/openly disliking something your faves do. And when I say bullying, I really mean bullying (like going to someone's face and harassing them for existing, calling them slurs, insulting them when they've done nothing wrong, etc.). Not stuff like being upset with Dream for constantly bullying Haechan for his weight and skin color.

Idol Perception. So many stans get upset when others' perceptions of their faves aren't the same as theirs. So-called soft stans get upset if you think an idol looks sexy with their hair pushed back. I don't usually see hard stans get upset at soft stans about too many things but I do think they can be very hypocritical about perceiving idols. For example, some hard stans will list out every single thing they want San to do to them but as soon as someone even jokes about Wooyoung being an icon for the bis they get extremely aggressive and protective (even when it's not coming from a sexual angle!!!). It's almost like they see anything non-heteronormative as inherently sexual, but even worse, it's sexual and perverted to them. Suddenly, they're all about protecting the idol's image/privacy/dignity when moments before they were talking about wanting him to cum in their eyeball. And don't get me wrong it happens with soft stans and gg stans too, but I wanted to point out the particular hypocrisy of straight bg stans.

Idol Image. This is very similar to the perception point, but more so about the way so many kpop fans think they know EVERYTHING about their faves including their faves inner thoughts. Do you all know how many times I've heard things like: "OMG!! Don't do/say that because Taehyun doesn't like it!! Source? Just trust me, I have an *emotional connection* with him!!" stated in complete seriousness? It's one thing to JOKE about idols becoming their real selves when they breathe the good old red, white and blue air, but to project your specific thoughts and feelings onto an idol (without clarifying that it's your headcanon) is too much. Y'all do NOT know these people. Joke (and hell even speculate) all you want, but it's obvious to everyone when you've have stopped joking and have crossed the line into wanting to literally just lying about what idols have actually said to fit your narrative of who they are (a good example of this is the unnie/hyung line raised the maknae narrative every fandom has).

Idol Image pt. 2. And on this note, I want to address the other part of the fandom who think any speculation/gossip about an idol is unacceptable/inappropriate/morally wrong. I feel like I've said this in the past but it merits repeating: if you are a public figure, you sign up to be discussed up to a limited extent. Clearly, people should not go out into the world and stalk/harass idols. It's just that idols are not immune from a little drama about being seen at a club or having a significant other, etc. Idols are celebrities. They have a public side and a private side. Obviously, fans need to know the line between harmless gossip (and even news reporting of actual crimes...) and harmful harassment. It seems like fans of non-kpop idols completely understand the assignment. For example, there's gossip all the time about Shohei Ohtani (especially now that he's being accused of federal gambling crimes), but his fans are not out here wearing capes about how you shouldn't discuss certain things because it's *private*. I feel like as long as you're being normal about it (i.e., not harassing idols) and treating gossip as what it is (unconfirmed information), it's human nature to want to know things/know the truth of things that have evidence. Examples of relatively normal gossip includes wanting to know: if an idol has recently had cosmetic/plastic surgery, if an idol is secretly an asshole (or a sweetie pie) off-camera, if an idol endured harsh training conditions (or, alternatively, if they were the golden child who got everything they wanted), etc. Where it crosses the line is trying to find out their address/phone number, unsubstantiated allegations of crimes (like what happened with Beomhan), etc. I feel like people engaging in gossip culture should and often do know the difference between those things but fans treat it all as harmful if it doesn't specifically serve their fave. I can personally attest to seeing the same fans who denounce gossip culture loving that very same thing when it supports their view of their bias. For example, whenever there's rumors about idols who treat staff very well no one has a problem with it. Or rumors about idols practicing all hours of the night (meaning they're a hard worker) or rumors about them being very close to their members (meaning they're a team player), etc. But let there be a harmless rumor that doesn't suit their narrative (like the idol having a romantic partner, the idol being a club bunny, etc.) and suddenly it's "all gossip is bad and I'm better than those who engage in it because what they do offscreen is none of my business." Meanwhile these same people have entire headcanons about their bias based on some cookie crumbs they heard about him being a good person one time. 5. What is a Koreaboo, anyway? In case someone needs to hear this again: liking kpop, being attracted to your bias, learning korean, being interested in Korean culture, and making friends who are Korean doesn't make you a koreaboo. What makes you a koreaboo is reducing korea down to kpop and othering korean things as utopian/godly/divine, when it's just...another country that's different from your own. Too many kpop stans will accuse someone of being a koreaboo when that person is just interested in kpop (or korea because of kpop) when that's not what a koreaboo is. It's like calling a korean person an americaboo because they want to travel to NYC or LA and love American entertainment (dramas, music, etc.). What would make someone an americaboo is if they had an unhealthy obsession with all things US to the point where they had wholly out of touch assumptions about the US and reduced the US down to those few assumptions. THAT's the difference. But liking American movies, culture, celebrities; wanting to learn english; etc. wouldn't make someone an americaboo... So just apply the logic in reverse.

Anyway.

[aceseonghwa]

Okay I'm gonna take a moment to get sappy as hell because ATEEZ concerts always do this to me but... I wish I could meet all eight members in person and just. Shower them in praise. I want to tell them directly how incredible they are. Not just as people, but as performers. Artists.

One thing about ATEEZ, they have never been stagnant. Thinking back to their first tour and comparing it to the one their on now is just crazy. Each tour has gotten more and more elaborate and the venue sizes just continue to grow. It's so clear how dedicated ATEEZ are to being the absolute best performers they can be. I'll always remember when one member said in an interview that they always try to make their stages memorable, because it could be someone's first or last time seeing them -- and they always follow through. ATEEZ are in their own league when it comes to performances. They tell stories through their stages, taking on the roles of different characters for every song and showing atinys their entire range of emotion.

I'm going to be completely honest. In my several years of being a kpop fan, there a lot of performances that I think are great; but ATEEZ have absolutely taken the cake. Their performances are alive, they always give 1000%, they sing completely LIVE, on top of that, their stages are full on theater sets. I feel so much whenever I watch them perform. I get so immersed, watching them pour their heart and soul into everything, down to the little details. If you look up the definition of passion in the dictionary you'll see a photo of ATEEZ. They are the perfect example of what it means to be dedicated to one's craft. You can tell they want nothing more than to continue to improve, and they DO, always outdoing themselves with every comeback. Their involvement in their own work is also extremely admirable. Hongjoong and Mingi being so dedicated to producing and song writing, and of course with their latest album, all of the members got to show of their song writing skills and blew all of us away with their lyricism. And then of course there's moments on stage.

We often here about how ideas for certain performances on stage come from the members themselves (a lot of times, Seonghwa, lol) and it's just so--excuse my French--FUCKING obvious that this is more than just a job to them. They don't do the bare minimum on stage to get paid. No, it's clear that ATEEZ love what they do so much, possibly more than anything. They were born to be on stage. I know it's kinda cheesy, and I don't even really believe in fate-- but there was definitely some magic that happened when the eight of them united.

ATEEZ are so hard-working, so goal-oriented, so in love with performing and creating memorable experiences for their fans. I'm honestly so blessed to be alive at the same time as them, because I am HERE to witness their amazing artistry.

This is just another long ass ramble post that more than likely won't be seen by anyone but if it just so happens that someone who's contemplating stanning ATEEZ sees this-- this is your SIGN. You will never turn back. You won't want to turn back. You've never seen a group give their all until you’ve met ATEEZ. Your expectations will be exceeded every single time with them. The bar will be raised higher than you ever thought it could be. Put aside your judgements. Don't ignore them just because they're 4th gen. The hate train for ATEEZ exists purely out of intimidation and jealousy. But once you open your eyes to them and see what they're all about and how much they give back to their fans... you'll see why people are intimidated. You'll see why people even just want a fraction of their success. And when you come to learn that their growth was organic, stemming not from being handed things on a silver platter but because of genuine goddamn talent, you'll say "oh. OH. I see. This is what the hype is about."

They came from a small, unheard of company, and faced so many difficulties, but didn't let that stop or even slow them. From performing on the streets to putting on elaborate shows for Towards the Light; it's all deserved.

End of my long ass ramble post sjsusgsbdu I LOVE MY ATEEZ HERE'S TO A SAFE AND FUN TOUR 💕 ❤

[m-m--tv]

[-REVIEW-] IVE: I've IVE

Album cover taken from YoutubeMusic

Background pictures taken from reddit [1] [2] [3]

“It’s our time, we’re different, we like special things | Oh what a good time | I’m good, worrying about me is a waste of time | No reply after reading the DM you sent | That’s my answer (That’s my style)”

(english translation taken from colorcodedlyrics.com)

Ok, so first things first… this is my first album review in a looong long time, how exciting (and intimidating… kinda) ! If i’m not just de-rusting, I guess I am sort of debuting too, albeit today’s feature already debuted and this is another kind of debut for them but yeah you get the point.

Anyways, enough about me, and more about the feature in question, because it’s quite a heavy hitter ! If you’ve paid any attention to kpop lately, you might have heard of IVE – PAKs flying everywhere, broken records all across the board, enough albums sold to build a bridge across the sea and a handful of very strong songs to their name. What a year. Which made I’ve IVE (yeah), their first full-length project (and a full album at that !!!) all the more exciting; I mean, I really don’t consider myself an IVE stan (...yet?), even though I either really liked or LOVED everything they had released so far, but I can’t deny that I was impatiently waiting for April 10th to come – if only because, don’t lie, the thought of one of the leading girl groups of our times releasing their first album after an unbroken until now string of singles would at least slightly pique the interest of anyone. Well, it’s finally here, so what now ?

One of my main questions when this was announced was; just what sound exactly would they go for ? If ELEVEN, LOVE DIVE and After LIKE were all united in being excellent upbeat goodness, I wouldn’t really say they were cohesive sonically. And the answer is… honestly, a little bit of each ! But more precisely, I’ve IVE seems to follow in the girlboss crush (?) footsteps of After LIKE b-side My Satisfaction – somewhat of a surprise, but ultimately quite a pleasant one for sure. I maintain that My Satisfaction far outclassed After LIKE and was very close to being their best song and look at us now

I was actually a bit afraid of what the final result would be at first, especially after hearing the highlight medley. What I had heard was undeniably good, but not necessarily up my alley – to give you an example that stays within the kpop sphere, my heart is usually with the likes of T-ARA’s (immortal banger) Bo Beep Bo Beep. But I thought, well, it’s just a highlight medley… they have not missed so far… people said the songs they performed at the fanmeet were great (someone called NOT YOUR GIRL a Sistar song which DEFINITELY had me listening)… it’s IVE… surely an album tied to these insane concept photos won't miss… let’s wait and see. And I was right !! Because ultimately, I’ve IVE stands as an extremely enjoyable record !

The sound they went for here is very in-line with (what I perceive to be) their chic, elegant, cool girl concept; I’d say for the most part (mostly the b-sides) it’s very soft and never really in-your-face, quite easy to listen to with a nice flow, but at the same time it’s still really cool and commands your attention just by existing and doing it pretty much flawlessly. I’d compare it to silk. It straddles the line between cool and vibey & catchy and engaging perfectly; which I have to give it credit for, because like I said it’s usually really not the type of sound I'm fully into. I also think a lot of songs that go for it can easily fall in the trap of trying to be a ‘soft bop’ so hard that they end up feeling bland / boring / sanitized and turn into the musical equivalent of watching white paint dry. But here, it’s executed perfectly, from the subtle groove of Lips to the spacey synth touches of Cherish and many more. It’s also one more thing that works in the album’s favor, because as it’s located perfectly at those crossroads – for exemple, it’s both music to get ready to for a night out and music to actually live that night out to –, it’s a very versatile album that you’ll be more likely to run back to in different situations, and as such it’s always a strong player no matter where or what.

Part of why it works so well is that even though pretty much every song exists in that sonic universe, with super smooth modern beats and arrangements that feel minimal without ever becoming too sparse, they all have a different enough energy and goal that they try to achieve. You have the funk and playfulness of Lips & Kitsch, the calm and stillness of Cherish & Heroine, the subtle emotions of Mine & Shine With Me, the edgier sounds of Blue Blood, the super boppy joy and sass of NOT YOUR GIRL & I AM, and not only does it differentiates every track while also keeping the experience fresh without ever having to uproot the listener, it also helps the whole package come together into a strong album that at least touches every mark of what a typical album should be. Chill bops, boppier bops, more emotional bops, you have it all with no stark tonal shift; so as a self-contained work, I’ve IVE covers every ground it needs to in order to confidently stand tall while also keeping enough strengths redistributed in certain areas to add just that bit of charm that makes it shine. 

There is sort of an outlier here however, and that is track 7, Hypnosis; one hell of an outlier too, and one that I'm gonna have to give the spotlight to for a bit because whew. From the very beginning with those disorienting and rattling electric synths, you know you’re in for a treat, and the song is quick to confirm that. It’s almost the antithesis of the album, in a way; whereas I’ve IVE is elegant and subtle, Hypnosis is twisted and almost crooked in a way, with dissonants and irregular instruments crawling around the floor of a beat that ultimately proves itself to be SO addictive, contrasting with the soft and dreamy voices of the girls like a solar eclipse. Hypnosis takes the formula of the album and twists it inside out, resulting in this sort of shadow twin that feels like an occult experiment gone wrong in the best possible way. On 1st listen, it reminded me a lot of something I’d hear in the gym of Ecruteak City in Pokemon Gold, mostly because of those electric synths that have a very GameBoy Color quality to them, and god knows that hit me straight in the heart. If you feel bored by I’ve IVE "playing it too safe", then at least try this one, because it’s certainly experimental and genuinely such a great song like oh my god… no subtlety here, just a fever nightmare that won’t let you escape.

…Back to the album now. If this sound palette works so well here, it has to be said, it’s because the production is EXCELLENT. It’s clean, tight, professional and straight to the point, like a shiny, deep-cleaned high end kitchen. Good tools make for great work if used correctly, and the group was armed with nothing but quality here. But what I really like about it, and what lifts I’ve IVE higher, is that it’s littered with a bunch of sparkly flourishes that add the finishing touch to already strong songs. The kazoo in Kitsch, the violin-like strings in the Blue Blood post-chorus, the smooth piano and strings in the background of Cherish, the guitar slowly emerging in Mine for exemple; all are insanely neat little details that add so much to their respective song and truly take them there. In fact, I’d say that they make the softer songs like Lips & Cherish win over their more energetic peers such as I AM & NOT YOUR GIRL because that’s where they’re easier to pick up on and also where they work excellently, making use of the minimal landscapes to place themselves just where they need to and give the songs very pleasant depth – once again, that’s one of the ways in which I’ve IVE avoids the pitfalls of boringness, and that’s by knowing exactly how to mix its ingredients with the perfect amount of pop-up-y flavor to leave a mark. It’s not just “yeah make it as unoffensive as possible” minimalism, it’s minimalism where every little piece is perfectly arranged with the others and completed by that one touch which seals the deal. Their producers did amazing work, for sure, and it gave us such a treat to Listen™ to.

I do wish the songs themselves were a bit longer though – they’re already all pretty much great, but some would still hugely benefit from something like a longer bridge, an actual bridge, a post chorus, another verse… I’m thinking of Blue Blood in particular, it’s a good bop and serves as a great intro but it would blossom so beautifully if it was extended just a bit. Hypnosis also kind of suffers from this, but that one is so impressive that I kind of forget it’s very short lol, yet imagine if it was longer??? The 11-tracks length is perfect because the album doesn’t ever overstay its welcome while also having enough room to expand and do everything it needs to – you can’t take away from I’ve IVE that it’s an extremely concise experience, and that’s sort of a good thing. But I really think that effect would have been kept had the songs been given more time, so it’s a shame that a lot of them are pretty short, usually stopping at around 3 minutes. For all the things I love about it, I guess that’s the big drawback of the streaming era. In that way, it clearly works, because while writing this I went through the album like twice and I didn’t intend to do so at all but I just didn’t notice that it was looped lol, so here are the extra streams in question – but part of that does lie in the fact that like I said, I’ve IVE is an easy listen.

For a first full-length album, I’ve IVE was definitely a great start. It’s very approachable and appeals to a wide audience, but it’s not satisfied by just doing the bare minimum and sacrificing all individuality to reach as many people as possible. Instead, the album pulls out the tricks it has up its sleeve at perfect times to climb up to the next levels on this flawless model walk it’s taking – all without ever breaking a sweat. You can tell there was effort put into this and that they weren’t just like “oh yeah who cares this will sell anyways”. I’ve IVE invites the audience to get into its groove very smoothly, but it never babies them or insults their intelligence by giving them pleasing mind-numbness, instead opting to serve precisely-crafted offerings with that ‘connoisseur’ feel that they know will be genuinely appreciated. The end result is without a doubt a high quality product. Even if IVE’s concept is a match-made in heaven with the sound of the album – i honestly think this was the perfect road to take for them –, it’s still one that any group would be honored to have to its name. They landed on the ground strutting, and wherever it goes from there, this stop has not shown a single sign of wavering flames; if anything, they’re only getting higher thanks to a perpetually-refined craft.

Ranking:

Hypnosis 9.5

Next Page 9.5

Shine With Me 9.4

Cherish 9.3

Lips 9.2

Blue Blood 9.2

Kitsch 9.2

NOT YOUR GIRL 9.2

I AM 9.2

Mine 9.1

Heroine 8.8

Note: 9.3

Average: 9.2

…Now about me and this blog… as you know, this is my very first review, so this feels relevant to say here, but I’ll admit – allow me to be a bit dramatic – this is kind of a scary experience ?? I really don’t know what I’m doing and I’m still trying to tune this into something with a nice structure and good commentary and a strong footing that I don’t think I have found yet and I don’t even know if I’m just gonna lose interest after a week or keep it running for a month or two or a year who knows??? Certainly not me. So yeah it’s a bit shaky for now. But I guess I'll just keep walking until I get the hang of things ? (I haven’t even figured out Tumblr yet😭) So… until then, look forward to it !! (and I promise i won’t be pesky like that every single time lol, keep watching and you’ll see!)

[adreaminadream]

[kpop thoughts] #5 scandals

i remember when scandals were actually bad things and because of how much i'm used to hearing the term, it's a given that the meaning gets lost in the rumours and circulation within the kpop community. nothing was ever a "scandal" really until seungri and the burning sun scandal and recently with taeil. the things that were considered a scandal was jessica leaving gg (snsd), hyuna and dawn leaving cube because they were dating (rip triple h :( ), lucas being a "golddigger" and at one point his supposed "girlfriend" was pregnant or something.

spread throughout the years we as fans who have seen it all should have been able to control our mouths or use them at least. well done for everyone spitting on taeil on kpop twitter but we did not need to spread false information and bring up the chat rooms that happened ages ago.

as much as being an international fan is a good thing and there's 9 times out of 10 nothing wrong with what we do, we do not know, however, what goes on in korea. as much as i want seunghan to be back in riize, there is absolutely no chance for us to go against a conglomerate company with 30+ years experience in an industry worth billions. at least they kept him in the company because lsm's nephew who now runs sm actually knows who or who hasn't done things (although sm and i quote "not knowing about taeil" until a few weeks before their statement was complete and utter bullshit. everything has to go through the company even the reports and online posted articles that sound made up.)

every year i have a triple h phase because they broke the standards and ticked every box in concept (despite how raunchy it is), music, vocals, looks...

i admit that cube is a shit company [hello?? poor hui and pentagon, i also don't know how (g)idle renewed when they hate their company...] but they KNEW how to make a damn good concept and pick extremely talented trainees for example soyeon and hui*

*if you didn't know, hui was the producer behind most of kpop's hits for example: energetic by wanna one*

i hated it when intl stans kept refering to dawn as "hyuna's boyfriend" when he is so much more than that. when i found out that hyuna got married only two years after breaking her 6 year relationship, i went livid. i do not normally care for whatever my faves do but this was the icing on the cake.

your reason for breaking up was because you didn't want to settle down but you do barely afterwards?? and with a fucking bastard. JUST WHY. your whole entire image was femininity, sex appeal, lowk feminism and you get with a coward who couldn't turn his sex trafficker friends into the police? 365 fresh is hands down my favourite music video to date but it's ironic to see that she get's with the type of person to really touch a girl's leg in real life. i wonder how dawn feels, he is too nice for wanting to support her even after that heavy breakup. bless him he dropped his career for her and we don't even know if he's friends with pentagon still, we barely promoted with them TT

see jessi's "scandal" i am absolutely disappointed i can't believe i found out 2 weeks after it happened but she did not deserve the backlash she got for it. she was only trying to refuse a fan for safety reasons. netizens are so stupid that even when there is given evidence, they will drive a person to death, quite literally. i hope that she's doing well because i saw that press video of them with the microphones and her crying with a cap on :( bless.

it sucks that useless (dating, false bullying...) scandals happen to the best people.

oh my god! even soojin and she's in cube... fuck cube man but i stand by my argument that hybe is probably worse (me 3 years ago would've not said that, that's for sure)

[newjenns]

can you explain the delulu lore to me because while I'm having fun seeing everyone make memes about it and using it in a different context I do want to know the kpop history behind delulu

delulu rose to popularity on kpoptwt (may have been invented there idk) around 2019 ? hit peak popularity around 2020 and we basically used it against stans who were absolutely delusional. this included but is not limited to:

1. annoying shippers of members from different groups (usually a girl group and boy group) that /gen believed their ship was real (liskook for example is an extremely popular ship of lalisa from blackpink and jungkook from bts) (pls look up liskook on youtube it will blow ur mind the amount of views videos about them have)

2. annoying shippers of members from the same group that /gen believed their ship was real (cc: taekookers vs jikookers)

3. people who thought their group was better/more successful/more talented than the one you stanned (so for example as a blackpink stan during this time i called anyone who said any other girl group like twice red velvet gfriend etc was more successful than blackpink delulu) (but this can apply to any groups it’s a very us vs everyone mentality)

[akookminsupporter]

It me, the big bad multifan anon. *kisses*

1. Glad to have someone new to fight that’s not a taekook anon? Please take this response as lightly as I mean it. I am not offended by your response or the other responses I skimmed. I do take offense at the person who disliked Ateez, so rude taking potshots at my other favorite boys. Jungkook vs Jongho sing off when? (I lie, Jongho is too nice to be subjected to Army).

2. Saying I love BTS but I have problems with the fandom does not downgrade my argument. You can love something but have problems with things associated with it.

3. I think we’re coming at this from very different angles. I run in a lot of fandom spaces. Some of y’all say that I’m wasting my time doing that; that’s fine, but fandom is important to me (also you’re fighting with me on a fan blog so don’t fall off that high horse lmao). I’ve been in many over the years. When I mention stans I don’t talk about casual listeners but people who are active in online fan spaces. And Army has a pretty embarrassing reputation online of saying things without knowing context or believe BTS is unique in ways they aren’t. That’s specifically what fans I speak about. Obviously it’s in part love; when I’m having a bad day I have a BTS pick me up playlist and I actually keep BTS songs for special occasions so I don’t get tired of them, because it’s so special to me. No other group I treat like that.

4. Buuuuut. I think the One True Group idea perpetuates this behavior. I think Army and Blinks tend to be the worst, and not just because they’re big because other big name groups have better behaved fans, but because they tend to have a lot of the one group superiority complex.

5. So my opinion that you should explore beyond your favorites IF you want to involve yourself in kpop spaces.

6. Oh, and I didn’t mean that at you. I already knew your stance on others groups as a been there didn’t like it. My problem is with superiority complex’s stans have without looking past BTS ever.

7. I concede Jackson was a bad example, Blow is just my fav song of the year so far.

Anyways this is getting too long, I’m stoked about the anthology album even though they denied us Ddaeng. :/

This came out as a cocky, sarcastic and ironically with a hint of a superiority complex. You're a better fan because you like several groups and are in several fandoms. Let's have a party. I'll post this ask out of politeness but I think this conversation ends here. Anon, if I don't want to talk about tkkrs, I just don't do it. I just have to say that you, whoever is reading this can like 1 or a thousand groups. You can be a fan of BTS only or them and 5 other groups. That doesn't make you better or worse, it just makes you a person with a varied taste in music and maybe content in general. Anon, it's true that many fans have problems, extreme and biased opinions about many things. Many fans think they are superior because BTS is on top and that feeling of superiority makes them be stupid and say stupid things but that doesn't mean being a fan of just one group is bad. And that's basically what you said. You multi fans have a lot of problems too, some of you are "fans" of bts but are upset that your other favs don't earn what bts earn or don't have what bts has. "It's not fair for bts to win again, I'm a fan of them too but X group deserved it more" I've read more than one multi fan say. That doesn't sound good either.

People can like and be fans of whoever they want.

If they don't want to listen to other groups, that's their problem, they may be the ones missing out. But it's THEM. I don't understand how that's YOUR problem or anyone else's problem.

[queensinourmidst]

Aespa is not the same as K/DA and Gorillaz.

Some of you seem confused about what the distinction between Aespa’s concept and other “virtual concepts” like K/DA and Gorillaz is. Even putting aside all the suspicion of sexualization and use of the models for pedophilia (which I think are very reasonable and significant concerns given the industry and the treatment of virtual artists in general), there is a world of difference between Aespa, K/DA, and Gorillaz. That is simply that Aespa’s models were designed after the girls, while K/DA and Gorillaz are separate characters from the people who voice them. While Soyeon voices Akali, there is no one looking at Akali as though it is a virtual version of Soyeon, so when Akali is sexualized (which she is in the K/DA videos themselves) or Akali’s design is held to a completely unrealistic standard, there is no doubt it is not Soyeon. Similarly, the Gorillaz characters are voiced by people in the band. It’s akin to acting. It is a meeting point between performance in the theatrical realm and performance in the musical realm, and there is a clear line between the performer and the character.

Now why is it so disturbing, pedophilia aside, that Aespa’s models are based off of the girls themselves? If you know anything abut the kpop industry (if you’re into kpop and don’t know these things, please do some research so you at least are aware of all the shit you support), you are aware of the ridiculous standards idols are held too, both physical and behavioral, and you are aware of the very real danger of sasaengs/extreme fans.

I think the standards issue is fairly obvious. The AI version of Karina can be ideal in ways that the real Karina can’t. It’s already evident in her design, she wears skimpier clothing than the real Karina in the video. Her skin is paler, she is skinner, and her curves are more pronounced. You might say "well it’s stylized”, but regardless of that excuse (and yes, I will call it an excuse) those changes are standards that she experiences. Skin color, thinness, and curviness are all MAJOR in the kpop girl group industry, the sorts of things all girl group members are measured by and seek to optimize already (see this video where Amber from f(x) talks about this). Furthermore, she can perfect choreography in a way that a human can’t, because she’s virtual, and she will never make a mistake or get tired. Whether you like it or not, the AI version of Karina will be directly compared to her, because it is meant to be a version of her. KPop idols already struggle intensely with mental health issues having to do with upholding the standard of perfection expected of them. This is just another stress factor to add on an idol system that already is pushing children to their limits!

The issue of sasaengs is one I actually think is downright dangerous. Kpop stans already have issues separating their idols as people from the image they consume. Idols are not allowed to have personal lives, and their sasaeng fans often are extremely creepy, stalking and hacking to get access to anything and everything to do with the idol. We have, time and time again, seen idols’ careers get destroyed because they did something that revealed that they were human or that their real-life personality was different from the image/character they were told to portray for the camera (if you want a particularly sad example, take Sulli from f(x) and the amount of hatred she received once her dating scandal broke AND once she started having control of her social media and acting like herself and not like cutesy perfect f(x) Sulli). The idea of fans being able to constantly connect with their idols, even in this virtual way, further blurs lines that were already hazy. There is no barrier, nothing to protect the aespa girls from fans who will believe they OWN the aespa girls. If you think this is extreme, just read the rhetoric that already comes out whenever an idol is revealed to be have been dating in secret, or gets married in secret. This allows fans who already cannot tell the difference between an idols’ professional and personal personas and lives to have close, obsessive contact with their idols that, I guarantee, will have really negative effects on the girls.

And none of this would happen to anywhere near the same extent in the K/DA or the Gorillaz cases because, like I said, it’s not AI-soyeon, it’s Akali. It’s not an AI version of Damon Albarn, it’s 2-D! Soyeon is not looking at Akali and thinking about the ways the company has changed her to be ideal, and when people interact with Akali, they are not forming a parasocial relationship with Soyeon.

To return to the pedophilia point at the end here, I think it is totally reasonable for people to be afraid for the future of these AI dolls. There is already precedent for the extreme sexualization of virtual female characters in basically every media they come out in, regardless of age. It is bad enough that it happens with characters that are fictional and underage, but now consider. These are virtual, underage, young, teenage versions of pretty young REAL idol girls. The parasocial relationships that people form with anime characters and the disgusting ways they sexualize them is VERY MUCH a real concern and VERY MUCH a real danger these girls will be exposed to, and it will be done to an AI version of themselves. Even if they do not personally physically come to harm, it is so disgusting, and it will be so disturbing to them to know that it is happening and that they cannot control it, because it’s an AI 3D model.

Finally there’s the additional layer of how SM can find and promote 50 boys in NCT and yet can’t seem to debut more than 4 girls. I’m sure they had plenty of female trainees. If you all were not already aware of the promotional discrepancies between SM’s boy groups and girl groups well...time to wake up and face the music! There’s a reason f(x) was disbanded and SHINee was not! There’s a reason Girls’ Generation themselves were thrown under the bus for Jessica’s departure! There’s a reason reveluvs are afraid the Irene scandal will cause SM to abandon Red Velvet entirely!

Anyway. Kpop stans have let NCT and the notion that there are many replaceable boys in a group not only slide by but also be super profitable. Can’t wait to see how this turns out. What happens to these girls is on you.

[smileysuh]

ok that Lucas infographic was really nice lol, but just wanted to say I'm kinda glad with your choice...

I mean like, you're staying on the safer side by not bringing him up much, but you still kinda support ot23 (from what I understand at least). and yea it's fine that you're more 127 biased (not that you need my validation lol) hence your works are more based around them

idk if I'm making sense, I'm just kinda tired of ppl making up more stories to add on drama honestly... nice that one of my favourite writers isn't doing too much abt it

thanks! I've tried to explain a little more in my response, so again, in case anyone doesn't wanna see this stuff, I've put a cut so you can choose to avoid seeing this :)

yeah- it depends on your definition of 'support'- like, i'm a general fan of lots of groups- i LIKE wayv like i LIKE groups like astro- i listen to some of their songs, watch some content if it pops up in my youtube, and i definitely went through a hyper fixation stage where i learned a lot about them- but for one reason or another, they never went to the next level to become a special interest- i don't STILL actively go searching for info about them the way i do with SVT and NCT 127.

But just because i don't love Wayv or Astro or Itzy the way i love SVT, NCT 127 (and other groups like Pentagon and Monstax) doesn't mean i don't still enjoy them/want to see them successful and happy :)

But because NCT 127 is within the ot23 umbrella, something happening outside of my 9 core members does make waves that reach me- and i know my followers might be more engrained with Wayv than i am- so i think, as someone who isn't REALLY a Wayv stan- it's not my place to make definitive statements about any of the stuff that's been going on- all i can do is respectfully limit the member in question :) and hopefully, the fandom will get some definitive stuff from SM sometime in the future that will clear things up, at which point, i'm sure many people will have to reevaluate how they interact with including Lucas- regardless of what SM ends up saying about all of this.

for anyone who IS a big wayv stan, and has been following all of this- honestly, my biggest sympathies- being kept in the dark about this sort of situation- not knowing what to believe- it's extremely stressful. when there were allegations about SVT's Mingyu being a bully- i was fucking devastated because he's one of my mains- and people were so quick to cancel him or say he was innocent- and it's just- at the time, it's like i A: condemn Mingyu as a bully based on very little facts, and potentially alienate all the fans holding out for a statement, which is horrible, because until we have the exact facts- i'd just be condemning their fav- or B: say Mingyu was innocent, potentially devalidate the victim(s), and latch onto Mingyu even harder if i got pushback- both options lead to the polarization that results in arguments and disagreements- over a situation that NO ONE had the actual facts on until after Pledis investigated-

and this example can be applied to any kpop 'scandal'- Taeyong being called a bully like Mingyu, which were both proven FALSE - or the flip side like the Burning Sun Scandal- which was horribly true

i just- the world has enough fighting and negative energy without me adding my opinion on a 'scandal' that hasn't even been proven- because as i showed above, no matter what i say, someone will disagree with me- because it's still a matter of opinion based on few actual facts

and what even are facts? like- correct me if i'm wrong, because again, i havent been keeping up with this- but some of the evidence presented against lucas was voice messages taken from his bubble and framed to look like personal messages was it not? in this day and age- anything can be warped or edited- but another way to see this is, even if 1 of the persons 'proof' is false, what about the other people who came out with allegations? like- we as fans are not SUPPOSED to be able to sift through and differentiate this shit- which is why they have teams who check the scandals-

however, with this one- this is all we've been given

and looking at sm's track record, this in no way helps clarify what went down- because i believe they made Taeyong apologize when he was accused of bullying too? and it was later debunked???

and while the initial 2 accusers as shown in the article linked HAVE been debunked- maybe i'm blind but the third one seems to have some legitimacy still????

i just- it's a shit show. why would i wade into this- even just looking at the info made my head hurt because things are still so up in the air for Lucas stans (he apologized so is he guilty? some stuff was debunked so is he innocent???)- and again, i feel so bad for everyone involved- because if there's one definitive thing i CAN say, it's: SM has not handled this well

this is how Pledis went about the Mingyu bullying accusation:

and i do think his apology is quite similar to Lucas's- a blanket apology, like- it's true, reflection is good, even if you don't mean to, you can accidentally hurt other people-

the difference is this:

like- did SM even say they were investigating??? did they just- tell him to make an apology then bench him for (7?) months hoping it would blow over and when he comes back, we'd receive him with open arms? (the "distance makes the heart grow fonder" idea)

i think- this tactic definitely worked in some regard- before the lucas allegations, his insta would get like 30,000 comments in a post, then for his apology, he got 700,000 and when he returned earlier this month, his post had 800,000+ when I checked- so like- people HAVE missed him- a lot of fans really don't think he's guilty because i guess someone hired a cyber team- and it's just- very convenient for SM to bandaid it with an apology, bench Lucas, build suspense/longing, and then let him return, with very little actual investigation on their part or communication with the fanbase on what's ACTUALLY going on.

no hate to anyone- i'm not pointing out these numbers to make a judgment, because fuck- if Lucas is ur main, i bet you missed him- i'm merely pointing out the psychological backing of the tactic SM has used in this- and how i really don't agree with it, because as someone who runs on FACTS- i can't fully embrace Lucas ever again until i have a definitive statement from SM in the way that Pledis cleared Mingyu-

maybe this is a low key way of me saying im jealous of fans who trust the debunking in loo of an official statement- because i do wish i could embrace lucas again- i dont WANT him to be this bad person- it's just- it's hard for everyone :/ what a shit show

hopefully we'll get more clear info from sm/a hired investigation team soon- but- i kind of feel like after what SM just did with this- it's unlikely- and they ARE hoping this will just blow over, with as little effort/communication from themselves as possible :/

[staurora]

My Thoughts on OnlyOneOf’s New Music Video

Ok so I don’t usually post stuff like this (I don’t usually post anything lol) but I’ve been thinking a lot about OnlyOneOf’s new comeback and I thought as a queer man (bisexual with a preference for men to be exact) I could offer some perspective into the situation. This is going to be a very long post though, as their are lots of factors and I like overthinking shit so. Bear with me. Also, remember that I can’t speak for the whole LGBT+ community. This is all just my opinion based on my own experiences. If other queer people are uncomfortable with this, they have every right to be.

Firstly, I don’t stan this group. I’m definitely considering it now, and I have looked into them a little before, but I don’t know a whole lot about them. I actually just saw people talking about the teasers and when I went over to YouTube, the MV had just been released. I watched it and at first I had very... mixed feelings.

I loved the song. One of the reasons I had looked into OnlyOneOf before was because I came across their music and was immediately in love. Their music feels different from other kpop artists, more experimental if I had to describe it. The choreography was gorgeous and well executed, and the music video itself was just art. It really told a story with every shot. The very sexual, mature nature of the song paired with the mostly soft visuals in each scene really made it feel like the story of a teenager hanging out with his crush. The two could be doing very mundane things, but his desire for the other makes his mind wander. There were lots of shots that zoomed in on points of contact, such as the thighs touching with the two riding the motorcycle or one guy touching the other’s hair, and they really reminded me of that feeling when you have a crush on someone and suddenly every touch between you and them is magnified. Basically, I loved it and it reminded me of my own experiences.

Despite how much I liked it, I was still very on the fence about it for a while. I love most things that involve queer representation and stories I can relate to, but I’m also usually extremely guarded because most “representation” I encounter is done to either capitalize off of gay people without actually helping us out or to sell a fetishized version of us to horny straight women. I also was worried that the members could potentially have been forced to do this concept by the company and gay or straight, no one should be forced to do sexual things they don’t want to do. But the more I think about this music video, the less uncomfortable I get.

First of all, I don’t think this is queerbaiting. I’ve watched so many shows that queerbaited the shit out of their audience but this isn’t that. Queerbaiting is when a fictional story hints at a queer relationship between two characters but doesn’t actually deliver. In the story that OnlyOneOf tells, I think it’s hard to say they aren’t delivering. I think it was very on the nose in every scene that this was a story of a group of friends who are interested in each other.

I think where the confusion comes in is the fact that it feels less like a modern story queerbaiting viewers for money and more like an older story hinting at queerness but not delivering simply because of a restrictive social climate. For years, queer people in America, for example, had to censor their own stories and could only hint at what was going on without showing it. Now that it is more widely accepted here, those stories can be told more frankly. But in many countries, telling an explicitly queer story is still the equivalent of throwing your career down the drain. I’m not from Korea so I can’t truly speak on the political climate, but I do know that queerness is still not very acceptable in their media. 

Basically, in my opinion, this is not queerbaiting. This isn’t two characters growing closer and closer, getting queer fans hopes up until they say “You’re a great friend!” and the story ends. This is an idol group sharing a queer story and keeping it just vague enough for them to continue making a living off of their music.

Second of all, from the research I’ve done, it looks like OnlyOneOf tends to have a fair amount of freedom when it comes to their music. At the very least, I found that KB produces some of their songs and Rie choreographs at least some of their dances. With this in mind, I find it hard to believe that idols who regularly participate in the making of their songs and dances were forced into this concept. I watched the behind the scenes video for the Libido MV and none of the members appeared uncomfortable. I’m not saying their company 100% didn’t force them to do this, but it seems very unlikely to me.

Now, I certainly think it’s okay to worry about whether an idol is comfortable with the content they’re making, but I feel like everyone who has should ask themselves whether they worry an equal amount about other idols doing sexual concepts. I have seen plenty of idols do choreography that is just as sexual as the choreography for Libido, but very few people ask if those idols are okay with what they’re doing unless they get very clear warning signs that they aren’t. But when a boy group has a queer music video, when fans stop thinking that they’re singing about women, suddenly you’re worried? It’s an obvious double standard, no two ways about it. 

In conclusion, I like the song. I like the music video. I was worried at first just like plenty of other queer people, but I think whether this was a cash grab or not, it was handled with grace. With the backlash OnlyOneOf is now facing, it seems less and less likely that this was just for marketing though. Either they did this for the art, or it was a marketing choice that backfired drastically so they’re still not profiting off of queer people, because this choice wasn’t profitable. Either way, it’s good music, it’s beautiful, and it tells a story that I and probably many other queer people could relate to. I’d call that good representation.

[sanstropfremir]

what do you think makes someone have good stage presence? do you think it's something that can be taught or something one just naturally possesses?

i read your answer to the other ask. and re. super m, i like lucas. don't get me wrong. he's very much a hong kong beauty that i love (sm is really missing out by not putting him in more editorials).

but in terms of stage presence, he isn't a standout to me? maybe that's because he's in a group with, in my opinion, two of the best performers (taemin + kai). i put him in the same category as baekhyun. like you mentioned, he doesn't stand out but makes up for it by screaming. but for lucas, he's not the best rapper or vocalist and isn't given a lot of lines.

also, what do you think about nct's infinite concept? this is a bit random but wanted to group together since we're talking about nct members. nct2020 was a whole mess for me (as someone who absolutely LOVED nct2018 concept wise and thought maybe, hey this could work). watching nct2020, it seems... asjhdakjhlgds for a lack of better words. like if i was a member and wasn't taeyong/mark/ten/lucas/doyoung, i would be :/ there's definitely a reason why sm pushes them the most because they're just better in capturing the audience. the other members feel like glorified background dancers.

in my personal opinion, stage presence is how well a performer can convince the audience that they are alive, and that they belong there. the stage is an artifice. it isn’t real, nothing you do on it is real, all performance is just that: performative. a human being’s natural state is not on a large platform being stared at, obviously anyone put in that situation is going to find it difficult to act in a natural way. why do you think people hate public speaking? why stage fright is a thing? those of us that can make it over that initial hurdle of being looked at have dual challenges; we as the audience know this whole scenario is fake; what makes it real is our willingness to be convinced that it is real, and the performer’s ability to make us believe that it is real. a huge part of this is making their bodies move and respond in a way that we recognize. this includes making facial expressions. it also includes exuding the confidence that you belong on that stage. that we should be looking at you. this is no place for timidity or nervousness. yes, i do think this is something you can learn, it’s acting and anyone can learn to act. do some people have an advantage over others? absolutely, it's the same with any skill. are there some people that despite being on stage for years never learn? also yes. i don’t think it's a ‘you have it or you don’t’ scenario, like with all reductivist binary statements, it belittles the effort of the people that work extremely hard to get where they are. this is the fallacy of mozart***; those with a high level of natural talent cannot coast by just that talent alone - a true artist is dedicated to pushing their own boundaries and skills regardless of what others deem you as. no one is born a genius, but we all have predispositions that, if applied cultivation, can become fully fledged ‘genius’ level skills. 

i’m gonna put the rest of my responses under a cut because i got extremely deep in the weeds on that one, whoops.

i can totally see why lucas and baekhyun would fall into the same category for you, that's valid. obviously a lot of how effective someone’s stage presence can be is pretty subjective. my standards have a slightly different skew than the average kpop fan, since my life has been working and making performance for over a decade. yes, lucas doesn’t have the same presence as taemin or kai, and yea he's not the best rapper or best vocalist by far, but i think he carries himself extremely well despite that. he's got advantages from the start; he’s the tallest in the group and he’s pretty, but the few times that he is in center i am absolutely paying attention to him. ‘im the other one chilling with them other ones’? no idea what the fuck that means but i absolutely believe him. honestly i can't even remember any other parts of that song. if sm ever decides to give him more parts i think we’ll see a uptick in his skills. he really knows how to work a camera; his expressions and body language are already really strong and he exudes confidence like an overeager puppy.

i think nct’s infinite concept is ridiculous and a bit disrespectful to the original members who’ve done the lion's share of the work building the brand. obviously i understand why sm did it, when you have an established brand that you can keep plugging new members into you essentially never have to take the risks involved with debuting a new group ever again. plus with nct’s whole.....new culture + technology thing, they’re primed for any of the weird awful tech updates that are inevitably coming in the next decade. no shade on the girls in aespa, i just find the idea of debuting a girl group with overly sexualized ai robot versions of themselves into a world where the boundaries between idol and fan are already constantly violated uhhh...........distasteful. to put it mildly. i also think the concept is disrespectful to the new members that constantly get added in; because they get added into a system that has a clear working structure based on those original members, who are going to be in every iteration ever. because they’re the proven selling points. at least when you debut a totally new group you’re giving those idols a clean slate. any of the new nct boys will never really have a chance to truly establish themselves outside of that context. plus they will forever be plagued by exclusionist stans. if you’re lucky and charismatic and pretty like lucas you might get the chance to get beyond that (he made it to superm after all), but for pretty much everyone else? anon you said it not me.

*** i know this is not actually what the mozart fallacy is. hence the wording change. but as far as i'm aware there isn’t actually a name for this phenomenon so i'm calling it like how i heard it first described, which was using mozart as an example.

[kienansidhe]

i thought sexualize and fetishize meant sort of the same thing? i googled the definitions and i still dont see much difference. i'm interested in what you meant?

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fetishize

fetishization can be sexual but it is not necessarily, and sexualization is not in and of itself fetishization! the idea of fetishization is not about sex, its about obsession and projection of ones own ideas/agenda onto something--the word fetish refers to objects or ideas people attribute powers or certain values to.

you can fetishize something or someone in a sexual manner-- reducing black men to the idea of them having big cocks, for example, is fetishizing black men in a sexual manner.

but you can also fetishize something or someone in a nonsexual manner, and this is actually more common! people fetishize money as the ultimate goal/purpose in living, so that having the most money is "winning" at life. kpop stans (yes im harping on this because it affects me personally) fetishize korean people, and while some do it sexually via rpf and such, the majority do it by projecting their ideas and desires of soft boys, prettyboys, aegyo cuteness, etc., reducing korean people to an infantilized idea of purity, innocence, preciousness. its yellow fever with a different, more queer and female gazed hat. and it affects the way ppl treat korean ppl like me in the real world. where nonblack women can be rlly fucking weird at black men bc they think of them as some kind of sex dream, non-asian people can be rlly fucking weird at korean (and by extension other east and asian) people, cooing over us, infantilizing us, desexualizing us. basically they look at us and they see an idea, a projection, not a whole person, even if they manage to keep their weirdness to themselves.

thats what fetishizing a person looks like. its becoming so obsessed with a certain idea about a group of people that you project that idea onto people of that group to the exclusion of understanding them as whole people. again, this can be sexual, but it is not always or inherently! so using fetishization and sexualization interchangeably is incorrect, and has led to a lot of misconception that sexualization is inherently wrong--which it is not! i personally love being sexualized, but i get to say that as an individual, while still being upset about the overall fetishization of asian people, because the two terms are not the same.

if i am being sexualized because someone sees me specifically as hot/cute/sexy, its just sexualization. which can be or not be harmful in its own way! but if i am being sexualized because i am asian and someone is projecting their ideas of submissive asian women or softboy boyfriend asian men onto me, that is fetishization. if a black man is sexualized in general because hes fucking hot, as a whole package, its sexualization. again this can be problematic or not in its own way. if hes being sexualized as "bbc" or "ooh aggressive in bed" --thats fetishization! it really sucks to think oh, theyre attracted to me, and find out that no, theyre attracted to what they think my cock is like, or how they think ill be in bed without even knowing me, or how id be the perfect softboy boyfriend or submissive wifey-- a projection, an idea theyre obsessed with and pursuing without regard for ppls feelings.

to reduce this the problem of this specific, fetishy kind of sexualization to being bad just because it involves sex is really harmful because it obscures the actual point of why its bad. hence my post youre responding to--if you can interchange the words without losing meaning, youve used the word fetishization wrong.

i hope that makes sense! i know i can be extremely wordy and rambly lol

[kpophours]

a very necessary guide to The Boyz

➥ basic information 

debuted on December 6, 2017 with Boy

currently consisting of 11 members (they used to be 12 members, but Hwall sadly departed from the group in October 2019 due to his ongoing ankle injury)

signed under Cre.ker Entertainment

their official fanclub name is “THEB” (aka deobi)

no official colors yet (we’re waiting, Cre.ker)

they have an official YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and vlive

they had their first win with Bloom Bloom in 2019

discography: four EPs (The First, The Start, The Only, Dreamlike), two Singles (The Sphere, Bloom Bloom), a special Single (White), one full album (Reveal), one Japanese release (Tattoo)

recently won mnet’s Road to Kingdom and should have participated in Kingdom this year, but sadly, the show has been postponed indefinitely

currently preparing for a comeback (September 2020)

... now onto the members!

➥ hyung line: Sangyeon, Jacob, Younghoon, Hyunjae 

▸ Lee Sangyeon - leader, main vocalist

born on November 4, 1996 (a Scorpio and the oldest member of tbz)

(not your typical) leader - he’s not really “the dad”, but truly more of an older brother to the others

often teases and pranks the other members and is one of the funniest members according to their “Who’s Who” video (see: video recs)

writes own songs - super talented and dedicated, a really hard worker

has a beautiful deep, soul filled voice (we’d LOVE to hear more of it @cre.ker) - check out his performance on King of Masked Singer

according to Eric, he’s the member with the best body - really likes to work out and is stacked™

he really, really loves mangos

says he’s not cute but is obviously very wrong about that

has a super cute smile and adorable laugh

looked too beautiful with pink hair (deobi will never recover)

super bad at literally any game - always, ALWAYS loses when it comes to rock-paper-scissors (would be hilarious if it weren’t so sad)

some fun facts: his mbti is ESFP-T (he doesn’t believe in those kind of tests though), he’s good at impersonating others (especially Eric), he has an older sister (who has two sons, Sangyeon is a super cute uncle to them which he recently showed in his BOYLOG - WARNING: extreme cuteness!)

▸ Jacob Bae - lead vocalist

born on May 30, 1997 (a Gemini, but he very rarely shows it)

his Korean name is Bae Joon Young

kinda the mom of the group, but his official title is the angel™ (he literally never gets angry, he doesn’t even curse! how does he do that even his older brother says they never fought while growing up)

is from Toronto and therefore ½ of Canadian and ⅓ of English line - so he’s obviously fluent in English!

really improved his dancing skills over the years and it shows (unofficial member of dance line, fight me cre.ker)

beautiful soft vocals, amazing high notes (see their Mirotic cover)

plays the guitar and composes/writes his own songs

an MC for Simply K-Pop together with Kevin

½ of the superior “MoonBae” ship (aka married to Kevin - they’re super cute together, truly just two halves of the same idiot)

used to play volleyball and basketball and is really good at both, has apparently been working out a lot recently (rip his stans)

some fun facts: his mbti is INFP-T, his family adopted a new dog and named him after him/gave him the nickname “Cobi” ("your family replaced you... with a canine” - Kevin Moon, 2020), has an older brother, is left-handed, used to be the biggest fan of cereal (literally stocked boxes of it inside his room)

▸ Kim Younghoon - vocalist, visual

born on August 8, 1997 (but the most untypical Leo ever - only shows he’s a Leo like, once a year)

tallest member and ⅓ of the so called “Bermuda line” (aka the visuals™)

an under appreciated vocalist - his performance on King of Masked Singer more than showed how amazing his voice actually is (LET HIM SING CRE.KER)

has a “cool/cold look” at first, but is actually the softest, shyest, most precious squish on this planet (and has super soft puppy eyes)

kinda bad at life - needs to be protected because he’s just so clumsy, pouts when he’s about to cry (me, immediately: *cries with him*)

sometimes just randomly zones out and dissociates for a bit

fell down the stairs and injured his collarbone (I TOLD YOU HE NEEDS TO BE PROTECTED) before their Europe Tour and the Reveal promotions and therefore didn’t participate in the choreography

loves loves loves LOVES dogs so much and (his family) has a poodle (we stan Bori in this household)

the softest™ when trying to speak English (I‘m not crying, I‘m just really allergic to his extreme cuteness)

was a model for the Seoul Fashion Week in 2017 (together with Juyeon)

some fun facts: his mbti is INFP-J (there are four (4) introverts in tbz and they all share the exact same mbti), has an older brother, appeared in I.O.I’s Whatta Man music video, was recently cast as the second lead for the drama Love Revolution (his first ever acting role! the world should look out for actor!Hoon), is a BTS fanboy (his bias is Taehyung/V)

▸ Lee Jaehyun (aka “Hyunjae”) - lead vocalist, lead dancer, visual

born on September 17, 1997 (a Virgo)

also one of the tall members and another third of the “Bermuda Line”

an amazing dancer and a great vocalist (had like, 98% of the lines in No Air, so he’s pretty much an undercover main vocal)

an allrounder

seems quiet and chill at first. DO NOT BE FOOLED!!!

he is: l o u d . a bit annoying but also very cute without trying (actually really dislikes doing aegyo). hear someone loud in the background (especially laughing)? yep. that’s him! you found him, congrats.

also very caring and soft, takes great care of the younger members (when he’s not behaving like one of the younger members himself, that is)

also nags them a lot though (at least according to Eric)

the biggest Iron Man fanboy (like, legit wrote a fan letter to Iron Man when he visited the Marvel studios in NYC he’s just so cute)

l o v e s, no, ADORES kids and dogs

also really loves fried chicken

the biggest IU fanboy! very recently covered her song When Love Passes By for their A to BOYZ cover series

MWOHASEYO (don’t ask, just watch)

some fun facts: his mbti is ENFJ-A, he has an older sister, he’s really close with Pentagon’s Kino (they had some very cute interactions during Road to Kingdom), he can spin literally any object (a very weird, random talent tbh), has very skinny legs (so... literally a skinny legend)

➥ middle aka ’98 line: Juyeon, Kevin, New, Q 

▸ Lee Juyeon - main dancer, vocalist

born on January 15, 1998 (a Capricorn)

the last third of the tall and “Bermuda line”

an amazing dancer - he trained very hard to be where he is now (went viral as “the bucket hat guy” from their Bad Guy dance practice with the 1MILLION dance studio)

has a very soft, beautiful voice needs more lines

has very sharp features and beautiful eyes - his personality is very different from his cold looks though, he’s actually very soft, caring and thoughtful

he’s very gullible and innocent (also needs to be protected), therefore often the victim of jokes - most people think he’s a bit dumb thanks to that, but he’s really not: he likes to read, watches a lot of documentaries, and is just more on the quiet side in general, he likes to think before he speaks (unlike Hyunjae for example, no shade)

also very clumsy (never leave him and Younghoon alone together, please)

booked and busy! had like, a trillion photo shoots just this year, and was also a model for the Seoul Fashion Week 2017 

very bad at taking selfies but he tries and we love him nevertheless

can speak Japanese and English, is also a really good cook

an MC for The Show (aka the “JuShow”)

some fun facts: his mbti is ENTP-T, is very flexible (especially for his height), he likes to work out, has a younger brother, was on the show Law of the Jungle (he really likes nature), biggest U-Know (TVXQ) fanboy (legit cried when he met him), likes to play basketball, has gigantic hands (20.5cm a bit excessive but okay)

▸ Kevin Moon - main vocalist

born on February 23, 1998 (a soft Pisces boy™)

his Korean name is Moon Hyung Seo

the other half of Canadian line aka MoonBae (therefore, married to Jacob)

is from Vancouver and fluent in English (⅓ of English line)

yes, he’s the living meme you probably know from all the “funny kpop videos” compilations, quotes vines on a daily basis

SO much more than just the meme-ber though, he’s extremely talented - BIG BRAIN ENERGY, his creativity legit knows NO LIMITS

has amazing drawing skills (that he often shares with deobi on Twitter) - actually designed the group’s logo tbz use for their official Twitter account

can play the piano and guitar (he’s truly just so talented and amazing - STAN KEVIN MOON Y’ALL)

HAS ONE OF THE BEST VOICES EVER AND WE’D ALL REALLY LOVE TO HEAR MORE OF IT ONE DAY, CRE.KER

can cook really well

also writes his own lyrics/songs 

an MC for Simply K-Pop together with Jacob

undercover visual (have you seen his cheekbones?! almost made me cry with his beauty when he had long wavy hair)

“I have no lips” - Kevin Moon, 2020

some fun facts: his mbti is INFP-T, has an older sister, his parents named him after watching “Home Alone” (iconic behavior right there), has a kinda embarrassing past (some of the pictures and videos… uh well, let’s just say he was born a meme legend), he participated in the show K-Pop Star before becoming a trainee 

▸ Choi Chanhee (aka “New”) - main vocalist

born on April 26, 1998 (a Taurus)

literally the prettiest human alive

legit looks like an angel (how is he not an official visual?!), but is a savage (and extremely funny, lowkey judges his members 24/7)

a bit of a drama queen but he’s so cute it’s okay

amazing vocal skills, does most of the ad-libs

looks too cute in a beret, that should be illegal

gets bullied by the other members, which is kinda fair but also a bit (too) much sometimes (#letChanheelive2020)

is a math genius, can calculate extremely big numbers inside his head and FASTER THAN AN ACTUAL CALCULATOR (this is SORCERY)

½ of the other iconic duo beside MoonBae aka “NyuKyu” (together with Changmin aka “Q”) - you heard of dumb and dumber, now get ready for New and Q!

takes the best selfies, holds the official title of Selfie King (according to the others, he takes the most selfies - according to himself, he doesn’t even take that many but just takes them in a very obvious way, so the others always notice him doing so) 

almost breaks his neck taking selfies

used to have a lot of half-time jobs before becoming a trainee

one of the members in charge of cooking (idk why, he managed to melt a spoon once)

doesn’t know how to swim (because - and I quote - ”he’s a CEO’s son”)

puts MILK FIRST, AND THEN CEREAL it’s over, he’s cancelled

some fun facts: his mbti is INFP-T, he really hates tomatoes, he has a tattoo (a cross on his left pinky), has an older brother, lowkey looks like a Volturi, dropped Younghoon’s new sunglasses TWICE which Hoon will never let him forget, he once accidentally ate a plastic fork (don’t ask)

▸ Ji Changmin (aka “Q”) - main dancer, vocalist

born on November 5, 1998 (yep, another Scorpio)

one of the best dancers in the industry (everyone can fight me on this) - went viral for his improvised dance to the Mario music

STAGE DEMON, has one of the best stage presences EVER, goes from 0 to 100 in literally no time

so cute it HURTS and takes the best boyfriend aesthetic pics (all moodboard makers thank him for this)

has dimples he likes to poke when saying “music cue (q)” (me: *cries*)

has a veeeeeeeeeeeeery long neck

can impersonate a giraffe and a pigeon

½ of NyuKyu aka dumb and dumber (WE LOVE BFFS) - they have some very iconic (cooking) vlives together

he’s very - and I say this with all my love - weird 

or, to say it more diplomatically, “unusual”: LOVES horror movies and has had Annabelle as his iPad background for the longest time now (according to himself, they apparently recently broke up though rip our favorite otp), says his favorite beverage at Starbucks are the napkins (???????), literally BEGGED Kevin to let him buy a stuffed pigeon plushie when they visited New York, says the creepy nun from The Conjuring is cute (again: ?????? *whispers* is he okay)

dolphin screams™ (you’ve been warned, turn down your volume)

got lost in New York City together with Kevin (never let them take the metro ever again, at least not... unsupervised)

has a poodle named Ghana and adores him (see this BOYLOG where he just hangs with his puppy, 10/10 recommend watching that)

some fun facts: his mbti is ESFP-T (same as Sangyeon, doesn’t believe in those kind of tests either), has two older sisters, is ambidextrous (but mostly uses his left hand), is really good at playing the piano (won a price in elementary school), his English name is James aka the most generic English name ever (no shade, no hate)

➥ maknae line: Haknyeon, Sunwoo, Eric 

▸ Ju Haknyeon - lead dancer, vocalist, rapper

born on March 12, 1999 (another Pisces!)

he is half Chinese, half Korean and lived in Hong Kong for a while

speaks some Mandarin, a bit of Cantonese and also some English

also one of the allrounders of the group (I SAID WHAT I SAID)

an AMAZING dancer! is really good at freestyling

taught himself how to b-boy

such a rich, amazing, stable voice (*bass boosted* more lines for Hak)

one of the funniest and most random members

very loud, randomly bursts into songs all the time even sings when sneezing

just generally really, really sweet and nice

before debut, he participated in the second season of mnet’s Produce 101 (was eliminated in Ep. 11 and ranked #19) - The Boyz were actually often referred to as “Juhaknyeon’s group” before/shortly after their debut

he’s a very good eater and eats A LOT (FINALLY A RELATABLE IDOL)

his family lives on Jeju Island and owns a pig farm - because of that (and because he eats a lot), one of his nicknames is “pig/piggie”

has a blindingly bright smile and is such an underrated visual

yes, you can probably drown in his beautiful, deep chocolate eyes

he and Hwall accidentally became thieves in NYC (they forgot to pay for their food, but went back later to do so so no jail time!)

some fun facts: his mbti is ENTJ-T, he’s really close with Seventeen’s Seungkwan, he has two sisters (one younger, one older), NOT a morning person AT all (relatable), really good at organizing stuff (as seen during the Battle Trip to Jakarta episodes with Hyunjae), really good and fast at peeling tangerines

▸ Kim Sunwoo - main rapper, vocalist

born on April 12, 2000 (an Aries and his fire sign nature shows)

a flawless rapper, just... truly superb. also an amazing dancer !

actually auditioned to be a vocalist (so he has amazing vocals, too), but became a rapper instead

tbz’ unofficial stuntman (as seen during Road to Kingdom), even though he’s actually really scared of heights

can play the guitar

on the other end of the “lip spectrum” - because unlike Kevin, Sunwoo has a lot of them (lemme just *smooch*)

literally one of the wittiest, most savage people on this planet (GOOGLE SEARCH: HOW TO BE SO FUNNY)

used to drink a lot of juice to keep himself healthy

is really good at soccer and used to play when he was younger

beautiful deep brown eyes that hold every star and galaxy in them 

Mr. Coconut Hair™ (really makes it work though - still, every deobi screams when we get to see his forehead (which is like, once a year if we’re lucky))

a real stage demon but in reality an actual baby™ + scaredy cat needs to be protected at all costs

had a mental breakdown when he had to eat a bug after losing rock-paper-scissors 

always yells “GO AWAY ANNA” whenever someone knocks on his door (especially if it’s New)

some fun facts: his mbti is ENTP-A, has a younger sister (who’s taller than him, he’s really salty about that), he’s really close to some of the other ‘00 liners in the industry, he understands English quite well but doesn’t really speak it, also contributes to a lot of tbz’ songs

▸ Eric Son - maknae, lead dancer, lead rapper, vocalist

born on December 22, 2000 (another Capricorn)

his Korean name is Son Young Jae 

he was born in South Korea, but grew up in Los Angeles and is therefore fluent in English (⅓ of English line)

a great dancer (knows soooo many choreographies, it’s insane)

an amazing rapper (deserves more lines!)

hyper 24/7 watching him makes me tired, where does he get all that energy from

talks fast and a lot. never shuts up. you can’t make him. he tries to tell you one (1) story, but ends up telling 10 different ones along the way.

really good a baseball and loves to watch games

super close to Juyeon and used to go to Ju’s place during holidays as his own family lives in the US (my JuRic heart)

really neat and tidy, loves to clean maybe almost a bit neurotic about it

just generally really, really cute ???

a huge GOT7 fanboy (RELATABLE)

a thot on stage, should not be left unsupervised

close friends with Stray Kids’ Felix (his best idol friend according to himself)

also close to GOT7’s Mark (they’re also really cute together)

performed CPR on a watermelon once (it sadly still died, Eric gets an A for effort though)

some fun facts: his mbti is ENFJ-A, he has an older sister (who lives in New York), does NOT look like the maknae which often confuses people, really good and fast at solving Rubix cubes

➥ former member: Hwall 

Heo Hyunjoon (aka “Hwall”) - lead dancer, lead rapper, vocalist

born March 9, 2000 (yet another Pisces!)

from Busan

such a good dancer, truly incredible

very soft rap tone 

looks a bit like a cat

is very acrobatic

has a “cool” persona, but is actually just a certified babie boy™

used to live in the Philippines for four years and can speak English

the official fashionista of tbz, some of his outfits are truly just iconic

his signature aegyo is to shoot an arrow at deobis’ hearts (Hwall actually means “bow” in Korean)

can get very clingy with some members

had to sit out during D.D.D promotions and decided to leave The Boyz in 2019 (he’s still in the music video though!)

in August 2020, it was announced that he left Cre.ker Entertainment and established his own label called Dia Note

the same month, he debuted as Hyunjun Hur with the song Baragi 

you can follow his official Instagram and YouTube

some fun facts: his mbti is ENFP, he’s still in contact with the other members (said he especially misses Juyeon and Hyunjae *sobs*), his role model is BTS’ Jimin and he actually went to the same dance academy (also knows pretty much all their choreographies/songs by heart)

➥ some videos to watch 

all their music videos of course

all their live stages/performances too

BuzzFeed’s Who’s Who

Metro UK’s Quick Questions

their Billboard interview

their Weekly Idol episode

their Idol Room episode

their Road to Kingdom performances: Sword of Victory, Danger, Reveal, Heroine, Quasi una Fantasia, Checkmate 

their dance covers: Girls Generation’s The Boys + GOT7′s Hard Carry’, TVXQ’s Mirotic, TWICE’s What is Love, EXO’s Love me Right, EXO’s Call me Baby, Super Junior’s Sorry Sorry

Q, Haknyeon and Jacob for the Idol dance cover challenge 

their Billie Eilish Bad Guy stage for KCON 2019 + the dance practice

their dance cover medley

drop the dance at KCON 2019

their performance on Immortal Songs

Q’s Mario dance

their Halloween dance practice for Bloom Bloom

their “Identity Film: Generation Z” videos which show a very different side of each member

my personal emotional support kpop video

The Boyz - The Play “Mafia game” (aka a mess™)

their A to BOYZ cover series (five members have been released so far): Jacob, Hyunjae, Sunwoo, Juyeon, Q

and if you have the time: their whole The Castle concert 

➥ their shows 

The Boyz - Summer Vacation

The Boyz in New York City

Come On! The Boyz

Come On! The Boyz School

The Boyz - Flower Snack (pre-debut)

The Boyz - The 100 (shortly after debut)

The Boyz - Otoseyo (Japanese show)

The Boyz  - The Mission

The Boyz - The Play

there are literally endless videos on YouTube - especially “The Boyz memes” / “funny The Boyz compilations” and so on, but I won’t include those here as you can easily find them on your own !

... and that’s it (for now), if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to send an ask - and please give their new comeback lots of love, they are so talented, funny, dedicated and hardworking, and truly just deserve the whole world 💞

[masterlist] | [requests] 

[woogurl]

i’ve been meaning to make this post a while ago, but i was uncertain if now was the right time to do it, it’s something that’s extremely controversial, but yes...

i decided to make a post regarding what i think woosan’s sexuality is, now i figured it was bad to just assume their sexuality but people assume all or at least most of the male/female kpop idols are straight anyway by default. which i don’t think is bad or illogical, seeing as most people are straight statistically. 

not gonna lie, ateez is one of those groups that give me mad gay vibes tho. however, i won’t be analyzing the others as i don’t really watch much of their individual behavior or content, i think you should only make these when you’ve watched enough of their behavior. 

as you know, i’m a woosan enthusiast, and a woo stan, but i’m not gonna just analyze their relationship, which i think is sufficient proof enough, but i’ve compiled everything that has led me to the conclusion that san is either bi(with male preference) or gay, and woo is bi.

lastly, i want to say just because someone is homophobic or really opposed to skinship with the same sex does not mean they’re automatically straight. sometimes it’s a coping mechanism, and just because they’re feminine, comfortable with their masculinity, support LGBT+, or okay with skinship with the same sex doesn’t mean their gay. 

sometimes there really are NO signs. 

just look at all of the idols people assumed were gay. momo/heechul, baekhyun/taeyeon, hani, kai(though mostly considered him to be bi). anyhow, my point is you just never know. lol 

now, i’ll stop my rambling and get started. first let’s start with 

S A N

now, i’ll be honest, i’ve always thought san was gay because how reserved he was and how shy and sweet he was around the members during their predebut days. i just felt like he was maybe shy because he hadn’t come to terms with he sexuality. i mean when i look at san during predebut, he literally was like a baby, and his mannerisms was so small and reserved. even his body was so tiny and fragile. however, this was because san was naturally skinny and it had always been a complex for him. in which he said he had a tough time gaining weight.

what we know about san’s former lifestyle is that he was a church boy, a farmer, a wannabe gamer and a freaking black belt in taekwondo and his dad was an owner of a taekwondo studio, he was one of the most popular kids, he had a pretty good relationship with his parents or at least now he does and his grandparents took good care of him when his parents didn’t. 

but san still had low self-esteem. why? i really don’t know, but i would hazard a guess that it was because of his sexuality(this is just an assumption guys, not a fact). now remember san was part of the church, and he joined because a friend asked him too. they probably asked him because they figured he liked to sing and dance. although i think san was shy and self-conscious, i don’t that he was self-conscious about his abilities as you could see he did go to the church to sing and dance in front of a bunch of people. i think he had low-self esteem because of who he may have realized that he was.

here are some examples of what i mean.

there’s something that san continuously repeats and that is to learn to love himself, know his worth, and just simply love who he is. and i think that’s one of the reasons that san didn’t like church is because it went against who he was and is. if you watch videos of him in the church he really looks like he doesn’t want to be there. he looks so uncomfortable. he doesn’t just look like “ah, this is boring there’s nothing to do” but he looks more like he’s displaced. like he’s NOT supposed to be there. we learn later that san isn’t religious instead.

don’t you find it interesting that he made a direct correlation to his belief in god to his belief in himself. it was like he was saying, even though i don’t believe in god i believe in who i am. like i trust that who i am is correct. 

another part of this video that i find interesting is the moment that they talk about how much they value each other(woo and san).

S: You’re cool and

S: I honestly

S: Now I can sincerely

S: To the people around me or my relatives

S: I can proudly say that my friend is Wooyoung!

S: You're that kind of friend

S: To that point where I'm not embarrassed

S: Or rather say you're my friend that's worth showing off!

S: I think this is more than enough!

a lot of people in the comments of this video said that they felt like this was a confession and i agree. i remember feeling odd at how san worded this, the first time his sexuality didn’t even cross my mind. i was just like oh, he’s probably embarrassed because woo’s so loud and shit. lol. but now it doesn’t make much since to me. the vibes here are very serious, and we all know that even though woo can be loud and noisy many atiny’s forget that he is also extremely mature. especially when he needs to be. not only that but san has said woo is very respecful to his elders, so i don’t think he would of been embarrassed by woo’s on camera behavior. i noticed before san said this he hesitated a bit, like should i say this or how should i word this. it was super sweet.

now, let’s talk about san describing his ideal type. in which he says the outside doesn’t matter and that he wants someone who is kind-hearted and warm. he wants someone who’s good to him.

there are a lot of moments translated where he used feminine pronouns, but others have clarified and said he did not mention any pronouns. 

let’s also talk about that conversation he had with wooyoung where they talked about what kind of guys they liked. where woo was like, “i like cool guys” and san was like, “i like both cool and sweet guys” then there’s silence because they probably realize that it’s considered “weird”. then san says, “i’ll be quiet”. i honestly felt bad like ;c. he probably felt the need to stop talking about it because he realized that people would prob think that it was gay.

he also sang troye sivan my youth, but i honestly don’t think that it’s too relevant seeing as many kpop idols appreciate troye sivan. but it’s worth noting i suppose.

lastly, body language there’s just a lot of moments that can’t be explained. now i completely understand that korea is tote fine with males being close with one another but there are just some moments, that i believe, i don’t care how comfy you are with the same sex is questionable. lmfao. 

mind you seconds before this san was just minding his own business but his expression completely changed when he saw woo seduc---i mean dancing in front of him. idc what anyone says, a straight man would never eye fuck another man like this. lmfao. there’s lust in those eyes and you can’t tell me there isn’t. san was literally checking him out.

san being completely comfortable with having his no-no on woo’s ass, these are both very intimate parts of the body. honestly, the simple fact that san likes spooning woo from behind all the time is suspect to me. lol. especially with the expressions he gives at times. 

san’s reaction when woo gets too close to his face, he doesn’t flinch. he’s also clearly looking at woo’s lips. there’s also another moment like this where san becomes so flustered that he has to look away for a second. lmfao.

when i think two of the other members(i don’t remember who) had to do a couple dance. what they did was completely tame, but woosan over here took it up several notches and started dancing like they were at a gay bar. no one told them to do it, they just did. 

next i want to point out how comfortable they are with the shipping. i already mentioned this in my woosan relationship post but they’re comfortable with the shipping, then i figured it was because they were comfortable with the relationship that they had. but now, i think they don’t mind it because they’re proud of who they are. it’s not just them being comfortable with woosan, but with their sexuality as well. so they’re like telling us we’re woosan but we’re also okay with our sexuality kind of thing. 

lastly, i want to point out body language again for san, and this is honestly the ONLY reason why i believe he is somewhat bi and not completely gay. the way he interacts with fans. i know you’re all gonna say well, that’s his job. but, he seems to want to impress his fans or look good for them. san’s confidence has changed quite a bit and as yeosang once said, san’s kind of like a tough guy now, as mingi said he’s changed the most since debut. i think the reason satan--i mean san has become so powerful, and a sexy demon on stage is because he’s confident in who he is now and it really shows. i think san wanted to break those stereotypes of who he was and show people that he wasn’t weak or shy, but manly and sexy and the best in bed. but on stage he loves showing off his muscles and how flexible his hips are and even on vlive. most of the fans are women and i think to myself why would he do this if he was completely gay? 

i just don’t think a completely gay man would not want to appeal to women all that much. then again it could possibly be because he enjoys getting those compliments and that’s what fuels his self esteem. it could be the compliments from the women and not the women themselves. i’m not completely sure, but the reason why he does this does matter. he likes receiving compliments not just from the fans but from anyone really. so i don’t know if the reason he shows off his manliness to fans is because he wants to appeal to women OR if he just wants to appeal to his self esteem. which is possible. you guys let me know what you think.

next

W O O Y O U N G

there really isn’t as much content for me to work with when it comes to woo because he refuses to post, but i’m so confident that this boy is bi that it’s not even funny. there’s not much predebut info, there’s not much info about his ideal type. 

sighs 

yo girl will work with what she’s got. now, woo has only playfully mentioned his ideal type. in which he usually automatically answers yunho. do i actually believe that? no. lmfao. i think woo was smart enough to have yunho as his default answer for this question really. instead of actually being attracted to yunho i think woo just admires yunho because he always answers yunho for a member he would switch bodies with as well. he always says yunho because he’s tall, fun, funny, handsome and has a nice figure. 

but as you’ve all probably noticed he doesn’t really seem physically attracted to yunho, but you know(HAHA) who he is definitely physically attracted to? 

seonghwa, without a doubt, i’m saying this with my whole fucking chest, okay? i have no doubt in my mind that woo is or at least was physically attracted to seonghwa. 

that full post i made with woo trying to kiss seonghwa for the 100th time is all the evidence you need, but i’ll keep y’all entertained. i want you all to understand that seonghwa has said that woo kisses him so much off camera that he’s used to it, the fact that the members gasped so hard that they almost caught flies was mehmehable. 

now you all will probably say that woo just loves kisses and that’s fine but he seems to want to kiss on the mouth too and that’s pretty gay. lol. 

he literally looked at seonghwa’s mouth before he dived in for a kiss. cheek kisses and mouth kisses are two whole different vibes. not to mention he tried to kiss him again during this vlive and san. woo has literally tried kissing all of the members okay? lmfao. he’s just way too comfortable with it in my opinion. 

woo has been hungry for seonghwa, and he knows it, we can also talk about how he has said twice that seonghwa has a pretty ass. which he isn’t wrong about. lmfao. we could also talk about that moment where woo literally looked down seonghwa’s shirt.

anyway, while i do think woo was physically attracted to him, i’m pretty sure he has some kind of intimate relationship with san now. i don’t wanna add those moments because it would just me repeated what i wrote for woosan relationship analyzes, woo has also shown a lot of interest in women during their america tour and he’s repeatedly gone to the same fancam of some women. it’s important to mention woo is naturally a flirt but he seems to flirt with the members as well, according to yeosang who said this during their christmas vlive. jongho has also said he wanted woo’s ability to flirt. so my best guess is that he probably flirted with the members in the past. 

there’s also the clip of him telling a fanboy to go after the guy that he likes, and he was also surprised to hear that he had fanboys, and he seemed interested to know this information other than that i don’t have much evidence, but i think woo’s body language off camera with the members is plenty evidence really. lol. there’s just not many straight men i know who would be inclined to cling to another male as much as woo does. 

anyway, i’m tired this was my woosan sexuality post. remember these aren’t facts just observations and opinions. ;)