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hwaightme · 1 year

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Your fan, Hongjoong (part 1)

(part 2) (your fan ml)

👘 pairing: hongjoong x fashion designer!reader 👘 genre: romance, fluff, mutual pining 👘 summary: a bulletpoint-style wordstream of what it would be like if hongjoong was stanning you 👘 wordcount: 5.5k (help) 👘 warnings/tags: language, radio shows, reader is goth, goth subculture, a bit of mutual pining, seonghwa aries rage, san is sus, jealousy, DRAMA(rama), hongjoong is starstruck, reader has her own fashion house/brand, photoshoots, brand collabs, demon line boutta act up 👘 a/n: Hello fabulous people <3 Here we have, the one, the only, the legendary, Hongjoong next in the Your Fan, ___ series! Thank you so much for your love and support, reblogs, likes, asks and comments all welcome

"So alongside your brilliant songs, you are also well known for having breathtaking performances, with an edge that only ATEEZ can do. Could you elaborate on what exactly goes into creating your unique aesthetic?"

Hongjoong looked around the studio. Him and Yunho, being the resident radio DJs, had been invited onto a show to promote their newest comeback, and talk all things creative arts.

There had been a number of guests before them who he looked up to, from others in the music industry, to visual artists, writers, and designers. This was the way in which he had discovered new changemakers, and got to know those stars he had deemed 'unreachable'. Breathtaking, but there to be admired from a distance.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the amazing designers and stylists that we work with. Really, without them none of this would be possible and ATEEZ would not be the same."

"Definitely, with each stage and comeback, it seems that there is no end to just how much they, and you, can wow the world. Now, there is a particular fashion house that ATEEZ has been collaborating with recently, could you tell us more about that?"

Now that was an interesting direction to steer into. This was very new on the horizon for ATEEZ, and few media had covered this so far. Hongjoong perked up, forgetting the tranquility that he had to normally adopt for such shows, instead letting himself bask in the rays of his passions.

More specifically, your brand. He had known of its existence, thanks to a serendipitous selection by his stylist, before he had even figured out who the brain behind the art was. He discovered the connection entirely by accident - through this radio show.

You had come in for an interview, much like Hongjoong and Yunho, and sat in one of these seats, telling your story. This same man who was asking them questions, had conversed with you. This appearance was like Hongjoong's little moment to connect with his unreachable star.

You were notoriously elusive, so public appearances were few and far between, and this explained why he had initially not even associated you and the brand together. But as it turned out, that had been the point. The lore was strong in this one.

You had explained during the show that you felt no need for your personal image to be connected to the brand itself, as the garments and those who wore them were the real imagemakers. You had also shown a deep understanding of the subcultures from which you took inspiration and, yourself, followed, diving into legends who had pioneered their popularisation over the decades. In all honestly, that had him hooked, and left him wanting to learn more about how your mind worked.

"Ah yes, more than happy! ARNURI is a brand that we only recently started working with, and could not be more happy. The brand has a world view and prides itself on destroying boundaries in fashion. There is no gender, no size, no limit to what can be achieved. It actually takes inspiration from the variety that is within goth subculture and totally redefines what is meant by luxury. I mean, their slogan is 'lead by antithesis' after all."

He had paraphrased your introductory speech from one of your first exhibitions after you had your big break at one of the Fashion Weeks. It had been a solo show, organised outside of any specific season, every detail paying homeage to what had been advertised as 'embracing the darkness of nature'. For this show, you had scouted models among your friends, among the myriad of citizens of Seoul, and used those same city streets as your catwalk.

Maybe the reason why that particular event had spoken to Hongjoong was because it reminded him of the street busking he had done in his early days. The days of when one risked it all for a future that was not guaranteed, simply because they had hope.

Hongjoong could go on, but Yunho's shift to balancing his head on his hand as he rested his eyes on the captain, and batted his eyelids like a Disney princess made him stop abruptly.

Not that the host had noticed.

"Ah yes! And isn't the name, ARNURI, a play on "Our World?"

"Uh, yeah!" caught off-guard by the follow-up since he was trying to telepathically communicated to Yunho to cut whatever he was trying to do out, he stumbled over his words a little. But it was easy enough to settle back in once he thought of the moment KQ management had shared the official communications between the two companies with him.

"So it was quite funny when the brand approached us for this, they actually quoted our song 'New World'. Really if it were up to me I wouldn't even ask for a portfolio at that point."

"Of course you wouldn't..." Yunho whispered, leaning away from the mic so it barely caught, serving like background noise more than anything.

Hongjoong's head snapped in the other member's direction, but he was met with legendary nonchalance. Truly, the epitome of 'it's not awkward unless you make it awkward'. The guy even raised an eyebrow back at him as though Hongjoong was acting out of line.

"That is magnificent, it was meant to be! Maybe there are some ATINY in the company!"

"Oh we wish!" Yunho interjected, a chuckle escaping him as he glanced in Hongjoong's direction.

"Well, we are very much looking forward to seeing more of these fantastic designs, and the photoshoot that ATEEZ will be doing with ARNURI! Maybe you will be able to create some items together? Can ATINY hope for a new line in the future?"

"Hah, I do enjoy altering clothing and really letting creativity run free, but I am looking forward to the learning-".

"Oh yeah, Hongjoong has been a fan of the brand for quite some time, so finding out that we are now working together is a dream come true!"

Hongjoong lowered his eyes and let his fingers flitter across the table in front of him. There went his opportunity to be all slick and cool. Or was he over-reacting? Again, Yunho was unreadable.

The host then quickly rounded off that segment of the discussion, and cut to an ATEEZ song break, in honour of the guests.

Confirming that the mics were indeed off and he wasn't about to cuss out the entire nation, Hongjoong turned to his 6'1'' headache and hissed:

"Let's keep this about ATEEZ, shall we?"

"Why so serious, bro? Don't you like ARNURI?"

That, he did. The problem was that it was no longer just ARNURI he liked. To borrow some fandom-speak, he had abandoned the 'casual fan' territory, and had found himself quite a few clothing items and accessories-deep, and with a bias.

And since he would rather have Yeosang feeding him sour candy than revealing that he liked ARNURI more than he probably should, any joke in that direction was like an arrow that he felt the desperate need to dodge.

"Yeah, of course I do. I mean, we are working with them right?"

"Riiiight. And you are wearing their jacket. That you literally do not let anyone touch."

"What? I like clothes."

"And you keep said jacket in a plastic bag from the dry cleaner's because suddenly you are Seonghwa two point oh."

"Is that not... normal?"

"Rich to ask for a person who spray paints shoes in the living room at three in the morning."

"Hey I ventilate."

"BY TURNING ON THE EXHAUST VENT IN THE KITCHEN?"

"Shh, Yunho, we good. We can discuss this later-"

"Oh no I like your discomfort shawty talk to me."

Hongjoong pinched the bridge of his nose. This kid with his surprise attacks. Before he could think of a way to get himself out of the hole he dug, the host was suddenly showing that they had thirty seconds before going live. So he settled for:

"We'll continue this conversation later."

"And I chose Seonghwa over you."

"Choosing violence... I swear to-"

"And we are back! I hope you, dear listeners, enjoyed the wonderful-"

You paused the podcast. So, your personal assistant was not kidding when she ran into your office, waving her phone side to side as though she was at a concert, saying that Kim Hongjoong knew a lot more about ARNURI than you assumed.

Really sometimes you thought you hired her not for her abilities as a PA, but because she made you feel a tiny bit more sane. But at the same time, you were one in the same - who was listening to the recorded radio broadcast right after she left your office, reduced to a fit of giggles, sitting in total solitude? You.

Quite the contrast to how you normally were - zoned out due to exhaustion, brutal because that was how your business worked, or totally unreachable because 'the vibe was right and you were in a creative flow state'.

But this was how you got that bread. And had taken ARNURI to new heights. You continuously sacrificed yourself for the art.

There had never been another option for you - ever since you were a kid there was only one thing you were interested in, and that was fashion. You were that one kid who shamelessly stole (and wore) her parents' and siblings' clothing, modifying it so that it looked more like you.

You had 're-designed' your school uniform which had nearly led to your suspension. To this day you were confident you had done the right thing remaking the outfit to being pitch black - it was not your fault that the school had no sense of taste and had chosen such a horrid shade of grey.

And aside from becoming the 'adopted child' of some goth clubs in the city, you had crashed fashion show after fashion show to just see how the legends did it. You were taken by the stark contrast between what was classically accepted and popular on the runways versus the enchanting amalgamation of Victorian era dress, New Romantic, punk and new wave.

You had sworn to yourself that if there was one thing you were going to do, it was be one of the designers to fuse the worlds together. So you gave all you had to this dream. You had completed fashion school, worked in Finland to immerse yourself in the nation's vibrant, borderline mainstream goth scene, and had participated in many art exhibitions and avante garde fashion shows to make yourself known.

This was your calling. Your everything. So when you finally managed to get your brand up and running, bringing your vision to South Korea, you were shamelessly promoting it as best you could. Sending samples, contacting influencers, knocking on all the doors until SOMEONE answered.

And that someone turned out to be a stylist at KQ Entertainment, working with a group called ATEEZ. After a few exchanges on Instagram, they had agreed to use a couple of items, and let the media do the promotional magic.

You were desperate, having not had much success in the country due to difficulty in finding early adopters of the brand, so you agreed.

Turned out it was a much better investment than you had initially thought. A few members had sported ARNURI wear for a fansign, and pictures from the event FLEW around the internet. Eventually, the clothing was discovered, and your site started getting more and more hits.

You assumed it was just a fluke, but that fluke turned into one of the members, who you learned to be Kim Hongjoong, starting to make regular appearances in ARNURI, especially when it was evident that he had the final say in what to wear - airport looks, more casual events... black-clad, supporting you more than he could imagine.

Inadvertently, he had turned into a motivation for you. He had given you the hope that you could reach the stars if you so desired, and so you began to build up.

Season after season, you worked tirelessly, and eventually broke into Seoul Fashion Week. Your daring showcase of your 'ANTITHESIS' collection had gathered a large audience, and soon enough, you had to step into the spotlight, and reveal your identity.

You could remember it as clear as day, 'She Sells Sanctuary' by The Cult roaring in the background as you stepped out, every bit ARNURI, an overnight neo-goth sensation.

As your brand got bigger and bigger, and you were now leading a business of nearly 100 people strong, you had to become colder and more distant. It was a sort of self-preservation, since fashion was not an industry where one could escape criticism and blatant slander, especially when your primary goal was to be yourself.

But that one idol. The one who had agreed to wear your brand, and then continued to do so voluntarily, Kim Hongjoong, still remained special to you. He was your quiet encouragement.

So when you heard from your marketing and communications team that they had scouted out an opportunity to work with ATEEZ, you gave them the green light almost instantly, and much to their surprise, participated in crafting out the perfect proposal.

And when you received an agreement and contracts in response, you needed to excuse yourself and locked yourself in your studio, letting yourself squeal. Just a bit. And then walked back out - she is beauty she is grace.

The first stage of the collaboration was going to be a nice and simple photoshoot. You said simple but you were running around the building like a headless chicken making sure everything was ready.

It was going to be for a new line, 'PHANTASMOS', an ode to phantasmagoria, horror theatre and the portrayal of all things fantastic, strange and ghoulish. And who would be a better group of models than ATEEZ?

As the day approached, Hongjoong was becoming considerably more nervous, and that was only exacerbated by the announcement that you personally would be attending the shoot.

He did not want to come across as a fool of some sort, wanted to be a serious leader, really leave the impression that he meant business. To him, you were elegance itself, a tranquil beauty in black, and he wanted to match that to the best of his ability.

Which was exactly why he had turned his and Seonghwa's dorm into a fabric skip, with shirts, trousers, t-shirts... all of his prized possessions were strewn around the perimeter and occupied nearly every inch of the floor. Hell, even his customised Doc Martens were lying miserably on his bed.

Just as he was contemplating between a blazer with lines of safety pins as decal on the lapels or a classic leather jacket with more zippers than ways his children could annoy him, Seonghwa returned from his trip to the LEGO store.

Hongjoong had never seen every single stage of grief flash across a person's face in one second. But there it was. He gave the eldest member a sheepish grin, subconsciously cowering away closer to the windows - as far away from the evidently not too pleased Seonghwa.

"Kim. Hong. Joong. What kind of fuckery is this?"

"Oh. OH! Amy Winehouse! Yes, big fan, that's uh, that's Me & Mr. Jones right?"

"I will use you as a broom stick Joong."

"Look I just got carried-"

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU? PLEASE LET ME KEEP AT LEAST SOME OF MY NERVE CELLS!"

"What's happening- oh Joongie is in trouble~" Mingi poked his head in through the door, making it look as though it was the Teletubbies sun floating above Seonghwa's shoulder.

Hongjoong really wished he could laugh. He really did. But he was afraid he was about to be forced to eat the starship that his roommate bought.

So much for trying to be 'chic' and impressing you. Now he had the goal of making it to the shoot in one piece.

"Mingi. Exit. Now." Seonghwa commanded, jaw clenched, which made the younger member quite literally bolt, slamming the door so hard that the items that were hanging on the stuck-on hooks slid off and fell behind Seonghwa.

There was a mass meeting audible right outside of the room, and a very distinct seagull laugh penetrated the walls. Hongjoong cursed his bad timing. Had he only started early, maybe he would have had time to shove at least some of the items under the bunk so it didn't look too bad.

"Right. You know what. I am zen. I am the calmest of the calm. You take care of others, I take care of you. Right? Now. Wait, you know what I need to just-"

Seonghwa picked up a large pillow off one of the beds, eyed it, looked at Hongjoong once more, and then PUNCHED it with blinding rage, sending it flying right back into the bed.

"Okay now I am fine. Care to explain when you were planning to sort this shit out?"

There was another wave of mumbles outside, to which Seonghwa responded by making the door fly open and shouting out "we are having a VERY IMPORTANT CONVERSATION."

Before closing the door entirely, a quiet comment from Yeosang could be overheard: "they're getting divorced in there," leading to some giggles, and pitter-patter of footsteps away from the door. They probably just chose a slightly different location to camp and snoop.

Hongjoong decided to sink into one of the clothes piles, motioning for Seonghwa to take a seat next to him. He was in a dilemma, unsure of what sort of explanation would be the most effective for Seonghwa. So he just settled for the truth.

"You know the shoot that we are going to do?" he began, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yes, I do. What, is the aesthetic landfill-chic?" Seonghwa motioned at the explosion over the room.

"No, not at all! Don't even. You have seen the clothing, right?"

"Of course, I wore ARNURI before. Must say, very flattering. And fashionable. That one overcoat made me feel like a vampire prince."

Hongjoong raised an eyebrow, but chose not to comment on that. Seonghwa was Seonghwa, he had his own agenda and his own interpretations.

"Right, so... well, you know I have a lot of ARNURI stuff? It's not just that... I have um... sort of become a... fan? Of the designer? L/N Y/N? She is just... her vision... her style is just... yeah she is great."

"Oh my gosh my boy Kim Hongjoong actually wants to meet someone outside of ATEEZ, this is legendary, I should post this on Universe."

"What in the- hey I meet people! And don't you dare"

"When, mister 'I don't really have many friends' and literally getting jealous over me talking to Minho from Stray Kids?"

"Hey, being a best friend is a responsibility, and you are my best friend!"

"Oh wait... I get it... I don't think you are aiming for friendship here... isn't that right?" a grin started spreading over Seonghwa's face as he looked like he discovered a new planet.

"I am just a fan of hers! Don't twist this!"

"Sure... okay now I get... this," he gave a judgmental side eye to the pile of sweaters that had made their home right by his display cabinet. "You are like a middle schooler before a first date, I swear. This is definitely because she's going to be there, right?"

"You know what? Yes, yes it is. And I might not have had my growth spurt yet but I am not a middle schooler." Hongjoong said, standing up as straight as possible, putting his hands on his hips.

"That's exactly what an angsty middle schooler would say." Seonghwa looked him up and down, stifling a laugh.

"You are on a power trip aren't you?"

"Hell yeah I am, and I will be for the entire shoot and beyond."

"Park Seonghwa why you do this to ME?"

"If you don't want the others to get the details I have an offer."

This made Hongjoong stop on his tracks and retract his 'leader card'. He did not want to lose face in front of the 'teezer crew entirely, so keeping this information in confidence was enticing.

"Yes?"

"First off, clean your shit. And second, I get that spot on the dresser for the Imperial All Terrain Armoured Transport model I've been hunting down."

"First, deal. Second, say that one more fucking time dude I dare you."

"IMPERIAL ALL TERRAIN ARMOURED TRANSPORT, ALSO KNOWN AS THE AT-AT WALKER, IS A FOUR-LEGGED TRANSPORT AND COMBAT VEHICLE USED BY THE IMPERIAL GROUND FO-"

"Did you legit memorise Wikipedia or something?"

"May the force be with you, bitch. Now you clean, I will go chill outside so I don't have an aneurysm because of how you do it. And by the way, I'd pick the leather jacket if I were you. Classic, timeless and looks good."

"Thank you man, you are the best."

"I know, now impress me with how you can make this room spotless."

And with that, Seonghwa left Hongjoong alone in the room. From what he could hear, there was a circus outside, with the other members having gathered around, interrogating about what had just unfolded. but Seonghwa was keeping his word, for now at least. He knew that he did not have to try too hard, since Hongjoong would probably expose himself as soon as he were to see you anyways.

And Seonghwa was more than right. The next day, when ATEEZ arrived to the studio, Hongjoong was very jittery. Alert to any and all people and sounds, he was looking around as if he was expecting someone - well he definitely was. As soon as they stepped into the ARNURI office, he was convinced that you could be around any corner.

The other members were beginning to catch on that this hyung was acting odd, to the point where Yeosang commented on Hongjoong looking like he was playing Alien Isolation in real life. The reference flew right over the leader's head, but he tried his best to tone his Pink Panther-style snooping down.

And instead focus on the many photos that decorated the walls of your house of fashion. Memories of particularly memorable parts of a show, awards, red carpet events... club nights, themed evenings, collaborations... this was your life. Right there, immortalised in tasteful monochrome.

The boys were in awe of the refined interior - strictly monochromatic, any accents in the otherwise white rooms and corridors were done using the colour black. Although it was not a rule by any means (in fact, you encouraged being as daring as one wanted), the majority of ARNURI employees were clad in the colour, fitting right into the brand and the aesthetics.

They were led up a couple of flights of stairs, and as they were making their way down one corridor, Hongjoong began to catch snippets of lively conversation, the occasional staff gliding a clothing rack past them or across the hallway, and... shouts of 'yes ma'am'?

Initially he was confused, but as they were getting closer to the photo studio, it clicked in his head: you were in there. Who else could be referred to as ma'am?

"Hey, Hongjoong, I think we are -actually- meant to... walk in the hall to do the shoot." Jongho walked up behind the leader, fake whispering, causing a round of chuckles from the other members. The only member who was not as smiley (except Hongjoong himself, that is) was Seonghwa, and it was because Hongjoong not so little infatuation was old news to him, and the room had been cleaned to a very satisfying level, much to his surprise.

"Woah no way, Jongho, that's insane. I was sure that this was a new technique or something..." Yunho piped in, glancing at Hongjoong, lips curling up.

He had a couple of sneaking suspicions about Hongjoong's behaviour whenever ARNURI, or more specifically the founder and lead designer, were mentioned or he was given the chance to gush about it.

The radio appearance was the closest to a confirmation that he could get - Hongjoong getting shy over being a big fan... what a sight to see. But seeing the post-discussion silent conversations between the two eldest members, and some signal exchanges while they were driving up to the venue really sealed the deal. There was something really fun going on with Hongjoong, and Yunho needed the deets.

For research purposes. And who was he to pass up on a ship in the making?

Finally, their manager, after finishing up a conversation with some of the relationship management staff from ARNURI, who had greeted them, decided to speed up the process and usher the kids in.

To soothe his nerves, Hongjoong picked at a bracelet he had selected for completing his 'first meeting and first impression' look. He had worn it many times over, and had even taken it with him on tour before, so it was a little ball of positive energy for him.

But nothing could prepare or prevent the Error that Hongjoong.exe experienced as he finally saw you in your element.

There was something spellbinding about the way you looked. Head to toe in your own creations, you were wearing an onyx-hued Victorian era inspired suit, matched with military boots that had immaculate metal detailing.

He could not stop staring, even if it could be perceived as rude, or too forward. There you were.

"Oh, guys, man down, man down, our captain's overboard~" Wooyoung taunted, shouldering San and Yeosang who were on either side of him.

It really was a sight to behold. Hongjoong, entirely captivated as you stood in the middle of the photo studio, guiding the entire room like a conductor would lead an orchestra.

He ignored the youngers' attempts to get his attention, much to their utter disbelief and resulting giddiness. If there was a definition of starstruck. This was it.

You appeared to have a pulse on EVERYTHING, down to the tiniest details, pointing out that there was a very specific prop missing, adjusting accessories, exchanging one scarf for another. It was the most organised chaos that Hongjoong had ever seen, and he was amazed at how you could keep it under control.

The star he had deemed unreachable was right there. Right in front of him.

"Joongie, I think you can leave your drooling until after the shoot. You don't want your makeup ruined."

"Oh Hwa is this how it is?" he looked at his friend in disbelief.

"I think you exposed yourself enough, no?"

"Ew, Hongjoong come on don't traumatise your wife." Wooyoung was not giving up on his mission to annoy Hongjoong into early retirement.

"GUYS please don't embarrass me-"

"Oh so you admit it?" San questioned, smirking like the devil.

"Admit what?"

"That you are doing some shady shit."

"Where did this even come from, San."

"So the studio then, no wonder you come back from there at like four in the morning."

"You guys are making me lose brain cells that I need to get instructions from the photographer." Yeosang deadpanned, nodding towards the set.

"I don't even want to begin imagining what sort of things you are thinking about, but I can assure you I will annihilate you if you start kindergarten season here." Hongjoong threatened but it fell short as Mingi grinned and joined in the ambush:

"Say 'aye' if you think this minion is invested into this shoot." the way he said it almost sounded like an innuendo, making Hongjoong scowl.

The most deafening collection of 'ayes' resounded around Hongjoong, and caused you to shift your focus to the newly arrived group. He noticed your expression soften, shoulders roll a little further back as you ambled towards them, the thuds of your boots setting his heart's pace.

"Ah good morning to you all! It is such a pleasure to be working with you. Did I make you wait for long?"

"Not at all, the pleasure is all ours." Hongjoong forced out, pushing the snickering members out of his sphere of attention.

"Great, well it is wonderful to finally meet you, I am L/N Y/N, the mad scientist behind ARNURI!"

"Very much the same here, Miss-"

"We'll be working closely enough to be informal, no?" you interjected before Hongjoong could call you by your last name.

Your allure was more powerful than he had hypothesised, to the point where some of the other members, more specifically San and Seonghwa, could not look away from you either - it seemed that you had the energy for attracting demons. The way you carried yourself, poised and courteous, demanded nothing less than respect.

At the same time, there was nothing demure about you. If anything, you resembled a cat that was ready to pounce any moment. As though there was a coil within you, permanently tense and even slightly dangerous. But that was thrilling.

Hongjoong cleared his throat, and corrected himself, "Yes, of course, sorry, Y/N. Shall we do the official greeting or-"

"Let's keep things personal for now, and once my lovely colleagues are done with the final checks, we can get started with eight makes one team." you winked, and suggested, quoting the greeting.

It was beyond entertaining for Wooyoung to see just how putty-like Hongjoong had become in your presence. He was just playing by your rules at this point, without questioning them. But it was understandable, who wouldn't get weak when their type was right in front of them and said 'let's keep things personal'?

"Well then let me be proper, I am San!" whilst you were exchanging words with Hongjoong, the member had time to slip from where he originally stood, and was now almost right in front of you, beaming.

Hongjoong chortled, but at the same time wanted to kick his fellow member in the shins because of the interception. What was his game here exactly?

Ever so politely, you greeted San back, not giving away that you were interested in continuing your chat with Hongjoong. It was second nature to you to blend one interaction into another without revealing any preferences - otherwise you would have a lot more enemies in the industry.

Then you simply proceeded to greet each ATEEZ member separately, your attention shifting entirely each time. You had a way of making people feel like, for even if just a moment, they were your universe.

It came from your tendency of seeing people both as perfect canvases, and as living works of art. You enjoyed the challenge that working off a person gave you, and this was mainly why you wanted to give each ATEEZ member a final once over - to see whether what you had planned was even right.

Each member gave you a unique impression, ranging from mischievous to shy to strictly professional. Seeing as you had never actively followed their activities, aside from their leader's, you were fascinated by the dynamic they were displaying, taking note for who you wanted to see in the camera together, and maybe even matching in some accessories.

Hongjoong was nearly holding his breath as he saw you reading ATEEZ like an open book. You were scanning everyone in the way he had seen renowned critics do while inspecting models on the runway. A Mona Lisa smile, and conclusions no one would know except yourself.

When it was finally his turn, he said his name as brightly as possible, faltering only towards the end as your eyes locked. He swore his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. It did not last long though, as you glanced down, and appeared to be incredibly happy because of something you spotted.

San was taking a particular interest in this silent mental tango, intently following your every move, while Wooyoung cupped his hand around his friend's ear and whispered.

"The bracelet."

"Ah, yes, it's uhm, should I say yours?"

"I guess so! It is from the limited edition MEDUSA collection. It suits you well. And the condition is impeccable though it's been what, a couple of years?"

"It's very precious to me, I try to take good care of it."

Seonghwa pursed his lips, the chaos of their dorm room clouding his vision. He imagined that you probably would go ballistic if you were to ever see clothing being treated in that way. Though Hongjoong did have separate storage for accessories and jewelry - that much was true.

"That means a lot. Thank you-" you turned as someone called out for you, alerting that everything was ready to go, "it's time, gentlemen, let's get this party started!"

As you clasped your hands together and moved away to join the lead photographer, allowing stylists to guide the group away and begin working their magic, San peered at Hongjoong once more.

When he made sure everyone else was out of earshot, he placed a hand on the captain's shoulder, and muttered:

"If you don't ask her out, I will. No hierarchy on this battle field."

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catkyunie · 1 month

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Fellow lore and theory Atiny…hear me out.

I have a few thoughts and theories surrounding the Ateez comeback and the current state of the lore (only referencing canon events as notated in the diary entries or related content) so let’s dive in and see how much I get right.

First, the multiple references of Trauma. This may be me digging too deep or reaching (but when it comes to KQ, I don’t ever feel like ANYTHING is a reach) but MATZ tackles the idea of trauma by referencing the stalking the boys have experienced.

Youth references trauma in both its lyricism and the way the video is shot. This is the clearest representation of it. Everything reflects the trauma associated with the end of an era in one’s life, and how that era could mean everything to someone and then be nothing.

IT’s You is the most inconspicuous and as of now, the only clear indicator of trauma references that I have found is this shot at the beginning of the music video.

Not Okay in and of itself is an entirely different monster with multiple visuals and references to trauma besides the straight up definition at the beginning of the MV.

But, that’s a different thread for another time. Let’s instead look at the purposeful order of concept photo drops. Starting with HongJoong and Yunho.

HJ & YH - HJ and YH - HJ is afraid of being forgotten and abandoned while YH uses HJ as a waypoint and beacon after the accident involving his brother.

WY and S - S not wanting to leave another group of friends again and experiencing that same loneliness and WY needing the help and reassurance of his friends to help him find his confidence.

SH and YS - each being burdened by the weight of expectation, both by themselves and others

MG and JH - MG has finally found a dream yet feels undeserving of it and JH has finally found a NEW dream and clinging to it desperately.

Also, in medical terminology, ‘golden hour’ references the first hour after a severe traumatic event and is the most critical time. This hour can wholly determine if the recovery of treatment after said event will be successful.

What is Dimension A is meant to act as the safe haven for our boys and this mini album is meant to be a representation of them reflecting on the things they experienced in Strictland and the horrors illustrated in Final Will’s Diary Entries?

I am really interested in hearing my other theory and lore Atiny weigh in on this!

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hexonthepeach · 6 months

Note

you mentioned you've been reading ateez fics lately. i just got into that group and would love some atz fic recommendations if you have any you'd be willing to share!!

welcome to ateez! they're such a gift to me as one of the first 4th gen fandoms i dipped my toes in along with skz. their lore may seem complex but it's actually easier to absorb than most with the way they've kept a clear through line of anarchy and anti-establishment deconstruction of "traditional" values (the real was my first comeback lol).

i haven't been able to deep dive in a while due to life/writing but you're gonna have a great time, i cannot wait to hear who you bias they're all very special to me.

with ateez i attune to writers who give me specifically intriguing characterization (yunho ult, seonghwa, hongjoong, and wooyoung is my wrecker) and obviously i'm a fan of polyamory so these recs will be coded to that but know there's a wealth of good fic out there for everyone. if you find recs send them my way i will absolutely read and rec as i have very few people in my life to exchange with but my asks and dms are open

in no particular order but with obvious bias:

@honeyhotteoks - this night together (a/b/o) is a masterclass entry in kpop omegaverse poly and while it's ongoing i'd wait until judgment day patiently for an update. they weave in situational heat help with so many emotions and a natural response to turn to other members for a "safer" less personal experience while unpacking the difficulty of dynamics across multiple lines it's immersive and real and so, so, so good. they have an incredible oeuvre but they specifically write yunho so beautifully it's a gift i could never stop being thankful for. room for three (seonghwa/yunho established relationship with unicorn reader) is an all time fave but know summer series and the rest of their yunho ml is my bible as a fellow hotteok

@tenelkadjowrites - not just my favorite seonghwa writer but one of my favorite writers of all time, said after decades of fic reading/writing, many of them in the star wars universe (yes we're including my formative years here but i'm a they/them hag). a once in a lifetime kismet of finding someone who can create perfect little aus that absorb you and all feel distinctly different. could i pick a favorite of their work? never. but video girl (90s au with a perfect actual real to my own experience soundtrack) and especially attention (camboy seonghwa with inexperienced reader and a beautiful twist of self-discovery) rocked my world, along with wallflower (true to canon star wars nerd seonghwa office au) are their most recent but just sit back and enjoy their entire catalogue. it's like discovering an artist who you'll follow for their rest of your life (and that's true for everyone i'm reccing tonight)

@setsugekka - art hoe kim hongjoong lives and breathes so fully realized in their writing that i feel like an idiot trying to convey what it has done for my own. i have both paradise lost and atarashi sitting in drafts for long form reviews because of how deserved they are for full reads/reactions but i'll be clear i found their ateez and skz work (and as a minho bias i'll be going there as well) through the mona lisa that is déjà rêvé and déjà vu aka the quintessential dom!doyoung text that has informed my own writing. i really can't add more to that statement beyond them being an impetus for me writing rpf over the last 2 years including longform

@ncteez - philomene [hongjoong/reader - stoned inexperienced perfect perfect fic] - i absolutely love the dreaminess of this fic and it's comforting as someone who loves stoned sex irl and in writing, perfectly articulated and wrought. no more words this song played on repeat while reading i wish i could offer a playlist for how perfect this was but also i could not hold a candle to the entirety of how many of their nct fics have carried me through the last few years. color evasion (dom!johnny/inexperienced reader) lives with me daily but everything they write will be a must read for me, thank you for these gifts

@shadowynn - in love and lore is one of the reasons i started writing longform fic. it's a fantasy demon!ateez au with such an incredibly well-written backstory that even if it isn't finished there's so much there to enjoy and go back to. it's like a first novel and whatever i receive will be good but god, hongjoong and seonghwa with healer/half-demon reader . . . inspiration isn't even the word i could use to describe how well the set-up and pacing is at this point . . . same with the paradigm complex. winnie writes reverse harem with a clear understanding of how to thread multiple storylines and arcs together and i am continuously in awe by whatever i am given.

this was such a long answer but i am in my feelings and so grateful for the fic writers that have given me the courage to post. apologies for not being able to make this shorter and to anyone i tagged forced to read my ramblings i am legit so grateful for your contributions

#hex peach answers #hex peach fic recs

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fadingoutintothehands · 11 months

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(Long post sorry)

Ateez as Danger Days songs

Danger Days (by My Chemical Romance) has a lot of similar aspects and themes to Ateez' discography, mostly because their storylines are both dystopian. So I went through all the Danger Days songs and matched the songs to the Ateez members (more so the characters they play in the lore) based on my personal interpretation of the lore of both groups/bands. It's for my own enjoyment, I had fun.

1. Hongjoong as Vampire Money

Initially I didn't know if I should include Vampire Money because it's not really apart of the overall DD/Killjoys story. But it's very Hongjoong coded, with the David Bowie inspiration, and the fast pace of it all reminds me of his rapping. It stands out from the rest of the album, maybe that reflects on his authority as a Captain. I'm biased but Hongjoong has always reminded me of Gerard Way and his mannerisms, and its especially prevalent in this song. Unrelated but this song is pretty much a diss track on Twilight, and I love Twilight btw, but now it means I can connect Hongjoong to another one of my major interests - vampires.

2. Seonghwa as Destroya

HEAR ME OUT if you know anything about MyChem you probably also know the weird reputation of Destroya. But my reasoning is that behind the somewhat strange vocals, Destroya's main theme is based around a beacon of hope, with the actual character - of the massive robot called Destroya - representing salvation for the oppressed. This theme (in my interpretation) is also in Halazia, because in the music video that scarecrow/Halateez figure seems to represent hope for those people. And Halazia for me always reminds me of Seonghwa, probably because of his visuals in the music video and his siren vocals which I am so in love with.

3. Yunho as The Only Hope For Me Is You

I read up on some of the diary entries a few days ago, but I am by no means we'll versed in what they mean or what they represent. But Yunho's entry was very focused around his brother and a very close relationship between the two, which is also shown in this song as the narrator places their faith entirely in the hands of the person they trust. It connects with the Killjoys (the main characters of Danger Days) as being their wish to be remembered, and I think that's also something Ateez (or Halateez?) would want in their universe.

4. Yeosang as S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W

The distortion on this song is so heavy and that reminds me Yeosang's low register/voice in Halazia & Ep2: Outlaw. The lyrics are really out there with this idea of isolation and separation, and from watching Ateez' music videos (though I definitely don't entirely understand them) Yeosang seems to be more distant from the group on the regular, like when he's trapped in another dimension/world. Furthermore it connects to Ateez lore as "Scarecrow" refers to a police type extermination team, and that could either be Halateez in the earlier MVs or the masked individuals who keep popping up.

5. San as Save Yourself I'll Hold Them Back

This song holds a message of making a name for yourself and being determined to stand up for yourself, both in the real world for the fans and also for the Killjoys in the fictional dystopia. It took me a while to decide who'd fit this concept best, but I decided on San within the MVs he's a very stand out character who's hard to miss, his character obviously strives to be strong and overcome (re: pulling down the moon/sky ball in Halazia) but also in his diary entry he mentions making it "his" world, showing that he's not going to conform to a higher being.

6. Mingi as Party Poison

Party Poison inspired this entire post. This entire deep dive. I made the fatal decision to watch the Bouncy music video (for the 100th time) right after listening to Party Poison and seeing Mingi in the bar put me through it. I'm assuming Mingi is Django, that's my interpretation, and Party Poison is one of the Killjoy characters who's also Django, in a conceptual sense. The song walks you through a very violent encounter where Party (the character) uses dance and music as an accompanying metaphor. Music and dance is a very strong theme here, and obviously it's also a main theme within Ateez' music as a whole. Party Poison is also just a very eccentric person and those vibes shone through with Cowboy Mingi in Bouncy.

7. Wooyoung as Planetary (GO!)

Similarly to Mingi and San, Wooyoung matches with Planetary because of the overarching themes of dance/music as well as overwhelming determination. A big part of the Killjoys characters is that they're never ones to be forgotten and they'll do the craziest out of pocket things in order to be remembered by fellow outsiders or by Blind (the oppressive system) themselves. This brings chaos to the song, I personally think Wooyoung embodies this chaos in his performance and his character within the lore. The song speaks directly to you, as the listener, and it's very easy to imagine Wooyoung being the one to shout these social commentaries at you.

8. Jongho as SING

Again, if you're familiar with My Chemical Romance, you might know that SING doesn't have the most favourable reputation among fans. They're wrong, objectively I disrespect their opinion (jk) because SING is so goated, so top tier. Why Jongho, besides the obvious reason that his singing is off the scales incredible. It's Jongho because the song details the power of singing and music in the face of who want to put you down and the way Jongho's vocals make me feel is like that. He's very inspirational, he said on Lee Mujin's service that he wants to be recognised for the work and effort he's put into his voice and SING represents that view entirely. Goated man for a goated song.

Finally, overall I adore My Chemical Romance and Ateez and they're probably the only thing I think about most of the time. One of the reasons I found myself loving Ateez so much was because I recognised the similarities they have with MyChem so I often find myself comparing them as artists and comparing their songs, mostly the themes within their songs. Obviously it's not a unique idea to portray motivation and inspiration through a dystopian storyline, but Ateez & Mychem (MyTeez? AtChem?) manage to do this incredibly well through both sound and visuals. If you've read all of this then THANK YOU <3 wholeheartedly I appreciate you for giving me the time of day to talk about silly little musical connections, despite them not being that coherent or even making sense.

If you've never listened to Danger Days, or My Chemical Romance, I'd highly recommend it, it's a very enjoyable listening experience. And look into the Killjoys comic book/story if you're into dystopian fiction. and found family tropes

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atzher · 1 year

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TO DO LIST !

finish discography (3/?)

filmography (?/?)

finish “i love you” miniseries (4/8)

deep dive into the boyfriends (0/8)

ateez reacts to you on queendom

ateez reacts to you doing a sexy concept

ateez reacts to you being sore the morning after (request)

you x seonghwa baby fever (request)

ateez reacts to you ballroom dancing (request)

you, hongjoong, and yunho on idol radio (request)

exile her lore

exile paradise magazine

ateez x exile her reality show

official lightstick breakdown

#[ wip ]

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scuopsie · 1 year

Note

thank u for sharing your rant about kpop reactions videos! so i'm not the only one that finds difficult to encounter sincere and constructive reviews lately :(

With trying new yt channels, it started to literally bother me how most seem to have only complete excitement and compliments for any cb they review, no constructive opinions. The thing I love the most is when a reactor is informed (at least about the basics) and has some level of enrichment to bring to the table: filming, editing, music structure, lore (very rare) etc.

And let's not talk about the scary quantity of ppl who don't add literally anything to the rection and most of the time don't really have a clue of what they are doing 🤡 it's only for the views, right?

I do mostly follow 4gen groups now, apart from mx and a couple more, so I guess it's easier for me to find a few more enjoyable reactions since channels now seem to mostly do them about those groups... I did find some new channels that have what I'm looking for, but they do focus on recent music, since they are newer to the kpop scene. Still, the reactors I enjoy can be counted with a single hand lol. And form of therapy is (used to be?) one of those because of how articulated their reactions are.

Yeah exactly… like the majority of the new reactors (especially men) just sit there with their headphones bopping their head (sometimes off beat🤣) and say ‘cool’ and ‘dope’ sometimes….

Among the reactors I actually liked is caitlin benson who is also the person i talked abt in the rant who said they’re not enjoying reacting anymore. Like she’s real enough to admit that. And u could tell she really actually got into monsta x bc she ended up going to their US shows. iirc it was their first kpop concert. (Like the chose monsta x (and maybe ateez iirc) to see live amongst all the groups theyve been reacting to) and did a lot of deep dive into them.)

I guess it would make sense if ppl reacted to a limited number of groups instead of EVERY comeback from EVERY group. And BE REAL abt it! Like if i were a reactor id only react to monsta x, exo, pentagon and maybe sf9 and onlyoneof. And i would have criticism for them and I certainly wouldn’t like all of their releases anyway bc some stuff just arent my taste regardless of being by my bias groups!

#i used to watch a couple of ‘Dancer reacts’ reactors and ngl they were both boring #like they honestly had nothing to add/say abt the choreo #do tell me ur fave reactors bc id wanna check them out #(also how do u feel abt musa? i feel like their reactions are abit over exaggerated. like idk if i believe it all)#ask #lazywriterinthedark

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yuuana · 2 years

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youtube

Music Monday #210: JAEHYUN - Forever Only release: August 2022 genre: Kpop, R&B

Monday again and oh look, still on my Kpop bullshit. At least this time it's a different subgenre? Stressed out jaguar burrows into comfort sounds when stressed so yeah, the two musical spaces I've been in this month are ATEEZ and K-R&B, so shoot me.

Jaehyun's second appearance via SM Station and first solo on NCT LAB is a heartfelt, up-tempo R&B ballad that, unsurprisingly, had me hooked from the second that acoustic guitar lick started. What can I say? This jagu has predictable tastes. And a weakness for a guy who plays guitar and can serenade me with such a sweet voice. Worse(ish), this goes back to the trend of being an up-tempo love song whose lyrics are full of melancholy (select English CC for official translation). Even Jaehyun admits there's wiggle room for hope in the lyrics he wrote, but the overall vibe is meant to be a wistful melancholy, which lives more in his voice than it does in the backing track.

The music video leans more atmospheric over narrative, the camera spending most of the time on Jaehyun as he sings the song, first in "his" room and then transitioning to the beach. The beach "set" is really perfect for the vibe, the deep blues of a night shoot and the warmer yellows and reds of fire light (both actual and simulated). (what do you mean, my night-and-wild-water bias is showing?) It's another dimension of soothing

Of course, NCT means SMCU means asking the lore question. Shortest answer: not lore. Like Taeyong's "Ghost," this is a passion project Jaehyun's been working on for some time now, something he co-wrote as part of a conversation with his fans. The song itself is a vibe check and the video is, as noted, much more about building an atmosphere rather than telling a story. Between SM Station being a non-lore place in general and LAB being a sub-space of Station meant specifically for showcasing what the ever-growing NCT is able to do musically, this is not a surprise.

"Forever Only" is out now wherever you prefer to stream music, including Amazon, Deezer, and Tidal. NCT just wrapped SMTown 2022 Tokyo with the rest of SM, with NCT 127 tour tickets on sale now (or maybe sold out, depending on when you read this, since they tend to go fast).

Want to see Music Monday deep dives more often? Sponsor a song selection! For the low, low price of one (1) KoFi, I'll write up the song of your choice. ANY song of your choice. Yes, even that one that's been played to death. Yes, your obscure faves too. With sponsors, I can stop skipping weeks and falling further and further behind in the releases! Sponsor a current CB for the next open Music Monday slot or sponsor a throwback for a Thursday feature! But seriously, if you've been enjoying my selections and analyses, we (me and the foster kittens) would love a KoFi in thanks. DW | Twitter | Ko-fi | Patreon | Discord | Twitch

#music #music monday #kpop #kr&b #nct #jaehyun #jaehyun of nct #sm station #nct lab #Youtube

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peachybun-bun · 2 years

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What are you listening to today? We are always looking for new things! We learning about you.

M's song recommendations for the day:

youtube

NCT U - OK!

Because we all know there that "Uh, my baby says she wanna dance with a ghost She wants to leave me, yeah..." is just....*chef kiss*

youtube

A.C.E - Take Me Higher

M & S have been on an A.C.E deep dive the past couple days and the brain rot is real. They are so cute and their music is so freaking good. This song has just brought so much joy to M today. We have probably picked out biases....it's a problem already.

youtube

ATEEZ - Don't Stop

This song....this video. This group. *chef kiss* Everything about this is just perfectly Ateez and is so freaking wonderful. The song is fucking fire and the video is so full of lore and they all look SO good it's sinful.

#pms song recs #m's song recommendation #what's on your playlist #nct #nct u ok #a.c.e #a.c.e take me higher #ateez #ateez don't stop #Youtube

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sillyspero · 9 days

Note

You've been an Atiny since Bouncy era? Bouncy??? How do you know everything and it's barely been a year? 😭 Also hi I forgot to say hi since I was busy being shocked.

I was told also that RV has lore. Is it true? Like, I already listen to them and love their songs actually especially a recent one that I've forgotten the name of (WIESYA I think? Yes I think) but I don't really know much about them. Their concepts are fire I just know.

Anyways, that's all for now!

hi hi hi!!

in answer to your first question yes 😭 i got into ateez in October actually, that was when i first heard bouncy! i’m very new to the kpop fandom and all the different groups and stuff but i had been listening to RV for a long time without realizing there was so much other content besides just their music (i think this is also partially why i didn’t really discover other groups until now). the reason i know so much about ateez is because i am neurodivergent and i developed a really really strong hyperfixation on them starting in early december-ish. i basically did a really deep dive into them, listened to their entire discography multiple times, and got super into the fandom.

in terms of RV lore, they don’t have a continuous storyline but they have a really strong and consistent concept. chill kill (the album) had some little bits and pieces of lore before and during release which give the album a sort of isolated story but other than that there isn’t anything that goes between albums. but yeah their concepts are super cool! they’re always towing the line between horror and cutesy stuff and i think that’s really fun and matches well with their music and the Red vs Velvet concept they have going on with that. (if you don’t know they have sort of 2 categories of songs they make: “The Red” which is their upbeat, bubblegum pop and “The Velvet” which is their more dark, slow, and dramatic songs. think Red Flavor vs Automatic)

thank you for the ask! you’re so friendly!

tl;dr i have autism and i am hyperfixating on ateez. no RV does not have lore they just have a consistent concept. <3

#ask #dazzlingstarrs #you’re so sweet #ateez #red velvet #atz #rv

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armysantiny · 3 years

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Ateez Headcanon; Their s/o is a fantasy nerd.

Pairing: Ot8 x gender neutral reader

Genre: fluff, fantasy (kinda), headcanon

Includes: movies, tv shows, merch, movie nights, playthroughs, gifts,

Word count: 1.9k

Warnings: n/a

Rating: PG

Networks: @kwritersworld, @kdiarynet, @kpopscape, @ultkpopnetwork, @kpopcontentcreatorsclub, @k-dinernet, @lovesick-net, @whipped-kpop-creators, @kafenetwork, @8makes1teamnet, @ateezlovenet

Taglist: @teeztheflag | Taglist form

An: I had so much fun writing this! Members under the cut!

홍중 (Hongjoong)

Literally so invested

When he sees the sparkle in your eyes as you explain the lore, his heart is doing flips I tell you.

How hadn’t you told him sooner?

Doesn’t say a word while you talk, only going “Mhm~” with stars in his eyes.

If it’s a videogame, or a roleplaying game like D&D, he will practically beg you to give him a crash course in what to do.

“Are you sure you want to learn how to do this Joongie?”

“Mhm! I wanna learn, it looks fun! Just teach me the basics for now~”

Supportive boyfriend right here.

Will look up playthroughs and explanations of the lore in his own time to get a better understanding.

If he knows a little more, than it can be something the both of you enjoy!

If it’s a franchise like LoTR or something similar, he’ll definitely put the movies on when it’s movie night.

Cue Joong asking you about your favourite and least favourite parts about the franchise.

If there are any spin-off titles, he’ll ask if you recommend watching them too.

May end up becoming a fantasy nerd himself.

Makes you little memorabilia whenever he can.

Honestly loves how large your imagination must be for you to be into fantasy.

성화 (Seonghwa)

He kinda just goes “Woah...” at first.

You think he doesn’t like it; he was sitting there more or less speechless.

When he sees your dejected face, Hwa panics.

Because he does like it, he’s just surprised he hadn’t caught on sooner.

Reassures you that he is interested, and pokes at you to continue talking about it.

Cue several cute interested Hwa sounds

Asks if you have any merch you wanna show him.

He hasn’t told you, but he’s started looking into the franchise for himself.

Might not end up being his taste, but he still keeps a small interest in it.

It was something you were interested in after all.

Chuckles to himself when he sees you really into the series.

Something about you excited about the fantasy franchise you were into was endearing.

Always lends an ear to your theories and headcanons

You surprise him-

He swears you’ve just described an entirely new novel to him.

The headcanon is just that detailed.

Definitely encourages you to try creative writing/design courses to see if you could take your interests further

Asks if you want to create your own fantasy series.

Supportive boyfriend #2 over here~

As long as you’re happy, he’s happy.

윤호 (Yunho)

He’s honestly more excited than you are to be honest

Bounces like a child when you describe the lore to him.

If the stars in his eyes could get any brighter, they would. He is literally the pleading eyes emoji

You mention that you’ve created original characters inspired by the franchise, and he almost pounces on you with even more questions.

Will ask if you’ve created a character based off of himself.

Which you have, and when you show him, he gets even more excited - if that’s even possible.

Will ask you to explain the character’s entire backstory.

Falls in love with you even more - if he even can at that point.

Finds every way possible to have you talk about any and everything fantasy related.

Calls you in the middle of the night to listen to you ramble about your latest character design.

Tells all the members that you’ve created a character about him and boasts about it for months.

You might have another fantasy nerd on your hands now.

여상 (Yeosang)

Kind of a fantasy nerd himself.

So, when you reveal that you’re into fantasy, he kinda goes “Oh? Me too!”

Excited giggles from both of you

Cue fantasy themed date nights...you cuties

Curled up in a blanket together with a load of snacks, watching your favourite movies together.

Oh god the theory discussions you two have.

Now you two can call each other at God forbidden times of the night and talk about your favourite series.

Since he’s the only one who knows, he’s glad only he gets to see that excited grin on your face when you talk about the show.

Low-key starts boasting about it too.

Like, only he can see you when you’re this cute, you know?

You’d take his drones away if he told any of the boys about your fantasy shows, so it becomes your shared little secret~

Buys you cosplay pieces so you can dress up as your favourite character.

Compliments you for days.

Literally so pretty :(

Takes a thousand pictures (Yes, he keeps a set as his background)

He’s already dressed up as Harley Quinn, so he’s more than happy to dress up as one of the major ships.

Especially if it’s your favourite ship too.

Conventions! Omg you’d go to as many conventions as you could together.

Couple goals~

Singing to soundtracks together as you get ready.

Definitely uses it as a way to tease you.

Sees you having a fan moment over a character and pretends to get all pouty.

“Your boyfriend’s right here, but you’re only focusing on them? Fine then...”

Laughs when he sees the blush on your face

Of course, he gets the same treatment from you.

Healthy relationships, we love to see it. Now where do I get this?

산 (San)

Cannot control the absolute look of admiration in his face at all.

Looks at you with all the wonder in the world. His eyes’ sparkle :(

It may sound a little confusing at first to him, but hearing you describe it with so much passion warms his heart.

Asks you to take the plot step-by-step, so he can understand it a little better

Watches some of it when he can, and he can definitely see the appeal

Interesting characters, an entirely different world, no wonder you love it so much.

He has his games, and you already knew about them, so he’s happy he knows about you more, ‘hidden’ interests.

When he heard you ask him not to find it weird after you’re caught having a fan moment, he pouts immediately.

Why would he find it weird that you were a fan of something? He was quite the fanboy himself, after all

Spends a considerable amount of time reassuring you that he doesn’t find your interests or you weird.

No one is feeling insecure about liking a franchise that makes them happy on his watch.

Buys you merch as soon as it releases.

Little excited claps when he sees your reaction.

It soon becomes your favourite merch item and he’s so proud.

Sees you wearing it literally wherever you can

When you invite him to have a movie marathon with you after he finishes his schedule, San swears he’s head over heels because he agrees without hesitation.

No second thought required

Be prepares to have several more marathons while he asks a million questions at once.

Might have to create a PowerPoint for this cutie.

민기 (Mingi)

Honestly, he’s kinda lost at first

You kinda have to tell him again and he goes “Oh...I get it!”

Does not get it.

A bit like San, a presentation may be needed at some point.

When he kinda gets it, this baby gets really excited, but he’s almost a little sad.

Because you didn’t tell him until now, you know?

Asks you about the entire main cast, and your favourite character.

Finds you watching your show and quietly sits beside you

He wants to try and understand the plot for himself.

Gets so engrossed, his eyes turn into the pleading eye emoji

He’s so cute, I swear-

Honestly, Mingi finds it so cool that you enjoy fantasy.

“Y/n, can we watch it together from now on? I really like it!”

Yeah, you might end up marrying that man right there and then.

Starts asking you to introduce him to other shows you like that you think he might like as well.

Ends up with a full list and starts watching them all.

I mean all of them

Hell, I think you’ll turn him into a fantasy nerd as well.

Borrows one of your merch hoodies and wears it around the house.

It’s his now :(

Please, he looks so small

You end up buying him a matching hoodie

Refuses to take it off unless he has to.

Listens to all of your fan ravings

Learns about all of your favourite ships.

High-key starts analysing them with you

Yep- you’ve got a fantasy nerd on your hands now, enjoy!

우영 (Wooyoung)

Okay, excited child alert

Another one who literally bounces when you tell him. Gives you puppy eyes for days.

Why didn’t you tell him sooner?

Bugs you constantly about the shows you like and your favourite character.

Which leads him to go on an internet deep-dive (Definitely on Twitter)

He enjoys cooking, so he finds a way to cook the food from the show.

And holy shit it tastes better than you imagined.

Once he sees your reaction, Wooyoung makes it his mission to surprise you with dishes from the show.

Late nights binging your favourite shows together is now a must.

Does kinda laugh a little too loud in your ear, but you’re used to it.

In all truth, you appreciate that he wants to watch it with you

He may be watching it with you, but he also loves seeing your reaction to what’s happening on screen

Please, he thinks you’re the cutest human on earth.

Maybe he takes a picture or two. Maybe

Finds really cute keepsakes from the show while he’s on tour and buys them for you

Takes a picture of them and send them to you with the caption, ‘Look what I got~’

You literally squeal and call him immediately

A proud smile on his face when he hears your voice

You’re rambling thank yous in every language you know and Wooyoung’s there on the other line giggling

Yeah, you’re being spoiled with merch from now on.

Precious baby :(

종호 (Jongho)

Probably has the most neutral response out of all the boys

Kinda just goes, “Oh, that’s cool, fantasy’s really interesting.”

Low-key sounds uninterested, but trust me, he is. Even if it’s just a tad.

Jongho strikes me as the type to not tell you that he’s learning about your favourite show.

You’ll be watching an episode and he walks in, “Oh, [character]’s pairing with [character] is really neat. They wrote them really well.”

“Huh..? How do you know..?”

You thought he wasn’t interested in the show and he giggles at your confusion.

Granted, he isn’t into the idea of fantasy as the others are, but if it’s what makes you happy, it wouldn’t hurt to learn a little about it.

Let’s you take him to conventions and helps you hold the bigger items you struggle with so you don’t drop everything.

Thinks you look amazing in full cosplay.

Lets you experiment on him from time to time.

You get him in some makeup, contacts and give him a prosthetic piece to put over his head.

He thinks he looks pretty good. Might consider trying it again sometime.

He’ll be shopping online and see something.

“Isn’t that from y/n’s favourite..?”

Buys it and surprises you the next time you have a date together.

“Oh? When did you get this? I love it”

“Ah, you know~ I was browsing and it reminded me of you.”

Ends up seeing you take it everywhere

Smiles to himself each time and refuses to tell you why.

Out of all the merch you own, you take the one he bought you with you everywhere

He’s touched.

Doesn’t always pay 100% attention when you’re watching tv together, but enough that he’s aware of the plot line, but not the finer details.

You may not have convinced him to be a fan, but you have turned your boyfriend into a casual watcher.

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closer-stars · 4 years

Text

I DID A DEEP DIVE ON GENSHIN LORE, WHAT ATEEZ AS GENSHIN IMPACT PLAYERS

#stars talk

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cbspams · 3 years

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The Boyz - No Air (A Song of Ice and Fire)

These are gonna be super fucking long, just fair warning.

Hello again and welcome to another round of Delphine nitpicking a performance into the oblivion!

Honorable mention to my roommate who desperately despises kpop with all their heart but watched this performance (and the other TBZ performance) with me to help me get some insight on how attuned to GOT the performance was since I've never watched the show or read the books. For reference, they have read the books, watched the tv show and in their free time they listen to extensive opinion pieces and analytical essays on GOT. So I'd personally put their knowledge pretty high, but once again this is like a second hand account so sorry if I get things wrong.

ALRIGHT LETS GET IT!!

First, I wanna talk a bit about the pre-performance clips. I really liked the underwater photography studio idea as a way to feel and show desperation. I personally would need to do something else as I'm not afraid of water but I think that the literal concept of not having air is interesting and a good direction. I'm also really proud of Sunwoo for working so hard despite his fear, and I'm really touched by Younghoon specifically going back into the tank to help. Side note but pufferfish New hehehehe.

I genuinely wish they had used more of the film and photography from the session for the actual performance. I feel like a short pre-performance film would've really elevated the storyline, especially since they're trying to reference GOT which is (as according to the books and the show UP TO where the books ended, yknow, pre-season 8) really, really plot and lore based. Not to dive too deep into the theme yet but I feel as though a lot of TBZ's performances in Kingdom (which are really just this one and then O Sole Mio (Red Wedding) in round 2) aren't really expressing the full extent of their themes.

What I mean by this is that anyone who has read A Song of Ice and Fire (ASIF, pls dont @ me if this is the wrong acronym bc idk??) probably knows that TBZ performance wasn't really based in any events of the book or any themes of it. No Air is a desperate love song and there's plenty of desperation in ASIF but it really feels like TBZ did a mix of inspired by ice and fire (the literal elements) and set in ASIF (physical location markers). According to my roommate, the set pieces are recognizably places in ASIF but the performance didn't really track the themes present in the novel. I'll get to the Red Wedding later as well, but in both performances although TBZ were clearly trying to track some level of GOT's, it feels underdeveloped and therefore to me feels clunky, which is a bit disappointing because TBZ are masters of concepts and executing new ideas. Not sure if this makes sense but I guess if I had to summarize, it would be that they're taking inspiration from the name and title of things rather than the actual source material so it doesn't feel as effect in some ways. STILL, if I consider it operating on the level of just ice and fire rather than by GOT, they did a beautiful job!

Consider this: No Air is originally a bit more of an upbeat rhythm and melody but the way they toned it to be almost kind of in minor key to fit the desperation theme? Whoever's doing arrangement is putting out stuff that's really amazing. On top of that, the drum beats in the baseline add to that same feeling and then to have the turn around where the melody gets softer before the chorus, is a beautiful touch of contrast that really draws together the tender side of a desperate love. And the first chorus feels almost defeated, longing and yearning. I feel like the flow of the music really fit a tragic romance storyline, which I just love about TBZ.

Even with their less than stellar (imo) execution of theme, they're still putting out completely new and incredible ideas. Starting even with the 100 sec performances in which they did the hands thing and now with the POV camera direction, TBZ are taking full advantage of the stage and it's set up, which I cheer at every time I see it. Even the other groups are were picking up their ideas! See Stealer (The Scene) by SF9 in which Zuho "fights" the camera.

ALSO a quick note on the beginning camera work!! They show the frozen zombies (an allusion to the white walkers I assume) and they're completely stiff but then the camera moves towards Juyeon and the woman's arms take off one of his wrist cuffs before turning and you see that the zombies have moved!! And then there's a quick shot that as she's turned around to take off the other cuff, the zombies start to move again. That's a really smart way of setting up the kind of stakes in the moment, that if she doesn't get Juyeon free quickly then she'll be attacked and overtaken and Juyeon will stay trapped. The blocking in this moment is immaculate as far as story telling goes!! I love when the camera contributes to the theme and storyline, very much a show don't tell kind of thing. Love that for them.

The stretch screen is also a really interesting idea! I'm not sure how it correlates to ASIF or their theme necessarily, I think it's more of a performance aspect but literally Juyeon What The Fuck. He's genuinely so talented and it stems from his dedication and hard work. They kind of mention in the pre-performance clips that he's really harsh on himself and cries after performances when they don't do well, but legit I thought he did so, so well here. His expressions were really forlorn at first and once again, those dance moves!! Bro!!

On the topic of expressions, because one of their main themes is desperation, I watched really closely to how they were expressing that with their faces and bodies. I'm judging body language differently, since kpop dances tend to really favor the more hip hop, sharp isolation style and I can't view it like, oh they should've done contemporary dance.

Kevin's opening line gave me goosebumps. The kind of build up in the strings to his cool but forceful voice, mmph. I think Haknyeon's anger is also a really nice touch because desperation may be based in sadness but it's real expression usually comes out in anger. In that last do or die moment, are you cowering and hiding in an attempt to survive or do you fight back? The human body has a natural instinct to thrash around and reach for anything you can when you drown, and it feels like a fight because it is one. So although TBZ is aiming for a sad and tragic love story, because their main theme is what it is, I like that they included different sides from fury to despair. Sunwoo's little head toss back was really good too, both technically and thematically.

Honestly I don't know who choreo'd this but I really liked it. They definitely choreo'd it with the camera in mind, which I mean, everyone did but their was really smooth and easy to flow with. People were walking off camera nonchalantly, as opposed to sprinting off. It's something that ATEEZ had trouble with in the 100 sec performance (in the pre-performance clip) so you can see TBZ experience in performing the live take on the Kingdom stage (which I've mentioned before is a really unconventional type of stage). Plus because the arrangement slows in different places, they have little moments of tragic love as well (like pre-chorus when the camera unblindfolds Hyunjae or post-chorus when Haknyeon, Kevin, Sangyeon, and Jacob hold the lover's hands tenderly), which just emphasizes their desperation! I feel like I'm repeating myself a lot but tbh that just goes to show how in tuned TBZ are with their emotional theme. Another thing is the zombies, which continues the theme from before that they're fighting somehow to stay with their lover or that their time is in danger. Sunwoo dangling over the hoard, like okay. Okay! I see you! Oof, props to you choreographer, props to you.

YOUNGHOON!!! What an actor man, he's got such a diverse range of facial expressions. He really pulls off the kind of empty, forlorn look, ugh. Please get this man a role in a drama, 11/10 would watch. Honestly Juyeon too, please guys I'm too wear for those intense, piercing looks.

That last moment is interesting. It's almost like they're flinging their lover away from the fire, rejecting them so they'll be safe? The explosion in the back honestly doesn't make a lot of sense except as some kind of climactic moment but I don't think they needed it. It doesn't really fit the story they were telling, nor does it set up for their next performance so like. Why lol.

I'm new TBZ and I've been kind of eating up content from them, but especially because I got to know them through RTK, I had really high expectations for them now. I think they're still doing wonderfully, especially between the new creative freedoms Kingdom offers. But I also think they're suffering what I've previously described as the kind of burden to come up with something that fits in the set.

A quick recap: Because RTK had less budget and was smaller, the props and sets were a lot more simple and specific. Each group had to create stories using limited props which forced them to be more technically advanced with their formations, dance moves, arrangements etc. Because Kingdom has more budget and can now create elaborate sets and costumes etc, I think the groups are somehow less diverse and creative here than in RTK. Their technical skill still shines through but it feels like a lot of it gets covered with the sets and stuff.

So like in RTK, TBZ made ample usage of their own bodies to tell stories whereas now it feels like they're not doing that and it makes me sad in some ways because I think that's the appeal of a competition show. That you're allowed to make more story telling with your own body, instead of following pure performance choreography like in normal performances. Something that comes to mind for example is like The Eve from EXO. The song is supposedly about standing up to corruption but the dance is uh. Sexy and honestly not very aligned with the song. So like that's kind of a choreography and performance for the sake of performance. But on RTK, groups were able to have more themed storytelling and TBZ were a master of it, from thieves in Danger to revolutionaries in Reveal. So I'm just a little sad to see that kind of vanish with the budgeting that comes with Kingdom.

Despite all that, I still think TBZ have put on a great performance and it's still really interesting and fun to watch. I hope that their future performances allow them a little more creativity and storytelling with their bodies and techniques, with the set pieces helping enhance that rather than hinder it.

#admin talk #kingdom commentary #kingdom performance comments #drowning cw

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