#KCON Friday

[wayvsphantom]

YEAAAASSS

[tamapalace]

Bandai Gashapon US Brings Tamagotchi Swing Case & Tamagotchi Ringcolle! Rings to 2024 KCON LA

We asked! Bandai Gashapon US is attending the 2024 KCON LA, which is the world’s largest k-pop music festival! KCON LA runs from Friday, July 26th, 2024 through Sunday, July 28th, 2024 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.

Bandai brought plenty of Gashapon machines, but we had to ask first there were any Tamagotchi Gashapon! We were pleasantly surprised to see that they’ve brought the Tamagotchi Swing Case Gashapon (which if we’re not mistaken is the first sighting outside of Japan, and the first edition of the Tamagotchi Ringcolle! Rings!

[lgcmanager]

VERSUS MISSION 005

SCHEDULE TYPE: TRIMESTER ( PART 1 OUT OF 1 ) SCHEDULE RESTRICTIONS: cannot be paired with another trimester schedule, unless stated otherwise. for reference as to whether your muse is eligible for this event, please click over HERE.

as VERSUS’ schedules slow down, KYUHWAN calls all of the VERSUS members in the living room of their dorms for a meeting.

“i know our schedules have shifted quite a bit lately. there’s less schedules and more time dedicated to practice, but with the loss of another VERSUS member, the company has advised that we work on other matters in the meantime while AGITO is in the middle of their comeback promotions. this also meant revising the company’s plans for a comeback too.” there was a hint of sadness in KYUHWAN’s voice, which was a rarity given that the manager was known to be spirited and jovial. KYUHWAN adds as an attempt to find the positive amidst the unexpected changes, “as you will see, your schedules will be a lot lighter but there are a few things to look forward to.”

CREATIVE SONG CAMP

“LEGACY has plans of releasing a special kind of show for V&A — one that showcases more of everyone’s creative sides. since your counterpart unit, AGITO, will be busy with their promotions, we’ve decided that in preparation of this project, all of the VERSUS members will instead be going to STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN to attend a CREATIVE SONG CAMP. in the past years they would host the song camp in different countries and focus solely on songwriting, but this year they wanted to expand to other skill sets such as choreography and mv filming. we know a few of you have attended something similar to it years ago when LEGACY had their songwriting workshops, but this will be an even more concentrated one since you will be meeting many famous producers.” KYUHWAN explains while giving them the details about the event.

starting from APRIL 22 to MAY 5, all of the VERSUS members will be packing up their belongings and travel to STOCKHOLM. when they arrive at their apartment ( where all of the members will be sharing one floor ) they will be given the schedule for the camp, which is scheduled from APRIL 25 to MAY 5. the VERSUS members have the option to take intensive workshops related to SONGWRITING ( LYRIC COMPOSITION ), PRODUCING ( MUSIC COMPOSITION, LYRIC COMPOSITION, INSTRUMENT ), and CHOREOGRAPHY ( POP/HIP HOP/STREET, CLASSICAL ).

during this time, the VERSUS members will concurrently work on their first project for their new and upcoming YOUTUBE show called ‘V&A’s SONG STEALER’, where V&A will use their musical and creative prowess to ‘steal’ some of the most popular songs and make their own rendition of the song. for the first set of episodes ( EPISODES 1-5 ), VERSUS will be ‘stealing’ TYPE ZERO’S ‘ONE ( MONSTER & INFINITY )’ and making their own version of it ( the genre of the new arrangement will be ROCK ). coincidentally, the producing team behind ‘ONE ( MONSTER & INFINITY )’ will be present during the camp and will visit the VERSUS members on MAY 2 to see and hear the group’s version of the song. they will give brief feedback on how to improve the song for the final performance, which will be filmed on MAY 5 as the last song for the camp’s talent show. the VERSUS members will be performing the same song live on JULY 27 for KCON LA plus the other song that they ( V&A ) will be working on, which is CRYSTALLIS’ ‘FIESTA’.

since the VERSUS members will be overseas for a few weeks, they will be given TWO free days ( SATURDAY, MAY 27 and FRIDAY, MAY 3 ) where they can use that time to explore around what STOCKHOLM has to offer. as always, if the members are planning on going anywhere, they must let KYUHWAN ( the manager ) know about their whereabouts and where they are planning to go beforehand. as for the rest of the days, if any of the VERSUS members are not attending workshops, they will be staying in the apartment and help work on the song project.

all of the content that goes on during that time ( including their free days ) will be filmed. In the case of the free days, the content will be posted as “vlogs” for the V&A’s youtube channel while the preparation process will be part of the first four episodes of ‘V&A’s SONG STEALER’.

V&A’S SONG STEALER ( FIESTA )

for ‘FIESTA’, V&A will be teaming up together to film the first part of this set of episodes with the leaders ( YEONWOO & JIHO ) randomly choosing some important rules for their new song arrangement. JIHO will be choosing the genre of the song ( FOLK, specifically KOREAN FOLK MUSIC ) while YEONWOO will be choosing one of the requirements for the song ( there MUST be a 30 seconds dance break in the song ). they will be told later after finding out the genre and arrangement that due to fans’ votes on LGC’s youtube channel, the song selected for this round was CRYSTALLIS’ ‘FIESTA’.

to help V&A gain some additional insight on traditional korean music, they will be visiting the NATIONAL GUGAK CENTER, which is the headquarters of korean traditional performing arts on MAY 22. during their visit, they will be attending a tour, learning some historical information, and partaking in music/instrument lessons from some of the masters of traditional korean music.

V&A will be working on this project from MAY 20-JUNE 11 and will be filming their live performance of ‘FIESTA’ on JUNE 11. for this song, V&A will be split into two teams to help work on different aspects of the song; DANCE TEAM ( to help with the choreography for the song / LEADER: JIHO ) and PRODUCE TEAM ( to help with the song arrangement / LEADER: YEONWOO ). in the case of JIHO, he will serve as the person connecting the two teams with his knowledge in music production and choreography.

for ic purposes, the team arrangements are as follows:

DANCE TEAM

KUROSAWA AKIO

LEE JIHO ( LEADER )

PONGSAK TEE

PRODUCE TEAM

JEON HARU

KANG MAXIMILIAN

LEE YUSHIN

PARK SEOJIN

WON YEONWOO ( LEADER )

the airing dates for the first season of V&A’s ‘SONG STEALER’ are listed below:

EPISODE 1 ( MAY 31 ): premise of the show, VERSUS’s initial reactions to finding out that they will be traveling to sweden

EPISODE 2 ( JUNE 1 ): VERSUS attending the creative song camp and working on ‘one ( monster & infinity )’

EPISODE 3 ( JUNE 8 ): VERSUS attending the creative song camp and working on ‘one ( monster & infinity )’

EPISODE 4 ( JUNE 15 ): VERSUS attending the creative song camp and working on ‘one ( monster & infinity )’

EPISODE 5 ( JUNE 22 ): VERSUS performing ‘one ( monster & infinity )’ for the people at the creative song camp

EPISODE 6 ( JULY 29 ): V&A deciding the details for their new song & finding out the song that they will be stealing

EPISODE 7 ( JULY 6 ): V&A visiting the national gugak center

EPISODE 8 ( JULY 13 ): V&A visiting the national gugak center and working on ‘fiesta’

EPISODE 9 ( JULY 20 ): V&A working on ‘fiesta’

EPISODE 10 ( JULY 27 ): V&A performing ‘fiesta’ ( aired after KCON LA day 2 is done )

( important note: for AKIO and SEOJIN, they will be announced publicly as the newest members of VERSUS sometime around early MAY so they will be eligible for OPEN EVENTS 006 ( FANSITES ) and OPEN EVENT 007 ( BIRTHDAYS ) by then and be included in the V&A instagram. )

Q2 SCHEDULES

APRIL 26: ‘infj’ song and music video release featuring WON [ YEONWOO ]

JULY 6: waterbomb festival ( will be performing CREAM SODA, TRAUMA, PADO, DIVE )

JULY 27: KCON LA

in addition to the schedules above, VERSUS will be doing a group photoshoot for a spread in ESQUIRE KOREA MAGAZINE ( something vaguely similar to THIS ) for the JULY 2024 issue. after the photos have been taken, all of the VERSUS members will be playing some games, specifically the BALANCING GAME ( aka this or that ). in the balancing game segment, all of the members will be lining up in a straight line and will each be asked two choices to choose from ( eg. ‘which season would you prefer; winter or summer?’ ‘if you have to take one item when you go on a trip, which would you pick; camera or headphones?’ 'which is more nerve-wracking for you; forgetting all of the lyrics on stage or forgetting all of the choreo on stage?’ ‘if you could only eat one type of meal for the rest of your life, which would you prefer; spicy food or sweet food?’ etc ).

WRITING REQUIREMENTS

VERSUS IN STOCKHOLM: write a 300+ word solo or a 4 replies thread ( 2 posts per mun; minimum 8 lines each ) with another VERSUS member about what they did during their free time in stockholm for +7 POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE ANYWHERE and +4 NOTORIETY !

V&A SONG STEALER: write a 300+ word solo  or a 4 replies thread ( 2 posts per mun; minimum 8 lines each ) with another V&A member about anything related to the show ( eg. versus attending the creative song camp, v&a visiting the national gugak center, brainstorming ideas for how the song should sound like/choreography should look like, rehearsals for performing their song arrangement, etc. ) for +6 MUSIC COMPOSITION, LYRIC COMPOSITION, CHOREOGRAPHY ( SPECIFY ), OR INSTRUMENTS ( SPECIFY ) and +7 NOTORIETY ! ** for the versus members, this can be completed twice as long as one of them is a thread **

Q2 SCHEDULES: write a 300+ word solo or continue a thread ( non-event or past event is acceptable ) with a V&A member that started in Q1 ( JANUARY 8-APRIL 6 ) by writing an additional 4 replies for +6 SINGING, DANCING, RAPPING, or PERFORMANCE and +4 NOTORIETY ! ** everyone except YEONWOO can do this **

make sure to use the hashtag lgc:versusmission for the tasks. you have until JULY 6, 2024 at 11:59PM EDT to complete the requirements and validate your points. please submit the following form ONCE on the points blog.

MUSE NAME ∙ VERSUS MISSION 005 - VERSUS IN STOCKHOLM: +7 ( skill points distribution ), +4 notoriety [ LINK ] - V&A SONG STEALER: +6 ( music composition, lyric composition, choreography [specify], OR instrument [specify] ) and +7 notoriety [ LINK ] ** can be done up to two times ** - Q2 SCHEDULES: +6 ( singing, dancing, rapping, OR performance ), +4 notoriety [ LINK ] ** for everyone except YEONWOO **

[sunmisbf]

i was wearing like 3 layers of makeup on friday when i went to kcon n now my nose piercing is acting up like girl don’t do this to me i’m sorry 😭😭😭😭

[btsqualityy]

What are the dates again? So I can arrange it wirh my job. Where do we but tickets?

It’s august 18th to the 20th, and tickets don’t go on sale until next week Friday! I’m not entirely sure where you get them from, but it would either be the kcon website or Ticketmaster probably

[mega-stellar]

KCON LA1 2024 FRIDAY NIGHT TAEMIN & KEP1ER

[starjxsung]

HI BABY OH MY GDKJSHFKHSDFIUHKJSDHFKSHFHSDKFH YOURE BACK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ive been checking on your main blog every single day since uve been on hiatus just waiting for the day you come back and somehow i think the past few days i just completely forgot you had a side blog and idk how i missed your comeback the past few days but ig i did... :((

I HOPE YOURE DOING ALRIGHT!!!! summer has been pretty okay w me so far, mostly just hangouts with friends and staying inside to avoid the sun and any uv rays possible like the fucking vampire i am, etc.

im going to kcon la next month!! unfortunately skz isnt part of lineup and i wont be able to go friday so ill only be able to see the saturday+sunday conventions and concerts, but i hope itll be fun nonetheless. my uncle is some kind of manager in the entertainment industry (idk too much abt it but he usually gets me signed albums every year so im not complaining!) and he usually helps out at kcon every year, so he always has at least 2-3 free tickets.. whenever he visits so im usually able to head to kcon if my schedule fits!! 

i think for other life updates on my part theres not tm.. i ended up going on a diet the past month because ive been really wanting to lose weight for a while now but ive never been able to do it in a healthy way because ive had an ed for as long as i could remember.. (growing up with asian beauty standards is pretty tough unfortunately 😞) i used to be 130lbs at 5’1” so i always considered myself overweight because of my height, but i recently lost 10lbs and im hoping i can reach my goal of 110 within the next month asw 🤞

aside from my life update rant though, ive srsly missed you so much star you dont even know !!! im so happy youre back 🥺🥺🥺

as always, ur biggest fan

~ 《 ☘️ 》

BABY BABY BABY BABYYYYYDHDKDKDKKFOVKFKEMRKFKF I MISSED YOUUUUUUUUU my little clover angel I LOVE YOU SOOOOO BAD I AM ACTUALLY YOUR NUMBER ONE FANNNNNNN 💔💔💔💔💔

I’ll be back on main blog™️ soon !!!! I miss it there too tbh RAHHHH side blog is good too but main blog is where everything started and I miss posting so bad 💔 I also somehow check tumblr less ever since the creation of side blog so I have to physically remind myself to check tumblr and I just. miss when I had more time to post and people wouldn’t get annoyed of me answering asks on main ☹️ BUT FEEL FREEEE TO SPAM SIDE BLOG™️ TOOOOOO she exists for all ur spam/vent/miscellaneous needs and I love checking on you guys even when I’m not on main. I love you !!!!

I’m so glad summer has been treating you so well ALSO KCON??? HELLO??????? I AM SOOOO FUCKING JEALOUS OH MY HODDKDKDMDMDKD I wanted to see Taemin & nmixx SOOOOO FUCKING BAD MY BABIESSSSSSS 🤲😭 TAKE SOOOO MANY PICS FOR ME I CANT WAIT TO HEAR ALL ABOUT IT RAHHH IT’S GONNA BE SOOOO FUCKING SICK I CANT WAIT I love this for u. Kcon era. Yes.

Also don’t be so hard on yourself my angelllll just make sure you’re staying healthy :( I love you :( and I fully acknowledge that beauty standards are fucking impossible to live by and they can genuinely be so taxing to try to fit. But as long as you’re healthy and happy and doing what you want for yourself only, that’s what matters :’) I’m always a message away if you need me (even though I’m fucking garbage at responding) and I love you no matter what. Take care of yourself precious cargo 🤲💓

I LOVE YOU and I missed you and I promise I will be back on main blog™️ as soon as I physically can be. I am ur biggest fan actually if you were a clover I would pick you and keep you in a little resin necklace and wear you all the time. I love you !!!!!!!!.!.!.!!.!/!:!!,?,!.!.!

[mendeshoney]

WAIT WAS THE KPOP CONCERT YOU WENT TO FOR STRAY KIDS OR ATEEZ

It was technically for BLACKPINK 😅

I was flying to Vegas to see them after getting tickets in like June/July, which is when I found Stray Kids and ATEEZ. But then I literally found out KCON LA 2023 was happening like 2 weeks before. The BLACKPINK show was on a Friday, and ATEEZ was playing KCON on Saturday and then Stray Kids on Sunday. I couldn’t afford all three, and we already had accommodations booked, so I flew to Vegas Friday morning, went to BLACKPINK, spent the day in Vegas on Saturday, drove from Vegas to LA on Sunday, went to KCON and then the show, and then drove back to Vegas, spent another day, then flew home…

…so yeah 😅

[halfseoulco]

THE WORLD EP.2 : OUTLAW — ATEEZ: A review

Published Friday, June 16th, 2023 — It’s not exactly a secret that ATEEZ has been very busy these days. Between launching a new website and online platform, KCON Japan, a collaboration with AlphaCrewz, and additional tour announcements, their schedules have been packed to the brim—and they seem to be showing no signs of stopping.

Introduction

As someone who only recently tried to start making sense of ATEEZ’s lore as told over the span of their discography, it’s been a great deal of fun attempting to piece everything together. The more music they release, the clearer the story becomes, even though the members themselves have said that there is still so much more left to be revealed. Having completed the TREASURE and FEVER series, which Hongjoong has explained was Timeline A, we have started to move deeper into Timeline Z—and things will only get more and more interesting as we progress.

Setting the Stage

KQ Entertainment expertly laid the foundation for a highly anticipated comeback, making the official announcement on May 13th with a teaser image showing all the members’ faces on WANTED posters, followed by a second teaser image similar in style except with the words “WELCOME TO THE OUTLAW”. The individual character posters were dropped on the 14th and 15th, then the title poster for their title track “BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILLI PEPPERS)”, and the trailer poster on the 17th.

The trailer itself is, as usual, a work of art. It played a significant role in helping establish the tone for THE WORLD EP.2 : OUTLAW, opening with the words “진입 작전을 위해 대기한 지 벌써 6개월째“, meaning that [in the timeline of the story] that ATEEZ were on standby for six months while taking on a certain operation. Then the black screen shifts to a nighttime setting, rich with especially blues and sprinklings of red as we see someone get on a motor bike with the words “Blue Bird Delivery” printed on the back of their jacket. The blue bird has been a slowly recurring symbol in the group’s music since first introduced in “HALAZIA”, so it was a notable little item to keep track of. The next line is “우리는 각자 구석구석에 숨어 때를 기다리고 있다”, which means “Each of us has been waiting in separate hideouts”, although the word “구석” means “corner” and is used twice in succession, which demonstrates a higher level of stealth and sneakiness than just hiding out. Hongjoong and Mingi spy the delivery person pulling up, watching as they knock on the door of a van housing San and Wooyoung before moving on to an auto body shop where Yunho and Jongho are hard at work. They make a drop-off with Hongjoong and Mingi, the former of whom opens up the takeout box and pulls out a vibrant green chili pepper, which are very common in Korea and eaten as a side dish. The peppers all contain rolled up paper, which when unfurled reveals the message “Let’s bounce!” The third line says, “때가 된 것 같아”, translating to “Looks like it’s time”. The delivery person then pulls up to a gang of bikers spearheaded by Seonghwa; and is then revealed to be Yeosang when he removes his bandana and helmet. Seonghwa tosses Yeosang his jacket, which he then uses to replace the Blue Bird Delivery jacket he was wearing up till that point. The biker gang takes off into the night, ending the trailer.

Following the trailer, KQ released preview posters and short video clips to help the audience choose their outlaw partner, with San and Wooyoung’s dropping on the 21st, Yunho and Jongho’s on the 22nd, Seonghwa and Yeosang’s on the 23rd, and Hongjoong and Mingi’s on the 24th. A clip titled “OPERATION : ‘DJANGO’ (ATEEZ on Undercover)”, in reference to the song of the same name, was released on the 25th, along with the track list. The first round of concept photos was released from May 28th through June 1st; and the announcement for the the group’s comeback showcase event was announced on May 30th. The second round of concept photos was released from June 4th through the 6th; the third round was released from June 7th through the 8th; and the fourth was released from June 11th through the 12th.

“BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILLI PEPPERS)”

The anticipation for the title track couldn’t have been greater. With teasers dropping on June 12th and June 13th, an opening sequence clip released on the 14th, and an MV poster on the 15th, promotions of the EP and “BOUNCY” leading up to comeback day pointed towards a neo-Western theme—a cross between the old West and a pseudo-modern dystopia. ATEEZ have long since departed the conventional approach to their pirate concept; and as they have been traveling across timelines throughout their journey, it makes sense that they would end up tackling the cowboy archetype at some point, since cowboys are remembered as great adventurers and heroes of the common man—not unlike pirates.

In terms of style and sound, “BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILLI PEPPERS)” reminds me more of “Don’t Stop” than the group’s previous two title tracks, “HALAZIA” and “Guerrilla”—an energetic and dynamic track that plays with different sonic layers and tempo shifts to keep the listener on their toes. The song overall is more than a little suggestive; and while riddled with innuendoes, in relation to the storyline of the ATEEZ universe, “BOUNCY” also conveys a different kind of seduction, one that tries to coax the opposing forces into backing off and conceding defeat. In the context of that greater story, the eight members are fighting against a dystopian government that has been controlling the people by suppressing human emotion—and they have, of course, been putting up a hell of a fight. With lyrics like “Sit back and relax, man” and “Slow it down, make it bouncy”, ATEEZ’s message to the government is clear: “Aren’t you tired of fighting us? Why don’t you let us handle things from here?”

ATEEZ lore aside, looking closely at the lyrics, “BOUNCY” is the musical equivalent of a declaration. People can agree to disagree but ATEEZ has always been an outsider in the KPOP industry, having come from a small company rather than the four main ones that usually dominate when it comes to industry politics; and their musical style and concepts are also unconventional and don’t follow industry trends. Yet despite the roadblocks, they have grown their global fandom exponentially and continue to set and subsequently surpass their own standards for performance—especially live performance—by staying true to themselves and their vision. “Nothing stands in our way,” they sing. “Try to stop us." Throughout “BOUNCY”, you can hear an acknowledgment of their own uniqueness compared to others (“a different kind of spicy”), a promise to let their ambition take them higher and higher (”We’re still hungry because we’re young. Move aside ‘cause we need some air.”), and an invitation to join them (”If you wanna know how, I can show you right now”).

Taking objectivity out of the equation, nothing pleases me more than seeing Seonghwa’s return to the rap line following a brief stint during their Japanese single “Dreamers” (2021) and “바다 보러 갈래?” (2021) with Kim Jong Kook, as well as his covering various rap parts during Mingi’s hiatus. ATINYs know that Seonghwa originally auditioned for KQ as a rapper and while it was decided at the time that he was better suited as a vocalist, it is clear to anyone who watches him rap that he is just as suited for it. It’s not uncommon for groups to play around with member positions despite official designations, especially as certain members develop skills in other areas of performance that the company wants to showcase. Hopefully KQ takes note of the positive reaction to Seonghwa’s rapping and continues to allow him to utilize the skill more often.

Breaking Down THE WORLD EP.2 : OUTLAW

Consisting of six tracks, “This World” provides the EP with a powerful opening that helps tie it back to THE WORLD EP.1 : MOVEMENT (2022). If you read my review of MOVEMENT and deep, deep analysis, you’ll know that I have a working theory of what was taking place within the context of the album’s story—that ATEEZ had a cause that they were committed to and during the process of rallying support and fighting against those they deemed the oppressors, the seeds of doubt were sown and there was some question as to whether they were fighting for the right reasons. “This World” is the answer to those doubts, addressing them head-on and bringing forth a renewed conviction in their cause. Right before the last iteration of the chorus, Hongjoong and Mingi share the bridge, delivering their lines as if they were addressing a large crowd from a podium. At this point, they are still trying to encourage more people to join them. Although sacrifices must be made and effecting change will be difficult, Jongho’s powerful “I can’t take it no more” rings clear as the final straw. The sound is also wonderfully nostalgic in a way, reminiscent of the Stranger Things opening theme in all its spookiness. The opening instrumentals deceive the listener into thinking it will be a fast song before slowing down into a steady and driving pace, indicating that ATEEZ are gearing up for the fight ahead.

“Dune” starts to pick up the speed of the EP, painting a picture of needless suffering during dark times as a way to show the audience that the despair they are describing is what they are trying to save people from. The little “HALA HALA” at the beginning is a nice little Easter egg, as the other versions of the ATEEZ members are referred to as HALATEEZ and “HALA HALA (Hearts Awakened, Live Alive)” is where they were first properly introduced without the other versions of themselves. The harmonies in “Dune” are also exceptionally satisfying to the ear.

“BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILLI PEPPERS)” definitely carries a different vibe compared to the first two tracks, the tone more confident—at times bordering on aggressive, sensual, and cocky—and if you take the events of the music video into consideration, it makes sense. After six months of hiding and waiting, they are finally able to take action—which involved blowing up a giant chandelier sequestered in its own alcove on a balcony in a pristine, pure white hall. The energy is infectious and it burns fast and bright before simmering into the next song.

“Django” presents a tone that I would describe as teasing, a cat-and-mouse game in song form. Following the victory of “BOUNCY”, the outlaws are confident that they have the upper hand in what Mingi describes as a chess game; and the self-assurance is so obvious that it translates into the kind of reckless, loose-limbed abandon that comes with the mindset of solely living for the present. Furthermore, Django is a well-known fictional character who appeared in over thirty different Spaghetti Western films and has inspired other works, including Quentin Tarantino’s award-winning movie Django Unchained (2012). An infamous outlaw known for manipulating both sides of a dangerous fight, the influence of his story is clear in the lyrics of ATEEZ’s “Django”.

“최면 (Wake Up)” is the manifestation of all the times ATEEZ has ever said “wake up” prior to this EP. Composed of sonic elements previously heard in “Guerrilla”, it feels like a final phase of a grand master plan, enticing the audience to give in and follow them. It carries the same kind of seductive quality as the first half of the record but the driving beat hammers home the sensation of being almost there, wherever that may be.

The conclusion to this epic EP, “Outlaw” draws from the five songs before it and produces a new take that shows a new side of an already existing version of ATEEZ. From pirates to time travelers to vigilantes, “Outlaw” is the proof that after fighting from the shadows, the eight young men have now made themselves known to their enemies; and after causing as much chaos as possible, they know that they can’t go back to the way things were before and must now live their new lives on the run. However, the twist is that they’re not afraid of being outlaws; in fact, their enemies are the ones who should watch their backs because ATEEZ is capable of so much more than what they’ve already done. In my review of the MOVEMENT album, I described “Sector One” as the first phase of a plan; in “Outlaw”, they say, “This is my Sector One”, which could be interpreted to mean that as much action as they have already taken, it was all just phase one of a multi-phase plan to take down those who seek to suppress human emotion. However, based on the lyrics “another me is about to come out” and “don’t wake me up, the monster in me”, another interpretation is that after all the pain and suffering that they’ve undergone, a more ruthless version of ATEEZ is about to emerge. The thought is rather intriguing, as ATEEZ have been portrayed more as explorers and adventurers rather than fighters prior to maybe “Don’t Stop”; and the conflict lies as much within themselves as it does with the external forces they are fighting against. Things are not as black and white as they seem and all of the doubt-riddled questions exist in the grey.

Musically speaking, “HALAZIA” was more of an interruption that takes place between the two THE WORLD releases (the EP was called a “spin-off”, after all) and OUTLAW is almost like a mated pair to MOVEMENT, featuring the same kind of seductive instrumentals powered by hypnotizing synths and gritty basslines paired with a more heavy-handed electronic dance influence than previous albums. The layers within each track are so expertly crafted and placed, creating a well-balanced and blended soundtrack for the ear. One thing I will also note is that while Jongho’s vocals are still the most dominant, there is definitely more distribution in parts and the other members’ vocal colors shine through more easily. Thematically, OUTLAW leans more on the side of positivity than MOVEMENT, as there were many times in the latter where not only did it seem like things were not going well but it seemed as though ATEEZ themselves were unsure as to whether they were doing the right thing in trying to free the people from their oppressors.

Currently, the songs are all sitting at the same rank for me, although I am leaning the most towards “Dune” as my favorite. Overall, I am so, so, so satisfied with this comeback—although I am never not satisfied with an ATEEZ release—and OUTLAW is a solid, well-made EP where each track was given equal attention during the creative process. It is also very clear that the members are maturing and their sound is maturing with them, which is always an important aspect of a group’s career. With everything that they have achieved so far, I’m looking forward to seeing the stages that they’ve prepared for ATINY and to follow along during their promotional period.

Genius Lab USA Rating: A different kind of spicy, Cheongyang chili pepper vibe.

THE WORLD EP.2 : OUTLAW Track List:

This World

Dune

BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILLI PEPPERS)

DJANGO

최면 (Wake Up)

Outlaw

*All dates referred to in this review are in accordance with Pacific Standard Time (PST) unless otherwise specified.

[thetaekswoon]

If you are attending KCON NY this Friday please read below!

Hello!!! I'm shouting out to all kpop fans attending KCON NY this week from the Westchester (Specifically White Plains) area, or really anyone who will be passing through Grand Central Station! I am looking for someone else who needs a travel buddy at least for Friday and is willing to meet up at Grand Central Station sometime around 9-10 in the morning. Yes I know that we would technically be missing the first few panels but it may be worth it to have someone to at least navigate there with. And I'm willing to travel back to Penn Station together as soon as the concert ends. ***You must be willing to split a cab/Uber with me to Penn Station from Grand Central and from Penn Station to Prudential. You do not necessarily need to have experience with commuting through Penn Station, and it would be best if you would contact me if you are interested by Thursday evening just so we have enough time to make a game plan. If any of you are also looking for a travel buddy or know someone who is this Friday (and possibly Saturday) to KCON NY please pass this message on!!! Even if you have an established travel group I'd be very thankful if you let me tag along! Please message me as soon as possible if you are interested, so we can discuss the details.

[tamapalace]

ADER ERROR Tamagotchi Featured at 2024 KCON LA

image source: inimsy_ on Twitter

More Tamagotchi love at the 2024 KCON LA, the world’s largest k-pop music festival! KCON LA runs from Friday, July 26th, 2024 through Sunday, July 28th, 2024 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.

The recent collaboration with Korean streetwear brand ADER ERROR brought us the ADER ERROR Tamagotchi, which is on display at the 2024 KCON LA! It was in a display that reviews the favorite items of popular k-pop members. The ADER ERROR Tamagotchi is Hiroto's favorite item, Hiroto is a Japanese rapper and dancer under RBW.

[whenfatecollides]

okay it’d be insane but technically speaking it’s not impossible to still get ot7 to perform at kcon like they all know the choreos so it’s just a matter of practicing positions changes and dc have said before that they learnt scream in 3 hours and even before that we’ve seen them pull off pretty great stages with very little practice so it’s... not impossible......

[lgcmanager]

VERSUS MISSION 003

SCHEDULE TYPE: TRIMESTER ( PART 1 OUT OF 1 ) SCHEDULE RESTRICTIONS: cannot be paired with another trimester schedule, unless stated otherwise. for reference as to whether your muse is eligible for this event, please click over HERE.

when all of the VERSUS members arrive at their practice room, they are met with their manager, KYUHWAN, to talk about their schedule for the next few months.

AMERICAN DEBUT & PROMOTIONS

as mentioned in the previous mission, all of the VERSUS members would have started working on their debut preparations since JUNE. with WOOKJIN’s departure, the VERSUS members will be told that they will still remain as four for the time being as they advance through their debut and the projects that follow afterwards.

the information mentioned below is already known to the boys ic, but for ooc here it is:

VERSUS will have two songs for this american debut, with ‘ONE DAY’ being their title track and ‘GOOD ENOUGH’ as their b-side. the lyrics distribution document for this can be found over HERE. they will be releasing this single album on AUGUST 18.

fortunately with some of the content being filmed from JUNE-JULY, most of the members will be busy with other tasks assigned to them.

to help promote themselves with the international fans, VERSUS will be a part of various video segments. in Q2, they were a part of ELLE’s song association and teen vogue’s playlist of my life. listed below are some of the many videos that they will be doing as well ( and filming wise, most of them will be done all in the legacy building for a few days ):

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW EACH OTHER? ( VANITY FAIR; EXAMPLE ) - each of the versus members is put on the spot while the other members must answer questions pertaining to that person. video released on JULY 18.

IN OR OUT WITH VERSUS ( ESQUIRE; EXAMPLE ) - versus reacting to various trends and revealing their opinions about whether they like it or not. video released on AUGUST 14.

SUPERLATIVES ( SEVENTEEN; EXAMPLE ) - versus answering questions to help determine each member’s superlative ( ex. best hair, most romantic, most athletic, etc. ). video released on AUGUST 25.

CONCERTS & FESTIVALS

“while AGITO will be busy with a variety show, you will be attending some concerts and festivals. this should be an exciting time since you get to meet both the domestic and international fans alike.” KYUHWAN reasons as he starts to list the events that VERSUS will be appearing in.

note that anything that happens in JULY was mentioned before ic wise, but is revealed right now ooc wise.

JULY 22 - WATERBOMB FESTIVAL ( SEOUL ): performing ‘opening sequence’, ‘trauma’, ‘higher’, ‘reveal’. they will be joining HARU and FABULA.

AUGUST 20 - KCON LA ( LOS ANGELES ): performing ‘one day’, ‘good enough’, ‘trauma’, and ‘don’t call me’ ( originally by shinee; special stage ). they will be joining HARU ( the group ).

SEPTEMBER 23 - FAMILY CONCERT 2K23 ( SEOUL ): please refer to the lgc family concert 2k23 post

for KCON LA, all of them will be flying at night on FRIDAY, AUGUST 18 and then arrive there on SATURDAY, AUGUST 19. during that time, they will be given a chance to go around los angeles with KYUHWAN before they spend all of SUNDAY, AUGUST 20, practicing for their performances.

YUJIWON’S POD

“with so many youtube shows and podcasts aired in the lgc studios, they have given YEONWOO with fellow AGITO members, JIHO and YUSHIN, a chance to host a short podcast. this is an experiment seeing that V&A has so many international fans and with the rise of podcasts, we thought it would be a good idea to give you a chance to be a part of one.” KYUHWAN summarizes the podcast information as cohesive as possible.

for YUJIWON’S POD, the episodes will be assigned as follows:

EPISODES 1 & 2 ( LEE JIHO, LEE YUSHIN, WON YEONWOO ) - introduction of the podcast, answering debate questions ( ex. pineapple on pizza or no pineapple on pizza, scary or funny movies, vanilla or chocolate ice cream, putting milk or cereal in first, would you rather stay up late or get up early, pencils or pens, etc. ). with the debate questions, the goal is to get the majority on one side, so if two people support different sides, the third person would be the determinator. it would be a bit similar to THIS ( pentagon’s jack pod ).

EPISODE 3 ( LEE YUSHIN ): getting to know LEE YUSHIN. since it’s a solo podcast episode, it would basically be an episode about getting to know him, his interests, his legacy audition, concept(s) you want to try, show that you want to be a part of, etc. it would be similar to THIS.

EPISODE 4 ( LEE JIHO ): getting to know LEE JIHO. since it’s a solo podcast episode, it would basically be an episode about getting to know him, his interests, his legacy audition, concept(s) you want to try, show that you want to be a part of, etc. it would be similar to THIS.

EPISODE 5 ( WON YEONWOO ): getting to know WON YEONWOO. since it’s a solo podcast episode, it would basically be an episode about getting to know him, his interests, his legacy audition, concept(s) you want to try, show that you want to be a part of, etc. it would be similar to THIS.

EPISODE 6 ( LEE JIHO, LEE YUSHIN, WON YEONWOO ): finale episode. reflecting on the episodes that they recorded and any last words they would like to share with the listeners.

for the SOLO episodes, the other two members will be present there ( behind the camera ) and give any commentary or ask any questions for the one hosting.

V&A LOG

“for JAESUN, ALEX, and TEE, you will be joining KEEHO and HARU in partaking in an upcoming youtube series called ‘V&A LOG’ where you will be filming or documenting anything special in your day to day life. for this we are recommending that you pair up with another V&A member for these videos and try out different activities that you’ve never done before.” KYUHWAN nods, hoping that this would be another way for the etervals to get to know them better.

as KYUHWAN mentioned, the remaining V&A members will be filming youtube vlogs for their channel. they will be filming the videos starting from today all the way until SEPTEMBER 1. the list below denotes when the episodes will be AIRED on the youtube channel.

EPISODE 1 ( JEON HARU & AHN JAESUN ): AUGUST 29

EPISODE 2 ( PONGSAK TEE ): SEPTEMBER 5

EPISODE 3 ( KIM ALEX ): SEPTEMBER 12

EPISODE 4 ( HAN KEEHO & PONGSAK TEE ): SEPTEMBER 19

EPISODE 5 ( AHN JAESUN ): SEPTEMBER 26

EPISODE 6 ( JEON HARU ): OCTOBER 3

EPISODE 7 ( HAN KEEHO ): OCTOBER 10

for the theme of these vlogs, the V&A members are asked to film themselves doing an activity that they have never tried before. if any of the V&A members decide to do an activity that is outside the legacy building, they will be accompanied by their manager and/or the assistant manager to supervise them during that time. the activity also has to be something that can be filmed in one day, so they CANNOT do any activities where they will be traveling to a different location outside of seoul ( this means that they cannot film any content in kcon la as well ). the videos typically last around 20-25 minutes.

SURPRISE PROJECT

before the meeting concludes, KYUHWAN tells the rest of the versus members that they can leave except for JAESUN. when it’s just the two of them, KYUHWAN begins, “you know, I was waiting for the day this would happen and I’m glad people heard about me. but anyways, you’ve been invited for something else related to lgc’s family concert. due to the lack of time we have, we’ll start working on it right now.”

ooc wise, the project will be revealed with the lgc family concert 2k23 post, so stay tuned for that!

WRITING REQUIREMENTS

YUJIWON’S POD: write a 300+ word solo or a 6 replies ( minimum 8 lines, 2 posts per person ) with the hosts ( so a three way thread with jiho, yushin, and yeonwoo ) about the podcast for +6 MCING/HOSTING and +6 NOTORIETY ! ** only for YEONWOO **

V&A LOG: write a 300+ word solo or a 4 replies ( minimum 8 lines ) with your assigned partner about the vlog episode for +6 VARIETY and +5 NOTORIETY ! do note that what will be written is what will be appearing in the videos. ** only for JAESUN, ALEX, and TEE **

BONUS: write a 4 replies ( minimum 8 lines ) with a non-V&A member for +10 POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE ANYWHERE ! ** this cannot overlap with any of the events and for JAESUN, ALEX, and TEE, this can be done up to two times while for YEONWOO it can only be done once **

make sure to use the hashtag lgc:versusmission for the task. you have until SEPTEMBER 16, 2023 at 11:59PM EDT to complete the requirements and validate your points. please submit the following form ONCE on the points blog.

MUSE NAME ∙ VERSUS MISSION 003 - YUJIWON’S POD: +6 mcing/hosting, +6 notoriety [ LINK ] ** for yeonwoo ** - V&A LOG: +6 variety, +5 notoriety [ LINK ] ** only for jaesun, alex, and tee ** - BONUS: +10 ( skill points distribution ) [ LINK ] ** yeonwoo can only do it once while jaesun, alex, and tee can do it up to two times **

[sunmisbf]

i’m at work n i’m being tormented by the thought that i’m not going to be able to get kcon tickets bc by the time i get out of work on friday they’ll probably all be sold out n i will never get another chance to see wayv again like it’s over for me

[san--shine]

ATEEZ Comeback

I love it

5 of my groupchat are constantly screaming

Twitter is screaming

Tumblr is screaming

Instagram is screaming

Everyone everywhere is screaming

THIS IS THE LIFE!

[tbzhours]

Just dropping by to say I love you

OK IM CRYING i've been having a pretty exhausting week and seeing this message is so enduring 😢 i love you so so so much, thank you for calming my stuffy heart 💖💖💖