#it's just everything i love about SHINee in one performance and the CHOREO

[lopez-richter-fangirl]

Starkid innit: the most magical experience

It took me a full day to even begin to know where to start with this post and then took me all day yesterday to type out. Normally to do one of these posts after a show I frantically note down everything I can remember in the interval and as soon as I can afterwards, but I was too overwhelmed by this show to even do that. And thank god so many people filmed so much of the show so I don’t have to rely on memory for all the little things. This will be kind of stream of consciousness thought dump of everything that made this experience so incredible, feat. a lot of Feelings. It’s much too long! Over 2500 words - you’ve been warned!

Looking at all the pictures and videos from the show, it feels surreal that I was there in a way that I don’t think any other shows I’ve gone to have. Maybe because I can’t believe we finally got a full UK Starkid show. Maybe because it was Starkid selling out the fucking London Palladium, twice (and the added production value that came with that). Maybe because we got the concert premiere of new stuff alongside iconic moments included from previous concerts that I’ve watched a hundred times and now got to see live. Whatever it was, I still can’t quite believe it and I’m so grateful I got to be there. And my GOD was luck on my side getting a front row centre seat in that ticket hell 🙏😭

Right from the staple sing-along outside the theatre before the show the excitement was as palpable as you’d expect from a crowd where so many people had been waiting such a long time to see these people live. And I think a lot of Starkid fans but especially international fans have had the feeling of isolation that comes with being a fan of a relatively “niche” group (though their popularity is only growing), so to get to be in a room full of people who understand the references and scream as soon as the opening notes of a song play is the best thing

Starting with tgwdlm feels like an excellent choice being from the show that created a new wave of fans while still catching some of the people who might not be caught up with the newest shows. And I know we had it at jangle ball too but love love getting to see Brian and Meredith be part of the hatchetfield stuff

And having NPMD songs performed live for the first time was just as exciting and special as I was expecting!! Was not expecting HSIKM WITH some OG choreo but I am grateful for it. Jaime messing up the Literal Monster lyrics at the matinee is 100% understandable and I thank her for that because Lauren cracking up at the complete nonsense lyrics she made up was too good. Love the OG choreo there including Lauren grabbing Joey for no reason whatsoever 😌 Slay of Lauren to bring out the Ruth voice too. Jeff gave a killer performance of NPMD and we understood the assignment with the Richie part

And Together 😭 TOGETHER 😭😭 I said that was a song I’d absolutely love but was definitely not at all expecting them to play so I got UNBELIEVABLY excited seeing it on Mere’s playlist and it was EVEN better than I imagined 😭 Angelic!!!! I love women!!!! Seeing their friendship shine through on stage is so special and Lauren supporting Mere through the lyric mess up in the matinee and also her laugh were the cutest things. And then from the front row at the evening show I don’t think I even breathed. They sounded amazing in the OG show but EVEN better now and I truly could not be more grateful to them for putting that on the setlist. A literal dream that I will be thinking about for the rest of my life. I still can’t believe it. AHHHHHH!!!!!!

Happy we got Our Doors are Open cause I love that song!

Jaime singing Harry but dedicated to Nori was very cute and making that a flashlight moment is one of the sillier things we’ve done

So glad Clark got his moment with I Was where we all sat in enraptured silence listening to his magical voice and some never before heard lyrics

I will be so honest and say there was the tiiiiiiiiiniest part of me sad when Joey started introducing Sidekick because I knew that meant my Status Quo hopes were dashed. However had I not seen it at homecoming I probably would have been rooting for Sidekick because it is the better *performance* for Joey, he absolutely owns the stage and it was still a delight to hear it again, and with his continued vocal improvement. Audience participation on point too of course. And when I saw Lauren standing in the wings before he started I knew I could not let myself keep looking over there but shoutout to everyone who did get footage of her being the proudest wife there is

Oh lordddd the Rogues Medley update we’ve been praying for (even if not in the way I expected). I had a feeling that’s what was coming when they started Not Over Yet based on the interview Brian did but to hear that transition into Feast or Famine was crazyyyyyy. Rogues Medley is such an iconic piece of Starkid history and it’s so cool that they gave us that. Fucking of course Brian fucked up the verses in Not Over Yet but he is a master at styling it out and him making Lauren laugh with that song feels like time honoured tradition (okay I’m just thinking of that leaky 2017 performance). First Feast or Famine in concert was so good although Joey and Lauren leaning on each other at EVERY little duet bit… relax babes. And Rogues, I knew if we got it we’d have Lauren doing the harlots and the hussies bit and I still did not adequately prepare myself

Brian calling Meredith wifey in We Got Work to Do was gold. SO so so happy to hear climate change, they did that because I stopped myself from spending a stupid amount of money to go to jangle ball. Still obsessed with Lauren’s little riff. And her moves? HOT. And we LOVE Meredith’s music getting so much love as it SHOULD

The forgotten songs section was hilarious but could have been about 20% shorter Brian was not wrong about them milking that bit Biggest of shout outs to the person who yelled Boy Toy for Lauren to respond “don’t make me do that” and I believe the same person who yelled fucking Airport 4 Birds and had her momentarily stunned. Her rendition of Hideous Creatures was heavenly no joke. Brian doing his soundcheck song did not read so well at the matinee lmao but I personally thought it was perfect. And Lauren joked about the open vibe but genuinely I love that they were confident enough they could do some obscure songs and not have an absolutely dead audience. Can’t believe we got TWO MAMD songs although they really should have let Joey sing Even Though (I know it wouldn’t have been *funny* okay)

What did not need to be even one second shorter was the shirt bit. No notes. Especially Brian trolling Lauren with “roll on the floor like Draco”

Back on top was amazing, they all sounded so good and again, love to see the Ani music getting recognition. And at the evening show I was watching Lauren do the choreo in the wings which was absolutely adorable

What if I now write the entire length of this post just about Granger Danger lol. Didn’t even realise until this post that they had the two OG Starkid couples back to back (at least I’m going off the order of the setlist I saw on twitter I do not actually remember the order lmao) Their whole “brand new song” bit was everything to me, I really could watch them riff off each other for hours. And honestly it was the perfect thing to do KNOWING what the reaction would be to the two of them coming out because what fucking else would they be singing. Apart from the person who genuinely thought we were getting Priceless because they forgot Granger Danger existed, you know who you are. As in my other post, I had said I wouldn’t mind if, as long as I got to see one married Granger Danger live (which I then did), they stopped singing Granger Danger, but that was only if they were getting sick of it and on the condition they did in fact replace it with Priceless. But I will NEVER get sick of watching them do it (even if the heart eyes on stage continue to make me a little sick) and I love that they do still have fun with it. The universal excitement with those opening notes is the best thing. Continuing to say “it gets different” was funnier than it should have been, they are comedians. And how far back she leaned on him at that evening show was truly insane and I thank them for giving me one of my new favourite pics (even if Lauren laughing and Joey’s hand going back to make sure she wouldn’t fall made me want to sobbbbb). 15 years of this song and it’s still getting more iconic and you all know how deeply special it is to me and I’m so happy to have gotten to see it again. King and queen of Starkid for real for real

Corey Show Stoppin Number was CRAZY he killed it

Jaime’s speech before Not Alone was incredibly special and I think Darren would agree that the song actually ended up exactly where it needed to be. But her saying she’s been singing it for 15 years of course had me thinking about the same thing for granger danger which is absolutely not something I was emotionally strong enough for in that moment!!! But blessed to get the beautiful harmonies and as always the audience singing Darren’s parts is the best

Superfriends is ofc so fun and Jeff nailed the Robin parts (unlike someone else there might have done (sorry Joey)). And again, there’s something so nostalgic about seeing it with that classic choreo too

And mashing it up with WANNABE oh my god. I did see someone say they didn’t know why they did that song and I’m like,, do you know how to have fun?? I get it we’re there to hear Starkid songs but this isn’t like a once in a lifetime situation (love that performance but it was a song for them not the audience and they knew it lmao), it’s actually perfect for Starkid. “Friendship never ends” you’re fucking right it doesn’t, 15 years of making stuff with your friends. And I’m being so serious when I say it’s one of my favourite performances they’ve ever done. I also might never get it out of my head and I’m fine with that. The accents? The boys in the back? The dancing? Brian? And then Brian and Joey?? (and ofc the evening performance where Lauren was touching Joey after “if you wanna be my lover” and where he put his hand on her back as she was stepping up on the stage and I once again wanted to sob) It was JOYFUL

And then GBTH as the encore we all knew was coming because no way were they leaving without singing that one. Whatever some people might have to say about it, it is SUCH a special song to hear in a room full of Starkid fans, and especially this version where we sang the beginning. No doubt they couldn’t have imagined performing that song on a stage like this when they were singing it in Studio 1, but it’s so deserved because they’re all absolute superstars. And their friendship and the fun they have onstage together has remained so integral to what makes them work and it never gets any less special to witness. I love that after over a decade of singing this song they STILL get the words wrong and it doesn’t even matter because we’re singing it so loudly. I love the sheer power Lauren radiates every time she sings her part and her happiness when we scream ours. And then I watched her smile looking out at the audience during the train part and I’m just so proud we were part of making this show so incredible for them and proud of them for doing it 😭 Singing happy birthday to Jeff in the middle was really cute too

Also, can’t believe we got to witness the most INSANE shirt pic happen live??!!? A shirt pic in front of a crowd of 2000 people, I keep looking at it and I’m like how is that not photoshopped?? But it’s real!! I was there!! And it’s honestly the most Starkid move of all time to perform their sold out Palladium concerts in matching pyjama shirts. Ngl there was a tiny part of me that didn’t want the matching shirts because I wanted to see the Concert Fits but I didn’t even need to worry because Lauren still came to serve. Hottest girl I’ve ever seen but also just the cutest human. And her hair looked so good too. (Jaime was also serving with the sparkly tights and cowboy boots)

Clearly they’re such a well oiled machine and the show ran SO smoothly that they were ahead of schedule and ended up doing a little more vamping in the evening than at the matinee. Why they chose Together (Lauren and Meredith are “too old” to want solos), Clark’s explanation of I Was originally being a solo (thank god because I felt insane at the matinee thinking ‘I’ve never heard these lyrics before’), even more references to Brian’s lack of solos. But the fuck ups in spite of that rehearsal really are just part of the Starkid charm. We love it, they know we love it, there’s no pressure to make it perfect which means all of us are just having *fun* together. But none of that takes away from how genuinely talented each and every one of them is

I do also think there’s something to be said for Brian and Lauren being the producers. They’ve really been through it all with the company and they know what works and how to serve people’s strengths. And of course we can trust Clark to put together an incredible setlist (yes there was a distinct lack of certain shows but I do think all the songs they did were a really good showcase for them and everyone had an opportunity to shine)

And Lauren of COURSE nailed the choreo for the whole show, it would be impossible for her not to. Honestly cannot reiterate enough how much of a queen she was in every aspect of this show. So fucking proud of her!!!!!!!!!!

And because this post wouldn’t be complete without mention of the M&G, Joey remembering my nameeee bearing in mind this is only the second time I’ve met him in person where he’d actually know me and yes the first time was only 7 months ago but I still don’t know how he recognised me there either. He seemed so proud to remember it too. And I knowww it’s not special to me he just has a good memory for that but the fact is he DOES make you feel special and I love him!! The best man. And I’m glad I got to give them the bracelets I made, Lauren’s reaction to seeing hers said precious angel was the sweetest and I really am trying to be normal about Joey only wearing the one from me (but it said Diane’s dad and was in michigan colours so… I think I nailed it) It was the sweetest thing seeing how many bracelets some of them were wearing during the show though

All this to say I fucking love Starkid and I love the community they’ve created. As soon as I saw the crowd outside the theatre (which was phenomenal!!) I knew it was just gonna be one of those days it was too overwhelming to talk to many people and while the people I did talk to were lovely I think I gave out a grand total of 8 bracelets which is my second biggest regret. But @pazazzalil and @laurenlpz, meeting up with you was like being with old friends even though we hadn’t met in person in 5/6 years. Love you both (and maybe we can actually get seats together next time)

And as one last little note, while it did feel extra special having people who have been with the company for all/the majority of these last 15 years, I have loved seeing the newer Starkids being so proud of their friends 🥺

I don’t know how I’m ever getting over this show. There was no way it was going to be bad with how highly anticipated a UK show was but it went way beyond my expectations. Pure magic. And I really do believe that after that it won’t be long before they’re back here, and I can’t wait

[dlstmxkakwldrlarchive]

240921 Fromm Store Fansign Event Q&A session

Q1. Jinki-yah I love you 🩵

ONEW: Is this supposed to be a question..? Thank you :)

Q2. How many minutes do you train in the stair climber?

ONEW: 15 minutes is the most I've done. And it's harder than I thought. Oh, but someone told me that there's an easy way to do it. You can listen to an album twice. Then it'll be over for 30 minutes. I can't do that. LOL.

Q3. Have you ever hit Ceo Jang with your ttakbam?

ONEW: Did I ever hit him..? /mumbling/ I think so since we're friends, but I don't really remember

Q4. There were a lot of outfits this time, but which one was your favorite? Like 'Oh, I want to keep this one and always wear it'

ONEW: Which outfit YOU liked the most?

@@: The yellow baseball uniform! @@: Friday Jinki (= sparkly tank top teaser outfit) @@: The pink cardigan one!

ONEW: I wore a lot of outfits this time, and I dressed with clothes I liked, but to be honest, the silver outfit...

Q5. Are you preparing for a future SHINee album? At what point are the preparations?

ONEW: I haven't heard any song yet, and I don't really know anything. I don't think anything is ready

Q6. What do you think about when you write lyrics?

ONEW: I think about an image!

*He explained that, for example, while he was writing 'Maestro', he thought about flutter kicks. Flutter kick was supposed to be the title, too, but it got changed to 'Maestro'

Q7. Were you the one who made hwijeokwijeok choreo?

ONEW: Yes! I've tried so many things. I tried everything, but eventually, I think it worked well as point dance, so I chose it

Q8. I think I could be happy forever if Jinki will always be with me

ONEW: Thank you :)

Q9. Between the countries you visited during the holidays which one you'd like to visit again?

ONEW: I went to many places, and in every place I went I was able to think about many things alone and so wherever I went... AH!

*ONEW got distracted and didn't really reply to this question lol, but he said he filmed a lot of things while he traveled. All the videos are still stored in his gopro cam, and he said that he could share them once he's free

Q.10 What's the first thing you do once you are home?

ONEW: I wash my hands

Q11. I'm from Chile. When are you coming to Latin America?

ONEW: /searching for them/ I think I need to be quick. It would be nice to make opportunities quickly because the purpose of concerts is to go. It would be nice if I could go there quickly and perform, right? If you want me there

Q12. I'm curious about what kind of performance you saw in Austria

ONEW: I saw a ballet performance but if you just go out, you'll find art from the exhibition within 5 minutes, and all the world's famous paintings are exhibited there, so everyone can watch this and that.

source

[ohwiseswami]

Let’s Talk Riize

TLDR at the bottom if you’re lazy.

So……..SM has something special there. After sitting down to seriously watch their performances and content, I think it is very clear that the members are trying to create as much of an artist-like atmosphere as they can without completely letting go of their idol identity. I don’t think I ever got this vibe from a kpop idol group so early on into their careers.

I want to caveat by saying that there’s nothing wrong with just being an idol group. I personally like some groups that have that vibe. But what makes Riize different in a sea of 4th/early 5th gen boy groups is that I’ve seen them refer to themselves as artists and discuss their passion for making art.

Between Youngwonhee (just learned this one!) all taking very seriously the songwriting, musicianship, and singing aspects of making art; and Shotaro being a trained dancer and enjoying that process; they round out Sungchan, Eunseok (and Seunghan’s) more classic idol-like nature to give this really interesting hybrid vibe.

And, again, I want to be clear to Briize that I know each Riize member has their own thing(s) that they’re great at. I’m just stating that the vibes are like 4/7 lean more into the artist vibe and 3/7 lean into the idol vibe (likely on purpose).

But do I have favorites? YES. Ripping the bandaid off now, as a singer and instrumentalist myself, I love those elements. And as someone with a very strong appreciation for people who can create something from nothing or create something from disparate parts, I love a good songwriter. Lastly, I love someone who is just passionate about what they do and who is grateful for every new experience (this one is not as straightforward—it’s Sungchan).

Beyond my personal affects though, I would love to see what Riize can do when SM is not steering everything. We already get shades of that in their content, but I want to see it more fully and infused with the music.

Now regarding their content, they’re not like balls to the wall ~chaotic like their neo predecessors or anything. And I’ve seen some sentiments that they give off an arrogant vibe. But even so, I feel like it’s only an issue when language barrier stuff happens (since it’s much harder to tell if they actually give offputting reactions or if they just can’t express themselves properly). Still, I don’t expect them to be gods of variety nor do I expect them to fake things just for show. But I at least would hope for a bare minimum of decorum (which they usually show!!).

On that same note, team chemistry is very important for artist groups to work. Idol groups are different because at that point your selling a fantasy anyway. But with artists, you’re really not fluffing anything up so you need to have a more genuine bond that shines through in your work. It’s waaaaaay too early on to tell with them where things lie and it probably won’t matter until the members start getting involved with songwriting, composing, and choreographing (if they ever do), but it’s something for Riize to focus on developing.

The last thing I want to say about Riize in this post is that Riize seem to both try and get away with things that other SM groups can’t/couldn’t at the same stage of their career. For example, at their recent fancon, I noticed Wonbin adding adlibs, Sohee breaking from the choreo, the members putting on a performance that (while clearly very practiced) also gave the performance a bit more personality beyond what we could see on Music Bank, etc. I don’t even think my top kpop group was doing that in Month 8. Hopefully they embrace this more free flowing style of performance going forward so we can see a little more of the members’ personal artistic expression beyond being the stereotypical perfect “idol singers”

TLDR: I was not a Riize believer until Impossible and after watching them perform in a more live setting than usual and seeing them behind the scenes, I GET it now

[guangchuans]

hey adam what did you think of the metamorph concert? oh funny you should ask! here :3

hi guys. i’ll pretend i know staging directing and anything more about music than “i like sounds” here 👍

first, critique:

the concert felt and was rather short. i understand why, but it was still sad to had it end so soon lol

my personal opinion here: i wish we got more older songs other than the iconic ones, but again, this is the guilty album concert, so i understand

he really did not do well on “not over you” and i’m glad he acknowledged it too, not just moving past a subpar performance

“want” also wasn’t the nicest imo? he sang that weirdly low, or at least that’s what i heard

maybe again, just my audio, but it really didn’t sound as if he actually Sung “advice” lol

this one i’ve said before but honestly, even taemin can’t do “move” now - the dance i mean. maybe it was the clothing here though bc on the show with akmu it was great. but yeah the red cloth outfit didn’t pair well with “move” imo and made the key hip movement look messy

this is not about taemin; the beyond live style of concert kind of deprived us of actual cinematography of it :/ like tell me why strings and black rose looked so much better on random fancams from 7 rows behind than… on the actual screen lol

general commentary:

he was so nervous. really. like i get why, again, i understand it all, and even that didn’t stop him from delivering some absolutely delicious stages, but ohhh brother he was nervous

why was the audience so. dead. like why did you hype up my man when he did good huh. i have to do everything in this house myself next time i’ll be the hype man nr 1

this is my lukewarm take: i didn’t enjoy the “criminal” rock version that much. it was very boring? the chord progression of the guitar sounded too much like a sample without much twist, and there were better ways to incorporate rock into that song imo

i think overall the ratio of lip sync to backing track to no backing track was reasonable and i do like that he didn’t try to lip sync much, just letting everyone see “yeah this is playback”

and now <3 praise and what i enjoyed <3

even though i really don’t like “the rizzness”, that opening was fucking insane. imagine starting a concert while hanging upside down. and singing while it. wow!

all the ment segments were so precious. it was clear he missed the audience for his solo stuff too. i know he’s been touring with shinee for half a year now and all but i imagine it’s different to know that these people came here only for you, you know? the interactions were cute and it was just… well it’s good to see the both sides of lee taemin :)

as i mentioned, the ratio of supported vocals to raw vocals was reasonable, but when he did actually sing… oh lee taemin. this is obviously a biased opinion because i genuinely love his voice, it was what made me fall in love with him as an artist in the first place. notable mentions of vocals imo:

“heaven” was perfectly delivered and a feast as always. the bridge in “heaven” is probably my top 5 taemin bridges, so it’s not surprising, but the energy on the stage while he performs that is So Good. MWAH

“light” was fun! i was dancing along, the playing with the dancers choreo is entertaining to watch and it’s a good time over all

after the flop of “not over you” he payed back with both “night away” and “blue” to me. “night away” especially, it felt so warm and so… just lovely. he nailed that

even though i don’t particularly enjoy “black rose” i can’t deny, it was so good. the choreo is always captivating and he sung it well

“door” … where do i even start. “door” is one of my favourite taemin songs of all time, and to see it executed in such a bold way was absolutely incredible and so enthralling, i felt enchanted listening to each new note and line. genuinely an amazing experience

some miscellaneous thoughts that i don’t know where to place:

i loved “impressionable,” the energy was so right for it, especially, well the D2 unzipped pants :)

the “strings” choreo is so sensual and sexy and yet in this classic taemin style of subtlety about it, it’s so nice to watch, to see him get lost in the pain/pleasure the song talks about. and there is almost, a grown aspect to it now, the aspect of like fully owning his body and what he does with it. very nice

“she loves me she loves me not” was cute, the choreography was very simple but still nice to look at, and i loved the energy on stage of it. the girl gang TM smiling and all :) good time!

rearrangements/special concert versions of songs:

as i mentioned above, i have lukewarm feelings about “criminal,” i didn’t dislike it, but it could have been better

LOVED the whole “danger” stage so much as well as “famous,” to me they’re like two sides of the same coin tbh. and something about both of them being in the same section as want mmm…

i wish i didn’t have to talk about “guilty” but i think i have to mention “guilty” too. the staging was absolutely gorgeous, the orchestral pieces at the beginning and before the bridge, the change in choreo of the dancers as if ensnaring him… it was delicious! such a good stage!

a separate section for the encore because i feel like it deserves it:

i don’t think it’s too untoward to think of jonghyun’s passing when it came to the date of the concert. i saw a few other mentions of it too, so i know i’m not alone in this belief. and this is not to suggest it was somehow planned this way with this date in mind, but rather, soemthing to just keep in the back of your head, i guess?

the whole encore was magical. opening the concert back up with “idea”, the orchestral version nonetheless, and staging that mixed both the hell and heaven aspects of the concept (light blue iridescent suit + dark stage lighting and fire) was delicious to witness and a great way to get the energy in the audience back up again

i don’t think i can talk much about what “pansy” means to me as a song without crying. maybe it’s stupid, because that’s exactly what the song was meant to do, but the fact that taemin co-wrote it too just… makes it so special :( and to know what… the sentiment of the song is probably even doubled now, to know that he came back from the enlistment, because so many fans kept loving him and his music and we stayed by his side even when he wasn’t there. this is just me being sappy i know but to hear “pansy” again made my heart sing

“i think it’s love” is a beautiful song and he sung it beautifully. it was a great encore choice, just an overall masterpiece

finishing the concert with “identity” of all his songs, on a concert named metamorph after the idea of metamorphosis, the imagery of cocoons and blooming and growth seen throughout the concert, with, once again, the significance of the date… it meant so much. it means so much. it was genuinely a moving performance, one that hooks you in and keeps you there, not letting you go. the emotion the execution the meaning behind it all… it just felt right, for that song to close the concert

CLOSING THOUGHTS

i’ve seen every taemin concert, save for the beyond live one in 2021, and this one fits into the theme beautifully. it’s a comeback, it’s a reminder that he’s still here, that he is Back, and he is back for good! as he said in one fan sign, this will go on for as long as he wants to and he will be the one to put the stop to it. i’m grateful for everything taemin did musically this year and i can’t wait to see him grow even more, as an artist and as a person. love you! if anyone read this whole thing leave me an 🍎 emoji in the replies hah <3

[sanstropfremir]

I'm really enjoying reading through your blog, and of course it has to do a lot with the fact that I also love to bits everything Taemin puts out. Unfortunately tumblr makes it really annoying to try and get to older posts, so sorry if you've already spoken about any of this T-T

A big part of why I love Taemin's solo work so much is his unique style, which shines through both technique and performance.

Taemin has many times spoke about how he's heavily involved in everything concerning his work: styling, picking out the samples, lyrics, themes, choreo, you name it he took care of it at some point. "The taemin genre" couldn't have emerged simply out of him being an above average dancer, his signature is on everything.

But surely, very often he can't do much more than express his opinion on something, and a lot of the end product is still created by other people? It would be silly to expect him to dance, sing, produce, write lyrics, style all at once, right? Or would it?

I very, very often hear people take pride in the fact that their fav is an "all-rounder", that presumably does most of the "creating" purely by themselves, or at least can shine all alone, even without the support of a group. But does that imply that artists that only do the performing part are somehow less "authentic", or worthy of praise? Or that idols comfortable in their position as a team player aren't talented or into what they do? To call yourself a master you probably have to spend a decade on just one skill, so why expect teens and young adults to be Da Vincis?

Now, of course it's still amazing when an idol puts in the work and branches out. Taemin's vocal improvement undoubtedly gave him more creative opportunities and made his stages that much more impactful.

But even just being an idol and maintaining an attractive appearance (for criteria as harsh as it is in k-pop) would easily count as a full-time job, so I would go as far as to say that this expectation of total creative control is a little delusional.

haha it was really funny watching you go through everything! yea tumblr is really bad about that, but if you go to my blog on desktop/not the mobile version you should be able to page back through ALL my asks, which are all tagged by 'answers'. there are like probably around a thousand of those now tho.

i have kind of talked about this before, but i'm very happy to talk about it again, because i always think it's worthwhile to clarify what the actual process is like for creating a collaborative work.

you are right, taemin and every other idol who says they're 'involved' in the process in some way is most likely just picking options and expression opinions about things that designers and stylists have already curated for them. it is physically impossible for a single person to do EVERYTHING involved in something like creating a kpop cb, because there are just too many tasks. and if one person DID try to do it all on their own, it would take probably 100x as long to finish. let me use styling as an example: lots of idols have professed to have input on styling choices, but this can range anywhere from bringing in moodboards and having discussions about what styling they're interested in at design meetings, to just picking which thing they like best from a selection of clothes already provided by the designer. in NO fucking world is an idol:

taking measurements

shopping for fabric

shopping for clothing

sewing and altering clothing

doing the budgeting

labelling and collating all the pieces together

taking fitting notes

these are all extremely specialized skills that 1) take TIME to learn how to do and how to do well, and 2) just take TIME to DO. you want to know what i spend probably 40% of the total production time of a show doing when i costume design? fucking SHOPPING. an idol may contribute ideas to a design and make executive choices, but in NO way are they solely responsible for everything about styling. the only idol that i would believe to have a heavier hand than most in this regard is kibum, who does actually have a good knowledge of fashion and fabric and i could see him going shopping with a designer. but if you think that man is sewing anything? cmon.

and this is just for ONE aspect of a cb. you think an idol is also painting the set? shopping for props? setting up the lighting? most idols that are known for dancing aren't even choreographing their own work, INCLUDING taemin. it is absolutely and unquestionably delusional to say that an idol has total creative control over something. this whole idea doesn't originate in kpop (it's auteur theory's fault), but kpop does suffer from an acute version of it, because there's a general collective concensus that devalues the creative work of the labourer. basically, people will only classify you as a "true artist" if you're the one who comes up with the ideas, because ideas and concepts are given more importance and weight. it's a type of because 'being in charge'/'at the top of the food chain that's been perpetuated by capitalism and western postmordern art theory that intentionally places value of conceptual skills higher than those of craftspeople. no type of person is a ''true artist'' and most art takes many people with many different skills in order to create. i find it unintentionally very funny that you use da vinci as an example of an 'allrounder' (or 'renaissance man' as they used to be called) because he, like every other famous painter from the era, used apprentices to help paint his paintings!!!!! he was even an apprentice himself for verrocchio!! da vinci's legacy would not have been possible without all the other people who helped him create the work that he did!

what is the real kicker about this whole mess is that downplays the beauty of the fact that art is made collaboratively. an 'ideas' person cannot realize those ideas without a craftsperson there to help them. everyone who takes part in creating something is important, and it's fucked to only acknowledge specific people in that process.

[onlyjaeyun]

anon who said she’d read chapter 3 after the enha concert here!!! once again, the chapter was so good!! i was actually impatient and read it before i started getting ready to go to the concert 😭 yn’s gc with giselle and karina had me deadddd. ALSO jay would talk you through it omggggg 😵‍💫😵‍💫

as for the concert it was AMAZING!!! other than having to rush a little bit to get ready, it was the first concert i’ve been too where everything went smoothly for me. we made it early, got inside super fast as soon as doors opened, got merch fast, and we were able to use the restrooms and eat properly in no rush before the show. even getting home was quick and easy (getting home from nct 127 was an actual mess for me so i have a little bit of trauma) 😭 anyways i think the universe anticipated how much i wanted this so it made sure everything went well.

as for the acc concert, I LUV ENHA SO MUCH ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 our view was right in the middle so we were able to focus on the actual stage too rather than just the big screens and jfc they’re so in sync it amazed me. like even other groups are in sync too but enha’s choreo is so hard and the setlist was so physically demanding it was crazy to me that they’re able to make it seem so easy. THEY WERE SO STABLE TOOOO. enha best performers of 4th gen me thinks!! they’ve really proved their talent since they’ve debuted and i’m so proud!!! sunghoon mentioned some of the members were feeling a little sick cause of all the weather changes 🥺🥺🥺 yet they were all so happy and energetic and cute during their ments 🫶🏽🫶🏽 the production value was also crazy, the coffin shaped screens and stage was so creative tbh even if it’s one little detail. lighting and all went crazy too and made things so fun. you can tell money was put into the tour. i may be biased towards them but definitely my favorite kpop concert so far for sure!! just love enha sm 🥰🥰🥰 i only feel the same way for like two other groups, i’m selective af

as for the members omg HYUNG LINE HAD ME DEADDDD, they’re so fine. as a jay girly i already was screeching everytime he showed up. he just has this attractive aura surrounding him 24/7, oooooh i want him so bad 😫😫 BUT JAKE AND HEESEUNG OOOOOOH. jake was my og enha bias and has been my second bias since jongseong took the number one spot, but i think he’s fighting for number 1 again he’s just sooooo fine i was ready to get on my knees for him. everyone was down bad for him oof. heeseung is so sexy when performing jfc his expressions and energy 😍😍. sunghoon’s face card was crazy and he’d just show up on camera and id just be like how are you able to look like that. i almost passed out during that one move in sacrifice where he runs his hand down his body. jungwon is so cute, i’ve always seen him as my son even tho he’s like only a year younger than me 💀 but he was so cute during the ments especially when speaking english 🥹 sunoo is such a pretty man i cannot believe he’s real. ni-ki’s stage presence is so crazy. a true performer. he got so many cheers during the performances, but he deserves it. that’s my son fr and he deserves the world!!! overall they’re amazing performers, every member really shined through at some point and i’m so grateful i got to see them. i’m actually so close to buying a nosebleed ticket for their second show tn and going to just take in the moment without recording or worrying about what i’m wearing and all. i really hope they go to europe soon so you can see them!!! 🫶🏽🫶🏽❤️‍🔥

another thing i kinda wanna rant about. it’s so annoying that kpop concerts have become about interactions and videos. ik that people already say this on twitter so much but it’s so true!!! everyone on the floor was just recording the whole time. i get it to some extent because enha is soooo close to you and i’m v grateful for those super close up videos at every concert. but even enha said they love it when fans dance along. even tho i recorded most of the concert i kept my phone lower and made sure i was also taking in the concert from my own eyes and dancing alone (basically multitasking lmao). even enha was like we love seeing the fans dancing and having fun, but poor boys cannot see that on the floor (which probably are the only fans they can see clearly with all the lights on them). and when pola love came on and they went down into the crowd you’d just see crowds of people running towards each side of the barricades it was crazy to see from the seated sections fr, i was like uhm 😀😀😀 even girls from the seated sections ran down towards the seated section barricade to see them just a little bit closer, i was like girl….🙄🙄 even on twitter people talk about how it’s always the same ppl at send off and they never move for other people to even just greet enha. when i went to ateez in early 2022 they didn’t have an extended stage and tbh at this time the only fanservice done was during encore. the energy was so much diff and everyone was genuinely having so much fun. i guess it leads to more funny moments and feeds the delusion a little with kpop idols being more interactive with fans now but sometimes it seems as if ppl aren’t there for the actual concert aspect but to get their little moment with the idols. still the energy was amazing during a lot of the songs and i’m still so happy ☺️☺️☺️

sorry for the super long ask, i just had to tell someone and you asked for a concert review so…

love you ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 can i be 🐥 anon if you don’t have one??

AAAHVDKWNFOENFLE THIS SOUNDS PERFECT BABY!!!!! im honestly so happy and relieved to hear that you had such a great experience, i really hope you get to experience it again asap!!!! you truly deserved that and im pretty sure the boys had just as good of a time as you did 🥺🥺🤍 (and yes (about the anon part) absolutely baby!)

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

@mykkjae asked me to rank my top 10 BTS songs, so I'm thinking of doing 2 rankings: my 10 "best" and my 10 favorite.

My 10 best BTS songs:

First Love: I think this song is a masterpiece - a brilliant showcase of storytelling - and it's not even Suga's best song. I love that it has a narrative: Suga is telling us the story of his first love, and the way his rap gets more intense and expressive until the song reaches its climax, like he's sharing something personal to him and his feelings build up until they overflow and spill over before naturally resolving themselves as the song reaches an end. I love the violin. The piano is Suga's first love but the violin is more predominant in the song. I just think that the song is totally brilliant.

Tear: This song is another masterpiece. I love Suga's part the most, the one that goes "Yeah yeah yeah, burn it [...]" and then he goes into an iconic, autotuned rap. But everyone sounds great and the lyrics are great too.

ON: This song has both everything that is great about kpop and everything that is missing in kpop. The performance is dramatic, on a whole other scale from Western pop, the song has amazing vocals (Jungkook's bridge,, and his best adlibs ever) and amazing choreo (so original and memorable). It also has super meaningful lyrics ("find me and I'm gonna live with you" -> "find me and I'm gonna bleed with you" = me mindblown), a choir, good and diverse rap, and a performance that are above the average for kpop songs. This song is just so grandiose and fun and everything that is great about pop in general. This is BTS's Bohemian Rhapsody imo.

Black Swan: This is one song everyone loves (like Spring Day), and it was game-changing: the lyrics are meaningful and relatable, the concept is so artistic and honest, the choreography is unbelievable and took them to another level (it showed Jimin in a new light and really allowed him to shine too), the song itself sounds so different, pretty and elegant yet snappy, the MV is simple yet gorgeous, etc..

Idol: This is my song. I love everything about it: the crazy rhythm, the lyrics, the choreo, the performance. To me this is their hypest song and I feel each beat in my soul. I also believe this is the song that captures their love yourself theme the best. Imo, the answer to "how to love myself", in LY: Answer, is Idol: first, you acknowledge the reasons you don't love yourself (in BTS's case, the stigma and stereotyping that comes with being an idol, and how RM and Suga in particular always felt they were less as artists because they were idols), second, you choose to be kind to yourself: you realize that what others think of you doesn't define you (you can call BTS idols, artists, whatever you want, but they know who they are, what they want and you can't stop them for loving themselves), and that you are more than your perceived or real flaws - everyone has qualities, and recognizing them and all the reasons you are worthy of love, is a huge part of loving yourself (like JK says, he loves himself - his fans, his dance, and his what, and like V says, there's a multitude of Vs inside of him but all of them are him and he can embrace them and be his fullest self); third, you need a fierce, aggressive attitude, because loving yourself is a long-term commitment and you need to force yourself to change your way of thinking (this attitude is best represented by Jimin yelling out "You can't stop me loving myself." throughout the song).

Fake Love: Amazing lyrics, amazing choreo, a turning point for BTS.

No More Dream: One of the best debut songs ever. Apart from their rap/singing which has improved a lot, the song is timeless.

Fire: Maybe this is an unconventional choice, but I think this song is amazing. Hype songs can be just as good as sentimental ones.

Go Go: Is it a satire? Are BTS criticizing or embracing consumerism (both?), I'm not sure, but the lyrics are still super clever, the choreo is refreshing and fun, and overall Go Go is just a fun, catchy song with a bite to it.

Spring Day: This song actually isn't one of my favorites, but it's so beloved by BTS and by the fans that it ended up being meaningful to me too. Its longevity shows that the song has something unique and special about it. The lyrics are comforting, the MV is beautiful, the song is pretty and magical...

Now, my top 10 favorite songs, kinda:

Idol

ON

First Love

Black Swan

Tear

Fire

Fake Love

Go Go

Butter

Mic Drop?

I'll include my top 10 bsides, because that might be more interesting:

First Love

Black Swan

Tear

Go Go

Dope

Mic Drop

Airplane Pt. 2

Baepsae

Spine Breaker

You Never Walk Alone

Honestly, there are a lot more songs that I like just as much as those (My Time, Run, Your Eyes Tell, Film Out) but those were the ones I remembered... This got too long, sorry!

[cosmicalily]

twice 5th japanese album "dive" review and ranking

1. ocean deep - i feel like this should have been the title track; as much as i love 'dive', this song feels a lot more like title track material, at least it feels more 'twice-y' in my eyes. the city pop influence in both this song and album is amazing, i think this works so well for twice, especially a japanese comeback since city pop is a retro japanese genre! i would've loved to see this as the title track to see the choreo they'd do for it, and i hope twice pursue this genre in more comebacks!

2. inside of me - the bsides on this album are a gift that keep on giving. as much as i loved 'with you-th', the album felt like it lacked a consistent concept, so i'm so glad that this album has such a strong identity and such cohesive yet unique bsides! literally not much else to say about this one; it was iconic and everything it needed to be.

3. peach soda - ooh i love this genre for twice! retro but with a bit of electronic funk, it's the perfect blend of familiar with something a bit new. i love the chorus so much, the in between verses feel a bit empty to me, but the chorus is so good it makes up for it. definitely want to see more bsides like this in the future!

4. echoes of heart - this reminds me a bit of "butterflies" by skz and reinforces my love for japanese comeback bsides! this just felt super lighthearted and chill, but not boring at all. i love songs like this so much, they feel like sitting in a cafe and just being with your thoughts! very wholesome and an easy listen.

5. beyond the horizon - i love this! this was the perfect intro song for this album; it reminds me of the ocean during sunrise, a little darker than the usual bubbly twice track and i think it's so beautiful. it's got the perfect bside formula, and the simplicity of the instrumental means their vocals really shine through well with this! this song also makes me very nostalgic for the 2010s, it feels like it fits that kind of era of music so well with the guitar and beat! love this one

6. love warning - ugh they're always dropping a cunty track like this (see; last waltz, go hard, wallflower, trouble, bloom) this absolutely devoured and served its purpose! i hope they do some kind of choreography for this song because i feel like it would be stunning, especially the part near the end that would be PERFECT for a dance break (momo would eat). please please please release some kind of performance video for this twice!!! i'm begging. BEGGING!

7. here i am - okay we love a SECOND cunty track?? i love when twice experience with a darker genre for a bside, it's always so well put together. i also feel like the strength of nayeon, jeongyeon and jihyo's vocals always suit tracks like this. it's such a banger and i love all the harmonies (anyone who knows me knows im the biggest hoe for a twice harmony moment). she came. she devoured. not a single crumb left.

8. dive - it took a minute for me to actually like this song, at the start it felt a bit too chill to be a title track? but then i remembered that i felt the exact same way about "doughnut" and now that's one of my favourite songs! learning that title tracks don't need to be the most energetic track of the album, they just need to set the mood, and this 100% does that! it's a bit of a change from a band that does very dancy title tracks, but i feel like it showcases their vocals really well. however, after listening to the rest of the album, 'dive' doesn't stand out anymore the way a title track normally does. it just felt a little empty in comparison to some of the other tracks in this album, especially when compared to 'hare hare', a very bubbly comeback song. it's a beautiful song, but just doesn't feel like a title track to me. this would have been an incredible intro song i feel.

9. hare hare - this is only in this ranking because it was a pre released comeback! trust that this is one of my favourite twice tracks; i was so excited when this was released after 'set me free'; i do love the mature concept for twice, but the genre shift felt a bit too sharp for them considering how girly and 'cute' their recent comebacks had been prior to its release. this felt like a response to 'kura kura' and i loved how much energy was in this track! the dance was also super cute and fun (i couldn't stop doing it)

10. dance again - this was lowkey such a random release welp but i do love it. i feel like it isn't memorable enough to be a single though; i feel like it needs an additional track to really set the mood and make it make sense. even having this as a bside for hare hare would have made a bit more sense (although i know this was released for their japanese christmas promotions with familymart) it does fit the vibe of this album very well though so i'm glad they popped it on here!

[randomobsessionsofa30something]

My top 15 kpop songs of 2023

This year, my love-hate relationship with SM continued, and so more than half of the songs in my list come from artists under SM. I do want to say I try to listen to other stuff, but this year, I found it especially hard to get into a lot of the chart-topping songs. Anyway, these are my favorite kpop songs of the year.

H.M. SHINee-Juice. SHINee released their 8th album and sadly only promoted with three members (Minho, Key, and Taemin). Their title HARD was catchy, but honestly, it's just not for me. The bside Juice tho has an amazing performance video that is worth watching. The song is also catchy, and it feels so grand.

15. Akmu-Love Lee. This song stayed on top of the korean charts for a while, and it's no surprise when it's so infectious. A fun song to listen to for sure.

14. Taeyeon- To. X. This simple mid tempo song has a fun beat with acoustic guitar and an r&b flair. Talks about getting out of a toxic relationship.

13. BOBBY-f. This song is just two minutes long but I feel is like Bobby's celebration to be out of YG and finally be able to curse. And yeah he says the f word a lot. Love the electric guitar.

12. New Jeans-Super Shy. This year makes 10 years since I entered the kpop world so maybe I'm just too old but I feel I'm having a lot of issues with the 4th and 5th generation music. New Jeans is one of the outliers. I may not love their fashion but I love their catchy pop songs and Super shy was stuck on my head this year. I could have easily picked OMG to add to this list too.

11. JENNIE-You&Me. For the life of me, I don't understand why this year there was so much negativity towards Blackpink. To be perfectly honest, I'm not a fan of kpop artists doing songs only in english. I always feel there's something missing, but this song is an exception. I really loved it. Just a fun dance song, but it's really well done.

10. NCT DREAM-Broken Melodies. I was not a fan of ISTJ, I tried, but it was Broken Melodies I could not stop listening to. The lyrics talk about yearning for someone when they are on the road. I love Heachan's beautiful vocals on this one.

9. Chanyeol-Good Enough. Chanyeol released this single, and he is my bias, so I was probably gonna love whatever he released. But Good enough was unexpectedly emotional after the uncertainty that brought the let's call it "misscomunications" between EXO and SM. The song is a reminder than even in the dark times you need to remember there's a light at the end of the tunnel even if you feel stuck. A chill song with Chanyeol's soothing vocals.

8. (G)I-DLE-I want that. I think (G)IDLE is one of the girl groups that I look forward to when they make a comeback these days. The chorus of this song is so fun and there's some adlibs that I really love.

7. Be'O-MAD. This song was released a month ago and since then I've listened to it a lot. I just think Be'O's voice is so interesting, and his melodies really appeal to me, so it's no surprise I loved it.

6. Aespa-Better things. I loved everything Aespa released since debut, but this year, I struggled liking their sound except for this song that which funny enough is in english. The lyrics are about stop wasting your time on a failed relationship. Loved the melody and the word play.

5. Kai-Rover. Kai, our sweet dual personality dance king, has now gone for the military, but he left us this song to obsess about. It really became a huge trend between idols. The chorus is such an earworm. The choreo as expected is great.

4. Red Velvet-Chill Kill. Red Velvet has always been my reluctant favorite girlgroup. I say this because I love their Velvet r&b side, but even if I'm not such a fan of their Red pop side their songs always win me over. They came back with their third full album, which was one of my favorites of the year. This eary song with a surprisingly sweet chorus has a strong beat on an otherwise midtempo song. The MV is creepy as only a Red Velvet MV can be. Love Joy's vocals on this.

3. Taeyang ft. JIMIN-VIBE. Finally, after all the wait, a Big Bang member came back to kpop to make a splash. Taeyang's vocals are undisputed, and he managed to make a song that is groovy, trendy with the help of BTS's Jimin. A song about feeling an instant connection with someone. His whole album is also great.

2. Taemin-Guilty. Seeing Taemin back with Shinee was great, but ever since he was released from the military, all I could think about was "I cannot wait to see what he comes up with for his solo comeback". So my expectations were high-very high-, but he delievered and then some. The MV's concept is Hermann Hesse's Demian, which is genius for a song called Guilty. I don't think we will ever know for sure, but it does feel Taemin put a little bit of his not so pleasant experiences from the military into the imagery. The song is captivating from the strong beat to the high notes and the whispery raps. Unexpected yet familiar side to Taemin. Just art.

1. EXO-Cream Soda. EXO finally came back. It should have been an eight member comeback but he had to enlist earlier than expected and sadly Kai was not present in the promotion of this song, which was meager but I won't go down that rabbit hole... Still, they really were like "hey! I know you missed us and you want your r&b and for us to go all vocal kings on you so here you go!". To this day I don't love the MV but who cares? Cream Soda is amazing. Chen's high note, Suho's chorus part and Sehun and Chanyeol's rap. They just gave me everything I wanted. So I can't help, from my very biased point of view, to claim this was the best song of the year.

[dojae-huh]

not attaching the link but I saw a twt criticizing ty for outshining the mebers with choreo ....comon.. .it's ty..he was born to do that...sometimes I really dont get the fans...

anyway I want to ask about mark..did he ever outshined the members with the choreo?? I mean as an artist I respect and admire him...he works hard..his rap is powerful and also he dance well too...but I never get the feelings that he have an impactful aura in dancing..for me jae has it sometimes , when mark is better than him..u knw what I mean is right...even if he dances he cant take full control over the stage..ty can just stand there and make the whole stage his....even dy who is far from all mebers of 127 in dancing gives me the vibe of a charismatic personality when he performs on stage...ofcrs I knw mark is way better than anyone I mentioned..I am not trying to demeaning him with his skills..but u knw like sometimes his face overpower whatever hairstyle nd colour he is having...with his face I cant notice his hairstyles nd colour..that much power his face can hold..but why there is no an overall impression or the power of stage controll..if he is ur bias or bias of any readers here please dont be offended I am just sharing my thoughts....thankyou...

I think this is a question for those who learn dance.

Personally, I can't name such a case. (Maybe in Dream?) He is very withdrawn in himself when he dances, head low, he is not projecting to the audience. He is more noticeable and commanding as a rapper, he is good with power stances (like in Resonance).

Many people who do dance rankings place him above Taeyong. As I understand, he has clean lines, his movements are sharp, the footwork, and other technical things. But then again, it seems to me (street, hip-hop and other modern genres) dancers respect the control of the body, groove, tricks, difficulty, musicality, creativeness (and Mark can freestyle some). Meanwhile the commonfolk like us are more attracted to stage presence, personal flavour, small details with hands Taeyong does or fluidity of the body, foxy smiles, sexyness Ten shows. Or Doyoung's facial expressions as of late, pointed hand gestures during his solo parts.

Personally, I'm not into dancing as an artform or a kind of sport (something cool to show off). Maybe it's because I'm a zoologist with love for animals, but I'm most captivated with the power in the movement, agility, hand gestures. For that reason I like Chinese traditional dance. And for the same reason I enjoy Jaehyun. Like he shines in the front of the final Resonance line-up. All power and vigor. I will prefer k-pop dances like this one to the type WayV sometime does (with all the unnessesary "story telling" movements).

Mark is very boyish, same as his face, he doesn't really change. In any concept his true self shines through. And a boy is not a king. He lacks gravitas. Remember how many times it took him to do that scene with red revolvers for the Sticker MV? Heh. Mark can do evil, for example (his Super M promos, eh, I miss the group...), but that off stage, before the camera, as an actor.

I guess with dancing it is his eagerness? diligence? I don't know wich word to choose to describe... anyway, "he is doing his best, 100% energy" that what I get from the way Mark dances and performs. There is little room for artisticity. He moves from one move to another without a pause. Taeyong, on the other hand, sprinkles everything with some creations, ideas. A smirk here, a twirl there, a play with fingers or a fleeting facial expression. That's why he draws attention.

As shy as Tae is, on the stage he turns into another being. Mark stays himself.

[mosviqu]

loved ur thoughts on it and i'm yet again glad to know that 2 out of 3 of our fav songs match again and i'm so glad it's a 20/10 album for u as well

tbh i only remember matthew talking so i'm not going to be a help here sadly💀💀

ERIC NEEDS TO HAVE LONGER PARTS I LOVE MY MAN SUNWOO LOVE HIS RAPS LOVE HIS VOICE BUT ERIC DESERVES TO SHINE AS WELL HE ALWAYS GET SO LITTLE PARTS💔 and i'm glad we did talk more about sunwoo😇 atleast it was worth it cuz of actor jihoon ig but the fact that only the last episodes were good😭😭 AND YAYYY IM HAPOY TO HEAR THAT🥳🥳

TBH IT WOULD BE CRAZY IF WE WOULD ACTUALLY END UP MEETING UP but if u need any help while u guys are here i am available to help anytime🫡

THE CLUB ONES WERE SO FUNNY I REMEMBER HOW THE TAEHYUN ONE AND THEIRS WERE AROUND THE SAME TIME AND I JUST LAUGHED SO HARD AT THEM (i remember seeing someone say "can't believe they are dancers and they move like this" i lost my shit actually) AND SO TRUE GOOD FOR HIM LMAO and now that u say that i follow an intak stan on tiktok AND SHE HASNT TALKED MUCH ABOUT JIM LIKE SHE USED TO (she also doesn't really make tiktoks that much and took like half off but we don't talk about that)

I DID WATCH IT!!! BAR!!!! I CANNNNOTT PUT MY FEELINGS INTO WORDS I LITERALLY ENDED UP ON THE FLOOR AFTER I WATCHED IT FOR THE FIEST TIME I JUST COULDNT TAKE MY EYES OF OFF JIHOON IT WAS SO BAD HIS FIT AND EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM WAS😭🤭 THE SONG🤌🤌🤌 THE CHOREOGRAPHY 🤌🤌 (but i did. feel a bit weird when i looked at junghwan doing al that .-.) and ever since it came out it has been my motivation to learn i'm just like okay i'm gonna finish this part and watch it again🤭 i am just so not ready for them to perform this like ever shsndbfn (liebestraum anon🥸)

SEE our taste in music actually matches for the most part 😭

still thinking of eric in kiss me if you can....and eric in general..... (i watched their vid w the fo squad today and girl let me tell u i think i fell in love with him ☹ you know me so well goodbye) also i wont talk abt sunwoo anymore bc he is yours only and i wont be a bad friend in this situation /j (i finished the bbam bbam social club series. literally 8h of staring at tipsy sunwoo. what did u expect to happen). ERIC DOESNT GET MANY PARTS ???? HAVE U HEARD THE MAN??????????????? JUSTICE FOR MY MAN.

omg im...so down actually ??? even tho i am SO awkward irl istg i think id die of anxiety but it would be so fun i think 😭😭 i still dont have the tickets so. we'll see hhhhh

NO BECAUSE TAEHYUNS CLUB WAS TOO DRY ISTG THAY WAS THE WORST ONE 😭😭 my man has to come to slovak clubs fr i'll show him how its done 🙄🙄 but also THEY HAVE SO MANY HONGDAE CLUBS AND HE WENT TO THE DRIEST ONE ??? 😭😭 but w the dancing part like how do u expect him to dance at a club he isnt gonna bust out the good boy gone bad choreo 😭😭😭 i mean at least shake ass a little i understand but dont expect big things 😭😭 also SEE im the most active intak stan confirmed (dont look that up) i need him to be my golden retriever boyfriend he's so pookie

on the topic of T5 move. *deep breath* AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. jihoon's fit...lives in my mind rent free. like we knew he had abs and we did see them before but why did the sight affect me so much this time 😭 also i didnt even look at junghwan that much 😳 maybe for the best to not feel weird AHAHA i mean he is an adult but the 2 year age difference is providing a mental block for me to not see him in that way LMAO. we are NOT ready for the mv OR the live performance im afraid. plan my funeral friends ☹☹

[roxy206]

This is the finale. This is SO long I am SO sorry, I live-asked this again because I’ve been loving giving all my thoughts in one place.

“This choreography is no joke” -my FAVORITE mood of drag race episode. I ~love~ choreo/dance/song heavy episodes because that’s my favorite kind of drag. I love when people bring their artistry to it. Watching skinny slay it made me SK happy. She really gave everything I love about these challenges, watching her excel in pray learning the choreo was so beautiful. She’s actually been a joy to watch in that aspect. Jaida too!!!

I liked the conversation of all of them talking about how they’ve grown because we can see through the edits how it’s happened but I like to hear their perspectives and how they support each other through it all. This show is no joke, this show mentally is so taxing, and I love hearing the queens speak so kindly and honestly to each other about what they’ve noticed about each other’s growth and how proud they are of each other.

I loved the choreo, the lyrics were good, but I wish there had been more singing and less rapping. But I think that was the song they were given tbh, it didn’t lend to vocals as much. And I love a vocal queen so I think that swayed my opinion of the performance overall. I do love Gisele. I think they all did well but Gisele just reminds me of my own heritage and listening to relatives speak French growing up so I am 1,000% biased and have been from the beginning, I’ll admit that. I loved Viv and Irma from the jump but Gisele made her way into my heart real fast. She also wore rose gold for that runway? My favorite color?! Man, she really just speaks to me as a person. Her drag is SO in synch with my personal preferences.

Jaida had me crying during those pictures though.

When all the queens come back and they’re talking and then all of a sudden Viv’s like “Irma gerd, heeeey” it gets me, it’s a SUDDEN pivot. It’s the producers being like “hey, here’s what you’ve all missed here.”

“I’m a performance queen first” ME TOO BROOKE LYNN

(Chaos ATE with her look it was SO good.)

The way they all screamed for Irma like ME TOO bitch, me too. I missed her too.

(I got drunk with 10 minutes left in this, I’m 27 it’s fine, but like. The rest of this episode’s synopsis will be effected by that and me having to pause to have a lil text chat with my bestie just so you know.)

(I tuned in with Gisele and Jaida lip synching just going with it. This fucking Celine Dion. It reminds me just how Canadian I truly am. I’m American born but French Canadian raised and good god I’m SO Canadian culturally bc of how I’m raised this is my JAM.)

I SCREAMED WHEN THEY SAID GISELE OMG MY NEIGHBORS HATE ME. Man, I LOOOVE her. This season gave me Irma and Viv but it also gave me Gisele which I am so thankful for, omg I have been blessed by a literal angel I am crying I am SO happy for her. Whoa. Didn’t expect to scream, didn’t expect to get THIS invested, but I did. I sent a picture of me SOBBING to my best friend as proof that I can’t handle my own emotions but I am SO happy for Gisele that I can’t even handle it.

Anyway, I guess now’s the time that I thank you and your posts for getting me to watch this season. It’s been a real treat to get to see queens I’ve only seen through social media shine through these competitions. I’ve tried to check everything but excuse me if there’s errors in my grammar or spelling it’s been a long week as a preschool teacher and this season recap has been the ultimate wind down activity.

Thank you 💖 I’ll continue to follow and hang with your drag discourse because it’s been so fun. Thanks for hanging! And if I’m not mistaken you’re a fellow Boston queen?! If so, thanks even more, from one semi-local to another. (I live in the NH woods but claim Boston whenever anyone from far away asks where I’m from and I’m too lazy to elaborate. I just give them my approximate time from Boston because that city has some of my heart.)

Omg I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long to get to this! I think it must have been the middle of the night when I answered your other ask about starting the finale

I live for the live asking of CDR 3! Truly if anyone else wants to watch the season & give me their opinions I would welcome that. I love this season & Irma & Viv, & I think it’s a shame that more people haven’t been introduced to them because they don’t watch CDR

Okay so obviously I was rooting for Gisele, but lowkey I started rooting for Kimmy to win between her slaying that choreo & then her & Icesis!!! It was just so sweet. But the choreo yes omg, Hollywood Jade being impressed was so great

The growth throughout a season is honestly so impressive when you realize it’s actually such a short amount of time that they filmed it versus how long it takes to air. They’re filming an episode in two days usually, they maybe have a weekend off, but they’re going back to back so to be able to so quickly take on those critiques when it’s something they can work on (obviously they can’t change what they brought for their package while they’re there, it’s only in design challenges that they can try to take on those critiques unless they brought back up options that are a different style for the runway categories) is really noteworthy

I love how much you love Gisèle too 💕

I lost track of how many times Jada made me cry this season lol

Ah I’m so sad that we didn’t have a full reunion this season, but I did love the little Viv & Irma convo. Production chose right with who should ask Irma about being the first east coast queen on the franchise

Please your not sober commentary lmao 💕

Okay can I recommend that you rewatch that lip sync but watch Viv & Irma in the background …

GISÈLE!!!!! I was so so happy. This was her season. She’s so talented, she helped everyone with design challenges, she lip syncs the hell out of a song. She so deserved this!!! 👑

Omg honestly thank you for watching & letting me know that you were plus all of your updates!

Lmao yes the distance to Boston is the way to go. I’m in Central Mass, you’re right!

I hope your week is going well — just a couple more days until it’s the weekend again!

[cosmojjong]

thank you so much for the translation, i appreciate it :) i didn't know there was a longer video, you don't have to translate it but could you please post the link? i also wanted to ask if you've subbed any of jjong's concerts, i want to ask for everything from his performances but i don't want to be greedy lol

sorry for replying now - you're very welcome and no worries! i remember it being longer because i was watching the broadcast that day, i actually translated it for you so long post incoming again [check below for the translation]

i haven't subbed his concerts (mostly because there are very few hd clips) but if you have any in mind, let me know! i have a channel as well where i post subbed clips. though my problem atm is that i cannot use any subbing softwares so, unless someone's able to help me, i can't encode subs into vids :( but it's not being greedy, if i can 'brush up' an old memory and share what he's saying i'm more than happy to do so.

kb: shinee's back [sings] no need to mention it, right? shinee, who've been shining for the past nine years! bling bling, the self-luminous diode shinee! kibum, jonghyun, taemin, jinki: hello, we're shining shinee!

kibum: that's right, we've already gotten to our fifth studio album ^^

jonghyun: yah, incredible

kibum: the title track's 1of1- please introduce it, onew-ssi!

jinki: okay! just like the title [suggests], you're able to feel that 'back to the 90s retro feeling' in the lyrics. [the lyrics] are conveying a one and only love to one woman.

kibum: woah.. one woman? who is it?

jonghyun: [here he says a word that frankly i'm not sure i'm hearing right. if it's the word i'm thinking off, he's saying that's a direct/strong enquiry]

jonghyun: of course shinee's 1of1 is [talking] about shinee world! yuuuup, taemin-ssi's got something ready for shinee world who's watching the first reveal of shinee's comeback stage, doesn't he?

taemin: yeah! we have a limited edition, a limited signed edition of our album, we're giving this tape to a person.

kibum: wow, you guys are so good [at mcing]

jinki: we are! and secondly, we have a energetic shinee performance. our energy's going to explode this one time, too!

kibum: cool cool, then i'll say a few words, too.

kibum: yup, taemin (today's guest and mc, the dance god, the dance prince) said he'd show you guys the highlight of the choreo taemin: of course, yeah kibum: please show it taemin: i will! [starts dancing] kibum: [tells him to hurry with his moves] shinee: [they imitate the opening bit of 1of1] kibum: hold up- why.. how are you overdoing it like this? (as in, why are you twisting it lol) taemin: it's like this though? jonghyun: isn't he pretending to be too cute? kibum: alright, alright taemin: i really like the choreo kibum: anyway, you guys saw taemin's dance [jonghyun: yes yes] kibum: didn't you guys also hear a wolf sound coming from somewhere earlier? jonghyun: that was my voice. i can't just sing one time after coming all the way here! kibum: i see. jonghyun: [sings 1of1 and wiggling, sooooo cute] jinki: before seeing shinee's comeback stage, which will illuminate the hearts of k-pop people- taemin: let's first take a look at sf9 (a 9-member group who was set for official debut through a survival show)!

that's it, apologies if there are any minor inaccuracies or typos, i'm a bit tired today but enjoy ^^

[slowlydifferentbluebird]

Twice headcanon: how you became their crush

Requests are open

Twice members X GN!Reader

Nayeon

Nayeon was so happy for her solo debut, she waited so long for her time to shine

But without her members she was feeling alone

So when known this gentle and funny person in her staff, she was glad

You were a newbie, yet you moved like a veteran. You were professional, yet easygoing.

You have been the her rock and she couldn't forget what you have done for her.

Now that she's doing the promotion with her group again, she doesn't feel alone anymore, but she miss you a lot

Instead you're juggling between all the JYP groups and your days are busy, but at least the messages from Nayeon cheer you up.

Jeongyeon

Jeongyeon often visits dog shelters to help for a day.

Usually there she meets elders or families with their children

But that day she saw this person of her age

You were so passionate in doing your work that something inside her changed.

So she asked for your number for "visiting together the house of this pets"

And effectively that's what you two do

She has promised to herself that one day she will confess to you

Momo

We all know that Momo is an amazing dancer, right? Probably one of the best among her colleagues

And her voice is fantastic too, but some haters lowered her self-esteem with harsh criticism

So to regain her confidence, she started to going in her own time to a vocal coach: you

She understood since the first lesson that you were the right person for her

You were not just a good teacher, you were a good human being

The way you cheered for her and you never stopped to believe in her melt her heart

So it was natural for her fell for you

Sana

I have only a question: how a person so skilled in everything can't cook?

Like, she can sing and perform the hardest choreo, but don't give to that woman a frying pan

She was tired to be the one useless in the kitchen

So she began to take a cooking class, but also there she was bad and no one wanted to pair up with her

No one but you

You weren't bothered by her mistakes, being the better or the worst of the class was no fun, but having a new friend? Hell yeah

Well, too bad(?) she sees you as more than a friend

Jihyo

Being a mother will be an easy job for her after taking care of nine crackheads

She loves them, but being the leader takes a lot of time

and she had given up on finding the love

But then she entered in your local

You have this cozy café in an European style

After talking with you in a lazy moment, she noticed that you had a lot in common

knowing that certain occasions do not return, she asked you to be "friends". Jihyo old fox.

Mina

Lately Mina was closing up in her room more than usual

She always like to stay there, being an introvert, but these days she would go out only for work

Her members say it's because her new game companion

She's to shy to admit it, but It's true

She has met you playing Minecraft online

You were a perfect playmate, so fun and skilled that she would like to play always with you...

...or maybe she would like to do everything with you even offline

Dahyun

Recently has been announced that she will be a protagonist in a new drama

So it's natural to start doing promotion in different shows

One the them was your radio show, that recently gained popolarity due your spontaneity

And actually she had so much fun that day, you two have a natural chemistry

For her was rare meeting someone with her same sense of humor

Yet she was worried about her timing, that was a busy period

But how her leader said to her: "There is no a right time to be in love, it's your heart that decide when being in love". Wise words.

Chaeyoung

She was wandering around the Han River, while listening to Justin Bieber

When she saw this figure next to a smeared canvas

You were painting the nature as your usual

You were so busy that you didn’t notice her until after 10 minutes

the conversation started naturally

You talked for hours: art, movies, music, ecc

After returning home, you discovered her telephone number on your canvas

Tzuyu

Oh, this shy lil'bean

For her It was so hard to met new people

Everybody said that she was boring or too posh

This until she met you accidentally

Accidentally because she has practically knocked you out, opening a door

But instead of getting angry, you started laughing with her

And after hearing your laugh, she knew that she had a crush on you

[sanstropfremir]

you know what it's time for? end of year wrap up posts! and the first one up is....

fave choreos!!

runners' up

villain - trendz

i'm only going to include one trendz choreo on this list because otherwise they'd take up like four slots, but their debut choreo really set the bar for just how impressive their choreography was going to be. i'd encourage you to check out their other choreos: tnt, trauma, who, and clique.

stupid cool - dawn

it's the right mix of casual playing around and some difficult technique, and everyone looks like they're having a blast while performing. i feel like people forget that dawn is an extremely talented dancer because the everything else about him is very distracting, but this choreo is a great marriage of the goofy and serious in a way that very few idols are capable of

pose - kino

there's always gonna be one taemin clone on this list, but that's ok because sometimes they get it right, which is how i feel about kino's solo debut. i like that he went for a less popular taeminprint (day and night) and i think there was enough there that made it his own; kino is a good dancer and choreographer so that much was unsurprising to me.

doom du doom - p1harmony

p1harmony are one of the few groups to have a dancer with real freestyle skills, and they finally put them to use in this choreo. soul has a fun lil freestyle solo dance break and he changed it up for every performance. i'm no gonna link them all here but here's a few: 220722, 220726, 220728. plus it seems to be a theme with their choreos to climb on stuff (or at least it was for this cb, you can see it also in the black hole choreo), and i find that fun.

suit dance - onlyoneof

unsurprising an ooo choreo made it on here, they're a very strong dance group and although we haven't had many choreos from them this year due to the solo projects, suit dance was still one of the best of the year. excellent thematic and prop work, which you can see better in this stage. a little bit peeved they never put out a dance practice of it.

bad at love - tempest

like with a lot of groups on this list, you're going to notice that i had to pick just one choreo from their 2022 releases, bc there was a LOT of consistently good work from groups this year. i went with this bside from tempest's debut because it captures how fun their choreography is, although this could have just as easily been can't stop shining or bad news.

uh heung - dkz

the unflopping of dkz has been the biggest kpop cinderella story of the last few years, and they deserve it because their choreography has been equal parts great and stupid the whole time. uh heung is such a fun time with some really interesting formations, my fave is kyoungyoon being 'scared' of the tiger at the bridge. runner up slot for them is cupid, which is more on the stupid side, but it's so charming.

bound - key

i said i wanted a senior artist to bring back vogueing and i got what i wanted, thank u kibum.

creature - e'last

no prop choreo from e'last this year, but we did get this spectacular and spooky choreo for creature. excellent use of stillness to accentuate the predatory nature of the song, plus a point choreo move that involved the back, an under-utilized feature in kpop.

eyes on you - kangta

it's so so rare to see a modernized first gen choreo because very few of them are still active, and the ones that are that still do serious choreography are boa and rain (although we did get a new shinhwa choreo this year too, somehow their second cb about guns?), who have exceptional skills for the generation. so the fact that we got a whole new kangta choreo in 2022? a true gift. in first gen tradition this is not particularly technically difficult and it has a lot of movements typical of that style of kpop dancing, but he makes everything look so fluid in a way that younger more technically skilled idols fail to do when covering older choreographies.

faster + 2 baddies - nct 127

this one is a bit of cheat, but the faster choreo is meant to lead directly into the 2 baddies choreo and it's often used as the intro, plus there's a couple of repeating motifs in them, so i'm bundling them together. in typical 127 tradition, these choreos are fuckin weird and inventive, and i like how they're so prescriptive to their car themes. the gear turning member switching in faster makes my brain go brrr and 2 baddies has a ton of really fun and unusual formation switching that you don't get to see thanks to music show camerawork.

dice - onew

for someone who's not a very strong dancer, he does a great jobwith this choreo and the choreographer did a great job making pictures around him, rather than relying on him to provide the technical clarity. also like with the stupid cool choreography, this one looks like it's fun to perform for everyone involved.

---

top ten

bring it on - oneus

oneus choreos always make my list because they consistently have some of the best and most interesting choreographies in the biz, and they're some of the strongest performers in the biz as well. bring it on is so full of energy and big movements and even though i've seen it dozens of times at this point i still get surprised by it. the intro goes hard as well, like all oneus intros do.

+

sparkling - chungha

chungha always has gorgeous choreo and sparkling is no different. plus i am not immune to hair flips and also women.

+

walking on the moon - tan

to be completely honest, this choreo is on here for one specific move, and that is the moon phase sequence at the beginning of the final chorus (3:50 in this video). i don't know how many times i've watched just that move and i could keep watching it forever. it's perfect. you can see it with camerawork here. the rest of the choreo is good too, it's nice to see a return to second gen style simple and iconic point choreography.

+

louder - tan

next gen beastdols. that's it.

+

heartburn - sunmi

once again sunmi comes back with an amazing choreography. i love her versatility in how she chooses to illustrate the themes in her work; last year it was dark through tail and this year it's light and playful in aesthetics but still heavy on the man-killing. we love to see it.

+

devil - changmin

changmin was always one of the weaker tvxq dancers and was also never that interested in the technical aspects, so it makes sense that his solo choreography would focus less on being technically complex and more about emphasis on a character. the strength of the devil choreography relies on building this righteously corrupt preacher character and how the dancers move around him as congregants/demons that interact and mirror him. my favourite move is the mirrored windmill, especially when you see them in full costume where the backup dancers' faces are covered.

+

guerrilla + halazia - ateez

i'm gonna cheat again for this one, but in all fairness to myself, they dropped halazia on literally the last day of the year and i genuinely cannot decide if i like it more than guerrilla or not. so they can share third place. i was not that impressed with their choreo from 2021, but they really stepped up their game this year in almost every way.

+

parallel universe - nine.i

in the second year in a row, a rookie group is placing at second. but there were such strong turnouts from rookies this year, so it's unsurprising that more than one group made my list. i've talked many times about how much i love this choreography, so i won't expound too much on it again, but for this complex and unusual of a choreography to be for a debut and nothing nine.i has done since this has disappointed me so far. if you want to learn more about the details of the choreo, they talk about all the motifs in the performance commentary video!

+

birthday - ten

i hope you all guessed that this was going to be the top one because there was no other option. this choreo is fucking incredible and there's no other idol that can do what ten does with his body. in a year with no taemin and many taemin clones he brought something that was unique to him and something only he could do, which is exactly what you should be doing as an artist. i don't even have anything else to say about this, just that it's the kind of thing that i want to be seeing from solo artists and i'm very glad that ten stepped up the plate and swung for the fences in ambition and creativity and desire to make something that embodied him.

--

that's a wrap on choreos for 2022! not a boring year at all even though both taemin and kai were absent. it's nice to see that the younger gens are starting to get creative with the types of choreography that we're seeing, there was a lot of variety this year and i'm hoping it continues into 2023!