lupamoe

[lupamoe]

I missed the fic so I decided to reread it from the start. I'm still amazed on how high the quality this fic is,,, and of course, idol!Aqua is always a treat. Have a doodle of Aqua having the same vibes with his mom!

...

HUH??? This is SOOOO amazing!??!?! WHAT?!?!? YOUVE OUTDONE YOURSELF SHOUASUDAHSD THANK YOU THIS SO SO GODLY I'M CRYING 😭!! <3333

Aqua in the IJoCo uniform YUMMERS

[lupamoe]

I want to ask how are you dear author? Because you've been no updates for months, so I've been worry.

OH MY GOD I AM SO SO SO SO SO SORRY EVERYONE!! I recently moved states (NY to CA) for the past 3 months and it's been stressful trying to move and do everything and everyone that I completely forgot! I'll get back to it! I'm really sorry :,)

[lupamoe]

author-nim, just something i randomly thought of; TeStar discovering about the legendary idol from Japan, Ai, and realizing how uncannily similar she is to their youngest member, Aqua

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 😭😭😭 author-nim is on the floor now actually

Wonderful. I'm gonna think about this for days. This is literally my brainrot.

Maybe it starts off from someone mentioning about Ai since shes such a legendary idol in Japan, then the TeStar members ask about her to Aqua (cause he's Japanese, obviously), and he dismisses them or ignores it because ofcourse who wants to talk about their dead mom in front of their group members without getting emotional. Aqua probably only talks about Ai to his closest friends and family and knowing Aqua he doesn't consider them much as that kind of proximity (even if sometimes his actions don't match what he's thinking)

Moondae probably thinks it's dead obvious he doesn't want to talk about anything regarding that topic and gets a lil suspicious

They get curious. Maybe one of the members is watching old B-Komachi idol videos for fun, and a clip of Ai pops up on YouTube. She's smiling, dazzling the camera, doing that iconic Sign wa B dance or whatever top single at that time and someone goes: “...Wait. Doesn’t she kind of look like Aqua?”

The mannerisms.

The stage presence.

The way Aqua smiles and it never quite reaches his eyes.

The exact same way Ai used to do it.

OWWWWW WHATTTT yummy foreshadowing can be dealt with here, you know!!! 😭 Just makes it more intense and emotional for the entire when it will be revealed that Aqua is the child of a national idol.

[lupamoe]

author-nim i have a confession; i actually dropped OnK after they finished the Tokyo Blade arc in the anime. you're gonna be the reason why i'm picking it back up again

Oh really?!!! That's wonderful you're back in OnK. <3 For whatever reason you dropped it, I'm glad you're back!

I'm super duper honored, though??!?!? THANK YOU SO MUCH?? I never thought the day that my silly fic would convince someone to complete the entire series, so I'm duly touched 😭🙏🩷

But also… I’m gonna take full responsibility for dragging you back in the spiral of the OnK manga and it's weird complexities. I promise you!! Please read the entire manga however you like! The anime ends at around chapter 40 of the manga and you can start reading it there.

However if/when you pick it back up, let me know where you’re at—I’d love to scream about it with you!! :D

Thank you for this lovely ask!

[lupamoe]

I was wondering if you listen to "Alien Stage". If you haven't heard any of the songs, it's an animation project directed by Vivinos and Qmeng about a group of people participating in a death games singing competition in a dystopian world where human are colonialize by Alien. It have a deep lore in the series. But you can listen just to the songs, because each of the songs have the same theme of "Love" And the different types it's interpretation.

I want to suggest it to you because I think some of the lyrics of the song fits the story of the characters in Oshi no Ko. The best part is the song can be interpreted to different feeling of the characters.

My suggestion are "Black Sorrow" And "Cure".

And this is my interpretation to Aqua and Ruby internal struggle.

The song "Black Sorrow" takes the theme of longing and yearning for an unreachable love. But it can also be an interpretation of grieving someone you love and they are out of your reach. Forever yearning for their presence.

The original version of the song that's by the character "Ivan" Fits with Aqua. With how in the beginning of the song start calm like how he try to hide his pain of Ai's death but as the song progress the intensity of the voice gets stronger and you can feel the longing and regret. Despite his effort to hide his pain he's still scarred by Ai's tragedy and the last part of the song end with a climax of his voice, represent the huge feeling of grief he felt of Ai death.

In the cover version that's by the character "Mizi" Fits more how Ruby handles her grief. The song start off strong in contrast of the original version. The way Ruby handle her grief is in a much more uncontrollable, it have more rage to it. There's much more visible resentment. Especially after she discovered Gorou's death. And it's strengthen by how she does her revenge is much more impulsive that Aqua. It contrast how in the original version the voice have more control while the cover version have a more uncontained rage.

The song "Cure" Represent the desperate plea for their pain to be notice. To finally their pain to be console. A plea to be "seen". In my opinion the first verse of the song fits Ruby with how in the lyrics it's a plea for someone to console them. To relieve them of their pain. Like how Ruby longing for Ai and Gorou presence as the people she loves. While the second verse fits Aqua with the lyrics is putting him in the position of someone who will carry the burden of someone pain and he will let them ruin him. But in the end there still a desire in him to be notice too, to be notice of his pain. In the chorus part they take turn to lead and support each other voice. As if they are reaching each other to finally connected to one another. This song can also be a representation that the twins can't show their real feeling to protect themselves in the entertainment industry. It's basically their expressing their pain through the song.

I hope you will check out the other songs. The songs are in Korea but each MV provides subtitles so you don't have to worry.

hi! I actually know and LOVEE Alien stage. I have fanart that I made about it right here in tumblr where I depicted Aqua and Ai in the cover style of Cure :)

Anyways, back to your ask!! Thank you for writing this beautiful analysis!

First. Before we get to the state of matters, I heavily believe that Alien Stage is a perfect and direct commentary of late stage capitalism. It probably wasn't intentional, because the main team of alnst is undying love and regret, but it plays so well into the statement you're saying I had to expound on this first.

Late stage capitalism is what is happening to the world right now. Not only does the ideology and theory speculate on the fact that human services are treated as the same or the vis a vis as direct and pricable commodities to be sold the same as products, the entertainment industry or the K-pop genre really accelerates the dystopic reality of this subject.

There are wonderful videos talking about this topic in a more nuanced and detailed way, if you're interested in them, give it a watch!

Anyways, I do think that alnst is a perfect representation of the K-pop industry. Like yeah it’s a sci-fi death game and the contestants literally get killed if they don’t perform well, but thematically?? It hits way too close to how idols are treated irl. Not in the literal death way (obviously), but in how the industry works. if you don’t stand out, if you don’t build a strong enough fanbase, you just… disappear. You debut, you promote, and if you’re not enough, not popular enough, not pretty enough, not viral enough, not sponsored enough, you’re basically forgotten.

And what really drives it home is how the aliens treat the contestants. They’re not seen as beings with mistakes, flaws, emotions. They’re just… entertainment. Just singing monkeys on a stage. And that is real to how idols are often treated. Misused. Mismanaged. Abused. As products, not people. it’s all about views, rankings, merch sales, stream counts. if you can’t sell, you’re useless to the system. and alnst doesn’t even try to hide that. they made it the entire plot.

I'm telling you, peak late stage capitalism commentary. Humans literally reduced to performers fighting for survival for an ounce of success in front of an audience that doesn’t care if they live or die, as long as they’re entertaining. Everything is monetized. everything is about number value. there’s no humanity left, no soul left, just content.

Also, the fact that the audience in alnst gets to vote and judge without consequences? Does that sound familiar to you? It's not just the system that's broken. it's the complicity of the consumers, too. The idea that fans in real life (or alien overlords) think they care, but ultimately treat performers as disposable once they stop being interesting. It’s very “support the arts until it’s inconvenient.”, And its not even arts. It's pure slapstick entertainment is what these aliens look at these humans. Same goes in real life.

The way that aliens treat humans in alnst is the same how people treat idols. its called this word called 'dehumanization'

The way you describe Black Sorrow having two contrasting interpretations through Ivan and Mizi covers, like they're contrasting both Aqua and Ruby is actually genius. I didn't think about that.

I love the idea that Aqua’s grief is oppressed and hidden behind perfection (considering he does hide his true emotions in canon) but it builds in intensity like a dam cracking until the final flood of emotion. I feel like that happened in the manga as well. That idea of putting on a calm face while rotting from the inside... it's what makes his character so devastating.

And then Ruby’s version being all sharp edges and uncontrolled feeling is exactly how she handles grief. She's fucking impulsive and her greatest weakness is that she acts before she thinks and all of it comes from a place of bottomless pain and confusion and rage from getting the last to know about the truth about her father. Even when she’s smiling after she gets her revenge arc, there’s something uncanny behind it. Like she's trying to imitate something pure. Like Ai.

Then your breakdown of Cure is wonderful in the best way. That desperate desire to be seen, not as an idol or a “perfect” anything, but as a human being who’s suffering — someone who they can hug and fucking understand what they're carrying... it’s so them. Ruby longing to be held again by the people she lost, Aqua carrying everyone's burden and "fixing" peoples problems instead of his as a coping mechanism. And then… the idea that they alternate who leads and who supports in the chorus… that’s such a beautiful image of how twins could be for each other, if they’d just stop hiding.

Also the way you tied this back to how they can’t show their real feelings because of the industry? OWWWWW that hurts.

This is genuinely such a meaningful and emotional take. I love it so much I kinda want to use it in the fic somehow LOL. But I'm scared that I'll ruin it with my lukewarm writing that I'll just keep it as a suggestion for now.

Thank you for this ask!!! <3333

[lupamoe]

incoming analysis ahead

------

these are grown ass adults. like let’s not kid ourselves. they knew exactly what they were doing. both of them were born in the U.S., and one already got dragged before for saying the n-word after six years of training. this isn’t some “oopsie we didn’t know” moment. they made a choice.

k-pop is never gonna stop appropriating POC cultures. it’s baked into the industry at this point. they hate Black culture just enough to mock it, stereotype it, and erase its roots, but love it enough to build entire careers profiting off it. it’s disgusting.

and the apology?? lmao. it would’ve hit way different if they actually said what part of their content was “culturally insensitive.” but nope. no direct acknowledgment of Black fans. no mention of Latino fans either. just vague PR-speak and the bare minimum to get half the fandom to be like “they apologized, move on <3.” on Instagram which is wild considering the amount of effort they put into that party—the outfits, the hair, the fake accents and mannerisms. like… they planned that out. they thought it was funny.

in their little handwritten apology (another word for a half-baked ass PR control to get fans to listen to our comebacks), they said:

“our intention was to show how much we loved the category of old school hip hop because it greatly influences our music... we took the concept too far.”

girl. what concept. because showing three random Black men you found on Google doesn’t scream “we love hip hop” to me. if it was really about appreciation, maybe include actual hip hop artists? play some music from the era? talk about your influences? not… whatever that was.

like if you really wanted to show love? talk about how literally so much of k-pop is built on Black culture. talk about New Jack Swing and how it's been the blueprint for k-pop's sound for decades. mention the Black artists and groups whose music, style, and swag y’all have been co-opting since day one.

instead we get… “Lil Taco Belle”? how is that showing love to the Black community? what part of that is appreciation? be so serious.

the amount of history that went ignored is actually impressive. and it’s not like it takes a whole PhD to learn. five minutes on Google. that’s it. do the bare minimum. pretend to care about the Black community and you’d have ended up with an ounce more respect than whatever the hell that live was supposed to be.

and Belle KNEW. don’t act like this was just a lil accident. she said “please don’t unstan us” BEFORE y’all even got called out. she knew it was gonna be a problem. that’s not ignorance, that’s being fully aware and hoping you’d get away with it anyway.

but sure. tell me again how this was just “misinterpreted.”

that’s why i don’t buy this apology. they knew it would offend people. that’s why she gave that “don’t take it so seriously lol” energy before anything even blew up. they were just hoping most people would laugh along with them. and honestly? they’re only upset now because the backlash got louder than expected.

they’re not gonna reflect. they’re not gonna learn. they’re just gonna get better at hiding it.

so no. this wasn’t “ignorance” or a “misunderstanding” or “a lack of education.” this was racism. period.

Honestly, it still baffles me that KPOP idols and their companies seem shocked when international fans drop them when they do racist/culturally insensitive shit, especially in 2025. In the BIG 2025 we are still doing this. 🙄. ignorance is not an excuse to a culture you are actively using and profiting, not to mention the information rapidly present at the tip of your fingers.

thanks for coming to my ted talk.

[lupamoe]

I was talking to my friend about Oshi no Ko earlier and mentioned Aqua and the term “nepo baby” in the same sentence. My friend, who by the way, is an Aqua stan immediately goes, “No he’s not!!”

Like… be serious. Please. Did we read the same story?

Okay, lets look at the definition of a 'nepo baby'

"Nepo baby" is a shortened term for "nepotism baby," referring to someone whose career is similar or related to the career their parents succeeded in, often used to describe individuals who gain advantages or opportunities due to their family connections

If it sounds familiar, its because it is. That's literally the point of Episode One.

I am an Aqua stan and defender, but the entire premise of Oshi no Ko is about nepotism and inherited connections. Sarina literally says, “What if you were blessed with the connections from the start?” That’s the inciting incident! That’s the fucking plot, man! Both the Hoshino twins were born to the entertainment industry!

[lupamoe]

Dear author I don't know how I suddenly got this idea, but it's so funny in my head.

Remember when Testar first move in to their dorm, they have a movie night watching horror movie.

Then there's the idea that during the horror movie while some members are unfazed by the jump scare while others are scared. Here Aqua is busy analyzing the movie from a director perspective.

Like when there's a tense scenes he will comment that the lighting and angle need improvement. Or when the ghost appears he criticize that the acting looks fake and they need to stop overusing jump scare.

WHAT. WHAT THE HELL.????

While I was rereading the DoD manwha for the sake of the fanfiction, I fucking automatically thought of this that I thought I was crazy!!! And I'm not?!?!? Someone thought the same???? Insane how we probably share the same braincell lmao.

Anyways, I can totally see that. Aqua being a director and seen couple, if not hundreds of thousands of films/scripts from being a apprentice (and also experience in being an actor) he's literally and technically already a movie critic at its core.

[lupamoe]

Dear author I don't want to be pushy, but I was wondering of your opinion on the scenario ask I ask a while ago. The one with a "what if" Scenario how Aqua meet with Cheongryeo, and Aqua declaring to Cheongryeo the only way someone can become the perfect idol is by being immortalized by their death.

I'm actually looking forward to your opinion. I don't mind if you just give a short response for now. I just want to know your opinion of that scenario.

Oh sure! Hold on while I write it up!!! I completely forgot, and I'm sorry so here!!! (i have this copied in my notes app lol)

Cheongryeo being intrigued by Aqua just like he was with Moondae?? Very likely. Aqua is like the definition of an anomaly — hyper-talented, eerily composed, terrifyingly competent. From Cheongryeo’s regression-weary-i-know-all-people-because-ive-seen-all perspective, that must feel like seeing a cheat code in human form. Of course he’d start going "You’re not normal. What are you?” And the second he realizes Aqua isn’t from any of his past timelines? Immediate red flag. Sirens. Mental spreadsheets opening. Open the spreadsheets and analyze the timelines.

The talk show setup is a nice thought. I think that he’s such a control freak in the most chaotic way and this is so in-character for him. And the premise is perfect — a fake “what if” scenario about a regressor idol chasing perfection, asking what the “end” should look like. It’s layered, theatrical, manipulative, and 100% bait.

And then. Aqua. Being Aqua.

Okay, so the way he just wants to play it safe and avoid confrontation, (like he just says this to remain neutral), but the moment the idea of the “perfect idol” is said out loud, Ai flashes through his mind — and that just changes something. He answers before he thinks too hard, and when he says that line…

“Then the answer is for the idol to die at the peak of their career. That way, they’ll be remembered as perfect.”

Probably an absolute gut punch. For Cheongryeo, that’s horrifying. It’s confirmation that Aqua thinks like that, and possibly even believes it deep down. For Aqua, it’s just a truth he’s long accepted. And that disconnect between them is so chilling. It makes perfect sense why Cheongryeo would decide he’s a threat.

And now I’m picturing the aftermath. Cheongryeo’s brain going full red alert, Moondae quietly realizing something’s wrong behind the scenes, and Aqua just… calmly walking away from the whole thing like he didn’t just drop the most devastating line of the decade on live television.

[lupamoe]

I FINISHED CHAPTER 10!!

i already left a comment on the chapter but!! if its okay with you i'd like to talk more about it!! i rlly like the fact that Baese notices Aqua's fake mask because they're both actors and idk it's a cool detail! feel like Baese would be the first out of the DoD cast to see Aqua's true self.

Ruby definitely saw Ai when she was watching Aqua's performance let's be honest. they're both basically the same with the fact they're both faking it-- the twins need so much therapy.

AND TESTAR AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER!! and Aqua not wanting to talk about his sister lmao but yeah i get it, i also would rather not talk about my brother out of pettiness.

once again, the amount of research you put into this chapter-- i'm very impressed, srsly, even though this is a fanfic you put so much love and care into it! also 17k words?! as another fellow fanfic writer, you have my biggest respect.

THANKS FOR THE CHAPTER!! see you next time~

Yipee! Congratulations and thank you for finishing that monster of a chapter, lol!

NO, NO IT'S NO PROBLEM! Go ahead! I love your asks so much —like please do, I love hearing your thoughts!!

Baese noticing Aqua’s fake mask is very intentional. Out of everyone, he's the one most likely to recognize that kind of performance, since he's been trained to read people and put on personas himself as an actor. There's this silent understanding between the two of them that I want to explore more. Like, Baese might not push Aqua to open up, but he sees him in a way the others don’t (yet).

Ruby 1000% saw Ai in that performance. The second Aqua stepped on that stage, all she could see was the ghost of their mother in him and that hurts. The idea that both Aqua and Ruby are continuing Ai’s legacy in ways that are so emotionally heavy and complicated… they’re both carrying way too much.

And LMAOO Aqua being like “no I don’t want to talk about my sister” is very in-character tbh. He’s the king of suppressing his feelings and avoiding any meaningful conversation about himself. Like sir, please. Let someone help you. (But also I deeply respect the pettiness lol. Siblings amiright)

Also thank you so much for noticing the research and the wordcount!! I SWEAR I blacked out while writing and suddenly it was 17k gng mb. But seriously, it means the world that you can tell how much care I’m putting into this fic. I’m obsessed with getting the little industry details and emotional beats right, so hearing that people see that just makes me want to keep going!

THANK YOU for reading and for sending such lovely messages!

I’ll see you next chapter! As always, stay safe and healthy, dear!

[lupamoe]

i gotta give you my thanks since because of your fic i've been reading a bit about idol cultures between Korea, Japan, and other countries and about the entertainment industries in general- which, finally gave me an idea on the research paper project for a competitive i've been stuck on lol~

OH MY GOD WHAT??? IM SO... HONORED?? THANK YOU SO MUCH??!?!?!?

I'm so glad someone is here in the rabbit hole with me lol. Korea and Japan's idol industry is very interesting even if sometimes it borders to straight pure, unadulterated immorality. Or like. The entertainment industry in general which is wicked and twisted in a lot of ways that heavily contrast the life they're portraying to the public.

I'm glad I'm able to help with your research paper! I hope you win, lol!!! Like imagine — hey, do you know I won because of a fanfiction?!?!?

just kidding. Good luck!

Thank you for your support! Love ya mwah! <3

[lupamoe]

OH MY GOD THANK YOU SO MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCHHH THIS IS SO COOL OH MY GOD???

Thank you for making fanart UWAHHHH my lifespan automatically increases whenever that happens <333

Don't worry! Your art is literally better than mine!!! It's so cool!!! T-T

Your review is very much appreciated! I'm really glad you liked this fic as much as I do!

Stay safe and hydratedddddd!!! <333 ur an amazing individual mwah mwah mwah mwah mwah

Aqua fanart based on a fanfic by @lupamoe, Revenge or Die!

I tried to make Aqua's expression as close to Ai as possible- and I kind of fucked up the hands...but overall i'm rlly proud of this lol. learning how to draw Aqua's hair was certainly an interesting experience

Link to fic:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/58739974/chapters/149686465

it's a crossover fic between oshi no ko and debut or die, and it is absolutely amazing!

if you like idol!Aqua AU and irl idol cultures/politics, please go give Revenge or Die a read! there are currently 9 chapters and overall has 100k+ words!

[lupamoe]

Hey everyone!

I'm back with a—

- 17K CHAPTER??? WHAT HELL LUPAMOE??? - dont worry pal, im as shocked as you.

jokes aside, thanks for everyones support! I hope you enjoyed rading this chapter as I am pulling all nighters to write it /j

thanks for reading! <33 (link to fic)

mwah love you all and your wonderful comments <3333

[lupamoe]

Hey author this idea suddenly pass my head.

When Aqua debut as an idol his looks are obviously going to be more decorated and altered to fit the group concept.

I was wondering if he got his hair dyed what color will suit him. In my opinion cold colour fits him the most despite Testar more bright concept. I think him getting a white hair dyed will suit him, especially if his animal persona is a fox from the fans. It's will further the fluffy and charming fox images.

But him getting a blue highlights or ombre will look good too. If he's associated with the ocean it will fit his image concept.

Do you remember that I suggest in the fanfic comment one of the animal persona Aqua can have is a jellyfish. What if Testar does a stage performance with a graceful and ethereal concept and they wear flowy and lacey costume. I imagine that's when his image as a jellyfish is first pointed out by the fans.

OHHH I LOVE THIS!!

Blue highlights or ombre would also fit him SO well. If his image gets tied to the ocean, then a deep blue fading into lighter shades?

AND YES, I remember your jellyfish idea!!! That concept is too good to pass up. I can already imagine the cringe tiktok fan edits in my head so clearly and I don't know what that means LMAO.

[lupamoe]

Dear author it got to my head that when Aqua debut he's going to get offer to sponsor products or brands as advertisement and sponsorship.

Maybe because of his name "Aqua" I imagine a funny scenario that he got advertising offer from beverage brand. It will especially be fitting if he got an offer to advertise "Pocari Sweat", it's fitting for his water related names.

It's get funnier to me because there's a mineral water brand named "AQUA" that exactly like his name. If he advertised that brand with his name it will definitely stick with the public for soo long and that so funny to me. 😂

Pocari Sweat??? Oh, I can totally see him getting that deal too. Aqua doing some cool, cinematic, slow-motion sports scene, then taking a refreshing sip of Pocari Sweat like it’s the most dramatic thing ever. TeStar’s members would never stop teasing him about it. Like:

Chungwoo: “How’s your hydration levels, Aqua?” Moondae: slides him a Pocari Sweat bottle before every performance Ahyeon: genuinely just wants to support him and buys like a whole crate

[lupamoe]

Dear author I remember since Aqua first fan as an idol is an art student I imagine that he will become her muse for her school project.

I don't know which branch of art she studied but imagine Aqua become her inspiration for her project assignment. Because I remember lots of artists based of their favorite work in their personal project, and it will be a sweet touch to her support for Aqua.

LMAOO lee yelim using aqua as a greek statue or something.

[lupamoe]

Hi hi~! first thing first, i just finished binge reading your fic and it is absolutely amazing! we rlly need more fics on Idol!Aqua.

ONK x DoD is not a crossover i ever expected, but well, considering they're both about idols, i guess it is to be expected. also i love you (/p) for making really, really, long chapters because i could not get enough of your fic.

moving on, i can tell that you did actual research for this fic and i am very impressed by how much details and information you managed to fit into your fic. i love how even though this is a fanfic, you also did a deep dive of the difference of idol cultures between Japan and Korea (I'll need to read more on that later...) and the entertainment industries in general. it's really interesting to read about them, and now you're making me want to do a deep research about this!!

and then, when i first saw the fic i just clicked on it bc of the summary, it was only when i've finished now that i looked closely at the tags and- oh wow, we are in for an absolute ride of an angst rollercoaster, huh. i really like it when people who wrote fics delve into more heavy topics, especially fics about medias centered around the entertainment industries like ONK and DoD!

i read through one of your ask posts, and someone mentioned about sexualising minors in Japan, and, yeah, can't wait to see the DoD cast's reaction to Aqua being so indifferent and used to this kind of things (and if/when Aqua debuted with TeStar he'll be the youngest/maknae, i can see the older members being overprotective of him).

Also!! Twin idols!! ever since reading your fic i've been listening to Idol (the song) again and realised how it really fits with RoD. will B-Komachi have a collab with TeStar since Ruby and Aqua are siblings? it would be a very chaotic collab if they do lol.

anyways! sorry for the long ask! just wanted to say how much i love RoD and i can't wait for the next chapter!!

Aww, thank you so much for this!!

And don’t worry, I love long asks!!!! especially ones like this where I can tell you really had fun reading!

Idol!Aqua is such an underexplored concept, right?? And when I thought about which system fic would fit him best… well, Debut or Die was just too perfect. Glad to hear the long chapters are a plus—I just get carried away writing, so they end up long by accident LOL. i understand that turns of ALOOTTT of people but I'm still super happy some people are into it!

And YES, I did a ton of research! Thank you so much for acknowledging it! I had fun with researching the difference in idol culture between Japan and Korea. It's is really different, and it felt weird not to acknowledge that since Aqua would be navigating both. There are also so many unspoken rules and industry norms that don’t get covered in mainstream discussions, so I tried to slip those in too. If my fic made you want to do a deep dive, then mission accomplished~! (I'm really happy someone is interested in it like me)

As for the angst rollercoaster… yep. Buckle up. ONK and DoD already have so much built-in angst, so putting them together basically writes itself. Aqua being indifferent to the darker side of the industry compared to the DoD cast? Oh yeah, that’s definitely something I want to explore more. I can already imagine TeStar’s members being like “?? Aqua, are you okay??” while he’s just, completely unfazed. (Maknae Aqua = instant overprotective older members, no doubt.)

Ohhh yeah, that’s definitely something I want to explore more. The way the Japanese idol industry treats minors vs. how the Korean industry does it is wildly different. Not that K-pop is perfect (very far from it), but there’s at least a stronger push for protecting underage idols, while Japan has so many issues with the normalization of sexualizing minors, especially in idol culture.

Aqua, who grew up in that environment, would just see it as “normal,” while the DoD cast (especially the older members) would probably be horrified. Like, imagine Ryu Chungwoo, who is all about professionalism and ethical leadership, hearing Aqua casually talk about the kind of photo shoots or “fanservice” expected of him in Japan. Or Ahyeon, who is so gentle and protective, realizing Aqua doesn’t even think twice about it because it's just how things are. And if Aqua debuts with TeStar as the maknae? Oh, he’s getting adopted whether he likes it or not. The older members would 100% rally around him, trying to shelter him from all of it.

Of course, Aqua, being Aqua, would just be like “?? I don’t see the problem,” because he’s already so used to the industry in Japan, But that’s exactly why it’ll hit harder when the others react. There’s something really compelling about putting him in an environment where people genuinely want to protect him and seeing how he deals with that.

So yeah, this is definitely going to come up in the fic at some point. I can already picture the scene where someone in TeStar tries to explain why the way idols (and Aqua to an extent) treated in Japan isn’t okay, and Aqua just stares at them like they’re speaking another language. Like, 'wtf you're talking about I've grew up with this' Fun times ahead~!

Twin idols!!! I love writing Ruby and Aqua’s dynamic. Their sibling energy is chaotic and real. And a B-Komachi x TeStar collab… Oh god. It would be so unhinged. The stage would be on fire (metaphorically… hopefully). And yes, Idol (the song) is a perfect fit. RoD is basically one long analysis of what it means to be an idol in different contexts, so that song hits even harder.

Thank you again for this ask, seriously!! It made my whole day! I’m working on the next chapter, so I hope you’ll enjoy what’s coming next~! (๑>◡<๑) 💖