#it's the same in EVERY single mv of theirs by now

[candescentkpop]

Jongho

Ateez: Limitless

Ateez Part 82 / ∞

[inphront]

what kpop girl groups the tlt cast would stan

just saw a post talking about the tlt cast doing kpop dance challenges and couldn't shut up so now i'm making my own post. i know significantly more about girl groups than i do boy groups, so i'm assigning everyone a girl group and/or female soloist enjoy.

judith: she was a wonder girls stan growing up and acts like it was just a casual phase but she still religiously awaits every comeback from sunmi

marta: mamamoo. she's not actually involved with the fandom in any way she just knows good vocals when she hears em

coronabeth: she has pretty broad tastes for the most part and tends to be a bit inconsistent with her ults-- these days it's ive and she is THE wonyoung defender, but she had a hell of a red velvet phase before that, and there was also a good while when she was big into momoland.

ianthe: aoa. miniskirt was the only song of theirs that she knew before the scandal she hopped onto that ship right as it was sinking. i do also think corona showed her the monster mv when it came out and she was obligated by sisterly law to make fun of it but then promptly binged every single thing red velvet has ever created.

babs: a boygroup stan but he makes an exception for ioi (somi specifically).

isaac: he likes nmixx and aespa, but i think he's more intense about craxy and a couple other nugu groups. he enjoys the newer songs that sound like three completely different songs got smashed together my boy wants NOISE.

jeannemary: DREAMCATCHER. girlie is the biggest somnie on earth and has a massive crush on dami and sua in particular. she's a big girlcrush enjoyer in general though she also stans everglow, pixy, and purplekiss.

abigail: girl's generation, obviously.

magnus: i mean he of course likes anything his wife likes especially because she appreciates the classics, but i think he also really loves like. gugudan and fromis. honestly? 9muses too idk why every group with the number 9 in it has his vibes but they all do.

palamedes: stans every girlgroup that has ever existed with all his heart and soul, but especially stayc, billlie, and loona. he's one of those orbits who actually knows all the lore too.

camilla: was a casual blackjack back in the day but the only gg she's really into is g-idle. she appreciates it when a group has some artistic freedom, and also can tell when an idol actually knows how to rap vs just not knowing how to sing.

dulcinea: nature, gfriend, and chungha. she likes cutesy groups that do total 180s in concept i think nature dropping girls was one of the best days of her damn life.

protesilaus: fifty fifty but he stanned before cupid released. also cignature he really likes nugu groups.

silas: gangnam style is the only kpop song he has ever heard and he is deeply distraught upon learning that there's more.

colum: he enjoys one (1) song by a kpop girl group and it is la vie en rose by iz*one

harrowhark: by and large does not listen to kpop but she saw the mv to paradise lost by gain as a young teenager and it Did Something To Her. i think there's a timeline out there where she's a cheshire but in that timeline her parents love her

gideon: so ik i gave mamamoo to marta but gideon appreciates a hot woman with hella ability to command a stage and mamamoo is four of those. she likes hyuna for the exact same reason but i am especially talking about red/roll deep/how's this era hyuna. oh and exid.

mercymorn: she's a blink.

augustine: and he, naturally, is a once!

gide1: rania do NOT ask me why because i do not have an answer.

pyrrha: sistar. she biases hyolyn like hell and considers dally to be the song of the myriad.

cytherea: was pristin's number one fan and that's why she's like that now

john: newjeans. you KNOW that man is super shy

nona: thinks every song by a girlgroup is the best song ever. palamedes got her into loona but she doesn't know any of the lore he tries to explain it and she just goes TAKE ME HIGH! HIGH! HIGH! HIGH-- she also loves itzy and now is getting into kiss of life but mainly that's because of the dance break in shhh (which she tried to learn but she can't balance on one foot that long)

alecto: honestly i think she would learn that the kpop industry exists and immediately go on a murderous rampage against every ceo in the universe, but she plays karma by blackswan in the background when she does it.

[essentiallyleaf]

Top 5 groups you like

hello, anon.

aaahhhhhh, the definitive question. i always ask myself, what are the criteria, and how to weigh them? music (songwriting, production, general catchiness...), performance (singing/rapping/dancing, choreography), visuals (music videos, outfits, hair & make-up, stage designs), content (variety shows, youtube, tiktok...), the members themselves (personality, chemistry, prettiness, and honestly, fuckability)?

i haven't found an answer yet, and maybe there is none. so these, in debut order (the same order i got into them), are the groups that speak to me the most as of now, circa oct 6, 2023, 10am of a sunny, still surprisingly warm morning:

Red Velvet. one of the groups that got me into k-pop, and one of my favorite discographies, especially when you consider their lifespan and consistency. if i were to choose my favorite albums in the genre, up to half of the list could be theirs.

LOOΠΔ. i've had ups and downs with them, but that HeeJin -> XX run will always be engraved in my mind as a golden era for k-pop. they have the catalog, the music videos, the lore; the people behind them had stories to tell, and they knew how to tell them. they felt different.

æspa. more smtown craziness in their songs, mv's and concept. visual overload in every possible way, from their flawless ai faces to the fonts on their album covers. except spicy. that one, probably not as good.

NMIXX. for them, it's more about the members and their collective clownery (especially ☀️1️⃣, the girl just has everything). their youtube content is easily my favorite atm and some of the best i've seen by any group. their music can be very hit or miss, and although i agree it has flaws, i personally like their experimental side.

NewJeans. last, but far from least. first group since the one three bullets above that just felt different. i don't think there is a single thing i dislike about them, and i don't think any other group makes me feel real emotions like they do. ditto and its mv's (all their mv's, in my opinion an integral part of their artistry and identity, are stunning and written so well, again something about knowing how to tell a story, in their case a much more mundane and slice of life-y one, though certainly no less hard-hitting) have a special spot in my heart and i cry everytime i watch them.

affectionately, leaf.

[wishheroes]

Weekly K-pop Round-Up (20240601-20240608)

hello and welcome to another weekly k-music release round-up! today we will be reviewing releases from the first week of june! hope you enjoy

BADVILLAIN - BADVILLAIN

this is a great example of an amazing instrumental put to waste. i think they could've made something way better with this rather than your typical 3rd gen girl crush sound. i'm not really a fan of the girl crush concept in general, so this isn't really to my liking. the girls are very talented though so i will be looking forward to future releases. congratulations on your debut!

Boy Comics - XDINARY HEROES

i don't think there will ever be a time where i get disappointed in a xdinary heroes release. their music is incredible in every aspect. i think this is one of their best releases to date. they should've made this their title track for their first full album and little things the single, even the music video is more interesting than their latest title track. but at the same time i think having a slower song was a good fit for their first album and the whole album got me very emotional as i ult them. anyway, going back to boy comics, i love everything about it. people need to pay more attention to bands!

Celestial Night - W24

continuing with another band, we have w24 with their new ep "memory making moment" with celestial night serving as the title. i love this song so much. it immediately went into my playlist. i think everything just works wonderfully. the instrumental is beautiful, and the vocals match perfectly. i seriously love songs like this a lot. i like it so much that i don't really have anything else to say. it's a great song.

Hero - AKMU

what a pretty song! it's so easy to the ear yet so beautiful. what i really want to talk about is the music video. it's stunning! i haven't seen such a well done music video in a while. not only was it visually pretty, but it also had a storyline which made me feel like i was watching a movie or theatre play. the best way to describe both the song and mv is pretty. as always akmu didn't let me down with this amazing release.

Give Me That - WAYV

would you guys hate me if i said this concept matches them way better? in the sense that it really suits the members. i was a huge fan of their older concept and my favourite title track of theirs is on my youth, but this concept really brings out the best in them! i think this is such a fun release and i enjoyed the whole mini! i think this is really a turning point for wayv, a lot of people seem to be enjoying this release and considering this has the same amount of views as phantom and 2 million more views than on my youth only 5 days after release, i think this concept could really finally get them somewhere. that is if of course, sm gives a shit and actually promotes them well. the song itself is really fun and my god i really have no clue what it is but it really screams wayv at my face! the only negative thing i could say about it is that i wish the music video was a bit more interesting since the sets are really boring, but nonetheless it's great all round. i really hope wayv can get even more popular than they were with this comeback and i hope they continue this sound in their future releases (and not only b-sides).

Shooting Star - Kep1er

oh how i'll miss yeseo and mashiro in kep1er.. on another note, this is their best song they've ever released for sure. it's so pretty. can't believe it's the 9isbandment song. however, i'm happy we can at least still have kep1er with us, even if it won't be the same kep1er we were used to. but anyway, the song is really beautiful. the instrumental is very dreamy and it really gives me those loona vibes. you could tell me this was a leaked artms title track and i would full on believe you. and that's a huge compliment, by the way. i really hope the best for the girls moving forward, and i really hope wakeone wakes up and finally starts treating the girls right now that it's official they're staying with us for good.

SHOW OFF - CRAVITY

fantastics from exile tribe is that you???! this is cravity's newest japanese single titled show off and they sure are showing off good music! this is nice. there's not much to say about it except, oh yeah, this is nice. it really reminds me of fantastics and their music. and i love fantastics. it's a solid japanese track.

Moonlight - NCT DREAM

even though the youthful and bright concept is slowly fading from the dreamies discography, we can always count on their japanese tracks to revive it. this is such a pretty song. it's really the perfect concept for nct dream. it makes me emotional in a way, it's just so 7dream coded and really really beautiful. i hope we can get a korean title track like this in the future, but whatever concept they might do ill still always be here supporting them.

BONUS: Stupid Cupid - NCT DREAM

i don't usually review b-sides in my round-ups but i just had!! to mention this song! this song is so fun!! it's like if you combined the quirky weirdness of neo songs with a sprinkle of red velvet in there. it also reminds me of deja vu a bit which is my favourite nct dream song of all time along with 1,2,3. if you're into the neo sound and experimental goodness you NEED to tune into this!

Deeeep - SPIA

well that's definitely a whole new different vibe from their debut. they truly did a whole 180 with one comeback. there's not much to say about this release, it's your typical cutesie nugu song release with a "newjeans" type of vibe. except the quality of it is actually good! the mixing isn't terrible like a lot of songs by nugu artists, it's actually quite good! and the quality of the song in general really isn't that bad. same goes for the music video.

hey! hey! - TWS

tws is like the resurrection of kpop for me. this is just a pre-release yet it's so good! something really shifted after tws debuted, it's like kpop is getting fun and lively again. if they ever change their concept i think i'll be mourning for years. the song is really cute and fun, as expected from tws. can't wait for what they have in store for us with the actual title track!

no part two this time around, the other releases didn't catch my attention and im having burn out :')

as always thank you for reading and see you next week!

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

Part 1/? of me catching up on kpop reviews... There's something coming out every day, I have to hurry.

Anyway, let's start with Itzy.

First, Algorithm:

Algorithm - it's a pretty good song, very Itzy. Love the MV a lot, and the choreo is nice. 8.5/10

No Biggie - I actually like this song more. I like the chorus a lot, and how Ryujin says "Like you always say, no biggie". 9/10

Overall, it's a strong EP. Itzy's weaker tracks are usually the bsides on their longer albums. These songs are very Itzy, and would do better than their last Korean releases if they weren't in Japanese. People like refreshing and preppy (but not childish like Sneakers, though that song is a bop, idc) more than girl crush or whatever Untouchable is.

Their Ringo album came out last year, but I don't remember talking about it so:

Ringo - fun, strong track, very Japanese Itzy. I like kpop Japanese songs - I like how upbeat and busy the instrumentals always are; the songs tend to be very exciting and in your face. The chorus "Ringo, ringo, ringo" is almost too much, but the song is a bop. 9/10

Sugar-holic - It's pretty. I like the verse "Take it, take it slow, take it easy" because "easy" sounds like "Itzy". 7.7/10

Playlist - not bad, but kind of annoying. 7/10

Style - okay song, sounds very dated. 7/10

Voltage - like it, especially the chorus. 9/10

Spice - cute song, slightly annoying. 7.5/10

Blah Blah Blah - nice song, I like Lia's vocals here. 8.5/10

Can't tie me down - this song is my style, love the bridge ("I burn in the black fire") but every single one of these songs would be much improved with better vocals/vocal tones. 9/10

I think had already reviewed all the songs after Style, but it made sense to look at them again.

The thing with Itzy, and why I personally can't see them suddenly having a moment, is because they don't sound trendy at all - their songs, from their vocal tones (high pitched and very in your face, except for Lia) to the instrumentals (too hyper pop), their styling (boring, dated, has been the same in years), choreos (good, but no point moves, they don't stand out, aren't memorable, don't highlight their skills), their MVs (very average and conventional). Listening to Itzy feels like travelling back to 2019. And since 2019, we've gone through a pandemic, so 2019 might as well be 2010, and Itzy in particular are more 2010 than 2019. Everything about them is extremely outdated. The girls might has well be 40 instead of 20.

I know Itzy has a distinct style, but they need better production and a different creative direction. And even then, I think the members' voices are too loud and shrill, with the exception of Lia. Idols these days have softer vocals. Itzy's vocals have always been a weakness of theirs, but now they stand out even more against newer groups. Itzy have also lost a lot of what made them stand out, thus struggling even more getting people's attention. They used to be known for their dancing, but there are other groups now, like LSFR, with a strong dance line and way more appealing choreos and songs. Aespa, for example, are weaker dancers than Itzy but their choreos are way better and actually stand out. Itzy were also known for live vocals, on top of energetic choreos, but you have Stayc and NMIXX, for example, who sing live too and have better vocals. IVE sings live just as well as Itzy..

JYPE in general needs to get with the times. Twice don't change much either, but they're Twice, so it works way better for them. Same with SKZ.

[minachuuu]

Something About the Sunshine

❣Something About the Sunshine❣

❤ Pairing: Ryujin x Reader

❤ Genre: Fluff

❤ Word Count: 4.2k

❤ Song Suggestions: Surf & Nobody Like You by Itzy and Something About the Sunshine from Starstruck

Literally everyone but Ryujin found suspicious the amount of times she had been repeating the words 'It's just a friend's trip!' when asked about your upcoming vacation together to California. Her bandmates laughed the first time, but by the twenty-seventh time they were around to hear it they just mockingly imitated Ryujin. They were a hundred percent sure every single employee on JYP knew she was going on a ‘just friends’ trip’.

But it’s not like they didn’t notice how Ryujin’s eyes glow when she’s talking about you, how she messes her hair when somebody asks her about you, or how she goes from the fiercest and bravest person when you are being attacked by a nasty spider minding its business on wall, to the softest and clingiest girl when she cuddles with you on movie nights.

Maybe the ‘it’s just a friend’s trip!’ wasn’t trying to convince anyone, but herself.

The day arrived, and you were sitting in Itzy's living room, waiting for the car to arrive to take you both to the airport.

Yuna sat down by your side eating a tuna wrap, still wearing her night suit and the messiest mane you had ever seen. You were very used to seeing them all like that, since you are really close to Itzy, others have even mistaken you for their manager since you are basically always around them.

“Want some?” The younger girl extended her snack to you courteously, her voice still raspy from being awake so early.

“I’m okay Yuna, thanks!” You tried to hold back a giggle at the sight of Yuna clumsily existing at five o’clock in the morning. “Why are you up so early?”

“Schedules, practices, couldn’t stop thinking about this wrap…” She got lost in her own subconscious as she stared at the piece of food embraced by her hands. “It’s not even mine, but why would someone leave it abandoned in the fridge like that?”

“The car is here!” Ryujin rushed out of her room with her suitcase in hand. She fashioned a huge smile and a weirdly big enthusiasm for this time of the day. “Time to go Y/n!”

You stood from the couch, scrambling the younger girl’s hair to which she just looked at you drowsingly dumbfounded. You both headed towards the door carrying all your luggage.

“Have a nice trip! Bring me a gift, and don’t come back unless you’re dating” She whispered the last part, urgently took another bite of her tuna wrap and a smirk teasingly appeared on her mouth.

The last thing you saw was Ryujin throwing a beanie straight to the younger member’s face before closing the door behind her. 

Even though the flight was long, the 12 hours passed swiftly in between naps, movies and little scattered conversations with Ryujin. You could talk about anything all the time and never get tired, but couldn't fail to see something bothering her, deep inside her conscious the entire journey. 

After picking up your luggage and grabbing a taxi to your hotel, the effects of hour difference and the hustle of the trip started to dawn on you. And you were both so tired that you failed to realize the room they gave you had only one queen-sized bed. It still wouldn't have bothered you, you both had shared even smaller beds before. 

Ryunjin jumped into the bed as one should, patting the side for you to join her. You laid beside her, as she wrapped her arms around you. Both not hesitant to fall in a deep slumber. 

The clock marked 7 O'clock, and a little ray of sunshine peeked through the disheveled curtains and rested over your eyes, waking you up with its warmth. You stretched your body grasping your reality, this was not your house and you were not in Korea anymore. Carefully stretching your body, you recognized the presence of the girl beside you. Turning around, you saw her calm and resting expression, the image plastering a smile on your face. 

You silently rose from the bed, tip-toeing towards the sunrays. You warily slided open the door to the balcony, being welcomed by the sights of a waking city, illuminated by the dawn of a new day. That's when suddenly you felt a pair of arms surrounding your neck. The familiar embrace made the moment even more special, as you took in your hands those that rested in your chest. You stayed there in a comfortable silence, feeling Ryujin's breath and smile forming against the back of your neck. 

"Hey…" Ryujin broke the silence first. "Sorry about what Yuna said back home, she was just-" 

You released a light chuckle, finally having the answer to her worries. "I know Yuna, she's not the serious type." 

"Yeah…" Even with a weight lifted from her shoulders, Ryujin couldn't help but dwell on the matter. "I guess she was just joking." 

"But hey, we didn't come here to be locked down in the hotel room, did we?" You turned around, jokingly punching the other girl's arm. "Let's go!" 

"Twelve hours of flying are pretty heavy," She watched your enthusiasm fly as you scattered throughout the room, grabbing some things from your suitcase and heading to the bathroom to take a shower. "Are you sure you don't want to stay a little more and-" 

"Oh, c'mon!" You grabbed her by the hand, shaking her mind up. "We'll just go for a walk, grab something to eat. It's not like we're going to Disneyland right now."

"Sounds good to me!" Ryujin didn't hesitate to match your enthusiasm and rushed to get her stuff ready. "Where do we go?" 

"Actually…" You fidgeted your hands playfully. "It's a surprise."

-❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️-

“Venice beach?” Ryujin’s eyes grew as big as the moon. “This is where I-”

“-filmed the Nobody Like You music video!” You both said at the same time.

“Yes!” An eager smile was painted across your face at the sight of the shimmer in the other girl’s eyes. "I thought you might like coming back…”

"And I prefer the company a whole lot more this time!" Her fingers interlaced with yours as she chuckled at her joke. "Please don't tell the girls I said that."

"I'm texting Yeji right away-" 

"What, no!" Ryujin threw herself for your phone but you reacted quickly, prompting a whole game of tag for your phone. 

"Hi Yejiii-unnieeeee!" You started a voice note at the same time that you tried out-running Ryunjin in the still calm paths of the boardwalk. "The flight was fine and we landed perfectly! The hotel is very cosy and the sight's amazing. But Ryujin just said that she prefers me over yo- AH!" 

You felt your body be wanked from the floor, your back landing against the sand. Your phone flew from your hand, and Ryujin dove to reach it, landing beside you. An endless stream of laughter followed, one of those that make your eyes tear and your belly ache. Ryujin made sure the voice note didn't send, but to her bad fortune, Yeji had already listened to it and typed her response: 

Glad the trip went alright! And don't worry, we already knew Ryujin prefers you. Not only over us, she prefers you over anything or anyone really. 

Ryujin's cheeks flared up as she read the message, the laughter in her disappearing abruptly. She sheepishly handed your phone back, playing nervously with her hair as you read it too. 

"Awwww!" You mockingly teased her, wrapping your arms around her head. "Do you really love me that much??" 

"I… Well, maybe, yeah- I don't know-" She couldn't even finish a coherent sentence, trapped in between her nerves and your teasing. 

You stood up, still giggling at everything that just happened, glaring at the fine line separating the sky from the sea as it shined a light blue with little hints of orange and yellow as the last minutes of sunrise bathed you in their light.

This gave Ryujin a perfect view of you, as your silhouette was perfectly enframed on the sun rays hitting your body. She smiled at the way the sun rested on your soft cheeks, your smile competing against it for the brightest thing in her life. 

It started dawning on her, that maybe it was true. Maybe she did prefer you over anything and anyone. 

"Care to give me a tour Mrs. Shin Ryujin?" You proposed with a fruity and jestering voice while extending your hand, breaking her daydreaming. 

She took your hand as she stood and shook away some sand in her clothes. That Ryujin from the hotel room who wanted to rest and who was a little too much inside her head banished in a matter of seconds, pulling you around the stores and streets she visited with her group mates. You weren't complaining at all, aside from being Ryujin's best friend you were also a huge fan of Itzy. Always present, front row on their performances, shows and even sometimes rehearsals. And there was nothing better than listening to an excited Ryujin showing you around and retelling her memories with the glow in her eyes reflecting all the light of the vibrant place. 

You walked among the shops and food stands, halting in front of a familiar stand, with displays full of sunglasses of different shades and shapes. You both tried a thousand different styles after finally deciding on a matching pair. A round dark frame with the crystals tinted to each of your favorite colors. You kept walking along that ally, hands intertwined as you pointed to all of the little details you found along the way.

“And here…” Ryujin smirked teasingly at you, stopping in front of the skate rental where Itzy got theirs when they filmed the Nobody like you MV. “It’s where the fun starts.”

“Oh no.” You pushed her away from you, a nervous but playful giggle escaping your mouth. “There’s no way you’re going to get me on one of those.”

“You asked for the full Itzy Experience Tour didn’t you?” She lowered her new sunglasses to glare at you teasingly. 

“I- Yes but…”

“Then it’s time for you to learn how to skate.” She turned around, quickly renting a pair of skateboards from the man tending the local. She came back, holding the skateboards on each hand, handling you one of them with a triumphant smile. “Here Y/n, I even rented the helmet, knee pads and elbow pads in your favorite color, they will match with your glasses!”

“It’s not like I don’t like how they look Ryujin.” You sneered, taking the board on your hands. You examined its weight, hesitating to put it on the ground. “I don’t know how to ride one.”

“Oh I know, I’m going to teach you!” She confidently rejoiced in her talents, as she fastened the safety equipment around her body. “If I was able to make you dance Wannabe, do you think I can’t do this?”

“How many times have you rode one of these?” Ryujin stopped her movement at the question, clearing her throat pretending not to listen to you. “Ryujin-ah…”

“Maybe like…” She stood up, her face trying hard to convey a sense of security but only managing to sound arrogantly sweet. “...Once?”

“That’s it, we’re dying today.” You laughed as you put your safety equipment on, shaking your head in disapproval at yourself, since you still were willing to do anything for the girl in front of you, especially when a hit of her puppy eyes started peeking out of her.

“Okay first, one foot. Straight.” After you were both equipped and ready, she started demonstrating on her own board, stepping with her left foot on the board, turning around to make sure you were following the instructions. You imitated her movements with so much less confidence. "Now, you'll push with your right foot and…" 

You only watched baffled, your body refusing to move as she glided through the plaza with no problem. Pleasantly surprised and relieved that she still had the muscle memory to remember how to stay on top of it. A smile emerged in your face at the sight of your bestfriend making an effort to keep herself going, giggles filling the air as she circled you with ease. You took your phone out to capture the moment, and the instant Ryujin noticed the camera, her idol-self came out, acting with charisma at it, flustering you with the winks and smirks she gave to the lenses. 

“C’mon, now it’s your turn.” She approached you defiant, confident. Her presence and attitude helped you grab a bit of courage, but not enough to start without a little bit of help. 

You innately searched for Ryujin’s hand, not surprised when you realized she was already offering to take yours. You firmly put your left feet on the skateboard, and pushed gently with the right, helping you glide, as the girl beside you jogged at your speed. You tried again, now gaining more speed, and then tried once more. The sea breeze hit your face, rampaging your hair, a big and refreshing change from the city air you were so used to breath all the time back home. Your body flinched at the velocity you were traveling to, but Ryujin didn’t let you fall, her support helping you stay on.

“You have absolutely no permission to let go of my hand Shin Ryujin.” You babbled, holding on for dear life to her hand which was probably the only thing keeping you from falling down.

“You know I never would.” For a moment, all those worries in Ryujin’s head dissipated. You blushed at her words and she smiled at your sun-kissed image. 

It had a certain charm for her, you needed her protection and guidance, as she only focused on you staying alive and having fun. You stopped for a while, ecstatic at the thought of still being alive after that. 

“You are a very quick learner. Or maybe I’m just an excellent teacher.” Ryujin joked, earning a slap on her arm as she helped you stabilize yourself to get off the board. “I think you're ready to go on your own.”

“I only could do that because you were grabbing on to me!” You whined.

“I’ll be close to catch you if you fall.” Her smile was kind, protective, the kind that made you melt into everything she said. A big part of your friendship was teasing each other non-stop, but when it came to serious matters, there was no one out there you trusted more than Ryujin.

“Promise?” You trembled.

“I promise.” 

You, a little bit more confident now, repeated the steps to get over your skateboard and you pushed, gently. When you stabilized your body over the moving board, you repeated but with a stronger push. With a bit more confidence now taking up, you started steering with the weight of your body, your nerves releasing themselves in the form of giggles. 

You noticed Ryujin skating close to you, now skillful enough to be focusing you with her phone while gliding around to get some pretty takes and pictures of you. She cheered, a wide grin adorning her face as little wrinkles appeared on the edges of her eyes, the way they did when something made her stupidly happy.

You were so focused on Ryujin’s antics and she was so into you too, that you failed to see a slightly raised sidewalk straight in your path. Ryujin caught a glimpse of it just in time to jump towards you, surrounding your entire body with hers. With her feet landing first in a patch of grass, the scenario of you both flying through the air and landing into concrete was avoided. But thanks to the speed your bodies carried and you not being able to stop them, you still tripped down, Ryujin falling on her back and you right on top of her. You were quick to raise your heads, realizing they were only a few inches away, blood rising, coating your faces in red.

“Maybe I should-” You were quick to get up, no scratches or bruises in sight. Ryujin seemed free of injury too, so you extended your hand to help her up. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t worry. I’m totally okay.” She took your hand and stood up, fixing her clothes. Her hands instinctively wished to check you, and help you fix yourself too, but a certain tension that filled the air stopped her from doing so. “Are... are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine too.” You responded, fixing your hair yourself and avoiding her glance.

Ryujin went to pick up the skateboards, leaving the silence between you lingering for longer than it should. While walking back, you both caught a glimpse of each other’s eyes, making you release an stressed giggle, easing the ambience around just a bit.

“Let’s take this back and grab something to eat.” Ryujin proposed as you walked side to side back to the skates rental, an strange and awkward quietness encircling your steps.

-❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️-

You sat cuddled between Ryujin’s arms, the sights of the sea in front of you as you both enjoyed the beach, snacking on some american-flavored chips that you found on a K-mart along the way.

“Close your eyes.” You playfully demanded Ryujin.

“Why, what are you going to do to me?” She asked.

“I’m going to give you one of these flavors randomly and you have to guess which one it is!” 

She obeyed, closing her eyes and releasing you from her embrace as you reached for your target. You grabbed one chip from the five bags sitting in front of you and gently placed it on Ryujin’s tongue. She opened her eyes at the instant flavor that filled her mouth, confused and maybe even a bit disgusted.

“Is it really that bad?” Your laugh bursted at her expressions.

“No, it’s just that-'' She kept chewing the chip, her face contorting even more with each second passing. “It’s interesting?”

“That’s what people say when something tastes bad but they don’t want to be rude about it” You kept laughing, looking at her amusingly. “Well, what flavor do you think that was?”

“I’m gonna say…” Her eyes and brows exaggerated her thought process as they playfully moved up and down. “...salt and vinegar?” 

“No, Pickle-flavored!” You raised the bad of chips, triumphantly. “I told you these were a bad idea!”

“No! I had some hope for these!” She grabbed the bag from your hands, disappointment in her eyes as she examined the chips closer as if that could magically enhance their flavor for better. Ryujin extended the bag to you. “Here, try one and tell me what you think.”

“After seeing your face? I’ll pass, thanks” You pushed away her hand with the bag and her eyebrows furrowed.

“You can’t make me suffer alone! The chips thing was YOUR idea!” She started throwing one of her usual tantrums, shaking the bag in front of your face now. You kept throwing your head backwards and she answered by leaning in even closer, mumbling her complaints in a cute tone. Neither of you noticed when, but suddenly you found yourself laying under Ryujin. The instant she realized your position, she stopped her fit and the blush in her cheeks flared up.

“You have some-” In your attempt of diffusing the situation, you reached your thumb towards her lips, paralysing even further the girl on top of you. She couldn’t take the flood of ideas invading her mind that the sight of you staring straight at her lips, caressing them gently created. 

She quickly sat up, distress all over her face avoiding looking at you as much as possible. You were both just friends, nothing more. Why do those ideas start appearing now? No. Why was Ryujin not able to suppress those ideas now as well as before? 

You followed her, looking straight at her conflicted face now being illuminated by the sunset in the horizon. Your hand reached for her chin, gently pulling it to meet your eyes with hers. You felt her breathing halting at the action, to what you offered a delicate smile.

“You know you can tell me anything, right?” You skipped the ‘something’s bothering you’ talk, you knew your best friend enough to know she would deny everything, try and cover anything. 

“Yes, I know…” Now Ryujin’s eyes were the ones who could decide to rest on your eyes or in your lips, with even more ideas invading her mind. “I just don’t know where to start.”

“Would it help if I start this time?” You smiled even wider, hiding the amount of courage you were trying to gather inside your mind. 

Ryujin looked at you perplexed, as she expected you to keep pushing for her to talk but got this instead. She shook her head remembering your question, to which she nodded as an answer.

“It’s not new, I’ve been dealing with all of this for a long time but I couldn’t bring myself to tell you. And maybe it’s not even the best time to tell you, giving that there’s an entire vacation together at risk…” You started mumbling, your eyes diverting all around you as your train of thoughts backed up from the enthusiasm. 

“Hey…”  She used your techniques against you, grabbing your chin and raising it to meet her eyes. Your nervous rambling woke up Ryujin’s protective side, as she now offered you an uneasy smile. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

You deadlocked your eyes on her, serious. You jokingly slapped her arm for using your own weapons against you, but like a magnet, the silence between you only called for your eyes to be lost on hers. You couldn’t tell thanks to your nerves, but you were getting your faces closer with each second passing. A deep sigh from Ryujin’s side broke the tension, aided you to gain back your courage, you were going to blurt it out now or nev-

“I like you. Maybe I could even dare say that I love you Y/n.” Ryujin sputtered first, avoiding your eyes. Your breath halted, earning a gasp at the sudden confession, bringing your hands to your open mouth. Your mind was way too shocked to remember how to properly function, paralysed in the moment. At the awkward silence created, Ryujin gathered all her body strength to look back at you, her mind racing a thousand miles per hour to find a way to save the moment. “It’s okay if you don’t return-”

“Shin Ryujin, I was going to tell you that!” You moaned playfully, the entirety of your body relaxing now as you could help painting a huge smile across your face.

“You- what?” It was now her turn to be astonished. Your unusual response made it even more confusing to her, as the scenarios that her head created were of totally different colors from the one presented in front of her. It wasn’t until you stopped nervously giggling and locked eyes with her again that you realized that you had to explain yourself.

“I love you too dummy.” You cupped her hands in yours, happy tears blurring your sight from excitement. 

“Oh. OH!” Ryujin’s whole face illuminated as the facts dawned on her, her worries floating away with the sounds of the sea in the background. She released a chuckle as she confidently put her hands around your waist, pulling you closer. “Does that mean I get to-”

“Yes! A thousand times yes!” You giggled, not even bothering to listen to the rest of her sentence, knowing exactly that what followed was something you’ve waited for a long time.

Ryujin excitedly cupped your cheeks, pulling you towards her. Your lips clashed with urgency, dancing at the rhythm of the tropical music in the background of Venice Beach, earning a smile from both that could only be eased as you joined your lips each time after breathing for air. The warmth of the sun setting in the horizon, filled your bodies from head to toe, as your beating heart took care of the inside. 

Time is never the first thing that counts when you’re sure you just found the love of your life, but when you parted your lips again and looked around, the lamp posts started turning on, some neon signs from the stores behind you started coloring the streets. You sighed, resting your head on your girlfriend’s shoulder. A comfortable silence surrounding you both, with everything but your heartbeats synchronized resonating in the air.

“The girls are going to lose their mind when we tell them.” You broke the silence first, sighing at the idea popping in your head.

“We’ll worry about them later.” She laughed as her mind painted the picture too. “Let’s keep this between us for now, we’ll plan a prank in the plane back home. Deal?”

“Deal.” You chuckled at the suggestion, glad that your best friend was back. And even better than before, cause now you get to kiss her whenever you want.

The last rays of sun lighted you both like a spotlight in the end of a show, but what it really felt like was the beginning of the best adventure, by the side of the most amazing person in your life.

[nanasarea]

Park Jisung as your idol bf

Genre: fluff

Pairing: jisung x idol!reader

Requested

Word count:1757 (dear lord, the longest in the idol bf series damn...) 

a/n: this is more of a jisung as your bf in general, not so much the idol aspect sorry. Also yes, i ended up writing about jisung having a baby, sue me, I’m in jisung hours now! also do i even need to say it’s not proofread at this point?

Haechan /  Yuta / Mark / Jeno / Jaemin / Chenle / Renjun / Jaehyun

you were in the same dance class when you were younger

so you were friends way before either of your debuts

like when you knew each other when he was an smrookie

and of course, both of you being talented dancers

you were both training under companies at a rather young age

and it isn’t easy being a trainee regardless of your age

but because you were both still in school

and so young

you knew you should stick together

let’s say you had chemistry homework

but you also had vocal lessons

i’m not saying he would help you

because he wouldn’t

but he would be there to motivate you 

and study his own school work 

so you weren’t alone

it’s safe to say you were each other’s motivation when it came to school

he would also insist on his mom picking you up from school and driving you to the company when your mom couldn’t

same would go reversed

not that either of your moms minded

they found it adorable

and they shipped you both anyway so

that means him and his family coming over for dinner 

and you and yours going to theirs for dinner

and your moms would document all of your childhood memories

they would bond over it

since you didn’t have time to make any friends in school, 

you both valued your friendship a lot

he ended up debuting before you

and you teased him a lot

until he “taught” you how to ride a hoverboard

and you ended up falling in the first 4 seconds

then he would tease you

and you’d now understand how hard his dances really were

you met most of his members when they were smrookies

but you didn’t know renjun and chenle that well

so whenever you could, 

you would hang out with each other

and become very close

which is why they were all so supportive when you ran into their dorms and yelled that you were debuting 

you end up having a little celebration

when you actually did debut, 

they were so hyped

especially jisung

he streamed your mv so many times

he knew every detail of every scene in the mv

which was adorable

the fans knew you were childhood friends so they absolutely loved your interactions

which meant your company/companies being like 

WE COULD MAKE MONEY FROM THAT

so they make sure you have a collab stage 

like really early in your debut

and it was kinda awkward

but because you knew each other beforehand

you felt completely fine

at this point, your moms were betting on when you’d start dating

to which you would both just blush and tell them to stop

you end up going on so many variety shows together

mainly dance specials

and everyone finds you too adorable

like everyone ships it

but they’re kinda lowkey about it because they don’t want to make you uncomfortable 

not the case of his members tho

or yours

you can’t tell me jaemin’s hiatus wasn’t just him laying in bed, resting and planning your wedding

you can’t

taeyong ends up asking him why he hasn’t asked you out yet

he just blushes

it wasn’t until you were both a bit older

and you were at an award ceremony

where everyone was complimenting you

like your dress, makeup, hair, etc

that he realized he liked you

seeing you like that and realizing he needs to stop looking at you as his little childhood friend

and start looking at you as an adult

or somewhat of an adult

he can never look at you as an adult

because he would always have the image of you

with 6 empty chocolate milks around you

and a gummy worm hanging from your mouth

as you tried your best to color the coloring book correctly

but hey, you were always going to have the imagine of him

hanging from monkey bars

after he finished his 5th scoop of ice cream 

and laughing because he overheard someone say a fart joke

ANYWAY

he starts seeing you as an adult

kinda

and he gets slightly jealous when everyone compliments you

so after that, he goes to taeyong and jaehyun

and asks for dating advice

jaehyun just yells 

“wooooo! you should know my usual boba order by now, right, lee?”

These fuckers bet on how long it would take for jisung to realize his feelings 

and jaehyun would regrets only asking for a free boba when he won

but he’s way too happy about winning to care

it ends with half of 127 and half of dreamies giving advice, 

the other halves teasing

and wayv cooing on the phone as they were in china at the time

it takes him like 5 months till he confesses

he’s a nervous baby let him be

and when he does get the courage, 

he takes you to an amusement park

you don’t go on any of the rides

because he’s scared

but you do play the games and eat food

you even watch the fireworks

which is when he finally holds your hand for the first time

you did a lot of skinship before

like when you were friends

but it wasn’t like this 

it was cute

he was so nervous

your palms were both sweaty from nervousness

but neither of you cared

you were just happy to enjoy the moment

 that got cheesy

he even walked you to your dorm 

like to right in front of your door

which is when he hesitantly gave you a kiss on the cheek 

but you wanted a real kiss so you gave him a proper kiss

and he ended up almost tripping on his way to the elevator

where he smiled to himself

and tried to calm himself down

so the members wouldn’t see him like this

but they did

they teased him

and just yelled with him

“our baby had his first kiss!” -jaemin

“life is going way too fast! weren’t you like 3 years old yesterday?!”- jeno

“how come he’s 2 years younger and already getting more action than me?!” -renjun

the others find out 

and tease him

mostly they just congratulate him tho

“wooo! our baby is becoming a man!” -taeyong

“doyoung, hold me, i’m emotional!” -johnny 

“when’s the wedding?” -taeil

“wedding? i always cry at weddings...” -jungwoo

“no weddings! yet!” -kun

“yeah! he’s not getting married before me!” -jaehyun

they might have gone a bit overboard

but can you blame them 

it’s their baby we’re talking abt

they still see him as the little toddler from when he was on mickey mouse club

also you end up not telling your parents right away

and they keep match making

so you end up being like

“Mom, we’re already dating, you can stop”

cue both of your moms get excited

like they’re already talking about being the best grandmas

and having the cutest grandchildren

even tho you’ve only been together for 2 months

something tells me he’d be the type to want to have matching everything

phone cases

(probably anna and kristoff ones)

then profile pictures

jewelry

clothing

anything and everything

he’d find it so cute

speaking of matching profile pics

the fans would realize what was going on 

when you would match your pfps

so your company/companies were like

yes, they’re dating, no one is surprised...anyway 127 comeback 

your dating announcement is like super chill

mainly because everyone was waiting for it 

also i feel like he’d always be playing with your hair 

and fixing it

like all the time

a single hair out of place?

we can’t have that!

his hands are in your hair already

would text you for advice while filming chenji’s this and that

and would always make something for you too

“chenle’s turned out more aesthetic but mine is made with love, so mine is better my default.” 

also it wouldn’t matter if you’re older than him, the same age, younger than him

doesn’t matter

would want to hear you call him oppa

but immediately get shy after

also he’s an aquarius

so if you end up getting really random texts during the day

like during your schedules

don’t be surprised

like he’s already maknae on top

so he will rebel to like some of the things you say

“jisung! we need to get back to filming in 3 minutes!”

“but weeee!” -jisung going down the slide for the 5th time 

cries when you joke about leaving him there

speaking of crying, 

we all know he’s emotional

and cries easily

so he just runs to you whenever he wants to cry

and just placed his head on your shoulder

to hide his facial expression

but it’s okay

you’ve already seen everything from the random snaps you get every day

he might not know how to comfort you at first

but he will learn

and he’s pretty mature for his age 

so he would take comforting you very seriously

he’s a really good listener 

so he would love to just hear you vent to him

it would kinda boost his ego a bit too

like he’s the one who you’re venting to

yknow what i mean?

but also he protects you very well

you get scared of a spider 

he goes all manly mode 

and gets rid of it for you

doesn’t like to admit it, 

but he thinks about you a lot

and your future

like once you two grow out of your idol lives 

and into a more adult life

where you get married

and have kids

kids who tease their uncles (aka nct members)

because THE maknae on top was their teacher after all

speaking of weddings

his older brother got married

and obviously you were his date

and everyone kept looking at you two

asking when it was your turn

your mom said “hopefully soon”

“mom, we don’t have time, we have busy schedules”

“but one day...”

time jump to when the news breaks about your engagement 

and everyone is crying

they watched you both grow up and now you’re getting married??

what???

the announcement was everywhere

also you don’t announce anything about a child

one day, you just both post a picture of your daughter

with a caption like

“she’s so cute, i knew my genes were good.”

or something like that

and everyone goes wild

nation’s babies having a baby?

legend says chenle’s screaming caused 2 earthquakes that day

to sum it up: nation’s babies turned nation’s it couple because jisung is the best boyfriend you could ever have asked for 

.....i might have gone way more invested than i thought i was going to. Do i regret it tho? hell no. Am i emotional now because I pictured adult Jisung with a baby? hell yes.

tag list: @soleilchannie​

[dearkyeom]

sending in the 3 non-svt groups i know for that ask game hehe- golden child, nct (you can choose a unit) and day6 :)

golden child — still getting into them! do i already stan them? yes | only for the music | attempting to | no

who or what caught my attention i initially heard “wannabe” in a mashup actually!!! (i unironically LOVE kpop mashups lmao) so i went to check it out and i REALLY liked it! the instrumental immediately hooked me. the synths were sooo lush. oh man and then after the intro, the instrumental goes really sparse and then keeps BUILDING, it makes the chorus (WHICH HAS BRASS.. HEWWO... love brass in pop songs) feel really satisfying. the melody is also just sooo good and SOOO catchy without feeling overly repetitive. the one with the pink hair has a lovely vocal color! i also listened to “one (lucid dream)” when it came up on the k-pop daebak spotify playlist. i was totally digging the driving, funky bass guitar and the really lush synths. i went to rewatch the mv just now, and i just realized they’re woollim kids!!!! i used to be a huge inspirit back in the day so that was a lil bit of a pleasant surprise haha. i also LOVE “without you”

why i want to stan i am simply Too Old to be stanning new groups, but i definitely will try to keep up with their title tracks because they’ve got a solid discography going. i also really enjoy the group’s vocal color because of how well they complement each other.

what i already know about them not much LMAO they’re from the same company as infinite!

current favorite member the ones who sing the pre-chorus in “wannabe” HAHAHA 99% of the times my faves are the main/lead vocalists in a group

a question i have for veteran fans have these kids ever covered infinite’s songs bc........ i’d probably cry HAHAH. also are any of these kids from produce 101?

the rest under the cut bc this is so long already hehe.

nct (i’ll be considering nct, 127, & u only, since i feel like dream and wayv are their own things) do i already stan them? yes | only for the music | attempting to | no 

my bias + bias wrecker* doyoung + mark, doyoung is v safe tho HAHA

first time i heard of them i’m a huge fan of almost all of sm’s artists, so i knew about them really early on when they were still sr14b or boys’ heaven. i remember being totallyyyy in love with bass bot.

when i became a fan since bass bot i guess HAHA but of official nct releases, definitely since 7th sense. i remember thinking it was such a weird song, but then after another listen i was like OH HELL YEA.

favorite (and least favorite) title track ALL OF THEM.. maybe cherry bomb..? i will jam out to cherry bomb any time ANY DAY BAYBEE. least favorite easily goes to punch. i’ve given it a few listens and i just can’t get into it unfortunately.

favorite (and least favorite) b-side back 2 u (am 01:27), baby don’t like it, summer 127, elevator 127f, sit down!.. ALL SO GOOD.

favorite (and least favorite) mv favorite is either cherry bomb (strong concept, animations are FUN) or the 7th sense (everyone say THANK YOU VM PROJECT ARCHITECTURE). least fave.. maybe chain? i just barely remember it.

favorite (and least favorite) album favorite, either “cherry bomb” or “limitless.” least fave, if we’re counting the japanese release, then “awaken.” 

a concept i wished they’d try* SOMETHING LIKE TEN’S DREAM IN A DREAM OR VIXX’S SHANGRI-LA, BUT AS A WHOLE GROUP. or something really bombastic and tongue in cheek like any of block b’s stuff.

what i like most about them* some silly, really endearing kids with a freaking FANTASTIC discography. doyoung and mark doing anything (especially with johnny, despite me having some deep seated desire to punch him) sparks so much joy

day6 do i already stan them? yes | only for the music | attempting to | no

my bias + bias wrecker* jae + youngk (his boyfriend vibes are irresistible...)

first time i heard of them my brother told me about them!

when i became a fan my brother showed me the “congratulations” mv when it first came out and i nearly lost my mind bc i LOVE bands hahaha

favorite (and least favorite) title track THEY’RE LITERALLY ALL MY FAVES... i usually say “letting go” is my fave bc of sentimental reasons. least fave, if i had to choose, is probably “shoot me” bc i just don’t repeat it as much as the others. still luv it tho.

favorite (and least favorite) b-side ALL OF THEM??? first time, blood, better better, lean on me, headache, 121u, warning!, ouch are some of my top faves. i can’t choose a least fave...

favorite (and least favorite) mv either “hi hello” or “i’m serious”... they’re on a roadtrip and they’re having fun and it’s cute, guaranteed to inject some serotonin into u. least favorite is probably “sweet chaos” bc i just usually like colorful, fun mvs and that one was def not colorful LMAO

favorite (and least favorite) album letting go, moonrise, and sunrise all tie for fave... no least fave hehe.

a concept i wished they’d try* ‘80S POWER BALLAD!!!!!!!!!! a la journey’s “open arms" or oh my god something like SHINee’s “dream girl”... i’d literally cry

what i like most about them* besides the fact that it’s IMPOSSIBLE for them to release bad music and that every single song of theirs is PHENOMENAL, they just seem like really cool, down to earth dudes, and they’re also so awkwardly funny sometimes (i often think about them on That One Episode of afterschool club)

[askbittyerror]

Wedding rp part one, the wedding itself

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 The room, stretching several fields wide, seems centered entirely around two vast trees. Both are sprung from a single root-stock, male ginkgos with crowns brushing against sparkling crystals far above, their peculiar leaf shape casting odd shadows into the darkness below. A small cabin hides beneath it's branches. Clovers and soft grass beds stretch around it. The sound of crickets and nightbirds can be heard... Around in the distance, on all sides, stone walls blend neatly into the 'night,' giving impression of even greater distance, while above, crystal stars intersect with illusionary ones, and the sense of a night sky is almost perfect. Movement by the roots... It's time.

JusticeMom09/26/2020 Dragon walks in looking over everything one more time. Everything has been triple checked the timeline shielded the food sitting ready the cake... perfect. it was time with a deep breath they move to their place. time to see their lover married

Mila09/26/2020 A portal forms, of which first two skeletons walk out. Another skeleton comes out slithering. An error like one who has a fancy jacket and has made an effort to make their wins look pretty but that’s about it, a tired goop looking skeleton with a very strong aura who wears a suit and a lamia skeleton who also wears a suit! After that, another person wearing a suit. A baby in her arms who is wearing a baby onesie with ‘cute smol’ written on it and stripes. These people sit down somewhere, all on Bells’ side of course. Elio, Alun, PB, MV and Nexus are all there for them. Even if PB isn’t technically family yet

salty darkness09/26/2020 Paint swirls around, twisting and bubbling, staining the grass like someone took a giant paintbrush and dotted the land with splotches of ink and magic. A winged, familiar shape rises up from out of the puddle, and someone steps out, dressed rather hastily in a simple gray suit, a giggling baby guardian in his arms.

Nintendo glances over the area, then narrows his eyes at the dual trees, walking over and sitting down near the back.

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 Bells is sitting by the enormous roots, somewhat nervously. Trying not to pick at the hem of their sparkly suit/dress thing, with what seems almost like a cloak of living stars, and a circlet of sparkling blue, with apples and bells. The small snakelings are curled up close by, resting sleepy eyes, while Raine hops about eagerly, waiting for the fun to begin. Eden is a bit more wary. As always.

Candy09/26/2020 Candy appears in a shower of sparkles, they're wearing a simple blue dress fading to purple at the bottom and a black string belt. They go sit down on Bells's side close to MV

JusticeMom09/26/2020 {Dream lands in the timeline as he always does. He might be a bit of a show off but don't quote the mun on that. He walks in looking around the space and the growing crowd of people. His baby Togepi giggles and flails excited to be around people! Dream has yet to get a Pokeball. He smiles seeing and recognizing many but he is quick to walk over to Ink sitting down next to him and kissing him}

being shy are you?

{The tease}

{Nearby in the shadows they seem to grow and churn as another wave of negativity washes into the room. Erebus, looking like he always does, dressed well with a cocky air to him leans against the wall staying out of the way. He was going to be here even if the resident goop disagreed}

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 Uriah alights in one of the branches, and promptly sits, and watches. The skelegoat bitty look like he's considering going back for popcorn, because this is going to be interesting. Phantom wings shift like wisping shadows as he settles them to his back, and the tearstains of gold, and ribbons of faded corruption stained bone, are barely visible. He adjusts his glasses, and waits.

salty darkness09/26/2020 Two groups arrive at the same time, albiet on different sides of the fields. On one, a skeleton dressed in a sparkling, decorated labcoat steps out of seemingly nowhere, holding a trembling Hood's hand. Sci walks up to where Bells is sitting, giving a little wave hello. Hood sits down a little ways away from the rest of the people there, his children curled up and seated around him. On the other side, Lark skips out of... seemingly nowhere, actually. How the hell did he get here? Who knows. He grins, adjusting his bright blue suit as he sits down beside Nintendo, ignoring the inkling's hissed protests and insults. Nintendo himself gives an uncharacteristic squeak, a rainbow blush glowing on his skull at the kiss from his boyfriend. He doesn't say anything, folding his wings around himself and generally being a flustered mess.(edited)

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 Blue, arriving with an expression of surprise, clearly isn't sure where they are, or how they got here- but the sight of Dragon, Bells, and... well, other decidedly familiar, if distinctly unique, profiles, offers some comfort. It's just as well the tower feels so different now, they really have no idea where they are... even if there is a faint, nagging sense of familiarity. For now, they duck beneath some of the larger roots, not yet ready to size up and face- all this.(edited)

feather bean💙09/26/2020 a feather happily apears with a much poofy purple Dress on that a bit to big and they almost Trip in it a few times but they still happily sit down near bells.

Askbittyerror09/26/2020 A rip in reality opens and two tall Paladins step out, the shorter of the two looking around curiously in his black suit, gold filigree climbing up the side of the jacket. The taller by a significant margin, clad in a russet dress shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, little black moths embroidered on the cuffs, and dark slacks, briefly surveys the room then herds Huitzi, as well as the family of bitties he carries, to the back row, encouraging him to sit and standing just behind, arms crossed, ever watchful.

Magnus climbs up to Huitzi’s head and looks around for his mate, waving excitedly once he spots them, absolutely beaming. Paladin sits comfortably on the large Paladin’s shoulder, content with his own vantage point and the corrupted Nightmares scale Huitzi’s wings, taking in the sights and looking for their niblings/grandchildren. Gold and Beryl sit in Huitzi’s breast pocket and Fresh hides inside his jacket, peeking out every now and then.

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 Spotting the tall dream bitties, Blue immediately teleports to them, clinging to... anyone they can reach, honestly. This is fine.

salty darkness09/26/2020 The darkness curls around, and a goopy skeleton walks out of the darkness, stars covering his suit like an erie reflection of the night sky. A little ways away, Greylu's group of ragtag idiots take their seats, as one does.

He watches the fields for a moment, staring at Juice with a single bright blue eye... then his gaze moves to the two giant paladin bitties, and he takes a step back, glancing around for his beloved. Greylu walks over to the trees, Mea hopping along behind him. He bends down, pressing a kiss against Bells' mouth, onlookers be damned. "Alright then. Are you ready?"

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 Their features brighten on seeing their beloved, and a relieved, rumbly purr greets his kiss. "Yes, yes, yes... so much yes." The lich reaches for his hand, squeezing softly as they stand.

Raine giggles, tackling Mea without any further ado, squeaking happily about 'da and non getsing marry!'

"...also, no stabbing the very small winged Fresh that's my guest. it's a surefire way for a really bad start to our honeymoon." This said though, they kiss him again, whispering, with a smile, "let's do this, beloved."

Askbittyerror09/26/2020 Magnus hugs his mate and gives them a quick kiss and a nuzzle, sitting down on Huitzi's head with them in his arms to watch their bab be wed.

feather bean💙09/26/2020 feather waves at the new people that arived "hi-"

salty darkness09/26/2020 Sci and Greylu exchange a glance. Greylu steps back, stray tendrils folding into the star-speckled goop as he stands, taking Bells' arms by the wrists, eyelight shaped like a heart. Mea hops around, giggling and squeaking back.

Sci clears his throat, taking a breath in, then out, then repeating that a few times. "Ahem. Quiet, please. That means you, Mea." The smol does so, albiet slightly grumpily. "Alright." his voice grows louder, so everyone gathered can hear. "We are all gathered here today to witness and honor the marriage of Bells and Greylu, last names currently pending. This has been a long time coming, and I'm glad to see everything finally come to fruition."

The scientist turns to Greylu. "Do you take Bells as your spouse for as long as the both of you live, or until otherwise desired?"

The goop nods without even hesitating. "Yes. I do."

"Alright. Bells? Do you take Greylu as your husband, also for as long as you both live- or it is otherwise desired?"

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 "for as long as I exist, I want him by my side." they agree, gaze soft as they consider their starlit beloved... before pausing, and adding, a bit blushed. "that's uh, that's a yes. I do." they clarify, giving Sci a sheepish smile. they didn't technically 'live?' but, yes.

"...my forever." they agree, gaze returning to Greylu, a tenderness there that was unmistakable. "ours."

salty darkness09/26/2020 Sci mutters something about stealing most of that sentence off straight out of a book, so don't complain to him about these things.

Then he hums, clearing his throat before speaking once more. "Alright then. If anyone has any objections, speak now or forever hold your peace."

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 "..." Bells says nothing, waiting. But something in their manner suggests, just for one moment, that they are ready to throw down if someone objects at this point.

Mila09/26/2020 Elio, Alun, PB, MV and Nexus stay quiet- no objections, even if Alun is not happy with Greylu now being a father of theirs technically. They’d never deny Bells happiness

Candy09/26/2020 no objections here

JusticeMom09/26/2020 {The two guardian's watch not faltering. They will not be speaking up this day or the next. This was as it should be}

Askbittyerror09/26/2020 The bitties are also ready to attack if anyone tries. Fresh may even attempt to get some noms in.

feather bean💙09/26/2020 there are No objections from feather

salty darkness09/26/2020 Nintendo just rolls his eyes, while Archer babbles and giggles in oblivious excitement. They have no idea what's going on, but it seems important! Lark just watches. He doesn't seem to object either. Hood does the same.

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 Uriah is quietly chewing on a crabapple, just out of sight. Where did he get it? Who knows? Either way, no objection from him...

...or from Blue, who watches with their own fiance, half dreaming of future weddings to come.

JusticeMom09/26/2020 Dragon too has nothing to say. It has already been said. Though reminders to Greylu that his ass was theirs if they do anything to Bells will be given sooner rather than later. it seems everyone agrees?

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 ...Bells seems to relax, as no objection comes.

salty darkness09/26/2020 Sci waits for a few more moments. Greylu lets out a small sigh of relief, a few more stars alighting on his cheeks, glowing softly in the dim light.

"Alright. Now that we have that out of the way..."

He reaches in his pocket, tugging out the black goldstone rings. The scientist takes Bells' hand, sliding one of the rings onto their... well, ring finger, then doing the same for Greylu. He smiles, a glimmer of happiness shimmering in his eyelights beneath the jade-stained glass.

"I now pronounce you two finally fucking married newly weds. You may kiss, uh... eachother."

Greylu does.

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 Bells kisses him back, snagging the king of darkness lightly by the lapels as they do, to pull him nearer. Deep, reverberating rumbles of happy can be heard, as they finally release the kiss, still smiling.

"...mine~" they whisper, very very softly. "I love you~"

salty darkness09/26/2020 Greylu wraps his arms around Bells' shoulders, pressing back into the kiss. Tendrils curl around them, hugging and squeezing with all his might.

"Mine..." when they finally pull away, his eyelight has turned into a star. "I love you too~"

Mila09/26/2020 MV, PB, Alun and Elio all clap! Lots of clapping!

Candy09/26/2020 cheers for newlywed couple. Yay [4:36 PM] then remembers quietly

feather bean💙09/26/2020 much Cheers from feather

Candy09/26/2020 still cheers [4:37 PM] Also claps

Askbittyerror09/26/2020 The bitties do in fact go highly nuts, lots of surprisingly loud cheers and whoops and one big CONGRATULATIONS from Huitzi. Flare inhales, taking in the collective joy.

salty darkness09/26/2020 Nintendo claps a little bit. Lark claps as loud as he can, considering the fact that he has a lame right arm. Archer looks overjoyed. Hood closes his eyes, giving a single clap. He might also be absorbing the positivity, albiet probably not to the same extent as Flare.

JusticeMom09/26/2020 Dragon sits and smiles quietly. everyone was so overjoyed for this day. they just give the guardian a single respectful nod before clapping gently as well

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 Raine claps, jumping up and down, pure excitement in her laughter. On the third jump, brilliant wings of sunset seem to spring forth from her back, a golden light above fading to red, and finally deepening into night and starlight. "Is marrieds!!"

Eden looks taken aback, giving his sibling an odd look, before the huffing, and returning his attention to his sleeping snake sibs.

...he may be purring. tsundere child.

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 Bells takes their husband's hand... husband's, and just squeezes it, before turning to pass their gaze across the room. They smile at their bitty family- Blue waves- and Bells' gaze falters slightly at the sight of Erebus. They'd need to talk to him later. But for now? "-cmon," they urge Greylu gently, "time for celebration to begin!"(edited) [4:56 PM] ...they tug him gently towards the festivities...

salty darkness09/26/2020 Greylu squeezes back, and for a long moment, he doesn't take his eyes off of Bells, just... quietly admiring them. Then he hums, glancing out towards the crowd. He stares at Juice once more... and notices Erebus, barely restraining a small growl. Then Bells tugs on his arm, and he blinks, nodding his head. "Alright. Celebration it is."

[jhope-seok]

I’ve only finished the first episode of Burn The Stage and I’m already so emotional I literally don’t know how I’m going to make it through this series. Warning--lots of emotions and feelings and ranting tangents below.

I have been following BTS since the very beginning. When I say that I mean it. I had just been introduced to kpop a year prior, and only had very VERY VERY recently gotten a lot of kpop songs courtesy of my friend. Because I had been basically thrown into the deep end I started doing it myself, by following all of the major kpop youtube channels. (I am addicted to Youtube I can’t help it, I don’t think I haven’t had a least one youtube tab open since freshman year of college--which was 2011). Through this, I was getting all of the new kpop songs that were released daily in my subscription box and I was listening to them ALL. Well maybe not them all, but pretty much like 80% of the new videos.

For the groups I was heavily interested in I was going to Wikipedia to look up more about them and their history, and then to their company or personal youtube page to watch all of their music videos and any other videos I was interested in. This leads me to finding BTS. I remember watching No More Dream when it came out and falling iN LOVE with the song. I texted my friend freaking out like “Girl have you heard of Bangtan Boys?! They’re song is so good!!!” And she, obviously since they were freshly debuted, said “No. I’ve never heard of them.”

Obviously then I looked up everything about them and then realized that they had JUST debuted. Like literally, that was their debut song. Now at the time, I thought this was a HUGE, I mean H U G E, accomplishment that I had found a kpop group my friend didn’t know about.

And so I fell into the ARMY life, before we were even ARMYs.

I watched every Bangtan Bomb, I watched a lot of their daily logs, I watched every dance practice, every MV, every single thing that I could get my hands on that BTS released. I remember the day they got their first win, I remember crying in my apartment in college. I remember being so proud when they continued to get wins at music shows because this rag tag little group that I’d found on my own was becoming a big thing. A seriously big thing. I have literally watched them grow and transform into the men they are today and I cannot tell you how lucky I am to be a fan of them, and to be able to call myself a fan of theirs.

They are so hard working and so DEDICATED to us ARMY that they have given up any semblance of a normal life to go on countless world tours, create countless series for V App and now YouTube, and to still release solo songs, albums, and Remixes with American artists. From the young boys they once were to the men they are now they have given so much up for us, and I am so grateful. And to see them now, to see them showing the vulnerable sides they have kept hidden for 5 years, I am even more grateful and thankful for all of the work they put in for us.

It is always hard for me to put my thoughts into words like this, but all I want in my life is to one day meet them all and be able to shake their hands and say thank you for all of the work they’ve done for us, for me. For all of the things in my life that wouldn’t be the same without them. I love them so much and I just hope that they know we love them back. That all of their hardships and the things they have given up are not for loss.

Now I’m going to go continue crying over Burn The Stage. Excuse me and my emotions.

[tinytaehyun]

Feel like getting into Hotshot?

Here’s a list of things to help you! I really really do recommend that you give them a shot (haHa) because they’re so incredibly talented, and not to mention the members are super extra and funny and sweet and cute and etc. They’re just really great and you won’t regret stanning them I promise! 

First off, an intro to Hotshot - this is going to be long so brace urself ok

MEMBERS: Leader Junhyuk! He’s tall, handsome and has the voice of an absolute angel.

Rapper Yoonsan! Used to be an underground rapper, spits absolute fire, a little awkward, pokerface 90% of the time.

Dancer Timoteo! He’s tall, amazing at dancing and you probably have heard of him because he’s friends with a lot of idols. (Jimin thanks to: Timo hyung).

Krump monster + dancer + rapper(?) Kid Monster! You might know him as Taehyun, he’s a super tiny lil thing and he was a participant in PD101 and was in the most popular dance crew in SK - Monster Woo Fam.

Main vocal Sungwoon! You might know him from Produce 101 - he’s now a member of Wanna One (still a member of Hotshot though!) He has the most amazing voice I have ever heard. Sorry I just had to use this gif he’s so fackin cute SUhfojwngrowijg.

Maknae Hojeong! This kid is G O R G E O U S ! He has a super unique voice, and super hot body, a super cutie. Golden honey skin~~

Okay so those are the members. Let’s move onto some music!

MUSIC VIDEOS + SONGS:

Take A Shot: Their debut MV / song. The person who edited this went a little “edit crazy” and…just watch it for yourself, you’ll know what I’m talking about!

I’m A Hotshot: Green hair Sungwoon, you’ve probably seen clips of this MV on PD101! Kid Monster rapping 8)

Watch Out: Personally this is my fav MV. The dance + and the song are both great and really showcase their talent.

Midnight Sun: I think we all generally like to pretend this video doesn’t exist….it’s pretty low budget, but the song itself is good and it’s pretty different to anything they’ve done.

Rain On Me (Not an MV): My favourite song of theirs. This one is also different to the rest!

Step by Step: One of their Japanese songs! Kid Monster looks great in this video (hehe i’m biased sorry) and his vocals are showcased well here.  One More Try (Not an MV): This song is a song that I feel like people forget exists? It’s one of their Japanese songs!

Watch Out (大叔你老了): They debuted in China with a a Chinese version of of “Watch Out” - unfortunately the only audio I can find is this really shitty one wrgjaiowgwra And that’s that for music. I know, they don’t have many songs but the songs they have released are realllly good!

UPDATE: THEY HAD A COMEBAAAAAAAACK!

Jelly: ??? UM?? What can I even say?! This is their first song after a two year hiatus and it’s SOOO good! Choreo by the one and only Roh Taehyun! Also...San is in a cage...? + this comeback (and a few more to come(?) will be without Sungwoon since he’s currently a Wanna One member!) HERE is the Jelly fanchant and it makes everyone super emo because it has NEVER been that loud before !!!!

OTHER VIDEOS THAT YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY WATCH:

This one is a video where they have to try and guess kpop songs. They can only hum (and dance?) and the other members have to guess what the song is. They’re split into two teams and it’s just funny to watch. “Musta Gusta Fu”.

This one is where they do the same thing but with english pop songs. They seem to be able to guess these better? Most people who watch this and aren’t into Hotshot yet tend to look into them after this.

This one is where they try to guess peoples ethnicities. They’re TERRIBLE at this but it’s my favourite video to watch, I probably watch it at least 3 times a week….(Comment on the video that made me scream: Kid Monster is so loveable)

Here and here they /attempt/ to do peoples makeup and…..well watch and see for yourself. 

Here they imitate famous Latin singers...? This is the cringiest thing I have ever seen and I forgot to include it bc I LITERALLY FORGOT IT EXISTED WIURGHORIWJGv “Yo soy Enrique Iglesias...yeah!”

They did all these videos in one day, it seems like they had a really fun day!!

Hello Korea 1 2 3 4. I honestly do not know the hell kind of show this even is but it’s fun to watch, they’re so cute sigh. P.s Sungwoon and Yoonsan trying to eat the cookies !! SO.CUTE. 

HOTSHOT Vol 8 where they have some free time and they’re just playing and being precious af.

Hotshot Dorm Life here they take you around their dorm (when they used to live together) poor Kimon is sick T_T

Must Eat 20 a food show hosted by Jinwoon of 2AM! Taehyun + Donghan from JBJ ate so much food I don’t know how they survived, it’s super fun to watch!

Some interviews to watch (some aren’t subbed I’m sorry :*((()

Arirang (Kpopulous1) | KCON | The Show | Kpopulous  Arirang 2 | Next Kpop Star | 腾讯巅峰对决(?) 

I’m kind of blanking on what else to link BUT to be fair there’s not that much content for them right now :( HOPEFULLY when they have a comeback (WHICH IS SUPER SOON !!), there will be more interviews and MV’s and all that fun stuff. 

UPDATE 2: PD 101! Here are some iconic / important PD 101 performances that Taehyun and Sungwoon were in! 

Shape Of You: Choreo by Taehyun! He won first place for dance with this performance, what a KING.

Shape Of You (Taehyun Focus): Same performance but focused on Kimon! 

Showtime: Honestly what an absolute DREAM team! This was my personal fav team by far! Taehyun, Sungwoon, Woodam, Samuel, Woojin, Sanggyun, Jisung~ they slayed this stage, it’s so much fun to watch, you can also buy the song on itunes!

Downpour: The performance that made everyone emo as fuck. Sungwoon’s voice honestly blows me away every single time I hear it, his voice is such a blessing omg??

UPDATE 3: JBJ! 

JBJ (Just Be Joyful) was originally a fan made group consisting of Roh Taehyun (obviously), Kwon Hyunbin, Kim Donghan, Takada Kenta, Kim Yongguk, Kim Sanggyun and Kim Taedong! BUT SURPRISE SuRPRISE! JBJ WILL BE DEBUTING ON THE 10TH OF SEPTEMBER, 2017. MARK IT IN YOUR CALENDARS!

I hope this helped you a little bit! You can check out my /tagged/hotshot if you want some gifs (they’re super weird brace yourself) music, photos etc. 

Thank you for taking the time out to read this and I hope you’ll support Hotshot in the future ! Please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions about them or if you wanna like, scream about them w me that’s cool too~!

[altimade]

[Commentary] BIGBANG Japanese Discography

Phew, the list went longer than I expected! And so. many. repetitions.

Bias mode aside, they do have really great songs up their sleeve.

Personally, I am someone who likes cohesive and thematic albums (i.e. BTS’ Wings), so I would recommend to get these albums if you really don’t want to buy every single one of their releases if you’ll bound to end up with the same 50 set of songs. 

These are what I would recommend to collect:

BIG BANG (1st Japanese Album). I know it’s super 2009 but I guess that’s the charm of it. It has a very BIGBANG-esque dance character to all the songs and every single one of the tracks is great. Definitely the best Japanese album of theirs. 

If Tell Me Goodbye remix version and Koe wo Kikasete acoustic version are your faves, get the single versions by all means. If you just want one album that has it all then definitely pick up Big Bang 2. It’s more all over the place than Big Bang 1 but still has good songs (the ones with MVs)

If you are looking for their older releases, just get Ultimate International Best. I think that the English versions of Baby Baby, Make Love, and Lie are the good ones and it’s all available here. Also for How Gee and Number 1.

It’s pretty obvious that the Alive -Monster Edition- repackage is the better one to go for solely based on the fact that it has more songs. The gem is Ego though, and it’s also available in the regular edition of Alive. 

Idem as above for MADE: The Full Album.

They have a total of SIX compilation albums. Wow. In my opinion, if you just want to get one and that’s it, I’ll go with the 2006-2014 for its completeness - even though it’s pretty all over the place.

And that is all for now! I hope I helped a little in your fangirling session ㅋㅋㅋ

[kpoprambles00-blog]

TWICE (트와이스) - FANCY YOU (7th Mini Album) [COMEBACK REVIEW]

With K-Pop, I never really listen to full albums outside of the ones my bias groups release (as horrible as that sounds). But every now and again, I'll listen to an album because I'm curious, or I love the title track a lot... or because I know it's going to be everywhere, and I want to know what all the undeniable hype is going to be about. Sometimes that hype is going to be unfounded, but going into TWICE's comeback with "Fancy", I was 100% ready to give this album a chance.

TWICE's title tracks have had a shaky history in terms of my opinions on them. To me, they've had some absolutely phenomenal songs - see "Knock Knock" and "Like OOH-AHH" - and others which are... some of my least favourite K-Pop songs. Looking at you, "Cheer Up" and "Dance The Night Away". (Remember, THAT'S JUST MY OPINION. I know those songs are loved but ooooh man I can't listen to them without cringing.) But with all the rumours swirling about "Fancy" being a pivot in concept for TWICE, I couldn't help but think that this album might just be worth my time.

And after a solid two and half to three weeks of listening to it and forming my opinions (because I need SOMETHING to do during finals study)... yeah, wow, it really was worth my time. This album surprised me in a lot, and I mean a lot of ways. I had no clue what to expect going in, but I was very pleasantly surprised on the other side of it all. Vagueness aside, let's actually take a look at what I mean and break down TWICE's "Fancy You"!

1. FANCY [TITLE]

[I couldn’t include more than 5 videos because of the limit, so I had to exclude this one! Here’s the MV link though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOHB85vDuow]

Right off the bat, we have the title track, "Fancy". I won't deny that I was nervous whilst listening to this for the first time, but... man, THIS is how you do a concept change in my eyes. It's by no means a huge shift from TWICE's previous material, but it's got enough distinctiveness to really make it stand out. It's almost like an evolution of "YES or YES" - which I loved, for the record - but with a slightly more mature pop sound. And I LOVE IT.

A lot of the girls are predominantly singing in their lower/middle range here, which... they really need to do more, because they all sound phenomenal. It also makes the higher-pitched chorus hit a lot harder. Aside from the girls' performances, the instrumental is a goddamn treat. The synths are predominant but not overwhelming, the subtle melodies in the background add so much to the main vocal line, and it's got this undeniable sense of boppiness to it that you can't quite ignore. It starts off relatively simple, and then builds upon itself to turn into a monster of a pop song by the end of its runtime. I have absolutely no idea how Black Eyed Pilseung went from making "Cheer Up" to... this. But I am very fucking okay with it. I feel like sophisticated is a good word to describe "Fancy"; it's a goddamn gorgeous song with a really good sense of bounce and progression.

So not only have we got a slight change in sound for TWICE in the song itself, but the lyrics honestly back up this concept shift as well! Instead of falling into the typical bubblegum pop trap of "oppa I love you, please love me back," the girls are much more forward with their romantic advances. They make the guy come to them this time. And yeah, you could say that's been run into the ground with girl crush concepts at this point, but "Fancy" isn't quite girl crush to me. It's more of a mature pop song, and those confident lyrics give it a great lift overall.

It's dangerous, it pricks, you're like a rose It's okay, I'm not afraid any more Hold it harder, take my hand It'll be a little dangerous, even more dangerous

Great song? Check. Somewhat interesting lyrics? Check.

My new favourite choreography TWICE have done? DOUBLE FUCKING CHECK.

Hoooooooooooly wow this routine is incredible. I learned it the day this dance practice video was released. That's saying something, since I very rarely learn K-Pop routines anymore. And yes, it is as hard as it looks. But it just confirms how goddamn hard TWICE have been working recently when it comes to their choreography.

I'm not gonna deny that "YES or YES" had a fantastic routine, but this... this had me shocked when I watched it for the first time. Just like the song, there is so much goddamn fluidity and style in this routine that it's kinda mind-blowing. Every single little section flows into the next perfectly, and there are so many little details that it's dizzying to try and keep up sometimes. There's so many levels and dynamics at any given time, and just when you feel like you might get a bit bored, the positions and timing of the girls' moves are often switched up to keep your attention. They also, for the record, don't repeat that much of the routine in the later parts of the song (bar the choruses, obviously) which is a BALLSY move. It's a trap many fantastic routines can often fall into, and to think that they didn't take the easy way out here earns a big fucking gold star in my book. Basically, THIS ROUTINE IS FUCKING GORGEOUS. I like it as much as, say, IZ*ONE's "La Vie En Rose". And I think we all remember how much I gushed over that...

To put it briefly, TWICE knocked it out of the goddamn park with "Fancy". Even though I was skeptic of the concept change rumours, they ended up delivering with just about every aspect of this comeback. And I couldn't be any happier. If they keep this up in the future then I may just have to start reviewing their albums more consistently. Speaking of which... I still have the rest of the album to look at, so let's start that, shall we?

2. STUCK IN MY HEAD

The one thing I'd heard about this song in advance of listening to it was this: if you want girl crush TWICE, this would give you your fill. And straight away, I'd say: yes. That is absolutely the case here. Whereas "Fancy" was more of a mature pop song, "Stuck In My Head" is full-on bombastic girl crush. And I really do admire it for that; it's a great change of pace for TWICE, and certainly something I'd love to be able to get used to. But I do have a few problems with this song - one of them being quite a big problem - that stops it from being amazing in my eyes.

Before that though, I may as well focus on what I like about it: the instrumental is full of power and emphasis, with plenty of strong brass elements and even some snare drums in the pre-choruses to add a bit of extra power. The speedy melody in the verses only serves to add to that power, too. And, for the most part, so do the girls' vocals; Nayeon in particular KILLS IT here. She is super comfortable in this range, apparently, because goddamn she sounds phenomenal. Momo actually sounds pretty damn great too, I didn't know she could have so much power behind her vocals!

But, as I mentioned, I do have one or two problems with this song. Admittedly, while I do feel like some of the girls are in their element here - like Nayeon, Jihyo and Momo, even Jeongyeon in some places - a few others feel... slightly out of place. For example, Dahyun's vocals in the verses don't have that much power, which is by no means her fault. Powerful just isn't her style - it's completely understandable. She's much better at giving a calmer, breathier vocal delivery like Mina does. It's more of where her lines are placed that bothers me than her actual vocals.

But then there's those falsetto lines in the choruses, and the fact that the high notes and adlibs feel very isolated and scattered... and Jeongyeon. I have SUCH a love/hate relationship with Jeongyeon in this song. Well, not even a love/hate relationship, more of a love/disappointment relationship. Her lines in the second verse and her adlib towards the end are fucking outstanding, but then she doesn't reach those same heights with her chorus lines later on. I understand that maybe those lines are structured in a way that makes it harder for her to belt them, but... it would've added a lot to the song if she did. I'm all for her looking after her voice and not completely ruining it, that's what any good vocalist would do. It's just... she has the potential to be a standout here, and I feel it goes to waste sometimes. She's a fantastic performer overall, and I really wish I didn't have to say this, but I'm just being honest. :(

All of is combined with the instrumental of the song, which is probably my biggest problem. It's got a hell of a lot of power, sure, but it doesn't go anywhere with that power. It never changes itself up, or develops - not in a way that feels impactful, at least. Yes, the beat switchup during Chaeyoung's rap is quite cool, but it honestly ends up taking away a lot of the momentum rather than adding onto it. When you've got so much impact in a song like this, and then proceed to do nothing with it, that's a huge disappointment in my eyes. It ends up feeling repetitious and under-cooked, which is a goddamn shame. If it had just a bit more love and experimentation put into it on the production side of things, it could have been serious title track potential. But as much as I hate to admit it, it's a very, VERY uneven song. It's definitely something the producers can work on in the future.

D'you what they don't need to work on though? The lyrics. Cause yeah, they're about as girl crush as you can get, and I eat that shit for breakfast. "Fancy" was confident, yes, but "Stuck In My Head" is THAT bitch. Honestly, I'd love to see TWICE have lyrics like this for a title track of theirs. They're teasing and quite playful, whilst being very powerful and confident at the same time. Basically, I love them a lot and I really want them to take this angle with one of their title tracks please and thank you.

This game of hide-and-seek that doesn't let you breathe Our relationship pushes and pulls I wonder who'll be laughing when this tension ends

Yyyyyeah, I ended up being very mixed about this song as a whole. I can still enjoy it on a superficial level, and it's certainly a lot of fun. I just... need to not think about it too much, because when I do, that's when the problems start arising. Overall, it's a great attempt at a girl crush song, and definitely something I'd love to see TWICE develop on in the future.

3. GIRLS LIKE US

Welp, I certainly never expected a Charli XCX song to end up in TWICE's lap. And yes, for those of you who aren't aware, this was a song Charli originally created alongside MNEK called "Tough Love" - which, for the record, both of them are phenomenal artists with a HELL of a lot of talent. (Seriously, have you heard some of Charli's mixtapes????) But the song was never really finished, and it was leaked online earlier this year. I'm not going to give a link to it because of copyright, but go look it up yourself if you're curious. It IS out there.

But somehow, it ended up being sold to TWICE, and now we're here! And overall, "Girls Like Us" is pretty good. It's got a very whimsical and upbeat vibe to it in places, with some nice quirky piano lines and whistle melodies here and there. It's also got some downright anthemic choruses, and I certainly wasn't expecting them to explode as much as they did. It's goddamn gorgeous to listen to, if you ask me. The verses are minimal for a reason, and it woooooooorks.

It actually reminds me a lot of Red Velvet's "Happiness", in a way? It's got a very uplifting vibe to it, and it overall feels very dreamy and positive. Which, that's not something Charli's really known for, so it definitely surprised me! I was nonetheless very happy to hear TWICE put their own spin on it, and it ended up coming out pretty damn well.

But you know what I hate about this song? THE ENDING. That's how they decided to end it? With the most anticlimactic thing you could possibly do with a song like this??? Come ooooon, JYP producers. You had a great opportunity to take that heavy drum line and turn it into something special, and you wasted it. You left it to sputter out and feel as pointless as it could, causing the ending to feel abortive and very unfinished in general. I AM DISAPPOINTED.

[gif source]

Aside from that though, the lyrics certainly prove my point about the Red Velvet comparison. This is one of those cheesy yet uplifting and motivating songs that you can't help but grin like an idiot at. Yeah, the lyrics are pretty dumb, but they're fun. That's never a bad thing in my eyes!

The truth is, it's not a big deal You are not alone, everyone's been on this path before You'll find happiness one day on this road

In the end, "Girls Like Us" is a pretty dreamy song with a shitty ending. I don't really know what else I can say about it; it's pretty simple in a lot of ways, but sometimes you need a track like that to just enjoy in the middle of an album. Yeah, people will probably say it's filler, but if that's the case, then it's definitely a very fun example of filler. 😊

4. HOT

If you ask me, "Hot" is where this album finds its pace and really starts to just... have fun with it. "Hot" is actually an upbeat party song that REALLY surprised me upon my first listen. I didn't quite know what to expect going into it, sure, but if you told me it was going to be as quirky and funky as this, I... don't know if I would've believed you. But yeah, here we are!

"Hot" grabs your attention from the get-go with some really interesting vocal samples, and a very futuristic instrumental - almost reminiscent of deep house in some places thanks to those bouncy synths. But then, when the choruses hit, it adds some really nice snare touches, as well as a brass line that single-handedly makes the entire song SO much better. It gives it that extra energy that it probably would've lacked otherwise, and it definitely made me smile. This entire song just has so much goddamn energy, it's infectious! And hey, the ending actually works, which is a nice thing given that we just had "Girls Like Us". 😖

I feel like the girls themselves are actually enjoying themselves here, too - their vocal delivery is very colourful and varied, with just the right amount of sass and restraint where it's needed. That carries over into the lyrics, too, which are - once again - surprisingly confident and charismatic. It adds to the energy and vibe the song's got going for it - and when it's as fun as this, that is very much welcome. And sure, they're a little bit repetitive here and there, and they don't make much sense in places - although I think that's because the only place I could find a translation for this song was Genius, of all places - but hey, this song isn't really meant to be super deep! It's an empowerment anthem mixed with a party song, and shallow lyrics for this suffice perfectly for what it wants to do.

I don't have any ordinary clothes I'm perfect to my feet, I'll always be attracted to it You've already fallen for me

I don't really have much else I can say about "Hot"; you kinda just have to listen to it for yourself to really enjoy it. If you've never heard it before, I'd definitely recommend it! It's good if you need an energy boost, that's for sure. But... while I like it a lot, there is admittedly a better party song on this album. One with just as much energy - if not more - and a HELL of a lot of groove...

5. TURN IT UP

Yeah. It's this. I'll give "Hot" credit, it's fun and bouncy, but it's not on the level of "Turn It Up". Now THIS is a fucking party song.

The instrumental in this song is AWESOME. Not only have you got those bouncy elements we heard previously, mainly thanks to a great drum line and a nice synth line to match, but the groove. This song has SUCH a good bassline to it, and it's just topped off by some even funkier electric guitars here and there, as well as some thinner synths towards the end. Admittedly, that acoustic guitar intro with Sana's vocals is fucking awful and I don't know why they even included it (THE GUITAR ISN'T EVEN IN TUNE WITH THE REST OF THE SONG FFS), but the rest of the song is fantastic on its own. Just... ignore the intro. Forget it exists. Because there's a really damn good song to be found here if you do.

TWICE themselves actually nail it here, too, with some great vocals that really supplement this song's energy - I mean, do you HEAR how much fun they're having here? I feel like I can hear Jihyo smiling into the mic as she sings, and I love it! And hey, we have Momo rapping for a brief second, what else could you ask for? But overall, I feel like it eloquently provides a solution to the problem "Stuck In My Head" ran into, where some of the girls sound like they're not entirely comfortable - the instrumental ebbs and flows to support the members with the quieter vocals AS WELL AS the more powerful members. It works super well, and it means members like Tzuyu and Dahyun don't feel out of place. Speaking of which, Dahyun and Chaeyoung's rap is a goddamn highlight here - I haven't liked one of their raps this much since "Likey". THEY KILL IT.

Surprisingly, the lyrics indicate this is more of a love song than a party song? Which, that was a strange surprise to me. But while it is a love song, it's a very carefree and light one, with an electric sense of energy behind it. They never feel overbearing or annoying, and end up coming off as really natural and likable. They're honestly pretty good!

Here at night, full of starlight, Imma turn it up Towards the night sky in the dark, Imma turn it up We'll never lose our vibe

I think it's safe to say that "Turn It Up" left me very damn impressed, considering I wasn't expecting it to be anything special. It's the sort of song I've been waking up with stuck in my head in the morning (ironically enough), and that kinda shows how much sticking power it's got. It's memorable, upbeat, and reminds me an awful lot of Girls' Generation's "All Night" - it's just goddamn funky fun. I'd KILL to have a song like this be one of TWICE's title tracks going forward, 'cause I'd be there from minute one.

6. STRAWBERRY

Funnily enough, this is... probably my favourite song on the album. Yeah. Even though I liked "Turn It Up" a hell of a lot, "Strawberry" is the song I've found myself completely obsessed with. It's very subtle in a lot of ways, but I think that ends up working very much in its favour.

"Strawberry" is by a mile the slowest song on this album; the decision to end the album on a more chill song like this one was a great idea, in my opinion. And hey, like I said, it's probably my favourite song here - I love that distorted synth sample in the background and the melodic foundation it provides; I love the acoustic guitar sections in the choruses and the hint of authenticity it adds; I love how the girls' vocals are more hushed and a little bit more sultry than what we're used to hearing from them; there are so many elements of "Strawberry" that I could gush over for hours if I could. Hell, I'd say it's the most well-developed song on the album. It really does feel like its full potential is realised, and that makes me INCREDIBLY happy.

And yeah, when you look at the lyrics here, they're certainly more on the cutesy side than anything else on this album. But it's not an overbearing type of cuteness; it's very chill, relaxed and subdued, much like the song itself. They appreciate a few of the smaller details about the person they're crushing on, which matches the song's tone perfectly. It's such a goddamn pleasant song to listen to, and hey, even if I don't understand the lyrics without reading their meaning most of the time, they still feel refreshing regardless.

I don't want anyone to steal you, so I secretly hide you - it's all mine So what if I'm being greedy? I'm the one who likes you more

Not gonna lie, this song gave me very big and very immediate f(x) vibes. And that's a fantastic thing in my eyes - I AM a MeU, after all, but I didn't expect TWICE to pull it off quite so well. And to be honest, I think they do it just as well as f(x) do! These are the kind of cute songs I really like, where they're not overly in-your-face about their cuteness; they're just comfortable with being cute and putting their own spin on it at the same time. "Strawberry" is a fantastic song, and one I've found myself listening to an unhealthy amount at this point. Seriously. It's become one of the most played songs on my phone. Send help.

But hey, that's the entire album! And if "Fancy You" is anything to go by, I'll definitely be listening to more of TWICE's albums in the future - this ended up having some very pleasant surprises for me. This has been one of my favourite eras for TWICE overall, and this album just cements it to be honest. I can't wait to see where they go from here!

•••••

ALL SOURCES FOR THE ENGLISH LYRICS I USED IN THIS REVIEW: Fancy Stuck In My Head Girls Like Us Hot Turn It Up Strawberry

COVER IMAGE CREDITS: Holographic backgrounds by FreePik TWICE PNGs by beapanda on deviantArt

[5hineesback]

feel korea fanacc 2017 (exid biased)

this is going to be a very detailed fanacc of the full day, including the bad events which took place before the concert

first off let me say that kpop fans are honestly such lovely people. i came across a few bad eggs during the day but overall everyone was amazing. i arrived earlier than my friend and i made friends so quickly with the people who were in front of me in the queue, and i ended up spending the whole concert with them

secondly let me say that the organisation of this concert was an absolute joke, specifically the queueing. it was terrible, the worst organisation i’ve seen in a long time. they originally had one queue for everything, then created a ‘concert’ queue and made people move, then when the daytime event queue had died down we got moved back to where we originally were - except there was no guidance. everyone just ran for it. people at the front ended up at the back and people who’d just arrived got to the front. there was also a severe problem of people pushing in at the front - there was no barrier to block it and when we complained the security didn’t even try to do anything about it. 

i got to the venue at around 12:15, joined the only queue there was, was then moved to the ‘concert’ queue at around 12:45, was very near the front and managed to stay in basically the same place when we got moved back to our original line. then waited for about 6 hours, filled with events such as, as ive mentioned, people pushing in at the front and pretending they were there the whole time, the barrier being widened to such a degree at the front that there was no order at all

then came the worse part. we were lining up around the back of the building, and they wanted to move us to the front doors. so they stood back, and told us to go. everyone ran, again. i got pushed into walls and an open door, girls were falling over or hurting themselves on the barriers as everyone tried to get through. we had been asking them throughout the day how they were planning to get us in - we suggested sending us in groups of 10 or 20, or just making sure we all got to the doors one at a time. instead there was hundreds of people running to the doors, filling up the street because there was no barrier there to meet us. again, i managed to keep my place, pretty much, but a lot of people lost theirs, including girls at the front who had been there since 6am to queue. then despite the street being full of fans, they then told us to get in single file. which was fucking stupid because it wasnt possible. not unless they moved everyone forward enough, past the doors, to make enough room to move everyone against the wall, or move people backwards from the back of the queue, which literally went around the whole block. we eventually got in by them just giving up and letting us in one at a time with as little pushing as possible

but anyway, thats enough of that, although i will be complaining officially online lmao

okay the actual concert. by some miracle, i just got to the barrier, i got the last space. but myself and a couple of girls to my left were in the worst place to be at the barrier - in front of us was a camera man officially recording for the tv screen above, so during the concert idols would often be blocked by the camera which will be shown in my exid fancams lmao. but hey, i was at the barrier, i can’t complain. the distance from the barrier to the stage was about 10 feet i think, it was pretty large tbh so im rly glad i got to be there. we also got given water by very nice security thank u security

they were showing mvs for about an hour while we waited. if you were there, the first scream @ jeonghwa’s appearance in any mv was always me jsyk dklfjhdskj

when the concert started, there was a taekwondo performance which was a m a z i n g, they were breaking wood with their feet and at one point i was scared the broken wood would hit me lmao

after that, hani came on mc’ing, along with two other guys who i don’t know. the moment she appeared i Died. she was wearing such a pretty white dress, shes so angelic and cute and beautiful. she came out to mc after every performance, except it was just the guys when exid was about to perform. she spoke about going to see the disadvantaged kids yesterday and one of the guys was like “hanis not just beautiful, she has a beautiful heart” and hani said “the most beautiful is everyone here!” jdksa shes honestly a Dream

knk was first to perform, then snuper, then exid, then highlight. i’m not gonna pretend i was really there to see anyone but exid, because i wasn’t. but i did hearts to all the idols and i really enjoyed all their performances. knk sang knock first which is the only song i like by them so to hear it was so great. they’re such good dancers and they’re all very pretty

after knk, hani and the guys introduced a “special performance because london has gone through some hardships recently”. it was hyerin singing “you raise me up” and it was so beautiful i would have cried if i weren’t so focused on filming haha

then it was snuper’s turn to perform. i only know platonic love, so i enjoyed that, but i was pretty clueless about the rest of the songs. i still liked it tho. during one of their songs they brought a fan on stage to sing to her and also threw roses to the crowd. according to my friend who was a bit further back one of the members aimed one at her but a girl in front of her caught it lol. one of the members was so funny idk his name but fans threw a signed uk flag at the stage and he put it on like a cape and he came over to our section loads. hes my bias now but who is he

after that (i think??), knk came back on to perform a cover of an ed sheeran song which i don’t know the name of. everyone sang with them and it was rly Nice

then my girls!!! arrived and i screamed So Loud it was too much. they’re all so beautiful, but u kno i love my girl jeonghwa and omg... pictures and videos dont do her justice at all shes honestly Ethereal i went into shock and i almost teared up. i saw a girl so beautiful i started crying???

they started with hot pink and i could kinda feel how empty it was without solji but it was still amazing to see the four of them. then they moved onto night rather than day, then ah yeah, then finally up and down. i was trying So Hard to get interaction, i made eye contact with jeonghwa a few times and every time i was givin her hearts... she just kinda glanced over me tho.... its ok i still love u

the girl next to me got So much interaction, from l.e especially. she had a homemade exid fan sign and l.e seemed to love it haha. i probably should have made something too

exid’s performance seemed to go so quickly, i filmed most of their songs and some of their talk. i haven’t even watched the videos yet i’m gonna die

after exid, there was a performance with snuper and a group of girl dancers who i think won a competition during the day? they did dance covers of a few bts songs

then highlight came on and performed two of their new songs, before two of their old ones. i rly enjoyed the old ones, the new ones... they were okay but i liked being reminded of their old image as beast. i think this was when one of them motioned for us to clap, i was one of the first to start so he looked at me was he was walking our way and nodded at me which was cool lol. i think it was highlight anyway.... and i think it was that time... honestly the boy groups... kinda mushed together for me i could even begin to tell you which member it was. i made eye contact with a few guys of the various groups so i cant rly remember specifically

during highlights performance this annoying girl came up behind me and was literally pushing against me, trying to move my hair, touching my arms and back before eventually asking if i could move over. i did, but i later found out that the girl had literally somehow managed to get to the barrier from the back. she was rude as hell. also there was fireworks during the performance which scared the crap out of me i was like that compilation vid of chanyeol

after highlight, there was an encore where all the groups came out and threw balls and balloons. knk was in front of our section and exid were next to them more towards the middle. i feel bad for saying it but i ... rly wanted exid in front of me lmao. i did hearts towards them and here is where i might have got interaction from hani but im not sure???? she looked in my direction as i was looking at her and making a heart with my hands and she grinned and did a thumbs up but im not sure it was at me it might have been someone near me. i like to think it was at me tho. people around me got a lot of interaction with different idols but i didnt?? thats going back to diy stuff tho, ppl around me had created signs and written messages on paper and stuff so i guess thats where that came from. i rly would have done something too for exid but i didnt think id be that close, never mind at the barrier so i didn’t see much point

there was also confetti flying from a machine right in front of me and i accidentally dropped my exid fan sign i was given in the queue over the barrier so i caught confetti in my bag to take home instead lol. the annoying girl was still there and still annoying, she threw something at knk she’d made and one of the members got it and she started screaming and crying and yelling i love u which i wouldnt mind but... after the way she was so rude to me (and as i found out later, other ppl) nah why does she deserve that lmao. she also ended up getting a ball since security came over with two that had dropped and she said the yellow was hers... it wasnt she even asked me who signed it lmao

overall it was a really good concert and i cant wait to watch the videos back. it had ups and downs but despite having to miss london pride for it i dont regret going. i got to meet some great people and ofc i got to see my Special Girls in the flesh... they said they’d come back soon i hope so. ive drunk so much water tonight and im about to go and drink more also i can’t walk

[suga-ssi]

BTS You Never Walk Alone - Spring Day MV Theory: The Untold Story

by: @sugasuite (edited: 170222 for pt 7)

Whose story is often unheard and untold?

The Discriminated… The Minorities…

When Kim Namjoon said You Never Walk Alone was the Untold Story… He wasn’t kidding. BigHit has done it again! Though this MV also fit the story of the boys’ journey, they still managed to discuss an underlying controversial issue.

SYMBOLISMS:

1.     OMELAS: DISCRIMINATION OF THE WEAK

In case you haven’t read the story… Here is a rundown

First of all, let me say, this story is riveting in both its simplicity and complexity; and you could finish it in less than 15 minutes. The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas is an award winning short story written by Ursula Le Guin. The story starts with the narrator describing a utopian place called Omelas as the Summer Festival starts. Everything about the city is idealistic and the narrator even invites the reader to imagine his/her own utopian scenario and imagine that to be Omelas because Omelas’ perfection and happiness was hard to simply describe. The narrator claims that the people of Omelas were not stupid, that this was not the reason why they were happy, but he also states that the people of Omelas lived without guilt.

As vague and hard as it was for the narrator to describe Omelas, her description of the small, frail impoverished child was vivid. People of Omelas knew about the child’s existence, locked in a small basement but none of them helped or saved the child. The narrator believes that the child served as reminder for the people of a world opposite to what they have. The absence of the child makes what they have pointless and therefore the child’s existence was poignant for their system.

The more incredible part though, the part that got the narrator amazed, were the people who left Omelas. Those who chose to walk alone away from the surfaced perfection toward the unknown when they have seen the child.

In the MV you can see how their initial excitement of being in Omelas slowly changed. As if taking in what Omelas truly was. 

Kookie goes to the desolate Omelas where ironically the No Vacancy sign was still lit. Like how minorities are refused entry when clearly there is still room. 

In the end, unlike in the book where the citizens who face the realities of Omelas left alone, they all left Omelas together.

2.     Snow Piercer: DISCRIMINATION OF THE CLASSES

Snowpiercer was a movie released in 2013. in the movie, the world was set into an infernal winter after an experiment to solve global warming backfires. The remaining survivors were those on board the Snowpiercer. By 2031, segregation was eminent. Elites inhabit the extravagant front cars and the “scum” inhabit the tail in squalid and brutal conditions. Under watch by guards, they are brought only gelatinous protein bars to eat and kept in their place in the social order by Minister Mason, while sometimes small children are taken away.

RICH SECTION:

POOR SECTION:

Kinda Hunger Games-ish huh?

Rebellion broke out because it seemed like the oppressed have finally had enough. Many died due to the rebellious attacks and the head of the keeper of the peace for the Snowpiercer told the leader of the revolution that it was he who planned the rebellion to reduce the population and maintain the balance of the sealed ecosystem, and subsequently orders the elimination of 74% of the remaining tail passengers. He explains the importance of using fear and chaos to maintain a necessary order and leadership on the train.

The leader of the revolution almost accepted the offer of the head peace keeper to lead what remained of the Snowpiercer but decided to continue the fight when he learned that small children from the tail section are being trapped as replacement parts for “extinct” machinery and that those in the tail section were literally being kept alive for spare parts.

In the end, an explosion happens that causes an avalanche. The train gets derailed and only two survive, one girl and one boy. They alight the train and see a polar. They learn that life was actually possible outside the oppressive train.

In the MV, Kookie and RM is shown riding the train but they keep entering the doors at the back. The train traverses a snowy terrain.

When the line stops, they all go down together and see a dying tree amidst a grassy field. It was the only semblance of life present, but it was enough to hang their shoe on it and mark the place as theirs.

3.     Safety Pin Earrings: FIGHT AGAINST DISCRIMINATION

“#Safetypin I’m an ally… All those exposed to hate and violence, you’re not alone….”

No, it’s not a fashion statement, there is a deeper meaning.

4.     Laundromat/ Segregation: RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

Honestly, where else can the term segregation be used that seems publicly acceptable?

Whites separated from colored.

This reminded me of a racial case I studied in law school, Yick Wo vs Hopkins 118 U.S. 356 (1886) (Who the F? would have thought I’d use that shit here?) 

The immigration of Chinese to California began in 1850 at the beginning of the Gold Rush. As the Chinese became more successful, tensions with Americans grew. Californians were wary of the cultural and ethnic differences.

Yick Wo, was a laundry facility owned by Sang Lee. After twenty years of owning the facility as an undocumented immigrant, provisions set out by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors said that he could not continue to run his business due to an ordinance that was evidently racially targeted against all Chinese business owners.

This case was the first case where the United States Supreme Court ruled that a law that is race-neutral on its face, but is administered in a prejudicial manner, is an infringement of the Equal Protection Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

In the MV you can see that the blacks and whites inside were mixed. Whites, Blacks, toss it in! They’re one and the same.

5.     Mountain of Clothes: ALL EQUAL!

In 2010, Christian Boltanski created a 40-foot-tall art installation at the Park Avenue Armory.

For Boltanski, clothes are simply a placeholder for 6000 real human beings who lived real lives. He told a journalist, “In my work there have always been a lot of photos of people, heartbeats of people—for me the clothing are people.” The magnitude of the pile illustrates the heaviness of all the hearts now lost.

In this work, Boltanski said that the mountain was an eternal afterlife of sorts, where every individual rests after death. In Boltanski’s view, we are all mixed together in death, no longer the distinct individuals we were in life. We become part of a great pile, individual pieces that have lost their minute details — a single, colossal entity.

This piece of art has been made in various cities all over the world.

BTS made themselves part of this mountain, a symbol of unity in lives lost due to discrimination.

6.     Nods to the Sewol Ferry Tragedy: INJUSTICE

So many questions about these shoes. What I know… Jimin picked it up from the shore… and looked pale, kinda like he drowned.

It could honestly have so many meanings…

But given that this is an injustice close to their hearts, they might be giving nods to the Sewol Ferry tragedy.

The Sewol Ferry was a passenger ferry that capsized on 16 April 2014, killing 304 of the 476 people on board. More than 300 passengers were Danwon High School pupils on an organised trip, but only 75 students survived.

Months later, the captain of the ferry escaped the death penalty and has instead been sentenced to 36 years in jail for his role in the tragedy. 

Prosecutors had demanded the death penalty and before the trial even started, President Park Geun-hye made a public statement condemning the crew’s action, saying that their decision to abandon ship had been “tantamount to murder”. The sentence means that the captain, aged 69, is likely to spend the rest of life in jail. In protest, friends and families of the victims laid out the shoes of the victims along with yellow cards and ribbons. 

In December 2016, it was brought to light that 9000 artists were discriminated and blacklisted for criticizing the government and having a dissenting opinion in the Sewol case. In January, media leaked that Bangtan and Bighit donated money to the families of the Sewol family victims.

In the end of the video, Jimin is again looking sullen and holding the shoes.He was looking at the tree as if deciding what to do with it.

Another symbolism with a lot of interpretations in the video is the “shoes on the wire”. One other possible meaning for this is to give honor to the memory of a life lost.

7. The Yellow Ribbon: Symbol of Hope and Unity

The yellow ribbon has been used as a symbol of hope all over the world for a multitude of causes. From the desire for the return of American hostages held in Tehran between 1979 and 1981 to a fight against a dictatorship from a 21 year long regime in the Philippines in 1986. 

The L finger symbol stood for the Filipino word “LABAN” which means FIGHT

For some it became a symbol of home coming and being reunited, hence the famous English song with lines that go, “Tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree”. It symbolizes the hope of freedom, justice and return. This yellow ribbon has held different meanings to different groups of people but in all those times, it served one purpose, to be a symbol of unity for those part of a cause.

In South Korea, the yellow ribbon started as a symbol of hope for the return of 9 missing children from the Sewol Ferry Tragedy but it slowly grew to be more than that. It served as a reminder that the families that sought justice did not stand alone. The government slowly saw this as a symbol of rebellion and defiance. In truth, it sent a silent but unified message against the people who were the source of the injustice committed. 

In the MV, you see Kookie having sole awareness (my obnoxious way of saying he was dead ass staring at the camera) while everyone was a moving blur.

After a while, he seemed to slowly realize that everyone else was moving around him and he joins the crowd.

Two possible meanings. First, the pessimistic view, is that Kookie was the one aware of the issues but no one else was. Everyone else was going about their own business and eventually Kookie joined the crowd…

The second possible meaning? The one I prefer. The more optimistic view, is that due to the movement of everyone around him, Kookie became aware of the need to move and act and joined the movement for the yellow ribbon cause.

Though sometimes you feel like you stand alone in the crowd fighting for something… look around, look closely… there are more people who understand your plight. Never stop moving. Eventually, if your cause is truly powerful, more people will move with you.

CONCLUSION!

Bangtan’s message was clear. For those who suffered injustice or have been discriminated against for being part of a minority, we know your untold stories. Your road may be unknown but YOU NEVER WALK ALONE

From the Book: The Ones who Walk Away from Omelas

Each one goes alone, youth or girl man or woman. Night falls; the traveler must pass down village streets, between the houses with yellow-lit windows, and on out into the darkness of the fields. Each alone, they go west or north, towards the mountains. 

“They go on. They leave Omelas, they walk ahead into the darkness, and they do not come back. The place they go towards is a place even less imaginable to most of us than the city of happiness. I cannot describe it at all. It is possible that it does not exist. But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.”

From The Movie Inception:

Cobb: You’re waiting for a train. A train that’ll take you far away. You know where you hope this train will take you. But you can’t know for sure. Yet it doesn’t matter. Now, tell me why?  Mal: Because we’ll be together! 

See the difference? :)

[infiniapeiron]

🌟 Five Years with VIXX 🌟

Five years ago, I didn’t know anything about these six men at all. I didn’t know how much talent I was missing out on and I had no idea how much of my life they’ll become a part of.

Four years ago, I chanced upon Hyde on a radio show and I was thoroughly impressed. I would later find out it was a blessing in disguise as I gradually started listening to more of their work and thus, I embarked on my Starlight journey.

Three years ago, I had deeply been enamored by their charms and I’ve come to realize that it is possible to love and be loved back just as much by the people you admire. Their fans are precious to them and they value the close bond we have with them. They made me feel and believe that every single fan of theirs is always appreciated.

Two years ago, I’ve seen them fully spread their wings as artists who have complete command of the stage, and are confident with the style and unique sound they have, even if it is an acquired taste to some. That was also the year I saw them for the first time with my own two eyes. Back then I didn’t know it was possible, but I grew to love them even more after seeing how dynamic and phenomenal they were on stage. Their smiles and laughter brought healing to me in more ways than one.

A year ago, I truly understood what it meant to love and support someone through and through. They took on an ambitious large-scale project which they haven’t attempted before and there were as much bumps and roadblocks as there were triumphs. It was akin to a rollercoaster ride, really. But we managed to pull through and our boys had even more solidified their status as concept-dols that raise the standards every. single. time. I was also fortunate enough to see them live for a second time, albeit missing one member. Seeing their performance was as thrilling and electrifying, if not more, than the first time I saw them. 

This year, they enter a new stage as they mark their 5th year in the industry. Such an enormous feat is worth celebrating amidst this new era in K-pop where a group’s life span is uncertain and popularity is measured mostly by charts, MV views, and units of albums sold. Despite that new norm, VIXX is still here, standing tall and strong, and fully embracing the uniqueness only they can bring to the game. And that is what I’m truly proud of about them. They don’t abandon what they do and know best just so they could appeal to the wider public. They make music and execute performances simply for Starlights who already support them because at the end of the day, it’s the fans who will walk with them until whenever.

I’ve been with them for 4 years but I’ve never regretted a single moment. There were lots of ups and downs, victory and defeat, joy and tears, but the most beautiful thing is getting to grow with them and taking every step together towards a new milestone. The journey won’t always be smooth-sailing but as long as we keep supporting each other, we’ll always have a reason and strength to move forward.

Thank you to Jellyfish Entertainment for being VIXX’s second home and family, and for taking a chance on VIXX. They brought together six individuals who have different principles, talents, and strengths but they helped and encouraged them to further develop their talents and realize their potentials. The members started with varying levels of skills but now they’ve all become triple, quadruple, quintuple threats who shine brightly both in a group and on their own. 

Thank you to VIXX’s parents and families who had supported their dreams of becoming artists and for giving the members a good upbringing because now, we have such an amazing group to look up to. 

To my fellow Starlights, thank you for sticking with VIXX through thick and thin. Problems are inevitable and there will always be people waiting on the sidelines for a chance to pull us and VIXX down -- two situations we have no control over. But we do have control over what we say and do so let’s always be mindful of how and what we speak. Let’s stay true to the Starlight code and always, always strive to be Starlights VIXX will be proud of. Also, it doesn’t matter if you’ve been there since the beginning or if you’ve just recently joined the family -- what’s important is your willingness to stand by VIXX no matter what. And remember, VIXX love us all the same ♥

Lastly, to my six shining stars, thank you for all your effort and hard work in the last five years. I’m glad and honored to have been beside you on your good and bad days. Thank you for the constant love and care you shower us with. You make everything worth it. Thank you for believing in one another, for respecting and understanding each other, for treating VIXX as not just a group/business but a real family, and most importantly, for not giving up on your dreams. As long as we are together, I vow to continuously and tirelessly support and love you the same way I’ve received love and strength from your words and songs. 

From 10 fans to thousands From small venues to sold out concerts From back-up dancers and MV cameos to acting gigs and producing their own songs From humble beginnings to reaching great heights From my heart to yours For always and forever~

Congratulations on your 5th year, VIXX! I look forward to all the amazing things you’ll do ^^ Be healthy and happy always and let’s spend more wonderful days together! 

Thank you, Cha Hakyeon, Jung Taekwoon, Lee Jaehwan, Kim Wonshik, Lee Hongbin, and Han Sanghyuk! I love you so much ♥♥♥

With VIXX I am happy, I am thankful, and I am content.