#please support the official release of each video

[xclowniex]

EUROVISION DRAMA UPDATE

Baby Lasanga went on a podcast and talked about some drama which happened regarding Israel. It was in croation but the official translation is:

"This is the first time I’m actually talking about it. We were standing in line to join the flag parade, and everything was fine. The Irish representative and the Greek representative were standing there, and just then someone passed by and filmed a video; I guess it was someone from the Israeli delegation. Bambie started shouting at him, ‘Don’t film me!’ They yelled like an angry dog! And added that it’s a ‘celebration of love and peace’ while drooling… and everyone was really shocked. I bit my lips trying not to laugh. They talk about a celebration of love and peace while shouting and getting angry, just unnecessary drama. In the end, Bambie, Nemo, and I don’t know who else ran to the room and started crying. What’s going on with you guys? This is supposed to be Eurovision…”

“I don’t know why Bambie, Marina, and Nemo were so upset with the Israeli delegation. The Israeli delegation was not a nuisance at all, at least from what I saw. And regarding Bambie’s claim that they film her, there are cameras everywhere and everyone is taking pictures of everyone. It just amused me that she shouted about peace and love while behaving with anger and frustration.”

PLEASE DO NOTE WITH TRANSLATION: The Croatian phrase which has been translated as "angry dog" does not hold as strong of a connotation in Croatian as it does in English. It is used to emphasize severe anger, and does not mean rabid with anger, as a lot of english speakers have assumed it does.

So, what this means is:

A lot of allegations surronding the Israeli delegations actions were likely blown up, and made to seem worse than what they were

At least a portion of the claims of the Israeli delegation filming people is likely them filming Eden Golan or each other and contestants being in the background which was standard for other contestants to be in the background of any delegations videos, aka not out of normal behaviour for any delegation

Any complants brough to the EBU about the Israeli delegation had no rulings made on it, meaning that they were found unjust aka they didn't break any rules

Bambie Thug was so unprofessional that they were suspended from the flag parade in the finals due to their own behaviour, not the Israeli delegation's like they claimed

Bambi thug is a major sore loser considering their comments after the finals

What the implications of this is;

Bambi Thug is either antisemitic or xenophobic - depends on exact motives, which we do not know

Bambi Thug is also immature as they purposely lied and/or made things out to be way worse than they were to garner sympathy and/or to paint the Israeli delegation as these big bad evil people

Considering Marina was present during at least one of the situations, and still supported Bambi Thug, we also know that Marina either does similar behaviour to Bambi Thug, or thinks that behaviour is okay

The biggest thing out of all of this, is that the Israeli delegation was made out to be super evil and bad, and so much effort was put into protraying them this way, and all that effort has gone to waste because someone decided to speak out about what really happened.

Baby Lasanga also isn't even the only person who is proof of the delegation not being cunts the entire time. käärijä, in a now deleted video, was seen being nice to Eden Golan and even danced with her to his track from last years eurovision backstage. käärijä had the Israeli delegation take down the video after he recieved backlash for it and he also released an apology very similar to baby lasanga's statement.

Baby Lasanga's statement for the podcast was

"I won't beat aroud the bush and I feel like I have to respond because I owe that to the ESC community. I didn't feel like I had to express this online, but now I see that there's some confusion about it. So let me say it: U condem the actions of Israel's government. I bow my head to palestine and it's victims. I keep them in my prayers every night I go to sleep. Likewise, I will truly give my best to help those wounded by this horrigic tragedy. Love Marko"

My take aways from this are:

He can seperate citizens from their government like a normal fucking human being should

He also assumed that people would be able to do that too, but alas they weren't and he had to release a statement

He still stands behind his comments during the podcast

For anyone wanting to interact with this post, please note that this post is not about whether or not Israel should or shouldn't have attended. Whilst it is part of the overall wider conversation, I am not talking about that as eurovision already happened, Israel competed. This post is purely about how the Israeli delegation was treated and drama going on about that. Please do not start talking about whether or not Israel should have been allowed to compete.

[thecandlewasters]

Kia ora koutou,

After 4 years of being on hiatus we wanted to officially acknowledge that our filmmaking collective has disbanded.

We are so proud of all the work we made, and we loved sharing it with you all. Your gifs, analysis, letters, writing, art, and comments made us feel so lucky. Creating these stories was such a special time in our lives and we can’t thank you enough for being a part of it. We could not have made our 5 webseries in 5 years without your awhi, love, and support. We will be forever grateful for the support of our Kickstarters which allowed us to continue making series, and never forget our fandles or flamangoes.

While as a collective we have gone our separate ways, we are all continuing to be creative folks and if you follow our various social media you will see what we get up to next.

Claris - @/clariskate on instagram Elsie - @/littlebollinger on instagram Minnie - @minniegraced most places Robbie - @robbienicol on instagram Sally - @/salazar.bollinger on instagram

We will continue to post as The Candle Wasters from time to time — NMTD turns 10 next year and we’ll be sure to acknowledge that!

Finally, we are releasing several videos from our YouTube Drafts as part of the final updates to the Kickstarters for Lovely Little Losers and Bright Summer Night. You will see these on your feed. After that, we will not be releasing any further original content on YouTube as The Candle Wasters, though there will be other updates from us as individuals from time to time. For more details on the Kickstarter, please see the Final Updates on each Kickstarter.

Thank you all for joining us on this journey! 

Lots of love, ngā mihi, Claris, Elsie, Minnie, Robbie, and Sally EDIT: What's NMTDaily? CLICK HERE FOR INFO

[live-emotion]

Live Emotion Management Letter

The official twitter account has released a letter from the Live Emotion management team. Thank you management team!

To help spread their message further, I have translated and edited a graphic for an English version of this letter. Please keep in mind I'm not a translator, so there may be some inaccuracies, and we don't know the official translation of some terms (Eg. Emotional Piece/Peace).

You may share these images if: - The credit remains in the image. - You also credit me as the original poster somewhere in text, or direct here to see the original post when you share them. - You do not claim or imply that these are any kind of official English translation by the management team!

Full translation text in alt text and below read more.

[Image 1 ID]

“UTA NO PRINCE-SAMA LIVE EMOTION” - MANAGEMENT LETTER.

Nice to meet you, everyone, This is the management team of “Uta no Prince-sama LIVE EMOTION”. As the release date approaches, we have issued a management letter. Today, we would like to tell you about the app prior to its release.

"Uta no Prince-sama LIVE EMOTION" is an app that focuses on adding color to the daily lives of idols and everyone. “I want to enjoy the music.” “I want to enjoy it as a fan.” “I want to go back to basics and have fun.” etc. We create products that can be enjoyed by a variety of play styles.

In preparation for release, we are also brushing up the content shown in the game introduction videos that we posted recently. This time, I would like to share with you some information that could not be covered in the game introduction videos alone.

LIVE (RHYTHM GAME): There are four levels of difficulty, and the number of lanes and notes will change depending on the difficulty level. You can also customise the speed of notes, turn off live MV, swap to still background display, change screen brightness, etc.

HOME/TALK: Up to 4 idols can be invited to the home screen, and you can look around the left and right sides of the room with a swipe. Pressing and holding an idol on the home screen will transition to a talk screen.

[Image 2 ID]

“UTA NO PRINCE-SAMA LIVE EMOTION” - MANAGEMENT LETTER.

STORY: There are two types of stories: one from a composer's perspective, and one from other perspectives. Private stories will be developed from the former perspective, while main stories, emotional pieces, and event stories will be in the latter perspective.

EMOTIONAL PIECE: Emotional Pieces can be obtained from piece gacha and events. You can level them up using items obtained in the rhythm games. By training them, you will unlock stories, costumes, voices, etc. The unlocked voices can then be enjoyed through home and talk screens.

MINIPRI: You can allocate up to 3 MiniPri per room. In addition to interiors that are permanently available, we also plan to develop interior series that can be exchanged for a limited time only.

The entire management team is working hard to create an app that is not only enjoyable to existing Uta no Prince-sama fans, but also aims to attract even more people to the joy of Uta no Prince-sama.

Thank you for your continued support of “Uta no Prince-sama LIVE EMOTION”.

May 12, 2024.

Additional text added by me at the bottom of each image reads: "This is NOT an official English language release. Unofficial English graphic by @Live-Emotion (tumblr). Original Japanese can be found @utapri_LE (Twitter)."

[End of image ID]

[joseonjubu]

💜품계석 세트 - Traditional Korean Royal Road Markers Set💜

💜안녕하세요 여러분💜

💜 1 Swatch for each Royal Road Marker, includes normal maps

💜 Found in buy mode - Deco only

💜 12 Different Royal Marking Stones

💜 These markers would be used as a placeholder/order for where officials bearing the same title written on the stone marker would stand in-front of the palace.

💜 Do Not Repost or Claim As Your Own! 💜

💜 If you need anything please message me! 💜

💜 Feel free to send photos and videos of your builds and gameplay using my custom content! I love seeing my supporters enjoying and playing with my content! 💜

💜 Thank you always for your continued support for me and my content 💜

💜 Download Early Access and Exclusives: Here 💜

💜 Early Access Public Releases and My Free Content can be found: Here 💜

[darkbanez]

So if y’all aren’t caught up with the shooting this morning:

Today, in Nashville, Tennessee, a 28 year old trans man broke into and opened fire on a Christian Elementary School.

According to CNN:

“Here's what we know so far:

About Covenant School: The school is a private Christian school founded in 2001 as a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church. It has an average enrollment of about 200 people in recent years, according to its website, and it teaches preschool through 6th grade.

What happened: Don Aaron, spokesperson for the Metro Nashville Police Department, said the first calls of an active shooting came in at around 10:15 a.m. local time. When officers arrived, they went through the first level of the building, he said. They then heard gunshots coming from the second level of the building, according to Aaron. He said that's where police confronted and killed the shooter at 10:27 a.m. local time.

The shooter: The shooter has been identified as 28-year-old Nashville resident Audrey Hale. The shooter was armed with a handgun and two AR-style weapons — one a rifle and an AR-style pistol, Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said. Two of those may have been obtained legally and locally in Nashville, Drake said. According to initial findings, the shooter was once a student at the school, he added, though he said police are unsure what years.

Prior planning: The shooter had drawn detailed maps of Covenant School, Drake said, including the entry points to the building and detailing "how this was all gonna take place." Drake said police believe the shooter shot through one of the doors to get into the school. Drake said the school was the only location targeted by the shooter. Police have also located a manifesto that they are reviewing.

The victims: The three students who were shot and killed at Covenant School were all 9 years old, police said. They have been identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, according to police. Three adults were also killed in the shooting. They have been identified as 61-year-old Cynthia Peak, 60-year-old Katherine Koonce and 61-year-old Mike Hill, police said.

What's next: Police will spend the next two days processing the scene and working to gather more details about what happened during a shooting at a Nashville elementary school, Aaron said, adding police also intend to release video soon. Officials said they knew where the shooter lived and they have interviewed the shooter's father.

Call for gun safety legislation: President Joe Biden called the shooting at a Nashville school "heartbreaking, a family's worst nightmare," while advocating for gun reform. Biden said Congress needs to pass an assault weapons ban because we "need to do more to protect our schools." However, a bipartisan solution is extremely unlikely this Congress with a slim Democratic majority in the Senate and a GOP-led House. Nashville Mayor John Cooper said too many children are dying from guns and that the community needs to come together to support each other.

Mass shootings in America: The Nashville shooting is the 129th mass shooting in the US so far in 2023, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive. The Gun Violence Archive, like CNN, defines a mass shooting as one in which at least four people are shot, excluding the shooter.”

(via https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/nashville-shooting-covenant-school-03-27-23/index.html)

Obviously Twitter is having a hayday with this, right-wingers seemingly celebrating the fact that the shooter was transgender.

If you choose to care more about what the shooter identified as, rather than the LITERAL children and teachers that were killed, you are a despicable human being and you deserve everything that comes to you.

Please feel free to add more info in reblogs/replies!

[anonoob]

LOOKING FOR CONTENT TO WATCH?

here are some underrated (in my opinion) media's I recommend!

Lackadaisy (Animated PILOT - Webcomic.) Lackadaisy has its own Animated PILOT on YouTube, and a Webcomic you can find on the official lackadaisy website! The series is about a webcomic set in Prohibition-era St. Louis, Missouri. It chronicles the events of a cast of anthropomorphic cats as they struggle to keep the titular speakeasy afloat.

Murder Drones (Animated series) Murder Drones has recently gained popularity, but is still a small project. You find it on youtube. On a post-apocalyptic exoplanet, worker drones struggle to survive by hiding from rogue robots called Murder Drones

Epithet Erased (Animated series - book) you can find the first 7 episode Animated on YouTube! Season 2, however, Is a book. based on the tabletop roleplay series Anime Campaign! With unique powers called epithets, and characters attempting to steal an amulet rumored to have the ability to take a person's epithet.

Lego Monkie Kid (Cartoon) The tale begins when an ordinary boy, Monkie Kid, finds Monkey King's legendary staff, and he becomes the chosen one. You can watch on PRIME VIDEO!

Recreyo (YouTube channel!) Oddly enough, I'm recommending a YouTube channel.. a Comedy podcast with a group of friends with trust issues are thrown into different chaotic scenarios where they have to survive by learning to trust each other.. or not.

I'm running out of ideas or media's so.. uh yeah guys you should watch those silly fnaf rps like Oddities or The Famous Films!!! There's more, but I don't know them all lol

Also the sun and moon show is pretty cool yeah

EDIT ; The amazing digital circus is a new media too! Though, the fandom has grown largely. It's a animated pilot on YouTube, under the GlitchProductions channel. (creators of murder drones)

EDIT ; Spooky Month! Halloween is one of everyone's favorites, and so is October! I'm sure you've all heard of this show, made by Sr. pelo. Every year, near Halloween, a new episode for this series released! Last year, it grew huge in popularity.

There obviously tons of smaller projects out there, and I totally recommend them! Make sure to support small creators!

EDIT 2;

Fizz back w/ another banger

Y'all have obviously heard of hazbin hotel and helluva boss (I think helluva boss currently is better, especially in it storyline.)

Ramshackle ! An animated pilot on YouTube and it's 1st episode!, with many other small contents (webtoon, merch, art)

(Not really a media, but a nice nostalgic moment for old time flamingo fans) rewatch Roblox myth videos! They're actually nice to go back and remember, Especially if you were around when the vids came out.

An anime for once! Madoka Magica is great, actually. It's a dark spin on the magical girl ordeal, and it's probably the only anime I really like.

Object shows. There's a LOT of these. Most popular; Inanimate insanity, BFDI. Best recommendations; ONE (hfjcheesy), love of the s*n

Robloc area ; Regretevator, Evade, etc are lowkey fun games with good fandoms (sometimes)

EDDSWORLD OH My God please watch eddsworld it's made by this dude named Edd Gould and it's awesome

Indigo Park. Play it. It's so fucking cool/gen

Kinitopet, nice ai spin game!

Class of 2009 is epic and funny (also has triggering topics tho)

Musicals! It's nice to find new and different musicals!

Horror! +Favs ; Mandela catalogue, the walten files (there's more but it's been a bit)

Dead end, cold front, etc! The creator has amazing games :3

I had more but. Forgot oops

[stormblessed95]

Indigo Release

This might be my favorite Namjoon Solo album (including his mixtapes, i know it's his first official album") it was so good and so pleasing and just generally fits the mood ALWAYS. I loved it and it was so emotional. And the fact that the first lyric of the entire album is "fuck the trendsetter" sets the tone perfectly. I'm not going to get into it too much honestly. But I loved it. I have a lot of thoughts. And I do love Joon an unhealthy amount. Thank you RM for gifting this to us and sharing your music.

The music video was STUNNING his Tiny Desk performance was amazing. Tears in my eyes, im so proud of him.

Chapter 2 is so good for them and it's been so good to us too. And seeing Jimin pop up in the live and the other messages of support posted so far too. Makes me want to cry. They will always always be there for each other in everything. I love them so much

Jhope, "my favorite friend"

Jimin, he is just like us 🥺

"Namjoon who we love" 😭😍🥰

I'll edit and add if any more get posted. I'm just so in love with and proud of how he is doing his promotions and of this music. How all the members are. I had to make a post for it. My favorite songs are probably All Day, Lonely, Change pt 2 and Wildflower. But I loved every song too honestly. They were all so good! And the way Namjoon talked so fondly and respectfully about each person he collabed with on this album too. You can tell this is truly his labor of love and passion.

He put so much into it. You can absolutely tell and hear it in the music too. Perfection! Keep streaming! Joon deserves all the good things in life and to see the success this album will be!

[thebuttsmcgee]

With the leak being more spread around even with spoiler warnings, and because of a post I saw earlier when the news of the entire ep being leaked was first breaking, I gotta say

This really is disheartening to see. This really does hurt the whole series and the ones behind it. As of right now, we haven't gotten an official release date, yes we got the 21st from the TV listings but I mean no source from Dana or disney, and while most of us on here know about it, more casual fans and even some international fans don't, so the entire episode being leaked could hurt their excitement or love for the premieres that Always (seriously I mean ALWAYS LMAO never forget HM) get an incredible amount of notoriety, which help boost more support for the series, which JUST recently got noticed by disney.

It hurts the chance of the franchise getting more support (ie books, comics, a possible video game, more official merchant, etc) because of the less talk about the episode.

And while yes a lot of people (including Ms Dana Terrace herself) pirate the show, whether it be due to international troubles or insufficient funds to get disney+, what ultimately helps as well is the notoriety each episode gets. Anyone can pirate yet still make 100+ posts about how good each new episode was and it would help!

Yet this time it doesn't help cause this came outta nowhere and now so many are just being spoiled, getting their hype flattened and being pretty inconsiderate to the entire crew who made all of it possible, the same crew who already were disrespected by their very company. (And I do mean everyone! So many of the crew aren't given as much props and respect yet deserve it all the same!)

And ngl, it really sucks considering this is the 2nd to very LAST possible product of The Owl House as a whole. There was so much support for Thanks to Them yet FtF already seems a bit cluttered.

It's not hopeless cause there's still a chance FtF gets a huge amount of support when it officially releases. This is a huge problem tho, one that's already leaking through every big ocial media.

There's really not a point to this post other than just to say, this fucking blows, support the series in any official way you can when it officially releases (Make posts! Draw as much art as you can! Tune into the PostHoots! Make as much noise as you can!), and please be considerate to those who refuse to even look at it until the time is right.

[nj-6-girl]

That's it. The moment they've all been waiting for. Tomorrow, July 22nd, their first single, Attention, and their very first music video would finally be released. Micha couldn’t even begin to express how she truly felt. Her emotions were swirling, but the ones she could identify were excitement and fear.

Excitement, because they had worked so hard for this. Every long day of practice, every vocal lesson, every time their muscles ached from dancing for hours—it was all leading up to this. They had poured their hearts and souls into the Attention MV, hoping to show the world who they were, hoping to make a lasting first impression. And fear, because what if they didn’t attract the attention they were hoping for? What if all this hard work was for nothing? What if they became just another girl group, forgotten among the many others who debuted every year?

Their CEO, who had become so fond of them that they now affectionately called her "eomma" , had taken a completely different approach than most companies. She decided not to release any teasers, photos, or even member profiles before their debut. She wanted them to remain a mystery, hoping the intrigue would work in their favor. The only thing she posted on the company's official page was a simple, cryptic message: "Wait for tomorrow."

That post alone caused a frenzy among news outlets. Speculation was running wild. After all, this was the first group from the famous producer, Sooyeon. But she revealed nothing—no mention of whether it was a boy group or girl group, no clues about their concept. Just silence, which made the anticipation even stronger.

As the hours ticked by, Micha lay in the sofa, surrounded by the girls, staring up at the ceiling. Their CEO had given them four whole days of rest before their promotional schedule kicked off. It was a luxury for a rookie group, especially one from a company that wasn’t well-known. They’d already been booked for stages on Music Bank and M Countdown, which was no small feat for a group just starting out.

But as much as Micha tried to relax, her mind wouldn’t stop racing. Tomorrow would determine so much—whether the public would accept them, whether their hard work would pay off. Her stomach twisted with nerves.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. She needed to remind herself that they had done everything they could. They were ready. They had practiced until their bodies gave out, and they had supported each other every step of the way. Now, all they could do was wait for the world to see them.

"Please let them love us," that was Micha only prayer these days, she would say this to herself again and again, hoping if she said it as many time as possible it will turn to reality.

The girls didn’t even go to school today. They all knew they would be too nervous to focus on their studies, so now they were sitting together in the living room, the afternoon light dim as clouds gathered outside. On the table in front of them was food their kind neighbors had dropped off earlier, but none of them could really eat. Everyone picked at the dishes, too stressed to have much of an appetite.

Except Micha. She hadn’t touched anything at all.

“Micha, you’re not eating,” Haerin said, her voice gentle but worried. Micha forced a small smile.

“Maybe I’ll eat later.”

Minji, ever the caring unnie, frowned and said, “You didn’t even eat at breakfast.”

Micha shook her head, sighing. “Unnie, I just can’t stomach anything today.”

Hyein, nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I feel the same.” Micha was grateful for Hyein’s comment—it diverted the attention away from her. She didn’t want anyone worrying about her, not today. After all the hard work she’d put into maintaining her weight, she couldn’t afford to ruin it now. Not when she just going to make her debut tomorrow and all eyes would be on them. She didn't want to be the one to destroy the group because she couldn't keep her diet in check.

But the mood in the room was tense, heavy with unspoken fears and doubts. That’s when Hanni broke the silence. “Do you think they’ll like the MV and the song tomorrow?”

The room grew still, the weight of Hanni’s question hanging in the air. No one spoke for a long moment, all of them lost in their own thoughts. Then Minji, was the one to speak.

“We’ve done everything we could. We’ve worked harder than we ever thought possible. We’ve given every piece of ourselves, every drop of energy, to this debut. And I don’t know if people will love us tomorrow. I don’t know if we’ll be the next big thing or if we’ll be forgotten. But what I do know is that we’ve done this together. Every step, every struggle, every victory—we’ve shared it all. And no matter what happens, we’ll face it together. That’s what matters most. As long as we’re together, we’ll be okay.”

Just as Minji finished speaking, the skies outside opened up, and rain began to pour. It came down hard, the sound of it hitting the windows like a soft drum. Without a word, Danielle stood up, walked to the door, and started putting on her shoes.

“Dani, what are you doing?” Hanni asked, confused.

Danielle turned to them with a playful grin. “Going outside.”

Haerin frowned. “But it’s raining.”

Danielle shrugged, a carefree light in her eyes. “So what? Don’t tell me none of you played in the rain when you were little.”

“We did,” Hyein said, her voice soft with nostalgia.

“Then let’s go,” Danielle urged.

The girls looked at each other, hesitant at first. But then, one by one, they stood up, pulled on their shoes, and followed Danielle outside.

The moment they stepped into the rain, everything changed. The cool water soaked their clothes, dripping down their faces, but none of them cared. They ran around like little kids, laughing, screaming, and jumping in puddles. The weight of the day seemed to lift as the rain washed over them. Passersby stopped to watch, shaking their heads with amused smiles, but none of that mattered. For now, they were just a group of girls, free from the pressure of tomorrow, from the fears of what might happen next.

Micha felt something inside her shift as she spun around in the rain, her laughter blending with the others. It was a rare moment of freedom, of pure joy, shared with the people she loved most. And as she locked eyes with Danielle across the courtyard, she knew Danielle felt it too. This moment—this beautiful, fleeting moment of innocence—was one they might never get again. After tomorrow, the world would be watching, judging, waiting for them to succeed or fail.

But for now, under the rain, they were just girls, and Micha knew deep down that whatever came next, they would face it together.

And for that moment, that was enough.

[limeentertainment]

— project green: together we grow !

hello and welcome to wannabe’s first ever company project! 

the following members have accepted the invitation to join project green:

MOON JINYOUNG

KIM KIAN

RYEO “LUCIEL” JIHYUN

CHO HANEUL

RYU SIWOO

LEE NOEL

LEE SEOJUN

the first mission is revealed to the members on the morning of august 15: they are invited to move into company-owned dormitories in the seocho district on august 17. the company will assist trainees should they need help with leases, and a company van will pick them up at home on the morning of august 17 to take them to their new dormitories. even after moving, they will be participating in regular training schedules for the most part, with the only exceptions being times when they’re needed for a project activity. 

the project is described as “an opportunity to further the training program into new territory, so members can grow together into the best version of themselves”. in order to preserve memories of this period in the project and so that they have material to look back on and learn from, all members are given company-owned digital cameras and asked to film vlogs throughout the duration of project green. members also are asked not to discuss information regarding the project with non-participants at this time. don’t worry, everything will be revealed in due time! 

thank you for your interest so far in our first company project, and we hope to have your continuous support as we venture forward with it!

project green muns, welcome!

the first mission will run until 11:59pm est at the end of saturday, august 31. the second mission will be revealed on september 4, during the weekly queue. please tag all posts related to this with lime:projectgreen1.

on writing requirements: at this time, muns may use up to 2 replies regarding project green for regular monthly trainee threads since muses will still be attending regular training schedules at lime entertainment. we do ask that some of your replies this month be about general training and not solely about project green both as a way to further your muse’s skills and so non-project muses have writing partners available. project members are welcome to participate in company workshops as well.

as stated in the post, all seven trainees will be moved into a company-owned apartment in the seocho district, within walking distance of the axis training facility. it’s a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment with a full kitchen connected to a large living room space. 

the dedicated project manager, a lime entertainment staff member called han seokjin, will have access to the apartment at all times. han seokjin is a 1989 liner and a former dance coach well known for being strict yet fair, a crossfit enthusiast, and a longtime fan of senior girl group cherish. 

members are encouraged to record themselves as often as possible, as the company will be using that footage for official project green media and future video releases. there will also be professional footage shot during important parts of the project. 

on saturday, august 17, members will be followed by professional cameras as they arrive at the dormitory and discuss things such as bed and room sharing - as each of the two rooms contains two double beds, all but one member will be sharing a bed. members will also be nudged by their project manager to divide chores up and the like, and the company will provide their first meals together.

on sunday, august 18, as there is no official training schedule, members will be asked to record themselves as they shop for groceries and utensils. in the evening, members will be asked to sit together in the living room and go around the room telling one another what their first impressions of each other were, either when they first met as trainees or when they moved in together.

over the course of the next two weeks, members are asked to vlog themselves as they live and practice together. they will have the opportunity to take personality and mbti tests together, and there will be a special movie night as well. other than that, this period is to be used as a warm-up for the upcoming project activities; project manager han seokjin will come and go as he follows along members and the friendships being built within the group. 

things will pick up next month as the second mission is revealed. stay tuned!

[roo-bastmoon]

BTS Tutorial: YOUTUBE

Streaming on YouTube (on your phone or web browser) helps BTS members’ songs chart on Billboard and for other awards. It’s actually hugely important and one of our most useful tools, since we don’t get radio play.

You need to follow some simple guidelines to make sure your streams here count.

First, get in the habit of always signing in to your YouTube profile.

If you can sign up for a Premium account free trial, your streams count three times as much!

Next, save the official BTS channels, artists, songs, and playlists you like to your Library.

Please try to play the latest songs as least once a day, then work on milestone goals for the group when you can.

Here’s a great example of a playlist to bookmark and run in the background of your day:

Now, when it comes time to stream FACE, be sure to like <3 and subscribe to the OFFICIAL RELEASE.

The first 24 hours are the most critical, followed by the first week.

UPDATE: Billboard only counts the first 50 times you play a song in a 24-hour period. For a whole album plus filler songs, that might be doable. To chart a single, you’ll need to make more than one premium free trial account. You must be logged in for your streams to count.

This will be true for the title track prerelease on March 17th and for the entire album release on March 24th.

Do not click on lyrics videos, reaction videos, or anything except the OFFICIAL RELEASE from the OFFICIAL SOURCE.

Sometimes clout chasers will make their channels and videos look very similar to the real deal; don’t give away your streams!

So you’re going to want to sign in and turn off Autoplay and Shuffle settings.

Then click on the official music video(es).

Plug in some headphones if you like, but keep volume in YouTube and on your device at 51%. They say they don’t track device settings but I think it’s just better to be safe than sorry.

Play the entire song. All of it. Wait for it to be fully done. Even if you are on a free account and must endure ads. Even if the ads are at the end.

Once the song(s) finishes, click on something else. Another BTS video is great. Let that play for at least 30 seconds, up to 60 seconds to be safe.

Then this is important: go to the search bar. Search the official name of the song or album. Find the official music video from the search bar. Click it. Play it all the way through.

Yes, this is manual labor, but it’s the safest and fastest way to make sure your stream isn’t filtered so we can get the best numbers in the first 24 hours of a release.

Please try to do it this way starting the moment FACE drops and keep doing it for as long as you can.

If you have a friend in another time zone, maybe tag-team each other so someone is always streaming hard.

After that first day, you can rely on playlists. Good ones will have FACE songs often, in order of original track list, sprinkled with other BTS songs near milestones throughout.

The more you can keep an eye on your YouTube streams and get through about 30 seconds of another song, then back over to official FACE videos, the faster you will help it climb the chart.

If you just simply do not have the time and cannot interact, that’s okay. Being an ARMY involves some work, but it shouldn’t cause panic attacks. Maybe set a goal for yourself to play FACE song(s) as much as you can the first 24 hours. Try to at least play the title track 10 times that first day.

If you’re celebrating Ramadan and are forbidden at this time to play music, many people are planning to mute and stream silently. If you’re comfortable only using headphones and not playing aloud, also great. There’s a good chance it might not get filtered, so try it if you can and feel comfortable. Please always put your conscience first—Jimin would want you to honor yourself.

For those who can play on a device those first 24 hours:

Do NOT loop. Do NOT engage Autoplay. Do NOT partially play the song(s). Do NOT play any version but the official versions from BTS.

The goal in the first 24 hours is to have nice, clean streams (especially of the title track but also of all official FACE content), then click around a little bit for 30+ seconds or so, and go right back to official FACE content. If you can keep up that energy the first week, awesome. But if not, playlists are your friend.

I like to stream YouTube on my desktop and Spotify (the app itself or in a Stationhead streaming party linked to my Spotify) on my cell phone so I can have both going at once.

As far as I know, you don’t have to keep swapping out YouTube accounts because there isn’t a limit of the first 20 plays or something like that. You can just park yourself on that platform, sign into your premium trial account, play FACE, play something else for 30 seconds, and get back to FACE for as long as your endurance allows.

For more info, follow these helpful accounts on Twitter:

PJM Streaming

Jimin Charts PH

Here’s some good playlists to practice with until FACE drops:

There are some useful tips summarized here, if you want to bookmark it for future reference:

Please feel free to share this post to help spread the word. Any updated information is always most welcome!

DISCLAIMER:

I am a Dope Old Person and have been ARMY since January 2022. So I still have a lot to learn.

I’m making mini-tutorials for people like me who are comfy with technology but totally new to voting, streaming, and buying Kpop stuff.

If you know of better, more up-to-date information, please comment or DM me so I can make sure I’m not spreading misinfo. Please be polite about it, though—we are on the same team!

Feel free to apply whatever you learn here to other BTS members and other artists; I’m Jimin-biased so I am focused on helping Jimin at this moment in time, but I’m OT7 so rest assured I’ll put my shoulder to the wheel for all our members!

[maxverstepponme]

Kelly list of events | Part six

(idk what else to call this 😭)

Anon: Anon please!

18. August: Kelly releases a vacation dump. Including a video, which would meme Max for several weeks

24. August: Another blocking spree. Several people say they have been blocked by Max's account and his fanpage

28. August: Spa GP. Sophie and Jos are there to support Max. Kelly is in Croatia on vacation from her 1 month vacation. Her life is so hard y'all

29. August: Nelson Sr. donates half a million dollars to the Bolsonaro campaign

01. September: Before the Dutch GP Max was honored by the Dutch Government. Jos had Covid and couldn't attend. She made sure to sit next to him with Sophie and Victoria on the other side of the room. Later she celebrated with a photoshoot in the lobby she used for a "Special day". No mention of Max who had the special day.

04. September: footage of Max and entourage arriving at the airport after the GP. Kelly her usual lively self.

 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EZnRjiYU8tU

05. September: A Dutch magazine captured Kelly in all her beauty at the GP

06. September: Kryptic messages are back. Insect only attack the light that glows.

08. September: Kryptic message number 2. Trouble in paradise?

11. September: Monza GP. Max and Kelly arrive separately from each other. She is seen in the box yawning. Rumors she's been at a festival the previous night in Milan. Probably celebrating that she finally bought enough followers to reach 1M. Max won the race and he completely ignored her and did not walk over to where she stood.

12. September: an exposing wtf1 and stepponme tumblr exposing account was created on IG. Only issue they have are that the tumblr accounts don't kiss Kelly's ass but still love Dilara. Meanwhile Max was sighted alone in Ibiza and Kelly finally "officially" started following Sara aka kellypiquetsource

12. September: "Penelope" shot 4 consecutive pictures of Max and Kelly on a boat. Annie Leiboviz would be proud of that achievement

13. September: Kelly starts following a pseudoscience account. We sometimes forget she is a scientist and wellness guru y'all. Coffee enemas, literally shitting worms during full moon and other weird stuff they talk about, they also promote this treatment called microdosing. Each dose is made of psychedelics. Fans freak out because the account advises to ditch every form of birth control

16. September: confirming once again she checks everything about herself online. People mentioned the picture she posted is old. Not to worry. She saw the criticism online and quickly edited her caption

[live-emotion]

hello! im hoping you might know anything about when or where i could find 'song letter' outside of the raiemo game because im desperate to listen to it but i cant find it ANYWHERE, ive only been able to find lyrics or short teaser-type clips. im very new to utapri and so i dont know anything. is it likely for this song to get a digital release or anything like that, maybe a lyric video on youtube eventually? i just want to listen to this song pleASE (╥﹏╥)

Hi, first of all, welcome to Utapri!

Isn't Song Letter good~ I really like all of the theme song CD songs. I believe the digital CD/individual songs are available to purchase officially and internationally on Apple Music/itunes here.

If you can, it's great to be able to support the official release! Each song on it's own is $1.29 USD and the whole CD is $7.74 USD

[newmusickarl]

5-9’s Album of the Month Podcast – latest episode out now!

In case you missed it, it’s an exciting new era for the 5-9 Album of the Month podcast as last month we launched our official YouTube channel! Each month, we will publishing the latest full podcast episode as well as individual album reviews and our monthly highlights outside of the albums discussed. To explore all our video content so far, including our January, February and March episodes, you can find our YouTube channel here. And to help support the channel as we get it off the ground, please be sure to like and subscribe if you’re enjoying the content!

For those new here, the 5-9 Album of the Month Podcast is where I take a seat alongside 5-9 Editor Andrew Belt and Check This Out’s Kiley Larsen to review five high profile album releases from the past month in music, and ultimately name one as our Album of the Month at the end of the discussion. On the Spotify version, we also have some insightful background information to each album from Blinded By The Floodlight’s Matthew McMcLister and you can also hear our picks of the best songs from each record!

For our March 2024 episode, the five albums we discuss are:

Beach Day by Another Sky (poll winner, thank you!)

Mountainhead by Everything Everything

I Got Heaven by Mannequin Pussy

Playing Favorites by Sheer Mag

Where’s My Utopia? By Yard Act

If you want to listen to this or any previous episodes simply follow the links below, but also be sure to follow 5-9 Blog on Instagram, Twitter and now YouTube for more news and polls relating to the podcast.

Listen to the new episode on Spotify here

Watch the latest episode and subscribe to our YouTube channel here

Album & EP Recommendations

ACT II: COWBOY CARTER by Beyoncé

Yee-bloody-haw!

It’s a Country & Western inspired New Music roundup this week, so it only makes sense to begin with one of the biggest album releases of the year thus far – COWBOY CARTER by Beyoncé.

I’ll be the first to admit that when ACT I: RENAISSANCE was cleaning up with the year-end awards amongst most music critics in 2022, I wasn’t as impressed. Whilst it was a fun project and certainly had its moments, I personally thought it failed to live up to its predecessor, B’s confessional masterpiece Lemonade. I also thought there were much better records released in 2022, to the point that RENAISSANCE didn’t even make my own Top 50. However, when I heard Queen B was following up her House and Dance-inspired record with a Country album, I was instantly intrigued.

Daddy Lessons off Lemonade had previously given us a taste of what a Beyoncé-Goes-Country track could sound like, but there’s a big difference between delivering one moment within an eclectic, genre-hopping rollercoaster and sustaining a whole album in that style. Even more so when that album is 27 tracks and 78 minutes long! But having seen very some positive reviews and my intrigue only heightening as a result, I dove into this one with the expectation that it would be another overhyped project – I was wrong. Whilst I wasn’t onboard with RENAISSANCE, I absolutely am with COWBOY CARTER.

Firstly, if the track length on this one is putting you off, don’t let that be the case. This album is such a fun, joyous time, that the 78-minute runtime just flies along. The album is also structured almost like a show you’d find on a Country Music radio station, with the legendary Willie Nelson himself guiding you through the “SMOKE HOUR”, with these interludes helping to keep the pace ticking along swiftly.

Most importantly though, the album is simply littered with stand-out moments from beginning to end. Singles 16 CARRIAGES and TEXAS HOLD ‘EM still sound great, but it’s the album tracks where the album really comes alive, with the likes of BODYGUARD, AMERIICAN REQUIEM, DAUGHTER and RIIVERDANCE blending elements of pop, soul and R&B seamlessly with the sounds of B’s Louisiana roots. There’s two instantly iconic covers as well that Beyoncé makes her own, turning The Beatles’ BLACKBIIRD into an empowering gospel anthem whilst switching the lyrics up on Dolly Parton’s JOLENE to reference Jay-Z’s infidelity – which also happens to include a blessing from Parton herself. To top it off, there’s also a bunch of interesting and worthwhile collaborations too, including country music heroes Linda Martell and Willie Jones, along with contemporary crossover popstars Miley Cyrus and Post Malone.

Overall, COWBOY CARTER is an album I’ve enjoyed much more than I was expecting to, so much so that I find myself returning to it fairly frequently. If you’re also feeling sceptical but slightly intrigued, I promise it is worth a spin. A really fun record filled with heart, soul, fascinating collabs and Beyoncé’s ever incredible vocal and genre gymnastics. Bring on ACT III!

Listen here

Bright Future by Adrianne Lenker

From Country to Folk now, with Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker donning her best Cowboy hat for the album cover to her latest solo outing, Bright Future. Whilst I can sometimes find Big Thief’s output easy to admire but hard to love, this one hit me in the gut straight away. Raw and impactful, it’s a collection of tracks where each song feels more emotionally devastating than the last.

Not only that but these are songs that feel instantly classic, with Lenker’s heartfelt songwriting radiating out of the music. The string-tinged melancholy of Sadness As A Gift is a big early highlight, whilst the lo-fi energy of Vampire Empire, heart-shattering piano ballad Evol and acoustic lament Candleflame all leave a strong lasting impression too, all in very different ways. Such is the emotional heft wrapped in these songs, by the time you reach gorgeous closing track Ruined, it’s likely you’ll be just that!

Whilst this is an album you have to be in the right mood for as it can be a hard listen at times, if it catches you in that opportune moment then the rewards are unparallelled to anything else released so far this year. Without a doubt, one of the best, most beautiful records of 2024 yet.

Listen here

Tigers Blood by Waxahatchee

When Katie Crutchfield, AKA Waxahatchee, released her sobriety-seeking fifth studio album Saint Cloud at the height of the COVID-pandemic in March 2020, she couldn’t have imagined the impact it would generate. Here was an album brimming with emotional turmoil, at a time when the world was dealing with just that. As a result, it was the perfect album for the perfect time, steering Saint Cloud towards a spot on many year-end lists and Waxahatachee gaining plenty of new fans to boot. 4 years on, and Tigers Blood finds Katie Crutchfield looking to recapture the magic of that record with another collection of country-infused indie and Southern rock jams. And just like its predecessor, I’m pleased to say its chock-full of outstanding cuts.

From the uplifting stomp of opener 3 Sisters, the bluesy riffs of Ice Cold to the brilliantly laid-back, MJ Lenderman-featuring single Right Back To It, you’ll find yourself wrapped up in the warming sounds straight away. However, it is the even more stripped-back second half where the strength of Katie’s raw, honest songwriting really shines through, with Crimes of the Heart, 365, The Wolves and the closing title track all hitting hard.

Whilst I can see some people being left lukewarm by this one coming off the back of Saint Cloud, for me personally I think I’m enjoying Tigers Blood possibly even more than that record. Whilst it still has the traditional melodies and relatable lyrics, it feels like Katie has stepped things up once again with her songcraft. Either way, this is another superb collection that I suspect will see her return to the year-end lists come December.

Listen here

All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade by The Libertines

Whilst they were a big part of my teens, I’ll be honest I had minimal enthusiasm when it came to hearing a new Libertines album in 2024. Whilst Carl Barât and Pete Doherty had previously reunited almost ten years ago on Anthems For Doomed Youth, it sadly sounded like two musicians trying desperately to recapture a long lost formula, at a time when indie landfill was hitting maximum capacity. However following a couple of decent singles, I decided to let nostalgia take over and give the quartet the benefit of the doubt, spinning this album with a completely open mind. What I found was an album that defied all my expectations, with The Libertines arguably sounding even more urgent now in 2024 than they did back in the early noughties.

With their ever-present Likely Lads charm, Barât and Doherty turn their pen onto the current state of Britain, through both politics and people. Their music is also richer and more textured than ever before, with their traditional indie sound bolstered by dramatic brass arrangements, sweeping strings and theatrical production. It all comes together to form arguably their strongest record to date, a dazzling 38-minute listen where the band sound more focussed, more interesting and generally just having much more to say.

It’s also got some of their very best songs to date, from singles Run Run Run, Night of the Hunter and Shiver to the raucous look at the Ukraine War on I Have A Friend and the jazz-infused Baron’s Claw. However, the album’s crown jewel is without a doubt Merry Old England, a powerful, orchestral ode to migrants coming to the UK that is as impactful as it richly textured, both sonically and lyrically.

This has been one of the biggest surprises of the year so far for me, an album I was never expecting to love as much as I do. My hat is well and truly tipped to Carl, Pete, Gary and John, who prove they are more than an old indie act trying to relive past glories. Whilst the nostalgia of the early records will always have a hold over their die-hard fans, there’s no doubt that if they look beyond rose-tinted glasses, they’ll see this is objectively their finest work to date.

Listen here

The Sunset Violent by Mount Kimbie

One of my most played albums of April thus far, Mount Kimbie recently returned with their first studio album in seven years, bringing with them a new line-up and a new sound. Back this time as a quartet rather than a duo, The Sunset Violent sees the usually electronic outfit dive into a more indie/alternative sound to great effect. With King Krule also showing up to guest on a couple of tracks, it’s a gorgeous 36-minute listen seemingly destined to soundtrack warm and hazy summer evenings. There’s plenty of highlights too, with Shipwreck, Fishbrain and Yukka Tree all utter bliss.

Listen here

Incommunicado EP by Express Office Portico

A bittersweet release this, as Notts indie-pop outfit Express Office Portico finally released their debut EP at the end of March. However, the release of the project also coincided with the news that lead singer Tara would be stepping down from the band. A huge loss who leaves big shoes to fill, Incommunicado thankfully manages to work as both a final chapter for the band at this stage, as well as an insight into their flourishing potential. Featuring five catchy and shimmering indie-pop grooves, its highlighted by No One, In Swim and excellent recent single He Said She Said.

Listen here

Field Theory by Melts

“Dublin psych-rockers MELTS are one of those bands that very much live up to their name. With the quartet binding together after leaving various dissolved bands, MELTS’ 2022 debut ‘Maelstrom’ was a bold mission statement for their kaleidoscopic, mind-altering sound. Landing them somewhere in the venn diagram of contemporaries such as The Horrors, Working Men’s Club and Nation of Language, while still very much forming their own identity, it was an impressive first outing that left fans eager for the next chapter. Now back with their sophomore effort ‘Field Theory’, it’s no surprise to hear MELTS mostly stick with their winning formula for album number two. Overall, this is another hugely impressive release from MELTS and one that expands the fluorescent sonic world that was laid out on their debut. You also can’t help but feel that these songs on ‘Field Theory’ are built to thrive even more in a live setting, with the Dublin outfit assuredly building a catalogue of soaring, mind-melting compositions that just scream to be experienced in-person. Due to hit the road at the end of the month, those joining MELTS at these shows be pleasantly warned – you may just have your senses steamrolled.”

Read my full review for Clash Magazine here

Listen here

Also well worth checking out:

Three by Four Tet

Audio Vertigo by Elbow

Interplay by Ride

Ohio Players by The Black Keys

Older by Lizzy McAlpine

Blessed EP by August Charles

Tracks of the Week

1+1 = 11 by Peggy Gou

For years, DJ/Producer Peggy Gou has been Queen of the Summer banger, releasing just one single every year to ensure an all hits, no misses ratio. From Starry Night and I Go to last summer’s monster hit (It Goes Like) Nanana, she’s been unstoppable. So, with the news that her debut album I Hear You will finally drop this June, my expectations are already sky high for the 10 tracks that I’m hoping will soundtrack Summer 2024.

Coinciding with the news is her latest single offering 1+1 = 11, the song which will close out her upcoming debut. With shades of York classic On The Beach, it comes accompanied by a dazzling video starring artist Olafur Eliasson breakdancing inside a light installation at his studio in Berlin. Check it out!

Watch the official video here

B2b / Von Dutch / Club Classics by Charli XCX

The biggest album announcement of the past few weeks, electro-pop phenomenon Charli XCX will be releasing her new club-inspired album Brat this June and then touring UK arenas at the end of the year. Coming off the back of her instantly iconic Boiler Room set, the three singles so far suggest big inspiration from the dance and electronic music scene and I personally can’t wait for it.

Listen here

House by London Grammar

Another big album announcement, indie-pop outfit London Grammar have finally announced the follow-up to 2021’s Californian Soil will drop in September, titled The Greatest Love. That record saw the band explore more electronic territory and if lead single / opening track House is anything to go by, it seems they will be building out that sound further on this upcoming effort.

Listen here

Curse by Architects

The metal world was shocked earlier on this year when Bring Me The Horizon announced back in January that longtime band composer Jordan Fish was leaving the band. Since then fans were left wondering where he would end up and but it seems he has wasted little time moving on, already producing several tracks for other genre heavyweights. The latest is this thunderous new single from Architects, which boasts polished production and an instantly anthemic chorus.

Listen here

Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts by The Gaslight Anthem

Back in 2008, rock heroes The Gaslight Anthem released their much beloved Señor and the Queen EP, with this song the closing track for the project. Now as part of their History Books (Short Stories) EP that was released to coincide with their recent UK tour, they’ve reworked the song so that it sounds even better than it did before – just gorgeous.

Listen here

How Can I Love Her More? By The Lemon Twigs

With anticipation for the D'Addario brother’s follow-up to their highly acclaimed 2023 album Everything Harmony steadily mounting, each new single release suggests another special project is on the way. Now this latest cut to be taken from A Dream Is All We Know (which drops in May) only hypes things further, an instantly timeless tune that draws heavy comparisons to The Beach Boys. Wonderful!

Listen here

Red Holiday by Dura Mater

And finally fast-rising Notts 8-piece Dura Mater, who draw comparisons to bands like Black Country New Road, Arcade Fire and Opus Kink, released their second single Red Holiday this past week, which is taken from their forthcoming Arable Ground EP that drops at the end of May. This latest single, which is inspired by coastal living, showcases their potential, bringing together ghostly vocals, ambient guitars and powerful orchestration.

Listen here

Also worth checking out:

Human After All by Blue Violet

First Song by Swim Deep

Flea by St. Vincent

Mama Say by Ibibio Sound Machine

Big Brown Eyes by Lola Young

Coming Back To Me Good by Kasabian

Midas by Wunderhorse

Favourite Songs by Maxïmo Park

REMINDER: If you use Apple Music, you can also keep up-to-date with all my favourite 2024 tracks through my Best of 2024 playlist. Constantly updated throughout the year with songs I enjoy, it is then finalised into a Top 100 Songs of the Year in December.

Add the Best of 2024 playlist to your library here

[bebestay]

I think what upsets me the most about woojin posting about his departure and about everything is that it feels like he's using the SKZ name to draw up traffic and use them to promote himself. (Also please note that I could not stomach watching the video fully because I apparently have some unaddressed anger towards him that I should REALLY get sorted out.)

I honestly think he's releasing all of this to try and paint himself in a better light since he is now signed with an SM subsidiary and will likely be getting more opportunities to perform since he's no longer independent (?). Like this is damage control 101. However to do it 4 YEARS LATER AND PUBLICLY?! Like did you even talk to them or did you think this would be enough?

In my own eyes, I don't like him. Honest to the above when I say that I forgot he was even active. I stopped following him when instead of just denying his allegations, he used that post to promote his solo debut. Literally one line of "hey its not real" and three lines of "my debut's coming please continue waiting" in the same post. Then I just dropped my support of him altogether when he used those allegations and turned them into a documentary for his debut. Like it was punch after punch.

-

As someone who went through that dreaded period of October 2019 and saw how torn up the group was, it is an absolute dick move to do this. The boys and JYPE have already wiped their hands of woojin, but he seems to be clinging to that one thread with an iron grip cause it keeps him relevant. Do I hope he finds success? Yes because he's a very talented vocalist and performer. Do I want him to get the success by allowing the media to continuously connect him to his former group? No. Absolutely not. Like what use is it to go out to make your own name if you allow them to keep you attached to something you've said you want no part of. Do I hate him? No but I don't like him either.

Something I always see pointed out is that it seems like Woojin always wanted to be a soloist but knew it would be tougher to gain recognition as an unknown . So he accepted Chan's invite and the rest was history.

-

SKZ wanted to leave us with the good memories they had as 9. Chan even let him say goodbye one last time on Channie's Room before the month of radio silence. He wanted us to remember the good in him. Then everything happened and we got the re-recordings in 2020. They had officially changed their story and dropped him. District 9 became Bay 8. The lore was rewritten. The world was restarted.

Whatever bond the group had from pre to post survival show, it was gone after the first year. Sure they got along on camera, but that could've been just that. There are videos that I go back and watch, and I get this energy that he's not a friend but a coworker. Like, I can't imagine the pain that must have gone through Chan as he built this group, chose each one of them, and got hit with a big betrayal. He even apologized for woojin's departure! Something he shouldn't have had to do!

After woojin left, I saw a change in the group. The boys were more open and energetic with each other. They were happy, but also scared. A lot happened in a short amount of time with little time for recovery. Sure, they still find it tough to look back at that era with smiles but they know that they've grown from it and are even stronger than before. They've grown into their sound, finding a tone that fits their voices - a sound I fully believe would not fit woojin.

The eight of them have moved on and are thriving, but he still seems to be clinging to that one line of connection and it's starting to fray and give.

I won't forget what he did. I will not forgive.

That's all for now.

This is the last time I will talk about my feelings towards woojin and his history with Stray Kids.

[rz-jocelyn]

Hello! Firstly, thank you so much for sharing content, etc, about Ryuji's activities. As a new fan of his, your posts helped me a lot.

I really want to watch Ryuji's series/movies/musicals but I don't know where to start. Japanese isn't a problem and I don't mind paying to watch either as I'm very willing to support artists I like, but most sites are region restricted. Do I need to use a vpn? And which international payment options are available? I tried subscribing to a Japanese streaming site using mastercard before, but it wouldn't accept it for some reason...

I'm really sorry if this is a tough question, but I'm really hoping you could help me out!

Hiya! :D

Thank you for your lovely message! I'm glad that you've been enjoying my posts ♥

ABOUT VPN

Unfortunately, you are right about most official Japanese sites being region-locked. Personally, I think having a VPN installed is really convenient in this regard.

List of VPNs that you could try: SoftEther, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Cyberghost, Surfshark, TunnelBear

Please note that these are just suggestions and there are also other VPNs out in the market. Each VPN has its advantages and disadvantages, so do select the one that is the safest and most suitable for you :D

Also, some sites can detect VPN, so having one might not guarantee access to all sites.

PAYMENT OPTIONS

Most Common Payment Options: Credit card (Visa, Mastercard), Paypal

Payment options depend on the site themselves as well as the options available depending on the region you're accessing the site from.

In some cases, even though direct payment doesn't work, the site might have alternative payment options that you can use. For example, Amazon Prime Video Japan also has the Amazon Gift Card option.

STAGES/MOVIES/TV DRAMAS

Ryuji has appeared in quite a few musicals, stages, TV dramas and movies over the years. His Japanese Wikipedia page provides quite the comprehensive list on his projects (and for projects with sequels, it also provides the sequence of the projects).

For his Japanese Wikipedia page, please refer to this link: HERE

Theater Complex

This site offers a selection of Japanese musicals/stages for online streaming. This is also one of the sites that offer live streaming.

The site can be accessed: HERE

DMM.TV

Similar to Theater Complex, this site offers a selection of Japanese musicals/stages for online streaming. Additionally, it also offers TV dramas and movies. It is also one of the sites that offer live streaming.

The site can be accessed: HERE

Amazon Prime Video Japan

This site offers a selection of TV dramas and movies for online streaming. Some of Ryuji's musicals/stages are also available here.

The site can be accessed: HERE

MUSIC

In addition to his acting career, Ryuji also has a substantial music career where he sings and writes songs. Ryuji is currently a member of two music projects: The Brow Beat and ZIPANG OPERA.

The Brow Beat

Produced by HAKUEI (PENICILLIN), this is his band project where he's the main vocalist and song lyric writer. Ryuji has also composed songs for the band.

Twitter: @/The_Brow_Beat 

Fanclub: HERE 

YouTube: HERE

Spotify: HERE

Apple Music: HERE

ZIPANG OPERA

A group attached to LDH Records, it is a dance and vocal performance unit comprising of 2.5D actors, including Ryuji. He has also written song lyrics for this group.

Twitter: @/zipang_opera

YouTube: HERE

Spotify: HERE

Apple Music: HERE

TikTok: HERE

Discord: HERE

BLU-RAY/DVD/CD

Many of Ryuji's musicals/stages, TV drama and movies are also available on Blu-ray/DVD. Additionally, he also releases physical singles/albums with both his music projects as well as with acting projects where he also sings.

Physical releases often include bonus content and/or physical bonuses that aren't available on streaming/download sites.

However, please double-check the region of the physical releases to ensure that the region matches your device. There are also devices that you can purchase to play physical releases that are incompatible with your region.

Examples of International Sites: CDJapan, Silkroad Store, Amazon, Animate International

For other sites that may not have an international shipping option, you can use a proxy service to purchase from the sites. For a suggested list of proxy services available for Japan, please refer to this link: HERE

Similar to the VPNs, these are just suggestions and there are also other proxy services out in the market. Each proxy service has its advantages and disadvantages.

Additionally, in some cases, using a proxy might be cheaper and more convenient than using the international shipping option offered by the sites, so do check out the option that might be more suitable for you :D

SATO RYUJI'S OFFICIAL FANCLUB

Ryuji, himself, also has a personal fanclub that fans can join. To register for a membership, please refer to this link: HERE

Other Official Accounts

Personal Twitter: @/ryuji7117

Official Staff Twitter: @/satoryujiST

Personal IG: ryuji_japan

Blog: HERE

Hope this helps, and welcome to the fun of loving and supporting Ryuji together! ♥