#idol project 3 episode 4

[girlsbandcryentls]

Otaku Souken interview part 1 -What did Scriptwriter Jukki Hanada want to convey with 『Girls Band Cry』? We talk at length about characterization and behind-the-scenes production.

(this article was published by Otaku Souken on August 2nd)

Airing in April 2024, the TV Anime 『Girls Band Cry』 has exploded in record-breaking popularity. An original series by Toei Animation that's been drawing attention from their combination of fully 3DCG animation, to create a smooth lively motion and a non-stop roller coaster of a story. Even now after one month since it has ended, there are many fans still reeling from "post girls band cry depression".

And so this time, we are publishing this special feature on TV anime 『Girls Band Cry』. We interview the production staff and cast members at length about what they feel towards this series and the unknown behind the scenes of this production. This feature will be split into 3 parts as we dive deep with plenty of questions to ask, so please look forward to it.

In part 1 of this feature, we talk with the scriptwriter in charge, Mr.Jukki Hanada. From 「K-ON!」 to 「Love Live!」, he has penned and worked on multiple popular series. Continuing on his trend of writing youth stories. What did Mr.Hanada want to convey with 『Girls Band Cry』? How did he create these fascinating characters? By reading this feature, there's no doubt you'll get more excited about this series!

Topics Page 1. A story about learning 「This world can't be easily divided into black and white」 Page 2. On Rupa and Tomo's relationship, there's plenty of room to expand. The dynamics of the 5 main casts are 「Like a Family」 Page 3. Nina's rival isn't 「Diamond Dust」 but Hina Page 4. 「Life does not end after graduation」, writing about facing society head-on

A story about learning 「This world can't be easily divided into black and white」

――First off, you have joined this project as the main writer/series composition of the story. I like to ask, how you came to be in charge of this role. Hanada: At first there was a pitch from Hiramaya about creating a music-centric story. Personally, I've been writing about idol stories for years. So this time I wanted to make it about a band. I've always been a big fan of old-school Japanese rock. And so I suggested 「If we're making it about music, let's turn it into a band」.

――What about the decision to centre around an all-girls band? Hanada: You know, I also wanted to write a story about boys (laughs). Hirayama (Editor's note: he is the main producer of this project), director Sakai and I all worked on 「Love Live! Sunshine!!」 together before. And so we went with a girl's band. Personally, I'm more used to writing about female characters after all…

――The setting of this story is based around the city of Kawasaki, is there a reason why? Hanada: When we were location scouting, I found that city to be extremely pleasant. It was easy to visualize the characters living in such a place. There's also the live house CLUB CITTA’. This city has a high affinity for bands, so it is easy to set the story up here.

――Onwards, I would like to ask more about the characters. First off regarding the main character Iseri Nina. I believe you have also spoken about it on your social media but, she's quite a sharp-tongued character who stands out huh. Hanada: At first the image I created for her is a bit more reserved. But once we started to develop her backstory and reason for coming to Tokyo, I thought 「Ah well, she's pretty grumpy now」

――So while planning out this script, things were constantly changing, right? Hanada: Most of the time when it comes to original series, that's how we slowly solidify the script. With Nina, she has developed into quite a pain in the ass for us. By episode 1 she was still alright. But by episode 2 when she first met Subaru. She gets easily depressed and instantly leaves to go back home. Slowly but surely all the anger and rage inside her began to surface. That's the kind of character she became (laughs)

――Whether it is towards herself or others, I get the impression that her anger comes off really strong. Hanada: She came to Tokyo after being bullied. As such she has a binary view that everyone is either an enemy or ally, a good person or a bad person. But that isn't limited to just Nina, I believe it is a common feeling when one is still young and naive. However, this world can't be easily divided into black and white. The concept of the story is Nina learning this lesson. And so we thought this story should start with her being on edge to some extent. But she ended up being way more grumpy than expected (laughs).

――Speaking of things can't be easily divided into black and white, I feel like representing that point is the character Kawaragi Momoka.

Hanada: Both Nina who came to Tokyo carrying all that anger, and Momoka who is pursuing a music career in a band, are in a way bonded by this mutual 「unfiltered earnesty」. However, Momoka is a character who has experienced first-hand how reality is not so black and white. Especially towards the start of the story, Nina looks up to Momoka but feels 「Why are adults always so gloomy with pent-up feelings」. For Nina, having this gloom is what makes someone not a good adult. In other words, this is someone who should be a baddie and her enemy. But because she admires Momoka, she can't easily label her as such. At first, her image of Momoka is someone who shines brightly. But Nina learns that Momoka drinks and rambles while drunk. She even pukes inside Nina's toilet (laughs). But, it's not like Nina hates that part of her. So Nina starts to change how she looks at things. But on the other hand, because of Nina's personality, she can't quite accept that part of Momoka. That's why she keeps pressing on Momoka 「Please shine like you once were!」

――Thinking only in terms of Enemies and Allies, she struggles to categorize her as an ally right. Hanada: She's probably not that grumpy when she's still in Kumamoto and might have accepted Momoka for what she is now. But once she came to Tokyo alone, there was no longer a reason to hold back. There is no point in coming to Tokyo in the first place if she still has to hold back her feelings.

――And so comes Awa Subaru and her role as a dampener between these two's relationship. Hanada: That's right. Nina and Momoka are both very awkward around each other. So in a sense, we thought it was important to add a balancer who is skilled at navigating social situations. But it won't be interesting if that's all she is. So we explored how Subaru came to be such a character by looking at her relationship with her Grandma. She is the complete opposite of Nina. So long as she puts on a smile in front of people, she thinks it's fine to delay all her problems that need to be answered. That's why for Nina, seeing such a liar first-hand pisses her off the most.

――But even so, they managed to build a very close relationship with each other thanks to how open-minded Subaru was. Hanada: But, Subaru hates the part of her personality of putting on airs and delaying important things. That's why she respects and admires how straightforward Nina is.

Page 2

On Rupa and Tomo's relationship, there's plenty of room to expand. The dynamics of the 5 main casts are 「Like a Family」

――From there, Ebizuka Tomo and Rupa are added. First off, I like to ask about Tomo's character setting. Hanada: She's like an extreme version of Nina. She's a character who had to start living by herself at a young age. She puts on an even harder shell than Nina and would not let anyone get close to her. After setting up the shin-kawasaki trio, I was thinking about what should we do for the remaining 2 characters. So how about making one character who is even harder to approach than Nina. Tomo draws out this side of her, like a catalyst to easily get a chemical reaction going.

――I see, so in this setting, she's a character who amplifies this part of Nina who hates adults. Hanada: In fact, I even wrote an episode halfway through focusing on Tomo. But Nina was more of a pain in the ass than expected, so we had no choice but to cut it(laughs).

――Continuing on, what about Rupa's character setting? Hanada: While we were thinking about Tomo's personality and setting, we also asked ourselves, if there's someone who can be with her, what sort of person would that be.

――So in other words, similar to Subaru who is good at navigating social situations, Rupa has an image of someone who can act as the adult in the room. Hanada: I don't think she is someone who wants to find sympathy in people with the same kind of scars she has. Nor is she looking for anyone to understand that pain. In the first place, it's not like Rupa herself thinks she can understand the pain of others, nor does she want to. She's the type of character who's strong-willed and is not looking to lick each other's wounds. In other words, she's like an adult who knows how cruel reality can be. There's her backstory of her family passing away. It's not like her bandmates didn't ask her about it, it's a situation where they can't. I also wanted to write more about Rupa's story, but I decided not to force it in due to time constraints. Like the audience, Nina and the band are in a situation where they only know fragments of her past. So it'll be better to write Rupa as someone who says "I want to stay by this person's side" and "Let's get along".

――The fact that she's the only half-Japanese in the band. We don't know her family name, only her given name. That makes her a very unique character. Hanada: Part of that is we wanted to emphasise her as a mystery character. On top of that, it's not unnatural at all for at least one person to be half-Japanese among a group as large as this in this age.

――From the cast members, we've also heard that it was actually easier to act out Rupa because her background has not yet been set in stone. (For more details, check out part 2 of the interview with the cast members!) But now that the anime has finished airing, there are a lot of people asking what exactly her character setting is. Hanada: Of course, there are more details for her character. Not every information about her has been perfectly depicted on screen, but no doubt a good part of her personality has. Teshima's illustrations (Character Designer in charge, Teshina nari) and Shuri's voice acting have greatly contributed to her standing out. Especially that sound check scene in Episode 11 「Centre of the World」. We were confident that 「This will definitely be a hit!」, and were very excited to see the audience's reaction when it aired.

――Regarding Tomo, she's been in a band before, but as seen on screen it didn't work out well. In all of them, only Rupa was always by her side. So I want to ask what's their relationship like. Hanada: Tomo doesn't want anyone digging into her heart. That's the same with Rupa. I don't think things will go well if every band member has the same 「Let's speak candidly with each other」 way of thinking. But when it comes to music, they are both serious about it. So Rupa and Tomo get along well on the same wavelength.

――Were there any non-explicit settings for the band overall? Hanada: For me, I have the image of a family in mind when I write their dialogue. Momoka is the dad and Rupa is the mom. Subaru is the older sister, Nina is the older brother and Tomo is the youngest sister. That's why, when the dad and son always end up fighting, the remaining girls watch over while Subaru the older sister tries to mediate.

――That's true, whenever Nina and Momoka clash it feels like a fight among boys. Hanada: Certainly when it comes to Momoka and Nina, when their feelings clash it kinda feels like a fight between boys. Sure harmony and reconciliation are important, but if there's no meaning to the fight if there isn't any conviction or pride. That's what I keep in mind when writing how they clash.

Page 3

Nina's rival isn't 「Diamond Dust」 but Hina

――Continuing on, I like to ask about the setting for 「Diamond Dust」 (from now on referred to as 「DD」) Hanada: Regarding DD, initially they were positioned as an enemy that Nina must defeat. When Nina came to Tokyo and heard Momoka's story, she thought that 「Momoka was bullied by her former bandmates and they were now her enemy」. But in truth, Nana, Rin and Ai are all really good people. And Nina slowly understands that they are all working hard and struggling in their own way. My intention was to obscure that part from the start, so both Nina and the audience feel 「What a bunch of show off!」 towards DD. But once Nina and the audience hear more about their story, call it from an adult's point of view or from something realistic, they slowly learn that Momoka too had a part in this problem. On top of that, Momoka herself thinks that she's in the wrong. It's through the course of those events that Nina and the audience learn how should one compromise with society and how people can't be easily simplified. For example in Episode 4 「Kansha (Odoroki) 」 with the story of Subaru and her Grandma. If you look at it objectively from the outside, pure evil doesn't exist much at all in this world. Everyone is just doing things their way, which is what I wanted to show. Nina had a clear divide between enemies and allies, justice and evil when she first came to Tokyo. She learns this world isn't as black and white as she thinks. Nina herself also started saying it at the end of Episode 4 but as Subaru replied 「Who are you to preach!」 (laughs).

――I've asked about this before from the producer(Tadashi Hirayama) and director(Kazuo Sakai). Regarding the vocalist for DD, Hina, her character wasn't in the initial script right. (We'll dive deeper into this topic with part 3 of the interview!)

Hanada: So in the middle of the story, after Nina learns that DD are in fact good hardworking people, she would've lost her initial motivation. In other words, the existence of 「An enemy she must defeat for Momoka's sake」 is gone. So there was a question of how the story should develop from there. At first, I thought of a story about an evil producer in DD's agency and the script went down that path. But I really didn't want to write such a story, director Sakai and HirayamaP were also at a loss because this didn't feel right. And that's when Hina was born. Rather than focusing on Momoka's DD, we structure the story around Nina facing against Hina. The course of the story turns to Nina learning just what is behind the mind of the one person she is utterly incompatible with.

――During her first screen appearance, the viewers get pulled along by Nina's hatred of Hina. But once I saw how Nina got back on her feet in the final episode, I somewhat understood just what exactly Hina was trying to say to her.

Hanada: For Hina, the reason why she is so attracted to Nina is very similar to Subaru's reason. Nina holds a kind of childishness in her heart while Hina doesn't have that explosive energy. That's why in the final episode 「Rockn'Roll Won't Stop Ringing」, she went out of her way to agitate her. 「I don't want you to get caught up in this mess made by the higher ups」 Hina thought. She knows exactly how Nina will act if she agitates her, so this is her way of cheering Nina on.

――In a way, no one understands Nina more than her. Hahada: If you watch it till the end, one can say Nina has no enemies.

――Besides that, is there also any inexplicit setting regarding DD? Hanada: If I have to say, there are some but, I want to keep those a secret for now (laughs) But if I have to give you one, it'll be about their relationship with Momoka. It's not shown on screen but, it was Momoka who pulled the other 3 with her to Tokyo. At that time Momoka was the one who was not looking at reality the most. So in the end, when she was the first to say she was running away, she felt an enormous pressure in her heart. She felt like she must carry the weight of responsibility for those 3. That's probably also one of the reasons why it was too hard for her to continue being in the band. But with 「Togenashi Togeari」 (from now referred to as TogeToge) things were different. Nina was also shouldering part of that weight of responsibility. Their relationship in this band is on equal grounds. With TogeToge, Momoka could see a different world compared to when she was in DD.

――On top of that, the members of TogeToge all joined the band of their own free will, that weight of responsibility is pretty different. Hanada: Momoka's time at DD is similar to the story of Takeshi Tomizawa in the manzai duo 「Sandwhichman」. Tomizawa had convinced his friend Mikio Date to become stand-up comedians together. But for 10 years they couldn't make it big, barely surviving on doing part-time and odd jobs. Tomizawa said to Date 「The only way I can apologize to you is by killing myself」. That's the kind of mental state Momoka was in. That weight of responsibility crushing on her was the main reason she felt like she could no longer be in the band.

――Once again, with regards to the band name 「Togenashi Togeari」. How was the name decided? In the anime, Nina saw it by chance on the T-shirt of an audience…

Hanada: Oh there's no deep meaning to it. Just one of the many ideas that we whittle down in meetings.

――The name of their rival band 「Diamond Dust」 is in a way very typical. So TogeToge's name is quite impactful.

Hanada: Not really, at first I thought 「Are we really fine with this name?」. It's going to be the name of the real-life band as well after all. But, when it comes to names of famous bands and manzai duos, having a somewhat random name surprisingly works out well (laughs). We had a lot of different suggestions but, since this is a band that was formed from such a story, we decided this thorny name that stands out is the way to go.

Page 4

「Life does not end after graduation」 , writing about facing society head on

――As for the members of the real-life band, this is the first time they have all voice-acted, I want to ask what are your thoughts on it? Hanada: Sure when it comes to acting itself, a professional with plenty of experience would be better. But the way these girls put their soul into the character, they all have an extraordinary level of passion, as they build on it episode by episode they get better exponentially. Combining both voice acting and band practice, it links to the essence of TogeToge in the anime.

――You gave the example of a family of 5 earlier, the cast members managed to portray it exactly as you said. Hanada: When I first watched Episode 1 「Tokyo Wasshoi」 and Episdoe 2 「Yakousei no Ikimomo sanbiki」, I never expected they could perfectly encapsulate their characters like in Episode 8 「 Moshimo kimi ga naku naraba」. It was truly incredible.

――Were there any scenarios you added to your script from inspirations from the activities of the real-life band? Hanada: No, I try not to. If the real-life band doesn't sell at all like in the anime that would be very troubling (laughs). Nina and the band said 「Even if we aren't making money, we will still move forward!」. So if we were to mix those together would be pretty bad…Like before in the halftime show of the J league.

(referring to the Kawasaki Sprint half-time event Tomo's VA Natsu ran on May 11th, a J1 league match between Kawasaki Frontale and Sapporo Consadole)

The members of TogeToge were on the field cheering on the event. But if it was Nina she would absolutely say 「Why are we doing this! This is not why I'm in this band!」 while her thorns go flying about (laughs). If I do link this to the anime I'll have to spend the rest of my life apologizing to the cast.

――You mentioned on social media that you wanted to write more episodes. I believe it was about Toma and Rupa. Are there any other ideas? Hanada: I wanted their trip to Nagano to be just a little bit longer. Oh and a comedy episode like the first half of Episode 9 「Kaketa Tsukiga Deteita」. Just an episode of them chittering and chattering around would be very funny.

――My impression after all 13 episodes, is it was mostly the drama aspect that's been cramped in with little room for the comedic element. Hanada: Yes that's right. Nina barging into Tomo's house in episode 9 is an example, I thought it'd be nice if we had more chances to include this kind of scene.

――Rupa also kicked down Subaru's door in that episode. I'm surprised that this gag showed such a gap compared to what we usually see of Rupa. In a way she's quite the martial artist, that is one of Rupa's inexplicit settings right. Hanada: Right right, Rupa is extremely strong in a fight. Oh, and she also loves to defeat her opponents by getting them drunk on alcohol. She'll line up glasses of tequila and have a drinking match. She loves the look on her opponent's face when they are passed out drunk.

――She has the impression of someone who's light and drifting, but in reality, when you go against her, she has no openings. On top of that, she is physically strong as well. Kind of like a Final Boss of a video game. Hanada: Speaking of being strong in a fight, for Nina, Rupa is an adult who knows the right kind of fights to take on. Compared to Momoka who surprisingly doesn't. That's why in Episode 11 「Centre of the World」, that concert was the best way to take on a fight against DD. That is how adults should fight is what I'm trying to express.

――In this series, Nina's relationship with her family is a very critical part of the story. How did you structure the story? Hanada: Regarding Nina's family as depicted in Episode 10 「Wandervogel」. Actually, director Sakai requested a big change from the original script. In my script, after Nina talked to her father beyond the sliding door, her father did not come out and send her off. The final scene was her holding the keys to her apartment and a shot of the cut-down branch in the front garden. Like with the ending of Episode 4 「Kansha(Odoroki)」, I had no plans for things to end happily where everyone understands each other. That aspect is still around to a certain degree, but I left some space for others to write. Nina and her father in the end couldn't understand each other, but they both recognize that the only path they can move is forward. Director Sakai is an actual father with children. So as a father, he thought Nina should receive a proper send-off from her father.

――In the very last scene of the anime, the band quits the agency and starts from scratch. Hanada: If the ending was a fully seated Budoukan and they won against DD, the story would just end up like 「Love Live」. I have no plans for a happy ending right from the start. Like Episode 10 we discussed earlier, I don't think any problems can be that easily solved. But even so, one can only move forward. That's the one theme I want this story to be consistent with. So when I thought what's the best way to express such a theme in the ending. I came up with what we have now.

――If you could make a sequel, what sort of stories would you like to include? Previously you mentioned the comedic elements… Hanada: This is just an example I thought of but, Nina gets persuaded by a super ikemen vocalist to heedlessly follow him into his house. But when it seemed like he was about to make a move on her, Nina knocks him out with a tomoe-nage judo throw and runs back home. I can't include bits like this if it was an idol show. So I thought it'd be pretty funny to include it. Oh, and I would love to make more episodes about their daily lives.

――Once again, now that the anime has finished airing. Do you have any response or thoughts about it? Hanada: Of the stories I've written about a group of girls centred around music, all of them are set in high school so the story ends after graduation. But, life does not end at the graduation ceremony. When I thought about it, I gave myself homework of sorts. I must write a story about 「Life Beyond Graduation」. This series has a bit of that in it. 「Beyond Graduation」 is in other words, facing head-on against society. There comes a time when one must face society with nothing to protect you with. So for me, including such a theme in my writing is like stepping into uncharted waters.

――As a whole, this story seems like it is written from the perspective of Nina's coming to terms with society.

Compared to episode 1, Nina has grown a lot by the final episode. For example, if it was the Nina who first came to Tokyo. She would have never accepted their manager Miura lowering her head to DD, asking for help about the band battle. Nina would've been extremely angry about it. But she has come to understand that one needs to compromise with society. Adults have their own complicated situations to deal with too. Mirua's actions are for the benefit of the band and Nina has learned to be grateful about it.

――Lastly, do you have any messages for the fans? Thank you for supporting this story with such a pain-in-the-ass main character (laughs). When I was writing this story, I thought that it would be hard for people to love this girl. But in the end, she has gained so many fans. I'm honestly shocked by it but nonetheless, I am grateful. I wish one day there's another chance for us to meet again somewhere. Please continue to support us.

――Thank you very much!

Part 2 of this interview will be with the cast members

[thechekhov]

If I may, what’s your biggest regret/joy from making this series into what it is? I hate the AUs that are just “The show but everything is exactly the same minus slight differences that don’t amount to anything” so your comic has a deep place in my heart :)

That's an interesting question!

(Though I AM personally fond of AU stories with more fundamental change, I don't particularly feel like the hate towards those 'change a minor thing' AUs is justified. There are many ways those stories can be very engaging! They're different for sure, but they, too, have value!)

I think my biggest joy has been the fact that I'm able to continue the comic.

It's my largest project by far and I've had a lot of growth because of it! Drawing over 200 episodes that's kinda inevitable but regardless, I'm grateful for the circumstances which have allowed me to keep it going. For the readers, for the luck I've had in my job, and for my partner's support!

My biggest regret is.... honestly nothing?

I could say I regret not taking this comic more seriously from the beginning.... but it was the casual nature of Season 1 that allowed me to keep it running in the first place! If I had been trying for season 3-4 art from the beginning, I would have probably burned out and quit much earlier!

I could say I regret small changes here and there, but again - all my previous decisions have made the comic into what it is today! All my choices have compounded into the story's current arc.

What I DO regret is...... because I now have to juggle my IRL job and my comic and GMing, I have very little time for anything else.

I also regret that this workload makes me an even grumpier person than I am naturally, and sometimes I just don't have the patience to present myself in a PR-positive light. I grow frustrated with readers who assume I have more time than I do, and I get annoyed by those who expect me to perform customer service work and answer questions (which are in the FAQ). I know it isn't their fault, and I KNOW I should appreciate their curiosity... but being tired all the time means I sometimes cannot react reasonably to answering the same question 100 times.

And it's hard! It's hard to have to be the 'face' of a comic and be expected to interact with everyone with an everlasting smile, even when I'm bone tired. I'm not even a social person by nature! I don't want to be a public figure. I don't need people to idolize me. I just wanna draw.

But that's less of a comic regret and more just a general regret of not realizing that this is a part of my 'job' now.

I wish all the other artists that use tumblr or twitter or any of those other sites a very 'you do NOT have to wear the Social Media Personality hat'.

anyway............the point is............ it's mostly joy! No real regrets about the comic itself.

[atiny-for-life]

Creative Spotlight #5: Choi San

Masterlist

Intro: With so many new Atinys coming in, I figured now would be a good time to shed some light on all the boys' creative solo projects over the years, big and small.

ASMR

Like Seonghwa, San also tried his hand at ASMR and appeared twice on M2's Tingle Interview series. Once with Wooyoung in 2020 (San did great and Wooyoung was just confused af by what they were asking him to do - it's hilarious):

And once with Yunho in 2021 (Yunho did a lot better than Wooyoung - he seemed to actually know what he was getting himself into):

The Sanchelin Guide

Like the others, San launched his own series in 2020 and his is all about "critiquing" restaurants (really, it's just him giving anime girl reactions in a voice over while we watch him eat - it's fantastic):

Episode 2 was released shortly after the first, with Episode 3 following in early 2021 and Episode 4 in mid-2022, marking the latest addition to the series.

Cover Songs

San posted his first cover song to Ateez's channel last year.

Lee Hi's Breathe suits his voice incredibly well, going from sweet and soft to powerful high notes. It's a deeply emotional song with a backstory that was shared in the comments by a YouTube user:

Transcript:

nikki6030: He covered a song which is rather a very emotional song if you have been in Kpop for long… it was a song composed by SHINee Jonghyun (RIP my angel) for Lee Hi who suffered from panic disorder and breathing difficulty… Lee Hi sang this song once again after Jonghyun’s departure and made everyone cry… this song is just that special & San’s beautiful vocal reminded me of Jonghyun… and how idols struggle and feel being the public’s entertainment…. Let’s spread Love!!

2 months ago, San and Jongho collaborated on a cover of IU's Dear Name:

From songs like Turbulence, we already knew their voices sound breathtaking together, but this cover really highlights all aspects in which they mesh well. At 4:05, when the song builds, my heart stops until San comes in and they both harmonize - it's such a gorgeous cover.

Pentatonix Collab

Many don't seem to know this, but two years ago, Yunho, San, and Jongho were featured on a Pentatonix song called A Little Space which even included a Korean verse:

Imitation Soundtrack

Like Yunho, Seonghwa, and Jongho, San was part of the Imitation cast and, within the show-verse, part of the group Sparkling, together with Seonghwa and Yunho.

Since this is the third post on which I'm posting a Diamond performance, here's a fun fact for those who haven't watched the show (yet): going by the show's canon, Jongho's group, Shax, debuted prior to Sparkling so they had the running joke on set that Jongho needed to be addressed formally by the other three since he was their senior. Good times.

Dancing

8 months ago, San's dance performance to Imagine Dragons' Warriors was released, featuring a choreography San, BBtrippin, and TARZAN collaborated on:

It's got everything you'd expect from San-level quality in a performance: controlled power, facial expression, palpable emotion - it's gripping, it's stunning, and the camera work, costumes, lighting and editing are only enhance it all the more. We even get a touch of CGI to bring it all together and make it look as grand as it feels:

[catientie]

LIFE ON THE STREET ➜ ANGEL DESTROYED TRACKLIST!

TRACK 001 — intro: 777 (1:22) ⤷ SONG INSPOS ➜ url, ARTMS / The Less I Know The Better, Tame Impala / Purple Rain, Prince.

TRACK 002 — Angel Destroyed (3:29) ⤷ SONG INSPOS ➜ Virtual Angel, ARTMS / ICONIC, aespa / Midnight Flower, tripleS.

TRACK 003 — XTRA (2:56) ⤷ SONG INSPOS ➜ BOOM, NMIXX / My World, ILLIT / Spicy, aespa.

TRACK 004 — Something To Sing Together (5:53) ⤷ SONG INSPOS ➜ Mirage, Orion Sun / Chewing Gum, Blood Orange & A$AP Rocky (Project Pat) / Pink Matter, Frank Ocean & André 3000.

TRACK 005 — A Day That I Learned About Freedom & Ego (4:21) ⤷ SONG INSPOS ➜ Bug Like An Angel, Mitski / Waiting Room, Phoebe Bridgers / Six Feet Under, Billie Eilish.

TRACK 006 — Bad Boy, Sad Girl [ft. Toya of VBS] (2:56) ⤷ OG. Bad Boy, Sad Girl, SEULGI (ft. BE’O).

TRACK 007 — felt like paradise (2:43) ⤷ SONG INSPOS ➜ Turn it up, PinkPanthress / charm, Yazida / big ballin, lil hero.

TRACK 008 — HEAVEN (2:24) ⤷ SONG INSPOS ➜ Every Summertime, NIKI / The Weekend, BIBI & 88rising / the one exists in my memories, dosii.

TRACK 009 — interlude: déjà vu (1:11) ⤷ OG. déja vu, Yazida.

TRACK 010 — Where Did We Come From? [Ft. Airi of MMJ] (3:36) ⤷ SONG INSPOS ➜ This Is What Makes Us Girls, Lana Del Rey / Juna, Clairo / pretty isn’t pretty, Olivia Rodrigo.

TRACK 011 — She’s So Pretty! [Can I Compete?] (3:12) ⤷ SONG INSPOS ➜ Something Kinda Crazy, Red Velvet / Talk talk, Charli xcx / Love Me Back, fromis_9.

TRACK 012 — On A Blue Moon (2:31) ⤷ SONG INSPOS ➜ Better In The Dark, TV Girl & Jordana / supermarket, carwash / High, Cafuné.

TRACK 013 — DAYDREAMING (3:20) ⤷ SONG INSPOS ➜ BROKEN, SUMIN / Kingdom Come, Red Velvet / Me Myself and I, Beyoncé.

TRACK 014 — outro: love is pain (2:29) ⤷ SONG INSPOS ➜ One Of These Nights, Red Velvet / Doughnut, TWICE / Cherries Jublies, YUKIKA.

SYNOPSIS. after your successful comeback as a soloist with your album called “angel destroyed”, your sudden fame rose and landed you a contract with the most famous japanese idol company called project sekai entertainment. not to long after, a rampage on idoltwt involving with you and vivid bad squad member akito shinonome after he mentioned you in his live. unknown to him, this led to massive changes to your new and upcoming relationships with him.

TAGLIST ➜ @lampiridaes @hpd--ena @finanah @totallynot-alex @mybelovedakito @akitosheart @sillynene-13 @quikhs @limelim3 @luhvashh @stellas-starry-stories13

NOTES ➜ this is such a filler episode (and made for entertainment purposes) but it will benefit for this series, I PROMISE (i think!!). i am proud to say that i am working on the chapters before college starts on september!!!! so hopefully i’ll get something out for you guys <3 PT.2 i also wanted to flex my music taste 😖😖

CATIENTIE. any acts of plagiarism, tracing or translation is strictly prohibited on any other platforms.

[papaya2000s]

The History of Korean Girl Groups' evolution over time - Before Liberation to Girls Generation (SNSD) -> Part 4

The way i am explaining the History of Girl Groups' may be a bit confusing again, as this project is still ongoing as I'm writing this, and I hope this will make sense. :) <3

In my previous post, I discussed the training of Kisaeng's before and during the Japanese colonial period, which eventually led to the formation of the first girl group in Korea. In this post, I will explore the activities of Kisaeng's after they completed their training.

How Kisaeng influenced the Entertainment Industry

Prior to delving deeper into Girl Groups, it is important to discuss the venues where their performances took place, as this marked the beginning of the transition from groups of girls performing to the emergence of Girl Groups. Furthermore, it is worth noting that the manner in which they performed has also evolved over time.

Group picture of IVE on stage. An example of a Girl Group on stage.

Numerous Kpop enthusiasts are familiar with the venues where their beloved idol groups and soloists showcase their talents weekly, providing the option to witness the performances either in person or through online streaming.

Watching live performances of idols has evolved significantly over time, influenced not only by technological advancements but also by the desire of many fans to witness their favourite artists in person. Personally, I have had the privilege of attending live shows of some of my favourite artists, and the experience is truly unparalleled.

Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938 (2023) Episode 3 He said "A Mermaid". The song this is being played above is called Love Song by Kei if anyone wants to know.

The landscape of watching idols perform live, whether on grand stages, through busking, or at intimate venues, had transformed with the debut of new acts and the annual comebacks of of established groups and soloists.

Various music programs such as Inkigayo, Music Bank, Show! Music Core, M Countdown, Show Champion and the The Show continue top provide platforms for artists to showcase their talents. With each broadcasting company having its own show aired on different channels, the opportunities to witness live performances are abundant and divers.

I won't be addressing shows that are still on air or those that have already ended, as they are not relevant at this time.

The origin of the all-round were Kisaeng's

Kisaeng, the predecessors of today's celebrities, were known for their immense talent and ability to create scandals, which contributed to their enduring popularity. Despite their fame, Kisaeng always had retirement in mind, seeking a stable life and striving to expand their own influence, much like a multiplayer in a game. A prime example of this can be seen in their success as record singers, appearing in movies, and even making appearances on Gyeongseong radio broadcasts.

However, Kisaeng were also very protective of their private lives and would go to great lengths to maintain their beauty. During that time, magazines and newspapers treated them as modern pop stars rather than objects of feudal overthrow, highlighting their status in the entertainment industry.

During this era, Kisaeng belonging to Gwonbeon, a specific class, were prominently featured on radio music broadcasts. Some even recorded gramophone records, propelling them to become popular singers.

Fashion world embraces Korean style - Choi Eu-don and Im Sang-kyun. While the two names may not be familiar in Korean fashion circles, these designers are proving their potential in the larger landscape of the international fashion world.

Early movies also revolved around Kisaeng stars, showcasing their entertainment skills in various exhibitions and fairs. This responsibility fell upon Kisaengs from different classes. A clear illustration of their attempt to showcase themselves as a specialty of Joseon can be seen in their participation in the Paris World Exposition in 1900.

If anyone is wondering what the Paris World Exposition is, its a world's fair, its a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a period of time, typically between three and six months.

An advertisement poster for the exhibition. Chōsen Industrial Exhibition (朝鮮物産共進会) was a colonial fair held in 1915 to mark the 5th anniversary of the establishment of Japanese Korea, and was the first official event of the new government. It was held in Keijō (Seoul) at Gyeongbokgung. Source Link - 1915 Seoul Exhibition

This event highlighted the significance of Kisaeng in the entertainment industry and their efforts to establish themselves as a unique aspect of Korean culture.

In my opinion this reminds me of how modern-day Kpop idols nowadays do modelling/acting in commercials, movies and series/being brand ambassadors and attend fashion events like Paris Fashion Week representing there country(s).

Kisaeng busking near Subway Stations

In the early days of the Gyeongin Railway, the company faced difficulties attracting passengers due to low customer numbers. To tackle this issue, they resorted to placing signs with the names of Kisaeng at major stations and organizing live performances to entice people to ride the trains. Moreover, Kisaeng themselves would travel in each train car, going between the departure and destination stations to further attract passengers.

Fusan railway station circa 1920-1930s. *Fusan also known as Busan. This article is about two foreign travellers in the 1920-30s that used the train while in Korea under the Japanese colonial period one being about a woman, Audrey Harris, a British travel writer who travelled by train from Antung (Dandong (단동;丹東), a Chinese city on the Yalu River, to Seoul, and John Patric an American and traveling to Seoul but got on the wrong train. I would give it a read as being able to read the perspective of two foreigners that visited Korean in the 1920-30s experienced while there.

During the Japanese colonial period, Kisaeng played a significant role in advertising, especially for beauty-related products. Their image as advertising models held great importance in quickly conveying messages. They were considered a social class that met the necessary criteria, and their presence in newspaper ads, magazines, event posters, and wave perms was widespread.

Before the perception of Kisaeng changed, they were seen as glamorous figures, similar to today's celebrities, with their beauty, singing, dancing, and intriguing life stories becoming popular topics of public discussion. They were trendsetters in terms of beauty, fashion, and makeup, surpassing ordinary women and being recognized as equivalent to today's female celebrities.

Pyongyang famous writer Kim Ok-ran's (김옥란) Ondan advertising poster. In Korean - 평양명기 김옥란의 은단 광고 포스터

It's evident that regular women in Joseon were envious of these individuals and desired to imitate them, which advertising agencies quickly picked up on. Initially, print ads didn't include photos, but models soon started appearing in ads during the 1920s and 1930s. By examining the products they endorsed, we can gain an understanding of the perception of Kisaeng that prevailed among the public at that time.

Kisaeng who worked as advertising models

Advertisements inspired by Kisaeng have a striking resemblance to today's marketing tactics. In the modern era, brands often choose female celebrities who perfectly embody their product image, even if it means paying a premium. One example of being worthy of being the best advertising model was the ‘Ulzzang Kisaeng’(얼짱 기생) Jang Yeon-hong (장연홍).

Jang Yeon-hong, a member of the Pyongyang Kwon clan, displayed her beauty and musical talents in the Changan region during the 1930s.

Jang Yeon-hong's photo, says, "With just one or two coats, rough spots, gaps, and wrinkles disappear like a dream, and the makeup is so dazzling that it suits anyone's skin."

The Yeocheon cosmetic beauty is expertly crafted to make you appear younger, with the advertising message creating a direct and personal connection by implying a whisper from a clean and pure image. The use of models like Jang Yeon-hong and other popular Kisaeng's such as Kim Young-wol (김영월) and Kim Hwa-jung-seon (김화중선), along with phrases like "My favourite non-activated soap," further reinforces the idea that the models themselves use the product, leading to envy and admiration for their flawless skin.

Kim Young-Wol's soap advertisement. I couldn't find any information about Kim Young-Wol only that she was maybe had the role of being dong Composition and arrangement for Kim Chun-Hee's (김춘희) song "Bouquet of  hopelessness" and that she belonged to the Dongrae Association in 1918 with many other famous Kisaeng's.

The Mihwal Soap advertisement cleverly taps into the desire for youthful beauty, with the gisaeng models symbolizing the ideal of pure white skin that was highly coveted during that era.

By associating the soap with these renowned beauties, the ad effectively communicates the message that using the product can help achieve the same level of beauty and radiance that was admired by all women at the time.

Hair ad star that looks like Jeon Ji-Hyun (전지현)

I couldn't find anything in Jeon Ji-Hyun (전지현), if someone finds something about her pleas tell me.

Who was Noh Eun-hong (노은홍;盧銀紅)?

Limited information is available about her, aside from the songs she performed with Kang Hong-sik during the Japanese colonial period, such as "Customer in the Wilderness" (孤客) and "Purification." (情花). These songs were popular at the time and were released on Columbia Records in Japan, with some recorded in collaboration with the Columbia Orchestra.

Kang Hong-sik (강홍식;姜弘植), also known as Kang Jin-hun (강진훈;姜秦薰), was a theatre actor in the 1930s who worked as an exclusive singer for Columbia. Born in 1907 or 1902 in Pyongyang, he passed away in 1971. He recorded new folk songs like “Joseon Taryeong” and “The Long Dawn Is Coming” during the Japanese colonial period. Kang Hong-sik mainly sang new folk songs composed by Jeon Ki-hyeon (전기현;全基玹), as mentioned in [Samcheonri] (1935). He was known for his work as a theatre actor and exclusive singer for Columbia, leaving a mark in the music industry during the 1930s.

The Kisaeng's exquisite beauty was not the only thing that caught people's attention, but also their lustrous hair, which became a focal point in advertisements. Noh Eun-hong (노은홍;盧銀紅), the model for the 'Hwawang Shampoo' advertisement, revealed her secret to achieving gorgeous hair with the Hwawang Shampoo.

The advertisement boasted that using this shampoo for just a week would not only uplift your spirits but also give your hair a radiant glow.

During the 1920s and 1930s, women relied on a limited range of cosmetics for their beauty needs. These included camellia oil, white powder, and rouge. Camellia oil, primarily used as a hair oil, was particularly important as it provided moisture without causing dryness. It played a crucial role in styling and maintaining long hair, eventually leading to the development of branded shampoos.

In the advertising landscape of that era, beauty-related product advertisements often featured popular Kisaengs. These advertisements predominantly showcased upper body or close-up photos that highlighted the face. The Kisaengs were dressed in hanboks and had their hair styled in a one-parted ponytail, even in shampoo commercials that aimed to emphasize silky hair.

Noh Eun-hong, a Pyongyang gisaeng who advertised Japanese Hwawang Shampoo (「Dong-A Ilbo」, August 14, 1935, advertisement). In Korean - 일본 화왕삼푸 광고를 한 평양기생 노은홍(「동아일보」 1935.8.14. 광고)

During that time, the Gwonbeon Kisaengs were actively involved in various fields such as broadcasting, music, movies, advertisements, and event assistance, much like today's celebrities. Kwon Beon played a role similar to that of a modern entertainment agency or manager.

Moreover, the Kisaengs were required to obtain a 'Kisaeng Business License' from the authorities, which can be compared to today's 'individual business registration certificate'. The similarities between the Gwonbeon Kisaeng's and today's celebrities are numerous, as Gwonbeon represented the artistic talents of the Kisaeng's who entertained through laughter and arts, dividing the profits in a 7:3 ratio.

During that era, Gwonbeon's Kisaeng's were easily found as models for both oriental and western paintings in art colleges. It is even said that when Idang Kim Eun-ho (김은호) painted the portrait of Chunhyang for the Chunhyang Shrine in Gwanghallu, Namwon in 1939, he used Kim Myeong-ae (김명애), a Kisaeng who had been associated with Gwonbeon during the Joseon Dynasty, as his model.

The portrait of Chunhyang

Kim Eun-ho (김은호;金殷鎬), a renowned painter, was born on June 24, 1892, during the 29th year of King Gojong's reign. He passed away on February 7, 1979. Notably, Kim Eun-ho's artistic talent flourished during the Japanese colonial period, where he created notable works such as 'Golden Tea Bonnapdo' and 'Chunhyangsang'.

During his early years, Kim Eun-ho pursued a short-term surveying course at Inheung School in 1908. To support himself, he worked as a surveyor's assistant in Seoul and also engaged in copying old books at Yeongpoong Seogwan. In 1912, he joined the Gyeongseong Calligraphy and Painting Art Society as a second-generation student, graduating from the Painting Department in 1915 and the Calligraphy Department in 1917.

Notably, he painted portraits of prominent figures like Song Byeong-jun (宋秉畯) and Yoon Deok-yeong (尹德榮), as well as full-body seated statues of Choi Je-woo (崔濟愚) and Choi Si-hyeong (崔時亨) from Donghak(東學). After his graduation, Kim Eun-ho actively participated in the Joseon Calligraphy and Painting Association, which was established in 1918. However, during the March 1st Movement in 1919, he was arrested for distributing the 'Independence Newspaper' and served a five-month prison sentence, as he was a Pro-Japanese and anti-nationalist.

The portrait of Chunhyang for the Chunhyang Shrine in Gwanghallu.

There are three portraits of Chunhyang displayed at the Namwon Folk Museum in Eohyeon-dong, Namwon-si, Jeollabuk-do. The first portrait, created by artist Kang Ju-su in 1931, was made during the construction of the Chunhyang Shrine.

In 1939, the first painting by Idang Kim Eun-ho was donated by Hyun Jun-ho and placed in the museum. Unfortunately, the Portrait of Chunhyang was damaged during the Korean War, but it was later restored by Idang Kim Eun-ho in 1961. This restored version was donated by General Song Yo-chan, who was the head of the cabinet at the time, and it remains enshrined at the museum. The original copy of the portrait is preserved at the Namwon City Museum.

Characteristics of the portrait of Chunhyang

The Portrait of Chunhyang embodies the ideal of beauty for Korean women and aims to depict a historical female figure. Kang Ju-su from Jinju crafted this unique piece in 1939, with the collaboration of archaeologists, sculptors, cultural historians, and directors. Kim Eun-ho utilized the Joseon gisaeng Kim Myeong-ae as a model to create a lifelike representation.

This artwork not only serves as a symbol of Korean femininity but also showcases the collective effort of various professionals in its creation. The Portrait of Chunhyang stands out for its meticulous attention to detail and historical accuracy, making it a significant cultural artifact in Korean history.

[sillyname30]

I just listened to the latest episode of and that's what you really missed on Glee. As always the guest episode are so much better than the recaps.

Samuel auditioned for Sam and got invited to be part of The Glee Project later. First he didn't want to do it, because he was on American Idol. But then he changed his mind and used his experience for his advantage. He was just good enough to get through, but not so good that he couldn't give them more when they asked for it. (I couldn't do that. I would totally panick. I'm impressed that with just 19 years old he had a strategy and the focus pull that off.)

It was good to have Damian there when he started on Glee. Samuel was just so happy to be there. He felt that he had an important message with his storyline. (God squad). But he was frustated that he never had a solo. (He has a point. The other 3 – Lindsay, Damian, Alex – all had solos.)

In season 4 he was just there. He wasn't that important. He was just rounding up the classroom.

Being on Glee helped him mostly, but it hurt him as well. There were times when people wanted him for a movie or something and they're like „yeah, but you're on Glee.“

For every new guy that came in Cory was just the best. He would take him to lunch. It was really easy to feel welcome with him. Samuel could tell Cory was paying him exta attention to make him feel welcome. That was huge for him. And he saw Cory do it with others as well. (Jenna and Kevin were so caught up in their own drama that they didn't even notice what Cory was doing.)

[feuqueerfire]

GMMTV 2024 Part 2 Showcase

GMMTV 2024 Part 1 Reaction

April 23, 2024

When I watched Part 1 I was barely into series and watched certain trailers that I thought might be interesting but this time I'm planning on watching it live and am so into watching shows again.

The actors I'm actively following right now are Fourth and Gemini, along with some Phuwin (and by extension PondPhuwin) but none of them are getting ship work. So I'm mostly just gonna be there for the stories and concepts we get (though I'm curious about the GemPrim series and what Fourth is gonna be in). I hope I'm really excited by some concept (like The Warp Effect) or a cast/ship (like a surprise one).

Anticipation Ranking:

My Top 3:

The Heart Killers (BL) [omg KhaoFirst (and Joongdunk) in a show directed by Jojo where they commit crimes and possibly are there for nefarious reasons etc]

The Ex-Morning (BL) [KristSingto + exes-to-lovers ahhhhh]

US (GL) [it seems so moody and angsty and I love Emi's face]

Okay I lied it's Top 4:

Thame-Po (BL) [love a celebrity/idol romance and the trailer is so good and also I'm suddenly invested in William/Est]

Interested, will watch if it turns out well:

Hide & Sis (ensemble, women-focus, by Snap25, dark)

Revamp (BL) [hope they do the supernatural aspect well]

The Dark Dice (ensemble) [Alice in Wonderland vibes, hope it's done well]

Only if they get glowing reviews:

Ossan's Love TH (BL)

Friendshit Forever (messy - 2 pairs)

Break-Up Service

Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist (BL)

Not Really Interested:

Leap Day

Perfect 10 Liners (BL)

Scarlet Heart TH

Trailer-by-trailer thoughts below the cut.

Ended up waking up at 5:30am while the live started at 6:20am and the first trailer released at 6:35am lol

It’s fine tho bc my semester is over, i was afraid it’d happen before im done my exam or worse, on exam day.

Oh, Yfind project which looks for plots for novels and series? and some fandom name in Thailand?

Title: Ossan’s Life trailer

Pair: Earth/Mix

Did I know about this? Yes

Thoughts: omg? I didn’t realize Earth is the one who’s being pursued by Mix and the boss character, I thought it’d be Mix! this is fun. oh, putting on someone’s shoe scene. I finally know what the show is about because of The Conversation Podcast’s episode on it yesterday and this seems in line with the Japanese version. Very comedic, so we’ll see how it goes.

Title: Leap Day

Pair: Dew/Pahn, Pond & Gun

Did I know about this? No

Thoughts: Could be interesting but I’m not super into it yet because it doesn’t seem super developed yet beyond the concept of “people around them die.”

Title: The Heart Killers

Pair: Khao/First, Joong/Dunk

Did I know about this? Yes, specifically some sort of KhaoFirst series directed by Joni

Thoughts: I’M SO EXCITED! I was watching the whole trailer while intrigued and giggling. It’s definitely something I want from KhaoFirst, something a little risqué and has some actual plot while it’s different from anything JoongDunk have done so far, so i’d be curious to see how it goes. I hope the actual plot ends up good ahh. I’ll try not to get too attached to the mock trailer bc things will probably be different but I really like it. The song was covered in My School President but the vibe is different here.

After Rewatch: I definitely understood more after the rewatch because on my first watch I was so excited that I definitely missed some scenes and dialogue there loll I'm soooo excited for criminal killer brothers Khao and Joong, tattooist First who is trying to get dirt on them to clear his own car debt record, and Dunk who has been unleashed upon Joong to distract him from KhaoFirst in exchange for a car. KhaoFirst were my pull when I first watched it and they still are because I fucking love to see them on screen but I definitely got the JoongDunk thing more in this watch. Love to see Dunk be wild (kissing Joong when he's threatening him etc) and bold and actually take action this time while Joong is the one who is evasive, a different dynamic than their usuals. I... will try to enjoy this one regardless of plot to be honest lol because people were like meh on the Only Friends storyline. I think it'll help knowing that it's a Romcom with a side of drama rather than an assassin/crime plot with side of romance. I'm also not looking forward to KhaoFirst and JoongDunk's fandoms possibly fighting based on like screentime/acting prowess/"better treatment" and favouritsm/etc. but hopefully it'll turn out okay. I actually don't mind that KhaoFirst got a 2-pair main lead instead of a solo pair show because the pairs seem very connected with each other. Seems like it's inspired by Taming of the Shrew and 10 Things I Hate About You rather than a novel. I wonder if I should watch 10TIHAY just to see what references and such they put in.

A few hours later and I just watched 10 Things I Hate About You lol I get the "date my older brother so that we can date" thing now. I suppose Dunk's character is the "wild" character who can handle his brother Joong's character.

Title: Friendshit Forever

Pair: messy

Did I know about this? No

Thoughts: Mook and Pat and New and Boun. It Could be good but idk if i’ll watch it. Pat playing a character who is a shitty friend, a la PSIHY. Title reminds me of Dead Friend Forever. I will say the best part of the trailer was the first few seconds when I was wondering if we’d get a Pat/Mook GL.

Title: Perfect 10 Liners

Pair: Force/Book, Perth/Chimon, girl too many

Did I know about this? No

Thoughts: It could be good but I don’t care about any of the actors or pairings in this. PerthChimon were the most intriguing in this though, I liked the parallel on”Are you dating anyone?” Directed by New Siwat, yeah dunno about this one tbh. bruh so many people on stage, were they all actually there in the trailer? There are a bunch of side BL couples in addition to the main 3? crazy fr. and they couldn’t throw in a side GL either?

Apparently this is gonna be 30 eps with 10 eps each of ForceBook, MarkJunior, and PerthChimon... gonna take months and months to air fr, meaning stuff could have to wait while this show keeps airing... agh. or maybe this could prevent another rerun so who knows.

Title: Us

Pair: gorgeous girls who i don’t know the names of. Emi/Bonnie

Did I know about this? I knew about a possible Emi/Bonnie GL but I didn’t know who they were. hm Us, did we expect this novel as well, I vaguely remember having seen this novel rumored to be a series.

Thoughts: GL? These GLs being about your brother/sister’s girlfriends. omg she’s the one pairing the postcards? ahhh GL KISS IN TRAILER! Oh I’m excited and also love the short haired girl’s face sooooo much. Another melodramatic GL a la Pluto, I’m looking forward to it! Is this by the same author as GAP/Pluto/Blank? People always mention how problematic her novels are and somebody mentioned they don’t like the source material for this show either but I love a little problematic romance, so we shall see. Fon is the director.

After Rewatch: Went to MDL to double-check that the girl with cropped hair is Emi (she is! beautiful!) and the rights to this were brought like 2 years ago or what? Over a year ago at least since the comments have been waiting for announcement since then. Dang the acquirement rumour was on r/GMMTV back in February last year, so I probably saw it back then. The plot is quite straightforward, seems like it's focused way more on interpersonal relationships. Love the moody, indie nature of the angsty scenes but then they're so charming and bright when they're like happy and together! Also very happy to see like passionate kissing and romantic physical affection between the women even in the trailer, I'm hoping they have great romantic chemistry in the show. Doubt we'll get this one before 2025 though since it's directed by P'Fon and she's directing High School Frenemy right now and also has Scarlet Heart TH to do. I doubt GMMTV would air 3 GLs in a year already lol, so I'm hoping at least Pluto comes out this year and US is one of the first things out last year at the latest.

Title: Hide & Sis

Pair: ensemble and messy, focused on sisters

Did I know about this? No

Thoughts: PSIHY flashbacks. Snap25 is in charge of this, which makes sense. Very vibey, eerie, hope it’s good. Focus on morally corrupt women and sisters yay. Pepper/Lookjun are dating IRL right? hehe cute

Title: Thame Po | Heart That Skips A Beat

Pair: Est/William

Did I know about this? That there is expected to be an EstWilliam

Thoughts: Oh, a BL? So many GMMTV people who I don’t know these days. Another idol BL similar to Only Boo but more mature ig? Is this EstWilliam? I’ve seen so many people excited for their BL but idk their faces lol. It’s a Parbdee project? Exciting. I like the vibes of it. I hope they do the celebrity/commoner aspect well, I like an idol romance in theory (and in fic lol) but I don't think I've yet watched one that I've enjoyed.

After Rewatch: I randomly started seeing Est and William posts start popping up on r/GMMTV a few weeks ago and then this master thread was created for it as well. I didn't know who they were (apparently a LYKN boy and a new GMMTV actor with side roles in the past) so I was just mildly curious but it's fun that this came true. When the trailer first started, I didn't know this guy was Est, so I was like oh nooo I don't wanna watch a show about not being able to find jobs and being a loser or something lol but seems like he finds his gig early enough into the show. The trailer is even better on the 2nd watch when I know what's going on lol. The background music really suits it, it stood out to be during the first watch as well. The trailer is 4 minutes and seems fairly fleshed out, I wonder... if we can hope that it's one of the first ones to film from the 2nd half? It's done by Parbdee who have a few projects this year but the director is Mui Aticha who doesn't have anything else lined up for the year since Beauty Newbie? So maybe she can work on this soon? Crazy resume though, The Gifted, F4, Girl From Nowhere, etc. I wonder how she'll do with this one though since it's a more grounded romance like Beauty Newbie (which didn't receive good feedback rip).

Thame is William and Po is Est and from the characters + how people referred to them during the conference after the trailer, seems like they're going for WilliamEst? Interesting because everybody on the subreddit was just reading calling them EstWilliam lol I enjoy them switching it up a bit to play with expectations and cast based on the characters rather than which order people think the people themselves should be. WilliamEstWilliam would've been fun too. The next day and Est has posted pictures with #WilliamEst. Funny to have William-Williamer-Williamest.

I hope the mood and vibe of it being calmer and romantic and the drama from the celebrity idol life remains true, I don't want it to become more light-hearted and comedic, nor do I want it to become Extra Angsty or anything.

Also, it's such a fascinating yet baffling choice to me to have LYKN star as Mars. You're going to have your own boy group act as the group that's getting broken up by their company and who some company exec calls "losers" except the one guy who's gonna debut in Korea? And also, it's gonna show how not being able to date or come out sucks but it's not like GMMTV is gonna change that for LYKN like group, only for Mars the fictional band in the show lol. and fans wouldn't like it if William has a partner other than Est either. hilarious idk

Side note but every time I think of the title Thame-Po, I think of the song Thaam Lo even though the pronunciation isn't the same.

WilliamEst ship: Okay it's the night of the 24th, so it's been like a day but I'm quite into the ship itself idkkk man, I get why people on the gmmtv sub were going crazy about them for the past month. The thing is they're like so shy on stage when talking about the show omg, I enjoy seeing a ship being shy and unsure when first introduced to the public and they haven't quite figured out how to work everything out yet, it's cute. I also have learned that William is a 05 liner while Est is 01 and I need them to have the same age gap in the show pleaseee, I love a younger pursuer character for real. I know Thame calls Po Phi in the trailer though, so we know William plays a younger character at least

Title: Break-Up Service

Pair: Off/Jorin

Did I know about this? No

Thoughts: Fun concept, I’ll wait to hear if it’s good before I watch.

Title: Revamp: The Undead Story

Pair: Boun/Prem

Did I know about this? Yes

Thoughts: Ah, trailer for the BounPrem vampire story and it seems more serious and sinister than the campy nature of the other vampire BL: Golden Blood. Kinda reminds me of Midnight Museum actually. It looks good, I’ll probably give it a watch.

Title: Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist

Pair: Mark/Ohm

Did I know about this? Yes (Mark was hinting at it)

Thoughts: Two BLs back to back? Uni BL with dentistry student Mark based on Jittitain novel. It’s not super intriguing based on the more exciting stories but I need a good easy-watching, cute, uni BL once in a while in between he heavier hits. So this could be that. The trailer just seems long-winded

Title: The Dark Dice

Pair: Gemini/Prim

Did I know about this? Yes

Thoughts: Ohh kinda reminds me of The Gifted and the trailer for Enigma. A high school show about them trapped in some game. Wish there were more girls in the cast though. Less romantic than I thought. I hope it’s good and not like Homeschool which has a Very Good trailer but didn’t get good reviews.

Title: The Ex-Morning

Pair: Krist/Singto

Did I know about this? Yes, KS were shooting mock trailer with P’Lit

Thoughts: girl I was already like hehe KristSingto as expected BUT THEY ATE EXES!!!!! I love exes-to-lovers and it’s kinda funny since it parallels their ship work. huhhh wtf was that random ass car accident? hah I’m excited for this too. We knew the director is P’Lit who directed SOTUS.

After Rewatch: I thought it parallels KS's journey of Singto leaving GMMTV then him coming back and doing a BL with Krist again (kinda of exes-to-lovers if you squint) while the guy-fucks-up-and-is-crucified-on-the-internet could be parallel Krist's journey and turns out P'Aof wrote the script based on Krist Singto themselves, that's wild. The university days drinking pink milk really gives me a visceral reaction. I LOVE the look on Krist's face when he looks back at Singto in the towel and then quickly turns have his face like O.O it's very cute, I giggled the first time too. They seem to show stuff toward the end like with Krist winning the award again and Singto deciding to leave and also this random ass accident (seems like people are trying to kill Krist? What with the random motorcycle guy as well). I don't tend to like too much info in a trailer (over 4 minutes?!) but maybe if it means that we'll get it as one of the earlier part 2 shows because the script is written, I'll take it. I don't know if that's the case though because Aof is overseeing/scriptwriting and he's a busy man (though Director Lit doesn't have other shows I don't think)

Title: Scarlet Heart Thailand

Pair: Tu and ?Win?

Did I know about this? no

Thoughts: Not really a trailer, as they sometimes arent with these remakes. Scot’s are all pretty big hitters, especially Tu and Win, along with some people I’m looking forward to like Fourth, Phuwin, Tay, Nanon. Directed by Fon. I don’t know what this show is about at all though.

Expectations: based on rumours I've seen mostly

GemPrim: Yes

KhaoFirst: Yes

MarkOhm: Yes

EstWilliam: Yes

KristSingto: Yes

a GL: Yes

BounPrem and Wabi Sabi updates: Yes

I'm hoping for a large ensemble cast show centering women (PSIHY and Ploy’s Yearbook to a lesser extent, both by Snap25) or some mystery/sff (Homeschool, Gifted): Yes

My expectations were basic and based on some very well-believed rumours, so I'm not surprised they're correct.

Actor Attendance

Observations:

Interesting to go from watching The Warp Effect where I knew pretty much everybody to these trailers where there are so many people whom I don’t know, including main actors for BLs and GLs (Est/William, Emi/Bonnie). Good chance to get to know them if the shows turn out well though!

On that note, it's always interesting when they choose completely new ships to be the main couple of a show, again like Us and Thame-Po. This also means a lot of the familiar main or side BL couples are in ensemble shows like Perfect 10 Liners (there were so many people in that, I couldn't even keep track of them all).

High School: 1

University: 2

Non-School: 10 (or 11 with Ossan's Love)

Very few school shows comparatively, just 3/13, less than a quarter. That's exciting, I'm especially glad that being out of school doesn't just mean office worker shows lol

The puns never end: Friendshit, Revamped, Hide & Sis, Thame-Po (Tempo - 50% pun), The Ex-Morning. Hilarious that there are more shows with puns in their names than school shows.

Overall:

More shows grabbed my interest in this round I think. It seems like a more somber/serious set of trailers than part 1, which is cool.

Also, most of the trailers seem well-made, not necessarily in terms of story because they don't have full plots and stories yet, but in terms of production/quality.

I just hope the scriptwriting for these shows are strong, especially because they're dealing with interesting concepts like idol romance and exes-to-lovers. The concepts are soooo good but bad screenwriting or a story that doesn't deal with the interesting aspects can make the show fall flat.

I'm also glad that there is a mix of old ships, new ships, and totally new faces for these BLs and GL Like we have shows with established main pairs like KhaoFirst-Joongdunk and Forcebook-PerthChimon in ensemble shows, we have interesting situations like KristSingto which is a returning main couple and BounPrem which is an old series but revamped ;) for their GMMTV debut, but then we have a ship like MarkOhm where Mark has been in multiple shows and ships but he's leading in a series with somebody completely different. Then we have Emi-Bonnie and WilliamEst who are new faces as GMMTV leads and their ships are completely brand new.

In Part 1, it was similar in that we had stuff like main roles for existing ships with OffGun - The Trainee and GeminiFourth - My Love Mix-Up, ensemble with existing ships (We Are - PondPhuwin etc), had existing actors in new ships like OhmLeng in Kidnap or JossGawin in My Golden Blood, we had new ships like GreatInn in Wandee Goodday,

All in all, a good part 2, I'm glad I watched it live, it was exciting and I'm looking forward to these shows (though I'm not holding my breath though lol because part 1 shows still gotta be released). I really like these showcases and I'm kinda glad that now it's split into 2 because I get a new one every 6-7 months instead of once a year haha

Actually no my main gripe: Where are all the women? Us, Hide & Sis, and Friendshit Forever seem to be the only shows that focus on more than one woman and the BLs basically have no women, or possibly 1 female side character. Why can't they have side GL pairings or multiple women in the same show, truly what the heck? I hope that more women are cast in the shows as they start writing scripts and such, like a side GL in Us or a side GL in Perfect 10 Liners among all the BL pairs.

[howlingday]

My idea for a potential DEATH BATTLE! #5

2023, October 18, 19, 20, 27

Link to the fourth post: https://www.tumblr.com/donotmindme1/731349657571278848/my-idea-for-a-potential-death-battle-4-2023?source=share

Master list: https://www.tumblr.com/donotmindme1/731003687600881664/mind-what-you-do?source=share

Korra vs Delsin Rowe (Avatar vs inFamous)

They're the second legends in line!

Fighter 1: Korra, the continuing spirit of the Avatar cycle.

Fighter 2: Delsin Rowe, the accomplishing Akomish Second Son.

Wiz: Many of us aspire to live up and uphold the legacies of our predecessors.

*insert clips of Miles Morales & Peter Parker, Deku & All Might, Ruby Rose & Summer Rose, Batman & his Robins*

Boomstick: However, just because they're tough acts to follow up shouldn't discourage you from making your own path. He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.

Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win... a Death Battle.

PREFACE: I am wasting my time writing this. I should be working on an important project. I wanted to write an idea that suits the chilly weather of autumn to serve as a nice gateway into other MUs. I played inFamous Second Son during the last three months of 2021 and I fell in love with the gameplay. Being able to scale the buildings of Seattle with Conduit powers, doing drug busts, and saving innocent people really gave me a sense of power. I am sure I am not the only one who was disappointed when Season 8 announced Korra vs Storm due to how unbalanced the powers are between the two (however, I enjoyed the episode, mainly Storm doing the Moses and Wheather the Elements). So, now that Cole made his debut on the show, we can finally let Delsin have his time in the spotlight. Besides, I think that Korra vs Delsin is a more fitting MU, and you'll see why later on. Also, I will mainly be using True Hero Delsin (Good Karma) as it is the canon ending. I'll consider Infamous Delsin (Bad Karma) separately as it does affect the fight.

WHY:

Connections:

1. Both carry on the legacy of a famous protagonist who was able to control multiple forms of matter (Aang and Cole McGrath).

2. Both are capable of manipulating at least 4 different forms of matter (Korra has Earth, Fire, Air, and Water; Delsin has Smoke, Neon, Video, and Concrete) due to a physiological trait (Korra has the spirit of the Avatar, allowing her chi to pass through all of her body better than the rest and manipulate the elements; Delsin has a Conduit gene that lets him obtain the abilities of other Conduits upon extensive contact and draining Core Relays).

3. Both started their journeys being childish and/or immature but through their actions and strife, rose above and became better people and consequently, better idols and saviors.

Personal reasons: I wanted this to be Korra's MU during Season 8, but alas, it was not to be. More than anything, I want them to react to each other's powers. Delsin would ask Korra if her conduit gene is like his but better since she doesn't need to absorb matter to change her powers and Korea asks about how the heck is he manipulating light and becoming invisible. After all, conduit powers and bending are different in their manifestation, how they manipulate the environment, and more importantly, how they interact with each other.

THE FIGHT:

Art and animation: The animation will most likely be 2D like all Avatar fights, but the dream is to have it be a 3D battle with fluid movement and lots of different camera angles. The animation from Korra vs Storm is good for Korra, so reusing it would benefit her, but Delsin tends to fight from afar using his projectiles. While he does have dashes, his chain, Comet Drop, and some support abilities, Delsin is mainly a ranged fighter, and the 3D team works best with characters that have a wide assortment of abilities, especially ones used in midair or while running. However, to be able to get the most out of both worlds, the fight is best in 2D, and it's not like Cole was limited to ranged combat in his fight. It could really go either way and still be great regardless, and that's honestly the best part. I really want this fight to be a finale so it could be a long fight with lots of pretty stuff to gawk at, especially since Spiritbending, Neon, and Video allow for flashy maneuvers.

Possible setup:

In a metropolitan area, the Second Son is doing stencil art dedicated to his dear brother. "Man, I miss you, Reggie."

"Hey! You can't paint the walls of this city!" Delsin sighs. He misses his brother, but not his overly bureaucratic attitude. As he turns around and puts down the spray paint, he sees Korra who is looking a little stern. "Hey, there. Isn't art a form of self-expression? I'm building a masterpiece here, and it'll be my gift to the world."

"That's fair, but you're painting on public property. Unless you have a permit to do so, step away from graffiti." Korra was a little miffed. The graffiti looked cool, and it looked to be a dedication to a departed soul, but duty calls. Besides, it's just graffiti, not a murder or kidnapping. If he refuses, however, she can have her way.

"Who are you, the fun police? I'm not hurting anyone." It's like dear Reggie was still with him: being a pain and not letting him have his fun.

Korra smirked. "Fun? Oh, I'll show you fun." She got into a fighting stance. Hey, if you're having fun on the job, good for you, right? It's been a boring day of patrolling, so she's itching for entertainment.

"Oh."

FIGHT! :

1. As it turns out, she was nothing like Reggie. Korra firebends at Deals and catches him off guard. However, Delsin absorbs the smoke, unharmed. This causes Korra to look puzzled. "Wait, how did he- He barely moved." She then attempts to earthbend, summoning rising pillars, but Delsin smoke dashes away. "How did you do that?" Korra had never seen someone turn into smoke before. Maybe she should ask him how to do that.

2. "I'm a conduit. I mean, aren't you one?" Delsin starts to use Smoke Shot as he moves around, but they're easily dodged and dispersed with more earthbending. "I'm the Avatar, master of all the elements." "Is that right?" Delsin uses a smoke dash to sneak up on Korra from behind and tosses a Sulfur Bomb.

3. The Sulfur Bomb explodes, but Korra just rolls up to Delsin and engages him directly. Delsin tries to punch her and use his smoke-imbued chain, but all his attacks are evaded or blocked. Korra roughs up Delsin, punching him in the face, kneeing him in the stomach, etc. Delsin drops another Sulfur Bomb that leaves Korra coughing, and attempts to subdue her.

4. Korra bends away the ash and sulfur and launches Delsin into a building using waterbending. Delsin is able to recover and takes the high ground through a smoke vent. On the roof, he shoots a Cinder Missile. Korra is able to notice and puts out the Missile before it hits. "Wait, she didn't drain water." Come to think of it, she was able to use fire and then the cement beneath. Is her Conduit gene better than his? Korra starts to airbend projectiles and Delsins fires Smoke Shots (like Might Guy's Morning Peacock vs All Might's air punches). Korra then firebends her way to Delsin and delivers a powerful kick, sending him flying.

5. Delsin crashes onto another building, but drains the neon from the nearby signs. Noticing some injured civilians, Delsin starts to heal them, earning him Good Karma. As Korra rushes in, Delsin rushes her first due to his Neon Dash. "Wait, are you a Spiritbender!?" She's good up close, but it doesn't matter if she can't hit him. He strikes her with his chain, but Korra grabs it and uses a powerful earthbending punch on him. Delsin Neon Dashes away. "Oh, no you don't!" She knows that he has powerful ranged attacks, so she needs to be close to him. She gets on an air scooter and chases after him as she shoots air at him, chasing him to near a spirit portal.

6. Delsin is able to outrun Korra and fires a stasis bubble. Korra uses a firebending soccer kick on the bubble, punting it away. Delsin runs before he's hit with his own bubble (he doesn't seem to be affected by it in-game, however). He then rushes up to Korra who attempts to strike him, but he instead rushes past her and fires a phosphor beam, successfully hitting her and knocking her off balance, and successfully uses a stasis bubble. He attempts to obtain more powers, but he feels nothing. "What..? Then how..? You must not be a Prime Conduit." Korra gets back up in fiery fashion and Delsin employs hit-and-run tactics, firing phosphor and neon beam, but Korra is able to block with her bending. She then does Zuko's "breakdance" and catches Delsin off-guard.

7. Delsin quickly heals by absorbing video from a nearby TV. He then uses Video Torrent. Korra simply dodges and attempts to get in close, but Delsin strikes using his longsword, damaging Korra a fair amount. He then uses Bloodthirsty Blades. Korra dashes away, but is unable to avoid the blades, so she destroys one with a fireball, another by raising a stone wall, and the last one by creating an ice structure. Korra is then attacked by a... Is that a spirit!? Whatever it is, it has wings, metal plating, and is currently shooting a laser. Korra dodges and bends water and freezes the spirit, but it... Disappears into wisps of light... These are not like the spirits she knows, but she is then pushed and pinned to the ground by smaller swords. Delsin appears out of thin air. "How did you do that!?" "A friend lent me his powers, you could say." Ok, that is NOT how bending works. Using a combination of earth, wind, and fire, Korra frees herself by creating a crater underneath her, enters the Avatar State, and then bends the concrete around Delsin, encasing him in a shell, and bends him to her. He's a fire bender and a spirit bender, but he is not the Avatar.

8. Delsin absorbs the concrete before being fully encapsulated and does his boulder dash. He starts to engage Korra, but she is nimble enough to dodge. Korra then gets an idea and starts to make her way to the spirit portal. Delsin starts to climb on top of a building and does a Comet Drop, doing his pose on the Second Son cover art, and he starts to fire concrete shrapnel and a concrete barrage, but Korra instead redirects them. However, Korra gets a leg up and is able to use bending to get Delsin into the Spirit World and she enters.

9. In the Spirit World, Delsin is taken aback due to the colors and... weird animal things... He doesn't get to gawk for long as Korra makes her bombastic entrance. However, she firebends at Delsin who promptly absorbs the smoke, but he's starting to struggle and to get hurt so he smoke dashes away

10. Korra wins by overwhelming and overpowering Delsin. Since they are in the Spirit World, Korra becomes stronger, and in the Avatar State, she is in no need to wait for Delsin to exhaust himself. Even as he tries to distance himself and use his sulfur bombs and sulfur headshots, the Avatar is easily able to bend them away. She then is able to unleash a powerful bending attack that overwhelms Delsin and he blacks out, thinking of Reggie. After Korra finishes the job, she exits the Avatar State. "That was fun, but I'm sorry. I hope you find you and your departed family can reunite here". She then bows to her opponent. She's fiery and hotheaded, but she's still empathetic.

11. Delsin wins by being able to stall Korra and connect a successful attack. The fire is hurting him, but if he keeps his distance, all it serves is to fuel and heal him. He gets in a good sulfur headshot, briefly stunning Korra and leaving her coughing again. He then tosses another sulfur bomb, leaving Korra coughing more. He then does his Orbital Drop, but as he reaches the apex, Korra bends away the smoke and then launches herself, attempting one last attack. They meet halfway, and after a noticeable explosion, both are left on the ground, Delsin tired, and Korra dead. Korra, in her last moments, apologizes to her friends and family for being able to say goodbye. Delsin recollects himself, and upon returning to the Human World, finishes his graffiti of Reggie. However, we see him painting another mural, and he says "Say hi to my brother for me". He then turns to leave, and we see a mural of Korra, reading "Dedicated to the Avatar."

RESULT:

Strengths and weaknesses:

Korra:

+ Physically stronger and more durable.

+ More experienced.

+ Has superior training.

+ Easier access to her elemental manipulation.

= Firebending and Earthbending fuel Delsin, but Smoke and Concreted are easily negated.

- Energybending cannot negate the Conduit Gene.

- Energybending cannot manipulate Video or Neon.

- Is vulnerable to suffocation. When she was poisoned as she was. suffocating, the Avatar State only held off the poison and not the suffocation.

- Can be immobilized via the stasis.

Delsin Rowe:

+ Can heal from firebending and earthbending.

+ Has a healing factor.

+ Is likely faster with Neon.

+ Neon allows for fast attacks, and the stasis bubbles are immobilizing.

+ Infamous Delsin has easy access to instant kill options.

= Firebending and Earthbending fuel him, but Smoke and Concrete attacks are negated.

- Untrained in physical combat.

- Physically far weaker and faster. Is also slower without Neon or Video.

- Is not immune to fire when using smoke or to earth when using concrete.

- Cannot access all his elements at will.

- Draining a power source leaves him vulnerable.

- There's no evidence to say that he can resist being immobilized by being surrounded/encased in concrete like he did to Augustine.

- Cannot obtain bending powers as they are spiritual and not genetic. Even then, he'd need Core Relays and blast shards to be able to get any use of his newfound abilities and to be able to absorb any other element.

Ending puns:

"The Avatar's victory was elemental."

"Delsin got a concrete victory."

MUSIC:

Name: "Four Infamous Elements"

The title makes reference to both combatants' abilities to manipulate four elements or states of matter as well as the inFamous game series' name. Brandon Yates used Second Legends for his commissioned track, so I cannot use it.

Art: The art would depict Delsin's chain forming a circle imbued with Raava. One half would have Korra's elements spiraling outwards. The other half would have Delsin's elements spiraling inward, forming a Yin Yang. The center of the circle would have a gene symbol like that of the Second Son power skill tree on the side of Korra's elements and the symbol of Raava on the side of Delsin's elements.

Sound: the start of the music is that of the Second Son main theme and it plays during the initial confrontation. The music is kicked up a notch when Korra first attacks, where the sound shifts to be more Avatar-centered, but with some hip-hop elements, and even has parts and bits that sound like Second Legends as a callback, much like Final Formersr referenced Deceptive Tyrants. As the battle gets closer to its climax, the sound is that of the main theme of Avatar, but with a mix of Asian instruments and rock instrumentation.

Holy cow, I love doing this one! Especially imagining the track and its art due to the possibilities of symbolism.

THANK YOU AND I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS!

---------------------------------------------------

Ooh, another interesting match-up! Although, to be honest, I already have my doubts as to how this plays out. Great fight idea, though!

URBAN SPRAWL

Honestly, the Avatar fights have been kinda meh in Death Battle, usually because they've all been so one-sided (except for the first, Toph v Gaara).

I really like the premise of the fight and how it plays out. Unfortunately, I gotta give it to Korra here for one reason; resource. Korra can bend anything from anywhere with little limit on where. Delsin, however, has very specific sources from which he can draw his power, such as his concrete abilities can only be drawn from conduit enforcers gifted with the same powers.

Still, though, it would be a pretty neat fight.

[boysplanetrecaps]

Build Up, Ep 4 Recap: Kick It v The Little Prince

Welcome back to the project nobody minds waiting two weeks for -- my MNET Build Up Recaps! In the previous one, we finally finished episode 3, seeing that match up between Jay and Wumuti. In this one, we’ll see WEi’s Seokhwa and AB6IX’s Woong take on two trainees. Will the sunbaes beat the hoobaes? Will the hoobaes rebel? Only one way to find out!

After a super brief recap, the episode dives in to the first match of the episode: idols versus trainees. People comment on the flashy outfits idols Seokhwa and Woong are wearing, and wonder if they’ll dance.

“Idol beauty radiates -- Kang Seokhwa (left) x Jeon Woong team” 

They introduce themselves as “fate,” and I think it’s a pun/meme that would make sense to Korean viewers because it makes everyone else laugh. 

Both Woong and Seokhwa were on team Ditto, and Woong ended up with a low tier ranking even though I think his voice sounded quite nice. 

In comparison to Seokhwa and Woong’s punky idol styling, the trainees Ji Yeonwoo and Jeong Yunseo are dressed simply and cutely. 

Yeonwoo, left, was low tier in Decalcomanie for forgetting the words, poor kid. 

You might remember Yunseo most for his red outfit in the first episode that made him look like he drove racecars for a living. (It was cute, don’t get me wrong.) You might also remember his bold confidence in his team performance of Beautiful, where unlike his fellow trainee Minseo, he seemed to be completely sure that he’d succeed. I really love his attitude! 

The judges start off by asking the trainees if they’re nervous, and Jaehwan reminds Yeonwoo about his mistake. Yeonwoo says that he’s been having nightmares every night reliving that moment and that it was the worst moment of his life. Poor kid, god, can you imagine? I just want to hug him. Anyway, he promises not to make a mistake again. The other judges yell at Jaehwan for bringing it up.

The two teams trash talk a little -- the trainees say that they have nothing to lose, essentially. The idols say that the trainees are cute, and that they think beating the trainees would be a good story for MNET. Eunkwang rightfully points out, however, that a better story for MNET would be if the idols lose!

Time for a flashback. 

It’s the duet-forming portion of the day, and we see Seokhwa go straight for Woong. Since Woong was in the Low Tier and probably was scared no one would pick him, you can tell he’s really glad to see Seokhwa!  

“This is the narrative,” reality-savvy Woong interviews. “If you fall and go back up? That’s the narrative.” Yes, but unfortunately, MNET also likes it if you fall and keep falling. They’re sociopaths that way.

This pair up may not have been the best idea, as we’ll see, but it makes a lot of intuitive sense that these two would want to work together. For one thing, they have had similar careers so far. Both WEi and Ab6ix could be considered post-ProduceX101 groups, and they debuted 15 months apart (first AB6IX, then WEi). They would have friends in common, for starters, and given that both groups put out three singles each in 2021 and 2022, they had to be promoting at the same time at least a few times. Woong is Seokhwa’s sunbae since Woong debuted first, but Seokhwa is older, making their relationship a bit more balanced. Also, they obviously solidified their friendship during their preparations for Ditto. Plus, Seokhwa wanted to work with another idol so they could do an idol-style performance, something more dynamic than Ditto. As I said, it all makes sense, especially if you remember that often times the winning group on Boys Planet would be the group that got along better.

Ok, in this next portion I need to talk about Ji Yeonwoo and Jeong Yunseo. I think that if I were reading these recaps, I’d find those names similar enough that I wouldn’t be able to remember who is who and I might have to scroll up and down a lot. So, I’m going to call Yunseo “driver Yunseo.” This is for two reasons: (1) He looked like a racecar driver on the first day. 

And (2) because he really is a “driver” in this storyline! 

The flashback also shows us poor Yeonwoo, waiting for a duo partner. He voice-overs that after he messed up the lyrics, he felt like he wanted to “hide in a rat hole.” It looks like no one wants to work with him… until driver Yunseo comes over to rescue him, saying, “Let’s go, ‘04s.” Aww, they’re chingoos! (A “chingoo” is someone the same age as you, which makes you feel like you’re friends -- it’s a Korean cultural thing I don’t totally get.) 

Driver Yunseo thought they’d be a good match, and I think it was smart on his part to pick Yeonwoo too. The two maknae on a show will always get a kind reception, even if they don’t always get the highest scores. 

Driver Yunseo either genuinely wants to cheer up his chingoo or he knows that he has to get Yeonwoo’s confidence up if they are going to have any chance of winning, or both, because he puts his arm around his chingoo’s shoulders, he gives him complicated high-5s, and just generally does everything in his power to pump Yeonwoo up. It’s cute. 

Driver Yunseo says: “Ji Yeonwoo, Nekkoya (you’re mine!)”

With Driver Yunseo’s infectious confidence beginning to spread to him, Yeonwoo vows to “rebel” and win this time. Driver Yunseo says, “I promise you, I’ll make you a narrative.” Yunseo GETS IT, you guys. I really like this kid. 

Anyway, so, all the guys are sitting on the floor whispering to each other about which duos they want to challenge. Driver Yunseo says, “the team I think we can beat no matter what is Kang Seokhwa’s team.” I hate to say it, but that was pretty smart.

Ok, hear me out, because I really like all four of these guys and wouldn’t want any of them to be sad or anything, but I have noticed that Seokhwa’s voice is a bit weak. It’s a very pretty, sweet, light voice; he has a lot of potential, and a lot of current charm, seeing as he did get a judge’s vote. But he often strains on higher notes, and his belts sound like he’s tensing up his throat a lot. He’s super stable as a performer in WEi and is really well suited for the idol life. I’m just not sure that his vocals are quite to the level this show expects. Sorry, RUi! 

I also think that as outwardly cheerful as Woong is, I think he’s really feeling low. I actually really like the texture of his singing voice, and think the judges were unnecessarily rough on him. Being put in the low tier when he’s a main vocal was probably pretty distressing for him.  Even though *I* know his voice is really nice, it doesn’t seem like anyone on the show really seems to think so. No one is telling him his voice is nice. Only 14 people voted that they’d want to work with him. So with Woong’s confidence and reputation both kind of in the dumpster, he’s also an easy target. 

The trainees correctly deduce that the idols are going to want to do something bouncy and higher energy, maybe with the some dancing, and think that they themselves can win by using their vocal skills and youth to charm the judges. “It’s not a bad picture for us if we try to beat the seniors. Not a bad picture at all,” Driver Yunseo whispers to his chingoo. I’m telling you, Yunseo GETS IT.

So up until now, I’ve been unclear as to how the whole situation with the Rival Choosing Platform Area (RCPA) worked. This time, we actually hear Solar announcing Seokwa and Woong’s names, so they were somehow selected to go down to the RCPA. You’d think that maybe the show could have told us how this all works at any point, but that would have eaten into their instant replay time, so I guess not. 

Seokhwa and Woong invite a challenger.

And then a few other teams head down to the RCPA, which kind of hurts the idols’ feelings. Do they look like pushovers? They’re challenged by our two trainees, as well as by Team Geonu x Soomin and Team Hong Seongjun x Kim Seohyung. 

Left to right: Woong, Seokhwa; Kim Seohyung, Hong Seongjun, Geonu, Soomin, Driver Yunseo (hidden), Yeonwoo.

Interesting, those two other teams end up each others’ rivals and are up third in this episode! So we’ll see them in the post after the next one. 

The trainees make their case.

“I thought it would be an interesting scene, you know, for the viewers, you know, if the idols and trainees go against each other.”

“Ahh!”

“Especially if we win!”

“What?”

“Nothing!”

Seokhwa chooses the trainees, reasoning that they’d be easy to beat. And only later do we find out that Woong had told Seokhwa that the trainees were the one team he wanted to avoid, because it would be disastrous to lose to them! But more on that shortly. 

The trainees decide that to show off their singing skills and youthful appeal, they’ll sing “The Little Prince,” originally performed by Ryeowook from SuperJunior. The song was released in 2016, when Ryeowook was almost 30, but it’s a sweet and youthful-feeling little song about love and friendship inspired by the classic story The Little Prince. 

Sample lyrics:

Making a heart that is like the wind stay with me Is such a hard thing I know But I won’t say anything, I’m just waiting for you The Little Prince told me That gaining someone’s heart Is the hardest thing to do, come to me The Little Prince said to me It might be sad right now But we’re never gonna be apart That you’re going to want to laugh with me

As they head into the performance, poor Yeonwoo talks more about how miserable he was after he made his mistake. The stakes are high! He vows to do better this time. 

Watching the trainees getting ready, Baekho and Seungkwan -- who are signed to the same agency -- talk about how their monthly evaluations as trainees made them more nervous than performing ever did. Boy, do I get that! I’d rather perform 100 times than audition once. 

Before they perform, the trainees do some squats, for some reason (I guess maybe to shake off the nervous energy?) and then steel themselves. It’s time!

Full version without reactions 

My thoughts:

Yeonwoo, left, in the s w e a t e r over a collared shirt, and Yunseo, right.

Aww, this was cute. 

Have you ever been watching a competition reality show that involve a creative element, like Top Chef or Project Runway or Glow Up or Bake Off, and a contestant says “I’ve never done this before, but you don’t win by playing it safe!” And you, watching at home, are like, “omg, why are you doing that? If you’ve never worked with leather, if you’ve never cooked lamb, if you’ve never used prosthetics, if you’ve never made caramel, or whatever the hell durned foolish thing you’re going to do for the first time on international TV, why are you doing it now?” And most of the time they end up going home, while someone who made sure to safely land the plane is the one who wins. 

These two landed the plane.

This song isn’t necessarily easy to sing; it has a lot of high notes and requires a lot of vocal agility to make it through the melody and the rhythm, both of which get tricky at times. However, the “concept” or idea behind the song is relatively straight forward and easy for these two to deliver -- a sort of youthful view on love as something that you can hope for if you’re patient. Also, though Ryeowook is a main vocal of SuJu and has a great voice, he’s not someone supernatural like Chen that would be a really, really hard act to follow. 

Yeonwoo and Driver Yunseo both have good, young voices with tons of potential. I think they both could use a bit more training and experience, but they really do both deserve to be on this stage. Both sounded more than a bit nervous, which may have contributed to their breath control issues, but both held strong to the end and I didn’t notice any pitchiness or major tempo mistakes, which is big. 

Of the two voices, I think I like Driver Yunseo’s a little more, as a Yeonwoo is still a bit nasal at times. Yeonwoo also went a tiny bit fast at a few points, and his high notes were a little bit strained. Driver Yunseo’s lower register is really gorgeous, while Yeonwoo’s higher notes are a bit stronger. They made a great duo! I don’t think they’re going to win this show, but I’m glad they’re on it. 

The MNET edit is very retrained. Mostly it’s just the two trainees singing, with occasional shots of the guys backstage looking both proud and hopeful, like this:

Hyukjin, left, and Jeong Inseong from KNK, who will be going third in episode 5.

And the judges smiling indulgently and/or uncertainly, like this: 

When they’re done, everyone applauds for the maknae. 

The judges say things like, “aww, they must have practiced a lot!” 

Backstage, the guys joke about how well the trainees’ did -- “are they our sons? Did we raise them?” -- and also joke a bit about how old they feel in comparison to them. 

“If we sang The Little Prince, it wouldn’t come out like that!” Hwanhee from Up10tion says. “Old princes would come out if we sang.” Hwanji is like, “hey man, stop talking like that.” They’re only 24/25 years old, so he has a point.

Seokhwa and Woong, waiting in the wings, say, “They did a great job. Much better than in rehearsal.” You can see the worry on their faces. 

The judges vote, and we get the high and low score -- a high of 92 from Seungkwan from Seventeen and a low of 70 from Jaehwan. That’s the lowest “high score” and the lowest “low score” we’ve seen thus far, but it’s not embarrassing or anything.  They look pretty happy!

Seungkwan is like, wow, Jaehwan, what’s up with the 70? 

And a glowing light comes out of Jaehwan’s eyes and his body begins to slowly levitate as he says, “In place of a Dark Lord, you would have a queen! Not dark, but beautiful and terrible as the dawn! Treacherous as the sea! Stronger than the foundations of the earth! ALL SHALL LOVE ME, AND DESPAIR!”

I mean, maybe not literally. 

Seungkwan mentions Yunseo’s early lines, which were in fact quite sweet and lovely. “I think it started off well and went along steadily until the end without bumps.” 

Jaehwan says, “Actually I really liked it. Maybe it was the purity that comes form the vocal tone…? I felt like I was listening to angels’ songs.”

Everyone is like, wtf? You cheered for them and loved them and gave these “angels” a 70? Backstage, one of the guys mutters, “He’s going to hell.”

Jaehwan continues: “I still thought about it calmly. When I heard the song, I felt endlless possibilities, but when considering the average level of singing ability, I thought that 70 was the appropriate score. It wasn’t bad, though!” 

Eunkwang says, “it was so good, but….” and he points out that Driver Yunseo sort of bounces in a bowlegged way as he sings. That’s exactly the kind of helpful feedback that a good sunbae should point out, says I, and the other judges agree. 

Backstage, Seokhwa and Woong are really nervous now. I think the trainees had had a really bad rehearsal and so the idols were pretty sure they’d have an easy time of it. But now the idea that a pair of debuted idols would lose to trainees who did a kind of straight-forward performance is just really sinking into their heads. 

Woong is worried that maybe people will lose interest in AB6IX if he doesn’t do well on the show. Oh, I doubt that, Woong-ah. It’s a parasocial thing -- people might even like you better if you lose. 

We see a flashback to the rival choosing moment, and this is when we learn that Woong really didn’t want to go up against the trainees, because the optics of losing to them would be awful and the optics of beating them wouldn’t be much better. He had told Seokhwa as much, which Woong finds perplexing.  

Seokhwa either didn’t hear or didn’t think it really mattered, and chose the trainees because he thought it would make them stand out. I think I’m with Woong on this one! Woong interviews, “I can’t get any lower than I am right now. We better win.” 

The idols have a nice cozy rehearsal studio to work in, but no sweaters. 

Seokhwa reveals that he overheard the trainees talking ant that they’re planning to do a bright, youthful ballad. Seokhwa wants to show that ballad vocals aren’t the only kind of vocals, and maybe doing something more hip, with an R&B vibe, would give them their own lane to drive in. The judges liked their performance skills in Ditto, so they should capitalize on that. That sounds great to me, Seokhwa! 

What about maybe Butter by BTS? That song is catchy af. Or what about Blooming Day or Hey Mama by EXO-CBX? I think both of those songs would sound good as a duet, and both would get the judges on their feet! Ok, sure, with the EXO-CBX songs you’d be following in some amazing vocal footsteps, but I think it would be fine! There’s also a bit of rap to show off here. 

But nope. They want to do “Kick it” by Blackpink. I don’t know why on earth they chose this song!  This is one of those songs where Teddy Park had a lunch date he really wanted to keep, so he just sort of threw some notes in a random order and had Jennie sing with as much swag as humanly possible so that it sounded almost like a melody. 

Also, there's another problem here. See, Woong is a very derivative singer. I really like his voice, as I’ve said before, but if you listen to his vocal check performance and compare it to the original singers’ version, it’s nearly identical, to the smallest detail. I think Woong needs to hear an example of really good singing in order to match it, and he’s not going to get it on this song. Do not get me wrong; the members of Blackpink are all fantastic performers and I always enjoy their vocals. But none of them sings in a way that is likely to draw positive attention on a show like this. Rosé in particular worries me -- she has a gorgeous natural instrument, and the YG singing style is teaching her really bad habits that might hurt her vocal cords long term. In any case, there’s nothing for Woong to appropriately mimic here to pull out an outstanding performance. 

I really get the feeling that they were overwhelmed by the possibility of choosing any song in the whole world. They wanted to do a girls’ song because it would be cool and attention grabbing, and then wanted to do a Blackpink song because Blackpink is so popular, and once they’d made that choice, they sort of randomly chose this song. The choosing was stressful and they wanted to get to the part where they’d already chosen. That happened to me with my fella when we were trying to pick out curtains. Now we have curtains that don’t really match the room. Sigh. 

If they had really wanted to do a girls’ song, I think Impurities by Le Sserafim would have been cool -- it has a beat and you can definitely dance to it, but it’s also kind of smooth and sexy. It has a real tune and real chords and they could have done something cool with it. Or maybe Eleven by IVE. It could have sounded really cool!   (For both of those links, go to speed and set it to 1.25, or if you know how to do custom, 1.15 is perfect. That way it’s at normal speed, just a lower pitch.) 

Anyway, Seokhwa wants to show how cool they can be.

They rehearse at Woong’s agency, Brandnew Music  (I mean, blur it all you want, MNET, the logo is pretty obvious), practicing as hard as they did when they were trainees. 

Before they start, the judges talk about how with the song they’re doing, they’ll have to really light up the stage and have fun. The judges are hoping for a good performance showcasing singing, dancing, and rap. As the lights go down, Wendy says, “This is what they’re best at. They shouldn’t be so nervous.”

Here is the full version without reactions. 

My thoughts:

Overall, it’s just sort of curiously lacking something. I watched this on an airplane on my tablet, and wondered if maybe it just felt “off” because of my environment, but then I remembered that I was really impressed by Jay and Bitsaeon in the same circumstance.  

They both seem so nervous, especially Seokhwa, who runs out of air in the middle of lines, and keeps brushing his hair back anxiously. Woong remembers to smile and connect with the camera, but you can almost see him trying to remember the dance steps. Woong is obviously doing a Jennie impression a lot of time, as I expected him to do, and it just doesn’t  sound as good as it does when he just sings as himself. 

As they sort of settle in, it seems like maybe they can relax and pull it out at the end, but then a Terrible Thing happens: Seokhwa’s voice cracks on a high note. 

Oh no. 

It’s pretty noticeable, and I already know that it will be a lot more noticeable when MNET does a few instant replays. Seokhwa!! Oh no!!! Baby!! 

I really think both of these guys are sweet and lovable, and both have nice singing voices that are well suited to being a main vocalist of an idol group. I think a combination of nerves and bad song choice really brought them down in this case, but they haven’t lost me as a fan. Fighting! 

I almost don’t want to watch the MNET edit. It starts off with lots of appreciative reactions from the judges and other guys, but as the song wears on, we start to see more looks like this from the judges:

Backstage, sympathetic Bitsaeon mutters, “They worked so hard for this,” and you know he’s thinking, “... and it turned out like this.” 

Look how miserable Woong looks even *before* Seokhwa’s crack. 

And then the crack happens. 

We only have to hear it twice, thankfully, and Woong never gives up, to his credit, but there’s no coming back.

When they’re done, the judges applaud politely, if a bit sadly. They’re all vocalists too and they know that cracks can happen, that we’re all just fragile meat bags when you get down to it and are subject to our human failings, but…. Still. This performance wasn’t great, crack or no crack.  

Backstage, the other guys try to be positive, focusing on how much time and effort went into the performance, and how hard they must have practiced. 

Driver Yunseo says, “It was like watching M-Countdown”...

… but his smile tells us that he thinks that maybe, just maybe, his team has just won. 

“You did a good job,” Woong murmurs to Seokhwa, who can’t bear to hear praise right now.

Dahee asks, “Are you happy with your performance?” and of course Seokhwa says no, he made a mistake and is very disappointed with himself. He seems to be barely, barely, barely holding back tears, but he is holding them back. Fighting, Seokhwa, fighting! 

The judges give their scores. Jaehwan seems especially unsure how to vote, but finally he locks it in. 

Wendy has given them a sympathetic 80, but Jaehwan has given a 60. (As a reminder, the trainees’ high and low scores were 92 and 70 respectively.) 

Jaehwan looks genuinely sad about it, but seems to view this judging thing as a responsibility. Backstage, the other trainees say that Jaehwan is so stingy with his points!

Wendy says her favorite part was the rap in verse 2. She asks if they came up with the choreography, and says it’s not easy to do all that, so she gives them credit. Wendy kind of famously has had trouble with dancing in the past, so it makes sense she’d be impressed by dancing. She adds that it would have been better if they had enjoyed it more, which is exactly what I think. She notes that it was probably really tough for them to go up against trainees, and she felt like they deserved the score she gave based on their attempt to show all the elements. 

Jaehwan says he’s “heartbroken” about it because “they’re active singers just like me, and we all perform together on music shows. They’re my colleagues who cheer me up. To be honest it’s very hard for me to rate them. Yet I rated them because I’m sitting here. I expected you to have fun on stage because I know how good you are at performance. I expected you to go crazy on stage, and I just didn’t see that today. So I gave this score because I want to see more confidence from you next time. Fighting!”

VCG chimes in with a good point: because the song was originally intended for women’s voices, changing the pitch made it less exciting. He says, “No matter how excitedly you sing with mens’ voices, it’s never exciting. You need to change your voice or something, but you didn’t. Your tone was the same when you scratched your voice, or for the low tone, or the rap. So it didn’t sound fun.” I think he is right on target with that, and it seems that all the guys listening backstage agree. It didn’t even occur to me before that this could be specifically an issue for when guys sing women’s songs, but it makes so much sense. 

The idols bow 90 degrees and say thank you for the helpful feedback. I wish they could have met with the judges or a mentor in advance of the performance! 

Now it’s time for the winner to be revealed. 

And of course, the trainees took it, 591 to 505. Ouch -- it wasn't even close.

If you subtract out the highest and lowest scores, and take the average of the point value remaining, the average score of the other five judges for the trainees is 85 -- and the average score for the idols is 73. Aww! 

With Woong’s encouragement, Seokhwa holds it together. 

Yeonwoo says, “I wanted to win, but now that I did, I feel bad.” 

I think that makes Seokhwa and Woong feel ever worse, though I think they’re also a bit touched by the trainee’s kindness. 

Woong vows that even though they’re on the elimination list, they’re going to “build up and show their best.” But backstage, Seokhwa feels awful. He says that he thinks that he ruined round one as well and keep dragging Woong down. 

Woong interviews later that he was really upset, but just didn’t want to show it in front of Seokhwa, because he’s Seokhwa’s hyung, and it’s a hyung’s job to be strong. Aww! Woong, fighting!

The judges talk about how difficult competition is. Wendy says that it’s hard to show your skills when you’re nervous, and Jaehwan points out that that’s part of your skills, to stay calm under pressure. 

And on that sad note, this segment draws to a close. 

In the next one, we’ll see Bain and Minseo take on Gwangsuk and Sungjung! Should be a good battle. I’ll see you then!

[lgcmanager]

NOVA MISSION 005

SCHEDULE TYPE: TRIMESTER 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.

around noon, on APRIL 14, the members of NOVA are met by their manager, GEUM SHINHYE, straight in their living room. changing things around, shinhye comes in this time with bowls of black bean noodles for everybody to enjoy, including here. the meal is still warm and clearly recently picked up from a top tier chinese restaurant. as the seven of them enjoy their lunch, the manager slowly eases into the day's topic. "so, now that we're done with recording the songs and learning the choreos, time to begin the final steps towards your second comeback" she rummages through her bag and distributes to each girl a folder containing all of the necessary information that they needed to know.

SISTERHOOD

"the company has given the green light for a MAY 7 comeback! this time, NOVA IVUVENTA's project chapter is 'SISTERHOOD'." announces shinhye before diving into further details

nova have been models for LEVI's for almost a year now, and what a better marketing ploy way to acknowlege it by incorporating it in a concept ! as mentioned above, the theme is 'SISTERHOOD', and more precisely, an ode to 'SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS'. this chapter will have 6 mini-episodes, one of each girl, telling the story of a group of friends who finding a pair of jeans that fit each of them perfectly and their adventures with it. these short videos will have more visuals, sounds, impressions to express feelings than diaologue.

EPISODE 1 (5 minutes): [ intro.skye ] 6 friends are in a thrift shop and find a pair of levi's jeans. each of them try it and surprisingly, it fits them all, they decide to buy it and pass it to the one who needs it at any given time. the first to get the pair of pants is sena. sena is a shy person but dreams of becoming a model. she sees a casting call to join a famous international company and hesitates. on the day of the casting call, on a whim, she decides to wear the jeans and attend the casting call. they seem to give her the confidence to walk the stage and pose. she passes the audition

EPISODE 2 (3 minutes): [ milan ] milan wants to be a tiktoker, but none of her videos get much attention. one day, she decides to make a dance cover wearing the jeans. the next day, she realizes that she has gone viral on the plateform

EPISODE 3 (3 minutes): [ minseo ] minseo is running for school president, but it seems no matter how much effort she puts in, she's still not likely to win. on the final day of the race, she wears the jeans and gives a speech that wins her the final votes she needs to getthe role

EPISODE 4 (3 minutes): [ nayoung ] nayoung is an avid gamer and she has even been invited to take part in a big tournament to be streamed on various major gaming sites. as a girl in a field dominated by men, she worries by how she'll be perceived when they realize that she's a woman. on the day of the competition, she decides to wear the jeans. she  wins the competition, the hearts of the viewers and the respect of he fellow gamers

EPISODE 5 (3 minutes): [ mitzi ] mitzi is a dancer and has been trying to have her choreography picked by idol groups many times now but none have been chosen yet. when she sees an open call by the group 'NOVA' she decides to give it another try. on the recording day, she decides to wear the jeans for added luck. her choreography is the one NOVA goes for.

EPISODE 6 (5 minutes): [ outro.nabi ] the video opens on nabi walking confidently in her school uniform in a corridor, she holding a gift bag. her voice narrates that she and her friends has had many beautiful moments happening while wearing these jeans, while various snippets of her in various situations play on screen. when the scene returns to the present, she's using a pin to open a locker that clearly isn't her own, her narrating continues and she explains that after a while, they've come to figure out that the jeans were just a crutch, that each had it all in them but needed to find their own self-confidence. this time, various scenes play with each girls shining in their lives and interests without needing the jeans. when the scene returns to school uniformed nabi, she has managed to break into the locker and is placing the gift bag in it. she smiles and closes the door. the scene then skips to a girl who's clearly a loner. she opens her locker and it's obviously the one nabi has broken into. she's surprised to find the bag and cautiously opens it. Inside she finds the gifts and a note falls that reads: "i've grown out of these, but they should fit you :) try them!" 

from APRIL 16 to APRIL 18 the girls will be filming the videos for GIRL'S CAPITALISM and SWEET DREAMS, then from APRIL 19 to APRIL 27, the girls will be heading to LISBON to film the music videos for ETA, BITE ME, PLAY LOVE GAMES and NOVA IUVENTA's episodes. finally, on MAY 2 they will filming a choreography practice for NEW JEANS. besides GIRL'S CAPITALISM and ETA, the other videos will slowly be released after the come back as special content for fans

( ooc note: hairstyles will be chosen by the admod team, and will be revealed with the teasers ! )

PROMOTIONS

music show promotions will begin on thursday MAY 9. during the first week, they will perform both 'NEW JEANS' and 'GIRL'S CAPITALISM', then, starting from the 16, will only perform the main title track; 'GIRL'S CAPITALISM', then for their last week of promotions, from MAY 30 to JUNE 5 the group will perform 'ETA'.

as group reward from the writing challenge, the girls will also WIN all 6 SHOWS fom MAY 16 to MAY 22.

just as before, the girls will be visiting KBS' FM 'KISS THE RADIO' where they will sing 'GIRL'S CAPITALISM', 'ETA' and 'NEW JEANS' live. this will be followed by a recording of 'GIRL'S CAPITALISM' and 'BITE ME' with a live band for 'it's LIVE'. the group will also appear on STUDIO CHOOM to perform 'SWEET DREAMS'.

after a year of getting to ease into variety shows, this round of promotions, NOVA will go on MMTG for a 'one year check up' (their evolution in one year and trending memes) and HUMAN IDOL THEATER, on which the girls will be pretending to be part the student council of the fictional  'NOVA SCHOOL OF LIFE', where each will have to act like one of the rules from the 'Girl's Capitalism' mv (if you have never watched this show, you can get an idea of it here and here)

KWON SENA: RULE 1 - don't cry, be rich

KIM NAYOUNG: RULE 3 - no money, no future

SEO MINSEO: RULE 7 - see differently

SON NABI: RULE 10 - just be(you)tiful

WATANABE MIYU: RULE 8 - try new foods

YU MILAN: RULE 4 - dance when you feel ugly

due last promotion's shorther fanmeeting period , this time, fanmeetings will extend from MAY to JUNE 29. these will take place after their pre-recording/schedules, either as fansigns or online video calls with the fans, two or three times a week. you may use this as an opportunity to write netizen articles if you wish to do so.

FIRST ANNIVERSARY FANCON

"your first debut anniversary is coming at a rapid pace and i'm excited to announce that you will be not only holding your FIRST CONCERT but also going on a mini TOUR to celebrate it with your fans. since JULY 10 is in the middle of the week, you'll be holding a casual livestream on that day. meanwhile, the tour will kick off in SEOUL on JULY 13, before heading to TOKYO, SINGAPORE, TAIPEI and JAKARTA. there will aso be 5 stops in american and 3 stops in europe through the summer. of course, although many surprises are to be expected, the first will be the introduction of NOVA in the PROJECT ORIGIN UNIVERSE, which includes the release of a new digital song, called 'DASH'. i've also personally picked senior songs for you to perform, including FABULA's upcoming title track. since you'll be the first to hear it, please keep this one tightly under wraps."

details of the setlist and line distribution can be found HERE

BIRTHDAYS LIVESTREAMS

"our spring/summer birthday season is upon us, which means, a couple of livestreams are coming up and, that we've been celebrating your birthdays together for a year now! so, on MAY 12, MILAN will be having her solo TWO BIRTHDAY LIVESTREAM, followed by SENA on JUNE 11 and finally MINSEO will have hers on JULY 9. since these days fall on a busy period, the livestream will be filmed in a room at the company. do not worry, we plan on going all out on the decoration, you'll be blon away! you may choose to do either a TALK, EATING and/or CRAFTING livestream this time around."

YOUTUBE CONTENT

"i'm very happy to announce that the reponse to SUPER✰NOVA has been extremely positive. fans have been happy to get to know you all better and see you interact with other groups. as you schedule for the next several months is pretty packed, we do not plan on filming new episodes before the beginning of the tour. "

EPISODE 1 (FEBRUARY 9): lunar new year

EPISODE 2 (FEBRUARY 16): mastered hobbies series [ NAYOUNG ]

EPISODE 3 (FEBRUARY 23): mastered hobbies series [ MITZI ]

EPISODE 4 (MARCH 25): mastered hobbies series [ MILAN ]

EPISODE 5 (MARCH 1): mastered hobbies series [ MINSEO ]

EPISODE 6 (MARCH 8): mastered hobbies series [ NABI ]

EPISODE 7 (MARCH 15): mastered hobbies series [ SKYE ]

EPISODE 8 (MARCH 22): seniors' lunch boxes (feat. lgc girls japan and lgc spring boys)

EPISODE 9 (MARCH 29): seniors' lunch boxes (feat. lgc girls japan and lgc spring boys)

EPISODE 10 (APRIL 5): new hobbies series [ MINSEO ]

EPISODE 11 (APRIL 12): new hobbies series [ SKYE ]

EPISODE 12 (APRIL 19): new hobbies series [ NABI ]

EPISODE 13 (APRIL 26): new hobbies series [ NAYOUNG ]

EPISODE 14 (MAY 3): new hobbies series [ MITZI ]

EPISODE 15 (MAY 10): new hobbies series [ MILAN ]

"on another note, season 2 of NOVASCOPE has ended of FEBRUARY 19 and season 3 will begin sometime in MAY after your comeback. until then, i'll be following you with my camera as always." shinhye pauses for a moment. "though i should probably ask for an assistant, because you girls are getting quite busy!" she finishes with amusement but also pride.

OTHER Q2 SCHEDULE

MAY 9: allure korea magazine spread [ NAYOUNG ]

MAY 11: find the imposter episode release [ MITZY & NABI ]

MAY 20: lilybyred cf release [ NABI ]

MAY 29: tomboy cover [ MITZY, NABI & NAYOUNG ]

MAY 31: crime scene returns [ MILAN ]

JUNE 4: cosmopolitan korea magazine spread [ MITZI ]

JUNE 7: crime scene returns [ MILAN ]

JUNE 14: crime scene returns [ MILAN ]

JUNE  21: crime scene returns [ MILAN ]

REQUIREMENTS

SISTERHOOD:  write a 4 replies (minimum 8 lines) with another NOVA member about anything related to their schedules ( ex. guest appearances, photoshoot, preparing for the live performances, fan interactions, etc. ) for +6 POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE ANYWHERE and +6 NOTORIETY ! ** can be done up to two times **

FANMEETINGS: write a 300+ word headcanon post OR 300+ word solo about a fansign or fancall interaction of this round of promotion that your muse won't forget (note that fanmeentings are hard to get into due to their 'lottery' nature, furthermore, rude or offensive individuals are either kicked out of a venue or filtered out of calls, so harrassement or bullying during these events seldom happen). completing this will earn you +5 POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE ANYWHERE and +6 NOTORIETY !

S/S BIRTHDAYS: write a 250+ word solo about the livestream for +5 POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE ANYWHERE and +3 NOTORIETY ! ** for MILAN, SENA & MINSEO **

make sure to use the hashtag lgc:novamission for the tasks. you have until JUNE 29, 2024 at 11:59PM EST to complete the requirements and validate your points. please submit the following form ONCE on the points blog.

MUSE NAME ∙ NOVA MISSION 005 - SISTERHOOD: +6 SKILL POINTS DISTRIBUTION + 6 notoriety [ LINK ] ** can be claimed twice ** - FANMEETING: +5 SKILL POINTS DISTRIBUTION + 6 notoriety [ LINK ] - S/S BIRTHDAYS: +5 SKILL POINTS DISTRIBUTION + 3 notoriety [ LINK ] ** for MILAN, SENA & MINSEO **

[sansaurora9904]

Kim Heyoon Masterlist

KIM HEYOON (김헤윤) is a FICTIONAL South Korean-Spanish idol, songwriter, composer, actress, singer, model and brand ambassador under KQ Entertainment. She is currently a member of the South Korean co-ed group, ATEEZ and a girl group project Royal Crown with BTS's Boreum, Stray Kids's Jiwoo and EXO's Iseul.

She made her debut on October 24, 2018 with the group's debut mini album TREASURE EP.1: All To Zero.

BASICS!

Profile | Relationships within ATEEZ | Relationships outside ATEEZ | Romantic relationships | Closest friends | A-Z with Heyoon | Facts about Heyoon

SHIPS!

ATEEZ : Matz (aka the '98 liners) | '99 liners | Jongho

Royal Crown : YoonSeul | BoYoon | YoonWoo

MISC!

Heyoon Day : 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023

Fashion + style

Hair Color Timeline

Incorrect Quotes : 1 | 2

ERAS!

2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023

KINGDOM : LEGENDARY WAR!

Episodes: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

NOTES:

ATEEZ didn't have a performance in ep2

ATEEZ didn't have a performance in ep4

ATEEZ didn't have a performance in ep8

SOCIAL MEDIA!

Youtube | Instagram | Twitter | Articles | Endorsements

UPDATES!

First Published: 18/05/2023

Last Updated: 26/10/2023

Main Masterlist

[mystarmyangel]

[HOT-THEQOO] 230705 YoonA is building up her filmography well after movie Confidential Assignment.jpg

Film 'Confidential Assignment' - First film Accumulated moviegoers - 7.81m Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Female Newcomer nomination

2. Film 'EXIT' - First leading film Accumulated moviegoers - 9.42m Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Actress nomination (first idol)

3. Film 'Miracle' Accumulated moviegoers - 710,000 Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Actress nomination

4. Drama 'Big Mouth' 13.7% (1st place in MBC drama ratings in 2022) Top Excellence Award at Drama Awards

5. Film 'Confidential Assignment 2' Accumulated moviegoers - 6.98m Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Actress nomination Grand Bell Award Best Supporting Actress

6. Drama 'King The Land' 6th episode rating 12% ~ing JTBC's all-time viewer ratings 9th ~ing

In between, she also did a drama 'HUSH', but the result wasn't successful. But step by step, she is building up her filmography of successful dramas and movies

At time of posting 5 Jul 6pm KST: 21.4K views, 140 comments 2. YoonA’s characters in ‘Confidential Assignment’ and ‘EXIT’ are really funnyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 3. She is a perfect fit for Cheon Sarang 5. I think her role like that of ‘King The Land’ and ‘Confidential Assignment’ really suit her perfectly. These daysm, she is so pretty in ‘King The Land’ and her acting is really good too 12. Bright characters like Saebyuk (in You Are My Destiny), ‘Confidential Assignment’, ‘King The Land’ really fit her so well 16. I really like YoonA in ‘HUSH’ 17. I think she is good at finding scripts that suit her 18. Her acting has improved a lot, it seem like just yesterday when she was acting as Saebyuk. But now she is so natural, and she is doing well. 19. It seem like from some point onwards; her acting has improved tremendously. I’m not even a fan, but I feel proud of her. 20. It is because her idol image is strong, but actually her acting is quite good.. If you say she can’t act, yet she was able to liven up the solemn scenes 21. Her acting was stable in ‘HUSH’ and ‘Miracle’. But looking at her acting these days, I think she is getting even better. She is indeed charismatic 22. It seems like she is building up her filmography well. 23. It is great to see that both her movies and dramas are successful. Lovely and comical projects are totally her expertise. 25. I like ‘HUSH’ as well. I am looking forward to YoonA’s filmography in the future 26. YoonA is good at acting 28. YoonA’s acting is stable.. She is especially good at romcom 29. Personally, I enjoy watching her in ‘EXIT’ 30. Back when she was still active as an idol, she just receive any kind of scripts and film it accordingly to how her schedule allowed back then, but it is much better now because she is focusing on her acting career. 34. YoonA is good at acting and visually she is so pretty too so I keep watching her projects. 35. Didn’t she started acting during the same time as her debut with SNSD? Its time for her to do well.. 36. YoonA, you have been doing so well 37. YoonA is really good at acting. She is a perfect match for ‘King The Land’ while I was watching it. She even did well during ‘Big Mouth’.

38. YoonA’s acting is good, I am not sure if it is because I have been watching her since her Saebyuk days, but she acts so well now. Needless to say, her visuals is good ㅋㅋㅋ 39. ‘EXIT’ was really well made; this character is so fitting for her... she has a face that is full of righteousness 40. I am so proud of my kid 🥺Will continue to support you!! 41. YoonA seem to be brilliant with comical acting. She is so good at pretentious/deceitful kind of acting 42. Didn’t you start first with ‘You Are My Destiny’? I remember I have so much fun watching it in elementary schoolㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 44. ‘Miracle’ is fun 47. She has been improving steadily and she is good at natural acting. She also has a good image, so she is likeable. 56. ‘Miracle’ is a really good movie, YoonA’s acting is also good. I looked at all her past works, I feel that she has the best chemistry with Hyun Bin. YoonA is tall and slim, so I would like to see her being paired up with tall male leads as well. 57. All the roles she played are roles that are easy to be disliked, but the way she portrayed the characters make them likeable, this is her real capability. 59. I am watching ‘King The Land’ now and YoonA’s acting is so good.. She acts well according to the scenario, such as melodrama, comedy, disaster genre etc 60. ‘Miracle is fun, but it is a pity that there aren’t many audiences. 62. She has been acting so well lately. I enjoyed emotional acting. I want to see her doing various genres, I also want to see you in cool action projects because you used your body well in ‘EXIT’ 65. She is good at acting, and maybe because she is an idol, so she knows how to move her body well. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I hope you do even better❤️ 72. You were so good and natural with dialect acting in ‘Miracle’ㅋㅋㅋㅋ 74. Saebyuk-ssi 77. I remembered other than Saebyuk, she also filmed a drama called ‘Love Rain’. She made an appearance in ‘9 Ends 2 Outs’ before her debut. Looking at ‘King The Land’ now, her acting has indeed improved a lot. 78. ‘HUSH’ is also due to the drama itself being no fun, the actors all played their parts well. 81. It is good to see YoonA doing well step by step 83. You were so good at acting as Cheon Sarang. I was so surprised to see your drunk acting 84. YoonA is really good at acting. It is really hard to act well in a comical way. She is witty and she has good vocalization. There is no need for further comments when it comes to her visuals. 87. When I saw her grabbing her own feet when the pig trotters delivery came at the ending of Ep 6, I thought her acting was insane ㅋㅋㅋㅋ 89. I can’t wait for ‘2 O’Clock Date’, when is it coming outㅜㅋㅋ 90. I started to like her since ‘EXIT’ 99. YoonA’s acting is really good........ there is surely a reason for her success 100. I am watching ‘King The Land’ and I think Sarang is really YoonA, so I think she is doing well. 101. I am really envious of her film portion in her filmography, ‘Confidential Assignment’ series and ‘EXIT’ ㅠㅠ so enviable 103. I don’t think her acting as a whole is good yet, but it seem like she is good at light and comical acting such as ‘Confidential Assignment’ and ‘King The Land’? 110. I think she is doing well in acting that fits her image 111. I thought she is strong in comical acting, but in ‘Big Mouth’, she is also good with her emotional acting. I hope you will continue to do well. 114. I have liked her since her Saebyuk days, I am glad to see her doing well as an actress. 116. You are good at acting. But I wanted to see you in a different drama with different vibes 127. When I wasn't interested in idols, was it a daily drama that my mom used to watch? Saebyuk? I knew YoonA through that.She's good at acting, so if YoonA comes out, I'll watch it. 131. I think YoonA’s acting has always been above average, at least according to my standard.

Source: TheQoo Trans: mystarmyangel

[jjaelly]

X-Change Project

Episode Watch Time: ~10 minutes

Watch Now?

Content Warning: Alcohol, Mention of Food

NOTE: THE ALCOHOL LAW USED IN THIS STORY IS THAT OF AUSTRALIA: ‘CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES IS LEGAL AS OF THE AGE OF 18’

I apologise for the lateness on the episode, I was almost kidnapped, enjoy!

<- Previous Episode

🦋🦋🦋🦋

Previously on X-Change Project:

“He really said ‘ring ding don’t’.”

***

“Your first activity will be to play games together while drunk.”

***

“Park Jin-young!”

***

Now:

“I definitely heard ‘Mic Drop’, ‘Future Perfect’, and ‘Thanxx’, but there are 4?” Heeseungs questions. Bang Chan nods simply.

“Wait, can we know the artist of the last song?” V questions.

“No, that defeats the purpose. If you give up, just drink.” Bang Chan reminds.

The group of idols sigh as a few of them take sips of their drinks.

“Can I listen again?” Seonghwa asks, picking up his glass from the coffee table, ready to give up, but wanting another try first.

Bang Chan plays the recording of the 4 songs overlapping each other. “It’s your own fault for picking the hard version,” he smiles at the idols.

Seonghwa finally takes a sip of his drink, being the final idol to give up on the question.

“You almost had it. ‘Mic Drop’, ‘Future Perfect’, ‘Thanxx’, and ‘Super Tuna’,” Bang Chan retakes his place on the couch, after standing for the round, and Y/n takes his place.

“Okay, let's go for an easy round this time,” they say as they grab a small card from the pile of cards labeled ‘easy’.

The card reads: “Butterfly - The Boyz, Nabi - Nymph, Dancing Like Butterfly Wings - ATEEZ, Butterfly - BTS. Context clue: All songs have similar titles. Play mp ‘E.32’.”

“Oh this is so easy. Okay, there are 4 songs and the context clue is that once you know know one of the titles, you’ll be very close to the rest of them,” Y/n presses the file named ‘E.32’ on the laptop connected to the speakers and the 4 songs overlap each other, playing loudly.

“Oh okay! Dancing like butterfly wings!” Jongho says as he recognises his voice playing in one of the songs.

“I heard Nabi as well,” Soobin says.

“Okay, there’s 2, there are 2 more, and you still have 5 minutes left,” Y/n says to the idols, who ask for another listen.

The idols strain their ears as they listen to the chaotic noise coming from the speakers.

“I heard butterfly,” Jimin says, hearing the quieter vocals in the background of the noise.

“I’m going to take a guess, based off the context clues going on that there is ‘Dancing like butterfly wings’, ‘Nabi’, ‘Butterfly’ and ‘Butterfly’?” Juyeon takes a guess at the last song from the noise.

“Tell me the artists and I’ll give it to you,” Y/n laughs as he gets the songs right.

“ATEEZ, Nymph, BTS and The Boyz,” Younghoon speaks up confidently.

Y/n grabs her drink, sipping it in defeat, and the boys cheer in victory.

***

“What is the most random talent you have?” Taemin reads from the paper he picked from the jar. Suddenly, he pulls his hand to his face, covering one of his nostrils with his thumb, and a whistling noise is heard from him.

“You can whistle with your nose?” Jelly asks incredulously, raising her voice in disbelief.

Taemin just laughs in his spot on the couch, nodding his head.

“Don’t do that at night. It’s bad to whistle at night,” Jelly mutters to him.

He looks confused, but understands the different beliefs she has, and quickly apologises.

Jelly takes the jar from the coffee table, picking a piece of paper out of it before returning it to the table.

“What is the weirdest memory you had as a child,” she reads.

She ponders for a moment before asking “Does it count as weird if I say my brother cooked a goldfish’?”

“That depends, is there more to the story?” San asks from his seat on the carpet beside the coffee table.

Jelly lets out a light chuckle, taking a sip of her drink before beginning the story.

“So when I was younger, I lived with my mum, I was about 3 or 4 years old. We had just moved houses and there were boxes of random stuff everywhere. My mum used to have 2 goldfish as pets, and she had put the fish tank in the lounge room. My brother always woke up really early for some reason, and I’m talking 4am sort of wake up time, everyone was convinced he was a crazy child. Because of this, he wasn’t allowed out of his room in the morning time, so mum tied his door handle to mine, which was always closed when I was asleep.

So one morning, my brother woke up around his usual time, looked around his room for something to do because he was bored and he couldn’t get back to sleep, and he found a small barbecue. Like I said, we had just moved and everything was everywhere.

My brother, being him, saw the barbecue and thought in his tiny little brain, ‘I’m going to make mum breakfast in bed.’ So, He jumped out of his bedroom window, went through the front door—after having his own snack of ants from the driveway, because he was one of those children that ate ants and drank his own blood when he was bleeding—and he saw the fish tank with the 2 fat goldfish in it, swimming around. He had obviously heard that you can eat fish, so he went to the fish tank after taking the rope tie off his bedroom door, and caught both of the goldfish. After he caught them, he took them back to his room and turned on the barbecue, and both of the goldfish were still alive, just flopping around on the plate he had put them on. Once the barbecue was heated up a little bit, he put the fish—who were just flopping around in their own puddles of water on the plate—onto the barbecue and literally cooked the goldfish alive. End of story, right? Wrong. He burnt them. He burnt the fish that he cooked alive and threw them out the window before mum woke up to the smell of burning and the fire alarm going off. That was the last time I remember my mother owning goldfish,” Jelly finishes her story with a light chuckle as she drinks the rest of her drink. The other idols stare in disbelief and shock at the story, a few letting out light laughs.

“Okay, I’m bored of questions, let’s do the listening music game that they made,” Seungmin says, standing from his position on the couch.

“Wait- Let me put on my Dorito socks first,” Jelly rushes past the kitchen and back to her room. The other idols look at each other quizzically, chickling at the girl.

On her way back to the living room, Jelly spots Kyungjun in the kitchen with a tray of snacks in front of him. She makes her way towards him, looking over his shoulder, and seeing the sprinkles on the bread in front of him, she squeals, yelling for the third Australian on the team.

“There's fairy bread? Jake, look there’s fairy bread!”

She reaches over Kyungjuns arm, leaning on the bench, grabbing a perfectly cut triangle piece of bread, putting it in her mouth, holding it with her teeth as she goes to the fridge behind them, looking for another drink.

Suga comes up behind her, grabbing the soft drink from the door of the fridge, taking it to the bench. “What do you want to drink? I can probably make it for you,” he says.

“Raspberry vodka please,” she says, finishing the slice of fairy bread.

“I was thinking of more cocktails or something, but that will do,” he laughs at her.

He grabs the cordial from the pantry in the corner of the kitchen, pouring a shot of raspberry cordial into her cup and a shot of vodka, before going to the freezer and putting 3 cubes of ice into her cup and filling it with soft drink.

She thanks him, before walking back to the living room.

A sudden crashing sound makes a few of the idols jump in fear.

“Was that the neighbours taking the bins out or is it going to storm?” Jake jokes, making the idols roll their eyes, chuckling.

***

Fawn’s laughter pierces the air as she looks at her phone, 3 messages from Jelly sent to their band group chat.

“Is it another cat or is it actually something funny?” Sunoo asks the very tipsy girl, hoping to know what she was laughing at.

“It's funny! Look,” She shows Sunoo her phone.

‘Jelly sent a photo’, ‘Jelly: mans needs to calm down before i lose my mind’, ‘Jelly: why did my autocomplete suggest ‘virginity’ instead of mind?’.

“It’s not that funny. Can I reply though?” He asks.

Fawn shrugs and nods her head.

‘Fawn: foreshadowing, probably’

“It’s about to rain, should we play dance charades in the rain?” Wooyoung suggests.

A chorus of ‘yes’es are heard from the idols and Jin and Key put a hand over their eyes, rubbing the bridge of their noses, muttering to themselves.

Taehyun and Fawn walk back to the kitchen to grab another bottle of alcohol each. Fawn grabs a bottle of strawberry soju and a straw, shaking the bottle as she walks back to her room.

She soon returns to the living room without her phone, sipping on her bottle of soju that is already half empty as the first few drops of rain are heard on the roof.

Felix is quick to turn the outside light on as the idols make their way out the front door, onto the empty street, with their alcohol in hands.

“Don’t get sick, I won’t look after you,” Key calls to the idols as he walks through the door.

“No, I’ll have to,” Jin sighs, chucking at the idols dancing in the pouring rain without any music.

After a few minutes, everyone is drenched from head to toe, and they are finally ready to play the game.

Jin is assigned to be the cards, telling the idols the song they have to dance the choreography to for everyone else to guess, and the line of 13 idols stands across the street facing the driveway, where Jin and Yunho are standing.

Jin whispers something to Yunho and he nods, getting into position.

Yunho suddenly does the ‘Stay pose’—both of his arms straight, pointing to the ground, his legs a metre apart with his knees bent.

“Thunderous, Thunderous!” Changbin repeats excitedly, pointing at Yunho.

Yunho points back at him and walks to the end of the line of idols, the idol in front of everyone else, Q, taking Yunho’s previous place.

Jin whispers to Q the name of a song, and Q takes his position and begins the choreography from the very beginning of the song Jin chose, making Jin laugh.

Slowly, Q moves his hands around his body, interlacing them in front of him, before quickly lifting his head from facing the ground and turning to face the house. He then moves his body to face the left, snapping his fingers, and lifting his heel as he snaps.

“Sherlock!” Key and Hyunsoo shout in unison.

Q walks to the back of the line and Fawn replaces his spot on the driveway.

“Everyone looks like Pedro Pascal,” she giggles as she whispers to Jin, who stares at her in a jokingly judgemental way, but still whispers a song to her.

She nods her head as she hears the song, putting a hand to her eyebrow in salute, “Got it, Pedro.”

Taking her position in the driveway, she begins humming quietly to herself the melody of the song.

Coming to the chorus melody, she begins dancing, putting out her right hand in front of her in a zombie-like manner, moving her right leg as she moves her hand, mirroring the action a second later with the right side of her body. She then jumps, her hands reaching for her feet as they bend behind her body, making a few of the idols yell out “drunk-dazed” in recognition of the choreography. As she lands the jump, the water on the driveway takes the friction from her shoes, making her slip and fall to the ground. She begins laughing uncontrollably, laying her back onto the ground closing her eyes as to not get any rain in them.

“I guess there goes my idol image. Selling feet pics, here I come,” She giggles.

“Okay, that’s enough dance charades, inside, out of the rain, shower, get changed, we’ll play Guess Who after,” Jin says, walking towards Fawn who had now stopped laughing.

Her hair stuck to her face and her clothes stuck to her body as Jin helped her inside.

“I’m going to get another drink, okay, Pedro?” She says to Jin as they walk through the front door of the house.

***

“Ni-Ki, you’re up first,” Sky says to the boy, who is holding his glass of soft drink in his hand.

He puts his glass onto the coffee table, and steps to the open area between the kitchen and the living room. As the sound of the rain pellets onto the roof, Mingi flips the paper of song titles to the next one.

Ni-Ki reads the song title, and immediately begins dancing.

He turns to the kitchen, rolling his right arm in a circle twice, holding his left in an angle facing the ground. He then spins clockwise, facing the living room again, then back to face the kitchen in an anticlockwise spin.

“Hype boy!” Kevin's voice is heard loudly over the other idols shouting the same answer.

Ni-Ki takes his place on the couch again, and I.N takes his place, standing between the kitchen and the living room.

Mingi flips the page again and I.N gets into his position to begin dancing.

He holds his left hand out behind him, with his fingers spread as he pushes his left foot along the floor away from his body, repeating with his right foot and repeating the move again. He then holds his right hand in the air in front of him, in the same shape as his other hand.

“Roar!” Kevin and Eric yell at the same time, before Kevin begins singing the melody of the song.

***

“Okay, I think it’s bedtime for you,” RM says to Jelly after she falls onto the floor, breaking the bottle of soju that was in her hand.

“No, I’ve got to clean this up,” she slurs.

“I’ve got it, you just go to sleep, okay?” Taemin says to the girl, who is crawling on the floor picking up pieces of the green glass.

“No, no, I can clean it.”

Lee Know walks towards the girl, being careful not to have glass pierce his feet, and grabs her arm, gently pulling her up.

Seungmin brings a plastic bag from the kitchen to put the broken glass into and holds it open for Jelly.

As she puts the broken glass into the bag, RM repeats that she should go to bed.

“I don’t want to go to bed yet, let's play the whisper game,” the girl giggles as she gets back to the floor to help Taemin clean the rest of the glass.

“What is she talking about?” New asks Yeosang.

“‘Whisper game’? Do you think she means Shouting in Silence or Telephone?” Yeosang replies. New just shrugs in response.

“What whisper game? We can play one more game but you can’t drink anymore and you go straight to bed after, okay?” Taemin asks the girl, slightly scolding her for how drunk she is.

“The shouting whisper game. And okay, I’ll stop drinking and I’ll go straight to bed after I brush my teeth after the game,” she smiles as Taemin finishes cleaning up the small pieces of glass with the dustpan and brush.

A few moments later, Beomgyu is standing in front of the stairs, with Jungwon sitting in front of him and Sunwoo sitting opposite him, both with headphones on, everyone else sitting on the couch. Beomgyu holds a large book, similar to the Dance Charades book, and flips the first page, showing Sunwoo the word.

“The capital of South Korea!” Sunwoo shouts.

“The chapter of Judge Judy?” Jungwon shouts back in question.

“The capital of South Korea!” Sunwoo shouts again, quickly.

“Slowly! Slowly!” Jungwon shouts.

“The capital…”

“The Captain,” Jungwon guesses.

“Of South…”

“Of South.”

“Korea!”

“Caution.”

“The capital of South Korea!” Sunwoo shouts the full sentence.

Jungwon just stares in confusion, shaking his head slowly.

“The capital of South Korea!”

“The capital of South Korea?” Jungwon guesses.

Sunwoo nods quickly seeing Jungwon’s mouth move in the shape of the words.

“Seoul!”

Beomgyu flips the page again to show the next word.

“The CEO of Hybe!” Sunwoo yells to Jungwon, as time starts running low.

“The seal of lime?”

“The CEO… Of Hybe!”

“The CEO of Hybe? Bang Si-Hyuk!”

“Time,” San yells.

Beomgyu shows Sunwoo a motion of taking off headphones to indicate that time is up and Sunwoo removes his headphones. Jungwon, who is looking at Sunwoo, copies the movement.

***

Jin holds Fawn up as he helps her to her bedroom, walking her to the ensuite to brush her teeth.

She holds out a bottle to him.

“What are you doing?” He asks, confused.

“I’m going to brush my teeth. Just put it on my hands and I’ll rub it in,” she says, holding her hands in front of her.

“No, you need to brush your teeth with a toothbrush and toothpaste. This is moisturiser.”

“Oh.”

Jin sighs as he grabs the toothpaste from the bench and Fawns toothbrush from the cup in the corner of the bench, putting a small amount of toothpaste on the toothbrush, before handing it to her.

She takes it from him and begins brushing her teeth.

After brushing her teeth, Jin leads her back to her bed, turning the light off in the bathroom.

“I’ll get you some painkillers in the morning, go to sleep,” he says as he walks towards the door. He puts his hand on the light switch as he walks, when Fawn’s voice makes him freeze.

“No, don’t turn off the light,” she slurs from the bed.

Jin nods lightly, leaving the light on, but closing her door on his way out.

***

Next time on X-Change Project:

“Why did we all get cards?”

***

“I didn’t fall. I decided that the ground is a fan, so I hugged it. It just happened to be aggressive.”

***

“Oh hell no.”

***

“You’re crying?!”

***

“Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you- AHHH!”

***

Stay tuned!

🦋🦋🦋🦋

Next episode ->

Series Masterlist

Credits:

Created, Written and Produced by: jjaelly of jjaellynet

Edited by: “Big Daddy” (That’s what she wanted to be called)

Taglist: @layzfeelit

(Feel free to send a dm or ask to be added)

[spottheantisemitism]

Magneto and Holocaust Inversion (Many Such Cases)

Case #1: He who fights monsters ( UXM #150 I, Magneto - Chris Claremont)

So this was my first X-men comic I got at a con at a discount so THIS was my introduction to Magneto. I love this comic to bits. It's a great scene

While this sudden breakdown is quite good there's the pieta symbolism between two jews and there's the distinct implication of "I'm no better than the Nazis" in his breakdown (you are allowed to fight me on this as not counting as holocaust inversion)

to pivot Magneto this much Claremont pretty much had to do something akin to holocaust inversion because Lee and Kirby wrote him as a fascist coded character and Claremont couldn't not have Jewish (and Romani?*) holocaust survivor who was likely sonderkommando not realize the irony of his actions.

Also we get more Magneto backstory and depth in ONE PAGE than any comic before and most comics since

Case #2: No equals (Magneto Rex episode 3- Joe Pruitt)

Listen the Genosha metaphor was clumsy when Claremont wrote it but the hands of Joe Pruitt, it sounds like a Soviet psyop about the evil colonizer Jews who like apartheid.

While Pietro is one of the few people who get to say the "you're making us look bad" line and it landing in and out of universe the way it's presented is the most simplistic argument possible

The implication of "he's gone full circle and become the oppressor" is clear and this time painfully intentional. The fact that these people are imprisoned for having legacy virus- the x-men equivalent of aids just makes it all worse

Case #3: A mad old terrorist twat (New X-men: Planet X -Grant Morrison)

^ tw for misgendering Grant Morrison who used he/him at the time of publication but use they/them now.

Many people have pointed out that part of what stings when Morrison separates McKellen from the "schizoid-conflicted" Hitler reborn terrorist twat Magneto is the former is a gentile and therefore more deserving of their respect. The implications that Magneto is like that because his ideas are dumb and out-dated mirrors the way antisemites claim that Jews are gentiles over "their made up fairy tales".

I don't think Morrison is so much an antisemite as the kind of fanenby hypocritical chud who loves the silver age (bad era to fandomize and idolize, Grant) exactly as it was. They love when THEY get to make Beast or Ice man gay but hate when a Jewish writer makes a wannabe dictator a Jewish holocaust survivor. We get it Grant, rules for thee but not for Jews. No, no they'll rewrite the character as literally Hitler to show that only Morrison gets to re-write X-men comics, antisemitic implications be damned.

Well you made one thing clear, Grant sweaty, you hate retcons and the art of Jewish writers whose politics and visions you dislike.

screenshot source:

Case #4: when your boyfriend invokes Godwin's law (House of M: Civil war #3)

I feel like Charles only gets away with this because they're such close friends (who canonically share a room) and he's been through a lot in this issue.

To be fair "you twisting semantics won't save people from fanatics who want genocide" is the BEST comeback to holocaust inversion I've seen in an X-men comic

the framing here is both of them are wrong and Magnus (that's one of Magneto's human names) is clearly in the right about this. The humans may think he's Mutant Hitler but that's because they're projecting

(sorry for making you read sideways and making you read something I took a picture of IRL)

Case #5: The oppressed becomes the oppressor (X-men 97 episode 2)

Magneto's speech in X-97 has been said as a watered down version of his speech in Uncanny X-Men 200

What is pointed out many times is the line where he claims "his own people joined the nazis to betray him". Never expanded upon, never brought up again. There are no other Jewish character in 97, no foils. It feels almost gross and tokenistic, like Marvel wanted Magneto be the good token self-hating Jews. Since at that was the only acceptable type of Jew in early 2024.

I do hope to see a course correction seasons 2 and 3 as something as simple as showing a flashback of his past or just showing a character like Kitty would go a long way to dispel the accidental implication that Magneto thinks all other Jews are evil

*While Magneto's children Wanda and Pietro are explicitly Jewish-Romani everywhere BUT the MCU in some universes like House of M, so is he. These intermarriages happened in Weimar Germany all the time so these universes are quite plausible

[hotarutranslations]

Niigata!!

Evening

Thank you very much! For the 2 performances in Niigata!

At spots where I would make eye contact with Yoko-chan, or points where I would move next to Yoko-chan, At those times, it felt like, she's resting… but, We sent ourselves out in all sincerity, Yesterday and today as Morning Musume '24😌💫

The concert is made up of, Sound, lighting, set, video, and costumes, Supported by professionals in various fields🎤

Therefore we deliver it with complete sincerity, But! All of the fans that receive us as well, You are professionals at supporting us😎👏🏻 fufu

Really, thank you very much, for the lots of support today!

Niigata!!!!!

We received, Yasuda Yogurt and, Sasa Dango~~!!

Also,

Melon Kinenbi's Saito Hitomi-san, came to watch our live🥹🫶🏻

I'm happy!

She gave us Echigohime❤️

.🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰❤️

They were delicious…… Fruit after lives is really the best……

With a total of 4 performances in Nagano and Niigata, For Golden Week, There are a lot of people in various travel destinations but, The Morning Musume '24 lives are super hot❤️‍🔥

For Golden Week, Our next is May 3rd at JAPAN JAM

Also on the 4th is Fukuoka, the 6th is Ehime

Right❤️‍🔥

That's right! Its already JAPAN JAM! Everyone please get ready to go in the morning!

Eh, its already time to stand on our next stage! Kya! I'll do my best~~! It'll be super exciting~~! Its Fest season~~!

Please support us❤️‍🔥

For me, today,

Model Plus-san's, Had a ranking about dancing, in girls groups and within that, I was chosen for 5th place🕺

I'm really thankful for those who mentioned my name🕺

Thank you very much🕺

I feel like there was a ranking like this before but… Thank you for ranking me at that time as well…

With Morning Musume as a group as well, When thinking about Japans history of idols, its group that comes up, Thats what I thinking

Since its been a quarter century……🥹👏🏻

With that, Everyone who supports Morning Musume, As someone who knows and watches over us now, Lets leave our name in history together?

That's what I wanted to talk about at the first performance🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ Excuse me, I was at a loss for words🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

(Ah, even if I did say this the ending would have been different lol)

Today was Niigata! Thank you very much!

📺Hello Pro Dance Gakuen Season 11

April 18th 11:30PM~ A Learning From TSUKUSHI-san Adventure🕺

Sendai Broadcast "Ara Ara Kashiko" April 13th (Sat) at 10:25AM~ Ishida Ayumi Goes~!

📺Sendai Broadcast "Sendai Broadcast-san's "Did You Know!? Have You Eaten It!? Everyone's #MiyagiMeshi Project supported by Midori Gin Soda"

27th (Sat) 6:30PM~

I appear once a month as part of the AraKashi Family

The previous shows, and makings, are on OX VIDEO STORE!

Thank you for following.. Instagram💙🩵

💿

May 15th Release Morning Musume '23 Concert Tour Fall "Neverending Shine Show ~Seiki~" Fukumura Mizuki Graduation Special YokoAri's 2nd Day With Fukumura-san's Graduation Performance

May 15th Release Morning Musume '23 Concert Tour Fall "Neverending Shine Show" SPECIAL YokoAri's 1st Day With OG Performances

🪩Spring Tour Has Been Decided Morning Musume '24 Concert Tour Spring MOTTO MORNING MUSUME

🪩JAPAN JAM Morning Musume '24 will be performing on May 3rd!

⚾️《LIVE DAYS！～Exciting Big Exhibition Match～》 June 2nd(Sun), after the Hokkaido Ham Fighters vs. Yokohama DeNa Baystars match, Morning Musume '24 will be having a special mini live!

🪩The MusiQuest 2024 July 21st (Sun) PiaArena MM

We're challenging a new festival stage❤️‍🔥 Absolutely, Definitely, Thank you for your support❤️‍🔥

🍉Sanrio Character Grand Prix Thank you very much for supporting Gaokki🍉

📻Morning Musume '24 Morning Jogakuin ~Houkago Meeting~

Airs Every Saturday, On Radio Nihon at 12:00AM~

Past Broadcast Episodes Are Available →Program Details

Yamazaki Mei's Panda-san Daisuki!! ~Expressing Love Towards My Favorite Panda-san♡ ver.~ in Adventure World

Yamazaki Mei's Panda-san Daisuki!! Mei-chan's Holiday. Adventure World with Oda-san and Ishida-san

see you ayumin <3 https://ameblo.jp/morningmusume-10ki/entry-12850292477.html

[nyangleaders]

PENDAHULUAN.

***

Yang Jungwon, atau lebih dikenal dengan nama panggung Jungwon, lahir pada tanggal 09 Februari 2004 di Seoul, Korea Selatan. Ia adalah anggota sekaligus leader boy-group ‘ENHYPEN’ di bawah naungan BeliftLab, sebuah perusahaan hasil kolaborasi antara HYBE Corp & CJ Ent. Jungwon juga merupakan alumni Hanlim Multi Arts School yang lulus pada Februari 2023 lalu.

Sebelumnya, sejak kecil Jungwon merupakan seseorang yang menekuni taekwondo selama 7 tahun dan aktif menjadi atlet selama kurang lebih 4 tahun. Ia memutuskan untuk mengejar mimpinya sebagai idol, dan akhirnya ia memulai awal mimpinya dengan menjadi trainee di SM Entertainment selama 3 tahun, lalu beralih menjadi trainee di BigHit selama kurang lebih 1 tahun. Pada bulan Juni 2020, ia di umumkan mengikuti program survival show bertajuk I-LAND dan berhasil menduduki peringkat pertama pada final episode. Hal tersebut berhasil membawa ia terpanggil untuk menjadi salah satu anggota ENHYPEN bersama 6 finalis lainnya, dan melakukan debutnya sebagai anggota ENHYPEN pada tanggal 30 November 2020.

Mengingat Jungwon akan merayakan ulang tahunnya yang ke-20 tahun, kami para pemeran pengguna wajah Jungwon yang tergabung dalam @NyangLeaders di X, mengajak banyak orang untuk turut serta dalam perayaan ulang tahun muse kami. Ada beberapa kegiatan yang akan dilakukan untuk memeriahkan acara kami, diantaranya adalah dengan menggunakan twibbon ulang tahun kami, dan juga akan ada giveaway bagi kalian yang beruntung!

Besar harapan kami, bahwa pihak-pihak yang telah kami undang untuk membantu memeriahkan acara ulang tahun Jungwon dengan menerima ajuan proposal ini sebagai tanda keikutsertaan kalian dalam project ulang tahun muse kami. Terima kasih banyak!