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yourkimjaejin · 2 years ago

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Times When NCT was Protective over Aurora

This was a request by Sophrodite. Thanks so much for the request. I hope you all enjoy!! ~ Author Izzy

The notion of NCT protecting Aurora is laughable

Because she can and will protect herself(see the numerous times she has or has wanted to punch someone)

But there are couple times where NCT have stepped in or backed Aurora up and here’s more than a couple

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During the The Dream Show 2 Tour in North America, Aurora realized how many fans loved her.

She also saw the lengths antis will go to make an idol they hate understand why they don’t like them

A couple fans were rude to the members over the course of the tour so far but eventually they shrugged them off. Remembering there's thousands of other fans that love them in this one fans place

Aurora had a group of Antis since debut. Somehow the scrounged up the money to fly to Dallas and buy floor seats

Haechan was the first to notice them. They kept talking over Aurora first mnet of the night

Later, Aurora made eye contact with one of them. They group of anti’s let their backs face her while Aurora was on their side. She straight up ignored them but the boys didn’t think that was enough

Even member found someway to hang off Aurora the whole concert

Jisung and Aurora were extra flirty during Quiet Down

Renjun holding hands with her during Sorry, Heart

Both Chenle and Aurora being super chaotic during Love Again

Jeno attaching to her leg during Candy, knowing she can't drag him by herself

Jaemin kept trying to tickle her during Chewing Gum

Even Haechan left his annoy Jisung agenda during Puzzle Piece to pull Aurora into his lap so they could share a mic

The anti’s after a while just quietly left the show. Score for the Dreamies!!

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During training, Aurora was friends with a very select few. The rest she ignored.

Some of the female trainees were turned off by her standoffish nature but at first they didn’t mind

Until Aurora started training with baby shinki

Aurora was chosen over trainees that had been in SM for years. And they did not like that. Some of the slighted girls gathered together in a room to bad mouth Aurora for hours.

Aurora never found out about it because this group never said anything to her face. Anything that was said was kept in the room for their ears only.

This went on for months, they’d act cool in front of Aurora’s face then dog her out behind her back.

Until the boys found out.

One of the girls implied that Aurora was possibly sleeping with them (First of all - Ew. Second of all - get your head out of the clouds.) Mark went OFF

The girls’ were in tears by the time Mark was finished. He almost kept going but Aurora walked in.

(I’m not gonna say more because I am in the process of writing this whole debacle)

Aurora didn’t want to tell anyone about what happened. She felt Mark’s rant was enough. But Moxy and Juno disagreed.

When those same girls complained to their teachers about their dorm room’s being trashed. Nobody could prove it was them

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This one doesn’t happen often. For the longest time Aurora’s wardrobe didn’t get to the young idol without being approved by Ms. Chae, Moxy or Mark if the first two weren’t available.

As she grew up, Aurora felt better about her stage outfits. More comfortable defending her own comfort zone without the help of her mom or leader.

But sometimes it couldn’t be helped.

Once, during a Breakout!Era fansign, the stylists gave Aurora a skirt without some slip shorts underneath. At first, she felt fine. Great even. Then the leering eyes started getting to her whether they were real or imaginary.

The skirt was just a bit out of her comfort zone. A place she thought she was ready to leave

Moxy noticed the maknae squirming around but she couldn’t really do much since they were outside and none of the stylists brought clothes to change into.

So Moxy stood behind Aurora for the ENTIRE fansign to protect her

None of the fans in attendance really understood what was going on with them but they were too busy giving heart eyes to the two members

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Some fans take things too far. Especially in this case.

The Dreamies were at a fansign for Boom. Everything was going smoothly until the last couple of fans waiting in line. Among the girls was one guy. Quietly he went down the line of members until her reached Aurora at the end.

In casual fashion, Aurora was her usual self until her face dropped.

“You know, you didn’t have to join a boy group to find a guy. Plenty of guys are out there, including me.”

Aurora froze in place, pen still signing her signature onto her picture. She put the pen down then faced the ‘Fan’

“If I wanted to find a guy and then I found you, my mom would disown me because I would’ve lowered my standards. Look at you. You prepared that for how long and now you have to sit embarrassed knowing that the idol you adore would never want you.”

The ‘Fan’ left with his tail tucked between his legs

What Aurora didn’t notice was the six twin glares the boy was getting. Those eyes were enough to get him moving but Aurora’s just as sharp eyes kept him in place

Like brother, like sister

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Aurora has a wide demographic of fans. By far, the wildest are the males. Male fans love her standoff-ish nature

But a chosen few take it too far.

During a music show recording for Welcome To The Jungle, a “fan” started screaming weird things directed at Aurora

At first Aurora ignored them, keeping her attention on the fans opposite from the screaming one

But then they got louder. And bolder.

Fans saw Aurora get more and more disturbed by this fan's presence.

The pre-record started soon after. This dude kept screaming the entire time, disrupting the fan chant. Making fan uncomfortable. Irritating the staff.

It was Hannah who decided enough was enough.

Once the pre-record was over, Hannah stomped off stage. Ten minutes later she reappeared. She whispered something in Aurora and the maknae visibly relaxed

Seconds later, The fan and his friend were dragged out by security.

Don’t piss off Hannah: Lesson Learned

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NCT has watched Aurora grow up before their eyes. She went from a little kid to a strong woman in the blink of an eye.

They were there when puberty hit Aurora like a bullet train

One day everything was fine. The next day, the whole world was turned on its head.

Suddenly she needed new articles of clothing that she wasn’t worried about before. Every month cramps, headaches and nausea racked through her body only to disappear a week later.

Boys became appealing to her eye. Her style changed. Her taste buds changes.

It all became too much

So Aurora lashed out. Expecting them to fight back, the members not holding her outbursts against her made her feel worse. Eventually everything reached a head during one We Go Up dance practice.

Aurora just exploded. Ranted and raved for ten minutes straight before crumbling to the floor in tears. Renjun was the first by her side, pulling her head into his neck and dragging her legs into his lap. One by one the boys surrounded her until she cries herself to sleep

The Dreamies agreed to never speak about what happened. But they did inform the other members about Aurora problems so they all knew how to handle it. Give her space

When she came to any of them for help, they kept it quiet. Knowing the maknae would recede even further if she felt everyone was talking behind her back.

She changed her hair and clothes. Anything she didn’t like ended up in the trash until her current style stuck.

The members helped Aurora during her time of the month no matter how embarrassed they all felt.

She talked about boys. Not a lot but enough for the maknae.

NCT as a whole kept this up until Aurora felt like herself in her own skin again.

When she looks back at that time, Aurora can feel the tears build up.

She really has the most amazing family.

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Request: I've just read the most recent post and my heart hurts for my precious Rora.. I love that girl so much. I want some moments were NCT/AG were overprotective over Rora, I need some fluff (and angst if needed) bcs all her scenarios are angst (not that I'm not like the biggest fan of it skkskw) Keep up the good work and take care of yourself, don't apologize for anything, I'm sure that anon understands that you have a life too~💛

Taglist: @alixnsuperstxr / @1-800-call-ria / @sophrodite / @sunflower-0180

#NCT AG #NCT AG.Aurora #NCT AG.Request #NCT AG.Writing #nct female addition #nct female member #nct female oc #kpop addition #kpop!au #kpop!oc #kpop!addition #kpop female member

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boysplanetrecaps · 1 year ago

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Produce 48 Recaps: Entrances (episode 1)

Hello there, National Producer! (That’s you. You’re a National Producer.)

Do you miss giant scale Korean reality shows? Are you fainting away, wishing there was one to watch? Or are you, perhaps, a fan of AleXa, Alice/Elris, Bugaboo, Cherry Bullet, El7zup, Everglow, H1-Key, IVE, IZ*one, k-dramas, Kep1er, Le Sserafim, Lightsum, Purple Kiss, Queenz Eye, Rocket Punch, Secret Number, or any of the 48 franchises - AKB48, HKT48, or NMB48? Did you watch Sixteen or Produce 101 and want to know what happened later? Did you watch GirlsPlanet999 or Queendom Puzzle and want to know what happened before? Are you bored and enjoy snarky recaps of tv shows from five and a half years ago? If you answered yes to at least one of those questions, then stick around! And if you didn’t, stick around anyway because this is going to be great. But if you’re not a fan of (a) honest assessment of skills and performance (b) curse words ( c ) sarcasm (d) long, chatty, rabbit-hole digging, silly recaps that take longer to read than it would take to watch the show, maybe not.

You might be wondering, well, who are you, anyway? I’m an adult female human being living somewhere in North America. You can call me BPR-Unnie (or BPR-Noona, if that’s better for you. This link may help you decide!) I know a smattering of Korean and a bit about Korean culture, but I’m not Korean. I know a smattering of Japanese as well but I’m also not Japanese. My favorite kpop group is EXO and from that you would be correct to conclude I tend to have a bias toward excellent singing. But if I sneak in the fact that I have watched more than my fair share of Kai fancams, you’ll learn that I am not immune to stage presence and dancing. I like girl groups and boy groups equally and am basically just the multi-est of multi-stans, though “stanning” for me doesn’t tend to include watching variety content or buying things. For the most part, I just listen to music and watch performances.

If you’re wondering, what the heck is Produce 48? As Wikipedia says, it was “the third season of the South Korean reality competition series Produce 101. It was a large-scale project in which the public ‘produces’ a girl group by voting for members out of a pool of 96 contestants from South Korea and Japan…. The show was a collaboration between the MNET series Produce 101 and the J-pop idol group AKB48.” The winning 12 girls were announced as new project group IZ*One on August 31, 2018. (Other side note: IZ*one is pronounced “is-one” not “eye-zone”, per the Korean phonetics.)

It’s fun to go back and rewatch this show because around a third of these girls went on to do other things in the world of Kpop, and it’s fun to see them when they were so much younger. Also, shows like this are fun and weird just in general.

This recap will spoil some things, but not every single thing. I’m going to, as we go along, mention where various people end up -- I’m assuming that if you’re here, you either already know or don’t mind being spoilered on that kind thing. I will point out future members of Alice/Elris, Bugaboo, Cherry Bullet, Everglow, H1-Key, IVE, Le Sserafim, Kep1er, Lightsum, Purple Kiss, Queenz Eye, Rocket Punch and Secret Number. I’ll also point out future Queendom Puzzle visitors. But I’m not going to go out of my way to tell you exactly who makes the final lineup of IZ*one, exactly when people will be eliminated, and where every single person is going to end up (I’ll tell you after they get eliminated). That seems like the best compromise based on the poll. Plenty of people become famous after a show like this without making the final line up of the debut group -- like G-Idle’s Soyeon on Produce 101. So if you don’t know the name of every member of IZ*one, you can watch the show along with me and enjoy it, while still knowing who everyone is. And if you do want to be spoilered on who makes it into IZ*one, you can just look up the names of the members and keep that handy as you read. I hope that all makes sense!

I actually watched Produce 48 many years ago -- maybe 2019? It was after IZ*one had already debuted, so I was watching to get caught up. It was the first such show I ever watched and I wasn’t in the habit yet of taking notes to keep track of everyone, so for the most part I had no idea who anyone was the whole time. I mean, with 96 girls, many of whom meet certain beauty standards and thus can look quite similar to one another, and all of whom are in the habit of changing their hair/eye color/style constantly, it’s hard. So I have almost no memory of the show except for two things: (1) loving Huh Yunjin and (2) feeling sorry for the girl who the show made fun of for having intense eyes. I thought Yunjin was obviously the best on the whole damn show and was irritated that she was ever ranked anything other than first fucking place, and that other girl, I just wanted to give her all the hugs. We’ll meet her soon enough!

Finally, you may wonder, where am I watching the show? I watch it here: https://kshow123.tv/show/produce-48/episode-1.html I have to note that sites like this are really spammy and you’ll need a good adblocker and, to be on the safe side, working anti-virus software before you to click that link. Once you’re on the page, when you first click “play” on the video, it always opens a pop up ad that you have to close and then try again, when it will actually play. The pop-ups I’ve seen haven’t been offensive or gross in any way, and this site is less spammy than the one called kisstvshow, which bombards you with actual photos of actual peens like, immediately. Just close-up peens, glistening at you. No thank you. You can also find clips of the show on Youtube, but they’re kind of disorganized. There are some bits and pieces of episode 1 in this playlist. I’ll also provide links to individual auditions as we go.

Ok, let’s go!

We start off with some typical MNET self-congratulatory stuff -- all the buzz about this show before it even debuted! -- complete with a picture of THE SAKURA™, future visual queen of Le Sserafim. Then as a gentle piano rendition of our soon-to-be-favorite song Neko-ya plays, a voice over talks about what the 96 girls (and women) on this show think about their training journey, and we see the lovely profile of Huh Yunjin. Yay! My favorite!

We hear that it’s hard for them to be trainees and that sometimes they almost want to give up. But they keep pushing forward to try. 96 seeds working hard to sprout, and the national producers will shine on them like sunshine! Awww. Produce48 starts now!

An alarm rings, shocking us awake from our gentle piano daydream. We’re confronted with… this. Whatever this is.

It’s Lee Seung Gi, the host this time! His bed is vertical! It makes too much sense!

Ok, folks, for me personally, Lee Seung Gi being host is super important, because he’s sort of the reason I’m even here. He was one of the stars of the ridiculous, the sublime, the problematic, the perfect, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho.

This drama aired on a local Korean-language cable channel back in the day (I lived in a major city that showed foreign programming on cable), and I stumbled on it while changing channels and stood there staring at it wondering what in the actual fuck I was watching. Who needs subtitles or any knowledge of Korean when you have… this?

It’s the first piece of Korean culture I ever consumed, other than kimchi. This was even before Gangnam Style! It led to me watching more k-dramas, including, eventually, It's Okay, That's Love, starring Do Kyungsoo, also known as EXO’s D.O. I was curious about what he’d be like as a musical performer, and the rest is history. So, what I’m saying is, Lee Seung Gi set off a chain reaction that led to me eventually recapping his own performance as host of this show. The circle is complete.

Lee Seung-gi (born 1987) has been a singer, specifically a solo artist, as well as an actor, since 2004. He’s like Rain, but not as irritating. He hasn’t made much money from it because of his agency stealing from him. In fact, in April of 2023, a law was passed called “the Lee Seung-gi Incident Prevention Act” which requires entertainment companies to disclose their earnings settlement details to their celebrities at least once a year. Seems like a good thing to do. He’s still in demand, I’m sure, and quite loved, so he’ll land on his feet no matter what. Seung-gi, fighting!!

Ok, back to the show! Seung-gi explains how to vote, which we can skip -- the only info of note is that only Koreans could vote back then, quite different from the modern era -- and go to about 5:30 for an extremely bombastic set reveal.

5:49 The girls start to walk in

Note: All ages given are the (international) ages of the girls at the start of the series.

The first three to walk in are the Yuehua trainees.

Left to right: Yiren, Sihyeon, Yena

Kim Si Hyeon (김시현), age 18, in the pinky/purpley long sleeved shirt

She was also on Produce 101 (first season) as a “kaein” (individual/no-agency) trainee, where she did pretty well (made it to episode 8), but didn’t necessarily stand out. After this show, she debuted as part of Everglow, where she performs under her real name and is currently the leader, as well as a visual and “face of the group.”

Choi Ye Na (최예나), age 18, with her hair in a ponytail. We’ll be seeing a lot of her this episode!

Wang Yi Ren (왕이런), age 17, pink shirt with black edges, statement belt

She is actually Chinese, though she speaks Korean pretty fluently. You probably know her now as a member of Everglow, where she is lead dancer as well as a visual and also the “face of the group.” How many faces can a group have? Also, isn’t Mia the face of the group, as well as the body and the voice and the feet and the hands? Sigh. I really like Everglow. We just… all know the drill with line distribution and center time.

They come in and exclaim how pretty and shiny the set is and say “daebak” a lot. They sit down in a row along the top, and faintly, in the distance, Bon Bon Chocolate begins to form in a songwriter’s head.

Next in is Kim Min Ju (김민주) from Urban Works. She’s 17. She was a child actress before the show. The others are impressed that she’s here by herself and that she’s very pretty.

I love how in Korea having a small face is a compliment.

She goes to sit in the first place seat, then changes her mind and chooses 5th place instead so she doesn’t have to sit up so high.

Up next is YG Kplus, a modeling agency not to be confused with regular YG, the agency that is home to Blackpink and Treasure. The trainees are Ahn Ye Won (안예원), age 17, and Choi Yeon Soo (최연수), age 19. Yeon Soo has a celebrity chef for a father but doesn’t want to just be another nepo baby. She has the black skirt, while her label-mate Ye Won is in all red. They walk in to the strains of Blurred Lines (🤢) and the other girls exclaim jealously about how tall they are. Yewon is 172 cm and Yeonsoo is 170 cm, making them both about 5’6.

Next in is a group from CNC School, featuring some familiar faces!

Left to right: Kim Yubin, Kim Da Yeon, Lee YuJeong, Yoon Eun Bin, Hong Ye Ji

Kim Yu Bin (김유빈) is 16.

Kim Da Yeon (김다연) is 15 and you may know her (now) from GirlsPlanet999 and Kep1er. Aww, this is before she got her teeth done! She’s adorable. I am a Dayeon apologist and will hear no words against her.

Lee Yu Jeong (이유정) is 14 and you may know her (now) from Lightsum.

Yoon Eun Bin (윤은빈) is 14.

Hong Ye Ji (홍예지) is 16.

Yena thinks that the CNC girls look like babies. I think she looks like a baby! And this old lady I tutored today told me that *I* look like a baby. So I guess everyone is a baby.

Next is MMO, home to the sexy Kang Daniel, everyone’s fave from Produce101 Season 2 (often called “Broduce101”). The mere mention of his name sends Yena into a tizzy. I mean, low key same (though I’m more of an Ong Seungwoo fan [though not enough to watch his Pepsi commercial omg what was that?!?]). Anyway, out comes MMO’s Won Seo Yeon (원서연), age 18, a cute girl with a nice low voice and a pretty blue outfit. She seems worried about living up to her sunbae’s success.

Next comes pretty, big eyed Ko Yu Jin (고유진), age 17. She’s from Blockberry Creative, and the Orbits out there are now resisting the urge to smash their device screen at the mere mention of that agency! [Side note: Sensitive is a great song even if Loosemble is a terrible group name. Check out the song, forgive the name.] She’s in a cute striped shirt and interviews that her role models are Taeyon and HyunA, and you know, same.

The girls in the retro polka dot dresses are from How Entertainment.

Yu Min Young (유민영) is 18, in the mint green. Kim Min Seo (김민서) is 15, in the yellow and is a Jeon Somi fan, as are we all. Wang Ke (왕크어) is 17, Chinese, and in the red.

The next group, in white tops and black booty shorts, is from MND17 Agency.

Left to right, they are:

Park Chan Ju (박찬주), unknown age. She has the tightest shirt.

Park Min Ji (박민지), age 19, was also on Produce 101 and now (2023) is in Secret Number. She has the floofiest shirt and says she likes ChungHa, which, I mean, don’t we all, but also it’s kind of funny since she was on Produce101 with her so they probably kind of know each other.

Lee Chae Jeong (이채정), age 18, who now (2023) is in a group called Alice (formerly known as Elris).

Another girl comes out in a big yellow shirt with purple… shorts? A skirt? Unclear. She is from an agency called A -team and is named Kim Cho Yeon (김초연), age 16. After this show she was in Bugaboo, a group that has since disbanded but certainly has its adherents. She also likes Chung-Ha, so much so that she also wants to be in fourth place just like her. Also, MNET hates her. HATES HER SOOOOO MUCH.

Next out is someone from MNH Entertainment, the horrible agency that utterly mismanaged poor beautiful Chung-Ha for years. (Sihyeon, who must be practicing for later, says in Japanese that she loves Chung-Ha.)

The MNH trainee is little Lee Ha Eun (이하은), who, at 13, is the youngest on the show. She’s adorable, the way a little kid is adorable, and in a meeting with Chung-Ha herself, we see that little Haeun obviously almost worships Chung-Ha. Chug-Ha tells her to be herself and people will love her. Will this prove accurate? You’ll have to keep watching to find out! As Haeun seats herself amongst all her pretty unnies, she interviews, “This place is very pressuring.” I can’t imagine being in 8th grade and on a show like this. I don’t know how I made it to and from school every day when I was in 8th grade. I don’t know how I continued to like, breathe oxygen and use it in a redox reaction in my body without screwing that up and exploding.

Side note to my loves in middle school who may be reading this: First of all, how dare you, this is for grownups, and secondly, go ahead and read anyway. Matt Groening, creator of the Simpsons, famously said “Middle school is the deepest pit in hell” and yeah, it is. So, please know that I love you. You can do this. It’s going to be rough, can’t lie, but it does keep getting a bit better. Please don’t let these years matter all that much to you. Don’t let it scar you. You’ll get through this by just trying to have as much fun as you can and not caring about crushes and whether or not they have a crush on you, or whether other kids are being nice or mean or whatever dumb middle school shit they’re pulling on you. It doesn’t matter. Just enjoy life and be as happy as possible. Once you get older, you get to decide on the kind of adult you want to be, and if you want to surround yourself with Squishmallows and watch kpop videos with all your free time, you can. Or whatever makes you happy. Hold on. You got this. Now, back to the recap.

Yena chats a lot with her friend Sihyeon, and the editors keep showing them. Yena’s charismatic and it’s fun to get her perspective. They’re sitting in those big chairs that are kind of far apart, so she has to lean way over to do it. They are talking about how they’re excited to collaborate with the Japanese girls, and that they’re excited. Yiren grins widely as she says she want to make friends with the Japanese girls. I’ve already seen more charm and cuteness out of Yiren than I have in any given Everglow video. She’s really engaging in real life -- wish we got to see a bit more of that during her performances.

Kim Dayeon is sharing what she knows about Japanese language with her teammates, but her pronunciation is a little sus.

Stone Music is up next. The four girls come out nervously, and the other girls in the audience think they look familiar.

Left to right, they are:

Jang Gyu Ri (장규리), age 20, in pink.

Jo Yu Ri (조유리), age 16, in yellow.

Lee Si An (이시안), age 19, in purple.

Bae Eun Yeong (배은영), age 21, in mint green.

All four had already appeared on a different MNET reality competition show called Idol School, which had aired the year before this show aired. What’s interesting is that Gyuri actually *won* that show and debuted as a member of its winning group, fromis_9. A lot of famous folk were on Idol School, including a personal favorite of mine, Natty (who has since debuted in the absolutely phenomenal group Kiss of Life). I’m starting to think I should go back and watch Idol School! Anyway, that’s for another day.

Next out is Cube -- everyone is very excited since Cube is a larger agency. Han Cho Won (한초원), a tall mature looking 15-year-old in a hoodie and red pants, comes out to the strains of (then) Cube artist HyunA’s “Lip and Hip.” She squints at the audience, trying to decide where to sit, and while she does that, I’ll tell you that now (2023), Chowon is in a group called Lightsum. The other girls think she’s cool and swaggy, but to me she just looks a little confused. Maybe she has bad distance vision.

Next out is FNC, home of N.Flying and AOA. (If you watched Queendom Puzzle, you might remember Chanmi/DoHwa, who used to be in AOA.) We meet Cho Ah Yeong (조아영), age 16, wearing black, and Park Hae Yoon (박해윤), age 22, wearing white. HaeYoon has since debuted as a member of Cherry Bullet. Everyone seems to be very intimidated that they’re from FNC, but me, an intellectual in the year 2023, is thinking, yeah, but no. As far as I’m concerned, FNC stands for “FuckiNg over Cherry bullet” and if you’re like, but BPR-Unnie, that doesn’t really work as an acronym, I respond, EXACTLY. Nothing about FNC works.

People are excited to meet the Starship trainees, and MNET definitely wants all of us to be excited too. And I mean. Yeah. Here they come:

Left to right: Yujin, Kahyeon, Wonyoung

An Yu Jin (안유진), age 14, in the sleeveless shirt. She had previously been in music videos and commercials.

Jang Won Young (장원영), age 13, the tallest one, in the pants

Cho Ka Hyeon (조가현), age 14, in the collared shirt and skirt

Nothing against Kahyeon, who is a lovely and talented girl, but it’s hard not to focus on the one-two punch of Yujin and Wonyoung, future stars of IVE. It’s entirely possible you’re reading this recap just because you’re fans of one or other of them. I’ll say that I’m more of a Yujin girl than a Wonyoung girl, but I like them both. True to form, they’re boisterous, showing off their smattering of Japanese knowledge, and flirting with the camera. They take turns sitting in the number one seat briefly, and then choose other seats.

The trainees are talking about how pretty everyone is, much prettier than in Season 1, and I disagree with that part, but yeah of course they’re all pretty. Yoon Eun Bin laments that she’s “the only ugly one.” Aww, baby! And of course, we keep checking in with Yena, our unofficial narrator of this episode, as she jokes non-stop with her friend Sihyeon. It kind of reminds me of how in Broduce 101 we hung out with Kang Daniel and Yoon Ji-sung for most of episode 1.

Out next is Pledis:

Who could these tall, beautiful girls be?

Huh Yun Jin (허윤진), 16, with her hair up in a ponytail, is about 5’8. Her family name 허 is sometimes transliterated “Huh” and sometimes “Heo”. Korean vowels are hard, ya’ll.

Lee Ga Eun (이가은), 23, with her shorter hair down to just her shoulders, is about 5’7. Her name is also sometimes transliterated as Kaeun.

The others girls recognize Gaeun as a former member of After School, an idol group known for their sexy concepts. (In the performance I linked to, Gaeun is the one with her hair in two braided pigtails -- she starts off on the pole on the far left. We actually see a brief clip of that performance on this episode at about 20:58.) The girls are abuzz to see Gaeun back in the idol sphere after a few years’ hiatus. That hiatus was just due to Pledis’s mismanagement. Shock! Horror! Who would have thought that PLEDIS of all companies would screw over a talented idol group? Surely, neither of THESE girls will get screwed over on this very show?

Anyway, back to 2018. You’re going to have to accept that fact that I love both of these girls a lot, but I doubt that will be a problem, because I think you’re going to love them too. Most people do -- more about that much later! Yunjin is one of the reasons that I’m rewatching this show -- I loved her the whole time I watched it the first time, as I said earlier, and I was so incredibly happy when she debuted in Le Sserafim.

The two Pledis girls sit down and we have a brief “coming up!” montage. When we come back, we can see that more girls have come in unobserved by us, the viewers, which is fine. Finally, strains of Heavy Rotation by AKB48 begin playing (“I want youuuuuuu… I need youuuuuuu…”), and the Korean girls are excited to meet the AKB girls!

First, we learn a little bit about the franchise -- it’s like, what if a female NCT, or a TripleS, but with literally 600 members, and they’re all wearing outfits that make them look like they are members of the Piñata Marine Corps. Also, most of them can’t really sing and their choreography is mostly step-touch wiggle-wiggle.

Bless their hearts.

There is, obviously, talent amongst them, as we will see. It’s just that talent is not really a *requirement* for being in the group. Girls in the AKB48 franchise are expected to be cute and cheery on stage, to approximate some form of “singing” like noises, and to learn and do choreography so easy even I could probably do it, and I’m about as coordinated as a newborn deer. Plenty of them are capable of more, and I take my hat off to those who pushed themselves to come on this show and face this challenge. They’re in for a lot, and I respect them.

I also want to say that the biggest issue I have with the AKB48 franchise is that their fanbase is almost exclusively men in their 40s who think that 19 or 20 is over the hill. It’s like, soft-core kitty-corn and I know you know what I mean. I guess a similar allegation could be made about Produce101 in general. I don’t want to linger on this for too long because these girls just want to be entertainers and to bring some fun and excitement into their lives, and it’s not their fault that middle-aged men ruin everything. But I have to acknowledge it. I could post some really disturbing pictures here of AKB48 girls in outfits that read *really, really young* but also are obviously meant to be sexy, but I really don’t want to, in part because it might make the FBI knock on my door. Similarly, I don’t want to link to it here but I’m amazed there wasn’t a public outcry about the video for Heavy Rotation. They’re all in lingerie and rolling around together and kissing each other and bathing in a bathtub together while feeding each other cherries and whipped cream. Like, it’s not subtle. Meanwhile the song itself sounds like something from a Kidz Bop album. The juxtaposition between the cutesy childish tone and the obviously sexy, almost pornographic images is really… disturbing, there’s just no other word for it. Add in the fact that Japan might be the only developed country that’s worse than the USA in terms of how it treats and cares for women, and you’ve got a pressure cooker of ick. Poor girls. I hope they’re all safe and well -- in 2018, in 2023, and beyond.

And here they come, all 19 of the AKB48 girls, in red and black plaid outfits. This specific group is from Tokyo. (Each of the -48 groups is based in a different city.) We’ll meet these girls a bit later when they perform in smaller groups.

We see that one of them, 24-year-old Miyazaki Miho, can even write in Korean a little! Good for her. Takahashi Juri -- 20-year-old future member of Rocket Punch and visitor to Queendom Puzzle -- interviews in Japanese, “I think that the popular idol singers in Korea are really the best artists in the world.” Goto Moe, 17, says that Kpop idols are true musicians. Muto Tomu, a 23 year old palindrome, says she wants to learn from the Korean idols. She and Juri want to be the best in the world. Yes! I love the ambition.

But where will they sit?

Juri, in an outfit that would make Nina Garcia weep if she had tear ducts, is tempted by the number one seat. As she should be. We love Juri in this household. But the girls’ competitiveness gives way to their friendliness, and soon all the girls, Korean and Japanese alike, are giggling and waving and making heart signs to each other. AND THAT IS WHAT I’M HERE TO WATCH, by the way. I love this shit. Friendship is the best ship.

Juri introduces herself to MND17’s ChaeJeong in careful Korean, and ChaeJeong responds in equally careful Japanese. Everyone is using the few words they know, combined with sign language and body language, to try to bridge the communication gap. They exchange hellos and names and try to figure out who’s older. The Japanese girls think the Korean system of adding a year to your age is kind of odd, but that’s how culture do.

Next out are the girls from NMB48 - the Osaka team -- in blue outfits. Then the two SKE48 girls, from Nagoya come out, in different blue outfits. One of these two is Matsui Jurina, who is only 21 but somehow looks a bit older to me.

Asai Yuka on the left, Jurina on the right.

A lot of the girls recognize Jurina; per Wikipedia, “She is recognized as SKE48's absolute "ace", having placed in the top 10 in many of AKB48's annual general elections and winning the 2018 election.” Apparently she was in AKB48 for a while, and then chose to go back to SKE48, either for altruistic reasons (to support the smaller subunit’s success) or for her own reasons (to go back to her home city, perhaps).

You’ll be hearing more about “elections”, so let me talk about that. In the -48 system, fans who have bought a copy of a 48 album are given the right to vote for the member they like best -- the general election. In other words, it’s a popularity contest, and only fans willing to spend money are allowed to vote. (There’s a story about a fan who spent $300,000 on CDs to vote for his favorite girl!) If Jurina has won so many elections, she is/was undoubtedly quite loved by her fan base. I approve of the fact that this woman, who looks like a woman and not a little kid, is/was so loved.

Side note here, and it’s a real, real, real side note, so I'm putting it in a different color so you can skip past it if you want, but the story of the man who spent $300,000 to vote for his favorite member of AKB48 reminds me a bit of the story of Grant Amato. Let me explain. Grant Amato was in his late 20s when his life hit the skids for various reasons and he began spending a ton of time in a cam girl chat room. He began “tipping” her absurd amounts of money, convinced that this was creating a genuine bond between himself and her. He began stealing from anyone who left their credit cards in his vicinity, especially his parents, from whom he stole $200,000 or more. The family tried to put him in rehab, and told him he couldn’t talk to his “girlfriend” any more -- so he killed them, in part to remove the obstacle, and in part to get their money. Looking into this story more, I learned more about the psychology of tipping cam girls, and it seems really similar to the parasocial relationship between -48 girls and their fans. No other men in the girls’ lives; the illusion of sexy, available youth; the man feeling like a protector or guardian of the girl he's never met and never will meet…. This extremely NSFW guide to cam-girling has a lot of nuggets of wisdom, especially this: “A man wants to feel attention from an attractive women on him, and this is made even more satisfying when it’s to the exclusion of those around him. He is showing off his power by buying your happiness.” I know that Grant Amato is an extreme example when it comes to him literally murdering three family members, but other people -- nearly always men -- spend that much money on cam girls and on AKB girls and on other stand-ins for real love. I don’t have some big point to make here. Just that it doesn’t seem particularly healthy to me.

Pigtailed Sato Minami, age 14 and a member of Tokyo based AKB48, interviews that everyone in Japan knows Jurina. 17-year old Nakano Ikumi says she joined AKB48 because she idolizes her, and 14-year old Asai Yuka, the other SKE48 member in Produce48, says that they all admire her.

They aren’t sure where to sit, as now only lower-ranked chairs are available, which is so silly since it doesn’t actually matter at all what chair you sit on today, but that’s the show for you. Jurina, befuddled, says “ehhhh?” which is sort of like “what” and sort of like “otoke?” It’s so characteristically Japanese that some of the Korean girls think it’s cute. Plus, they’re all eager to make friends.

Jurina smiles with cute, puppy eyes, and then for a moment, a bit of avarice flashes over her face, and the xenophobic MNET editors make sure to zoom in on her, while letting one of the other girls give her a defining caption:

Bombastic opera music plays -- will she take the seat? She has been ranked number one enough times in her other life that it seems kind of fitting. But no. She ends up sitting down in a normal chair, interviewing that she didn’t have the courage. I don’t remember who sat in the number one seat and am starting to think it might just be whoever walks in last at this point.

I feel like I could write a whole sociological paper about the difference between girl seasons of this show and boy seasons of this show and their approach to the Number One Chair. Girls eye it but don’t like to sit on it because it marks them as greedy and makes them unpopular. Boys fight over it, either physically with arm wrestling or via skill displays, like rutting caribou. It’s really interesting.

Interlude! They’re all hungry. Juri shows off more of her Korean skills. The other girls at least know how to say the names of food and are building friendship off of a shared love of eating. Hey, that’s how you make friends with a cat or dog so it works for me. Food!

Here’s the RBW girls, who you might recognize:

Na Go Eun (나고은), in the “Respect” shirt, age 18. She is now a main vocalist of PurpleKiss.

Park Ji Eun (박지은), in the red striped shirt, age 20. She debuted in PurpleKiss but left due to an anxiety condition. Aww! Poor sweetie. Hope she’s doing ok these days.

The girls are excited for Banana Culture, partly because they’re hungry and want to eat bananas, and partly because it’s home to EXID, a group I’ve always liked too.

Out come the two Banana Culture girls, who sit down immediately:

Kim Da Hye (김다혜), on the left with black accents, who I think is 16 (but reports vary).

Kim Na Young(김나영), 15, on the right with red accents, who you may now recognize as a member of Lightsum.

Next is Woolim, and the other trainees are impressed. They should be! Check out these four:

I know this screen shot is terrible, but I’m doing my best, folks.

Left to right, that’s:

Kim So Hee (김소희), 14, who is now in Rocket Punch.

Kim Chae Won (김채원), 17, who is now in Le Sserafim.

Kwon Eun Bi (권은비), 22, who is now a soloist.

Kim Su Yun (김수윤),17, who is now also in Rocket Punch, and who you may also recognize from going on Queendom puzzle. She’s 5’7, if you’re wondering.

I’m so excited to see Sohee and Suyun meet Juri! And for Chaewon and THE SAKURA™ and Yunjin to all meet each other! This is going to be so cute.

And here’s WM Entertainment:

Left to right, that’s:

Cho Yeong In (조영인), age 16.

Lee Chae Yeon (이채연), age 18. Before this she was on Sixteen, the show that created Twice, and after this she will, among other things, make a brief appearance on Queendom Puzzle. She’s also the older sister of Itzy’s Chaeryeong, and they have a strong family resemblance. Everyone is pretty impressed by her, and I’m sure she’s glad about that.

Lee Seung Hyeon (이승현), age 17. Ok, if you watched Queendom Puzzle, I dare you to try to recognize Seung Hyeon. Do you know who she is? Picture her with chin length hair. Hold your finger up to the screen and really try. Ok, give up?

That’s Riina from H1-Key! I would have never guessed. I wonder if Chaeyeon recognized her on Queendom Puzzle? I wonder if she voted her up or down? Chaeyeon does seem to sort of do her own thing. Love how the show never mentioned that they knew each other.

It’s time for the Fukuoka-based HKT48 girls to enter, and their black logo prompts Million Market’s Son Eun Chae (손은채), 18, future member of Bugaboo, to comment to her label mate Cho Sa Rang (조사랑), 14, that black is her favorite color. Sarang replies, “Our faces must look black by now,” cracking Eunchae up. Aw, I like them.

The other Japanese girls are excited, because they know that soon they will be seeing…. THE SAKURA™. Her name means cherry blossom, and she wants cherry blossoms to blossom in your cherry. I mean heart. Whatever.

It’s always so odd to me the way that certain girls are picked out as stunningly beautiful, when to me they’re all pretty. It feels so random. Why is THE SAKURA™specifically the most beautiful? It’s like in Red Velvet. I think Seulgi and Wendy are every bit as pretty as Irene, maybe prettier. But what do I know? Also, I probably ranted about this exact same thing in one of my BP recaps. Anyway, Jo Yuri tells her labelmate Sian, “I made eye contact with Sakura and I almost fainted.” Ok, Jo Yuri is growing on me.

Everyone thinks everyone else is pretty, and cool, and cute, and intimidating. We check in again with Sarang and Eunchae, who seem to be having a fun time.

Who will be last to walk in? YG’s logo pops up on screen, shocking everyone, including our polka dotted friends from HOW Entertainment, one of whom is in the process of administering eye drops to another one when the logo pops up. YG? WUT? But no -- these are *former* YG trainees. Now, they’re here as “kaein yeonshipsaeng” -- individual trainees. Trainer-less trainees. Just… -ees. They walk out to strains of “I am the Best” by 2NE1, a song whose video I still watch whenever I need a pick-me-up.

Park Jinny (박진희), 20, with dark hair, now a member of Secret Number.

Park Seo Young (박서영), 19, with light hair.

We cut back to an interview that must have taken place some time before taping began, when Seoyeong had brown hair. We find out that Seoyeoung was in the famous “Future 2NE1” video and both of them traineed with Blackpink. They’re here to make you wonder why YG let them go.

There are only two chairs left -- the #1 seat and the #96 seat. The now-blonde Seoyeong plunks down on the number one seat and everyone applauds. When I watched it the first time, I thought even at the time that there wasn’t much chance of her making it after that. You just can’t sit in that seat and make it in to the final lineup. I’m with Yunjin, who says, “If that was the only seat left, I’d sit on the floor.” Yep.

35:10 Somi and Daniel

Two figures emerge and the girls go nuts as they recognize everyone’s favorites, Jeon Somi (ranked #1 on PD101 Season 1) and Kang Daniel (ranked #1 on PD101 Season 2). I’m happy to see them, though I’ll note that they’re both capable of looking a lot better than they do here. I’ll blame their hair -- they were both born to be honey blondes, even if it wasn’t in their DNA.

Must be kind of weird for Chaeyeong to see Somi again after they both competed on Sixteen together. But there are always all those ties amongst idols and trainees.

Somi and Daniel talk about how only viewer votes will matter here. They don’t know that this is a lie, of course. Vote rigging was absolutely a thing on all four seasons of PD101. But we’ll talk about that later.

The reality sets in for the trainees -- they’re really on PD101! Or PD48, whatever you want to call it. S&D talk about how only the top producers will work with them, how they’ll debut in Korea and Japan at the same time -- this will be big. They talk about the specific producers, who have worked with some top groups, but the names of the producers don’t ring bells for me and likely won’t for you, either: Han Sung Soo, who writes kpop hits, and Akimoto Yasushi, the creepy old dude who created AKB48 and writes their most misogynistic lyrics. Great. I am just going to call him “Gross Guy” from now on.

The girls find out that 12 of them will debut in the final lineup, which is great news, because now it’s a 1 in 8 chance of getting in. (Well, it’s a 100% chance for those whose agencies paid enough money!) Why couldn’t Kep1er and ZB1 have had 12 members? Then Park Hanbin would have been in ZB1 and I’m not sure who else would have been in Kep1er but I know it would have been great. Maybe Fu Yaning, who I will always love and hear no words against.

Anyway.

Say goodbye to Somi and Daniel because we don't see them again after this. It's time for the judges to come out! And that's what we'll pick up with next time, when we recap the first ten auditions!

#produce 48 #IZ*one #Jeon Somi #Kang Daniel #Lee Chaeyeong #Le Sserafim #IVE #BPR recaps P48 #Sakura #akb48 #rocket punch

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ijustkindalikebooks · 1 year ago

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I really hope I don't read a life changing book in the next three weeks so this list is out of date, but this is a list of twelve books that have been dwelling in my head for the last year.

I quote them, I think about them, I think "holy cow someone wrote that" often about these and I can't wait to either the read the next one or the next thing that comes from this author (or both). I really hope you've had an amazing year of reading and I can't wait to see your own lists from 2023.

How High We Go In The Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu - A sort of slow burn book that has dwelled in my brain since I read it back in April, How High We Go In The Dark is a dark exploration of humanity connected by short stories that have a common thread through the book. The rollercoaster story lives in my head rent free, and not in a good way, it's a little bit disturbing, but I think we live in a dystopia more than we believe we do and maybe there's a metaphor in there somewhere.

Sea Of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel - Another book that connects via short stories, this is quite common for me as I love that sort of thing, reflecting on my list of books. I think Mandel writes so poetically and brilliantly throughout this book, she delivers on pathos and emotion to really deliver stories about people, about people in different timelines connected by a strange portal moment of magic. If you love fantasy but in a more contemporary delivery, I do recommend this book to you.

The End Of The Affair by Graham Greene - I am a collector of books as much as a reader of them and this year I've been trying to read my bookshelves a bit more as I just am buying books to make myself look clever at this point, which is just lame. This was one of the first books on my shelf, and though not perfect, and damn did she deserve better, this book delves into obsession and love and what it actually means to people. It's a weird book.

Another Day In The Death Of America by Bryan Younge - I am not American, I have never seen a gun in real life in the hands of a person I know (some police have them near Parliament, well they did once I think) so I don't understand America and their passion for ammunition, but this book should not make you proud of it. This book is a gut punch through every chapter as the author details the young lives lost to guns in 24 hours. A brilliant and sad book.

Tower by Bae Myung-Hoon - My passion for Korean Literature does not abate (I am not a Koreaboo, don't worry). There's a way Korean writers write books like their objective observers on a scene that I particularly enjoy and Tower is another good example of this. Tower again is short stories tied together about a building that is it's own country and the people who live and want to live in it. The Elephant chapter hasn't left my brain since I read it and I recommend it (unless you like Elephants, then don't, cos it's again fucked up).

Beyond The Story: 10 Years of BTS by BTS - Ahh BTS, since 2017 I've known this group and their impact of my life and music taste is so ridiculous, I feel like something's walk into your life for a reason and wow, did they. The story of the rise of BTS from a lucky break on Mnet's music show to Grammy nominations (robbed!) is incredible to read and even if you don't like them it's a fascinating insight into a group that made their name in a country that was dominated by three big music companies, and they weren't on any of them - Hybe now supercedes all of them. An incredible underdog tale.

Lirael by Garth Nix - Where has this man been all my life with these books? I'm embarassed, be embarassed for me. This series is so good so far, I'm going to read Abhorsen next year which I believe is the next one and I can't wait. I would also recommend the Booksellers Of London series too by the same author, which is every bit as good and set in 80's London/Bath. Fantastic fantasy that makes you think where is the next one, give it to me now.

The Last Devil To Die by Richard Osman - Y'know, this series is so British, it should come with teabags and digestive biscuits, but I love it all the same. A series about a group of pensioners who solve mysteries, The Last Devil To Die is the fourth book in this series and it's probably for me one of the best. The storyline with Stephen is devastating and the plot is incredible with characters that come to life every time this book is opened. I can't wait for whatever this author does next and those who voted for The Housemaid on Goodreads, I'm judging you, to be honest.

Hortus Curious by Michael Perry - Plants, people. Plants are incredible, insane, incredible. There are plants who eat living things, but that's just the start of their madness. This book is an incredible exploration in fantastic plants you would think you'd only see in a Herbology classroom but here they are in real life, killing people and eating small animals. Fantastic book, if you love nature and weird stuff, this is for you.

Against White Feminism by Rafia Zakaria - I think the white women were in the house so much from this book. How women were protected in their plantations as people were treated abysmally who were just another intersection from them. I think we all need to work on our biases, prejudices and judgements we make and this is a short and brilliant book that could help you do that. I consider myself a feminist, and to be a good one you also have to shut and listen to people who don't look like you, make spaces intersectional my friends.

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang - The only romance book for me with rights this year (I keep being recommend books about hockey players and I am, that's just not going to happen). The representation of autism is fantastic and the sexy times are sexy if you need that and the characters, the characters are impeccable. I really recommend all of her books to be honest (and Talia Hibbert too, actually) as they make such great books with fantastic rep.

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - John Green on Crash Course said about this book 'the thing about this dystopian book is that this dystopia has already happened'. Charlotte was told by her doctors to quit all her hobbies and stay in a room and do nothing and it drove her to a deeper sickness, she wrote this book during that time of recovering from her ''recovery'' and it makes for powerful reading. The whole story is easily found online for free and I highly recommend it, probably one of the first psychological thrillers.

I apologise if some of these are a bit grammatically weird, I am working on it, I only just found out I'm dyslexic hence my difficulty with small text and need for audiobooks (smh, sometimes it's so obvious it makes me shake my head).

Please let me know what your favourite books of 2023 were.

Vee xo

#booklr #books #fiction #bookblr #book #non fiction #classics #fantasy #mystery #science fiction

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ofwendyz · 1 year ago

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Wendy, Son. 🦢

⃝웬디

GENERAL INFORMATION

BIRTH NAME: Shon Seung-wan

HANGUL: 손승완

NICKNAME(S): Olaf

BIRTH DATE: February 21, 1994 (age 29)

BIRTH PLACE: Seongbuk-dong, Seoul, South Korea

HEIGHT: 160.3 cm (5 ft 3 in)[1]

WEIGHT: 46 kg (101 lb)

BLOOD TYPE: O

♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧⋆⭒˚｡⋆ | ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

OCCUPATION

JOB: Singer, Songwriter, Actress

POSITION: Main Vocalist

COLOR: Blue

YEARS ACTIVE: 2014–present

AGENCY: SM Entertainment

ASSOCIATED ACTS: Red Velvet, SM Rookies

♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧⋆⭒˚｡⋆ | ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Do everything to your best ability with a positive mindset.

-WENDY

♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧⋆⭒˚｡⋆ | ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Shon Seung-wan (Hangul:손승완; born February 21, 1994), better known as Wendy (Hangul: 웬디), is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and actress. She is the main vocalist of the South Korean girl group Red Velvet.

♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧⋆⭒˚｡⋆ | ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Wendy was born as Shon Seung-wan in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul, South Korea. Her family consists of her parents, an affluent couple whose names haven't been revealed to the public, and her sister, Son Seung-hee, who is three years Wendy's senior. Wendy spent most of her childhood years in Cheongju, South Korea.

Wendy aspired to become a singer from the age of six and throughout her life trained to fulfill this goal. She also learned to play the saxophone, piano, flute, and guitar.

At the age of 12, Wendy and her sister moved to live in Canada, and later the USA. Whilst living in North America, Wendy began using the name Wendy Shon and learned to speak English, as well as some French and Spanish. For her education in these countries, she attended Shattuck St Mary's School in Minnesota, USA, and Richmond Hill High School in Ontario, Canada.

After graduating high school in 2012, she moved to South Korea to establish a professional singing career. Prior to this in 2010, she auditioned for the "Koreaboo: Cube Entertainment Global Auditions 2011" with an online audition and was picked from over 5,000 videos by Koreaboo and Cube Entertainment to continue to the final round in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. G.NA personally picked the 15 finalists with Koreaboo to open for her first solo showcase, held in Vancouver, BC, Canada. In 2012, she auditioned at the SM Global Audition in Canada and was recognized for her musicality, being able to play several instruments, as well as having strong vocal skills.

♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧⋆⭒˚｡⋆ | ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Career

2014: Pre-debut activities

She trained for less than two years before she was introduced as a member of SM Entertainment's pre-debut trainees team SM Rookies on March 14, 2014

As part of SM Rookies, Wendy released the song "Because I Love You" for the soundtrack of the Mnet drama Mimi, which was one of the soundtracks of the Mnet drama series, Mimi, which labelmate Changmin starred in, appearing in the music video as well. A clip of Wendy singing a cover of Taylor Swift's "Speak Now" was released on SM Entertainment's official YouTube channel.

2014–2019: Debut with Red Velvet, stage accident

In late-July 2014, Wendy was assigned to represent the color blue and chosen to be the main vocalist of Red Velvet, which debuted on August 1, 2014 with the single "Happiness".

Wendy collaborated with rapper Yuk Ji-dam for the song "Return", one of the OSTs of KBS2's drama Who Are You: School 2015. The song was released on June 8, 2015 and debuted at #31 on the Gaon Singles Chart. She released another song "Let You Know" for the soundtrack of the JTBC drama D-Day on October 16. On January 9, 2016, she became a panelist on We Got Married. On King of Mask Singer (episode 43 aired on January 24, 2016), she participated as a contestant with the stage name "Space Beauty Maetel". Wendy released a collaboration single with Eric Nam titled "Spring Love" on March 4, 2016, as part of SM Entertainment's SM Station project.

On December 25, 2019, Wendy fell from a raised stage while rehearsing for a performance on the year-end show SBS Gayo Daejeon. She fell approximately 2.5 meters (8.2ft) and received multiple injuries, including a broken wrist, fractured pelvis, a cracked cheekbone, and other unspecified facial and bodily injuries. Wendy was subsequently on hiatus for over a year while she recovered.

2021: Return to activities, Wendy's Youngstreet, GOT the beat

On January 1, 2021, Wendy's health hiatus official ended and she returned to idol activities.

On July 12, 2021, Wendy became the DJ host for SBS Power FM's radio show Wendy's Youngstreet, adopting the DJ name "WanD". The show ran for almost two years, until July 2, 2023.

On December 27, 2021, Wendy was revealed alongside Seulgi as one of the members of GOT the beat, the first unit of the project group Girls On Top.[2] The unit debuted on January 3, 2022 with the digital single "Step Back".

2023: First musical role

On June 19, 2023, Wendy confirmed that she had been cast in the role of "I" in the musical Rebecca. She performed from August 19–November 19, 2023.

Filmography

Since her debut, Wendy has appeared on the variety shows, We Got Married, King of Masked Singer, Trick and True, Raid the Convenience Store and Battle Trip. She made a cameo in the series, Descendants of the Sun and made an appearance in the documentary, SMTown: The Stage.

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mnet-stream-live · 1 year ago

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엠넷 실시간 스트리밍 사이트 링크

엠넷 실시간 스트리밍 사이트 링크 필요 하신가요?

mnet 실시간 무료보기 사이트 <

스트릿 우먼 파이터2 같은 방송 가능합니다. 엠넷 실시간 스트리밍 무료 사이트 티비 시청 해보세요. 해외에서도 볼수 있고 우회 없이 엠넷 실시간 링크 입니다. 스우파2도 업데이트 되었습니다.

샤일로 졸리-피트가 새로운 모습을 선보이고 있습니다. 17세의 이 소년은 월요일 캘리포니아주 스튜디오시티에 있는 에레혼에서 친구와 점심을 먹으러 나갔을 때 핑크색 버즈컷을 자랑하는 모습이 목격되었습니다. 그녀는 고급 식료품점 바깥 테이블에 앉아 식사를 하며 웃으며 기분 좋은 모습을 보였다. 이후 샤일로는 주차장에서 친구와 작별 인사를 하며 환하게 엠넷 실시간 스트리밍 사이트 링크 웃었다.

안젤리나 졸리(Angelina Jolie)와 브래드 피트(Brad Pitt)의 딸인 이 10대 소녀는 검정색 그래픽 티셔츠, 데님 반바지, 스니커즈로 외출 시 캐주얼함을 유지했습니다.

검은색 배낭도 메고 다녔다. 범선과 새가 그려진 노란색 폴로 셔츠, 청바지, 흰색 신발, 선글라스를 착용한 누진은 자신의 계획이 좌절되었음을 직감하고 가방을 챙겨 비상구를 이용해 건물 밖으로 뛰쳐나갔다.

창구 직원은 누진의 요구에 응하지 않았고, 누진은 "장난하는 게 아니다. 총이 있으니 돈은 가방에 넣어라"는 말을 되풀이하라고 강요했다. 창구원은 누진의 요구에 응하지 않았고, 누진에게 “장난이 아니다. 총이 있다. 돈은 가방에 넣어라”는 말을 되풀이하라고 강요했다. FBI 마이애미 누진의 얼굴이 뉴스에 등장하는 데는 그리 오랜 시간이 걸리지 않았습니다. 엠넷 실시간 스트리밍 사이트 링크 누군가가 그가 묵고 있던 요양원에서 은행강도 지망생을 발견했을 때, 그 사람은 여전히 1999년 강도실패 당시 입었던 것과 같은 배와 새 장식의 셔츠를 입고 있었습니다. 낮.

해당 개인은 8월 24일 이른 저녁 할렌데일 경찰에 전화해 누진의 주소를 알려줬고, 누진과 '비구금 면담'을 했다.

그 남자는 경찰에 전날 오전에 Bank of America 지점을 털려고 시도했다고 인정했습니다.

이어 누진은 뒷주머니에 들어 있던 비닐봉지를 꺼낸 뒤 보안 영상에 나온 선글라스와 엠넷 실시간 스트리밍 사이트 링크 흰색 신발이 있던 옷장 속 노란색 셔츠를 경찰에 보여줬다.

누진은 은행원의 설명과 은행 감시 카메라에서 볼 수 있는 반창고를 뺨에 두르고 있었고, 경찰에 "자신이 앓고 있는 피부암 때문에 그곳에 있었다"고 말한 것으로 알려졌다.

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seoul-italybts · 2 years ago

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[✎ ITA] Articolo : Weverse Magazine - I 10 Anni dei BTS e 10 Cose Che Hanno Cambiato il Mondo | 13.06.23⠸

🌟 Weverse Magazine 🗞

I 10 Anni dei BTS e 10 Cose Che Hanno Cambiato il Mondo

__ Un Decennio con i BTS __

13.06.2023 : Orig. KOR

1. BANGTAN BLOG

[ https://btsblog.ibighit.com/ ]

Quando Jimin è stato annunciato come nuovo membro dei BTS, il gruppo ha twittato "Nuovo membro sul blog ah ah questa volta è un ballerino". Solitamente, i BTS usano Twitter per annunci più brevi, aggiungendo maggiori informazioni sul blog. Il post legato a questo tweet in particolare, caricato sul blog, mostra un Jimin dal pre-debutto intento ad esercitarsi nel ballo. I BTS hanno iniziato ad usare i social media, YouTube ed il loro blog per tenere il pubblico aggiornato riguardo le attività del gruppo e le loro vite quotidiane, ancor prima del debutto. Era l'alba dell'era in cui i gruppi idol iniziavano ad annunciare i loro debutti su Internet, invece che attraverso media più tradizionali. Ma ciò che colpisce ancor più, è il fatto che i BTS usavano il loro blog con regolarità per condividere aggiornamenti sulle loro vite, notizie sul processo di avvio al debutto e curiosità riguardo i loro interessi fin da quando erano solo trainee. Provate a scorrere la piattaforma e, tornando indietro, vedrete post quali le recensioni di attrezzature MIDI da parte di Suga, le informazioni sulla street dance, caricate da j-hope, oltre ad aggiornamenti riguardo le loro esercitazioni. RM aveva la sua #BillmondChartSettimanale, ovvero consigli musicali, e Jungkook scriveva del suo addestramento, risalente al pre-debutto, svolto anche in America, oltre a condividere post in cui parlava di com'era trascorrere il Natale insieme agli hyung.

E poi c'è anche V, che è stato presentato come un asso nella manica, poco prima del debutto e che, poco più avanti, avrebbe caricato la sua prima cover, "Someone like you", preparata per spiegare direttamente alle/i fan cosa significava la musica per lui. Ancor oggi, sebbene espresse in modo simpatico, le storie riguardanti le difficoltà affrontate dal gruppo durante il periodo di addestramento, non possono che arrivare al cuore. Ad esempio, c'è un post riguardo il pane preparato da Jin, processo che ha richiesto al ragazzo 4 lunghe ore. Tuttavia, non appena ne ha assaggiato un morso, lo ha messo da parte perché non era affatto buono, optando per rifarsi con del ramyeon. Lo stile del post è decisamente buffo, ma ci mostra anche quanto dura fosse la loro vita mentre si preparavano al debutto, e quanto raro e speciale fosse concedersi del buon cibo. Neppure gli stessi BTS avrebbero mai potuto immaginare dove sarebbero arrivati 10 anni più tardi.

Se selezionate "log" dal menu del Bangtan Blog, aprirete la sezione dedicata ai vlog dei BTS, in cui i membri affidano direttamente i loro pensieri alla videocamera. Appare subito chiaro quanto emozionati ed agitati fossero, quando – prima del debutto - li sentiamo dire cose tipo “Mi manca mia madre”, e poi, subito dopo l'esordio,"Guardare la nostra prima performance mi rende così felice", "Cos'ha che non va questa canzone? Perché non riesco a buttare giù il testo?" o anche "Ora che ho revisionato, penso avrei potuto fare molto meglio". Fino a diventare una squadra in cui, dopo aver vinto il premio Artista dell'Anno agli Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA), uno dei membri – Jungkook –, nel suo video log (161206 Jung Kook) commentava ancora "Lavorerò ancor più duramente". I Bangtan Log proseguono fino a quando i BTS hanno raggiunto la vetta della Billboard Hot 100 con "Permission to Dance" – dopo che "Dynamite" e "Butter" avevano fatto altrettanto -. In quell'occasione, SUGA ha caricato un vlog in cui diceva "Fare il meglio possibile è ciò che abbiamo sempre fatto e sappiamo fare meglio".

Da quel lontano Natale speso a domandarsi se avrebbero mai debuttato, fino al giorno in cui hanno raggiunto la vetta delle classifiche Billboard, il blog dei BTS è sempre stato un mix di intimità ed apertura verso la globalità, simbolo del loro desiderio di stringere un legame forte con le/i loro fan. È lo stesso impegno espresso in "Yet to Come" nei versi "Sono cambiate molte cose, ma io sono sempre uguale", canzone rilasciata dopo gli innumerevoli successi e la gloria.

2. BORN SINGER

RM ha riassunto uno degli aspetti caratteristici dei BTS - in un'intervista con il Grammy Museum – così: "Vogliamo trovare argomenti e storie da condividere, pescando tra quelli che sono i nostri veri pensieri, nei nostri cuori".

I BTS hanno sempre comunicato molto apertamente con le/i loro fan, ed uno dei motivi principali per questo desiderio di contatto erano i messaggi che volevano trasmettere.

"No More Dream", singolo principale del loro album di debutto – "2 Cool 4 Skool" – ha, allo stesso tempo, due finalità principali: mandare un messaggio ai giovani della loro stessa generazione, impegnati a cercare e realizzare un proprio sogno, e condividere l'esperienza del gruppo nel periodo di addestramento, quando, ancora trainee, si chiedevano con trepidazione ed ansia se avrebbero potuto debuttare. Versi come quelli di 'Bulletproof Pt.2' – "Guarda il mio profilo, non ho ancora nulla, sono ancora un trainee ed un rapper" – suonano come le parole piene di disperazione di un gruppo appena nato che non ha occhi che per le/i sue/oi fan; mentre la traccia di chiusura, 'Outro : Circle Room Cypher', dà ad ogni membro l'opportunità di presentarsi. Poi c'è anche il brano d'apertura, 'Intro : 2 Cool 4 Skool (feat. DJ Friz)', in cui abbiamo un assaggio di quali sono le loro aspirazioni attraverso un sample – che ora ci appare decisamente premonitore – che dice, "E ora proseguiamo con alcuni passi [un goccio più difficili, pronti, partenza, via]". I BTS hanno sempre parlato apertamente delle realtà che incombevano su di loro come barriere ed ostacoli, senza mai perdere le speranze, fino a superarli, e lo hanno fatto saltando di genere in genere. Ogni loro album è una capsula del tempo in cui sono racchiuse le esperienze e sfide che il gruppo stava affrontando al momento del rilascio, con un inizio ed una fine chiaramente definiti – grazie alle loro tipiche intro ed outro -, e le tracce "skit", chiacchierate scherzose registrate in studio che ci danno un assaggio – privo di filtri - di quali fossero i loro sentimenti nel corso del processo creativo. Le canzoni facenti parte della serie dei Cypher – eseguite principalmente dai rapper, RM, Suga e J-Hope – non sono solo una testimonianza delle loro esistenze, ma ci svelano anche le critiche da parte degli hater. Inoltre, ognuno dei membri del gruppo ha pubblicato – gratuitamente - anche delle intime mixtape e altri brani solisti. La traccia "Born Singer", che il gruppo ha rilasciato solo un mese dopo il debutto, si apre con i versi: "Il primo palco su cui sono salito sotto il nome Bangtan / la prima volta nella mia vita / Sono ancora un rapper provincialotto, ma / Ho coperto la parola ‘dilettante’ con 'professionista’", e l'esemplificazione perfetta di come devono essersi sentiti nell'entrare, per la prima volta, nel mondo del professionismo. "Al confine tra l'essere un idol ed un rapper", come scrivono nel testo, "butto giù testi nelle attese tra i camerini ed il palco".

In quanto gruppo idol che sfrutta l'hip-hop come mezzo espressivo, i BTS non potevano non affrontare questa dicotomia, oltre a parlare delle loro preoccupazioni per far parte di un'etichetta minore – storia, questa, unica nel suo genere, appartenente solo e soltanto ai Bangtan -. L'hip-hop non era solo il genere musicale preferito dei BTS, ma era un modo attraverso il quale comunicare ciò che provavano mentre si ergevano a cavallo tra diversi aspetti dell'industria musicale, come a metà strada tra la cultura hip-hop e quella idol, tra l'essere dei trainee e la scalata al successo. È così che, seguendo il corso dei loro messaggi, il respiro e la portata della musica dei BTS si sono ampliati e, mano mano che sempre più ascoltatori scoprivano il gruppo, ogni anno, anche i messaggi trattati si sono fatti più profondi. Partendo dal senso di irrequietudine provato durante il loro debutto, i BTS si sono dunque rivolti ai giovani della loro età nella serie di album "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life". Sono maturati e cresciuti sia come persone che come artisti, affrontando, uno ad uno, i loro problemi e, successivamente, hanno ampliato ancora la loro sfera d'azione con 'WINGS', cercando di portare conforto a quelle/i fan che stavano sperimentando le loro stesse difficoltà e dubbi, cantando – in '2! 3!' - "Va tutto bene / Hey, quando dico '1, 2, 3' dimentica / Liberati dei tuoi ricordi tristi".

E quando sono poi approdati alla serie "Love Yourself", i ragazzi – che un tempo pareva avrebbero dovuto continuare a lottare col mondo per sempre – hanno voluto trasmettere al prossimo che va bene avere una buona considerazione di sé e volersi bene.

Il percorso affrontato dai BTS verso la fama globale non è solo una storia di successo, ma una di crescita dei membri, nonché quella del processo affrontato da questi 7 giovani per riuscire a capire il mondo, senza però limitarsi a venirvi a patti – quanto, piuttosto, cercare di renderlo un luogo migliore. I BTS hanno sempre lottato strenuamente per adattarsi alla realtà del mondo K-pop, senza mai arrendersi agli ostacoli e cercando sempre di entrare in sintonia ed accogliere il prossimo–Sono artisti nati con un messaggio nel cuore, in altre parole, cantanti nati (born singer).

3. BURN THE STAGE

I BTS hanno debuttato il 13 giugno 2013 sul palco di MCountdown. Il loro singolo, al tempo, era "No More Dream", ma promuovevano anche "Bulletproof Pt.2". Durante la dance-break di questa canzone, j-hope presenta mosse da b-boy e poi si piega completamente sul dorso, mentre Jimin sfrutta le sue doti acrobatiche per piroettare direttamente sopra ed oltre il compagno di squadra. Poi si gira e tira il suo cappellino a Jungkook, ed il pubblico esulta. Quando quella performance è andata in onda per la prima volta in assoluto, non era che un assaggio di ciò che i BTS ci avrebbero mostrato in futuro. La loro sala prove era piccola, a quel tempo, ma le loro aspirazioni per il palcoscenico erano enormi, e più importanti erano i palchi che, man mano, guadagnavano, sempre più incredibili le loro esibizioni diventavano.

Quando, nel 2014, sono saliti sul palco del MBC Music Festival, stavano ancora esplorando le loro abilità, ma hanno comunque eseguito alcuni dei loro numeri tipici – indossando divise della Marina - ed allestito uno spettacolo a tema “Sea scout” con un enorme numero di ballerini di supporto. Quello stesso anno, ai MAMA, si son fatti notare con la loro sfida di ballo – "Boys in Battle" – contro i Block B, un tipo d'esibizione insolita per il palcoscenico coreano. Coloro che si sono sintonizzati per seguire la cerimonia di fine anno, si sono lasciati ammaliare da questo nuovo gruppo e dal suo stile così diverso. E questo primo slancio li ha condotti fino alla serie "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life", l'anno successivo, segnando l'inizio del vero successo per questo gruppo che, ormai, è diventato leggenda. E quando, finalmente, i BTS hanno vinto il premio 'Artista dell'Anno' ai MAMA 2016, hanno messo su una performance che condivideva lo stesso titolo e tema di "Boy Meets Evil", ovvero il trailer per il comeback di WINGS, uscito in precedenza quello stesso anno, reinterpretandone scene dall'originale più alcuni estratti dal singolo "Blood Sweat & Tears" e lasciando il pubblico senza fiato. L'esibizione si apriva con Jungkook sospeso a mezz'aria e dava a j-hope l'opportunità di mischiare elementi del b-boying con la danza contemporanea, culminando, infine, su uno stacco solista da parte di un Jimin bendato. Successivamente, hanno presentato una performance di 'FIRE' su scala enorme – con tanto di corpo di ballo -, fugando ogni possibile dubbio sulla legittimità del premio ('Artista dell'Anno') ricevuto.

Per il gruppo, la possibilità di esibirsi ad eventi quali le cerimonie di fine anno era un modo per ricevere i meritati riconoscimenti per i loro sforzi. Erano, infatti, opportunità per mettersi ulteriormente alla prova, allestendo performance sempre nuove e strabilianti – il tipo d'esibizione che li ha sempre posti un passo avanti rispetto agli altri e non li ha mai traditi nell'attrarre nuovə fan.

Il 2017 è stato l'anno in cui i BTS hanno partecipato per la prima volta ai Billboard Music Awards e gli American Music Awards. Si sono anche messi in completo per una performance di "Mic Drop (Steve Aoki remix ver.)", ai MAMA, riempiendo il palco con la loro passione ed energia attraverso il ballo e le loro voci. Nel 2018 hanno ottenuto un successo enorme a livello globale quando hanno raggiunto la vetta della classifica Billboard 200. Quello stesso anno, hanno eseguito 'IDOL' ai MMA (Melon Music Awards), in un mix mozzafiato di modernità e tradizione coreana – come dimostra la danza dei ventagli e le maschere dei leoni.

Le loro performance non sono solo produzioni appariscenti e mosse studiate per catturare l'attenzione– sono anche un archivio, documentato anno per anno, di ciò che entusiasma così tanto la gente riguardo i BTS, nonché di ciò che il gruppo desidera trasmettere al suo pubblico.

Nel 2020, il gruppo era, ancora una volta, ospite ai MAMA, dove ha eseguito 'ON' insieme ad una vera e propria banda musicale, presso un Seoul World Cup Stadium privo di pubblico [*a causa del covid]. L'esibizione di 'ON', originariamente pensata per uno stadio traboccante di gente, si è così trasformata in un rituale di buon auspicio per la celere conclusione della pandemia.

I BTS sono potuti tornare ad esibirsi di fronte ad un pubblico live alla 64a edizione dei Grammy Awards, segnando il loro ritorno con una performance di 'Butter' in cui impersonavano delle spie infiltrate all'evento. I preparativi per quest'esibizione si sono dimostrati più problematici del previsto, dati alcuni infortuni ed il covid-19. La coreografia, inoltre, era un po' un'incognita e prevedeva un certo grado di fortuna, vista la mossa per cui i ragazzi avrebbero dovuto togliersi le giacche ad incastro e ballare in formazione. Ma, una volta saliti sul palco, nulla avrebbe potuto fermarli, e hanno saputo rendere ogni istante di questa performance perfetto, come una sorta di magia. Anche in occasioni così importanti, possono sempre esserci imprevisti. Eppure, a dispetto di tutto, i BTS hanno presentato un'esibizione impeccabile.

Quando il polverone si è, infine, diradato ed i ragazzi hanno avuto modo di guardarsi intorno, i BTS hanno scoperto che era su un palco globale che si ergevano con orgoglio, ormai.

4. BANGTAN TV

I BTS portano avanti i cosiddetti "contenuti in-house" da molto prima che questo concept diventasse così noto e diffuso. Il fulcro di questi contenuti è il loro canale YouTube, BANGTAN TV, che – come suggerisce il nome – funge da emittente televisiva con focus esclusivo sul gruppo. Mentre i Bangtan Vlog sono sempre stati un modo per parlare direttamente ed apertamente con le/i fan – fin da prima del debutto -, le BANGTAN BOMB sono brevi clip in cui vediamo i membri divertirsi e scherzare durante le loro promozioni e i BTS EPISODE ci mostrano i ragazzi al lavoro, mentre perfezionano i propri talenti per poi svelarne al mondo i risultati. Inoltre, i BTS hanno anche postato video come le recensioni album di Suga che, a pensarci ora, a 10 anni dal loro debutto, ci dà la misura di quanto effettivamente i ragazzi siano sempre stati degli YouTuber.

Tutti questi contenuti in-house sono sempre stati una vetrina per mostrare le proprie abilità e fascino in autonomia, senza dover passare per i media tradizionali. Ma la cosa più importante è ciò che è possibile trovare in questi video. Attraverso questi contenuti, i BTS non si sono limitati a creare una cronistoria delle loro attività ufficiali, ma ne hanno anche approfittato per condividere le proprie storie personali con le/i fan – ciò che ci tenevano particolarmente a dire e mostrare – in un contesto meno formale. Tutto ciò ha aperto la strada per tanti altri contenuti, come la serie di video GCF (Golden Closet Film) di Jungkook o gli Eat Jin. I BTS non si sono risparmiati nulla nel condividere storie con le/i fan, una volta approdati su quella che un tempo era V Live (ora Weverse Live), la piattaforma social che permette agli artisti e alle/i fan di comunicare in tempo reale, costruendosi, al contempo, un proprio vocabolario condiviso personale. I membri dei BTS hanno dunque rafforzato il proprio legame con il fandom nel modo che più gli si confaceva, come quando RM parla della produzione album, in occasione di nuove uscite, o quando il gruppo inizia delle dirette immediatamente dopo esibizioni importanti – il sudore che ancora imperla le sopracciglia – per parlare con le/i fan.

I contenuti prodotti in proprio dai BTS sono diventati un nuovo modo di comunicare con le/i fan e condividere con loro ciò che accadeva nelle loro vite, in tempo reale. Particolarmente degno di nota è tutto il materiale postato a documentazione del lavoro svolto in preparazione per l'album BE, che, al contempo, era un modo per ricordare come i ragazzi fossero ancora presenti e connessi con le/i fan a dispetto della pandemia.

Run BTS!, il loro varietà personale, è la ciliegina sulla torta di tutti i loro contenuti. Come menzionato dai membri stessi, questo show è iniziato con brevi episodi da 10 minuti, ma si è poi evoluto in uno dei simboli fondamentali della storia del gruppo, della sua crescita costante e dello spirito di squadra dei membri – fino a prestare il proprio nome ad una delle tracce del loro nuovo album-antologia, "Proof". Nel primissimo episodio, V aveva detto che l'avrebbero reso "qualcosa di leggendario", ed è esattamente così che è andata. Man mano che lo show continuava a crescere fino a diventare il fenomeno che è ora, i BTS hanno addirittura collaborato con la Disney e la serie è diventata talmente popolare da essere trasmessa sulla JTBC e MNet.

Il canale YouTube del gruppo, ora, è pieno di nuove serie, tra le quali "SUCHWITA (Ora di Bere con Suga)", ovvero uno dei talk show più popolari sulla piattaforma. Dunque pare BANGTAN TV abbia concretizzato la propria profezia e proposito: diventare un'emittente televisiva virtuale esclusivamente per i BTS e le/i loro fan.

5. 화양연화 , The Most Beautiful Moment in Life

Come moltə sapranno già, la serie "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life" è stata una svolta fondamentale nella carriera dei BTS. "I Need U", singolo nonché grandissima hit trattə dall'album ' 화양연화 Pt.1', ha segnato l'inizio dello straordinario successo dei BTS. A partire dalla stessa struttura romanzata della serie, la quale ha avuto un enorme impatto sull'industria K-pop. I MV di "I Need U" e "RUN" - singolo del secondo album della serie, sono connessi da una storia continuativa, fulcro del legame che esiste tra questi due album, e presentano diversi riferimenti incrociati, un modo per incoraggiare le/i fan a guardare e riguardare i video per crearsi una propria interpretazione. Questo tipo di approccio creativo ai propri video musicali ha segnato l'enorme successo e crescita sia dei MV che dei BTS, a livello globale; ha spinto moltə fan, specialmente quellə internazionali, a filmare video-reazioni, facendo registrare anche un grande incremento nel seguito del gruppo.

Ma i BTS avevano già usato questa idea basata su serie di album collegati tra loro: la loro "Trilogia scolastica" è, ad esempio, è composta dal loro album di debutto, "2 COOL 4 SKOOL', insieme a 'ORUL82?' e 'Skool Luv Affair'. Ma, nel caso di "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life", la serie era molto più ampia ed includeva altri video al di là dei semplici MV, tra i quali un "concert prologue", oltre al rilascio di "화양연화 THE NOTES 1" e "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt.0 SAVE ME" – rispettivamente un racconto ed una webtoon -, ambientate nello stesso universo finzionale degli album.

Molte delle cose e concept considerati comuni nel K-pop, oggi – come le serie di album, gli universi finzionali e lo sviluppo di contenuti e media ad essi collegati – erano, allora, un'esclusiva ancora inedita della serie "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life", ed il loro enorme successo commerciale e promozionale è innegabile. Questa serie è stata anche l'apri-pista per una maggiore caratterizzazione e sviluppo del mondo degli/lle artistə da parte dell'industria K-pop, che ha così potuto adottare l'idea di album più coesi, trattando ed includendo anche argomenti e messaggi più complessi e profondi.

Come tantə altrə giovani, anche i BTS hanno dovuto affrontare innumerevoli ansie ed incertezze rispetto al loro futuro. Il messaggio contenuto nella serie "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life" ha elevato il K-pop al livello superiore, grazie a tutte le intricate idee e nuove trovate in ambito creativo e di produzione. I BTS crescono un po' di più con ogni nuovo album, presentandoci nuove idee, canzoni e stili visuali attraverso ogni loro nuova serie.

6. @BTS_TWT

Con l'andare del tempo, i BTS hanno saputo attrarre sempre più fan, grazie alle loro esibizioni esplosive, l'infinita serie di video ed i testi autentici, carichi di storie e messaggi personali. Ogni volta che hanno dato inizio ad una nuova serie – come quelle di "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life", "WINGS" o "LOVE YOURSELF" – la loro fanbase è cresciuta esponenzialmente e tuttə le/i fan sono diventatə sempre più legati ai loro artisti preferiti. Dire che trovare tutte queste persone e riunirle sotto il nome di ARMY – il fandom dei BTS – sia stato un fenomeno altrettanto grande quanto il gruppo stesso non è un'esagerazione. Ed è un fenomeno nato e costruito attorno a @BTS_twt, l'account Twitter dei BTS. "Come va? Siamo i BTS! Ecco finalmente il nostro profilo Twitter! Woohoo! Continueremo a caricare le cose più strambe e divertenti che possiate immaginare, fino al nostro debutto". Fin da quel primo post dell'8 dicembre 2012 – pochi mesi prima del loro debutto – il gruppo ha continuato a twittare impressioni da dopo-concerto, consigli musicali e, addirittura, a chattare direttamente con le/i fan a tarda notte. Man mano che il gruppo continuava a comunicare con le/gli ARMY, sempre più fan si sono aggiuntə al loro seguito e tutti i ri-tweet e le citazioni hanno contribuito a fare dei BTS un profilo sempre più influente e noto, attirando sui ragazzi l'attenzione del mondo intero.

È stata proprio la loro presenza social a portare i BTS ai Billboard Music Awards, nel 2017, a riprova della loro popolarità Twitter da Guiness dei Primati. Sono stati i BTS a dare il via alla tendenza K-pop di comunicare con le/i propri/e fan attraverso profili social di gruppo e, successivamente, alla nascita di nuove piattaforme come Weverse, per un'esperienza ancor più personalizzata. Non solo i BTS sono un esempio portante delle interazioni e del legame che può nascere a livello social tra artisti e fan, ma hanno anche inaugurato un'era in cui questa relazione vede la propria concretizzazione in una piattaforma ad essa dedicata – dando loro l'opportunità di farsi sentire ed esprimere apertamente le loro opinioni ed idee -

Ovunque vadano e qualunque cosa facciano, i BTS hanno sempre un enorme seguito e, una volta radunate tutte queste persone e dato il via alle interazioni con le/i fan, non c'è dubbio che anche il resto di Internet si accoderà. È stata proprio questa dinamica a gettare le basi per la comunicazione tra le/gli ARMY ed i BTS, il modo in cui le/i fan sostengono il loro lavoro, si rivedono e ritrovano nelle loro idee e contribuiscono a trasporre ed applicare queste ultime e la loro filosofia a livello sociale, creando un impatto concreto nella società. Durante la pandemia, le/gli ARMY hanno raccolto fondi per varie cause benefiche e, al fianco dei BTS, hanno condannato il razzismo in ogni sua forma, contribuendo a guidare il mondo verso una direzione più positiva e sana. Il messaggio di 'LOVE YOURSELF', contenuto negli album omonimi e concretizzato attraverso un discorso ufficiale tenuto dai BTS, è stato amplificato ulteriormente dagli innumerevoli profili @ARMY e le loro "poesie delle piccole cose*" postate sui social media.

* Poem for the small things / poesia per le piccole cose, titolo originale coreano di 'Boy with Luv' dei BTS, n.d.t.

7. BILLBOARD 100 & 200

L'entusiasmo generato insieme dalle/gli ARMY e dai BTS ha iniziato a ribollire fino a strabordare sui social media e in tutto il mondo, inclusi gli Stati Uniti, dove il nome dei BTS ha iniziato a comparire nelle classifiche Billboard. I ragazzi sono entrati nella Billboard 200 alla pos. n.171 con 'The Most Beautiful Moment in Life' già nel 2015 e, da quel momento, non hanno fatto che crescere a dismisura: 'Young Forever' si è piazzato alla 107, 'Wings' è arrivato 26°, 'Love Yourself : Her' ha guadagnato la pos. n.7 ma è con 'Love Yourself : Tear' che il gruppo, finalmente, ha ottenuto la sua prima pos. n.1. Contemporaneamente, hanno scalato anche la Hot 100, a partire da "DNA", che è arrivata alla pos. n.67 e, a seguire, abbiamo "Mic Drop (Steve Aoki remix) – feat. Designer" alla pos. n.28. Da lì, l'atmosfera si è fatta decisamente incandescente, con "ON" alla pos. n.4 nonché i piazzamenti di altre tre canzoni dello stesso album ('Map of the Soul : 7'): "Black Swan", "My Time" e "Filter". Dopodiché, ovviamente, abbiamo "Dynamite" che ha guadagnato la vetta della Billboard Hot 100, quello stesso anno.

Sia la classifica Hot 100 che la 200 non hanno fatto che riconfermare l'enorme impatto musicale dei BTS, tenendo anche conto di altre numero uno, come il brano coreano "Life Goes On" e la collaborazione con i Coldplay, "My Universe". Di fatto, la serie di tre posizioni n.1 consecutive, ottenute nel 2020 dai BTS – "Dynamite", "Savage Love (Laxed – Siren beat) – BTS remix" e "Life Goes On" – si è concretizzata nel minor tempo possibile, battendo un record vecchio 42 anni.

A ben pensarci, non è così semplice realizzare fino in fondo quanto rapidamente e brillantemente i BTS abbiano scalato le classifiche, prima conquistando la classifica album grazie all'entusiasmo delle/i loro fan e, successivamente, salendo fino alla vetta della classifica singoli, forti della loro popolarità ed influenza a livello globale. Il successo internazionale del gruppo, incluse tutte le volte che i suoi brani, a partire dal 2015, sono apparsi sulle classifiche Billboard, ha avuto un ruolo chiave nel dare maggiore esposizione globale al K-pop. I BTS hanno dato il via a quella che, ora, è diventata una tendenza musicale globale – la cosiddetta 'Invasione K-pop' – per tutta l'Asia e in Occidente.

Tre settimane dopo l'uscita di "Dynamite", Billboard ha iniziato ha compilare due diverse classifiche: la Global 200, che raccoglie i dati relativi allo streaming e alle vendite in oltre 200 paesi e regioni in tutto il mondo, e la Global Excl. US, che tiene conto di tutti i suddetti dati, esclusi quelli relativi agli Stati Uniti. Per gli/le artistə al di fuori dell'America e dell'Occidente, le classifiche Billboard 200 e Hot 100 hanno sempre rappresentato un modo per entrare a far parte del panorama mainstream dell'industria musicale globale, ma, con i piazzamenti dei BTS – e di moltə altrə artistə K-pop – si è assistito ad una tendenza – fatta di vendite massive - piuttosto diversa da ciò che Billboard si era tradizionalmente prefigurata, dunque la rivista ha deciso di rispecchiare questo trend nelle sue classifiche.

Mentre i piazzamenti dei BTS sulle classifiche Billboard hanno rappresentato l'approdo del gruppo negli Stati Uniti, la diffusione del K-pop – e, più in generale, di artistə non americanə - si è estesa a livello ancor più globale ed ampio, tanto che uno dei principali pilastri dell'industria musicale americana ha dovuto prenderne atto ed accettare ciò che stava accadendo sul mercato dall'altra parte del muro. Un altro esempio di questi cambiamenti è l'esperienza di Huh YunJin de Le Sserafim, la quale – in quanto asiatico-americana – non era sicura di poter perseguire la carriera di artista negli Stati Uniti, ma ha riguadagnato coraggio dopo aver visto i BTS agli American Music Awards. Grazie ai BTS, un'infinità di sognatori e sognatrici – ormai futurə artistə – hanno guadagnato la sicurezza necessaria per oltrepassare quel confine invisibile, ma assolutamente reale, per prendersi qualsiasi palco globale cui il loro cuore lə possa guidare.

8. FESTA

La FESTA è una sorta di celebrazione organizzata dai BTS insieme alle/i fan per ricordare, ogni anno, il debutto del gruppo. È un evento che si estende da inizio giugno fino al 13, data dell'anniversario. Questa occasione speciale che, solitamente, si protrae per circa 10 giorni, è carica di canzoni inedite, foto e video-coreografie, nonché altre sorprese entusiasmanti. Molti di questi brani – come la prima canzone composta personalmente da V, "4 O'Clock", "My You" di Jungkook, la traccia "Ddaeng" della rap line, le canzoni dedicate alle/i fan, come "So 4 More" e "I Know" – sono stati rilasciati appositamente per la FESTA. Ciò che era iniziato come un piccolo pensiero in ricordo dell'anniversario del loro debutto – in cui i BTS si limitavano a fare foto di famiglia perché, a loro dire ("Eravamo disperati") – ora si è trasformato in festeggiamenti massivi con eventi speciali quali l' "home party" (un mini fan meeting), il "prom party" e, in occasione del loro 10° anniversario, quest'anno, addirittura in un ampio spettacolo off-line. SUGA ha detto bene quando ha descritto ciò che la FESTA rappresenta per le/gli ARMY e, di conseguenza, anche per i BTS: "Tenetevi liberə per la FESTA. Rilasceremo nuovi contenuti per le/i fan, ogni giorno". In altre parole, quest'evento è un modo per i BTS di mostrare la loro gratitudine per un altro anno trascorso insieme alle/i fan, attraverso nuove uscite. Con la crescita esponenziale della popolarità del gruppo, i ragazzi hanno dovuto fare i conti con sempre maggiori impegni, ma si sono sempre assicurati di preparare qualcosa per la FESTA. Per i BTS, la FESTA è un'opportunità di mostrare la loro gratitudine alle/gli ARMY. E le/gli ARMY, dal canto loro, possono così avvertire quanto stretto è il loro legame con il gruppo. In pratica, la FESTA è una sorta di apprezzamento sotto forma di festeggiamenti – un po' di tempo che gli/le artistə mettono da parte per le/i loro fan – ed è, dunque, diventato un evento molto importante per tanti fandom K-pop. Ma è tanto più speciale anche perché permette ai BTS e alle/gli ARMY di fare un tuffo nel passato, ogni anno, e vedere quanto sono cresciutə.

I ritratti di famiglia ed i profili personali compilati dai membri stessi sono una dimostrazione di quanto, ognuno di loro, sia cambiato. KKUL FM 0613, un video-show radiofonico, iniziato a celebrazione per i primi 100 giorni dal debutto dei BTS, è poi diventato una costante della FESTA, nonché un'altra occasione per riflettere sull'anno trascorso. Tutto questo permette alle/gli ARMY di ripercorrere la strada compiuta dai BTS e ricordare tutto il tempo trascorso insieme. La FESTA è una sorta di enorme album fotografico in cui sono conservate tutte le esperienze vissute insieme dai BTS e le/gli ARMY. I BTS rilasciano nuovi contenuti per il godimento delle/i fan e, consumando quei contenuti, le/i fan chiudono il cerchio. È una festa in tutti i sensi sia per i BTS che per le/gli ARMY, da parte dei BTS e delle/gli ARMY.

Il loro solido legame si è trasposto anche in altre celebrazioni, come l'ARMYPEDIA, un vasto evento globale che ha dato l'opportunità alle/i fan di rivisitare tutti i loro ricordi dei BTS, in occasione del rilascio di 'Map of the Soul : Persona'.

È un po' come dice il testo di "Make It Right": Le/gli ARMY sono le/i "solə che hanno avuto cura" dei BTS quando questi ultimi "non erano accolti o benvenuti". E ora, neppure tanti anni più tardi, tutti vorrebbero averli come invitati. E i BTS non mancano mai di estendere l'invito per la FESTA alle/gli ARMY.

9. STADI

Quando è stato annunciato che i BTS si sarebbero esibiti allo Stadio di Wembley (Regno Unito), nel 2019, su Twitter sono iniziati a circolare e ad entrare in tendenza hashtag in onore dell'evoluzione del gruppo dalla Ax Hall a Wembley. La Ax Hall – ora chiamata YES24 LIVE HALL – è l'arena in cui si è tenuta la prima serie di concerti dei BTS – BTS 2014 LIVE TRILOGY : EPISODE II : THE RED BULLET – alla presenza di circa 2000 persone per ogni serata. 6 anni più tardi, però, i BTS si sono guadagnati l'opportunità di esibirsi al famosissimo Wembley Stadium, il cui palcoscenico aveva già accolto grandi band del rock, quali i Queen. I BTS sono ora i 12° artisti ad aver fatto tutto esaurito al Wembley Stadium, i primi ad aver fatto sold out su 4 date al SoFi Stadium in America, nonché il primo artista asiatico ad aver tenuto tour mondiali di questa portata. Nel 2015, dopo il concerto BTS BEGINS – tenutosi alla Olympic Hall, presso il Parco Olimpico di Seoul – Jin ha twittato una promessa alle/gli ARMY: "Ci esibiremo in strutture ancora più grandi... Dateci ancora un po' di tempo." Ma non poteva sapere quanto presto sarebbe arrivato quel momento. Lo stesso gruppo che, un tempo, definiva la KSPO Dome (nota, originariamente, come Olympic Gymnastics Stadium) come la loro "arena dei sogni", è riuscito ad esibirvisi già nel 2016, per poi salire sul palco della Gocheok Sky Dome, l'anno successivo, e conquistare stadi dopo stadi in tutto il mondo in occasione del tour LOVE YOURSELF : SPEAK YOURSELF, del 2019.

Più grande diventava la scala delle location visitate dai BTS, maggiori erano le opportunità di brillare veramente su canzoni adatte a performance pensate per palchi più ampi, come ad esempio "FIRE", "Dyonisus", "IDOL" e "ON". Questo aspetto e le ARMY Bomb - bacchette luminose agitate durante il concerto dalle/i fan e coordinate da remoto per creare messaggi luminosi – sono diventati alcuni degli elementi chiave degli show dei BTS. Lo spettacolo, inoltre, è trasmesso in contemporanea mondiale su Weverse - e/o altre piattaforme - così da dare un senso di unità e compartecipazione globale alle/gli ARMY. La rivista NME ha persino scritto: "Sarà difficile potrete trovare un/'altrə artista pop con performance live altrettanto affascinanti e coinvolgenti", riguardo al concerto allestito dai BTS al Rose Bowl di Los Angeles.

I tour globali dei BTS negli stadi hanno aperto la strada affinché altrə artistə K-pop potessero imbarcarsi in concerti di dimensioni massive, diventando anche il modello cui ispirarsi per la loro organizzazione. Ogni singolo concerto dei BTS è un enorme festival, creato in collaborazione con il loro appassionato e fedele fandom. Ogni città in cui si tiene uno di questi eventi, ospita vere e proprie cerimonie di accoglienza per il gruppo e le/gli ARMY, e quando i BTS sono sul palco, le/gli ARMY diventano performer a loro volta, illuminando la struttura con le loro ARMY Bomb. Tutto questo trova riscontro anche nei versi di 'Mikrokosmos': "Se la notte è così bella... non è grazie alle stelle o alle luci danzanti, è merito nostro". Ed i concerti dei BTS negli stadi sono più che la semplice dimostrazione del successo del gruppo. In quei momenti, in cui i BTS e le/gli ARMY sono insieme, lo stadio diventa il luogo dove celebrare le esperienze condivise in passato, nonché il luogo in cui ogni ARMY può sperare che i propri sogni diventino realtà.

10. ARMY

Non ci sono parole sufficienti a definire appieno il legame che c'è tra le/gli ARMY e i BTS – solo loro possono esprimere veramente ciò che significano gli uni per le/gli altrə -, dunque è meglio limitarsi a citare quanto detto da j-hope in una delle sue interviste per il Weverse Magazine:

"La nostra cronistoria è fondamentalmente quella delle/gli ARMY"

C'è chi considera l'ARMY come un fandom, un fenomeno sociale o un potere economico, nonché una forza influente, ma, di fatto, esso sfugge a qualsiasi categorizzazione basata meramente su parole. E le/gli ARMY sono le/i primə ad esserne pienamente consapevoli. Ognuna di queste 10 cose che i BTS hanno cambiato nell'industria – e nel mondo – sono successi che appartengono alle/gli ARMY.

Ma, al di là dell'iconica e leggendaria narrazione che sta dietro ai BTS e all'ARMY, ora è il momento di sentire le storie delle/gli ARMY. Le storie che hanno illuminato ogni singola luce per i BTS nel corso di questi ultimi 10 anni.

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